| To
those who do not walk the shadow-path, the idea that any
Thief would willingly choose to limit his her or her
stealing for the benefit of others is a rather difficult
idea to grasp. It is true, however. We -do- care
(somewhat) about the effect our stealing has upon our
victims, hence, some parts of the old code. Also, the old
code is supposed to safeguard the secrecy of our guild,
which is why we have suffered so much from its fall into
disuse. Here I set down the old code as I learned it. Below is the abridged version of the old code. Click on each "suggestion" to read a more detailed description and quotes from fellow Thieves regarding the old code.
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| +Steal not from Empaths, who sacrifice to help others.+ |
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+Steal not from fellow Thieves, who are brothers and sisters, and who deserve this respect.+
- The Thief Guild is a family. And like family we should treat eachother with respect. It is considered an insult to knowingly steal from a fellow Thief outside of the guild -- indicating that you do not consider them a part of your Thiefly family. While it is true that just simply joining the Thief guild does not automatically make someone worthy of respect it is best to consider someone a guildmate until they prove otherwise.
- Thieves are the ones who have probably experienced all the troubles that you can possibly manage to get into. Thieves relate to eachother. They are the ones who will help you pay your fine when you get arrested and realize you don't have enough. They are the ones who promise to clean out that annoying Warrior Mage who killed you the next time they see him. Stealing from your fellow Thieves robs you of great friends and those who might help you out of many a bind.
- "Nobody relates to Thieves, better than other Thieves. We know how it is to have totally trashed the ol' bonus. We know how it is when that stupid turtle familiar just won't get off your tail. We know how it is when some Moon Mage kills you because you stole a copper dokora from them. We just know how it is. We've been there, done that. We feel your pain, 'cause we've all felt it ourselves. Thieves truly are a family, tighter knit, methinks, than a blood family." -- Lorzelophia
- "I know if I caught another Thief stealing from me then it would tramendously drop the respect I have for my 'family.'" -- ShadowStriker
+Steal not from the young, who are just beginning on their path; it is likely the pittance they carry will be of no help to you, but a great blow to them.+
- This one is fairly straightforward -- robbing a newbie of the six bronze that they hunted for an hour to get is just not worth the time. Better to pick more mature marks, and let the newbie grow up to a good mark themself.
- Of course, if a novice is carrying -too much coin-, and is obviously recieving help from outside sources, then they are fair game.
- "If you can steal from them (meaning being 'able' to) they are not as young as they seem to be and should know not to carry so much coin. The only way to steal from a novie is under circumstances that they have a LOT of money in their pocket. If they have that much, wherever they got it from, they should know better." -- ShadowStriker
+Guard well the secrets of the shadow guild, and also lead not those who seek out the guild to our entrance, this is the task which is set for them, and if they are unable to complete it of their own merits, they are not worthy of membership.+
- The Thief guild is based upon secrecy. The entrance, and the puzzles to gain entrance, to the Thief guilds (all of them) are likewise secret.
- Finding the guild is the first 'test' for the novice -- to prove that they are savvy enough to be a Thief. If they cannot find the Thief guild on their own, then they are most likely not ready for Thiefdom. Being a Thief is not easy -- it is a long, hard road, and it is not for those who need to be spoon-fed, or for those who are easily frusterated.
- All of the Thief abilities are secret -- (Even to fellow Theives! See below...) the less mages know about us, the less they can prepare for or counteract our abilities. What they don't know -can- hurt them. Our secrecy is an edge we cannot afford to lose.
- "Some ask, 'So what if other people know? What good does it do them? What difference does it make?' And in truth, it makes all the difference in the world. Have any of you heard the saying, 'What you don't know, can't hurt you'? The person who said that had no idea how wrong they were. If you have experienced even a small amount of life in this realm, you have learned that knowledge is power. Knowing more than yer opponant can mean life. And knowing less can most certainly mean death. And so is it the same with our secrets. How can someone fight what they don't know or can't see or don't have the slightest comprehention of? They can't. And as long as you keep people ignorant of our skills, they will not know how to fight them or even what signs are given when we are using them." -- Karakui.
- "You have to be slightly above normal intelligence to live the life of a Thief, and if you cant even find the guild on yer own... well... you should go to an easier guild." --Signed, Kalika, the Ranger Guildleader.
+Do not undermine the hierarchy of our guild by revealing secrets and abilities to those who are too young to make use of them. The discovery of these abilities, and the uses thereof, are a task that is set for them, a puzzle for their completion.+
- Again, the life of the Thief is not for the faint of heart. The abilities that we recieve -- and when, where, and how we recieve them are puzzles that are to be solved by those who would learn from our guildleaders.
- To be a Thief is to be constantly tested -- not only tested in the skills required for advancement, but also tested each time a Thief wishes to find a new guild, or learn a new ability. Those who wish everything explained to them need not bother with this guild.
- "Another problem is that many young Thieves will come here... get bored after a while, and then move on to another guild -- taking our knowledge with them. This is why I oppose telling guild secrets EVEN TO FELLOW THIEVES. I will only tell them what I feel they should know for thier level and nothing more.” -- Shaydee
- "We aren't exactly the mentor society...we aren't meant to guide people to make life easy for them." -- Name Hidden to Protect the...err..Guilty..
- "You have tremendously more satisfaction if you find things on your own.. more a sense of accomplishment." -- Schvartzgonif
+Be discreet, or prepare to deal with Kalag's displeasure.+
- While there is room in the Thief guild for all kinds of Thieves, a certain amount of discretion is required. Using certain guild abilities in large crowds (backstabbing, for instance) often warrants a visit from Kalag's thugs.
- Additionally, it is best to keep a relatively low profile. If Kalag hears about a certain Thief who is bringing too much heat upon the Thief guild, he will have that person eliminated in order to stop their disruption of guild operations. The guild does not need additional heat added by the guildmembers.
+Do not steal from graves, or disrespect the dead, Kalag frowns upon such activities.+
- Graverobbing is something that has been detested by the Thief guild as a whole time out of mind. Just because we are members of the Thief guild does not give us free rein to be total jerks and go around bring lots and lots of heat upon the guild by blatant daylight graverobberies. (Or any other kind of graverobberies.) Thieves will often hunt down and kill graverobbers even more fiercely and tenaciously than will other guilds, knowingly risking warnings and policy violations in the process.
- Additionally, it has been stated by Kalag the black on a notice in the front room that Graverobbing is absolutely against guild policy:
A large notice reads:
It has been brought to my attention that some of you have been engaging in blatant daylight robbery attempts against the possesions of the fallen. The guild does not need this kind of heat, so stop it right now, or I will take measures
--Kalag.
+Do not take others' items from the ground, a disgraceful activity.+
- Item theft and graverobbery require no skill and no talent. Thieves are generally contemptable of item Thieves, and will go out of their way to make life difficult for known item Thieves.
+Teach the younger, and pass the code on to the future generations of Thieves.+
- Even the oldest, most crotchety fogey of a Thief was a newbie at some point. Even the most savvy and knowledgeable Thieves had to have things explained to them. The only way to pass on the old code is to make sure it is shared with the new Thieves coming up in the ranks.
- Today's newbies are tomorrows elders -- treat them with respect (even if they are sometimes annoying) and oftentimes you will recieve respect in return.
- Remember what it was like to be new (or young and stupid) and try to have patience with the young ones, although of course the school of hard knocks tends to make for the most lasting of lessons.
- "The greatest Thieves are made this way. Most of us older Thieves have been hit by Kalag’s thugs at least once." -- Shaydee, on being educated 'the hard way.' (IE, thuggings.)