Quodethi Thief

Most cities in Thule are plagued by highly organized thieves’ guilds, but nowhere are the thieves so bold or numerous as they are in the rich city of Quodeth. You belong to one of the Quodethi guilds, whether it’s a powerful guild of hundreds controlling entire quarters of the city or an upstart gang fighting for a single street to call its own. You grew up poor and desperate, but your guild gives you the things you could never have achieved on your own: money, power, and prestige. You’re expected to answer the call when your guild needs a job done or foot sol- diers for a street war, but the rest of the time you’re free to do as you please.

Many thieves are content to serve as loyal rank-and- file guild soldiers, taking their orders from more senior thieves and rising or falling with the guild’s fortunes. You are more ambitious than that; you’re willing to take orders for now, but some day you intend to be the one giving the orders. If that means climbing the guild ladder with hard work, sharp wits, and a keen eye for opportunity, well and good. If it turns out that your advancement is blocked, then maybe you’ll just have to strike out on your own and establish your own guild somewhere.

The people of Quodeth are humans of Kalay descent, although there are sizable communities of Atlanteans, Dhari, Nimothans, and a small number of nonhumans present in the city. Consequently, the majority of Quodethi thieves are Kalays born in Quodeth, but a Quodethi thief might come from any race or nationality. The vast majority of guild thieves are men and women of the lower classes—nobles and high-ranking priests or panjandrums have all the power and wealth they need, and don’t have to turn to street crime to improve their lots in life.

Key Identity: Human (any), rogue, fighter, bard.

Quodethi Thief Benefits

The streets are your home. You can disappear in a crowd or around a corner in the blink of an eye, blending perfectly into the teeming masses of humani- ty that throng the city streets. News and rumors come your way like water flowing downhill—if it’s worth knowing, you know it. While the authorities are not your friends, the common people of Quodeth know who you are and what you are a part of, so they are careful to treat you with respect.

Quodethi Thieves in the World

Thieves have few friends and many enemies—the forces of law and order, rival guilds, even members of your own guild who are jealous of your success or who, like you, intend to be the man or woman in charge someday. In territory controlled by your guild, you command the respect (and the fear) of the common people. Outside your territory, you are regarded as a thug and a villain. Your only allies are the other mem- bers of your own guild. Individually you are weak, but together you are an army, a force that can overwhelm all but the most determined foes.

Personalising the Quodethi Thief

Major guilds in Quodeth include the Seven Knives, Red Furies, Muggers, Beggars, and Bargemasters, but there is no reason you couldn’t belong to a small upstart guild—or even a guild with similar power in another city of Thule.

Red Fury Acrobat

The Red Furies are a bold sisterhood of burglars, pickpockets, and robbers who rule the Temple Quarter of Quodeth. They are not above blackmail or assassination when the stakes justify these tactics, but they are renowned as cat burglars. Many Red Furies are climbers and acro- batics of amazing skill, and they roam the rooftops and spires of Quodeth like other thieves roam the streets and alleyways. As you might guess, all Red Furies are female—men are not welcome in this guild.

Seven Knives Assassin

You are a member in good standing of the Seven Knives, the strongest thieves’ guild in Quodeth. You have hundreds of broth- ers and sisters ready to fight by your side, secret strongholds and safehouses where you can lie hidden as long as you need to, and a vast network of informants, fences, and specialists who can equip you for almost any escapade imaginable. The only drawback is that the Seven Knives demand your loyalty and obedience. Will you seek greater autonomy, or will you fight your way up the ranks and take your place as one of the Seven who lead the guild?

Thranish Juggler

In a city ruled by black sorcery, thieves must take steps to disguise their true activ- ities. You pose as a juggler or a fool, always ready with a jest or a pratfall to entertain the masses, but behind your painted smile, you are a spy and burglar of peerless skill.