Thief Characters

Some mappers choose to leave their main character nameless, but there are a few regular characters that can be used. Here's a list of some of the named protagonists from various fan missions and campaigns of The Dark Mod, by various authors. (If you're unsure if you can feature a character in your own FM or other work, always ask their original author(s) for permission.)

Bolen

Bolen was a thief who wanted to retire in style, but had the misfortune of regularly coming across strange and mysterious events. Even after he retired from thieving and started rethinking his path in life, these events eventually caught up with him...

Known Stories: Requiem, A House of Locked Secrets (fan missions), Shadowcursed (novella)

Creator: Moonbo

Corbin

Corbin (or Cor for short) got an early start at thieving, and has thrived at it ever since.

His father was a successful merchant, and Corbin was given a good education in reading and numbers at an early age. Part of the reason his family was so wealthy was that his father was extremely ruthless in business, and was willing to take any means necessary to outdo his competition. He sabotaged their ships, payed off smugglers to avoid tariffs and taxes, and tipped off pirates about his rival's shipments.

As soon as Corbin was old enough, his father put him to work. Corbin would create diversions to distract authorities, run payments to smugglers, and sabotage the goods of rivals (occasionally by hiding inside a crate or sack until nightfall). He quickly learned how to escape notice when necessary, and how to get into places he wasn't supposed to be.

Corbin's family was murdered by a rival when he was still relatively young, but he managed to eke out a living by working as a lookout for a smuggling gang for a while. His talent at stowing aboard ships gained him more attention, and eventually a position working with the smugglers. During these years he traveled from port to port with the gang, learning petty thievery and some sailing skills along the way (where he gained an appreciation of ropes, swimming and navigational equipment).

In his early teens, the smuggling group scattered when many members were murdered in a turf war with a rival gang. Corbin escaped and spent some time picking pockets in the docks, where he fell in with a thieves guild that used street urchins to rob travelers. He worked with this group for almost ten years, quickly using his break and enter skills to work his way out of the pool of urchins and up the ranks. He gained a reputation for using his climbing skills and small size to get into places that others couldn't.

A few years ago, the head of the guild was captured and executed. His two lieutenants both wanted to take over, and each had supporters among the rank and file. The gang split into two rival groups, each fighting the other over the same territory and contacts. Corbin, a high-ranking guild member by this point, was courted by both sides, but chose not to join either. Instead, he struck out on his own.

Known Stories:

Official introductory campaign - Mission 1: A New Job, Mission 2: The Tears of Saint Lucia

Corbin series - The Builder's Influence, A Score to Settle, A Reputation to Uphold, A Matter of Hours

The Accountant series - The Accountant 1: Thieves and Heirs, The Accountant 2: New In Town

Shadows of Northdale series - Shadows of Northdale Act I, Shadows of Northdale Act II

Creator: Springheel, RailGun, Fidcal (Official campaign, Corbin series)

Other authors: Goldwell (The Accountant series, Shadows of Northdale series)

Corso

A master thief, Corso's exploits include infiltrating the Lockner Manor and the moody interiors of Briarwood Cathedral.

Known Stories: Lockner Manor, Briarwood Cathedral

Creator: buck28

Elyas Thorne

During his thieving, Thorne runs across a criminal organisation known as the Brotherhood of the Raven.

Known Stories:

Chronicles of Skulduggery series - To Catch a Thief,Pearls and Swine, A Precarious Position, Sacricide

Creator: Bienie

Farrell

Farrell was the lesser son of an aristocratic family; educated and smart, but lazy. He idled away his time looking forward to an easy inheritance, without any real responsibility. His elder brother died or was killed, and he wound up with the entire family fortune after his parent's death. Lazy and unmotivated, he spent his money frivolously while family 'friends' handled the day to day business.

Eventually the fortune was gone, and bill collectors took all his remaining property. Much of the property was unaccountably missing and his family friends and advisors were nowhere to be found. Farrell was thrown out of his house onto the streets, where he spent many years.

Eventually, he wound up as an informant for a local thieves' guild, where his knowledge of various noble houses was worth a coin or two. After a while, contact with the guild led him to rise from begging to purse-snatching and armed robbery, and eventually to learning some real skills: stealth, climbing, entry and escape. His knowledge of particular mansions and grand houses in general helped enormously.

After a while he became more and more confident, and started to strike out on his own. Farrell is on good terms with a few guilds in the city, offering them information and occasionally doing them favours (and not blatantly operating in their territory). Other guilds actively want him dead, so he must constantly look over his shoulder.

Known stories: Thief's Den, The Chalice of Kings, The Heart of Lone Salvation, The Alchemist

Creator: Fidcal

Freedo

An associate of master thief Corso. He's something of a squealer, providing the latest rumours on local events at various inns and taverns.

Known Stories: Briarwood Cathedral

Creator: buck28

Gerald Foxley

Known Stories:

Penny Dreadful series - The Grail of Regrets, All the Way Up, Erasing the Trail

Creator: Melan

Jack Blackthorn

The leader of the thieves guild The Unseen. People have been known to say he is the devil himself. After a successful assassination attempt on him, it was rumoured that Jack's restless, vengeful spirit still roams the world. No body was found in his grave after it was opened just a few days after his murder...

Known Stories: Let Sleeping Thieves Lie

Creator: Sir Taffsalot, Bikerdude

Lark Butternose

The (now former) fence of Thomas Porter, who helped him enter the thieving world and served as his close associate and supporter for a number of years. They went their own separate ways after Thomas deemed Lark not dependable enough, due to the fallout from the Knighton Manor heist. Said case involved the City Watch storming Lark's secret establishment, dragging him off to jail at one of their stations, and confiscating all of his and Thomas' equipment and loot. Though angry at Lark, Thomas vowed to get him out of jail and retrieve the lost bearings.

Known Stories: Mandrasola, The Knighton Manor, The Beleaguered Fence

Creator: Sotha

Mingus

An associate of master thief Corso. He aided him with gathering details on Lockner Manor.

Known Stories: Lockner Manor

Creator: buck28

Reg Rouge

Reginal "Red" Rouge. Thief for hire, also known throughout the City as the mysterious Red Rouge, due to leaving a calling card of the Seven of Snoozeberries with a red splat on it at places he empties.

Known Stories: Lord Dufford's

Creator: Stumpy

Sebastian Creep

Known stories: Thief's Den

Creator: Fidcal

Selis Woderose

An orphan who was taken in by one of the thieves' guilds and raised, and trained to almost perfection in the arts of thievery. He now works for the guild, carrying out some heists for the guild, but keeps most of them to him self, to avoid paying guild taxes.

Known stories: Flakebridge Monastery, Rake-off

Creator: Jesps

Terry

The fence and associate of the anonymous thief protagonist from the "In A Time of Need" series.

In the second mission of the series, Terry is arrested and jailed by the City Watch. It's up to his burglar co-worker to bust him out of prison, while also working on reclaiming his equipment and picking up some new loot along the way.

Known stories: Breaking Out The Fence

Creator: Kyyrma

Thomas Porter

Thomas' parents died of illness while he was a little boy. After becoming an orphan, he was sent to an orphanage run by the Builders, in the outskirts of the City. He had an unhappy childhood at the orphanage, often being beaten and otherwise abused by the strict and often cruel staff. However, in exchange for work, Thomas was provided food and an education.

Once he finally left the orphanage, he reveled in being free to go anywhere he pleased and having new options in life. He found the new-found freedom in the City almost intoxicating. Unfortunately, he was down on his luck while searching for jobs, and was eventually forced to steal from the marketplace to avoid starving. Later on, when he realised he has a natural knack for sneaking and stealing, he successfully attempted minor break-ins into smaller, more poorly guarded manors. This helped increase his confidence as a thief in the making.

Eventually, Porter decided to take up thieving as a livelihood and find a fence who could aid him in his business. He befriended Lark Butternose and after several months of cooperation, they reached a lasting mutual agreement. From then on, Thomas lived in rented accomodation provided by Lark, paying with loot in return. The thief's successful streak came to a close after a heist at the Knighton Manor led to Lark getting tracked down and arrested by the city watch. Though Porter broke him out of prison and managed to get most of their confiscated loot back, he subsequently decided to break the partnership with him and start anew as a freelance burglar.

Known stories:

Thomas Porter series - Mandrasola, The Knighton Manor, The Beleaguered Fence, Glenham Tower, The Transaction, The Phrase Book, The Lich Queen's Demise

Creator: Sotha

William Steele

Steele's been through many rough adventures and heists.

Known stories:

William Steele series - In the North, Home Again, Cleighmoor, The Warrens, Commerce Bank

Creator: Grayman

See also

• Thieves - The general article about the nature, varieties and social standing of thieves in The Dark Mod setting.
• Criminal groups - Article about various criminal groups (including those of professional thieves) that have appeared to date in various fan missions.