The Thieves Guild by Jake Kerr. Episode 32: The Tower Balcony. Rafe still marveled over the majesty of the Thieves Tower. The tower was massive, by far the largest in Ness, and yet no one across the river knew it even existed. Granted, it was as far west and south from Ness City proper as you could go, and it stood at the base of the Sheer Mountains that formed the south of the city, so it was perfectly camouflaged against the stone of the mountain.
Still, it was not hard to see from everywhere in Ness if you knew what to look for. Additionally, it stood next to the wall. Wouldn't the Night Guild know of its existence just from their regular patrols? Rafe looked down at the top of the wall to look for the white cloaks of the White Guard, but could only see a few figures dressed in black.
"Does the Night Guild even patrol this part of the wall?" The entire top floor of the tower was used as the living quarters of the guild master, and although Pietro didn't live there during his 70-plus year tenure as guild master, it had been kept tidy, if spare. It was certainly comfortable, and Rafe enjoyed looking at the ancient art that filled the walls, images of battles long forgotten and heroes unknown. The books were a similar revelation.
The guild master's library contained more books than Rafe had ever seen in his life, and the subjects were primarily of Ness itself; history, geology, maps, and various guild histories. Some of the thickest books were on things that Rafe had never heard of. The Baros Treaty, what was that? Several books covered something called the Veritri Expedition. Behind a stack of books covered in dust, there was even a very old book about the history of the Magic Guild.
Rafe cracked it open, noted that the Magic Guild colors were red and that the history of the guild ended before Ness was even founded. Was it a book of fantastic myths? Rafe wasn't sure, but he promised himself to spend more time in the library. Beyond two glass doors was a balcony, and Rafe walked outside to once again enjoy the view. He was so high up that it was dizzying, but the view was extraordinary. The balcony was about 10 feet deep and twice that wide.
There was a weathered iron chair and a stone desk in one corner, while the rest was bare. The balcony was on the northeast side of the tower. The Old Fork flowed along the right from the mountains to the Great River. The Old Fork separated the Ash Fields from the Old Quarter. The Ash Fields were still mostly dust and barren land, despite attempts by the Thieves Guild to enrich the dirt over the years. The Old Quarter was massive and full of ancient buildings arranged in
well-organized neighborhoods. It was about the size of the Flats, the Lower Triangle, and the merchant and warehouse districts combined. Across the Great River in the distance was the Ness Rafe had known his whole life. The fields to his right were vibrant and full of the color that Rafe knew meant growing fruit, grains, and vegetables. His home in the Lower Triangle was somewhere in the mass of buildings. Merchant Tower stood like a central beacon of all that Ness had become.
Standing as a smaller partner to the left was the Craft Tower, and surrounding it all was the Great Wall, which protected Ness from invasion. "So what do you see, Apprentice Rafe?" Rafe spun around to see Allard standing behind him. Allard's arms were crossed and his mighty sword swung slightly in its scabbard. Rafe couldn't quite get over his fear of Allard, and while his ever-present hood was down, it was a small improvement. The long scar across Allard's face was about as
intimidating as the shadow of the hood. Rafe shrugged. "Two cities split by a river?" Walking forward, Allard nodded. "It is as good an answer as any. When the citizens abandoned the Old Quarter after the Golden Fields weren't so golden anymore, they cruelly left behind those that couldn't afford to start anew. At that moment, Ness became what you see below." Allard pointed to the Old Quarter. "Those that worked hard for the good of the city but couldn't afford to leave, and..."
He pointed across the river. "Those that wanted to start anew without the weight of compassion dragging them down." "What of the Golden Fields?" Rafe asked. And as soon as he asked, the answer hit him. Allard must have noticed as he nodded, but didn't say anything. "The Ash Fields, right?" "Yes. The Great River used to be the city's protection to the north, but when the Golden Fields became barren, a bridge was built. The people crossed and well..." Allard once again motioned out beyond the
balcony. "You can see the result." There was a heaviness to Allard's words that exceeded a history lesson. Rafe glanced back at Allard. "Something is happening, Allard, isn't it? Something big." Allard sighed, took a step forward, and put his hand on Rafe's shoulder. "I fear so, Rafe. Pietro spent his entire life hiding our guild and the work we do to feed and shelter the many residents of the Old Quarter.
We take so we can give. It was a noble goal." "Was?" "It's still a noble goal, but we are entering complex times and we need to do more. Pietro kept the guild from deeply infiltrating other guilds, from being involved in politics at all. His fear, and he was absolutely correct, was that if we were discovered, all our good works would be at risk. But your friend and our guild master did more than he imagined in ruining his brother's plans." "Raylan has a habit of doing that."
Allard smiled. "So I have both heard and experienced. Still, he illustrated that the selective use of the guild's power can do tremendous good in the face of those that want to destroy the city as we know it." Rafe nodded, but he wasn't quite sure he understood what Allard was getting at. Mela was off warning Polo and Raylan was somewhere in the plains stopping Karch. Those were good things to do, and the type of thing that Raylan would support wholeheartedly.
Allard had gone quiet, so Rafe finally responded. "We are doing more." "Indeed, Rafe. We are doing more. But are we doing enough?" (instrumental music plays)