September 11, 2023 • 5 mins
Ralan took the fall, revealing an honor Raef never saw. Now, determined to repay that loyalty, Raef decides the only way to help Ralan navigate his grim new role is to embrace the shadows and join the Thieves Guild himself.
Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
---
Intimidated that you're dozens of episodes behind and afraid to start listening? Don't be. Here's a handy Listener's Guide that let's you know spots where you can start listening further in the story.
---
Interested in the development of the complex story and want to know how writer Jake Kerr puts it together every week? Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to his Patreon. Love world building? Want ongoing updates? Free members get ongoing story updates with interesting reference material about the guild hierarchy, geography, and history.
Free Patreon members also receive copies of the first two Thieves Guild ebooks. The next book will be released in 2025 and Patreon members will also receive that book (and all subsequent books!) for free, too. Want to go directly to get your free books? Click here.
---
If you would like to view a map of Ness, you can find it here.
----
Grab some Thieves Guild merch!
https://store.podcastalchemy.studio
----
Check out our other drama podcasts!
Artifacts of the Arcane
A historical urban fantasy set at the beginning of World War Two.
The world has abandoned magic, but magic hasn’t abandoned the world.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/arcane
Thursday
A cyberpunk VR thriller.
No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/thursday
Jake's Theatre of the Mind
Nebula Award nominee Jake Kerr narrates short stories twice a week.
----
Find out more about writer Jake Kerr: https://www.jakekerr.com
Follow Jake on Bluesky @jakekerr.com
Some secrets are worth dying for. Some are worth killing for.
---
Intimidated that you're dozens of episodes behind and afraid to start listening? Don't be. Here's a handy Listener's Guide that let's you know spots where you can start listening further in the story.
---
Interested in the development of the complex story and want to know how writer Jake Kerr puts it together every week? Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to his Patreon. Love world building? Want ongoing updates? Free members get ongoing story updates with interesting reference material about the guild hierarchy, geography, and history.
Free Patreon members also receive copies of the first two Thieves Guild ebooks. The next book will be released in 2025 and Patreon members will also receive that book (and all subsequent books!) for free, too. Want to go directly to get your free books? Click here.
---
If you would like to view a map of Ness, you can find it here.
----
Grab some Thieves Guild merch!
https://store.podcastalchemy.studio
----
Check out our other drama podcasts!
Artifacts of the Arcane
A historical urban fantasy set at the beginning of World War Two.
The world has abandoned magic, but magic hasn’t abandoned the world.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/arcane
Thursday
A cyberpunk VR thriller.
No one can be trusted when nothing is real.
https://podcastalchemy.studio/thursday
Jake's Theatre of the Mind
Nebula Award nominee Jake Kerr narrates short stories twice a week.
----
Find out more about writer Jake Kerr: https://www.jakekerr.com
Follow Jake on Bluesky @jakekerr.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
The Thieves Guild,
by Jake Care.
Episode 7:
Back to the Four Corners.
(00:24):
Rafe had assumed Raylan was dead. He watched froma dark corner as the guard
slammed his friend's forehead again and again intothe heavy wooden table,
all for something that Rafe had done.
He was ashamed that he didn't jump in and let themall know the truth.
He had thrown the tomato. It was all his fault.
(00:44):
What made him feel worse was that his perceptionof Raylan was all wrong.
He had been seething as Raylan recounted the storyof his heroic toss at the
knight.
Somehow, Raylan always got the credit when nothingwent wrong, and Rafe got the blame when
they were caught. He was on the verge of breakingoff their friendship when Deputy
(01:05):
Carch walked in.
And even as he was having his head slammed againsta table, Raylan didn't once say that
it was Rafe who had thrown the tomato.
There was an honor in Raylan that Rafe had neverrecognized.
Sure, it was easy to see his brashness and hishatred for authority,
and his joy in driving his brother mad, but Rafewas starting to think that
(01:29):
underneath it all was some kind of noble pursuit.
He didn't know what that pursuit was, but themoment that Rafe discovered that Raylan
was alive, he knew he wanted to be a part of it.
(bell ringing)
He had returned to the Four Corners that evening,feeling depressed and helpless.
(01:49):
All he wanted to do was drink some ale, rememberhis friend, and see if anyone had
any news. The entire atmosphere of the inn changedin the evening,
with older apprentices and masters from variousguilds relaxing after a
day of labor, replacing the younger apprenticesand guildless who inhabited
the inn during the day.
One thing hadn't changed however (02:11):
Raylan was the center of attention.
This time, however, it wasn't his storytelling,but rather the news that he had been
elevated to guild master thief. At a table nearthe back, Rafe
noticed several of the young apprentices who hadbeen listening and laughing to Raylan
earlier. He hurried over for news.
(02:33):
And my brother has a slingshot. With the cage, itwill be difficult, but
I swear I'm going to hit him in the eye with apiece of gravel.
How great will it be to have a guild master thiefwith an eyepatch?
The whole table laughed as the harvest apprenticecovered his eye with his hand,
and squinted with his other one.
(laughs)
(02:53):
Rafe stood in the background, listening to themall.
Kyral, the young apprentice who cheered theloudest at Raylan's story, discussed
how he had saved up some rotten tomatoes to throwat Raylan.
Another apprentice talked about how they shoulddonate crowns to a pot, and whoever drew blood
first would win the entire prize.
(03:14):
He had debated storming in and embarrassing themall, berating them for their
childishness and lack of support for their friend.
Even if Raylan wasn't a friend to them, he shareda story with them that caused him to
get beaten severely. Certainly that counted forsomething.
But he couldn't.
Rafe cursed himself as he shuffled out of the inn.
(03:37):
He just couldn't stand confrontation at such apersonal level.
He could incite chaos, and he had done so manytimes at Raylan's goading,
but he just couldn't stand arguing with someone ora group of people.
Hit and run. Yeah, that's how I operate.
While Rafe considered it a somewhat demeaningstrategy, it was what he knew best.
(03:58):
Now he just needed to find a way to help Raylan byhitting and running.
Of course, before he could do that, he had to findhim, and he had no idea where Raylan
was. He asked everyone he knew, and no one hadever considered where Pietro lived.
As far as they knew, he just wandered the streets.
It was deep into the night before he gave up.
He returned to his quarters with a simple plan (04:19):
he would wait for Raylan at the end of the
Founder's Day Parade. He couldn't help his friendget through that ordeal, but he would be
there for him at the end. As he lay his head downon his straw mat and closed his
eyes, an exciting possibility entered Rafe's mind.
He could join the Thieves Guild.
(04:41):
He thought of dashing feats of robbery, where hewould steal from the
mansions in the Upper Triangle and give theproceeds to the poor folks in the
flats or even the Old Quarter. He pictured himselfroaming the streets in his
ominous black robe, the knights hunting him downwhile citizens cheered him
on. He fell asleep and dreamt of countlessadventures, all involving a
(05:05):
black robe and plenty of daring.
Could being a thief really be that bad?
(instrumental music plays)
The Thieves Guild,
by Jake Care.
Episode 7:
Back to the Four Corners.
(00:24):
Rafe had assumed Raylan was dead. He watched froma dark corner as the guard
slammed his friend's forehead again and again intothe heavy wooden table,
all for something that Rafe had done.
He was ashamed that he didn't jump in and let themall know the truth.
He had thrown the tomato. It was all his fault.
(00:44):
What made him feel worse was that his perceptionof Raylan was all wrong.
He had been seething as Raylan recounted the storyof his heroic toss at the
knight.
Somehow, Raylan always got the credit when nothingwent wrong, and Rafe got the blame when
they were caught. He was on the verge of breakingoff their friendship when Deputy
(01:05):
Carch walked in.
And even as he was having his head slammed againsta table, Raylan didn't once say that
it was Rafe who had thrown the tomato.
There was an honor in Raylan that Rafe had neverrecognized.
Sure, it was easy to see his brashness and hishatred for authority,
and his joy in driving his brother mad, but Rafewas starting to think that
(01:29):
underneath it all was some kind of noble pursuit.
He didn't know what that pursuit was, but themoment that Rafe discovered that Raylan
was alive, he knew he wanted to be a part of it.
(bell ringing)
He had returned to the Four Corners that evening,feeling depressed and helpless.
(01:49):
All he wanted to do was drink some ale, rememberhis friend, and see if anyone had
any news. The entire atmosphere of the inn changedin the evening,
with older apprentices and masters from variousguilds relaxing after a
day of labor, replacing the younger apprenticesand guildless who inhabited
the inn during the day.
One thing hadn't changed however (02:11):
Raylan was the center of attention.
This time, however, it wasn't his storytelling,but rather the news that he had been
elevated to guild master thief. At a table nearthe back, Rafe
noticed several of the young apprentices who hadbeen listening and laughing to Raylan
earlier. He hurried over for news.
(02:33):
And my brother has a slingshot. With the cage, itwill be difficult, but
I swear I'm going to hit him in the eye with apiece of gravel.
How great will it be to have a guild master thiefwith an eyepatch?
The whole table laughed as the harvest apprenticecovered his eye with his hand,
and squinted with his other one.
(laughs)
(02:53):
Rafe stood in the background, listening to themall.
Kyral, the young apprentice who cheered theloudest at Raylan's story, discussed
how he had saved up some rotten tomatoes to throwat Raylan.
Another apprentice talked about how they shoulddonate crowns to a pot, and whoever drew blood
first would win the entire prize.
(03:14):
He had debated storming in and embarrassing themall, berating them for their
childishness and lack of support for their friend.
Even if Raylan wasn't a friend to them, he shareda story with them that caused him to
get beaten severely. Certainly that counted forsomething.
But he couldn't.
Rafe cursed himself as he shuffled out of the inn.
(03:37):
He just couldn't stand confrontation at such apersonal level.
He could incite chaos, and he had done so manytimes at Raylan's goading,
but he just couldn't stand arguing with someone ora group of people.
Hit and run. Yeah, that's how I operate.
While Rafe considered it a somewhat demeaningstrategy, it was what he knew best.
(03:58):
Now he just needed to find a way to help Raylan byhitting and running.
Of course, before he could do that, he had to findhim, and he had no idea where Raylan
was. He asked everyone he knew, and no one hadever considered where Pietro lived.
As far as they knew, he just wandered the streets.
It was deep into the night before he gave up.
He returned to his quarters with a simple plan (04:19):
he would wait for Raylan at the end of the
Founder's Day Parade. He couldn't help his friendget through that ordeal, but he would be
there for him at the end. As he lay his head downon his straw mat and closed his
eyes, an exciting possibility entered Rafe's mind.
He could join the Thieves Guild.
(04:41):
He thought of dashing feats of robbery, where hewould steal from the
mansions in the Upper Triangle and give theproceeds to the poor folks in the
flats or even the Old Quarter. He pictured himselfroaming the streets in his
ominous black robe, the knights hunting him downwhile citizens cheered him
on. He fell asleep and dreamt of countlessadventures, all involving a
(05:05):
black robe and plenty of daring.
Could being a thief really be that bad?
(instrumental music plays)
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com