Chronicles of Skulduggery 0: To Catch a Thief (FM)

A fan mission for The Dark Mod.

Information

• Author: Bienie
• Type: Single Mission
• Releases: 2021-11-20 (20 November 2021) - latest
• Version: 2
• Size: 15.8 MB
• EFX Reverb: Yes
• Subtitles: No

Synopsis

This evening I got a message from a courier, one of the orphan boys who runs with the Bloodied Bulldogs in East Brooksdale. The note said the gang are in a tight spot and they need someone discrete to fix the situation for them. It's been a few months since I had any solid work, so the coffers are looking a bit bare.

The Bloodied Bulldogs gang has a special -arrangement- with the local Tanner's Guild. The guild protects the gang from being targeted by the City Watch or the Builders, and throws some scratch to the gang leaders. The gang in return keeps workers from striking, and deals with anyone that irks the Guild, outside of the yoke of law.

Recently, an unknown new player in this part of town seems intent on disrupting that dynamic. In what is probably an attempt at making the Bulldogs look bad, a job was announced for the abduction of Amanda, the Guildmaster's daughter. Sources say that an independent from a couple boroughs over has taken on the job. The Bulldogs don't want a word of this to leak to the guild, naturally.

My mission is to stop the abduction from taking place, make sure the Guildmaster and his household are none the wiser, and bring the would be kidnapper back to the gang's hideout for... questioning. Something tells me Longsword Logan and Clive the Cleaver ask their questions pretty hard. An unenviable position to be in to say the least.

I would like to keep on the right side of their temper, lest I end up in that same chair. So I don't feel like I have much of a choice but to come to their aid.\n\nI normally try to steer clear of the gangs and stay independent, but it can be a lucrative opportunity from time to time. As they say, sometimes you need to set a thief to catch a thief...

Series

The FM is part of Bienie's Chronicles of Skulduggery series.

Though this is the newest mission in the Chronicles of Skulduggery series, it is a prequel to the first mission, Chronicles of Skulduggery 1: Pearls and Swine.

The prequel story to the Chronicles of Skulduggery has the protagonist Elias Thorne do an urgent and sensitive favor to the local gang, the Bloodied Bulldogs. He is to stop another thief from completing a contract that would make them lose face, and in doing so save a young maiden.

Theme / "Genre" / Setting

Click to reveal spoiler...
City Missions
Mansion/Estate

Threats

Click to reveal spoiler...
Guards
Horror themes

Links

Official Mission List link

You can download the mission directly while in game, by using the built-in TDM fan mission downloader.

Additional DL links:

• https://missions.thedarkmod.com/cos0_thief_7fac6f4bdf840cc9.pk4
• https://darkmod.taaaki.za.net/fmsv2/cos0_thief_7fac6f4bdf840cc9.pk4
• https://darkmod-alt02.taaaki.za.net/fms/cos0_thief_7fac6f4bdf840cc9.pk4
• https://tdm.frydrych.org/missions/cos0_thief_7fac6f4bdf840cc9.pk4
• http://mirror.mstrmnds.me/missions/cos0_thief_7fac6f4bdf840cc9.pk4

Gallery

Preview trailer (screenshots)

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  Title card

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  Promotional screenshot

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Discussions

• TDM forums thread

Beware of potential spoilers !

Lootlists

Click "Show" to reveal the lootlist spoiler.

Item	Jewels/Goods/Gold	General location	Exact spot
Gold cup	0/0/15	Home	In Guy Badby's loot stash next to the fireplace
Gold vase	0/0/75	Home	In Guy Badby's loot stash next to the fireplace
Golden bottle	0/30/0	Fulke St.	On the table in an apartment just south of Home when you enter the street.
Gold cup	0/0/15	Fulke St.	On the endtable by the window in an apartment just south of Home when you enter the street.
Necklace	75/0/0	Fulke St.	On top of the bookshelf in an apartment just south of Home when you enter the street. (Secret!)
Gold vase	0/0/75	Fulke St.	On the fireplace mantle in Bernard's apartment.
Golden bottle	0/30/0	Fulke St.	On the table in front of the fireplace in Bernard's apartment.
A purse	0/0/50	Fulke St.	In the closed writing desk in Bernard's bedroom.
Gold hairbrush	0/0/15	Fulke St.	On the dresser with the mirror in Bernard's bedroom.
A ring	60/0/0	Fulke St.	In the locked jewelry box on the dresser in Bernard's bedroom.
Bracelet	0/0/85	Fulke St.	In the locked jewelry box on the dresser in Bernard's bedroom.
A purse	0/0/50	Fulke St.	On the ledge of a window just opposite the window into Bernard's apartment. (Secret!)
A purse	0/0/34	Fulke St.	On the guard that patrols Fulke St.
A purse	0/0/30	Fulke St.	In the broken box outside of Odbert's Cellar (only shows up after completing a side mission).
Gold bottle	0/30/0	Odbert's Cellar	On the shelf closest to the enterable window into the store.
Silver coins	0/0/6	Odbert's Cellar	In the locked cashbox behind the counter that has the safe key.
Gold cup x6	0/0/90	Odbert's Cellar	Behind the locked security cage in Odbert's Cellar (key is in his apartment).
Gold wineglass x9	0/0/135	Odbert's Cellar	Behind the locked security cage in Odbert's Cellar.
Gold bottle x3	0/90/0	Odbert's Cellar	Behind the locked security cage in Odbert's Cellar.
Gold decanter	0/0/50	Odbert's Cellar	Behind the locked security cage in Odbert's Cellar.
Gold plate x3	0/0/75	Odbert's Cellar	Behind the locked security cage in Odbert's Cellar.
Contents of Safe	0/0/90	Odbert's Cellar	In the hidden safe behind the painting (key is in the cashbox, flick the switch on the shelf in the security cage.
Gold cup	0/0/15	Earle St.	On a table on Willard's balcony (climb the vines in the overgrown alcove).
A Ring	40/0/0	Earle St.	Underneath a table on Willard's balcony (Secret!).
Gold spyglass	0/30/0	Earle St.	In a hidden compartment in Willard's apartment (pull the book on the small shelf above his reading nook).
An emerald	45/0/0	Earle St.	In a hidden compartment in Willard's apartment.
Golden bottle	0/30/0	Earle St.	On a chest of drawers in Willard's hallway.
Gold cup	0/0/60	Earle St.	In a hidden chest in Willard's apartment (switch is in one of the bookshelves, key under model ship).
Gold vase	0/0/40	Earle St.	In a hidden chest in Willard's apartment.
Golden trophy	0/0/100	Earle St.	In a hidden compartment in a pedestal in Willard's apartment (frob the light above the sofa).
A ring	35/0/0	Earle St.	Next to the sofa near the floor on the wainscoting in Willard's apartment.
A purse	0/0/27	Earle St./The Leaky Keg	On a guard's belt that patrols the Leaky Keg and the street outside.
A purse	0/0/55	The Leaky Keg	On the belt of a patron at the pub, playing cards.
2 coins	0/0/2	The Leaky Keg	On the bar next to the newspaper.
Coins	0/0/17	The Leaky Keg	In the locked jewelry box behind the bar.
A purse	0/0/50	The Leaky Keg	In a cooking pot on top of the table in the kitchen (Secret!)
Gold wineglass x3	0/0/45	The Leaky Keg	On the shelf of supplies in the kitchen.
Gold bottle	0/30/0	The Leaky keg	On a wine rack in the very back of the kitchen.
A purse	0/0/35	Merlon Square	On the fireplace supply stand (only shows up after completing a side mission).
Gold cup x2	0/0/30	Merlon Square	In a tea salesman's stall on the square.
A purse	0/0/50	Merlon Square	In a clothes salesman's stall on the square, under a red cap.
A silver bowl	0/10/0	Merlon Square	On a vegetable salesman's stand on the square.
A silver bowl	0/10/0	Merlon Square	On the table in the back of the bakery (Larry's Loaves).
Gold bottle	0/30/0	Merlon Square	On the table in the back of the bakery (Larry's Loaves).
Coins	0/0/26	Merlon Square	In the locked coin box under the counter at the bakery (Larry's Loaves).
A large painting	0/110/0	Odbert's Residence (above SE Cobb St.)	In the hallway by the exit to the balcony.
A large painting	0/110/0	Odbert's Residence	In the hallway by the exit to the rooftop terrace.
Gold vase	0/0/40	Odbert's Residence	On top of the fireplace.
Golden bottle	0/30/0	Odbert's Residence	On a round table in front of the fireplace.
Religious symbol	0/0/50	Odbert's Residence	On a shelf above the desk.
A stack of coins	0/0/20	Odbert's Residence	On the fireplace mantle
A brooch	0/50/0	Odbert's Residence	On the bottom shelf of a bookshelf
Gold cup	0/0/15	Odbert's Residence	On a table on the rooftop terrace.
Bracelet	0/0/55	Cobb St.	In the explorable attic (SE), in a locked jewelry box.
A ring	25/0/0	Cobb St.	In the explorable attic (SE), in a locked jewelry box.
A bag of Amethysts	55/0/0	Cobb St.	In the explorable attic (SE), in a fake book behind some movable junk (Secret!).
A golden statue	0/0/45	Cobb St.	On a table in Bruno's apartment.
Gold wineglass	0/0/15	Cobb St.	On the floor on top of a game board in Bruno's apartment.
A ring	40/0/0	Cobb St.	In a trash bin in the Bloodied Bulldogs' basement (Secret!).
A bag of jewels	60/0/0	Cobb St.	In a compartment of the desk in the challenge room (above the Fulke St. tunnel).
A ring	40/0/0	Cobb St.	On a windowsill high up on the locksmith building by the windchime (Secret!).
Gold wineglass x2	0/0/30	Lucy's apartment (west of the locksmith).	On a side table right next to the window you enter through.
Golden candlestick	0/0/40	Lucy's apartment	In the locked cabinet in the dining room.
Golden teapot	0/0/40	Lucy's apartment	In the locked cabinet in the dining room.
A silver bowl	0/10/0	Lucy's apartment	In the spare oom, on the rat's pad.
Golden candlestick	0/0/40	Lucy's apartment	In the spare oom, on an upturned chair.
A golden lion	0/0/75	Lucy's apartment	In the Narnia forest, on a tree stump (Secret!).
Goat mask x3	0/0/105	Baphomet cult's lair	On the 3 AI that can be found in the complex.
A ring	60/0/0	Baphomet cult's lair	In the open cell in the dungeon, in the pelvic area of the skeleton (Secret!)
A gold statue	0/0/50	Baphomet cult's lair	In the locked chest in the barracks (if it bugs out, try opening and closing it a few times).
Gold cup	0/0/15	Baphomet cult's lair	On the writing desk in the high priest's quarters.
Contents of locked cupboard	105/0/50	Baphomet cult's lair	In a locked cupboard in the high priest's quarters.
A goat mask	0/0/35	Baphomet cult's lair	On the other side of the wall from the high priest's quarters (move the large crate) on a coat rack.
Total (3432 loot)	700 jewels/580 goods/2152 gold

The lootlist was created by the author of the mission.

Walkthroughs

Spoilers abound !

Boy Lag

• Video playthrough Part 1
• Video playthrough Part 2

est vento

• Video playthrough

Trivia

This mission contains a lot of references to pop culture and the Dark Mod universe.

The library in Willard's apartment has several book names that refer to other Dark Mod missions.

Library books explained

• The Collected Works of the Gray Man, referring to Grayman who created many missions beloved by the community before he passed away in 2021.

• The Grail of Regrets by Gerald Foxley; the Penny Dreadful missions by Melan.

• The Rise and Fall of the Bowley Boys; A Score to Settle by Springheel.

• The Beheading of St. Lucia; The Tears of St. Lucia by the TDM Team.

• Hidden Hands: A History; The Hidden Hands missions by JackFarmer.

• Corbyn's Bizzare Adventure; Referring to the character Corbin who figures in many TDM missions, particularly by Goldwell.

• Blight of the Lich Queen by Thomas Porter; The Thomas Porter series by Sotha.

• Farrel and the Den of Thieves; The Thief's Den series by Fidcal and others.

• Bridgeport Heraldry vol. 4: Talbot to Volta; both Sir Talbot's Collateral by Baal&Bikerdude and The Volta Series by Kingsal.

• Treasures of the Eastward Museum, Illustrated; Now and Then by joebarnin.

• St. Alban: Man and Myth; the St. Alban missions by Bikerdude.

• Father Grimoire, The Bulwark Against Evil; A character created by Grayman for the missions William Steele 1: In the North and Braeden Church.

• A Guide to Northdale; The Shadows of Northdale series by Goldwell.

As well as a few shout-outs to some community members who have provided a lot of expertise in other areas:

• Architectural Principles by peterspy, peterspy often helps people with level design and more, and is also an asset creator.

• The EPItome of Machinery, Epifire is a prolific asset creator of mechanical things and general modeller.

• The Subtle Language of Our Universe by Dragofer, Dragofer provides help with scripting, aside from being an asset creator and FM author.

• Additionally, the book in Bernard's bedroom refers to Moonbo's Shadowcursed series of missions and companion novella of the same name.

Other references to pop culture.

• The book that is behind a chair in the explorable attic on Cobb St. is a reference to Michael Stevens of VSauce, specifically his latest video at the time of the mission's creation.

• The secret magical winter forest that is reachable from Lucy's apartment on Cobb St. is a reference to the Chronicles of Narnia books by C. S. Lewis.

• The "cult of Baphomet" members hiding out in the sewer complex all have names of famous black metal people. High priest Fenriz of Darkthrone, Abbath of Immortal, Quorthon of Bathory and Euronymous of Mayhem. Additionally the religious book in the ritual room is a jumble of lyrics from black metal songs.

• The side mission to find the missing rat, Marshall, is a reference to the animated short by Joel Haver entitled "Playing an RPG for the first time".

External sites and reviews

• Thief Guild.com FM overview and review

See also

• Official FMs list
• Fan Missions for The Dark Mod - Main article on all of the published fan missions to date, in addition to the official list on the website.
• Fan Mission Series - An overview of all currently known series or campaigns of fan missions interconnected by their stories or characters. There are already plenty in TDM, and have been since its early days as an expandable game.
• Upcoming Fan Missions - An overview of Fan Missions in development or tentatively planned. (Do not edit the overview.)
• Mission recommendation discussions - An overview of past discussions on what FMs the community recommends to players looking for various challenges (difficulty, size, theme, setting, objectives, etc.).
• Fan Mission Contests - An overview of past and present contests in Fan Mission creation, by members of the TDM community.