Thief Characters

Some mappers choose to leave their main character nameless, but there are a few regular characters that can be used.

Gareth

Gareth got an early start at thieving, and has thrived at it ever since.

His father was a successful merchant, and Gareth 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 Gareth was old enough, his father put him to work. Gareth 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.

Gareth'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. Gareth 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 guild was captured and executed. His two lieutenants both wanted to take over, which resulted in the gang splitting into two rival groups, fighting over the same territory and contacts. Gareth, a high-ranking guild member by this point, was courted by both sides, but chose not to officially join either either. Instead, he struck out on his own.

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, Chalice of Kings