The Thieves Guild of Blind Midshotgatepool
Connects to: 15.24, 16.16, 19.30, 26.19, 26.20.03, 26.20.04, 26.20.05, 27.18.01 and 37.06.
With the civil government of Blind Midshotgatepool hopelessly divided between five rival lords, much of the power of the city is held by the thieves guild and all of the power of the thieves guild is held in the well-manicured fist of Wortimer the Scrivener. Unlike the local merchants and lords who grovel before the men of the City of Shuttered Windows, the thieves have earned themselves a reputation as heroes among those who are too poor to live on dry and for their daring raids on Shuttered merchants and even the Tower Savage itself.
Despite the tales that are whispered in the houseboats (26.20.05), most of the local thieves target Shuttered merchants because they‘re the only ones with much money but Wortimer himself has nursed a sharp hatred against the sinking city ever since the warehouse where he was employed was burned to the ground in the war, leaving him poor and with few outlets for his sharp mind except for crime. And his mind is sharp enough to avoid risking his best men against dangerous outlanders, so he instead sends freelance thieves (especially travelling adventurers) against Shuttered merchants and provides them with intelligence and assistance in return for a cut of the loot.
Recently Boros of Thring, the uncle of the current lady of Thring and the Duke‘s personal representative in Blind Midshotgatepool has been coordinating with the five lords and what remains of the local merchant community in order to attempt to root out Wortimer‘s operation. They have met with little success because many of the locals respect the swift, if arbitrary and cruel, justice that Wortimer metes out. Also, Boros‘ squire is an informant for the guild.
Aside from Wortimer himself there are several notable members of the Blind Midshotgatepool thieves guild. Mabalaquain: a half-elven enchanter of some minor skill. Wortimer‘s right-hand man is vicious and conniving, always ready with a cruel mockery or a half-true rumor for other members of the guild. However, his position is secure as he is Wortimer‘s paramour. Gwened: Mabalaquain‘s human half-sister. She was brought on board by her brother, over the heads of some rather resentful junior members, but she soon proved her worth with the blade and silenced all doubts about her ability. She serves as Wortimer‘s enforcer, carrying out his orders with excessive and creative force. The episode with the honeyed roped annoyed Wortimer but all was forgiven when she managed to suborn Boros‘ squire. Mousey: after being exiled from his old home within the walls of a northern giant‘s holding, the local gnome who the humans call Mousey quickly proved his worth as the most skilled sneak thief in the city. He favors traditional gnomish suspenders and sports a navel-length beard and appears quite harmless but often leaves traps, poisons and other nasty surprises behind in the buildings that he burgles. He especially favors ‘gifts’ that only begin to have their effect years afterwards. Granny Lin: the guild‘s professional fence. She has an especially sharp eye for rare herbs, plants and spices. She drives a sharp bargain but is known to have a soft spot in her heart for urchins and orphans and often scoops out snacks from her barrel of roasted peanuts for them and they tell her all that they know.
In addition to his compatriots, Wortimer has a trick up his sleeve, or rather on his back. He wears a heavy black cloak even on the hottest summer days. Many have guessed that the cloak’s clasp, a piece of platinum jewelry in the form of two hands grasping a needle, is a magical charm and they whisper that it allows him to walk through walls or draw a man’s soul from his body.
The truth of the matter is that the clasp keeps the cloaker that Wortimer wears dormant. If Wortimer were to be ambushed, say by a group of greedy adventurers, he would remove the clasp and cast his cloak at one of his assailants. The cloaker would then come to life and begin suffocating its victim. Wortimer hopes that that would provide enough of a distraction to let him escape and rally his guild.
Connections:
- Uriza (15.24) was a power in the thieves guild, thanks to the magic item she had stolen, until Mousey brought her low.
- The thieves guild takes advantage of the Hall of the Five Gates (26.20.03) and cooperates with the Yaboon family (26.20.04).
- The guild‘s power is greatest among the houseboats of the city (26.20.05).
- Wortimer is served by a wild man who is able to sniff out magic (37.06).
- Wortimer is quietly supporting a banned wind cult in hopes that it weakens the hold of the state church of the City of Shuttered Windows (27.18.01).
- The thieves of the August City uses memory-stealing birds of paradise (19.30) on guild members who know too much but are too important to be killed.
- Wortimer has offered a reward to anyone who drives the bullywogs out of Yrump Marsh (26.19).
Hooks:
- Who is Mabalaquain’s elven parent?
- Wait, gnomes live between the walls of the homes of giants?
- Who have some of the victims of the thieves guild been?
- Where did Wortimer get the cloaker and the clasp?