August 28, 2023 • 7 mins
Ralan revels in telling tales of his latest prank, safe in his anonymity... or so he thinks. But when his brother's ambitious deputy, Karch, arrives, the laughter stops, and Ralan learns that boasting can have brutal consequences.
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
----
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
----
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 Kerr.
Episode 3:
Caught.
(00:27):
These were the moments that brought joy to Raylan.
Surrounded by both friends and strangers fromvarious guilds, he loved
to weave tales about his derring-do at fightingthe officious Knight Guild
or the greedy Merchant Guild or the dull HarvestGuild.
In the city state of Ness, guilds ran everything,their distinct colors a mark of
(00:51):
pride worn by every guild member.
Not being in a guild required one to wear brown.
And while it was commonly a sign of immaturity anda source of disparaging comments,
for Raylan, it was a sign of his independence andfreed him to mock all guilds
without the underlying tension of guild rivalry.
He leaned forward, spilling his ale a bit, as heprepared to describe the
(01:14):
helpless look on the knight's face as he turnedafter the tomato hit him
square in the back.
Of course, Raylan wasn't stupid. He had to use theright story for the
right crowd.
He glanced one more time around the large table atthe back of The Four Triangles, a
workingman's inn where he would find a sympatheticaudience.
(01:37):
Most of the boys were apprentices to his brother'sguild, all wearing the merchants' deep
blue robes. There were a few Harvest apprenticeswearing their greens, but there was
nary a white tunic or piece of armor in the room.
Raylan smiled and continued. "Uh, it wasbeautiful.
The tomato was just a bit too ripe, and it landedwith a huge splat right in the middle of the
(01:59):
guard's back."
He slammed the flat of his hand on the table(table slams) .
There were laughs and clapping. He had played thecrowd perfectly.
All apprentices chafed at the oversight of theknights and their white robes and armor.
He glanced at Rafe, who looked glum.
He had offered his friend the starring role, butas Raylan expected,
(02:22):
Rafe was horrified at the thought of hisparticipation becoming public.
Raylan gave him what he hoped was a conspiratorialwink and turned back to
his audience. "The best part is that he wasstaring right at me and couldn't see me in
the shadows of the wall,
so I just winked at him and walked away."
(02:42):
There was more laughter and more complementarynods at his cleverness.
One boy that Raylan didn't know slapped him on theback.
Raylan was in the midst of a large gulp of alewhen the front door opened and everyone
went silent. He turned to look at who arrived, andhis stomach fell.
It was his brother's deputy, Karch. He stood inhis deep blue
(03:04):
robe, his golden hair slicked back and tied behindhis head.
He always pulled it too tight, and it made hisface look taut, narrowing his eyes to
slits and his mouth to a thin, cruel line.
The merchant apprentices disappeared as Karchwalked toward Raylan, a look
of disgust on his face and his arms behind hisback.
(03:27):
Everyone else sank into their seats or slowlymoved to other tables.
Rafe was nowhere to be seen. A few braveapprentices smiled
expectantly at Raylan. He had nothing to lose, sohe decided to
show off.
The worst case scenario was that he'd get adressing down from his brother and
(03:48):
Karch would give him a whipping. "I didn't knowyou frequented these kinds of places,
Karch." The deputy looked around and frowned.
"You are correct, Raylan. But when one iscollecting garbage, you need to walk
among the filth."
He turned back to Raylan and smiled. "Whichreminds me, you are to come with me."
"I don't need to do any such thing, Karch."
(04:10):
Raylan grabbed his brown shirt. "As you can see,I'm guildless and you have
no authority over me."
Karch smiled again and Raylan started to getnervous.
He was fully expecting a slap for his insolence,but that was usually preceded
by an angry tongue lashing. A smile didn't meananything good.
(04:30):
"Ah, yes, the 15-year-old wearing the brown of theguildless."
Karch looked around the room. "I don't see anyoneelse in here without a guild.
How long do you intend on such irresponsibility,Raylan?
Do you know how many favors your brother hasrequested on your behalf only to have you spit in his
face at each guild?"
(04:51):
Raylan shrugged. "I never asked him for anything."Karch leaned
forward. "Well, the days of asking for nothing andreceiving much are at an end.
I'm afraid you have gone too far this time."
Raylan leaned back while he tried to think of whathe had done.
He couldn't think of anything that would offendhis brother.
Karch must have been bluffing. "I have no ideawhat you are talking about.
(05:14):
Now, leave me alone and tell my brother that heshould worry about guild matters and not me."
Standing up straight, Karch brought his handforward from behind his back and tossed a white
pile of cloth on the table. It was a knight's robewith a reddish-brown stain on
it. "I'm afraid a guild matter is why I am here."Karch turned
toward the door and raised his voice.
(05:35):
"Guards, it is time." Three guards in whiteentered the inn.
The one in front was missing his robe.
Karch looked back at Raylan and smiled.
"I believe you know Sir Henry." Karch tapped therobe.
"You met yesterday."
The guard had a scowl on his face. Raylanrecognized the eyes, but he couldn't
(05:57):
quite believe that the guard could recognize him.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Karch.
I never met that man in my life." "Your storieshave become tiresome, Raylan."
Karch moved out of the way. "Take him to thecarriage, and if he is bruised from the
journey, I certainly won't find fault."
Raylan pushed his chair back and scrambled towardthe back of the room.
(06:21):
He hadn't gone two feet, however, before a thickhand grabbed him by the collar.
He tried to wriggle free, but the hand shoved hishead into a pillar.
Raylan staggered backward from the blow only tohave the hand turn him toward the table behind
him. He felt his head impact the table.
And everything went dark.
The Thieves Guild,
by Jake Kerr.
Episode 3:
Caught.
(00:27):
These were the moments that brought joy to Raylan.
Surrounded by both friends and strangers fromvarious guilds, he loved
to weave tales about his derring-do at fightingthe officious Knight Guild
or the greedy Merchant Guild or the dull HarvestGuild.
In the city state of Ness, guilds ran everything,their distinct colors a mark of
(00:51):
pride worn by every guild member.
Not being in a guild required one to wear brown.
And while it was commonly a sign of immaturity anda source of disparaging comments,
for Raylan, it was a sign of his independence andfreed him to mock all guilds
without the underlying tension of guild rivalry.
He leaned forward, spilling his ale a bit, as heprepared to describe the
(01:14):
helpless look on the knight's face as he turnedafter the tomato hit him
square in the back.
Of course, Raylan wasn't stupid. He had to use theright story for the
right crowd.
He glanced one more time around the large table atthe back of The Four Triangles, a
workingman's inn where he would find a sympatheticaudience.
(01:37):
Most of the boys were apprentices to his brother'sguild, all wearing the merchants' deep
blue robes. There were a few Harvest apprenticeswearing their greens, but there was
nary a white tunic or piece of armor in the room.
Raylan smiled and continued. "Uh, it wasbeautiful.
The tomato was just a bit too ripe, and it landedwith a huge splat right in the middle of the
(01:59):
guard's back."
He slammed the flat of his hand on the table(table slams) .
There were laughs and clapping. He had played thecrowd perfectly.
All apprentices chafed at the oversight of theknights and their white robes and armor.
He glanced at Rafe, who looked glum.
He had offered his friend the starring role, butas Raylan expected,
(02:22):
Rafe was horrified at the thought of hisparticipation becoming public.
Raylan gave him what he hoped was a conspiratorialwink and turned back to
his audience. "The best part is that he wasstaring right at me and couldn't see me in
the shadows of the wall,
so I just winked at him and walked away."
(02:42):
There was more laughter and more complementarynods at his cleverness.
One boy that Raylan didn't know slapped him on theback.
Raylan was in the midst of a large gulp of alewhen the front door opened and everyone
went silent. He turned to look at who arrived, andhis stomach fell.
It was his brother's deputy, Karch. He stood inhis deep blue
(03:04):
robe, his golden hair slicked back and tied behindhis head.
He always pulled it too tight, and it made hisface look taut, narrowing his eyes to
slits and his mouth to a thin, cruel line.
The merchant apprentices disappeared as Karchwalked toward Raylan, a look
of disgust on his face and his arms behind hisback.
(03:27):
Everyone else sank into their seats or slowlymoved to other tables.
Rafe was nowhere to be seen. A few braveapprentices smiled
expectantly at Raylan. He had nothing to lose, sohe decided to
show off.
The worst case scenario was that he'd get adressing down from his brother and
(03:48):
Karch would give him a whipping. "I didn't knowyou frequented these kinds of places,
Karch." The deputy looked around and frowned.
"You are correct, Raylan. But when one iscollecting garbage, you need to walk
among the filth."
He turned back to Raylan and smiled. "Whichreminds me, you are to come with me."
"I don't need to do any such thing, Karch."
(04:10):
Raylan grabbed his brown shirt. "As you can see,I'm guildless and you have
no authority over me."
Karch smiled again and Raylan started to getnervous.
He was fully expecting a slap for his insolence,but that was usually preceded
by an angry tongue lashing. A smile didn't meananything good.
(04:30):
"Ah, yes, the 15-year-old wearing the brown of theguildless."
Karch looked around the room. "I don't see anyoneelse in here without a guild.
How long do you intend on such irresponsibility,Raylan?
Do you know how many favors your brother hasrequested on your behalf only to have you spit in his
face at each guild?"
(04:51):
Raylan shrugged. "I never asked him for anything."Karch leaned
forward. "Well, the days of asking for nothing andreceiving much are at an end.
I'm afraid you have gone too far this time."
Raylan leaned back while he tried to think of whathe had done.
He couldn't think of anything that would offendhis brother.
Karch must have been bluffing. "I have no ideawhat you are talking about.
(05:14):
Now, leave me alone and tell my brother that heshould worry about guild matters and not me."
Standing up straight, Karch brought his handforward from behind his back and tossed a white
pile of cloth on the table. It was a knight's robewith a reddish-brown stain on
it. "I'm afraid a guild matter is why I am here."Karch turned
toward the door and raised his voice.
(05:35):
"Guards, it is time." Three guards in whiteentered the inn.
The one in front was missing his robe.
Karch looked back at Raylan and smiled.
"I believe you know Sir Henry." Karch tapped therobe.
"You met yesterday."
The guard had a scowl on his face. Raylanrecognized the eyes, but he couldn't
(05:57):
quite believe that the guard could recognize him.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Karch.
I never met that man in my life." "Your storieshave become tiresome, Raylan."
Karch moved out of the way. "Take him to thecarriage, and if he is bruised from the
journey, I certainly won't find fault."
Raylan pushed his chair back and scrambled towardthe back of the room.
(06:21):
He hadn't gone two feet, however, before a thickhand grabbed him by the collar.
He tried to wriggle free, but the hand shoved hishead into a pillar.
Raylan staggered backward from the blow only tohave the hand turn him toward the table behind
him. He felt his head impact the table.
And everything went dark.
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