Chambers of Astinus

The Thieves Guild

History of the Thieves

Thieves guilds first came about in any organised fashion, back during the reign of Emperor Ackal II of Ergoth in 2595 PC. Emperor Ackal decreed that only his men could loot ancient ogre ruins, and tried to stop the common folk from gaining access to these ancient treasures. In retaliation, bands of warriors grouped together to defy the emperor's men and were dubbed as 'guilds of thieves'. Whilst the Ergothian empire gradually grew more corrupt, these men turned to robbery and other forms of banditry. Those who worked as part of the 'guilds' grew more powerful over the next century and by 1795 PC, laid down laws within their own powerful groups (the Articles of Conduct), which govern their acts, even to this day.

The Thieves of Today

There are thieves guilds in almost every major city in Ansalon, however the three largest guilds operate out of Palanthas, Sanction and Flotsam. During the War of the Lance, many thieves sprang out of hiding to fight the evil Dragonarmies. Whilst during the Age of Mortals, many have fallen back into covert operations, quite a number have allied with or even joined the Legion of Steel. Guild thieves do not carry any such love for the dark knights or the Solamnic Knights however, and will act against them, if the opportunity presents itself. In more recent times, the Palanthas Thieves Guild was almost wiped out by the dark knights, however it is operating with new members again, regaining it's old status. Of no doubt, the oldest and most powerful guild is the Ergothian Thieves Guild, which operates in the public and is a respected (of sorts) establishment.

The Articles of Conduct

Every thief who belongs to an official guild must follow the Articles of Conduct. These articles were established during the foundation of the guilds in Ergoth, and closely mirror portions of the Solamnic Measure. The Articles are a three hundred guideline system, however there are four main and crucial guides to live one's life by.

1. Practice your craft honorably.
2. Only steal from those who have more than they need.
3. Only harm those who would harm you or the defenseless.
4. Defy oppressors.

Guild Structure

The structure of the guilds is rather simple. When a prospective person wishes to join a thieves guild, they normally must prove themselves either by a Test of Valor, where they need to prove their loyalty and worth to the guild. Once accepted, they are trained rigorously, taught the Articles of Conduct and finally accepted as a Guild Thief. One can remain a guild thief for their entire life and live rather well, however if a thief ever has dreams of ambition, they can petition the Guildmaster or Guild Captains to assign them a quest. This quest normally involves the recovery of a powerful artifact that is hard to recover. Most thieves fail on such quests and resume their roles as guild thieves, but the rare thief who is able to succeed in such a quest and return with proof, is immediately elevated to the rank of Guild Captain and is assigned their own gang of guild thieves to command.

Guild captains generally divide up a city into districts, and each one's gang operates in that area only. Guild captains serve as a council to decide on matters, but ultimately all power and decision-making lies with the Guildmaster. The Guildmaster is normally chosen by the other guild captains, and stays in the role until they are killed or decide to step down.

Roles are as follows:

1. Apprentice
2. Guild Thief
3. Guild Captain
4. Guildmaster (only 1)

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