WELCOME TO THE KEEPER LIBRARY

the man who learns only what

others know is as ignorant as if he
learns nothing. The treasures of knowledge
are the most rare, and guarded most harshly...

-Chronicle of the First Age

1
 INTRODUCTION TO THE KEEPER TREATISES

W
elcome to the Keeper Library. Here you can find the end product of my interest in the
Thief Universe. Some of the pages here are finished, others are works in progress. Others
have been abandoned and are merely here for your interest. Please note that nothing here is
written by, authorised by, or verified by any member of the Thief Development Team, the (late)
Looking Glass Studios, or Eidos. If you wish to use, copy or otherwise employ anything here, please
write to me first. Otherwise, happy browsing!

I. Keeper Treatises II. Literature III. Miscellaneous IV. Odds and Ends
History of the City A Thiefs Apprenticeship Map of the City Basic Politics and Power:
Government in the City
State of the City A Keepers Map of the City - The Decline and Fall of
Apprenticeship Economic the Empire
History of the Arm Aftermath Map of the Grand Crime in the City A
Barony and Surrounding Revisionist Perspective
Territories
History of the Order The Rise of Karras CIA Worldbook -The A Thiefs Compendium:
of the Hammer (Unfinished) City The Complete Reference
Crime in the City A Path Not Taken The Barons Personal The Order of the
(Unfinished) Crest Hammer
Summary of Recent USSR The Unified Treatise on the Order of
Events Steninite Socialite the Vine #1
Republic
History of the City Sneaksie the Thiefsie Treatise on the Order of
A Revisionist the Vine #2
Perspective
State of the City A Treatise on Industry in
Revisionist the City
Perspective
History of the Order Hammerite
of the Hammer A Compendium of
Revisionist Precepts, Regimes and
Perspective Rules of Conduct
Karath-Din and the Known Nobility of the
Precursors A City
Revisionist
Perspective
City Timeline A Mission Idea
Revisionist
Perspective
A Keepers
Apprenticeship: Original
Story Synopsis
The Rise of Karras:
Original Story Synopsis
Thief III Mission
Structure: A Proposal
2
 KEEPER TREATISES
HISTORY OF THE CITY

T he City has a long and romantic history. It has existed seemingly forever, beyond any
memory, written or living. It has also been, and it always will be. The origins of the
City are shrouded in the mists of time. No-one knows how it came to be, or even its name.
To its inhabitants, its allies, and its enemies it is known simply as 'The City'.

In all likelihood the City began as a small village situated on the legendary site of the Lost
City, Karath-Din. Karath-Din, the buried city of Precursors, was reputed to be almost a
utopia to those that lived there. Ruled by a hereditary emperor, who presided over a caste-
ridden society of magicians and scientists, it was the centre of trade for the entire region,
and the Precursors were known as kind and just people. However, an unknown disaster
occurred that resulted in the disappearance of Karath-Din. Evidence found during the
Keeper expeditions indicates the city was buried in a series of rock falls and earth
movements, which caused the emergence of deep fissures and tectonic vents. The cause of
the lack of human remains is controversial, but the most likely explanation is that volcanic
activity alerted the Precursors to the impeding misfortune, allowing most of them to flee.
The cause of these rock falls, in this tectonically passive region, is unknown - the presence
of fire elementals suggests the involvement of the Trickster in Karath-Din's fall, while some
allege the Precursors began to meddle with magic, particularly necromancy, and where
destroyed by it.

The village that grew into the City was probably started by treasure seekers or looters,
drawn to the area by the tales of treasures discovered in the ground. It must have been a
small place, threatened by both enemies and the minions of the Trickster. As the inhabitants
sat around their fires in the dead of night the darkness must have seemed alive, their fears
multiplied by the black shield that contained horrors both known and unknown. It is from
these early days that many of the City's legends date, the myths of talking apes wielding
swords, of huge crayfish, with pincers for arms, and spiders that can entrap a man with their
gaze. Due to the nature of the settlers, it would have been a rough, lawless place, where the
weakest were crushed and only the strongest survived.

Gradually, a clear power structure emerged in the village that was to become the City. In a
system that was a model of feudal obligation, power was concentrated in the hands of a
hereditary ruler with the title of the Baron. He was supported by a retinue of lords, who
formed the early nobility of the City. They owned the vital farmland surrounding the City,
as well as important archeological or treasure sites where Precursor artefacts were
occasionally found. Tenants farmed the land, dug at these sites, and paid their dues and

3
rents to the lords. Those who did not become lords became the first of the City's Wardens -
the master criminals who extorted money from their 'wards' to protect them from others.

The City grew, as more people flocked to join those already there. The area they settled is
the part of the City known now as the Old Quarter. The river was a valuable source of
water and conduit for sewage, as well as allowing easy access to the rich fishing grounds of
the nearby sea. Being situated at the lowest bridging point, the City also benefited from tolls
charged on travellers - the revenues went to the Baron, who was expected to maintain the
City with them and the revenues from his own holdings of land. Tolls and taxes paid for the
construction of a wall around the Old Quarter, which protected it against brigands in the
surrounding country, and was a valued symbol of the City's increasing prestige.

The growth of the neighbouring cities of Cyric, Bohn and Blackbrook encouraged the
emergence of trade, helped by the proximity of the City to the sea. The City spread out and
surrounded the river where it enters the sea, founding the districts of the Docks, Dayport
and Eastport. Fishing became a valued source of food, and the increasing importance of
trade led to the gradual emergence of a small, elitist bourgeoisie. It is known that the Order
of the Hammer was resident in the City - their characteristic building style dominates much
of the architecture in these early districts, and certainly the sewage and power units in this
part of the City are far different to any of the later additions.

The district known as Dayport is so called because of the presence within it of the
Bonehoard. An ancient burial ground, the huge caverns of this mausoleum are reputed to
reach far underground. At one point it was in great use, and many of the early nobles of the
city have their tombs there. The Hammers are said to have tombs there that contain the
golden bones of their prophet. However, after a time it fell into disrepair, the undertakers,
stonemasons and craftsmen refusing to go down there, saying it was the haunt of huge
lizards whose breath burnt stone with the force of acid. This was ignored until several of
these burricks found their way to the surface, when the Bonehoard was then walled up. The
burricks thrived in captivity, and are now widely used as beasts of burden, when tame, or
even as pets. The district was given its name due to the fact that men refused to work there
at night, for fear of what the Bonehoard might contain. Rumours of fabulous treasures there
persist, but few dare to venture into the great crypt.

The City grew further; the new district of Stonemarket, still a major trading post, caused a
surge in the City's importance in the region. The increasing urban sprawl began to take up
more and more of the fertile floodplain, and farms were increasingly forced onto the less
fertile regions around the mountains. Food shortages were occurred but were infrequent,
and the ready availability of food from neighbouring cities meant that little action was taken
to ensure a domestic agricultural industry. However, the flow of money into the City
increased continuously, and a vocal merchant class began to gain power in the affairs of the

4
City. They demanded representation in administration in government, and a say in the
affairs of state.

The Baron was caught in an impossible situation - he was dependent on the tariffs and
customs duties levied on the merchants' goods for his own revenues, and the same
merchants that he taxed to remain in power were now demanding a share of that power.
They were also threatening the supremacy of the nobility, upon whom the Baron relied to
administer and control the individual districts of the City. The merchants could wield
disproportionate amounts of influence, due to their status as the controllers of the City's
most important industry.

The solution the Baron found was brutal and extreme, but also admirable in its cunning.
The most vocal of the merchants were imprisoned or exiled, and their businesses turned
over to nobles loyal to him. Less vocal, but still voluble, merchants were ennobled as a bribe
in return for an end to their demands. As a means of satisfying them, a City Council was
created that gave them limited power over internal City matters, but none over important
issues such as finance, administration or foreign affairs.

The stratagem was successful, silencing the dissenting critics with a minimum of bloodshed,
and ensuring that the Baron remained as the undisputed ruler of the City. In a further
stroke of brilliance, the Baron embraced the Order of the Hammer. Opinion is divided over
whether his motives were genuine or mercenary. Whatever the cause, the effects were
gratifying for both the Baron and the City. Although many questioned the wisdom of the
move, the critics were silenced as the full benefits of the Baron's move burst onto the City.
From being a relatively minor religion possessing power only amongst the faithful, the
Order grew in size and stature as it became more involved in the affairs of the City.
Hammerite technologies created sewers and power cables that revolutionised the urban
infrastructure, and created a boom as living standards rose and buildings spread out over
former farmland. Frequent blackouts from unreliable technologies were problematic, but
soon solved by the introduction of maintenance cells in Public Works stations in strategic
locations around the City. Because of their potential for misuse, the keys to such cells were
entrusted to the Baron's police force, and later to the City Guard.

The districts of Hightowne, Downtowne, South Quarter and North Quarter grew onto the
fertile flood plains as Hammerite sewers and streets spread out from the core districts.
Hightowne became the richest and most exclusive district of the City, as the rich moved
away from the Old Quarter with its decaying buildings and increasing industry. The
buildings in these districts were built in what has become known as the 'Neo-Classical'
style, a style based on the architecture predominant during the foundation of the City.

The Baron's embracement of the Order of the Hammer led to a great upsurge in the
number of acolytes to the Order, which expanded greatly and began to build temples
5
throughout many parts of the City. Hammerite patrols began to police the City, in addition
to the patrols of the Baron's own police force. City laws and statures were altered to
conform with moderate Hammerite practice, and suspects arrested by the Hammerites were
turned over to secular courts to be tried by judges and magistrates appointed by the Baron
from amongst the nobility. Eventually, numbers grew to a point where the upper orders of
the Hammerite clergy felt that they required a building worthy of the size and prestige of
their order. Construction began on a great cathedral in the Old Quarter, still the district
that was the focus of society in the City.

Intended to be a statement and symbol as well as a place of worship, the new cathedral was a
vast construction. Consisting of a massive nave with small ancillary buildings behind it, it
was approached by several broad flights of stairs that were intended to induce a sense of awe
in all who came before it. As its popularity increased the ancillary buildings were torn down,
and the St. Yora's Dormitories built to house the increasing numbers of resident priests. A
cloister connected it to the Cathedral proper.

However, this blissful state of tranquillity was not to last. The Baron passed away, and was
succeeded by his son after a power struggle that almost led to civil war. The Baron's son was
not a devout Hammerite, and the Order had supported the accession of the Baron's brother
to power. The struggle split the nobility, and political conflict sometimes spilled over into
the streets. Upon his enthronement, the Baron's son made a concerted attempt to destroy
the power of the Hammerites, whom he felt represented the greatest threat to his rule.
Blind to the benefits that they had brought, the Baron captured and executed the upper
orders of the Hammerite clergy, and set his private police force - effectively the City's army
- upon the rank and file of the Order. Hammerite watchmen were chased and slaughtered,
while temples were desecrated and razed to the ground.

The Hammers were eventually forced into a desperate last-ditch defence at their new
Cathedral. Whereas before the Hammerites had manufactured their trademark
sledgehammers in locations around the City, they were now forced to manufacture them
within the compound. Temporary shacks were constructed to manufacture the weapons,
and a cemetery consecrated for the burial of the dead. Arms and armour were stockpiled in
anticipation of the final fight.

This final fight never came, due an event unprecedented in the contemporary history of the
City. The former Baron's brother, with the aid of some of the nobility, overthrew his own
nephew and was installed in his place. A practising Hammerite, he immediately ended the
siege of the Cathedral, and ordered the immediate execution of all nobles who had aided it.
The siege was ended, and the Hammers were free to preach again.

But it proved impossible to return to the peaceful years that had gone before. The
Hammers had been traumatised by their experience, and because they possessed no
6
established leaders were in no position to regain their former power and influence.
Hammerite policy became intensely introspective, as theologians explained their misfortune
as a sign of the corruption amongst the Order. Purgings ensued, and the Hammers
concentrated on routing out heresy within themselves and ensuring that they could never be
overpowered again. The temporary shacks in the Cathedral grounds were replaced by the
fine stone building of St. Tenors, which contained smelting machinery and thus the
potential to produce weaponry for the defence of the Order.

The withdrawal of the Hammerites from public life caused a grave crisis. Formerly they had
operated the pumps and machinery that had allowed the City to grow and expand. Now,
parts of the infrastructure lay in ruin, and there was no one to operate or repair the vital
components of the City. The new Baron established a Department of Public Works, with
the brief to repair, maintain and operate the infrastructure of the City. Technicians were
trained from scratch, and within a few years the sewers and power grids had been largely
repaired.

The additional expense of the Department, together with the necessity to repair damage
and maintain a police force, proved too much for the revenues being collected on imports
and exports, and occasional subsidies levied by the Baron. A Census Bureau was established
to ascertain the wealth of citizens for taxation. Taxes could now be levelled on income as
well as goods, greatly increasing revenues as well as civil discontent. The Bureau completed
its task, but was retained as an instrument of administration and cartography for a system
becoming increasingly dependent on records and files.

A further change that the Baron made was to alter the judicial system. Citizens had become
increasingly angry at its harmonisation with Hammerite law, which was stricter and less
forgiving. In order to reduce discontent, the Baron relaxed many statures, and reduced the
rights of the Hammers to arrest and try suspects.

The Hammerites, more orthodox and extreme after their ordeal, were outraged by this
apparent betrayal of their beliefs. Although greatly reduced in numbers, they were still
capable of causing a great deal of damage, and the Baron was anxious to avoid any further
civil disorder. In the end, an agreement was completed between him and the order. Secular
laws could be laxed without protest, so long as the Hammers retained the right to arrest
criminals and incarcerate them, subject to the approval of the City Council.

Now that the Hammerites had obtained the right to incarcerate criminals, they required a
place in which to do so. As a result, Cragscleft Prison came into being. Work began soon
after the agreement, in a disused and worked-out quarry in the Esse range of mountains
outside of the City. Former dormitories, offices and storage rooms were renovated or
rebuilt into blocks of cells. Remotely operated gates were fitted, together with a power
system to allow their operation. The first prisoners were used to renovate the old mines
7
below the gaol, and begin the construction of a new series of levels. Construction was
delayed, and then halted, by strange occurrences that eventually led to the disappearance of
several criminals, their subsequent reappearance as undead creatures, and the resulting
abandonment of the project.

The policies of the Baron and his successors ensured that the growth of the City continued
for many years, and that new houses and industry sprung up in the districts of Undermarket,
Newmarket, and Shalebridge. Trade grew in scale and importance, as did the middle classes
of the City. Strategic ennoblement and expulsion by a series of Barons ensured that the
status quo was not disturbed, and that the City maintained an essentially feudal social
structure. However, problems that would dog the City in later years began to rear their
heads at this time. The population and urban growth meant that less and less farmland was
available for agriculture, and that increasing amounts had to be imported from
neighbouring cities. Additionally, the increase in prosperity and trade led to new types of
crime. Pirates emerged for the first time, as did powerful Wardens and allied guilds. The
policy of ennoblement, although successful in preventing too much unrest amongst the
middle classes, began to annoy the nobility. In order to provide districts for the lords to
administer - the definition of a lord was a noble man who had control over an area of land -
districts were trimmed and subdivided to provide new districts for these new lords to
administer. This, understandably, was not popular with the established nobility, but the
problem was lessened by the Barons' policy of allowing the nobles to squabble amongst
themselves so that they did not turn on the Barons.

The increasing prosperity also caused another problem with which the City has become all
too familiar: that of slums. Attracted by the lure of coin, immigrants poured in from the
surrounding countryside, and a shortage of cheap housing meant that these migrants were
forced to build their own shanty towns. Because the City refused entry to these migrants,
fearing that they would turn to crime or else become a burden, a whole district grew up
along the main approach to the City as rejected migrants decamped and attempted to enter
the City. With no sanitation or infrastructure other than the nearby river, the new district
of Wayside soon became the haunt of criminals, prostitutes and other unsavoury elements.

Soon after this, prosperity again increased dramatically as gold was discovered in the
Western Forest. Entrepreneurs, attempting to clear land for the purposes of agriculture,
found gold nuggets and gold dust in the streams of the area. Soon vast groups of
prospectors began making their way to the Forest, building shantytowns reminiscent of the
early days of the City. The extra gold entering the City began to cause massive inflation that
drove up the price of basics such as meats and greens. However, it was soon found that the
gold reserves were nothing like what they had first seemed, and the City went into recession
almost as fast as it had boomed.

8
The Baron of the time, alarmed at the recession that was threatening trade revenues and
general prosperity, engaged in a building program intended to provide jobs for the
unemployed, thus keeping discontent at a minimum, and also glorify the City. The large
district of New Quarter was built, plumbed and powered by the Department of Public
Works, who extended the sewers and power lines beyond even the boundaries of the new
district in anticipation of increased urban development.

However, this was not to be. Over the years the Hammerites had gradually regained power
and influence, especially amongst the lower classes of the population. In a move coinciding
with an increase in street crime, the Hammers began once again to send out extensive
patrols of night watchmen. The Baron felt threatened by this display of Hammerite force,
and implemented a policy intended to counter this emerging threat. A Department of City
Guard was established, comprising the Baron's private army that had struggled to maintain
order while the Hammers had retreated from public life. Control of the new Department
was vested in the Baron, a Commissioner chosen from amongst the nobles organised the
Guard, and elected Sheriffs directed the effort in individual districts. The establishment of
the institution was understandable, but its effects were unfortunate. The large numbers of
districts - both large and very small - meant that the efforts of the new City Guard were
fragmented and ineffectual, while the Sheriffs proved amenable to bribery and corruption.
Even worse, many people saw the City Guard as an effort to more closely control them, and
so resented the institution.

However, the City Guard was intended to serve as both a police force and an army.
Previously, the Baron had been forced to rely on a motley private army and the private
armies of the nobles, who were bound by feudal obligation to support him. This system had
resulted in a feeble fighting force, with no clear chain of command, non-standardised
weaponry, and also the existence of private armies within the City confines - a threat to the
Baron. The new force was intended to act as an army in times of conflict, with standardised
weapons and armour, in a force loyal to the Baron.

The abilities of the City Guard were soon to be put to the test. Digging in the Eastern
Forest had discovered no gold, but instead vast reserves of coal and iron ore. With little
native heavy industry, beyond what the Hammers had set up, this was exported at low prices
to neighbouring city-states. This was in direct competition with the city of Blackbrook, who
had previously had a monopoly on coal production. The coal the City sold undercut prices
in Blackbrook, and led to a dramatic fall in that city's income. They decided to take action,
and a military expedition was sent to occupy and annex the coal-rich regions within the
City's domain. The City Guard marched out to meet them.

The ensuing engagement was inconclusive, with both sides suffering grievously. The City
possessed an advantage in numbers, but Blackbrook had fielded a proper army of cavalry,
archers and infantry that had driven through the lines of the City guard, and only been
9
stopped by a last-minute attack from the Shoalsgate City Guard contingent. Both sides had
retreated to lick their wounds and recuperate, and also to take stock.

In the case of the City, the situational analysis was not good. The City had solely won by
massive strength of numbers, and even then it had been a close call. The fighting had been
disorganised, with the large numbers of individual contingents obeying only their Sheriffs,
who had little idea of the tactics of war. Moreover, while the police force had been away,
crime had risen dramatically in the City, as had the power and influence of the Hammers.
The Baron was forced to adopt a new strategy - the formation of a proper, standing army.

The City Army was developed in a remarkably short space of time, considering the
problems then facing the City of a hostile army at the border, a demoralised militia, and an
upsurge in crime and Hammerite influence. Five fighting divisions of men were organised
and raised, by conscription of criminals and the unemployed. A clear chain of command was
established, and an officer corps developed from amongst the nobles. The Baron remained
in control of the City Guard and the new City Army, while a Commissioner-General lead
it.

However, events such as the war and the necessity of immediately raising an army lead to
another increase in taxes that revenues from coal and iron ore were unable to cover. Civil
discontent once again rose, and people began to complain of the avaricious nature of the
Baron. After several years the complaints turned to cheers as the new City Army pushed
back Blackbrook in a notable series of victories, and eventually forced a reluctant and
humiliating peace upon them. The Baron, secure in the adulation of the crowds, was able to
organise an assault on organised crime that was to threaten the City Wardens, and lead to
the beginning of what was to be known in later years as the 'Golden Age'.

Spurred by the ready availability of coal and iron ore, and aided by the gradual diffusion of
Hammerite technologies into general circulation, heavy industry began to grow in the City.
Iron foundries and blast furnaces sprang up all over the City's remaining farmland, and
settlements began to grow around them. The iron and steel produced was increasingly used
in other heavy industries, especially for renovation of the City's infrastructure and new
building work. The City became the centre of industry in the region, turning out sewer
pumps and machinery, power systems, and control mechanisms that were exported for a
huge profit to other cities in the land. The growth of the City as an industrial power gave it
huge wealth that was used for grandiose building projects, and enabled new and exotic
luxuries to flow into it. Trade received a large boost from the new industry, as well as from
the final, belated introduction of a standardised and universal coinage. However, the gradual
disappearance of most of the City's farmland under brick and stone became a source of
worry to the Baron and the City Council, as the City became more and more dependent on
food imported from potentially hostile cities. A moratorium on development was
announced, and eventually extended to a positive ban on urban development beyond the
10
contemporary city limits. Renovation, rather than expansion, became the new emphasis, and
housing densities became higher and higher. To even have a small garden became a sign of
wealth and status, and only the very wealthy could afford the land for a garden in which to
grow flowers and fresh vegetables.

However, this Golden Age was only to last for so long. The Hammerites had lost their
monopoly on machinery and technology, and felt their influence declining as a result. They
tried, in vain, to boost flagging interests and applications, becoming desperate as their
numbers fell and the great Hammerite Cathedral became empty. Eventually, they tried a
tactic that was to be their downfall. Somehow, somewhere, the Hammers had discovered
the Eye; the gemstone gifted with necromantic and anarchic powers. They brought it to the
Hammerite Cathedral, in an attempt to subvert its power for the benefit of their order.

Unfortunately, the attempt failed. The Eye overpowered the minds of its guardians, and
transformed them into the undead. These macabre creations proceeded to slaughter the
sleeping inhabitants of the Cathedral, with the exception of Brother Martello, who escaped
to the bell tower and proceeded to alert the surrounding area to the situation by ringing the
great cathedral bell.

Awoken by the clamour, the people tried, in vain, to halt the undead as they burst from the
Cathedral grounds and spread out into the City. People who were killed arose as zombies,
impervious to the swords and arrows of a desperate populace. The fighting spread along
Cathedral Street and Auldale Street, despite the attempts to halt the undead by destroying
buildings in their path. Eventually they were halted at Rubin Street, where the construction
of a barrier was begun. Guarded by contingents of the City Guard, workers struggled to
construct a wall capable of resisting the undead. Soon the Barricades were erected, and the
contaminated section of the Old Quarter sealed behind stone. It was declared a 'closed area',
and entry was forbidden. But the warning proved unnecessary - of those who went back to
find family or possessions, few ever returned. We Keepers sealed the Cathedral with the
Elemental Talismans, and scattered them to prevent the Cathedral ever being opened
except in extreme emergencies. The use of the Elemental Talismans attracted the attention
of the Brotherhood of the Hand, who soon took up residence close to the City in order to
practice their magic while they tried to find them.

This episode marked the end of the Golden Age. The attack from the undead was a severe
blow to the morale of the City, as well as its pride. The Hammerite Cathedral had been a
symbol of City honour and majesty - not only the Hammers suffered from its loss. Trade
slackened and revenues fell, while the Baron was illogically blamed for not having prevented
the attack, or saving the Cathedral.

The Hammerites experienced an upsurge in numbers, as distraught people found sanctuary

in their teachings. New temples were built throughout the City, as they spread their
11
teachings once again. The Baron died soon after, and his son became increasingly identified
with the Order as his new reign progressed. This was to prove disastrous for the City;
Hammerite theology was found to be incompatible with the demands of an economically
and industrially advanced urban area. To the approval of the Hammers, but the despair of
the merchants and industrialists, the Order regained its monopoly on all things mechanical,
including taking over the operation of the City's sewers and power systems and relegating
the Department of Public Works to a subsidiary role.

The situation was not to improve in the years ahead. Falling trade and industry profits led
to a recession, and an increase in unemployment and civil discontent. The Wardens found
rich pickings, and built up their organisations to such a point that they were able to bribe
even the Sheriffs and the Commissioner of the City Guard. Street crime increased, as did
the Hammerite patrols to counter it. Cragscleft was regularly filled to capacity, and the
Hammers were given free rein to arrest and incarcerate whomever they saw fit, in defiance
of the secular judiciary.

The Baron's son and grandson did little to reverse the trend. Falling employment and
profits led to a severe depression that was not aided by several recent years of drought that
ruined domestic agriculture. Prices rose dramatically as supply fell, and more and more food
began to be imported from external sources. The populace gradually became angry with
both the Baron and the Hammerites for failing to rectify the situation, and for the
increasingly draconian measures that the Order was resorting to in order to combat crime.
The numbers of the Hammerites gradually fell, as more and more people became
disillusioned with them and attempted to make their way in trade and industry. While the
nobility retained resident Hammer priests, increasing disillusionment with their falling
standard left many receptive to alternative forms of worship.

The Baron eventually came up with a plan intended to boost his flagging popularity. Acting
on a spurious pretext, he launched an attack on Blackbrook; the ancient enemy. The initial
victories such as those at Castle Morendrum were well received, but, as Blackbrook's armies
mobilised, the Baron found it increasingly difficult to remain predominant. A series of
abrupt reversals threw back the City Army into the Northern Territories it had occupied,
and led to increased taxes that, it was claimed, were to support the Army. In fact they were
intended for the Baron's personal gratification, a fact that did not escape many of the
population. The move also angered many of the nobles, who, for the first time ever, were
expected to contribute both the taxgelt from their district, and also from their own personal
holdings.

This brings the History of the City to the present day, at which point the history may only
be written after it occurs. The outlook for the City is not good. Increased civil discontent
and Hammerite orthodoxy are likely to cause trouble, as are the activities of the Baron.
Food prices continue to rise as profits and revenues continue to fall. Crime is again on the
12
increase, and the City Guard is hard pressed to even deal with street crime, riddled as it is
by corruption and incompetence. And, of course, the glyphs tell us that the Trickster will
soon be making his bid for domination.

Keeper Raputinez

Treatise, 'History of the City'. Keeper Library; City, History of - 4956

13
 STATE OF THE CITY

T he City can be compared to an organism. It is self-supporting, healing itself when

damaged, and using and discarding materials it requires for growth and the
sustainment of life. Like an organism there is a brain, organs responsible for its well-being,
and other types of materials from which the organism is composed. It is this complexity that
makes the City so hard, and fascinating to study.

The main point that surprises many who visit the City is the fact that it possesses no name.
Whatever name the village it grew from had is long lost, and to friends and enemies alike
the City has no other name.

The structure of government in the City is that of a feudal monarchy, absolute power being
concentrated in the hands of a hereditary monarch with the title of the Baron. As far is
known, the family of the current Baron has ruled the City since its inception back in the
mists of time. There have been both good and bad Barons throughout history - the current
holder of the title has done nothing to advance himself out of the latter category during his
reign. He is currently unmarried, causing uncertainty over the succession and conflict
between the nobles to have their daughters marry him. The Baron is also a greedy and
avaricious man; taxes levied to pay for his war against Blackbrook have been subverted and
used for his own personal gratification, to the anger of the oppressed populace he draws
them from. His strategy of gaining adulation from defeating Blackbrook has been defeated
by spirited resistance, but because the war gives him an excuse to draw the taxes he
continues with the conflict.

Acting as an advisory body to the Baron is the City Council, which also has a limited say in
the affairs of the City. The Council is composed of members chosen by the Baron from
amongst the nobility, and its members are councillors for life. Because the members are
chosen by the Baron the Council is usually nothing more than a body that rubber-stamps
his decisions, and has long lost any credibility it has ever had with the populace. Regardless,
appointment to the Council is regarded as an honour, and often used as a means to reward
loyal or sycophantic courtiers.

Many of the peerages within the City are hereditary, but a long-standing tactic of the
monarchy is to ennoble potential malcontents in order to bribe them into silence. Such
ennoblements are usually life peerages, although exceptions are sometimes made. There are
several tiers of nobility, with a knightship being the lowest rank, and a lordship the most
common. The definition of a lord is one who controls or administers a district - an area of
land. Because of this strict definition there has been a policy of subdividing and trimming
districts to create small ones for the newly ennobled. Other tiers include the Dukedom and
Archdukedom, but promotion to these tiers is infrequent. In the times of good Barons

14
trusted advisors were so promoted - in the times of bad Barons sycophantic friends have
been promoted.

The ability of the Baron to ennoble commoners has helped maintain the status quo for
many years, but under the current Baron it has been abused greatly. The rich can buy
peerages in return for favours, and the swamping of the old and established nobility by these
newcomers does little to please them. Established noble dynasties are recognisable by the
honorific "de" suffix before their names: families such as the de Navans, de Perrins and de
Ravencourts have long and established histories dating back to the foundation of the City.
All lords act as magistrates of their district, judging criminal cases brought before them by
the City Guard. Lords on the City Council act as judges, trying cases deemed severe enough
to demand their presence in the city courts. The low moral standards of the lords mean that
the City Guard is often frustrated in its work, a situation not known in the so-called
"Golden Age" when representatives of the law were seen as having high standards.

As the absolute ruler of the City, the Baron also has complete control over the various
departments responsible for the administration and running of the City. Each department is
administered by a commissioner appointed from amongst the nobility; under the current
Baron loyalty and generosity have proved more important than competence as prerequisites
for appointment. The most prestigious department is that of the Department of War, which
- unsurprisingly - controls both the City Army and Navy. Competition for the post in
intense, due to the power and status it confers upon the holder. No less desirable, but seen
as less honourable, is the Department of Taxes. The Commissioner of Taxes, at the
moment Commissioner Julian Friehalt, effectively has control of the Baron's revenues and
expenditure, and thus indirect control of the Baron. The post also carries with it the
opportunity for substantial financial gain, as well as the means of cowing opponents through
taxation.

Rather less desirable departments are those of the City Guard, Public Works, and the
Census Bureau. The Department of the City Guard is responsible for the policing of the
City, that of Public Works its upkeep. The Census Bureau is tasked with collecting and
administering data to aid all of the other departments in their work, as well as preparing
maps, records and other important documents. All buildings containing more than five
rooms must have their plans submitted to the Hall of Records and Licenses for approval and
storage - the numerous clerks and registrars of the Bureau are notoriously underpaid and
make a great deal of money selling maps to the criminal fraternity. As well as approving and
licensing building work, the Bureau also records the details of ships registered to the City,
and monitors the installation of public infrastructure.

The Department of Public Works, overseen by a commissioner, is not a post often

requested or yearned for. It is not one rich in rewards or glamour, and the nature of its brief
- the upkeep of sewers, drains and power infrastructure - attracts few. There is also little
15
power inherent in the job, and the department has come to be known as a place of
deposition for those who are not welcome elsewhere. The department has the responsibility
of operating, repairing and building the sewers, drains and power conduits that are the
arteries of the City, but since the misguided decision of the Baron's grandfather these tasks
have passed to the Hammerites. Although lay folk still operate the machinery, the Hammers
occupy the upper echelons of the system and few potential commissioners are willing to risk
angering them by acting against the Order. Decades of poor funding have rendered the
department ineffectual in any case; its workmen are poorly trained, and incapable of
repairing infrastructure the Hammers have not the labour to. As a result, many of the
ancient sewers and conduits under the City are in an appalling state of repair, adding further
ignominy to the Department.

The Department of the City Guard should, in theory, be a highly desirable post,
considering the preponderance of crime in the City. However, it is this same preponderance
of crime that makes it so undesirable. Any assault on crime will pit the commissioner against
the City Wardens - the cabal of powerful crime bosses that have a monopoly on the
criminal activities in the City. Few are prepared to risk falling foul of the Wardens, and
those who are appointed find it far more profitable and far less fatal to take the payments
the Wardens offer.

The current Commissioner of the City Guard, de Navan, is in the pay of several Wardens,
and the corruption at such a high level has tarred the Department with the same brush.
Corruption is rampant within the Department, with almost all from the Sheriffs to the
constables accepting bribes from one section or another of the criminal fraternity. This
sleaze naturally angers the populace, subjected to constant crime, and so the Department is
held in very low regard by a great majority of the population. In addition, the fact that the
Hammers also send out patrols of night watchmen naturally brings the City Guard into
acrimonious contact with them - a situation few nobles desire.

As has been mentioned, the Department of Taxes is one of the most powerful departments
in the City's government. Its responsibility is the collection of taxes levied upon both goods
and income. Certain commodities exported from the City, such as mechanical systems, coal
or iron ore have customs duties levied upon them to prevent too great a dispersal, while
goods being imported often have tariffs to protect domestic industry. The Department is
responsible for collecting these taxes, whose level is set by the Baron. In recent years the
Baron has raised tariffs greatly, including on such basic commodities as greens and meat -
goods essential to the City.

The Department is also responsible for taxes on income. Lords administer their district, and
collect taxgelt from it. Quotas are set by the Baron for the amount of taxgelt to be collected,
based on the size and prosperity of the district. The Department is tasked with ensuring that
the quotas are fulfilled, and that the lords do not embezzle any of the money. In recent years
16
their brief has been extended - the Baron's new policy of taxing the nobles themselves
means that the Department must also assess the value of the individual lords' estates, and
ensure that they pay adequate taxgelt. Opposition to this policy was, at first, total, but when
Lord Brynveran was caught, stripped of his title and exiled, resistance quietened.

The division of the City into many separate districts is a purely arbitrary measure, used to as
a convenience for the newly ennobled. The new districts created for ennoblement can
sometimes be only tens of feet long, and named for a particular feature in them. These small
districts are trimmed off of larger ones that are old and established, and distinguishable by
their age. Great districts such as Hightowne or Dayport as distinguishable from others such
as the Old Quarter or the New Quarter by the individual architecture in each. Control of
these larger, venerable districts is a prize worth great struggle, and they are often
administered by the most powerful of the Baron' s nobles.

The history of the individual districts and their evolution is too long and complicated a tale
to relate here - suffice to say that development has been piecemeal and gradual, with the
result that there has been a great variety in architectural design and implementation.
Building design is a valued means of analysing the relative importance of the Order of the
Hammer in the City at various times: when they were at their height all buildings were
constructed in their traditional style. During their falls lay architecture houses such as Tol
Camrick & Sons and Lionel Karthman introduced their own styles to the buildings
constructed.

All of the taxgelt districts of the City, both great and small, function in an almost identical
manner. Taxes are levied on them by the lord to enable him to fulfil a quota set by the
Baron and the Department of Taxes. The lord is also the magistrate of the district, hearing
cases brought before him by citizens or the City Guard. Because of the demands of the
'Greater Districts' - the large, original ones - additional magistrates from the lord 's family
can be appointed by the Baron.

However, besides size there is one vital difference between Greater and Lesser Districts -
Greater Districts have their own police force. The City Guard is divided into contingents
that operate in set districts i.e. the Old Quarter has its own contingent. That contingent is
responsible for upholding law and order within the district, and bringing any suspects
before the magistrates for trial and punishment. The contingents are based in a station
within the district, although in the biggest district of the Old Quarter there are several, and
all operations are conducted from here. In addition, there are various Guard Huts where
small groups of the City Guard can rest between patrols, or maintain order in a particular
section of the district.

Lesser districts have no such police force, being too small to justify the existence of a
separate contingent. As a result, the lords must request the nobility controlling the Greater
17
district of which they are a part to provide constables for their district. Due to enmity
between lords and the Baron's policy of trimming nobles' districts to create others, these
requests are rarely granted, and the Lesser districts suffer increased crime and civil unrest. A
few lords levy additional taxes to provide private police forces, but this is the exception
rather than the rule.

The fragmentation of the City's districts makes the task of the Department of Public Works
even harder. The Department is responsible for the city-wide maintenance of the
infrastructure, and problems are often not conveniently restricted to a single district.

The infrastructure of the City is complicated and torturous, the legacy of generations of
building, rebuilding, repair and renovation. Beneath the cobbles and paving of the streets lie
a complicated network of pipes, sewers, drains and conduits that bring power to the rich and
transport sewage away. The first sewer in the City was the river that runs through it - in the
settlement's early days sewage was dumped into the river itself, or the tributary streams that
fed it. Water for drinking and cleaning was also taken from the river - predictably, disease
was rampant, and plague a constant threat. Eventually, purpose-built channels were dug
through streets for sewage to stream along and thence into the river. These channels
eventually became walled and roofed, discharging their contents into an increasingly dirty
river.

Fortunately, this situation coincided with the rise into prominence of the Order of the
Hammer. Their technologies were put to use for the good of the City, as a network of
sewers and drains was dug that collected sewerage from an area and passed it though a chain
of sewers into the river. As the City expanded - aided by the Hammerite pumps that moved
'fresh' water from the river to the new districts - the sewers grew in size and complexity,
eventually requiring pumps and other machinery to transport the waste to the river.

The use of the river as a dumping ground for the waste of the populace eventually resulted
in it actually silting over, and the shipping that was then the City's lifeblood could no longer
dock. Emergency measures were taken to divert the flow of sewage further down the river,
and eventually into the open sea. This resulted in shoddy, quickly built sewers daily
transporting tons of waste, and the finely constructed sewers and tunnels to the river being
abandoned. Some remained in use, the flow never being shut off, but others were walled up,
abandoned, and eventually forgotten.

The continued expansion of the City necessitated further sewers and drains, which were
now built by the Department of Public Works - the Hammers had suffered the persecution
at the hands of the Baron and retreated into an introspective policy that resulted in them
abandoning the infrastructure they had built and operated. Technicians were trained with
increasingly competence, and the new Department was able to repair the damage that had
occurred, and also keep pace with the urban expansion. The volume of sewage became so
18
large that a great network of basins, drains, sewers, pools and tunnels developed. Much of it
was never mapped, the engineers often building the underground complexes, installing the
equipment, and moving on immediately - the areas were only revisited when problems
occurred.

Sewer construction boomed with the programme of urban expansion that the Baron
embarked on, the Department of Public Works even extending sewers and power conduits
into undeveloped countryside in anticipation of development. The network is still in
existence, providing an easy entry point to the City for many who do not wish to pass
through the City Gates, but is unknown to many. A fire in one section of the Census Bureau
destroyed most of the maps of the sewers, and years of disrepair have ensured that by now
most of the network is impassable due to rock falls and earth movements.

With the moratorium on urban expansion, and then its eventual prohibition, the
Department changed its emphasis to the renovation and repair of the sewers already in
existence. Many, especially those hastily constructed, were in a bad state of repair. The
subsequent development has resulted in the sewer network of today; with a chain of well-
built sewer tunnels and drains, controlled by metal sluices to direct flow. However, it has
also resulted in several isolated chains of sewers unconnected to the main network and not
known to even the Department of Public Works or the Census Bureau. These have become
'colonised' by criminals, who find them convenient means to move about the City, and also
admirable living quarters.

The development of the power conduits in the City followed much the same pattern.
Powered lights in the City are actinic, producing phosphorescence from the combination of
several chemicals and their catalyst. The phosphorescence can be converted into energy
through magnetism, and channelled along magnetised conduits where it can be converted
back into light by the removal of the magnetic influence. The chemicals are mined and
purified from sources outside of the City, and combined in power generating stations in
various locations around the City. The power is then distributed along a network of
underground conduits in a citywide grid that can be tapped into for light and power. The
grid is controlled locally by a maintenance station - in the older sections of the City such as
the Old Quarter there are many of these because of the unreliability of the early technology
that the Hammers installed.

The power conduits do not require the immense underground network that has developed
for the sewer system, but is instead a grid of corridors with occasional access points and
control rooms. As with the sewers, much of the network is unmapped and thus a mystery to
the City as a whole. Access tunnels and maintenance points are marked on the City maps,
but there remain abandoned living quarters, control rooms and storage rooms beneath the
surface of the City that few know about. Just like the sewers, these abandoned complexes are
sometimes occupied by the criminal elements of the City.
19
Access to power is, theoretically, free - anyone may tap the power grid for power. However,
the Baron levies taxes on those who take power from the grid, as well as taxing the apparatus
used to access the grid and the machinery the power is used for. As a result, only the rich
can afford the bright, even glare that the powered lamps give off - and even then the
machinery is so expensive that their use is restricted to important rooms and corridors. For
everywhere else, the flickering torch is still supreme.

Street lighting in the City does not, surprisingly, run primarily from the power grid. There
are several varieties of street lighting in existence, of which the most common uses nothing
from the power grid at all. Eight feet tall, this pattern of streetlight sprays the
phosphorescent chemicals themselves onto a catalyst mounted on the centre of the pole.
Both older and newer varieties of street lighting take their power directly from the power
grid, acting like ordinary powered lamps. Both the older, waist high variety, and the newer
eight foot tall model, are more expensive than the other model, but produce a brighter light
that is not as prone to being blown out by rain or strong winds.

Above these systems is another web vital to the City - the roads. The street pattern is
confused and torturous, a legacy of the absence of town planning and disregard for
convenience. Trunk roads run through the centre of most of the districts, connecting them
to each other and allowing easy access for horse and burrick-drawn carts and wagons
bringing in goods. These are often the original roads that were present before the
construction of the buildings. These important roads are mostly well maintained, paved
with cobles or flat stones that are relatively durable and cost efficient. Branching off from
these central arterial roads are smaller, tributary roads that weave their way through the
buildings. Often only big enough for two carts to pass abreast, they are nonetheless major
routes of travel that are often packed so full that it is impossible to move. They are paved
with cobbles that wear out quickly due to the volume of traffic. Traffic flow is not helped by
the street vendors who often set up stalls and carts to sell their wares from.

By far the majority of the streets are tiny, narrow alleys that branch off from these tributary
roads. Often these alleys were unplanned and simply evolved as the buildings around them
grew, and were thus neither paved nor cobbled. Most are mud and rubble, while some have
rough paving that defies the mud. The alleys are narrow and dirty, only big enough for a
few people to pass or for a burrick to move along. Doors and vending windows open
directly onto the streets, while those who have defective drains, or none at all, throw their
filth into them. They twist and turn to follow the buildings, changing in gradient and
direction and confusing the unwary who journey among them. Few are lit in any meaningful
way, by torches or very rarely powered lights.

20
In richer areas the streets are broader and better maintained, free of 'street scum' and paved
well for the carriages of the rich. Manor walls or gardens often border the roads, with gates,
portcullises or gatehouses to keep out those the owners would prefer to stay on the streets.

Also found at street level are small quays and pools, and brick-lined streams that surface at
intervals. Several streams fed the river, and were converted into sewers at early points in the
City's history - they surface in several areas, a reminder of the ancient geography of the
area. There also exist on the surface pools and basins that act as sewers or are remnants of
sewer systems exposed during renovation. Since these sometimes appear under streets,
wooden flooring over the basins is not unusual.

Architecture in the City is a confusion of styles, with each generation having left its own
mark during the urban development and redevelopment that occurs continuously. Styles
changed as fashions and requirements altered, and also dependent on the prominence of the
Order of the Hammer in the City. In older, central districts, where land is expensive and
desirable, achievements in the field of architecture, steel fashioning and building
construction have led to extremely tall buildings often tens of hundreds of feet high. The
development of the steel girder, and the technology of the elevator, permits these vast
constructions that turn the streets below them into narrow canyons.

These huge buildings were often built as great apartments for the rich and powerful,
covering several floors. Changing characters of districts have frequently led to the
subdivision of these apartments into many smaller ones, as homes for the rather less
wealthy. Renovation and repair has made these apartments into crowded and confusing
buildings, with sections sometimes accidentally walled off or even abandoned due to the lack
of services. It is not unknown for entire floors to be walled off and abandoned rather than
undergo the expense of renovating them. With the population growing and urban
expansion limited, the trend towards apartment blocks seems set to continue.

Because of the increased population, land is becoming ever more expensive and valued.
Only the rich can afford even a small amount of land, and large gardens are a sign of
conspicuous, even arrogant, consumption. The rich live in large manor houses or mansions
with as much garden as they can afford - a convenient solution is often to plant a garden on
the roof of the building or sometimes in a terrarium. The houses are enclosed by walls to
keep out thieves, and the gates protected by heavy doors and portcullises. Only nobles are
allowed to maintain guard contingents - a remnant of their feudal obligation to provide
troops for the Baron - but the law is to widely flouted as to be almost non-existent.
Although arrests are occasionally made, this is only the case when the Baron feels
threatened by the existence of what are effectively private armies.

The middle classes live in relatively expensive terraced houses a few stories high, and often
protected by a private force of guards paid for by the entire terrace. The guards patrol
21
outside the houses, but not within them except in occasional circumstances. The middle
classes have few, if any, gardens except for rooftop terraces and greenhouses that look over
the other houses in the district.

However, not all of the buildings in the City are houses. Many public buildings exist,
distributed amongst the others within the City walls. Maintenance buildings and cells for
access to power conduits and sewers dot the City, containing access tunnels, machinery,
storage rooms and sometimes living quarters. Other public buildings are City Guard district
stations, which are the administrative centres of the district contingents, and small watch
stations.

Other public buildings are the administrative buildings from which the City is run. The
Baron's palace in the heart of the Old Quarter is the site of the court, and also the chamber
where the City Council meets. Other buildings house the Department of War, the
Department of Public Works, and the Department of Taxes. The Census Bureau possesses
numerous offices and buildings distributed around much of the Old Quarter, including the
large construction that is the Hall of Records and Licenses. Because the City Guard is so
fragmented, the overall administration of the institution is conducted within the Baron's
palace.

It is not only administrative buildings that neighbour the houses. Hammerite temples are
spread throughout the City, the largest and most venerated being the Hammerite Temple
in the Old Quarter. The Hammer temples are large and imposing, constructed of large
blocks of dressed stone. Their walls are crenulated, and the entrances are often protected by
metal portcullises, moats and heavy doors. Within the temple are facilities for prayer, but
also for studying, living and for resisting attack. Many temples look more like fortresses
than houses of prayer.

Other buildings other than houses are the shops, workshops and warehouses that deal with
the trade and industry that is the City's lifeblood. Workshops are scattered throughout the
City, but are most strongly concentrated in the industrial districts. These are the districts
close to the port, where goods can be shipped out, and also near to the City gates where
iron ore and coal is brought in from the mining camps in the Ranges. Formerly they were
owned by secular industrialists, but recent changes in the attitudes of the Barons have given
the Hammers control over the production of machinery in the City - there are still lay
workers, but they are controlled by the Order. The workshops turn out the machinery that
is the lifeblood of the City and its main exports. Pumping apparatus, power generation
machinery, elevator apparatus, control consoles, steel girders, pipes, lamps, swords and tools
- the City makes everything from the greatest machines to the smallest tools. No other city
known produces so much industrial apparatus and machined articles, and the City has a
virtual monopoly on many of the most expensive items.

22
The City also produces other items for use within the City and for export. The ready supply
of rough, machined wood from the forests around it mean that cheap, poor-quality furniture
is a widely produced item. The City possesses a small textile industry using imported and
domestic wool, as well as a modest shipbuilding industry that has a low rate of production.
Most of the ships used to transport the City's goods are foreign ships: a situation that is not
totally beneficial, but which the Baron is disinclined to alter.

Other goods produced are rather more intricate and expensive, and consequently are not
exported to the same degree that others are. The City has achieved modest fame for its fine
statuary and extensive production of wall hangings and tapestries. It is also home to an
expanding gem industry, producing intricate and desirable jewellery that often finds its way
to other cities.

Shops to sell all these products to the population are spread throughout the City. The Old
Quarter possesses the finest shops of the entire region, selling expensive and rare items such
as antiques, fine wines, exquisite clothes, fine furniture and many other items. Because of
the absence of domestic agriculture there are many food shops throughout the City, selling
everything from rare delicacies to cheap meats for every section of society. Bakeries,
breweries and grocers sit cheek-by-jowl with blacksmiths, potters and armourers in poorer
quarters of the City, while those with slightly more money buy food from the great markets
of Undermarket, Stonemarket and Shalebridge, where most of the fresh food is to be found.

Great tracts of land in the Port Districts are devoted to warehouses that store imports and
exports until they are sold on to proprietors within the City, or purchasers outside of it. The
warehouses are made of brick or stone with steel framing, like most of the buildings in the
City, and often have large steel doors to allow the transfer of bulky produce. Warehouses
are privately owned, often by shipping consortiums or traders who move or produce the
goods that they store. The warehouses in the City have access to the City docks, and
transport cargo to them on reinforced, burrick-drawn wagons. The new warehouses
beginning to emerge on the bank of the River and further along the coast have their own
private docks maintained at the owners' expense. As well as exporting the machinery and
other minor items, the City exports a reasonable amount of coal and iron ore to friendly
cities. The risk that they might develop their own heavy industry is very real, but the raw
materials are present in such abundance that it is good economic sense to allow them to be
exported.

However, the City must also import almost as much as it exports. Food comprises by far the
greatest volume of imports, as would be expected of such a great urban area. Meats and
greens are the main imports, brought from friendly cities such as Cyric and Bohn, that the
City often has a controlling interest in so as to ensure their continued flow. Other foodstuffs
include fruits, poultry, spices and condiments, and wheat for bread. The great shipping
consortiums that import these foodstuffs sell them on through agents to proprietors and
23
tradesmen, who in turn sell them on to the populace. In recent years food imports have
fallen, due to the war between Cyric and Bohn and the abandonment of farms and ranches
in the battle zone.

Other imports are high-quality wood such as weirwood or silver birchwood, and high-
quality building stone. The cost of importing these items is considerable, and so only the
rich can afford the furniture and houses made from them. The City also imports gemstones
and precious metals, as well as artwork and jewellery from other cities. The most significant
of these minor imports, however, is the import of elemental crystals. Although occurring
naturally in small quantities, they are in such demand that they are a valuable import that is
taxed heavily due to their quasi-magical nature and a favourite of smugglers. The crystals
have many use; water ones act to purify and clean the vile water of the City for drinking,
while fire crystals are used to light fires. Earth crystals aid plant growth, especially in
artificial environments, while the fabulously rare air crystals can freshen the air and
potentially act to prevent disease.

Whether the air crystals do prevent disease is debateable - plague is prevalent in the City
and often strikes the rich as often as it does the poor. Abysmal living conditions in poorer
districts such as Wayside mean the disease often spreads rapidly, killing many. Plagues
occur periodically, especially in the summer during times of drought and famine. There
exists no hospital in the City; only plague wards where the afflicted are sometimes taken and
quarantined. Medical treatment is rudimentary and basic - healing potions cure most
physical ailments but are expensive, and herbal remedies are prevalent but ineffective. The
doctors that exist in the City specialise in treating diseases, which healing potions are
ineffectual against, but few ever meet with any success.

Plague is not the only disaster that ever strikes the City. Fire is a constant threat, although
almost all the buildings are made from stone. Due to the many torches and open fires used
for heating and cooking, fires are frequent but rarely severe. No institution exists to deal
with blazes - the householders are responsible for dealing with any outbreaks of fire, while
in extreme circumstances the City Guard has the authority to force people to help and to
tear down buildings to form a firebreak. When the fire is put out a new building usually
rises almost immediately over the ashes of the old one - sometimes even before the fire is
put out. The lay architecture houses such as Tol Camrick & Sons and Lionel Karthman are
desperate for business, for the Hammers construct many of the buildings and look on the
lay architecture businesses as an abomination.

Other notable buildings in the City are the great institutions of culture. The City Opera is a
grand building located in Hightowne, and the haunt of most of the City's upper crust.
Owned by Lady Valerius, the recent appointment of Ian Cribbs as its musical director is
controversial, but seems unlikely to threaten its popularity. The theatres present in the Old
Quarter and Hightowne also attract the rich and famous of the City, while the playhouses in
24
Wayside appeal to an alternative clientele. The City possesses no museums or public
libraries - the only libraries in existence are those of nobles, or the ones belonging to the
Census Bureau, to the Order of the Hammer, to the City University, and, of course, to us.

The paucity of available books in the City hinders education. Schooling is expensive, and
limited to the upper and middle classes. Most people in the City are illiterate anyway, and
have either learned their trade in an apprenticeship or make their way as best they can. The
middle classes are schooled in private schools and academies that charge fees for the
instruction they give. Because the children will become merchants, lawyers, accountants,
clerks and doctors, the education is strictly practical. Reading, writing and arithmetic are
learnt, as well as a limited amount of scientific knowledge and history. Students learn in
large classes with few teachers, with a minimum of equipment. Often the schooling is
supplemented by work in the family business or instruction by family members - the great
merchant banks such as First City Bank and Trust are family businesses.

Noble children receive a much better and broader education. They are educated at home by
private tutors and governesses, who teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as
subjects such as history, astronomy, politics, economics and literature. Subjects such as
engineering and science are seen as being for the lower orders or the Hammers, and so are
rarely taught.

When a student is judged to be ready, he may enter the City University - one of the greatest
centres of learning in the land. Distributed in various buildings around the City, the
University is justly renowned for its academic prowess and extensive library. Students stay
until they feel that they have learnt enough, where upon they go their own way. The
University is famous for its literary commentaries, and often attracts intellectuals and
learned scholars from other cities who come to study in this great institution.

The Hammers also operate a form of education, but one that is reserved for adherents of
the order. Children join the Order at a young age, and are tutored in theology, astronomy,
mathematics and engineering from an early age. Upon adulthood they become novices, and
then Elevated Acolytes if it is felt they are worthy of joining the Order - converts who join
the order in adulthood can only be Acolytes. The young novices are indoctrinated with
Hammerite theology, and usually advance far in the Order - it is very rare for a convert in
adulthood to become a Master Forger, and none of them have ever become a High Priest.

The Hammers occupy an interesting position perhaps unique to the City. Although the
Hammers have tried to export their teachings to other cities, too many have seen it as an
attempted invasion by the City, and so the Order remains confined to this one place. They
have been intrinsically involved in the life and fortunes of the City almost since its
foundation, and contributed much to its greatness. They have also been a great negative
influence on the City, often as reactionary as they were radical.
25
Due to the Baron's grandfather's influence, the Hammers enjoy free reign in the City. They
send out night watchmen to patrol its crime-infested streets, and arrest and incarcerate
those they feel have sinned. Although in former times they brought the suspects to be tried
before a secular magistrate, they now act independently of the City judiciary and have been
known to arrest acquitted suspects. Despite a gradual decline in numbers they still operate
their famous gaol at Cragscleft, incarcerating and punishing those who break their strict,
merciless laws.

The piety and dedication of the Hammerites is unquestionable, and they believe
unquestionably in the dogma their clergy preach to them. Drawing strength from their
belief in the Master Builder, they are fearsome opponents to any who fight them. Armed
with their infamous sledgehammer, they do not fear streets that are so dangerous even the
City Guard is afraid to venture down them.

The Order reveres the straight lines of buildings and the scientific simplicity found in
machinery above all else, and is thus is constant conflict with those who adhere to the
teachings of the Order of the Vine. Because of their beliefs, they are fanatic architects and
construction workers, and pioneered many of the building techniques used today. They also
initially developed and constructed the machinery and mechanical apparatus that the City
owes so much of its prosperity too.

However, this has not made them as popular with the inhabitants of the City as they prefer
to believe. Although many appreciate the night watchmen that keep streets safe, they are
feared and hated for their rigid and merciless approach to those suspected of heresy or
wrongdoing. There is no trial for the guilty - they are tortured, incarcerated and subjected
to violent punishments. Few ever return from Cragscleft. In addition, much of the recent
decline of the City is attributable to the fact that they have once again taken over the
construction of machinery for export. Insisting that each machine must be painstakingly
assembled and tested, and imposing their dogma on the lay workers, they have contributed
to a major fall in production quantities, and a recession that has led to increased crime and
thus harsher and stricter measures from them to combat it.

In addition, the Hammers are not the united Order they insist on appearing to the City.
The aging High Priest Markander is old and feeble, and unable to prevent the formation of
factions that are splitting the Order apart. Some believe the Order must adapt so as to
attract more converts, while others insist on maintaining their ancient traditions. Splinter
groups are starting to form, and if the recession in the City lasts any longer it is likely that
any strain imposed on the Order by a sudden event will cause it to rupture and fragment.

This Thesis has only scratched the surface of the fascinating organism that is the City, and
the many other Treatises that exist deal with certain aspects in far more detail than has been
26
presented here. Among the essential companions to this Treatise are those texts concerned
with crime, the armed forces and the Hammers.

Keeper Perdetre

Treatise, 'The State of the City'. Keeper Library; City, State of - 4948

27
 THE HISTORY OF THE ARMY

T he City cannot be said to have a noble military tradition. The Citys initial situation of
being dependent on trading for survival meant that it was vital to stay on good terms
with surrounding city-states. This stance of dictated neutrality ensured peace and relative
prosperity for the inhabitants of the City, as well as reducing the need for the high taxes
necessary to support a standing army in peacetime, or to run a military campaign during
war. The Baron and the City Council, in the event of war, envisaged using the City Watch
as the elite of the army, with conscripts and militia pressed into service as arrow-fodder.

However, this view changed when the nearby city-state of Bohn, another trading city,
declared war on Cyric. There had been underlying tension in the region for some years, and
it was only an excuse that was needed for both sides to declare war. This came when Bohn
accused Cyric of pirate raids on merchant shipping bound to and from Bohn. Cyric had a
standing army composed of regular, paid volunteers, and also a well-organised system for
conscription and the use of militia. There was also a clear chain of command, and
standardised weaponry. Bohn, like the City planned to, fielded a motley collection of
conscripts, organised by an overwhelmed police force. The militias, theoretically under the
control of the commander, enjoyed complete autonomy as confused orders and reports
circulated through the disorganised chain of command. Each part of the army was issued
different weapons, and the lack of standardised weapons meant that Bohn commanders
could not be sure of their own sections capabilities.

The result of the ensuing battle should come as no surprise. A few weeks after the
declaration of war, Bohn was under siege, its army having been defeated in a series of major
battles. The City, alarmed at the potential loss of a valued partner, offered mediation
between the two sides. However, this was rebuffed by Bohn, who also threatened the City
with attack if the continued to attempt to become involved. The threat, combined with the
disastrous defeats that the army of Bohn had suffered, prompted the Baron to implement
the City Army.

[Although outside the bounds of this thesis, it is interesting to note the outcome of the war.
Bohn eventually succumbed, and made peace. In doing this, they lost many of their
resources, and had to suffer high taxes and a permanent military presence. This persisted for
many years, during which Bohn organised underground resistance to the occupying force.
This, combined with civil unrest, prompted Cyric to implement a series of strategic
reassignments retreats from Bohn. Some years later, Bohn rose up against Cyric, with a
much improved army. Although they have succeeded in retaking much of the territory they
had lost, Bohn has suffered several grievous defeats, and the eventual triumphing of Cyric
seems only two or three years away.]

28
The City Army, as it official name is, is modelled on the army of Cyric at that time. Under
war conditions it has a theoretical maximum size of 100,000 rank-and-file, excluding
commissioned and non-commissioned officers. However, it could be possible to expand the
size of the Army even more, although this would entail some officers not being nobles.
Bearing in mind the current and historic attitudes of the aristocracy, this option seems likely
to be never exercised.

In overall command of the Army is the Commissioner-General, a high-ranking Lord who

has to come from the City Council. This arrangement does not always ensure that the most
tactically proficient man becomes head of the Army, and so it is common practice to ensure
that the Commissioner-General has many aides who have had experience in the field.

The Army is divided into five divisions, each commanded by a General. Generals are also
required to be high-ranking nobility, although in theory any noble could become one. The
splitting on the army into divisions is more thans just for convenience each division
st nd
specialises in a particular aspect of warfare. The 1 and 2 Divisions are Melee Infantry, the
rd th th
3 and 4 Divisions Archer Infantry, and the 5 Division Cavalry.

An incidental rank exists at this point: Brigadier. Brigadiers command two divisions of
10,000 men each, making them responsible for 20,000 men. There are ten Brigadiers
currently, but most of them are involved with the training or administration of the City
Army, and few ever gain experience of fighting in the field.

The Divisions are split into Detachments of 1,000 men, and have a Commander at their
head. There are ten Commanders for each division. In general there is not much autonomy
allowed, and so Detachments rarely fight as separate units. There exists at this point another
incidental rank, Lieutenant-Commander. These men are responsible for five Detachments,
which are known collectively as a Command. These Commands are used autonomously in
battle, depending on the division, due to the fact that some are armed with different
nd th
weaponry. For instance, the 2 Command of the 4 Division is effectively the artillery of
the City Army, equipped as they are with catapults, ballistae and trebuchets. [At the time of
writing, the Mechanist cannon are not employed most were destroyed at Soulforge
th
Cathedral or in the ensuing riots]. Likewise, the 1st Command of the 5 Divisions is the
horse cavalry of the army, while the 2nd Command is the burrick cavalry. While both are
mounted units, they are used differently during battle and so require different commanders.

The Detachments are further split into ten Companies of 100 men each. They are
commanded by Captains, who are assisted by Lieutenants and Ensigns. The latter two ranks
do not hold charge of a specific unit, but instead help the Captains with their duties. The
third incidental rank of Captain Major exists here, a rank that commands a Corp of five
Companies. Corps are rarely used for anything but ceremonial parades, the unit being too

29
small to fight and action autonomously, and too big to be manoeuvrable when fighting as
part of a larger force.

There exists only one rank of non-commissioned officers sergeants who command a
Platoon of 10 men. Sergeants are promoted from the ranks, and are regarded as the glue
that holds the entire army together. Too often military actions have failed due to the fact
that tactically ignorant officers were unable to fight actions effectively, and thus there are
accounts of sergeants acting as aides to officers and fighting the battles for them.

As was said earlier, the theoretically maximum size of the City Army is 100,000 men. Under
peacetime conditions the army is reduced in size by almost a half, as the 1st and 3rd
Divisions are disbanded, and the 2nd Command of the 5th Division likewise disbanded. The
officers are normally suspended on half-pay, while the sergeants and some soldiers are
enrolled into what is now the City Watch. However, due to the ongoing war against
Blackbrook this situation has never existed since the beginning of the war.

It is also important to note at this point that the figure of 100,000 refers only to the size of
th
the army in the field. There is another Division in existence, the 6 Division, which is
concerned with the training, equipping, and administration of the other five. The 1st
Command of the 5th Division is the Training Command, which trains soldiers and sergeants
for war in the various barracks around the City. [There are no soldiers permitted in the
City, except when on leave. This is to prevent the Army being used as a political force to
seize power]. The 2nd Command is the Administration Command, which has a Supply
Detachment, Logistics Detachment, Administration Detachment, Engineering Detachment
and Justice Detachment. The Supply Detachment is concerned with the manufacture and
maintenance of the equipment and weaponry of the City Army, which will be discussed
later, while the Logistics Detachment is tasked with transporting equipment and food to the
army in the field. The Administration Detachment negotiates contracts and the like, and
sets rules that the Justice Detachment is tasked with upholding. The Engineering
detachment is responsible for the construction of bridges, forts, and other structures which
may be required during the campaign. The detachment is responsible only for designing
and supervising the construction it is expected that the other five divisions provide the
nd th
manpower. The 2 Command of the 5 Division is notorious in this respect it is often
joked that the burricks of this command spend more time building than they do fighting.

As was described earlier, there are three types of soldiers: melee infantry, archery infantry,
and cavalry. Melee infantry are armed with a longsword, but their primary weapon in a
long, 15 foot pike. Elite units, such as the 1st Command of the 1st Division, carry shields as
well. All melee infantry wear a chain-mail shirt and a standard-pattern helmet, along with a
surcoat with the Citys colours. The surcoat is to provide warmth and aid identification,
and, being made of leather, can soften sword blows. The chain mail, although cheap and

30
easy to manufacture in standard sizes, can only afford protection against sword blows.
Arrows penetrate the mail easily, as well as the unprotected legs and lower arms.

Archer infantry also wear the chain mail, helmet, and surcoat. Their position at the back of
a formation means that protection is not as vital, but the inability of the mail to protect
against arrows means that archers suffer numerous casualties as well. The archers are armed
with an altered-longbow, and development of the original pattern longbow. Although not as
powerful or accurate as the original longbow, the altered-longbow is easy to fire, requires
little effort to use, and is easy to train on. The elite of the archer infantry, the 4th
rd
Command of the 3 Division, use the original-pattern longbows. All archers carry a quiver
of normal broadhead arrows the quiver can hold 30. This is found to be sufficient for most
battles, although there is a tendency for some archers to shoot of all of their arrows within
the opening phase of the battle. Under some circumstances, such as at night or against a
powerful enemy, the elite archers use fire arrows. The price of such arrows, and the
difficulty involved with firing them, mean that only limited numbers of the best troops are
allowed to fire them. Recently, the use of the Mechanist pattern crossbow has been
advocated, due to the ease of firing and its small size. However, the destruction of the
Mechanists has meant that this idea seems to be coming to nothing.

As was described above, there are two types of cavalry. The 1st Command consists of the
Horse Cavalry, the 2nd Burrick Cavalry. Due to the high cost of buying and maintaining
horses, the 1st Command is the almost exclusive preserve of the noble or wealthy. The
horses are bred as warhorses, and are tall enough to be an imposing presence on the
battlefield. Horse Cavalry are supposed to wear standard-pattern plate armour, although
few can resist the urge to wear their own. The armour can guard against sword and pike
thrusts, and provides relatively good protection against arrows. The various detachments
each have their own weapons, which are expected to be supplied by their users. The 1st
Detachment are armed with longswords, the 2nd with sabres, the 3rd with lances, the 4th
th th th
again with sabres, and the 5 with altered-longbows. The 4 and 5 are collectively known
as the Light Horse, and are intended for skirmishing and initial contact. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd
are the Heavy Horse, and play the opposite role. The Light Horse can be used during
battle, but previous experience has shown them to be ill-suited to this.

The Burrick Cavalry is the preserve of the commoners, although the officers are nobility.
The 2nd Command are all issued with longswords, and wear chain mail into battle. They are
not seen as the elite of the 5th Division, but instead the workhorses, and are used to break
up the enemy, or force them to contract into a circle. The burricks are tamed and so tend to
shy from battle, an action that is no doubt also due to the fact that that burricks are slit, so
that they cannot breathe acid. A safety precaution, this means that the full potential of the
burrick cannot be exploited.

31
 nd th
The 2 Command of the 4 Division is equipped with the artillery of the City each
company is responsible for one piece of siege equipment. Although this may seem a large
number, it should be remembered that the duties of the company include the repair,
transport, assembly, and operation of the piece, as well as gathering munitions and liasing
with the other divisions. The technology of the artillery pieces is too involved to go into
here, but it is worth noting that the pieces are each built to different patterns, making the
provision of spare parts to each a complicated task.

However, the City Army is not the only force fighting for the City. There also exists a small
Hammerite army, which is fielded when the upper echelons of the Order feel that their
existence is threatened. Seeing as this often occurs on occasions when the City itself fields
an army, the Hammerite contingent has come to be regarded as a de facto part of the City
Army. The Hammerites field the equivalent of a single Command, which is a combined
force of melee infantry, archer infantry, and priests. The nature of the this force, and the
refusal of the Hammers to fight separated, means that the Hammerite Command is used as
a shock-force in areas where the regular army is overwhelmed. While the Hammerites have
no instructions to obey the Commissioner-General, they have come to realise that they
stand the best chance of victory when they co-operate with the City Army. The lesson
learnt when the Hammers tried to fight independently has never had to be relearned.

Hammerite Melee infantry are armed with the infamous Hammers, and wield them with
brutal and overwhelming violence. They wear a hooded jacket of chain mail, with a metal
neck-guard that can defy arrows. Over this they wear their red robes with the symbol of the
Hammer on front. Archer infantry wear similar armour, but fight with their altered-
longbows and broadheads.

However, Hammerite priests fit into no established category. Their religious training allows
them to use magic in strictly controlled and defined ways. They are able to create small
hammers, and then hurl them at the enemy. The hammers are red-hot, and cause more
damage than even fire arrows. However, there is a long gap between shots, although the
collateral damage caused reduces the time needed to aim. Recent events, recounted in
Keeper Angustiaes recent thesis, have caused the Hammers to be absent from the military
campaign against Blackbrook. This has resulted in a major drop in combat efficiency, as has
been shown by the series of the retreats that the City Army has encountered.

The tactics used by the City Army are far too numerous and detailed to describe here, but a
rough guide might suffice. Pikemen are arrayed on long lines about five men deep, and
behind them are the archers. The archers fire arrows in an attempt to denude the opposing
force before contact. When the two advancing sides are close enough the front four ranks of
pikemen break ranks and run at each other. The archers stay behind, and fire arrows at their
enemy counterparts. Cavalry are often brought into action at this point, from their position
on the flanks. Sometimes they mount the initial attack, but standard practice is to retreat
32
into a circle, with the pikemen on the outside and the archers within. The archers can then
pour fire into the cavalry while the pikemen keep them away. The method of combating this
involves using burricks and archers to break the packed ranks, and then using the cavalry
and infantry to kill the routing survivors. This is in turn countered by employing other
infantry to drive away the marauding cavalry. As a result, most battles between armies are
long and drawn out, and usually never result in complete annihilation.

Besides the City Army, there is another facet of the Armed Forces of the City. The City
Navy was originally started by a coalition of shipping businesses, determined to protect
their valuable but defenceless ships. Too slow to run, to weakly armed to fight, these ships
were being taken by pirates or enemy cities. Calling itself the Navy of the Union of
Importers and Exporters, order were placed with shipyards around the City for several
armed frigates, with a larger number of sloops and gunboats. The frigates were 150 feet
long, with one gundeck that held 20 ballistae. With a sailing crew of 50, and an armed force
of 100 swordsmen and archers, these were seen as a suitable deterrent to pirate attacks. The
archers were armed with fire arrows to set ships alight. The sloops had four ballistae, and a
crew of 70, of whom 20 were archers and the rest sailors. The gunboats had a single ballista,
and a crew of 30, all of whom were sailors.

The arrival of these warships made a huge impact on commercial shipping. Merchant ships
belonging to the Union were forced to sail in convoy, whilst other ships were forced to pay
heavy premiums to be protected. These premiums allowed the creation of more warships,
and there were evens plans afoot to create an even larger warship, a veritable ship of the line
with 2 gundecks, 40 ballistae, and a crew of 450. 150 would have been sailors, 150 archers,
and 150 swordsmen. However, events were to overtake these ambitious plans.

Evidence suggests that the City Wardens, who control semi-legitimate businesses,
infiltrated the Union and began to cause infighting amongst the members. Various factions
began to develop through the manoeuvring of the Wardens, and the infighting spilled over
into open conflict. The warships first began attacking rival factions merchant ships, then
rival warships. The sea battles, which culminated in the Battle of Markhams Isle, destroyed
most of the fleet. At Markhams Isle the frigates of two rival factions were fighting each
other, after spotting each others convoy. So engaged were they by this that they could not
deal with a pirate fleet, under Captain William Markham himself, which destroyed first the
convoy and then the frigates themselves. This humiliating action, as well as destroying most
of the Unions frigates, caused so much infighting that the conflict threatened to spill over
into the streets.

The Baron took immediate action. The Union was forcibly dissolved, and the navy handed
over to the City Council. The Council enacted a law creating the City Navy, charging it
with the defence of merchant convoys, and the defence of the City in times of trouble. Since
then, the City Navy has changed little. The sloops and gunboats used are the same ones
33
built by the union. Shortages of manpower in the Army have caused the soldiers in the ships
to be transferred to the City Army, while most of the spare parts for the ballistae have gone
there too. As a result, the City Navy is ineffectual at best.

In overall command of the Navy is vested in the Commissioner-Admiral, who does not need
to be in the City Council, or even a noble. Below him are three Admirals, of the White, Red
and Blue respectively. These colours refer to the fleets that the Admirals command. They
are assisted by two Vice-Admirals each, while each ship is commanded by a Captain. Each
ship has three lieutenants, and a single Ensign. The only non-commissioned rank, like in
the City Army, is that of sergeant.

Each fleet theoretically consists of ten sloops and five gunboats. However, manpower is at
such a premium that it is rare for a fleet to have more than half of its strength even afloat.
The low status of the City Navy means that the Department of Warfare, the government
organ which controls war, accedes to its requests after all the other have been dealt with.
This has resulted in a navy ill-equipped to deal with the resulting rise in piracy and
smuggling that followed the death of the Trickster.

Naval battles tactics are simple to the extreme. At each engagement the ships attempt to get
alongside each other, where their ballistae can do the most damages. At close ranges archers
use fire arrows to try to set the ships alight, and then at the closest ranges boarding planks
are used to enable the melee infantry to board the opposing ship and capture it. The
development of the cannon by the Mechanists promises to revolutionise naval warfare, but
it is likely that the City Army will have first use of it.

This sorry state of the Navy means that it cannot put up any effectual resistance to the
pirates that now roam the seas preying on merchantmen. After an encounter with the
combined forces of Captain Carr and Captain Davidson, the City Navy retreated in shame,
having lost six sloops and five merchantmen from a convoy. The pirates suffered no losses at
all. The desire of the City and Gormon Truart to stamp out piracy may result in increased
funds for the Navy, but meanwhile all of the fleets only set sail as one force, and only to
guard large or important convoys.

Prospects for the armed forces of the City do not look good. Although withdrawn from its
position by the Baron, the failure of the City Army to contain Blackbrook has resulted in
the loss of one of the Citys most important regions, as well as humiliation. That the Army
was withdrawn to deal with the City Watch, an organization favoured by the people, has
lead to further apathy. Recruits have flocked to join the City Watch, while the army has
seen a rash of desertions and mutinies. The Navy is disliked for failing to protect the
merchant ships, which now hire the best sailors. Both organisations face the prospect of few
recruits and decreasing funds, as taxes are re-routed into the City Watch or the Department

34
of Public Works. When the time to fight comes, the City will not be able to rely on its
Armed Forces.

35
 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF THE HAMMER

T he history of the Order of the Hammer is a long one; one irrevocably intertwined with
the City itself. The date of the formation of the Hammerite Order is shrouded in a fog
of mystery so thick and blinding that even the eyes and minds of their own scholars cannot
pierce it. The Hammerites seem to have always existed, and even though their future is not
certain the marks they have left on the City ensure that they will always be remembered.

Hammerite history and lore holds that the Order began with the revelation by the Builder
to his appointed representative in this dimension the prophet honoured by the
Hammerites as the Prophet Jeremyn. It is held that it is he who first revealed the Builders
Truth to those around him, and guided them as they built the first houses with the first
rough tools the land had known. The Hammerites still honour a primitive hammer they
hold to be the first ever made its origins and antiquity are doubtful, but it is venerated by
the Order as one of their most holy relics.

The Prophet seems not only to have given the early Hammerites the skills to forge a new
way of life, thus enabling them to no longer have to steal the fur and fang of beasts for
survival. He granted them the Book of the Nail a book of many chapters, in verse, laying
out the basis of Hammerite theology and tales to illustrate it. The book also contains
histories of the Order, suggesting that it was originally an oral tradition that was eventually
written down

Opinion is divided as to whether the Prophet Jeremyn was a true prophet, or whether his
talk of the Master Builder were the convincing delusions of a deranged man. Indeed, it is
not known whether or not he actually existed, although most scholars are convinced of the
existence of a man who played a prominent role in the foundation of the Order. Some
believe that he was a true Prophet passing on the word of the Builder, thus implying His
existence, while others believe that the man was a deranged lunatic who invented a religion
convincing enough to cause others to join it and venerate him as a prophet and holy man.

The controversy continues to range, and it seems unlikely that there will ever be a justifiable
answer. While the Bonehoard was still accessible it was rumoured that the Order closely
guarded a coffin of ancient bones gilded with gold the possibility exists that these were the
venerated bones of the Prophet. However, the Bonehoard now lies sealed and abandoned,
and whatever lay in the Hammer vaults must have long since been scattered and abandoned
by the burricks and the undead down there. No one dares to visit the giant mausoleum to
confirm this though.

36
Whatever their origins, the Order of the Hammer remained confined to the City for many
years after its foundation. However, all evidence or rather, its lack suggests that the
Hammers remained a small band of ridiculed fanatics, mocked for their devotion to a
mythical Master Builder and their continual prophecies of doom for those who followed the
teachings of the Trickster. As the woods and mountains surrounding the growing town
gradually began to be tamed, the myths of the Trickster receded into the back of peoples
memories, and fewer people were convinced of their reliability.

This situation continued for many years until the rise of a certain Baron who was probably
one of the only ones of his line to regard the Order as an ally. He realised that the
architectural and mechanical skills of the Hammerites, passed down from priest to novice
surrounded by dogma and doctrine, would be of incalculable value to the developing City if
they could be released into general circulation. The Baron, seeing that force would not
work with the Order, decided to embrace it. Through a combination of threats and rhetoric
the Baron was appointed High Priest of the Order of the Hammer.

The wisdom of his appointment was questioned by many in the City, most of whom
regarded the Hammerites as fanatical cultists. However, the benefits of the Barons move
were soon released onto an unsuspecting City, silencing the dissenters. Hammer pumping
machines were used to move the greatest luxury of all fresh water to the populace; the
rich received it directly into their houses, while the poor had to be content with standpipes
and fountains at street corners. The machines were also used to pump away the sewage that
had become a great nuisance to the City, and dispose of it into the river at first, and then
finally the sea. Hammerite lamps and power machines lit the City with their bright glare,
while the Order rejoiced at the opportunity to consecrate the Pagan ground by building
new structures of brick and stone upon them.

The favours and liberties bestowed upon the Hammerites attracted many adherents some
through the genuine desire to partake in the Builders blessing, others to take advantage of
the Orders increasing riches. As construction work progressed, the Hammers levied
voluntary tithes on the new occupants. If they refused payment, then the vital services
connected to the buildings were shut off. The Order justified it as a means to raise money
with which to glorify the Master Builder, but the more cynical people saw it for what it was
corruption and greed within the ranks of the faithful.

Whatever their reasons, the new adherents boosted the Orders numbers considerably.
This was coupled with a rise in the number of people worshipping the Master Builder and
desiring a place in which to honour him. Small temples began to emerge in various parts of
the City. Built like small fortresses, they were a solid and visible symbol of the newfound
prestige of the Order.

37
The rise in their numbers also led the Order to begin an ambitious project the policing of
the City streets. Until this point, public and Baronial hostility had prevented them from
doing it. Now, with the Baron a High Priest, permission was granted. Hammerite
watchman patrolled the City with swords the Order forged themselves. Secular laws in the
City were harmonised with the stricter Hammerite dogma, reassuring the Hammers that
suspects they turned over to the City courts upon arrest would be judged according to
Hammerite values.

Eventually, numbers grew to a point where the upper echelonss of the Hammerite clergy
felt that they required a building worthy of the size and prestige of their order.
Construction began on a great cathedral in the Old Quarter, intended to awe non-believers
with their power, and provide a fitting place for the faithful to worship. Built as a statement
and symbol as well as a place of worship, the new cathedral was a vast construction.
Consisting of a massive nave with small ancillary buildings behind it, it was approached by
several broad flights of stairs that were intended to induce a sense of awe in all who came
before it. As its popularity increased the ancillary buildings were torn down, and the St.
Yoras Dormitories built to house the growing number of resident priests. A cloister
connected it to the Cathedral proper.

However, this time of Hammerite supremacy and popularity was not to last for long. The
death of the aged Baron and the conflict over the succession resulted in the Order being
forced to take sides. The Hammers lent their support to the devout brother of the late
Baron, sending forces to aid in the skirmishes that occurred as the Barons brother fought
with his own nephew. Upon the defeat of the brother, the nephew ascended to the throne
and instituted a plan to destroy the Order that had had the temerity to oppose his lawful
accession, and whom still represented the greatest threat to his rule.

The higher orders of the Hammerites clergy were arrested on the orders of the new Baron,
and brutally tortured before being carried into the great forests and left there the greatest
insult that could ever be paid to a devout Hammerite. The temples of the Order were
captured, desecrated and razed to the ground one by one, their fortified nature allowing
them to hold out for a while against the Barons private army that was set against them.
Hammerite watchmen and guards were chased down and slaughtered while on patrol, and
their heads mounted on spikes above the gates into the City.

The remaining members of the Order were forced into a desperate last-ditch defence at
their new Cathedral. Defending the area with a rough palisade fence and crude stone wall,
they soon began to run short of weaponry, food and water. A well was dug to provide the
latter, while several scouting raids managed to accumulate a minimum of food. The
weapons were a problem however. Formerly, weapon-smithing had occurred at various
temples around the City on a piecemeal basis, with individual craftsmen turning out swords
for general use, and elaborate sledgehammers for ceremonial use. When the supply of
38
swords ran dry, the Order used the sledgehammers as weapons. The strategy proved so
successful that they adopted the weapon immediately as their standard armament.

The Hammerites salvation eventually came from without and not within. Aided by several
scions of the nobility, the new Barons uncle overthrew the Baron and took his place on the
throne. The action greatly shocked many of the inhabitants of the City such an event was
unprecedented. However, it was also welcomed. The withdrawal of the Hammerites from
public services had caused their collapse, and as the war had raged the City had slowly
ground to a halt. Being a devout Hammerite, the new Baron moved quickly to end the
conflict. The siege was terminated immediately, and those nobles who had supported it
were sentenced to death. All was set up to allow the Hammers a return to the role they had
played before the crisis.

However, this was not to be. The Order had been deeply traumatised by their experience.
From a position of being honoured and feted by a Baron they had gone to being despised
and brutally attacked by his son. They possessed no leaders and no experienced theologians
to help them reconcile their doctrine with the ordeal they had gone through. More
significantly, they had lost a great proportion of their number, and more had left when the
Baron had taken the Orders tithes and riches. The new Baron did what he could for his
brethren, but to no avail, and in the end he was forced to form a department to work the
derelict pumps and machinery.

Their role in society taken over, the Hammer policy and attitude became increasingly
introspective as the Order sought to heal the corruption its remaining theologians believed
had caused the Orders fall. Many Hammers saw the tithes that they had gathered as signs
of ruinous decadence, and purges throughout the Order removed all but the devout.
Heretics were punished severely, and those remaining began to adopt an increasingly ascetic
lifestyle.

Worship of the Master Builder became concentrated on the sole centre remaining the
Hammerite Cathedral. Repaired and renovated, its cloister was enhanced by the addition of
several buildings. St. Tenors was built to produce weapons and machinery that would
render the Order self-sufficient, and St. Jenels built to provide meditation cells for the
Hammerites. The later addition of St. Vales reflected the new Hammerite emphasis on
learning and adherence to scripture, and was also intended to house the growing body of
literature that the Order was now producing. As well as the possible transcription of the
oral tradition of the Book of the Nail, written commentaries were set down, along with
books of codified and doctrinally sound law. Intended to enforce conformity with the
Builders wishes, the commentaries and laws became known as the Hammer Book of Tenets
and the Hammer Compendium of Precepts, Rules and Regulations. These continue to this
day to form the preponderance of Hammerite theology and doctrine.

39
Outside of the Cathedral, events were taking a turn the Order did not approve of. Because
of the burden of maintaining the new Department of Public Works, the Baron had
increased taxes. To reduce popular discontent, he relaxed the secular laws and statutes,
which the populace had found to be too strict and unforgiving. He also restricted another
cherished Hammerite right despised by the populace the right to arrest and try subjects on
their own accord. It should be noted that these measures were enforced to prevent a
popular revolt, and are known to have been reluctantly imposed by the new Baron, who was
a devout follower of the Order.

As can be imagined, this did not sit well with the new, severe brand of the Order of the
Hammer. Seeing these measures as a betrayal of the agreement they had made several
generations before, they began to threaten action against the Baron. Caught between the
two equally dangerous forces of the Hammerites and the proletariat, he took one of the only
courses open to him. In return for the relaxation of the secular laws, the Order would be
granted to right to arrest and incarcerate suspects subject to the approval of the city
courts. This situation pleased neither party, but the alternative would have likely torn the
City apart.

Now that the Hammerites had obtained the right to incarcerate criminals, they required a
place in which to do so. As a result, Cragscleft Prison came into being. Work began soon
after the agreement, in a disused and worked-out quarry in the Esse range of mountains
outside of the City. Former dormitories, offices and storage rooms were renovated or
rebuilt into blocks of cells. Four cellblocks and a central punishment yard were converted
from old barracks and the level below converted into a factory for the production of
sledgehammers.

Remotely operated gates to the cells were fitted, together with a power system to allow their
operation. The first prisoners were used to renovate the old mines below the gaol, and
begin the construction of a new series of levels. Construction was delayed, and then halted,
by strange occurrences that eventually led to the disappearance of several criminals, their
subsequent reappearance as undead creatures, and the resulting abandonment of the project.

At first, only Cell Block 1 was utilised, due to a shortage of guards that precluded any usage
of the other cellblocks. Admittance into the Order slowly increased as the Hammerites used
their right of arrest and incarceration to increase their power and prestige, and so the
remaining cell blocks gradually became operational.

By the time this had become the case, the Hammers were powerful enough to be a matter of
concern to the new Baron. The Order continued to send out patrols of watchmen to
reduce street crime and petty offences, a strategy that began to gain them approval,
although perhaps not support, from the working classes. The Baron felt that this
threatened his authority and his technical claim to have the sole right to administer justice
40
in the City. He established the Department of the City Guard to combat this, and
succeeded in both finally having a police force of detectable ability and annoying the Order
of the Hammer.

When events caused the City Guard to march out of the City to face Blackbrooks armies,
the Hammerites were well placed to exploit the power vacuum that resulted from their
departure and their return as a battered and denuded force. The rapid development of the
City Army and subsequent recovery of the City Guard deprived the Order of much of the
power they had gained, and they were reduced to a significant but ultimately powerless
position. The diffusion of their previously monopolised technologies into general
circulation, aided by the glut of cheap coal and iron ore, meant that they lost power to the
new industrialists who set up factories to take advantage of the technologies.

The City entered a golden age from which the Order, to their great fury, seemed to be
excluded. Denied what had for a long time been their sole source of influence, power and
income, their prestige fell as the City increased in prosperity thanks to secular machinery.
The removal of the Orders influence coincided with, or perhaps resulted in, an increase in
conspicuous Pagan worship. Attempts to combat this were rebuffed humiliatingly by the
Baron, who was aware of the benefits of allowing a fringe group such as the Order of the
Vine a modicum of freedom, to act as a distraction to the Hammerites. The Hammers fell
further into ignominy as their role as watchmen were taken over by an increasingly
competent City Guard.

Faced with falling support and a drought of adherents, the Order was split by a conflict over
possible solutions. Some supported a return to the strict and ascetic traditions of their
fathers, while others advocated the development and improvement of the technologies that
had gained them their power, and others the use of an item newly discovered by them. It
was a gemstone called the Eye, an instrument of the Trickster that the Hammerites had
faced before and acquired through unknown means and methods. Some of the Order, the
young and the radical, pushed strongly that its magic be tamed and used for the Hammerite
cause as it had been used against them.

The man then High Priest of the Order of the Hammer was weak and vacuous, forever
influenced by the machinations of the Master Forgers. Against his better judgement, he was
persuaded by the leader of the radicals to install the Eye in the citadel of Hammerite power,
the Cathedral, and there turn its power against the Pagans.

Brother Murus was greatly opposed to the plan, but died in unusual circumstances in the
workyard of the Cathedral before he could disseminate his pleas fully. Some Hammers
came to share his misgivings, especially when the Eye demonstrated how it could escape its
vault and float over the altar each morning.

41
However, before anything could be done disaster struck. The Eye managed to resurrect the
corpses of those killed in the siege of the Cathedral, who had been hastily buried in
unconsecrated ground during the conflict those many years ago. The undead, rotting and
decaying, proved impossible to kill with the stone sledgehammers the Hammerites wielded,
and many were slain by the rusty blades the undead soldiers still carried. In vain the
Hammerites bolted their steel doors the undead, with superhuman strength, brought
down part of the St. Yoras dormitories and broke into the building. Hammerites struck
down arose as the undead, cold light aflame in their eyes. Many took swords off the undead,
wielding them with inhuman skill as they laughed manically.

The Hammers fought a desperate rear-guard as a group of them went to ring the great bells
of the Cathedral, which normally called worshippers to prayer. Awakened by this unusual
occurrence, the citizens living around the Cathedral stumbled out of bed to see a forlorn
battle in progress, as the undead forced the Hammers out of the Cathedral and down the
great flight of steps that led up to it. Many fled immediately, not even stopping to take their
valuables. A contingent of the City Guard arrived soon after to help, but they proved
ineffective and only provided more enemies as they were slaughtered.

Keeper Andrus, sleeping in the Keeper Grotto, was awakened by the commotion, and went
himself to the scene to view the situation. He immediately saw that the Hammers were
doomed, and that unless action were taken the undead would overrun the Old Quarter and
then the City, forever tipping the Balance in favour of the Trickster. Making a split-second
decision, he despatched a contingent of Keepers back to the Keeper Compound to collect
the Elemental Talismans, which had been preserved for an occasion as serious as this.
Andrus then sent the remainder of the Keepers at the Grotto to the steps of the Cathedral,
armed with holy water and fire arrows to hold back the undead until the Talismans and
their mounts could be collected.

Andrus knew that this would reveal our presence to the world, and so paid a personal visit to
the High Priest, who had displayed uncharacteristic strength of character and come to
supervise the conflict. During a brief meeting Andrus laid out the situation, and said that
we would contain the evil engulfing the Cathedral provided that the Order make available
all their men to guards us at our work, and that our existence be kept a secret from all the
City. We knew we had no hope of working undetected, and this hastily negotiated
agreement at least ensured that we were known only to the upper echelons of the Order.

Armed with holy water and fire arrows we ourselves provided, the Hammerites formed a
protective cordon around us as we used explosives to demolish the houses around the
Cathedral and form a barrier that the undead could not progress beyond. Then, we
cooperated with the Hammerites to drive the undead back up the stairs and into the
Cathedral. As we worked at the doors, the Hammers drove off the undead. Eventually the
task was done, and we nailed our warning above the Cathedral door.
42
Returning with the Elemental Talismans, we discovered alarming news. The Cloister gate
at the rear of the Cathedral had not been sealed, and several of the undead had escaped
around the cordon and spread along Auldale Street and Cathedral Street. Several of our
Order volunteered to journey to the gate and lock it shut, while the rest of us, and the
Hammerites, retreated to deal with the undead.

The fighting had reached Market Street when the volunteers returned with the news that
the Cloister gate had been sealed. Such was the speed of the undeads advance that we were
unable to satisfactorily evacuate our own Grotto. It was sealed to the best of our ability, and
we soon received word that the Baron had summoned an emergency meeting of the City
Council, and had decided to create a vast wall that would keep the undead contained. We
initially thought that this tactic was not ideal, as it would leave the entire area infested, but
we then realised that this would deter those of nefarious intent, and so used our influence to
facilitate the process.

Construction of the Barricades began at Rubin Street, De Perrin Street and Cathedral
Street, as we and the Hammers struggled to hold back the undead. As we were gradually
pushed back we took our leave of the Hammerites, not wanting to be seen by the general
populace. They continued the struggle alone until they reached the Barricades, where they
were aided by the City Guard and worked with them to protect the workers as the wall rose
higher. Finally it was done, and all there escaped to the other side of the wall, leaving the
undead contained in what has become known as the Closed Area.

In the wake of the time of peril, as the episode came to be known by the Hammerites, the
Order changed dramatically. All were traumatised by the loss of a building that was a
symbol of Hammerite prestige, power and magnificence, and the Order had also lost many
of its most radical and youngest adherents. Naturally, the reactionaries found their
opposition to the radical theories vindicated, and those radicals surviving found themselves
hounded out of the Order or denounced as heretics for failing to believe in the veracity of
the Builders Plan that plan being the ascetic and isolated lifestyle the reactionaries
advocated. Many of these doubters were actually killed and buried in the foundations of
the new Temple the Order built later to act as the new focus for their worship.

The time of peril also deprived the Hammerites of many of the symbols of their faith.
Although the First Hammer and St. Yoras skull were retrieved, the Order had lost many of
its holy relics and remains of previous saints. They needed a new symbol of their power to
act as an icon, and an objective to inject meaning into their doctrine, which had been badly
shaken by the events. In addition, we needed placate them, because those who were aware
of what we had done objected to us holding the keys to their own Cathedral, however
dangerous the evil inside. In the end a compromise and solution was reached, and we gave

43
the Order the Talisman of Air to guard and watch over. This task gave them a new aim and
purpose, and they pledged their honour to act as a shield over it.

The conflict also brought an unexpected benefit. Many people in the City were shocked by
their encounter with the undead, and Hammerite propaganda had made out, truthfully, that
the undead were the minions of the Trickster. Their faith in the secular world-view
seriously disturbed, large numbers of citizens flocked to join the Hammers, whose Order
was inundated by those wishing to become initiates. From a marginalized faith on the brink
of collapse the Order was reinvigorated by the great influx, and the reactionaries that had
gained power insisted on the strict, conservative lifestyle that the radicals had opposed.

With their increased numbers, the Hammerites began to regain influence. Patrols and
watchmen were sent out to deal with crime, and many more temples were built to better
spread the word of the Master Builder. Criminals were treated with increased severity, and
Cragscleft soon became the most heavily used gaol in the City. Often the Citys secular
laws were overridden, as the acquitted were subjected to the more severe Hammerite trial
and punishment.

Yet, even within this new, strict, conservative order there were still the radicals. With the
fall of those who had advocated the use of nature came the rise of those who advocated the
use of machinery. The most vocal of the radicals was Brother Karras, who endeavoured
continuously throughout his days in the Order for the Hammerites to make use of their
technological expertise and improve upon the machines the Builder had given them. Only
in this way, Karras thought, could the Order be saved and gain true power. The great
initiation of lay folk into the Order meant that his ideas found support among those who
had experience of the secular world, and found the Hammerite doctrine over-strict and
antiquated.

The reactionary Hammerites countered this threatening upsurge by increasing the severity
and strictness of doctrine, and a gradual rejection of secular accruements that had made the
Order attractive or bearable to some in the past.

As the fortunes of the Order rose, so those of the City fell. The loss of the Cathedral had
greatly affected morale, and the induction of so many into the Order of the Hammer meant
that business suffered greatly, as both supply and demand fell. Hearing of the events, many
merchant shipping companies and captains refused to dock at the City, and trade fell
sharply, resulting in a substantial drop in revenues that limited the potential courses of
action for the Baron.

The situation worsened when the Baron died and his son succeeded him. The new Baron,
as traumatised as others by the time of peril, became increasingly close to the Order of the
Hammer, and many thought he would actually join it. In the event, the Baron took just as
44
bad a decision. Yielding to Hammerite demands, he turned over all things mechanical to
the Order pumps, drains, power stations, workshops and businesses. The Order had long
felt aggrieved that such technologies were in the hands of heretics and peasants, and also
realised that once they again had a monopoly on technology their position would be greatly
ameliorated.

This episode proved disastrous for the City, as the production and trading of its main export
of machinery fell. The Hammerite insistence on absolute control of all things mechanical
meant that the technology was used for the benefit of the Order rather than any other, and
the immense control the Hammers now had over the City meant that they were able to
demand other concessions from the devout, pious and rather weak Baron. By controlling
the export of machinery, they controlled the amount of money that flowed from it into the
Barons purse, and thus exerted a powerful influence over him.

Hammerite law was imposed on the City, overriding secular law. The city courts still
operated, as did the City Guard, but no one protested when the Hammerites arrested and
imprisoned without trial those it had felt were breaking the Master Builders laws.
Restrictions on activities, dress and behaviour were enforced where possible, as the
Hammerites tried to control the radical faction within the Order that was increasingly
supported by dissatisfied Hammers.

The situation led to massive popular discontent, as well as economic recession and a
criminal renaissance. In a vicious circle, people became more and more fractious as the
Hammerites resorted to increasingly draconian measures to control the outbreak. As the
Order descended into progressively stricter orthodoxy to control both internal and external
foes, more and more people left the Order to make their own way in the secular world. The
memory of the conflict at the Barricades was fast fading, and disillusionment among new
initiates meant that Hammerites soon began to bemoan the lack of novices. In order to
maintain favour with the Hammerites, now the dominant power in the City, many nobles
maintained resident Hammer priests in their homes, but the orthodoxy of the Order drove
many to alternative forms of religion.

The present Barons invasion of Blackbrook was intended to revive his popularity, but also
had the effect of partially unseating the Orders domination of the City. Using the war as
an excuse, he levied higher taxes on imports and exports, and on the people, to pay for the
fighting. Although most of the money was for personal enrichment, the additional money
meant that he was no longer subject to the Order of the Hammers whim, for they could no
longer control how much money reached him.

Such is the situation now. The Order of the Hammer is still powerful, and we have ensured
that it is so in order that it might resist the Trickster if Garrett cannot. The glyphs are
cryptic, and there is controversy amongst us over how the Woodsie Lord is to be defeated.
45
In any case, the decline of the Hammers will follow soon after. They have preserved the
Balance thus far, and will continue to preserve it, but they are not fated to shift the Balance
and bring about the Metal Age. Yet they have existed seemingly forever they exist now,
and it seems probable that they will continue to exist.

46
 CRIME IN THE CITY

T here are many professions that claim to be the oldest. Thieves say that they are the
oldest profession, prostitutes that they are, cutpurses that they are, and smugglers that
they are. There is no evidence to support any of these claims. However, all of the claimants
belong to what the City Watch prefers to call the criminal underworld. It is perhaps this
underworld as a whole that is the oldest profession whenever the City is spoken of, a
mention of crime is sure to follow. It is irrevocably entwined with the history of the City.

There are certain facts that point to crime being the oldest profession in the City. The City
was founded on the ruins of Karath-Din, the fabled city of the Precursors, which was found
and briefly explored by us before being sealed once more. Possibly destroyed by
experiments in necromancy or the influence of the Trickster, it was sealed underground for
countless years, until it was discovered, by chance, discovered by us. Time for exploration
was short, and we were forced to leave soon after exploring it initially. A later expedition
placed the Talisman of Fire there, but no more was ever heard from them.

Karath-Din has since been explored by a variety of people. First there was Garrett, of
whom no mention needs to be made. His entrance alerted the Elemental Mages, whom we
observed to enter soon after him. Where he emerged, they did not, and events following
Garretts archaeological expedition meant that it was not possible to spare the personnel to
fully investigate the situation there. This was to prove our undoing, and we were unable to
take sufficient precautions to prevent the Mechanists discovering the entrance. Their
finding of the Masks and Cultivators was unpredicted by the glyphs, but we were reassured
by the knowledge that Karras would almost certainly have employed his Children to
perform his twisted tasks had the Cultivators and rust gas been unavailable.

However, before its discovery, the location of Karath-Din was unknown. Faint rumours of
a fabled Lost City pervaded the Land like mist, and the lure of treasure drew the treasure
hunters and grave robbers to where the mist seemed thickest. Evidence suggests that it was
a small community, threatened by the Tricksters minions from without and by the
unsavoury elements from within. Lawlessness was rife, each individual criminal following
his own moral code. The rule seemed to be eat, or be eaten. This is no exaggeration
cannibalism is one of the lesser excesses that appear to have been perpetuated during this
time.

The small settlement grew, possibly fuelled by the discovery of several Precursor artefacts.
Certainly this would explain the fabled vase of Lord Randall, which bears a striking
resemblance in form to those observed in Karath-Din. The value of the piece is not in its
appearance, but in its heritage. These artefacts might have been recovered from an outer-
lying suburb of the Lost City, or perhaps a trade caravan leaving for another city-state.

47
Whatever the origin, the news of the reputed find of the piece soon spread, and the
population of the small settlement grew as more grave robbers flooded in, each after their
own fortune in gold or precious gems.

With them came other people, who were not there for the fabled treasure of the Lost City.
They were perhaps farmers, tradesmen, opportunists, who saw a settlement of people and
saw profit. It would appear that they set up farms and sold the produce to the unsavoury
elements, or provided mining tools to aid with the excavations. The small settlement grew
to a village, and then to a small town, enclosed by a wall and with a river running through it.
The criminal element, for so long the majority in the village, began to be outnumbered by
the people arriving to claim land for farming or mining. The villagers seem to have
grouped together and resisted the attempts of the criminals to claim protection money or
steal their produce. As more people arrived, the criminals were forced further underground
to avoid the attention of these groups.

At this point, there appear to be loose groups of criminals, thieves and ruffians who stayed
together for companionship and to prevent themselves being murdered by another criminal.
The groups were loose-knit, and fragmentary accounts suggested that there were many
changes of allegiance depending on which group was judged to be the most powerful.

However, as the City grew in size to a small town, so did the progress of crime advance
another step. Gradually the groups of thieves, thugs, pimps and ruffians became more
close-knit and more competitive. Criminals no longer changed allegiances as they saw fit; if
they tried to, they were dissuaded, sometimes permanently. Each group graduated towards
a certain area of the town, based on their composition. The groups with many thieves
appear to have taken the emerging richer parts of town as their ward, while the groups of
thugs began to control the docks and the working-class areas that emerged to service them.
The word ward is interesting in its etymology, appearing to come from the word warder
to protect. It is perhaps a mocking reference to the groups policy of protecting their area
from the other groups, often by use of force.

As with all groups that have ever existed, there was a leader to each group. More often it
was the strongest, sometimes it was the cleverest, and occasionally it was the slyest. At first
the leader participated in the activities of the group, but as allegiances became more strictly
controlled and loyalties confirmed by means other than persuasion, the leaders became
increasingly devolved from this. More often they remained in the background,
manipulating their criminals and taking their profits. As the groups became ever more
separated from each other, and the wards emerged, the leaders became known as Wardens
of the City again a mocking reference to preventing other groups from operating in their
ward. Popular usage has reduced this to City Wardens, or sometimes even just Wardens.

48
At this point the ruling structure in the City was extremely stratified, with little upward
social mobility and clear class distinctions. The Baron, an absolute ruler, lorded over a
collection of self-appointed nobles, who in turn controlled the lesser nobles and the other
citizens. The lords ruled small portions of the City, in a similar manner to the Wardens.
They collected taxes from the occupants, and owned land beyond the boundaries of the City
walls. In a similar manner, the Wardens controlled their wards. They extracted protection
money, or simply stole it. Ruffians would mug helpless citizens, while thieves would take
their money in more discreet ways. Prostitutes appear to have flourished at this time,
offering brief liaisons in houses controlled by the Wardens. Often there would be many
ladies of negotiable affections one building, and these buildings became known as stables
because of the stalls that were there for the women to practice their trade. The word
stable has gradually come to mean any business, legitimate or otherwise, owned by a group.

In addition to these groups and their wards, there appear to be at this point two more
varieties of criminals. Several guilds were formed consisting of one type of criminal;
perhaps thieves, highwaymen, or cutpurses. Highwaymen preyed on the wagons that left
the City for other cities, carrying gold from the mines outside the City, or the wines from
vineyards. Their favoured tactic was apparently to lay a tree across the dirt track ahead of
the wagon, and then to use swords and arrows to force the wagon driver to deliver his goods
or face being killed. Merchants armed wagons with guards, and gradually they began to
travel in convoy the guilds emerged as a way of combating this. These guilds gave
themselves fanciful names, but few were successful, and most were broken up or merged
into Wardens organisations. Those that prospered owed allegiance only to themselves, but
soon found that it was difficult to remain neutral in the dangerous environment of the City.
Soon, most allied themselves with a certain Warden, and became in effect semi-independent
guilds they could only steal from their Wardens enemies, and had to obey his demands
immediately.

However, the third variety of criminal is perhaps the most interesting, for then the group
existed in far greater numbers than it does at the present time. The group is the
independent criminals, the cleverest and slyest of those in the City, who were cunning
enough and skilled enough not to require the assistance of the guilds or the Wardens. Only
the best remained so, but they were unbound by the ties of loyalty and free to go after the
best prizes. Due to the nature of their work, thieves and cutpurses formed the greater part
of this group, and in particular the so-called lock-pick thieves called so because their
targets were usually protected by locks. Other types of thieves were scholars, who could
read and write and specialised in obtaining books and documents of rival merchants,
cranes, so called because they lifted purses and other small objects from peoples belts,
and saddlers, who specialised in stealing horses and other animals. Horses at this point
were rare and expensive, and a strong one might fetch enough money to support a man for
many months.

49
Facing these hardened criminals were the hardened drunks of the Barons private police
force, a motley body of men who, if contemporary accounts are to be believed, spent most
of their time in the Citys taverns. Corrupt and ill-disciplined, they might even be counted
as a crime group themselves, with the Baron as their warden and the entire City as their
ward. Raised by the lords, swearing allegiance to the Baron, and pocketing bribes from the
City Wardens, it was this force of militia that was also expected to see off any invading
force. With the benefit of hindsight, it is extremely fortunate that the City was not at this
point an important place, and so not worthy of the notice of other, expansionist, city-states.

When speaking of the actions of the Wardens, it will be noticed that usually the individual
actions of the Wardens are not followed. There are several reasons, the main one being
that in most cases identical actions were taken by all of them. The Wardens usually acted as
one, realising that divided they risk individual annihilation, and that they could only survive
by presenting to the forces of law and order a united front. This is not to say that there
were no conflicts between Wardens there was, but it was low-level, and did not threaten
the unity of the Wardens.

It is at this point that the Hammerites appear to have made their impact on crime in the
City. Evidence suggests that before this point they were a small group, perhaps
commanding the loyalty of the people, but small in numbers and under the control of the
Baron. For a reason not known, membership in the Order swelled, and the Hammerites felt
confident enough to take on the City Wardens, and incidentally the Baron. It is perhaps the
benefits they brought to the City, of powered lighting, sewage and public access to water,
that caused this wave of popular support. Whatever the cause, they rioted, overthrew the
true Baron and replaced him with a figurehead controlled by the new City Council. They
also caused the formation of the City Guard, intended to police the City and act as an army
in times of war. It is unclear whether the Hammerites set this up out of genuine concern
for the people, or to provide them with a labour pool of expendable police who could be
relied upon to obey the Hammers.

Thusly greatly increased in power, the Hammerites were able to enforce their strict morals
upon the rest of the City, which had begun expanding and gained the district of
Stonemarket. Disapproving of the corrupt police force and City judiciary, they made their
own patrols, not hesitating to enter the worst districts in pursuit of criminals. They ignored
the basics of civil liberty that even the former Baron had dared not interfere with, and
arrested people on little or no evidence. This policy resulted in many criminals being killed,
but also many innocents caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Interestingly, this
marks the end of the era of the all-powerful City Wardens. The Hammerites unique
powers of persuasion meant that group members or guild members were only too willing to
reveal their comrades. Whole organisations were destroyed, and several Wardens arrested
and put to death. The remaining Wardens soon took hint, and fragmented their wards into
many small, competing guilds. The strategy worked to some extent; the Hammerites picked
50
up on the most incompetent of the new guilds, and when the pressure later eased the
Wardens were able to re-unite their groups, this time with the more proficient groups who
had survived.

However, this period was very much the time of the independent criminal, and many did
not join the new, smaller guilds that resulted from the Hammers patrols, but instead tried
to survive on their own. Their lack of ties and obligations to the Wardens meant that they
were essentially free, and crime seems to have actually increased, because the Hammers
were unable to arrest many criminals merely by making one talk. A new breed of fences and
pawn-mongers also arose, to cater for the independent thieves who had many valuables but
no way of selling them.

The Hammer policing declined in its intensity gradually, due to declining numbers and
increasing anger towards it from the citizens. Angry at living in a City effectively controlled
by religious fanatics, they began to look back on the better days in the past when they had
their freedom, and when the Wardens were perceived to have a strange sense of honour that
prevented them from stealing from the poor. This was of course nonsense, but it is
comforting to many people to retreat into the past, and it appears they did so here. Support
for the Hammers fell, and crime rates rose. The criminals took advantage of the Hammers
laxity and began to become ever more bold. The Hammers, apparently seeing their control
of the City being wrested from their grasp, sought to win it back by sending out larger
patrols, with heavier weapons and more deadly intent.

However, this only caused the citizens to feel even more threatened. Mistakenly believing
that the City Guard could take over the activities of the Hammerites, they began to resist
the Hammerite oppression even more than before, eventually driving the members of the
Order to seek shelter in temples built like fortresses. This left the City Guard to patrol the
streets. In this they failed as miserably as the Barons police had before them. Corrupt, ill-
disciplined and totally useless, they allowed the ailing City Wardens to re-unite their
organisations, consolidate their power, and again subject the City to waves of crime. Order
in the City began to break down, and riots became ever more frequent. Poor harvests
caused resentment, as did the withdrawl of the Hammerites, who had retreated into their
temples and left their machinery outside them to rust.

It was under these conditions that the Baron made a grab for power. Outraged at his family
having been used as a figurehead, with the support of several nobles he attempted to destroy
the Hammerite power and return to the days of absolute rulership. However, the means by
which he attempted to accomplish this were disastrous. He struck a deal with some of the
City Wardens that he would reward them handsomely for their assistance, provided they
destroy the Hammerites. This was to prove a fatal error. The criminals were not restrained
by any authority other than their own, and did not restrict themselves to attempting to
destroy the Hammerites. They pillaged much of the City, murdering the men and raping
51
the women, despite the feeble attempts by the City Guard to prevent this. The situation
looked as if it were spiralling out of control. Once again the people turned to the Order of
the Hammer, and once again their prayers to the Master Builder were answered.
Disciplined, fanatical and utterly fearless, the Hammerites despatched the rioting criminals
within days, and the Baron within the month. A new figurehead was appointed, and the
remaining Wardens retreated to lick their wounds, and prepare for the inevitable storm.

However, this did not arise. The Hammerites, despite having won and having massive
popular support for the time, seemed to now go to the opposite extreme. Apart from night
watchmen, there were no Hammerites guarding the streets. The City Guard was forced by
necessity to become proficient, or risk being destroyed by angry mobs. It was an initiation
of fire, but it worked. Forced to become proficient, the City Guard succeeded in
maintaining a presence on the streets that dissuaded crime, and also began to conduct
investigations into suspected Wardens. However, the major bar to complete success was
that the City Guard was itself fragmented, each taxgelt district having its own force, with its
own Sheriff in charge of it. There was no inter-district co-operation, and the Wardens
were too inconsiderate to contemplate conveniently adjusting the size of their wards so as to
conform to the districts of the City.

Despite this disadvantage the City Guard worked after a fashion, and street crime was
decreased to the point that it became safe to walk about the streets unaccompanied. The
Wardens had resurrected their organisations, and this pleased some of the separate guilds
that had emerged, due to the guarantee of a market for their skills. At this point a new facet
emerged in the flawed gem that is crime in the City. The fragmentation of the Wardens
groups had inconvenienced them greatly, the resulting end to their income threatening to
reveal them as people more than just prosperous citizens. They began to set up semi-illegal,
or sometimes legal, businesses. These aided in the laundering of forged coins, and also
provided a convenient front for other criminal businesses. For instance, one group whose
ward was the docks of Eastport and Dayport set up a shipping business that was perfect
cover for the illegal smuggling operations that they also controlled.

New breeds of criminals also began to emerge, besides those already in residence in the
City. The increasing use of money as a medium of exchange, rather than the bartering that
had gone on before, meant that coinfakers began to emerge, aided by the supply of gold
now coming from mines in the mountains by the City. The wagons that carried this to the
ships at the docks began to come under increasing attack from unidentified assailants, who
would steal the gold from the slow, lumbering wagons. There was almost another public
riot when it was found that these mysterious assailants were in fact the Barons private army.
However, many people were reluctant to dispel their newfound prosperity, and although
there were public demonstrations not much was made of it after a time. The only thing that
came out of it was the establishment of street lighting upon the major roads of the City.

52
Built by the Hammers, it resulted in a further decrease in street crime, which caused people
to become sympathetic towards the Order of the Hammer.

The increase in trade caused by the discovery of the gold, and by the extension of the City,
resulted in many more ships carrying goods to far-off places. Laden with gold and precious
metals, returning with food, fine woods and other valuables, the ships were easy targets for
piracy. Following the example set by Captain Markham, pirates began to emerge and prey
on these merchant ships. Typically they would set themselves alongside the cargo ship and
board it. After a fight that the pirates would usually win, they would place a prize crew on
the ship and sail it to a safe harbour, with the pirate ship escorting it. At the harbour the
cargo would be unloaded, and sold through a variety of channels. Most of these pirates
were independent, but a few came to be controlled by the Wardens. Indeed, one Warden is
known to have tricked his merchant insurers into paying the cost of his ship and its cargo
after it had been captured by a pirate, whom he thoug

The legitimate shipping companies were increasingly dismayed by the loss of their ships,
and formed a union called the Union of Importers and Exporters. By pooling their funds
they placed orders around the City shipyards for a navy of gunboats and sloops, with several
frigates. Heavily armed enough to see off the pirates, and with the cargo ships now sailing
in convoy, the battle against piracy was thought to have been won. However, the Wardens
were angered by this action, and instigated a scheme to destroy the navy. They infiltrated
the Union, and with their usual cunning and guile eventually turned its members against
each other. Soon infighting was strife, culminating in the Battle of Markhams Isle, where
the frigates of opposing factions were so busy fighting each other that Markham was able to
capture the convoy and sink the frigates. Rather than see the end of the navy and the
increasing rise in piracy, the City Council requisitioned to ships and formed them into the
City Navy.

Encouraged by the rise in popularity, the Hammerites began to send out patrols once more.
Their justice was just as harsh and swift as it had been previously, and soon the City Guard
began to feel slighted. They were being pushed aside by the greater accomplishments of the
Hammers, and resentment caused them to begin to turn towards the Wardens. The upper
echelons of the City Guard began to accept payments from the Wardens, in return for not
being so inquisitive, and corrupt soon spread to the whole of the Guard. The fragmented
nature of the Guard meant that some district contingents were not affected, and remained
loyal to the Baron and the City Council, but they could do nothing to halt the activities of
their brethren.

In response to this corruption the Hammerites increased patrols, and began to increase the
pressure on the City Wardens. Guilds were found and destroyed, businesses had their
premises razed to the ground, and the stables of the Wardens were in shambles. The City
Wardens felt increasingly threatened by the attention of the Hammerites, and so
53
implemented the most audacious, and foolhardy scheme in their history. They bribed the
leaders of the City Guard to order and attack on a major Hammerite temple in Downtowne,
where the High Priest was resting overnight. The temple is now the Cathedral of the
Hammerite Order. The gates were opened by a traitor inside the temple, Brother Dale, and
the sheer volume of men nearly overpowered the Hammerites. Forced to retreat to the
catacombs, they only finally defeated the enemy when dawn broke.
Incensed, and baying for the blood of the City Guard, the Hammerites massed their army
and marched on the City Guard headquarters. Held at bay by archers on the roof, despite
massive attacks by siege weaponry and priests, the fortress failed to fall, and soon
reinforcements arrived from the City Guard. The Hammerites were beaten back, took
great losses, and were forced to retreat to the safety of their most heavily fortified temples,
and to the new Cathedral in the Old Quarter. The City Guard laid siege to them for
several months.

As the Hammerites slowly starved behind their walls, the City died on the outside. Pumps
and engines broke down and were not repaired, crime was rife as the Wardens took
advantage of lack of any guards on the street, and trade declined as the City looked to be
spilling over into civil war. To his credit, the Baron of the day did much to ameliorate the
situation. The City Guard was to be purged, restructed so as to be headed with an elected
commissioner, and given adequate training in the task of law enforcement. The
Hammerites were to be allowed to impose their laws on the City at their own will, to send
out patrols to enforce those laws, and to create their own private goal in the mountains
outside the City.

Goals had previously existed in the City, but Cragscleft was to be as better than them. The
old goals had been constructed in the district of Prisongate, but they had been small and
cramped, and mainly used to hold prisoners before punishment. Criminals were held in
small, ill-ventilated cells to await trial or punishment in the form of death or mutilation.
Their food, such as it was, was paid for, but they were allowed to buy amenities such as
blankets or additional food. Whether the corrupt jailers allowed it through was another
matter. There were also cells in most of the small police stations scattered around the City,
but they were only holding cells, which served to restrain the criminal until he could be
transported to the main prisons.

Cragscleft did away with all this. The prison was built in the mountains, in an abandoned
gold quarry, far away from refuge. The undead were said to haunt the lower mines, while
there was only one entrance which was to be guarded by Hammerites. Four cellblocks
were constructed, with remote-opening doors controlled from a room high above most of
the cells. Motion sensors at the entrance to the cellblocks a later addition designed by the
then Brother Karras prevented unauthorised access, while there was also a factory for the
prisoners to work in and a punishment yard for them to be beaten in. The cells were bare
and dark, with no bed or even straw, and only a grate in the centre for drainage. Barracks
54
housed the guard contingent, but they were rarely needed no-one has ever escaped from
Cragscleft.

These events caused massive upheavals amongst the criminal brethren. Criminals were
being killed or thrown into prison, organisations were being destroyed, and the Wardens
had no hope of containing the threat. Once again they fragmented their organisations into
many self-sustaining cells, to allow them to survive the storm. When this began to prove
ineffective, they changed tactics, and began to adopt a policy none of them had dared do
before.

The nobility, to supplement their income, often set up and ran semi-legitimate businesses
businesses that were morally questionable by the standards of the Hammers. Gambling
dens, brothels, bear pits, and burrick tracks all began to spring up, often concealed beneath
an exterior of a legitimate business. The nobles ran their businesses by proxy, with
middlemen to prevent their involvement being known. However, the middlemen were
susceptible to bribes and threats, and the Wardens were in a position to blackmail the
nobles. The terms were simple prevent the Hammers from bothering us, and you get to
keep your reputation and your income. Most of the nobles agreed, perhaps persuaded by
the events resulting when one noble refused. They paid protection money to the Wardens,
and began to try to control the Hammer patrols. This policy was partially successful,
mostly due to the fact that Hammer patrols were declining in size anyway as falling numbers
of acolytes caused manpower shortages among the Hammerites.

By this time, the Wardens and their groups had involved into organisations rivalling the
City government in complexity. At their head was the City Warden, a powerful man who
often rose to his post through trickery and cunning. The few groups that tried to
implement a hereditary Wardenship soon disappeared when it became clear that the son as
never the same as the father. Many Wardens posed as rich merchants, and owned
businesses that accounted for their wealth, and provided cover for their illegal activities.
Some owned shipping businesses, others construction firms, others dealers in valuables.
Sometimes the income alone from these companies would have made a man rich.

The Warden always had an aide-de-camp, a man powerful in his own right whose job it was
to oversee the day-to-day workings of the organisation. The right-hand man required
utmost loyalty towards the Warden and his organisation, and it was for this reason that
these men were often selected by the Wardens. Below these two men were several more,
who oversee various aspects of the organisation. These aspects vary depending on the
location of the ward. Often there was one who administrated the stables, where the
criminals of the organisation lodged and where some activities were carried out. This man
would have had responsibility for the upkeep of the stables, their provisioning, and also for
the activities such as prostitution or coinfaking. Another man would have handled the
gathering of information, from spies and informants, about other groups or rival
55
organisations. Yet another man would have cared for the finances, and the accounts of the
organisation. A final man would have acted as a liaison between the various affiliated and
semi-independent guilds.

The guilds that existed in the City occurred in various forms. Most were relatively large,
composed of one profession, and were usually allied with a single Warden. The most
common types of guilds were thieves guilds, but there also existed guilds for smugglers,
highwaymen, coinfakers and other types of criminals. There were even different types of
thieves guilds, ranging from lock-pick thieves to scholars. Most were semi-independent,
affiliated, but not under the total control, of a warden. The guild was free to administrate
itself, choose its own targets, and make its own decisions. The Warden could specify
targets, and also expected that his other guilds or organisations would not be affected this
obedience was forced by either payments or fear, or sometimes a combination.

Some guilds were guilds in name alone, merely extensions of the Wardens organisations,
and could not even choose their own members. These were few in number, as most of this
small group were eventually absorbed into the greater organisation. Other guilds were
completely independent, with no ties of loyalty to anyone. By their very nature these were
only composed of some of the best of their profession, and usually very small. They escaped
being affiliated with a Warden by maintaining a low profile, or by making themselves
undesirable allies. Some Wardens wanted to see their elimination, others valued the fact
that they were unpredictable and could cause damage to their opponents.

Also included under the category of guilds were the independent criminals, who operated
alone or sometimes in pairs. Again, there were different categories of allegiance. Some
were in the pay of Wardens, lived in their stables, and could not act without their
permission. Others were loosely affiliated with Wardens, but maintained no strong ties.
The last group was the fully independent group of criminals, and was the most proficient
type of group. The independents had no ties of allegiance, but also had no one to rely on to
help them escape from trouble. The weak and incompetent were weeded out early, and
only the best lived and succeeded. They lived in permanent fear of betrayal, having no
friends but a wide range of contacts, and consistently obtained the most valuable of prizes.
Of these, Garrett is the most well known to us all. Fully independent, he is among the best
in his trade. Approached by Ramirez with an offer to join his stables, the Wardens
subsequent actions indicate how desperate he was to have this thief either under his control
or dead. Perhaps Ramirezs anxiety can be traced to the events that occurred before Garrett
became embroiled in the affair that resulted in the death of the Trickster. Garrett was
denied a prize by a Warden, Larnseng, who was engaged in cheating another Warden,
Ramirez himself. Garrett found incriminating evidence on Larnseng, and ensured that it
reached Ramirez. Larnseng was betrayed and sent to Cragscleft.

56
Most of the criminals in this category were thieves, but some were not. There were
independent suppliers of weaponry that remained outside the Wardens control, and fences
and thiefs-pawns that were independent of them. As with so many other types of criminals,
there were various types of fences. Some dealt with valuables, others with smaller valuables.
Some dealt in books and literature, while a few concerned themselves with potions and
medicinals. Additionally, some criminals such as prostitutes and cutpurses were so frequent
in the City as to be surplus to requirements, and were, as a result, ignored by the Wardens.
Only the most proficient at these professions ever attracted their attentions.

This system remained unchanged throughout the upheavals that occurred after this period.
The Wardens resisted the events at the Cathedral and the building of the Barricades all
except one who lost his ward and was forced into poverty; the infamous Lord Barak. It was
his former land upon which Constantine constructed his mansion. Crime continued at its
former level, the streets being safe to walk during the day, but dangerous at night. The
businesses of the Wardens even flourished, as the building of the Barricades required
building stone. Most was quarried from the quarries of Lord Whitsimon, but this created a
shortage of cheap building stone the connections several Wardens possessed allowed them
to profit admirably from the stone that they were able to sell.

While the streets were safe during the day, what lay beneath them was never safe. The
sewage of the City drains into pipes and caverns beneath the City, where pumping engines
push it through to the sea. Beneath the City is a network of tunnels, rooms and pools,
through which the sewage passes. Similarly, the lines carrying power throughout the City
run beneath the streets, and there is a system of tunnels to allow for their maintenance.
These subterranean complexes, rarely visited by engineers except in the event of an
emergency, had been found to be the perfect hideout for the guilds of criminals that needed
to stay hidden. The tunnels are dry, due to a network of locks and doors that prevent
sewage and water overflowing, and contain numerous exits to the upper world. They are
ideal places for concealment, and more than half of the tunnels beneath the City were too
dangerous for engineers to venture in to.

The tunnels also connect with the district of Wayside, the slum area of the City. The story
of its founding is well known, as are the events that followed it. The pagan riots there
caused to Hammers to ostracize it, and refrain from building the sewage tunnels and power
conduits that all other districts have. Those with money moved out, those without money
moved in, and the place became a slum. Buildings were made of wood, not stone, and
periodically burnt down. Water was collected from a few wells sunk into the rock beneath
the City. The area was the haunt of criminals, of prostitutes and thieves and thugs, who
preyed on the few people there attempting to make an honest living. It was also a place
where those who did not want to be found disappeared some never to reappear. The
tunnels that were being built were sealed off, but they were reopened, and offered a
convenient interchange between the world above and the world below.
57
It is at this point in the history of crime in the City that there occurred an event that
shocked many of the City Wardens deeply. The Baron, though orders given to the City
Guard, arrested and imprisoned many of the thugs and tough-boys of one Warden,
DeWall, whose wards were Newmarket and New Quarter. Of a noble family, as indicated
by the honorary de that preceded his name, DeWalls stables specialised in the smuggling
of rare and expensive goods to the markets and relatively rich districts of the City. There is
no evidence to support the theory that the Baron had been cheated by DeWall and so took
his revenge, but it was a common rumour around the time of the events. The idea that the
people of the City exerted pressure on the Baron to deal with DeWall is ridiculous, however
much the Hammerites may state it. The Baron has no record of having ever listened to the
requests of the people, who seem to have valued DeWall for the forbidden luxuries that he
was able to provide. Whatever the reason, DeWall was ruined, and sank into obscurity,
while his wards were taken over by fellow Warden Raputo. However, there were also
rumours that DeWall was betrayed by one of his own. Whether this was a comment on
the ethics of the Baron, or an accurate description of what happened, is unknown, but it
caused significant changes. The Wardens began to distance themselves from their groups,
and retreat more into the background. While this was effective in reducing their notoriety,
it meant that they were unable to receive feedback from their various enterprises, leading to
an increasing stratified and immovable command structure, and a certain reluctance to
consider untried methods.

It would be a fallacy to imagine that crime, especially organised crime, is unique to the City.
Every city in the land has criminals, but there are few that have such groups as are found
here. In most cities there are not groups, but large guilds, composed of several types of
criminal with roughly corresponding tasks. For instance, a guild in Blackbrook may contain
highwaymen and smugglers all people concerned with the movement of goods. The
antipathy between cities was never allowed to stand in the way of commerce, and there was
traffic in goods between the criminal guilds and groups of various cities. Sometimes the
guilds even had ambassadors in the most profitable cities, to act as a liaison between the two
groups. One of the most notorious of these was Dorcas Goodfellow, an ambassador to the
City from the Blackbrook Underguild. Goodfellow traded in elemental crystals and other
items of a magical nature, items that the City possesses few of. He was extremely successful,
alternately hated and praised by the Wardens for his high prices but wide range of goods
and contacts.

This structure of the Wardens organisation remained unchanged until the events after the
death of the Trickster. This period was perhaps the most radical alteration to the power
structure of the City since the Hammerite revolt. The events have been related elsewhere,
and will only be mentioned here as they affect that topic at hand. The fragmentations and
discrediting of the Hammerites, and the rabid infighting that drew in most of their men,
meant that the streets were once again free of any type of policing. The Commissioner of
58
the City Guard, a certain deNavan, was in the pay of the Wardens, Ramirez in particular.
Motivated to do the right things for the wrong reasons, he forced the unification of the City
Guard, and an offensive against the Tricksters minions. He was probably forced to do this
by the Wardens, anxious to protect the valuable warehouses in the districts where the beasts
emerged.

The City Guard defeated the Tricksters beasts, thanks mainly to a young Lieutenant,
Truart, who laid siege to the Hammerite Cathedral in which the beasts had taken refuge.
The Baron promoted Truart to the post of Sheriff, but gave him no district to administrate.
The image of the dashing hero and the honourable actions of the City Guard was of
immense propaganda value, and many flocked to join the organisation. Some of the
Wardens sent their own men to volunteer as members of the Guard, so as to have a network
of informers inside the organisation. Commissioner deNavan had been killed by the
Wardens, unhappy that he had failed to protect the warehouses, and Sheriff Truart was able
to use his influence to open the City Guard to women. The organisation grew to massive
proportions. Some district contingents were forced to raid the City Army supply dumps to
obtain weapons.

However, the organisation had not been purged, and many of the upper ranks were in the
pay of the Wardens. The Baron was justifiably worried at these crime bosses having so
much power, but his attempt to use the City Army to enforce a purge failed. The citizens,
unaware of the corruption, reacted angrily to this, and drove the Baron into exile from the
City. The last remains of the feudal system had been brought down. The City Council,
cowed by the power Truart had over the mob, made him Sheriff of Shoalsgate, and
unofficially the leader of the City Guard. He implemented a program of wide-ranging
changes, perhaps the most extensive for years.

The system of district contingents was abolished the new police force was to be a single
unit. They would have one headquarters, one leader, and one beat; the entire City. This
amalgamation allowed Truart to act more strongly against the City Wardens. He created
various departments of detectives concerned with various aspects of crime, and instituted a
system of recording all crime committed. He created a department dealing with the arrest
of the City Wardens, who were to have access to all the records, and be given powers to
arrest and detain suspected Wardens. Emphasis was now placed on arresting the powers
behind the criminals, the thieves-pawns, pimps and fences. With nowhere to sell stolen
goods or to take money, criminals were helpless, and many fell destitute. They now
presented easy targets for the new organisation, now renamed the City Watch. The
meaning behind the name is intriguing, perhaps indicating a move now towards surveillance
rather than active preventation of crime. With the aid of Mosley and Hagen, Truart purged
the upper echelons of the new City Watch, and appointed honest officers. It seems that this
was also an opportunity for Truart to remove dissenters, and elevate supporters to high
offices.
59
Truart reserved most of his resources for the Wardens, pursuing them mercilessly. The
Wardens took lessons from the past and fragmented their organisations, splitting them once
again into separate guilds, and living on the income from their businesses. However, Truart
was not like any enemy they had ever encountered. He went for the heads of the guilds,
their bookkeepers and fences, and was thus able to find out details the controllers of the
guilds. He went for them, and the trail led him back to the Wardens. Some fled, but others
were arrested and killed. Ramirez, Raputo, Webster all met their fate in the yard of
Shoalsgate station, from the tree in its centre. Truart was cunning, and avoided shutting
down any of the businesses belonging to the nobles. Thankful for this, and aware that he
too could now blackmail them, the grateful nobles yielded more information about the
Wardens, and their legal businesses in the City.
Not even the guilds were spared the onslaught of the City Watch. The Downwinders were
broken up and imprisoned, others were forced to flee or face death. Those that broke up
independently of this were also swept up, as most members were unable to make a living by
themselves. Only the best of the independents survived, mainly by keeping a low profile.
Patrols in the streets doubled, and then tripled, especially in the worse districts of the City.
Wayside was razed to the ground, and warehouses built in its place.

The construction of the new docks and warehouses resulted in increased trade, and also the
discovery of a new valuable in the City spice. Smuggled in from far-off lands, its mild
narcotic effects caused it to be heavily taxed, and also caused several new guilds of smugglers
to spring up. Brought in by merchant ships or pirate ships, the spice was hidden and sold by
agents to those with enough money to buy it. The City Watch made several attempts to
prevent the traffic in spice, but these failed as it was too easily concealed. Smugglers merely
slipped it into pockets, or disguised it as normal cooking ingredients. Powerless to prevent
the traffic, due to the fact that most spice is sold directly to the customers through no fence,
the City Watch was forced to rely on the City Navy to catch the pirates and smugglers who
bring spice into the City.

This was not as easy as anticipated. Weak and ineffectual through years of neglect, the City
Navy was unable to make even token seizures of spice cargoes. When eventually one fleet
was almost destroyed by several pirate ships, the City Navy gave up. The City Watch
continues to make symbolic efforts to deal with the trafficking in spice, but the trade shows
no signs of letting up.

The increased economic activity that accompanied the construction of the new docks and
warehouses attracted many new immigrants to the City, eager for work as dockers or casual
labourers. However, there is often prejudice against these new arrivals, and employers seem
more willing to take on established citizens rather than new immigrants. As a result many
have taken up crime as the only way to remain alive, further turning citizens against them.
Street crime increased briefly, before the City Watch established a curfew, and began anti-
60
crime sweeps to arrest people deemed criminals. Some were taken to the cells at Shoalsgate
station, others to the new prisons that Truart had constructed outside the City. The
prisoners are employed on the mines and few farms that are maintained there, and Truart
has earned the gratitude of the people of the City by removing these corruptive influences
from the City.

Meanwhile, a new power arose in the City. Karras, at the head of the Mechanists, became
one of the most powerful men in the City, rivalling even Truart in his influence. With the
patronage of the nobles, Karras ensured that he occupied the position in power formerly
occupied by the Hammerite High Priest. The results of this change were immediately felt
by the criminal classes, such as they were after Truarts efforts. Karras ceased all patrolling
of the streets by Mechanist watchmen, leaving the task totally in the hands of the City
Watch. Whether this was to avoid angering the populace, or to spare resources for his
nefarious schemes it is not known.

However, the Mechanists also had another affect on crime in the City. Before even the
chronic infighting that had broken up the Hammerites and led to the rise of Karras,
Cragscleft had been all but abandoned due to insufficient manpower and the increased
activities of the undead, possibly linked to the emergence of The Eye as a player in
subsequent events. The prisoners were left to rot as most of the guards remaining headed
back for the City, and the hammer-manufacturing facility left to rust. In an apparent
betrayal of their beliefs, the Hammers had contracted a weapons manufacturer to produce
hammers for them. Anger and indignation over this is undoubtedly one of the factors that
led to the infighting within the order. The mines were abandoned to the undead, and while
the prisoners rotted in their cells the infrastructure of the prison rotted too. The few
Hammerites that were left attempted to continue running the prison, but their efforts failed,
much to the joy of the criminal class outside of its walls.

This was the situation over the course of the events that led to the destruction of Karras.
The Hammerites, and the Mechanists, no longer had the power to arrest suspected
criminals on the streets, or the manpower to maintain the prison that would have housed
them. Measures were taken within the prison to stay its final closure. The undead still
existed within the mines, and so the staircase to them was destroyed, and the lower mines
finally abandoned. All of the cellblocks but Cell Block 1 were also abandoned some of the
barred doors were rusted into their runners by this time, and had to be pounded with
sledgehammers before they would open. The factory level was also abandoned, save for the
aging generator there that provided what power the prison still needed.

However, with the destruction of Karras and his plans, things changed. The history of the
destruction of the Mechanists and the events that followed is the subject for another thesis,
but it is sufficient to say that the Order fragmented into several large sections, that each
went their own way. Several riots occurred when the Builder Childrens internal
61
mechanisms went awry, and they attacked civilians. The Hammers wisely stood aside from
these riots, and began to regain their position in the City. Aided by an influx of the
mechanics from the Order of the Mechanists, they were able to offer their services to
maintain some of the more useful inventions of Karras, and their popularity, and size, began
to rise.

The fall of the City Watch, despite the efforts of its Lieutenants, meant that the
Hammerites were once again the forces of law and order in the City, and the only prison
that they would use was Cragscleft. Organised crime was not given a chance to recover, and
suspected criminals were swept up and transported to the renovated prison. The alterations
to the prison rendered it even more secure, as one of our Order was to discover. The
Hammerites restored all of the cellblocks to working order, and built a whole new level as
their most secure wing. It possessed another cellblock, solitary confinement cells, an
Inquisitors chamber, and many other rooms of nefarious purpose. The factory area was
renovated to accommodate more advanced machinery for the production of the famous
sledgehammers, while a graveyard was added for the presumably expected fatalities. The
mines below the prison were turned into an almost impregnable fortress, capable of
withstanding a long siege, and even a full-out offensive by an attacking army. Relics and
valuables were moved there supposedly even the Eye is kept there, safely locked away in a
vault. The chapel there was renovated and expanded, while there are tales of a Great
Space there that seems to have unusual significance. The Hammerites also introduced
Mechanist technology to guard the mines and prison. Now the Builders Children patrol
the areas through which Garrett once crept, and mechanical eyes and turrets guard against
another such occurrence.

Thus the history of crime in the City ends at the present day. This era is not good for
crime; indeed, some may say that it has been eradicated. The era of the Crime Wardens is
over very few remain as is the era of the guilds. Very little organised crime now exists,
and where it does its end seems imminent. The few criminals that are still free to practice
their trade are mostly independents, the detritus of destroyed guilds or the extraordinarily
proficient, who can escape the attentions of the City Watch, and find people to deal with.
There exist a few weapons dealers, fences and thieves-pawns, and pawnbrokers willing to
accept stolen goods, just as there are several independent thieves who are now the only
thieves able to make a living. Few gambling dens or burrick tracks exist, except those
owned by nobles, and even the numbers of these are declining, due to a lack of customers
willing to risk being arrested there.

Street crime has almost disappeared, to the point where it is now considered safe, in all but
the worst districts, to leave windows open during the night. Low-level crime, such as pick
pocketing, still exists, but rarely rises to beyond the level of a nuisance. Forgers still practice
their trade, but the absence of cheap metal with which to work means that the material is
more expensive than the value of the coins, and so there are many who have turned to more
62
honest trades. Brothels no longer exist as they once did, with several ladies of the night in
one building. The prostitutes earn their keep in small rooms or apartments, concealed in
places such as warehouses or other large, private buildings.

Other types of crime have almost died out. Most goods now move by see, and the
highwaymen either killed or forced to move elsewhere. Thieves have been killed or thrown
into prison, and the few ones capable of lock-pick jobs are forced to lie low to avoid
attracting attention. Most other types have ceased to exist the supply is there, but the
demand is low, and most finds no longer bring the amount of money they once did. Crime
looks set to decline even further as the market for illegal goods is destroyed, and the means
of getting those goods ended.

However, we Keepers know that the glyphs tell otherwise. Crime has always existed, and it
would be a fallacy to dismiss this as the end. For crime is caused by need, desire, envy or
excitement and these will always exist.

Keeper Iacos

Thesis: Crime in the City. Keeper Library; City; Crime - 4634

63
 SUMMARY OF RECENT EVENTS

M uch has changed since the death of the Trickster. Not all of it was predicated by the
glyphs. It is the intention of this treatise to summarise the events that have occurred
to bring about the dawn of the Metal Age.

As it was written, Garrett defeated the Trickster in its own lair, the Maw of Chaos. He
exchanged the real Eye for a counterfeit one the Hammerites produced, and so prevented
the Tricksters nefarious plan from coming to fruition. However, despite the necessity of
removing the Woodsie Lord, his departure and resultant diminution of the Order of the
Vine tilted the Balance in favour of the forces of Order and so the Metal Age emerged.

The emergence of the Tricksters beasts from the portal into our dimension caused
widespread panic amongst the population, who fled from beasts they thought only existed in
myths. The City Guard and the Order combined to attack and defeat these beasts, and
drive most from the City into the forests surrounding it. A few escaped through the portal
back into the Maw, and the expeditions that followed them to complete the eradication
never returned. The population gradually returned as the City calmed, and began to repair
the damage caused by the brief battle.

But the traumatic events ensured that things did not return to their previous course. The
Order of the Hammer had lost many of its most devout followers, and the focus of their
worship like the Cathedral before it had been desecrated and destroyed. The Hammers
took this to be a sign from the Master Builder, and increased the strictness of their regime
and doctrine once again. Just as they had before after times of crisis, the Order adopted a
strict, ascetic, introspective doctrine than was intended to purge the heretical and
unbelieving from their ranks. But some refused to conform. There had existed factions
within the Order since before the events at the Barricades, but now they became
increasingly vocal. Following their leader, Brother Karras, they began to push for
development and improvement of mechanical technologies, and research into newer
developments. Many believed that the Order had suffered defeat in their temple due to
outdated machinery and beliefs, and sought to update Hammerite theology and technology
to better conform with the demands of the modern world.

This was unacceptable to the higher echelons of the Hammerite clergy, who felt that their
predicament was served least by an attempt to compete with the modern world. Altering
the technology the Builder had given was declared anathema, and the clergy began to clamp
down on the factionalists who they saw as threatening the integrity and morality of the
64
Order. This heavy-handed approach angered these factionalists, and they began to split
apart from the reactionary Hammerites. Despite attempts to repair the ever-widening rift,
the two groups began to split further apart as they diverged in their interpretation of the
Master Builders word.

The recent events had awakened in many a renewed fear of the Trickster, and a desire to
join the Order to fight him and his minions. Many flocked to join the Order, but found that
they were having to choose between the ascetic conservatives and the more liberal
progressives represented by Brother Karras. Faced with the choice, many chose Karrass
order, which was beginning to dispense with many of the trappings of the Order of the
Hammer. Falling numbers and reduced support caused the old Order to consider desperate
measures. The decision was taken to recall from the battlefield the Orders army, then on
campaign against Blackbrook. All were devout, conservative Hammerites untainted by the
corruption of Karrass new teachings.

The withdrawal of the Hammer army proved tragic. Blackbrook had prepared for a major
assault that spring, and the departure of the City Armys most feared fighting force boosted
the opposing armys morale incredibly. When launched, the offensive caught the City
Army off-guard and vulnerable. They were pushed backwards incredibly quickly, and
Blackbrook occupied much of the conquered territory, which included most of the Citys
coal mines. This gravely threatened the Citys livelihood and prosperity, and the Baron was
dismayed by the speed at which his forces had fallen back before the foe. He departed the
City for the battlefield, in order to take personal command of the offensive the City Army
was planning. To rule in his stead he appointed a Regency Council a committee of several
powerful lords, such as Bram Gervasius, who would administer the City and collect the taxes
while he was gone. The Council had the authority to override the City Council, which had
become corrupt and of little real worth.
Meanwhile the Order of the Hammer had come apart totally, and, although there
was no physical conflict, enmity between the two groups was at its height. Each professed
to follow the true doctrine of the Master Builder, and Karrass star rose as those of the old
Order fell. Eventually the two became totally divorced, and Karras renamed his faction.
From henceforth, they were to be known as Mechanists. The new order had attracted
much of the mechanical talent of the Hammerites, and this was put to use for the
improvement of existing technologies. Research led to the development of the oil lamp,
which shone as bright as a powered light, but cost less and did not require expensive cables
and conduits. The Mechanists produced the new invention themselves, and sold it to the
middle classes, who were eager to improve their quality of life.

65
The profits from this spurred further innovation, and great advances in clockwork led to the
development of a whole new range of inventions and technologies. Objects such as spiral
lamplighters attracted the nobility, who possessed the wealth to buy these novelties at
extortionate prices. The Mechanists gained increasing power and influence among the
nobility from this, as they competed with each other to obtain bigger, better and more
complicated novelties.

Some of these technologies filtered down to the secular industries, which, free from the
supervision of the Order of the Hammer, were able to improve their products. Trade
picked up, and income began to increase as more and more products began to be sold
overseas. The Regency Council levied new import taxes to take advantage of the upturn in
trade, and was able to afford the repair and renovation of the most damaged sewers and
power conduits. Individual landlords effected repair on damaged tenements and
apartments, although some proved beyond repair and were sealed up.

However, all was not satisfactory. The discovery of several new trading cities led to the
appearance of spice in the City, a potent addition to meals that was immediately subject to
great demand by the rich. Sensing profit, the Regency Council levied a large tax on spice
that rendered it uneconomic to import. Smugglers began to tranship the forbidden
condiment illegally, and soon a large spice-trafficking ring was in existence. The City
Wardens were quick to enter this new market, which soon began to comprise a significant
proportion of their incomes.

The City Guard were unable to cope with the City Wardens, and were mired by justified
accusations or corruption, greed and incompetence. Many of the officers were on the
payroll of the City Wardens, some even on more than one. Corruption reached to the very
heart of the Guard Commissioner de Navan was taking donations from Ramirez to
ignore his tough boys, and many of the Sheriffs were greater criminals than those they
arrested. The situation became intolerable, and there was widespread discontent, especially
as the Hammerites were too weak to guard the streets, and the Mechanists showed no
inclination to do so.

Eventually the situation changed, through a surprising but well-concealed series of events.
A certain Sheriff Truart of Shoalsgate was in the pay of several of the City Wardens, each of
whom was unaware of the others involvement. Truart managed to obtain through them
compromising information about the criminal dealings and possessions of most of the
members of the Regency Council. He went to them with the information, and made a blunt
offer: he would destroy the information if they would effectively cede the City to him. Well
66
aware that the proletariat would probably revolt if they found their rulers were as corrupt as
they were, the Council had no choice.

Truart was given control of the City, under the cover of a reform of the City Guard. The
Commissioner, the Barons appointed representative, was sidelined and rendered powerless.
The City Guard was amalgamated into a single unit, renamed the City Watch. Its
headquarters were at Shoalsgate, and Truart set up several departments to deal with the
rising crime rate the City Wardens, confident that their presumed pawn would play into
their hands, felt it safe to increase their power and influence.

However, they were in for a rude surprise. Truart betrayed his paymasters, and launched an
offensive on them. The new Warden Affairs Division at Shoalsgate collected information
on the Wardens and began a process of rolling up their organisations. The City Watch
targeted the clerks and administrators of the Wardens organisations, rendering it
impossible for them to control their diverse and tangled wards. Vassals and semi-
independent guilds began to break away, but with no one to fence their loot they too
experienced problems. Gradually, organised crime in the City disintegrated as the criminals
were rounded up and the remaining Wardens attempted to protect themselves by paring
their organisations to the bone.

Despite the assault on the Wardens, crime remained relatively high. The Wardens had
been superseded by a new criminal organisation the Watch itself. The holdings of the
Wardens were forfeited to the City Watch, and most of its lieutenants and Sheriffs helped
themselves to the profits. Arrested criminals were often enrolled in the ranks of the City
Watch, and there was increased disillusionment amongst the populace and the few honest
Watch Officers that the new City Watch was no better than the old City Guard.

Meanwhile, the Mechanists continued to gain power. Advancements in the field of

clockwork mechanisation and several unknown arts resulted in the development of the
Mechanical Eyes, while the exploration of the much-ignored science of chemistry produced
gunpowder. The influence of the Mechanists in the fields of architecture and interior
design gained pace. Mechanist styles became popular in order to display their mechanical
innovations in their proper setting, and the materials of tile, metal, marble and plaster
became increasingly favoured over stone and wood.

Like the Order of the Hammer before them, this increasing wealth and acclaim convinced
the Mechanists that they needed a new place of worship worthy of their magnificence.
They had already occupied, and renovated considerably, the old Hammerite Cathedral in

67
the Old Quarter now actually part of Eastport as well as constructing the Mechanist
Tower, called Angelwatch, at Dayport. But the Mechanists wanted something more. Their
new Cathedral became called Soulforge Cathedral, and was a massive building that sprawled
over the remains of Wayside. The Mechanists demolished many of the structures in this
ancient district, and razed the rest, in order to find enough space to construct their
Cathedral. When finished it was an impressive construction, containing a massive space for
worship as well as several items of machinery that allowed the production of their latest
invention: the Builders Children, developed by Friend Coltus. The demolition of Wayside,
and the construction of the Cathedral, revitalised the former slum district, and led to the
building of many new warehouses and factories to supply the Mechanists with machined
components or transport their finished product.

Thanks to their growing wealth, the Mechanists were able to take over Markhams Isle, and
install new subterranean and submarine structures in the caves beneath it. There they
developed the Cetus Amicus, intended as a demonstration of Mechanist prowess and
construction ability. However, on its maiden voyage it made a highly unusual discovery.
On a cruise around the coastline of the City a stone building was discovered, torn by time
but still recognisable as a structure. Further investigation, spurred by the presence of
Karras on board, revealed a faint network of buildings and a beckoning cavern. There was
growing excitement aboard the vessel, made greater when the Cetus Amicus ground on a
gravely shore, and scouting expeditions found several tunnels that led to an abandoned city.

The Mechanists had discovered Karath-Din, the legendary Lost City, and the treasures
within it. They also discovered burricks, fire elementals, and a strong encampment of
Mages from the Brotherhood of the Hand. They had remained down there in their quest
for further relics of their past, and fortified certain areas to withstand attack. The
Mechanists were cut down, but survivors returned to the Cetus Amicus to tell the story.
Karras was incensed, and appointed a certain Brother Cavador to eradicate the Mages, and
find whatever treasures they had been digging for.

This was accomplished after several months shuttling men and equipment to the site, with
the rust gas taking out most of the Mages and a large proportion of the burrick population
as well. Some of the relics recovered greatly excited Karras, for reasons unknown to us, and
he gave orders for as many of them to be collected as possible. Meanwhile, Mechanists
engineers had found the exit to the City we had used, and installed machinery to make it
possible to enter and exit Karath-Din without having to come via water. However, the need
to be circumspect to avoid arousing suspicion, as well as the precariousness of the

68
precautions taken to avoid flooding, meant that passage through it was restricted to
important personages.

Above the subterranean tunnels of Karath-Din, the City became increasingly dominated by
both the Mechanists and the City Watch. Truart continued his crackdown on crime, now
targeting all found disobeying even the most minor of offences, as well as those guilty of
serious crime. Many lauded the City Watch for these remarkable efforts, despite the
climate of fear that began to prevail amongst the innocent, but the more cynical wondered
at why some of the criminals arrested were among the Watchs most vocal opponents
before they too were arrested, imprisoned, and never heard of again. The regency council
could do nothing to prevent this, nor could any of the lesser nobles. Truart, with his
lieutenants Hagen and Moseley, gradually eradicated almost all crime from the City, with
the exception of the best, and assumed almost complete control.

Yet, at the same time changes were noticed in Truarts behaviour. As clockwork cameras
and watchers appeared in City Watch stations around the City, people observed that
increasingly beggars and vagabonds began to be rounded up, sometimes in preference to
criminals.

We, of course, know why this is. The Metal Age is upon us, and only Garrett, the one who
is both brethren and betrayer, can act where we cannot

Keeper Angustiae

Treatise, Dawn of the Metal Age. Keeper Library; City, Recent Events - 3856

69
 HISTORY OF THE CITY A REVISIONIST PERSPECTIVE

F or many years, convention and established doctrine has held sway in matters pertaining
to the City. Almost all, Keepers and citizens alike, have been content to cling to
established views of the distant and murky past. But the Keeper doctrine is one of
knowledge, and a quest for the truth. With this in mind, it is perhaps time to consider a re-
examination of the fundamental truths that we have formerly clung too.

Traditionalists would affirm that the City emerged out of chaos and anarchy, the sole
element of order in a vast land teeming with the Tricksters minions. Drawn to the treasure
of Karath-Din, eventually a nobility emerged from among the proles, with the Baron at
their head.

This view has the advantage of being romantic and adventurous, but the rather substantial
disadvantage of having no basis in fact. Precursor artefacts are rare and exceptionally
uncommon, with collectors prepared to pay outrageous sums due to their scarcity. It is
unlikely that treasure hunters could ever have found more than a dozen Precursor artefacts
the total number known to exist over the course of several hundred years. Extraction
from Karath-Din is unlikely, due to the undisturbed nature of the ruined city, and the
protection given by the burricks and fire elementals.

With this in mind, it is to normal social and economic factors that the mind of a historian
must turn. The City lies on a large, freshwater river that affords excellent access to the sea,
allowing intensive fishing and also easy trading routes to neighbouring coastal cities
Blackbrook, Cyric, and Bohn. At the heart of the Old Quarter is the lowest bridging point
of the river, and the district also lies squarely atop the old road that runs from Cyric and
Bohn to Blackbrook. This offered the opportunity for tolls and taxes, as well as trade with
passing traffic.

The traditionalist theory is that the plebeian rabble spontaneously developed a feudal
system of government, ruled not by a king but by a baron. This view does not hold water,
due to the central contradiction of having a baron a minor noble rule as a head of
government, even in a small, poor, provincial town.

The revisionist take on this is a radical step forward. The new theory affirms that nobility
did not emerge from within, but was opposed from without. In order to understand the
roots of this theory it is necessary to return to Karath-Din. It is nonsense to maintain that
despite all the warnings available the Precursors left evacuation until the last minute, and

70
were dispersed by the destruction of their city. A more reasonable hypothesis is that they
retreated in good time to another of their cities, taking with them most of their valuables
and leaving few things remaining in Karath-Din. Once safely established in their new
capital they probably continued life as they had before, until socio-economic forces
dismantled the stratified nature of political life and created a more mobile and progressive
society.

It is the nature of stratified societies to move either peacefully towards a more open society,
or to cling to the stratification until overwhelmed by both internal and external pressures.
From documents recovered from Karath-Din it is clear that the Precursor society was
virtually fossilised, incapable of adapting to the changing demands put upon it by corrupt
rulers and the enormous, unwieldy bureaucracy it had created for itself. At some point it
collapsed, and the region descended into a dark age with the complete breakdown of law
and order. The nobles retreated to their castles and fortresses in the country, using their
personal armies to police their domains and deter would-be invaders.

The City clearly fell within the barony of a baron, who was able to afford it protection from
attackers and thus encourage its gradual growth. He benefited from the tolls that could be
charged at this bridging point, and the revenues gained from customs on wares unloaded
and traded in the growing port. To protect his possession he built a wall around the
perimeter of the town, and built in its centre a large mansion as a visible symbol of his
authority.

However, this explanation cannot account for the extraordinary growth of the City. To do
so, one must leave the realm of logical conjecture, and attempt to identify the most sensible
of many unverifiable hypotheses. The theory that fits best with the scant data available is
that during the course of this dark age, wars between rulers were frequently conducted. We
may conjecture that the baronial family who ruled the city were defeated numerous times,
and forced to relinquish land to victorious enemies until finally the only possessions left
were the City and a narrow strip of land surrounding it. Left poor and impoverished,
incapable of offering resistance, perhaps with the aid of skilled diplomacy or timely tributes,
the barons were left alone to administer the small area left to them. Their realm shrank
from a country estate to a city-state.

Gradually the region emerged from the dark age. Borders and lands were consolidated a
patchwork of principalities formed. Order returned to the region as rulers exerted their
authority and brigands were hunted down. Trade revived, and the coming of civic order

71
allowed increased arable yields that enabled large population growth. This created an
increased demand for goods and services that stimulated economic activity.

The City was well placed to take advantage of this. At the mouth of a river that cuts into
the heart of the region, tolls and levies were an important source of revenue, and the City
could act as a place of rest and repair before ships headed further upstream. Tolls could also
be charged on merchants passing along the road between Blackbrook, and the cities of Cyric
and Bohn. It was a logical transhipment point, and warehousing grew up around the port,
as well as markets in the districts of Stonemarket and Newmarket. The activity stimulated
native industries such as shipbuilding and construction, which caused a multiplier effect that
led to further industries emerging. The ports and docks began to expand in size, spreading
down the banks of the river until they reached its mouth.

With increasing size and prosperity came problems. The City began to grow too large for
the barons to control alone, leading to the creation of a settled nobility, probably through
the ennoblement of minor branches of the baronial family. The division of the City into
districts allowed the implementation of taxation at a more complicated level, as well as the
introduction of a skeleton bureaucracy and administrative arm of government. Judicial
proceedings led to a clearer definition of common law, leading to the formation of courts of
appeal and the apparatus of statehood. This consolidation of authority in the City led to a
greater coherence and order, and enabled the Baron to implement his will in a much
broader manner.

In addition, prosperity through trade and exchange led to the rise of a powerful and
influential merchant class, which was literate and educated, and prepared to struggle for
political control within the City. They demanded a voice in the ruling of the City, and the
opportunity to influence policy for their benefit. The barons did their best to suppress this
rebellious urge, but this did not remove the trouble it only hid it.

This golden age could not, and did not, last forever. The increased prosperity in the region
enabled rulers to maintain standing armies, which then gave them the necessary power to
enforce ownerships of disputed lands. Wars began to break out with increased frequency, as
rulers marched their armies at each other, pillaging and burning the others lands as they
did so. Trade was impossible, as travel became hazardous and native industries were either
destroyed or forced to produce military hardware. Due to its prosperity, the City was a
natural target. Its walls, shoddily maintained during the times of peace, were inadequate to
resist an invasion, and its small size meant that the Barons could not field large armies.
They needed money to pay mercenaries, repair fortifications, and to otherwise defend the
72
City. However, the customs and tolls from which they drew their revenue were drying up
as a result of this.

In desperation, the Baron was forced to turn to the merchants for aid. The ordinary
revenue was inadequate he needed the additional revenue that only the merchants could
provide. They were prepared to grant the Baron money but only in return for a voice in
government. The Baron was forced to accede in order to gain the money he so desperately
needed. Although he would retain absolute authority in the City and its hinterland, he
would be advised in his rule by the City Council a body to be drawn from both the
nobility and the commons that he could call at will. At its centre would be the Inner Circle,
in which a small group of nobles would sit to advise the Baron. In the Outer Circle would
sit a larger group of commoners, drawn by election from the populace, who would also have
a role in advising the Baron.

The roles of the City Councillors were not restricted to advice. The nobles were confirmed
in their role as chief justices of their districts, and the commoners were given roles as lesser
justices, sitting on common courts and passing more serious cases up to the nobles. To
ensure their influence over the Baron, the commoners insisted on one final concession the
right to grant extra-ordinary revenue in times of need in return for the redress of
grievances. This was duly granted the Baron retained his prerogative rights to levy tolls
and customs at his discretion, but in times when he needed additional money he would have
to request it from the City Council. Granted the money he required, the Baron was able to
weather the storm. Armies were beaten back from the walls of the City, whose fortifications
were rebuilt to their former greatness.

Gradually the violent wars died down. Diplomacy resolved several issues, and the threat of
arms prevented others emerging. The City played a key role in negotiations, acting as a
mediator between feuding powers. In addition, extended fighting had allowed the conquest
of surrounding lands. The Baron appointed Governors to rule them, and divided land
amongst his nobles. Although this increased their power, it made them beholden to him,
and also lifted the burden of pacifying these new estates to the nobles. Distracted by the
need to defend them and hold them, there was less chance of them scheming or plotting
against the Baron. Combined with the concord worked out with the middle classes, the
next decades were a time of relative peace and order in the City.

With peace and order came prosperity again. Trade revived, bringing economic activity
with it and stimulating growth. The City began to expand, encroaching on farmland and
bringing it under brick and stone. Several building booms led to the expansion of several
73
new districts in the City. With this building boom came the rise of the Order of the
Hammer. For a long time this tiny sect had existed in the City, worshipping the Master
Builder and vainly attempting to alert the populace to the danger of the Trickster.

Being so intimately connected with architecture and construction, the Order attracted
builders and other such professions, for whom it acted as a rudimentary guild, with its own
religion, symbols and customs. With the building boom can an increase in membership,
until the Order had become the voice of the building trade. Due to the economic growth
this allowed it to become extremely powerful and influential, wielding great influence in the
development of the City. However, it remained a religion first and a guild second, and so
economic benefit was usually, but not always, subservient to the demands of the Master
Builder.

As the Order rose in power and status, people flocked to become associated with this new
power in the City. Numbers rose to high levels. The Orders wealth also rose, as people
donated or bequested goods and lands. The Baron began to grow fearful of this growing
power. Nobles he could control or play off against each other there was no counterpoint
to this dangerous institution that could command the support of the people. The solution
he adopted was innovative. Through a combination of threats and persuasion he was
elected High Priest of the Order, responsible to no-one except the Master Builder himself.

In a stroke the Baron had solved many of his problems. He had a large and increasing
income from the Order to support his own personal income from lands, tolls and taxes. He
had defused a potential opponent to his authority, and in doing so had gained a means to
control the hearts and minds of a large majority of the populace. He also now had control
over a key aspect of the Citys economy. He could control urbanisation to his advantage,
and it is no surprise that much of the construction of this era took place on baronial lands.
In addition to construction, the Hammerites began to install sewerage, plumbing and power
conduits to most of the main thoroughfares in the City. This raised living standards greatly,
and made the City much more wealthy as a result of exports to neighbouring cities.

Finally, the Baron had gained a ready source of soldiers to patrol the streets and guard the
City and its lands. Fuelled by the militaristic nature of Hammerite ideology, its adherents
made excellent soldiers and guards, forming a standing army of several thousand men, and
enabling the patrolling of the Citys streets to reduce crime. Combined with the secular
judiciary, this brought down crime to very low levels. A goal was constructed in the
mountains, in an old, abandoned quarry. Called Cragscleft, it soon became a name steeped

74
in infamy. In order to secure his position, the Baron cajoled and pressured the Master
Forgers into agreeing to elect his son upon his own death.

This system worked well for many years, and the City enjoyed many decades of relative
peace and prosperity, as well as expanding its territories by capturing the Northern
Territories from Blackbook. However, all was not well. The increasingly secularisation of
the Order did not please some of its adherents, who resented the intrusion of secular judges
and officials in religious affairs. In addition, they felt that the involvement of the Order of
the Hammer with political affairs had corrupted its mission. It had gone from an order
dedicated to conflict with the pagan to a body more concerned with mundane matters of
sewage and policing. The radicals sought to reform the Order, dissolve its secular links, and
turn it towards the aggressive pursuit of heretics and pagans, and purge the corruption from
its midst.

These views were shared by a few at first, but they gradually spread through the Order, and
especially to its upper echelons. As they gathered force the Baron struggled to maintain his
position, but it was becoming increasingly precarious. He attempted to have his son
confirmed as High Priest in his stead, but the Master Forgers refused, and backed that
refusal with steel. The Hammerite warriors were recalled to the City, and the Hammerites
abandoned their pumps and power conduits.

Faced with this potent threat, as well as climbing street crime and overflowing sewers, the
new Baron was forced to give in. The Hammerites were allowed to go their own way, and
to keep possession of Cragscleft. The Baron set up the Department of Public Works to
maintain the abandoned pumps and sewers, as well as a police service. Effectively a paid
militia, each district was presided over by an elected Sheriff whose appointment was vetoed
by the new Commissioner of the City Guard, and who commanded a force of constables
with which he policed the streets.

This enforced split between the judicial and policing arms of the Barons administration
meant that both sides felt they had a claim on civic affairs. The Baron asserted his
prerogative rights to arrest and judge criminals. The Order asserted its religious duty to
arrest and judge heretics, pagans and criminals. Conflict between the two led to skirmishes
between the City Guard and the Hammers, and a serious worsening of relations.

75
However, the attempt by the Hammerites to encroach on the nobles prerogatives was self-
defeating. Fearing a loss of their power and influence due to them being undercut by the
Hammerites, the Baron was able to form a coalition that was able to apply enough pressure
to subdue the Hammerites, and ensure secular supremacy. The Order continued the run
religious courts in tandem with the judiciary, but their scope was limited, and it has since
been quite rare for Hammerite police to arrest wrongdoers or their courts to convict them.
The courts became focused on rooting out heresy within the Order, and in internal self-
policing.

During this period the prosperity and morale of the City grew steadily worse. The disputes
between the Baron and the Order had deprived the former of substantial revenues, and so
he was forced to raise taxes to cover expenditures that had formerly been in balance with
revenue. Arguments with Blackbrook over ownership of parts of the Northern Territories
led to need to raise an army, as did expenses incurred in overseas ventures. The increased
tax burden placed a heavy burden on the economy, and businesses went bankrupt. The
economy began to shrink and trade started to dry up. Years of pollution from heavy
industry had left surrounding lands infertile, and as a result the City was forced to rely
increasingly upon imported foodstuffs and other raw materials.

The fall of the Hammerite Cathedral contributed to this general decline. Deprived of this
powerful symbol of their power, and losing the support of the population due to their
increasingly strict ways, the Order began to fall into decline. Numbers of acolytes fell, and
continue falling to this day. Successive decades saw the succession of a new Baron, who was
admired by the Hammerites for his righteous nature, but mocked by the people for his
ineffectual attempts to halt the decline in the Citys fortunes and seeming subservience to
the Order. However, the Baron was not corrupt, which is more than can be said for
succeeding Barons the line has become both ineffectual and corrupt, and is now beginning
to lose the support of the people. The nobles, who sense profit and benefit from the
honours and gifts dispensed by the Baron, ignore the demands of the people expressed in
the Outer Circle of the City Council, and squabble amongst each other.

However, this should not be taken to indicate the City is on the verge of collapse. Despite
its decline it remains a major economic power, and an important player in the affairs of the
region. Law and order still remains, although its enforcement is becoming increasing
sporadic and ineffectual. The Northern Territories and the various overseas territories are
becoming increasingly integrated into the governing structure of the Citys government,
and the Baron faces no major threats to his power and authority. However, the glyphs

76
foretell that this situation cannot last the coming of the Metal Age must, and will, change
many of the truths that the people of the City cling to.

KEEPER OROWELLE

77
 ADDENDUM: THE CITY IN THE METAL AGE

T he dramatic fall of the Woodsie Lord has changed the City irreversibly. What once
was is now gone, and the balance that existed can only be regained with great effort on
our part.

In preparation for his dark project the Trickster released his minions upon an unsuspecting
populace. Fighting broke out throughout the City, and the beasts were only suppressed
with great difficulty. Law and order broke down under the strain, and several fires
decimated parts of the City before the Baron was finally able to re-exert control. The
economic recession has made recovery a slow process, and the population continues to
labour under heavy taxation.

The situation was not made any easier by the actions of Blackbrook. Taking advantage of
the temporary chaos in the City, Blackbrook chose the moment to press territorial claims
and invaded several of the Citys border regions. Initial successes allowed Blackbrooks
armies to penetrate deep into these regions, but the restoration of order in the City allowed
the Baron to turn his attention to Blackbrook. He departed to supervise a campaign against
them, appointing his brother as a Regent Council in his stead, and a Regency Council of
powerful nobles to advise him.

The Tricksters fall completed the decline of the Hammerites the Order fragmented as
rival factions struggled to control its destiny. The Mechanist Order, a splinter group of the
Hammerites, gained the support of several nobles and was able to triumph over the Order
of the Hammer. The latter has fallen into what appears to be a terminal decline, while the
ascent of the Mechanists continues. They have yet to gain the support of the ruling classes
of the City, but their innovative gifts gain them many favours, and the new Soulforge
Cathedral is a vivid expression of the confidence of the new Order.

Although the Mechanists are willing, indeed eager, to deal with nobles, they have little
concern for direct involvement in the City. Infrastructure remains the responsibility of the
Department of Public Works. Constabulary remains a secular concern, although its
structure has altered dramatically. Made aware of the corruption of the Commissioner of
the City Guard, and his failure to keep law and order in the aftermath of the Tricksters
defeat, the Baron dismissed de Navan and vested extended power in an ambitious new
Sheriff, called Gorman Truart, who had been appointed Sheriff of Shoalsgate. Truart was
charged with eliminating corruption in the City Guard, and leading an assault on street
crime.
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The reforms Truart instituted went beyond anything that the Baron had anticipated. The
City Guard were renamed the City Watch, and corrupt officers purged from its ranks. All
other Sheriffs were sidelined, and supreme authority throughout the City vested in Truart
and his two lieutenants, Hagen and Mosley. An assault of crime commenced that
eliminated much of it in the City, but curiously left alone criminal enterprises belonging to
nobles. Unknown to the Baron, Truart was in the pay of others who had smoothed his
election to Sheriff, and whose interests Truart left well alone once in command of the
constabulary.

Meanwhile, the Mechanists continue to extend their power and influence. The recently
took over the deserted island of Markhams Isle, a small island off the coast from the City
and the former site of a lighthouse. Our spies report that Karras has constructed a
subterranean base beneath the island, which acts as a pen for his new creation, the Cetus
Amicus. A large submarine, its purpose is transport men and materials to the
archaeological work progressing in Karath-Din. The ancient city was discovered during a
test of the Cetus Amicus, which was originally developed as a weapon of war.

KEEPER OROWELLE

79
 STATE OF THE CITY A REVISIONIST PERSPECTIVE

T he City can be compared to an organism. It is self-supporting, healing itself when

damaged, and uses and discards materials it requires for growth and the sustainment of
life. Like an organism there is a brain, organs responsible for its well-being, and other types
of materials from which the organism is composed. It is this complexity that makes the City
so hard, and fascinating to study.

The government of the City could be summarised as a feudal monarchy with limited
democratic elements. The hereditary ruler of the City is known as the Baron, a title whose
origins are lost in antiquity. Despite the low nature of the title, the Baron possesses all the
powers and prerogatives of a prince or king, and outranks the Dukes and Archdukes
amongst the nobility of the City. The Barony has passed through several noble families
throughout its history, as lines died out or intermingled their blood with other noble lines.

Although the Baron possesses ultimate power in the City, a certain amount of influence is
vested in the City Council, a body of nobles and commoners that can be called on demand
to advise the Baron, grant subsidies of money, or to present grievances to him. The higher
chamber of the Council is known as the Inner Circle, and is where the nobility sit. The
lower chamber is called the Outer Circle, and is comprised of commoners elected whenever
a sitting of the City Council is called. The term commoners is misleading to both stand
for election and vote for a candidate a person must be male, over the age of 30, and have a
substantial independent income. In practice this means that the Outer Circle is mainly
composed of rich merchants, lawyers and other professionals, as well as very minor nobility
and other gentry. The lower classes, the plebs, have no voice in affairs of state, and only
gain attention through riots or other expressions of displeasure at the policies of the
governing elite.

In times of the Barons absence he appoints as his proxy a Regent Council, who is usually a
trusted family member such as a sibling or offspring. The Regent Council is guided and
advised by the Regency Council, a body of several powerful nobles who are also appointed
by the Baron. The Regent Council possesses many of the prerogative rights of the Baron,
including those of taxation and legislation, but ultimate authority is still vested in the Baron.

Nobles have been a constant feature of life in the City. Many centuries ago, when the City
began to expand, the Baron appointed from within his own family to control the new
districts. The nobility has since grown as later barons ennobled trusted advisors or
sycophantic friends. A noble is defined as someone of noble blood in possession of a district
80
 an area of land whose exact definition is elastic. Old, established noble families such as the
de Perrins, de Ravencourts and de Navans control many of the larger districts of the City,
which are known, due to their history, size and importance, as Greater Districts.
Ennoblement has caused the need to create new districts for the new nobles, leading to the
creation of smaller districts, sometimes only tens of feet square, to satisfy the criteria for
nobility. These small parcels of land are known as Lesser Districts, and are usually regarded
and represented as a part of the Greater District they have been carved from.

As the ruling authority of their districts, the nobles act as the judiciary for them, judging
cases on evidence presented before them. They preside over Courts of Higher Pleas, as
Chief Justices, which are used in cases involving commerce, nobility or other important
factors. Cases of lesser importance are dealt with in smaller courts presided over by
commoners elected to the Outer Circle. As well as advising the Baron, such commoners act
as Magistrates in the district they have been returned from even when the City Council is
not sitting. Magistrates sit in a series of courts known as the Bench of Common Pleas,
where ordinary citizens may bring legal action against others for small, civic grievances.
Commoners have a right of appeal, and more experienced magistrates sit as Lesser Justices
in the Court of Common Appeal.

When not sitting on the City Council, some of the commoners and nobility have posts in
government. There exists a Commissioner of Taxes to collect the prerogative tolls, customs
and levies that the Baron is entitled to, and Commissioner of the City Guard to control the
constabulary of the City. In addition, the Department of Public Works provides
employment for some, overseeing the repair and maintenance of the Citys infrastructure.
Finally, the Census Bureau is the central library and archive of the Barons government,
storing documents, manuscripts, transcripts, maps, graphs and other items of administrative
importance. The Bureau has several Halls that divide responsibilities amongst themselves
the most important of them all is the Hall of Records and Licenses, which issues licenses for
everything from building construction to ship ownership to trading privileges. Due to their
poor salaries the clerks and registrars are eager to supplement their income with bribes, and
the criminal fraternity gain many of their maps, permits and documents from corrupt
employees of the Bureau.

As a monarch, the Baron possesses certain prerogatives that are not disputed by any in the
City. He has the right to levy tolls and customs, and set import taxes to raise money or
control trade. He can also raise money through direct taxation, but this prerogative is
limited because new taxes must be passed by both circles of the City Council. The Baron

81
also gains income from lands he controls in both the City and the area around it, and
businesses that he owns. Until recent times the Baron could also depend upon the
substantial income from the Order of the Hammer, but the recent divorce between the two
has deprived the Baron of this source of revenue.

This combined income, known as Ordinary Revenue, is expected to be enough for the
Baron to rule with. In times of crisis, such as war or famine, the Baron can call a sitting of
the City Council, and there request a grant of money, known as a subsidy. This grant of
money is levied on both commoners and nobility, and is based on income and wealth.
Subsidies are known as Extra-Ordinary Revenue, because they are outside the normal
income of the Baron. The Baron is usually reluctant to request Extra-Ordinary Revenue
because it necessitates calling a sitting of the Council, where grievances the people have
against him can be aired.

Many of these grievances are of a minor nature, concerning certain aspects or elements of
policy. Both the Baron and the City Council are united in their desire to ensure the peace
and maintenance of civic order in the City. The plebes represent a dangerous force, and,
where possible, measures are taken to ensure that they are given enough bread and beer to
remain disinterested in politics.

All of this great drama takes place within the physical environment of the City. Occupying
a low-lying floodplain, the City developed from a village built around the lowest bridging
point of the great tidal river that bisects the City. Urban development has covered over
most of the flood plain, and docks and warehouses extend down the mouth of the channel
towards the sea. Every area of the City is distinctive, the style of its buildings dependent
upon both age and prosperity. Rich districts contain broad, straight roads, with large
mansions surrounded by walls and gates. Middle-class districts contain buildings of a
smaller size and lower quality, although the size remains reasonable and the more
prosperous have large homes that are large enough to justify walls and gates. Poorer areas
are slums, with small dwellings made usually of wood, and rarely of brick or stone.

Through these great conglomerations of buildings run numerous roads, thoroughfares and
highways. The spine of the City is the Blackbrook to Cyric road, which runs from west to
east and crosses the river at what used to be its lowest bridging point. From this road run
major thoroughfares such as The Barons Way that cut through the heart of the Citys
districts. They are usually broad and flat, metalled with cobblestones or paving stones, and
continually choked with burrick-drawn carts and wagons and pedestrians. Enterprising
merchants set up stalls to sell food and small items to passers-by.
82
Branching off from these main tributaries of commerce are smaller roads such as
Grandmauden Road. Smaller in size, they are also paved, and are kept in a reasonable state
of repair by the Department of Public Works, which has overall responsibility for all public
ways. Carts pass along them, but only just, and the roads are normally thronged with
people. The constant traffic wears out the cobbles, while the carts eventually wear deep ruts
in the roads where no repair is carried out.

However, the majority of the streets in the city are narrow alleyways and roads, that grew
organically and without any forethought or planning. Most are too narrow to bring carts
down, and twist and turn to such an extent that it is easy to become quickly lost. The
absence of street signs of any nature means that guides are advisable. A great majority of
the roads are paved with cobbles, but in poorer districts, or where crime is too rampant for
Work Orders to venture, the citizens must struggle through roads of mud that are dusty in
summer and muddy rivers in winter.

Along these streets are found all manner of things. Streets and roads open into small plazas
or courtyards, with space for small markets or statues of important but forgotten figures.
The river that runs through the City had many tributaries in the days before urbanisation
spread the City across its flood plain, and these occasionally surface as pools or streams
before disappearing underground. When the Hammerite built the sewers they roofed over
and otherwise channelled these streams, leading conduits into them to carry sewage to the
river outflow. Wooden walkways or stone bridges carry people over these intermittent
obstacles, although their nature as sewerage conduits makes them unattractive places to
linger. Other streets lead to canals that wind their way around Shalebridge. Built on low-
lying, marshy ground, the district is drained by several canals, which doubled as transport
arteries in the days when the district was mainly warehousing and industry.

The sewers that citizens see occasionally flow primarily below ground, carrying the wastes
from privies, sinks and industry to their outflow in the river. Small pipes below residences
empty into larger conduits many of them former streams that carry the sewage through
chambers and holding tanks. The Hammerites built sturdy sewers, and the Department of
Public Works normally has no need to concern itself with anything but maintenance.
Basins and chambers store overflow water to prevent the system being overwhelmed, while
holding tanks have gates that can be closed to cause backflow of water into storage space in
conduits in times of high demand. Many sewers have entrances from street level, although
enterprising criminals have been known to tunnel into the sewers from beneath their
residences. The sewers are the haunt of many criminals they provide an easy means to

83
move undetected around the City, and some, such as the Downwinder Thieves Guild, have
converted sections into bases. Maintenance workers know to steer clear of such areas, while
the constabulary know better than to chase criminals through the maze of sewers. The
sewers spread out beyond the City, built in anticipation of future urban development that
never occurred even buildings as far away as the Mage Towers have connections with the
sewers that reach all the way back to the City.

Crime in the City is a perennial problem. Organised crime is controlled by a cabal of

powerful criminals known as the City Wardens. Each controls a Ward of several districts,
from which they extract protection money, control criminal activities, and otherwise carry
out illegal acts. Although there is frequent competition between them, self-interest has
meant that on occasion the Wardens co-operate to frustrate a concerted attempt to put paid
to them. The three most powerful Wardens are Ramirez, Raputo and Webster, who,
between them, control almost the entire City. Smaller Wardens control much smaller
wards within the City, or tracts of land outside its walls. Most Wardens adopt the guise of
rich and successful merchants to avoid suspicion.

The Wardens often have a controlling interest in various criminal guilds organisations of
certain types of criminals who gather together for mutual self-interest and protection.
Many are semi-independent, working for but not controlled by the Wardens. Independent
criminals are in the majority, and the best work alone. There are infinite varieties of
criminals, ranging from the master thief Garrett to the very bottom of the pile. Street
crime is epidemic in the City, with cutpurses and muggers alert for an unwary citizen who
dares to wander the shadowed streets at night.

Many of the streets are lit, either through powered lamps or torches. There are several
patterns of lamp; a closed and open filament version. Light is produced through the mixing
of several phosphorescent chemicals across a catalytic filament the catalyst produces a
reaction that emits a strong light for a large distance around it. Older lamps have open
filaments, where the chemicals are sprayed onto a central filament, and there react to create
a powerful but diffuse light. Closed filament lamps are a recent invention; early attempts to
create one failed after the chemicals persistently caused the element to explode. Modern
lamps have valves that emit small amounts of chemicals into a glass bulb where the filament
catalyses the reaction to create a brilliant white light. The pattern is similar to that
employed in domestic lamps, although such lamps have a more yellow tinge to the light due
to the refractive properties of the different types of glass used.

84
The chemicals for these lamps are pumped underground under high pressure in conduits
that run from plants within the City. Large engines, such as those in the South Quarter,
pump the chemicals along pipes that are tapped by the streetlamps and those who can afford
the expensive apparatus necessary to utilise the chemicals. Few can, and powered lights are
restricted to those rich citizens who are able to pay for the pipes, valves, filaments and
upkeep of such a complicated lighting system. However, the benefits outweigh the costs
the light provided is brighter than that of torches, and less vulnerable to wind, rain and
thieves with water crystals. The lights are turned off by wall-mounted valves that cut off
flow to the lamps, draining them of reactants and causing them to go out.

Beside the houses, apartments, shops, factories and warehouses of the City are the organs of
commerce, governance and culture. The North Quarter is home to established banks such
as the First City Bank and Trust, owned by powerful families that have often lent money to
the Baron in times of need and received favours in return. At the mouth of the River is the
Customs House, an impressive edifice sited to collect taxes and tolls from ships travelling
upriver or docking in the City. Smaller customs posts at the main gates of the City,
especially along the Blackbrook-Cyric road, collect tolls from those with carts or pack-
burricks. These tolls have led to a thriving smuggling operation controlled by the City
Wardens. The district of the Old Quarter contains the City Guildhall, which acted as a
centre of commerce before the development of the Newmarket Exchange. The district of
Newmarket is the central commercial site of the City. The Newmarket Exchange is a
forum for commerce and the buying and selling of goods. Trading privileges have led to
the formation of several cartels that hold monopolies on some products. Machines,
metalwork and other raw materials flow out of the City; meat, greens and money flow in.

Other notable landmarks are mainly concentrated in the older quarters of the City. The
Grand Library is the closest the City has to a university the vast complex houses miles of
shelves of books, manuscripts and maps in a collection that is only rivalled by that of the
Keepers. The Library has developed something of a reputation for investigating magical
and exotic phenomenon, causing it to be looked on with something approaching suspicion
by the Hammerites. The Opera House, owned by Lady Valerius now, is the centre of the
cultural life of the City, providing entertainment for the upper classes. Those with less
refined taste congregate at the Citys playhouses.

Finally, there are the grand buildings of governance. At the heart of the Old Quarter lies
the Barons palace. Expanded over many years, it is a vast, rambling complex of buildings
that is not just a residence, but also a chamber of governance, armoury, mint and prison.

85
The City Council conducts its sessions in the Meeting Hall, while the Census Bureau has
several large halls in which it carries out its work and stores its paperwork. The largest of
the halls is, naturally, the Hall of Records and Licenses. The army of the City is
administered from the palace, while both the Commissioner of Taxes and the
Commissioner of the City Guard have offices here. In addition, the palace contains its own
forge and armoury, where weapons are produced and stockpiled. Money is minted in one
part of the complex, where coiners issue coins stamped with the Barons arms. In the
basements, sub-basements and cellars of the palace are deep dungeons where those who the
Baron wishes to disappear are left to rot. More luxurious detention is sited above ground
for those enemies of a high social standing.

The Order of the Hammer owns substantial areas of land within the City, and is one of its
major landlords the Baron being another. The centre of Hammerite worship is conducted
in the Hammerite Temple, situated in the Old Quarter, and is the residence of the High
Priest. The former focus of worship, the Hammerite Cathedral, is beyond the reach of the
living, standing in the middle of the desolate space that is the Closed Area. Beyond the
Barricades are the undead, and the area has gained its own set of legends and myths that
deter almost all from even going near the high stone walls. Scattered around the City are
smaller Hammerite temples that are often no more than small chapels, possessing a priest
and several guards, and enough space for a small congregation to worship. The recent
decline of the Order has left many such chapels undermanned, while falling revenues from
rents and bequests have caused the Order to begin to sell off substantial chunks of land to
gain enough money to continue functioning.

The nobles that occupy the court of the Baron live in luxurious mansions in the districts
surrounding the palace. They are several stories high, and cover a wide area delineated by a
high wall. The nobles have powered lighting, running water, rooms of art, sculpture and
antiquities, and the rarest of all assets: gardens. To have a garden is a sign of extreme
wealth to have a garden devoted to plants rather than food and herbs is a sign of
conspicuous consumption that few are wealthy enough to display. The nobles protect their
mansions with hired guards who are usually either rejects from the City Guard or returned
veterans from the Citys army. When not in residence in their mansions, the nobles retreat
to country manors from which they control their estates. These estates give them both
revenue and enjoyment many have excellent hunting, which is a favoured noble sport.

Infilling the spaces between noble mansions in the costlier districts is middle-class housing.
Space is at such a premium, and land so costly, that most middle classes live in smaller

86
houses that are packed closely together. Many run their businesses from their homes, and it
is not unusual to see an apothecary or office on the ground floor of a building, and living
quarters on the stories above it. Most middle-class families have at least one servant. The
children are not educated by private tutors, as is the case with the richer classes, but are
often sent to small schools where the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic are
taught. Most sons, of all classes, follow their fathers profession, and serve apprenticeships
that teach them the relevant skills. Most girls are denied education.

Those who join the Order of the Hammer receive different schooling to any others. From
an early age the novice is taught theology, astronomy, engineering and mathematics. The
education is stringently conducted, and only the more accomplished become Elevated
Acolytes, destined to become priests and scholars. Less accomplished pupils, or those who
join the Order in adulthood, become Acolytes, and serve as guards, craftsmen or police.
Priests acquire rudimentary spell-casting abilities, although the origin and purpose of this is
unknown.

The Hammerites, once a potent force in the City, now have only vestiges of that authority.
Hammerite patrols still walk the streets, attempting to shut down the cash pits and
gambling dens that they frown upon. Criminals acquitted by the secular courts remain at
risk of being arrested by the Hammerites and imprisoned in Cragscleft. However, their
influence is on the wane. The cellblocks at Cragscleft are emptier than ever before. In
many districts there is no Hammerite presence at all, and in others it is only a token one. In
only a few places are there enough Hammerites to cause trouble, and opposition from
criminals, nobles, commoners and the constabulary means that these will probably soon
disappear too.

Regardless of whether or not the Order of the Hammer declines into obscurity, it has left a
proud legacy. The sewers that they built have greatly improved the sanitary conditions of
the Citys inhabitants, while the water pipes have reduced disease and led to better living
conditions. Despite this, disease is still rampant in the City. Filthy streets are breeding
grounds for plagues that sweep the City at frequent intervals, while the air and water
pollution from the heavy industries of the City. Healing potions are effective cures, but are
rare and expensive, and those who can afford them usually live in areas clean enough that
the plague rarely strikes there. For the others there is no cure, and to sustain the high
mortality rate of the City massive immigration from the countryside surrounding it is
necessary.

87
The rich suffer less from plague due to better living conditions, cleaner water, and more
varied food. For those worried about plague, there is a ready market in the highly rare and
very expensive air crystals imported from Blackbrook. Formed through elemental magic,
the crystals act to freshen the air around them, and they are widely believed to combat the
plague. There is a great demand for other crystals as well. Water crystals purify water,
while earth crystals are excellent fertilisers and promote extensive plant growth. Fire
crystals can be used as firelighters, although they are fragile and prone to catastrophic
breakages.

Fires in the City are a major cause for concern, although primarily in the poor districts
where the main material of construction is wood. There exists no means of putting out
anything fiercer than a small fire. Buckets and small pumps cannot combat a house fire, let
alone one devouring an entire block of housing. In extreme circumstances houses can be
pulled down to create a firebreak, but the usual tactic is to wait for rain, or allow the fire to
burn itself out. Fires are most common in summer months, when wood is dry from many
months of minimal rain, although many fires occur in winter from the fires burning in the
homes of almost all the inhabitants of the City.

The fires are necessary to combat the intense cold of winter in the City, where temperatures
drop below freezing, and snow falls on the City. It is sometimes a dark, dirty snow, polluted
with the smoke of hundreds of furnaces that give the City its prosperity and its blanket of
smoke. In many ways it is an apt symbol of the City powerful and prosperous, yet also
dark and grim. There is much that is dark in the City, and we must forever be watchful so
that the Balance should not be upset.

KEEPER JURICCE

88
 ADDENDUM: THE STATE OF THE CITY IN THE METAL AGE

N one can predict the future with certainty. Even we are blind at times. None in the
City besides us could have foreseen what the past year has brought. As part of his
dark project the Trickster brought into the City beasts unknown here since the days of
darkness before civilisation. Panic descended upon the citizenry, and law and order
collapsed in several places before the Baron managed to restore order to his realm.
Combined with the aggressive actions of Blackbrook, along with the fall of the Order of the
Hammer and the rise of the Mechanist Order, it is no surprise that the face of the City has
been radically changed.

Among the most obvious changes are those of construction. Several areas were razed to the
ground in the chaos surrounding the Tricksters revelation, and rebuilt in a greatly
improved manner. In Dayport, along The Barons Way, the widespread adoption of the
elevator in construction has led to the creation of buildings many stories high. What were
once valleys between houses are now canyons, and the new Mechanist tower
Angelwatch in Dayport a mountain to rival those outside the City. Other parts of the
City have been rebuilt in brick and stone, replacing the wooden structures consumed in the
conflagration.

These improvements owe much to the rise of the Mechanists, under their revered leader
Karras. Although not yet fully accepted by the nobility, the commoners have whole-
heartedly embraced the new Order, which attracts converts from both the Hammerites and
the laity. The technological focus of the Mechanists has led to many new inventions as
well as the popularisation of the elevator, the Mechanists have developed a new model of
lamp that is a practical fusion of the torch and powered lamp. Containing a reservoir of
chemicals, the lamp has the illumination of a powered lamp, but the convenience and
economy of a torch. Advancements in the field of alchemy and clockwork, as well as more
arcane branches of knowledge, have led to the development of security cameras and turrets
that have revolutionised policing. The imminent arrival of the Children of Karras, large
automatons that combine the features of the two, promises to further change the face of
policing.

However, there are some who would say that policing has changed enough. Disgusted with
the corruption and incompetence of de Navan, the former Commissioner of the City
Guard, the Baron dismissed him, and appointed an ambitious new Sheriff called Gormon
Truart to reform the corrupt Guard. His reforms went beyond anything the Baron could
have foreseen. With his lieutenants Hagen and Mosley, Truart instituted a thorough purge
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of the City Guard that eliminated the corrupt, incompetent and potentially argumentative.
The other Sheriffs were sidelined, and total control over the constabulary vested in Truart.

He proceeded to virtually eradicated crime from the City. The City Wardens were chased
down and imprisoned. The criminal guilds were raided and attacked until they
disintegrated. Frequent patrols of the streets cut down street crime, while Truarts tactic of
arresting the middlemen of the criminal world caused the collapse of entire networks of
criminals, leaving them destitute. Although many would applaud Truarts achievements,
some are beginning to worry about serious infringements of common-law rights by the
newly renamed constabulary, now known as the City Watch.

The Order of the Hammer has now almost entirely discharged its self-appointed task of
policing the City. Token patrols still roam a few streets of the vast metropolis the
Hammerites were once feared in. Now they are mocked by many, who take pleasure in the
fall of an Order that was for a long time a repressive influence in the City. Cragscleft is
almost deserted. The factories and forges lie silent and rusting, while in the Hammerite
Temple, the centre of the Order, the hallways are still. Many have defected to the
Mechanist Order, who treat the Hammerites with distain as hoary forbears that now have
no relevance in the modern age.

The disorder in the City presented a golden opportunity for Blackbrook to make good on
territorial claims. Sporadic fighting has been a feature of border areas for many years now
Blackbrook marched into the Citys territories with an army. Recognising the threat, the
Baron assembled the City army and raised the militia, and marched out to meet them. In
his absence he has appointed his brother as Regent Council, and a group of powerful lords
such as Bram Gervasius to advise him. Both the Regent and his Council are wary of the
power Truart wields, and so have not tried to interfere overmuch in his actions. The City
Council, called in the aftermath of the Tricksters return to grant funds for repair and
renovation, has been dissolved after those funds were instead directed into raising an army,
and will now not meet until it has been called next.

Looking over this list of changes, it is hard not to find one aspect of life in the City that has
not been changed in some form. Many are still adapting to this new age, which we Keepers
know to be the Metal Age. The fall of the Woodsie Lord has opened the way for the
ascension of Karras. The weights in either pan of the Balance have become heavier. Once
again we are forced to rely on Garrett to bring the City to rights.

KEEPER JURICCE

90
 HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF THE HAMMER A REVISIONIST
PERSPECTIVE

F or many years, established histories and theories have held sway both within and
without the Keeper Compound. Our doctrines feature the need for a continual review
of seeming truths, and so what is regarded as the authoritative history of the Order of the
Hammer must be reviewed in the light of new truths. Following in the trail-blazing
footsteps of Keeper Orowelle, it is time for a revisionist perspective on the history of the
Order.

Conventional wisdom holds that the Hammerites were a small, outspoken group for much
of their existence, until they were brought into wider society by a Baron. There they
underwent a series of rises and declines, culminating in the decline that the Order
experiences today. This view is essentially close to what must now be regarded as the truth,
but differs in key aspects. It mistakes the degree of integration into secular society
undergone by the Order, and overstates the amount of conflict with the governing and
political structures of the City. While it is true that conflict did exist, it was not serious, and
was restricted to only a few points in the long relationship between the Hammerites and the
City.

The origins of the Order of the Hammer seem to be a mystery to even the most
knowledgeable of that Order. It appears to have emerged as a means of opposition to the
paganistic elements present in early society. The vehement hatred for pagans that prevails
throughout the Order is one of its defining characteristics. Some suggest that its roots go
back to Karath-Din and a small group of mystics from a society called the Guild of
Enlightenment charged with protecting the Emperors tower. A body of scholarly opinion
is behind this view. Upon discovery of Karath-Din many Mechanists identified artefacts as
being the ancient power used by our Order to benefit all of humankind. The rudimentary
magical abilities of Hammerite priests might be derivations of spells used by the Guild,
which appears to have had priests who could wield magic. The focus of the Guild on
defending the building from natural forces might have been directed, as the passing years
dulled the memory of those adherents, towards a protection of all buildings from natural
forces. This thesis is controversial, but not inherently unrealistic.

It is much more likely that the Order emerged as a primitive religion following a
charismatic man who resisted the darkness and fear in the time after the fall of Karath-Din.
His name may have come down to us a certain Jeremyn who was responsible for either the

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production or collation of what has become the Book of the Nail, one of the fundamental
foundations of Hammerite doctrine and theology. For many years the Hammerites
remained a minority religion. Their affinity for construction and engineering naturally led
builders and other related trades to grow interested in them and join the Order. It acted as
a form of guild, or a place where the trades could meet and talk. With the attraction of its
own robes, customs and even theology, this meant that by the time history starts in the City
the Order is known to be a small, outspoken religion that is also a guild with a monopoly on
construction in the City.

With economic growth came increased construction of buildings and other urban
development. The Order was swelled by new blood, and its monopoly on the building trade
meant that it soon became a powerful voice in the City. The profits gained from its
activities were used to glorify the Builder, resulting in an ostentatious display of wealth that
attracted many people to the Order. They wanted a share of this wealth, and part of the
power and respect that being a member of the Order gave. People donated or bequeathed
lands to the Order, which grew in size and wealth until the Baron felt that it represented a
substantial threat to his authority and control of the City.

The solution he adopted was inspired. He managed to force his election as High Priest of
the Order by the Master Forgers, giving him complete control over its activities. He gained
the revenues from the Order, as well as a means of controlling a substantial proportion of
the population. Most importantly, he gained a core of well-trained warriors that formed the
basis of the Citys army for the next few centuries, and a police force to patrol the streets.
The militaristic nature of Hammerite ideology was perfectly suited for these tasks, and in
concert with the secular judiciary the Hammers were soon engaged in a full-scale assault on
street crime in the City.

They won widespread popularity for making the streets safe, as well as the various sanitary
facilities they constructed. Sewers, drains, water and power conduits all of these were
gradually installed throughout the City. Their most important contribution to the City,
however, was Cragscleft. A name feared by many criminals, it was built by the Hammerites
in the most inaccessible location available an abandoned quarry deep in the mountains.
Gaols had not been a feature of the City before punishments were carried out
immediately, and usually involved such measures as branding, pillorying, or execution.
Cragscleft was feared for its harsh regime under the Hammerites, which involved toil in
worked-out gold mines until the encroachment of the undead forced the Hammers back to
the upper, habitable levels of the compound.

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All these measures brought prosperity within the time of the Baron, and he was anxious to
pass on such benefits to his son. Using his position and power, he forced the Master
Forgers to agree to elect his son to the post of High Priest upon his death. They were
understandably reluctant it set an undesirable precedent, for the High Priest had
previously been chosen from among the ranks of the Master Forgers. However, they could
not resist the strength of the Barons will, and acceded to his demands. When the next
Baron in turn came to the end of his life, he forced the election of his own son. Gradually
this became an established precedent, and later barons had no need to struggle against the
Order.

The harmonisation of relationships within the City led to many years of prosperity and
peace. Trade boomed, and urban development was hailed by the Hammerites as the
triumph of the Master Builder over the forces of paganism. The Order settled into a
comfortable routine, patrolling the streets and arresting criminals, and handing them over
to the secular judiciary for trial. Cragscleft was the destination of the worst offenders, as
well as pagans and heretics that were tried exclusively in Hammerite courts. The Hammers
manned the pumps and machines that dealt with the Citys sewage, and brought power to
the homes of those that could afford to make use of it.

Hammerite influence spread into the commercial and industrial sector, where the
technology of the Order was produced and sold to other cities in the region. The Order
grew wealthy, leading to the barons becoming wealthier. They were able to engage in
aggressive expansion, leading an army of Hammerites, local militia and mercenaries against
neighbouring nobles. The City expanded its possessions, capturing the Northern
Territories from Blackbrook and placing them under a Governor. Great buildings were
erected throughout the City, including a magnificent cathedral in the Old Quarter that
became the hub of Hammerite worship and a repository for relics, knowledge and new
technologies.

However, after several centuries this beneficial concord was fraying at the edges. Some
within the Order of the Hammer were unhappy at the direction the Order was moving in,
and sought in instigate a Reformation that would end what they saw as corrupt and unholy
practices. They were not revolutionaries, but radicals who sought to return the Order to its
original religious, pious, militaristic roots. They were attacked as heretics within the Order,
and many were sent to Cragscleft, but support for them began to grow as more and more
Hammerites became disillusioned with the state of the Order. It seemed that the Order had
gone from a noble aim of suppressing the Pagans to becoming more concerned with

93
mundane matters of sewage and policing while the Pagans lived outside in the woods
around the City. In addition, they resented the corruption that had crept into the Order
from the Baron, with posts becoming increasingly politicised, and the Master Forgers
engaging more in affairs of court than caring for the religious well being of their wards.
They were unhappy at the City courts, which seemed to be acquitting known criminals and
otherwise drifting from the path of righteousness that the Hammerites moved along.

As this new reforming movement gained hold, it started to splinter the Order. Most wished
to reform the Order from within a few were so intent on a reforming move that they were
unconcerned whether their efforts created a schism. Eventually the Master Forgers were
converted forcibly or voluntarily to the reforming movement, and saw the only way of
accomplishing it was the break with the secular structure of the City entirely. Thus, when
the time came for the Baron to nominate his successor he was refused. Astonished, he
attempted to force his claim in a more emphatic manner, using all his authority as High
Priest, but the Master Forgers stood firm and nominated one of their number. The Barons
efforts escalated the seriousness of the situation, and, fearing an assault, the Hammerites
recalled their warriors from the army and threatened the Baron in response.

Forced to chose between further unrest or a humiliating submission to the Hammerite

demands, the Baron eventually chose the latter, relinquishing his post as High Priest, but
keeping the lands that his post had granted him. The Order was allowed to go its own way,
keeping Cragscleft and much of the land and wealth granted to the Order rather than the
post of High Priest, which was filled by the nominated Master Forger. They abandoned
their duties at the pumps and the streets, causing the Baron to have to create the
Department of Public Works to run the Citys infrastructure, and set up a police force to
keep down the street crime that plagued the City. They also abandoned their businesses,
rejecting involvement with the secular world, and selling them to enterprising businessmen
in the City.

However, conflict continued over a matter at the heart of the Citys functioning. As the
former police of the City the Order felt entitled, and duty-bound, to continue to arrest, try
and punish criminals. The Baron was not prepared to relinquish this prerogative right that
had existed before the growth of the Order, and which gave him control over the citizens
and plebes of the City. In addition, the reform of the Order had caused it to become more
ascetic, strict and rigid, which the Baron realised would lead to increased arrests and
prosecutions, and thus undesirable civic unrest. He and the Order faced each other down in

94
the issue, and skirmishes between Hammerites and members of the City Guard became
common.

The issue was only resolved through the intervention of the nobles. The Hammerite
objective did not just encroach on the Barons prerogatives it threatened the nobles and
the power they obtained from being in control of the Citys judiciary. In an alliance with
the Baron, they formed a coalition that was powerful enough to subdue the Order. The
judiciary remained secular; the judicial apparatus that the Hammerites set up to use were
converted into a means of trying heretics within the Order. Although this has not stopped
them from arresting citizens and trying them under their own laws, this is an increasingly
rare circumstance.

Deprived of his former revenues, the Baron was forced to raise taxes, contributing to the
general decline that the City was undergoing. The Order was subject to this decline, its
ascetic lifestyle drawing fewer acolytes and the plight of the City causing more people to
think of bread and wages than of the Master Builder. The loss of the Hammerite Cathedral
contributed to this decline. Described elsewhere, it was a powerful blow that deprived the
Hammerites of their most vivid symbol. Its loss was seen as a sign of the displeasure of the
Master Builder, causing the Order to become even stricter in its interpretation of doctrine,
and thus even more unattractive to potential converts. This led to a severe manpower
shortage that continues to this day. Although Cragscleft continues to produce
sledgehammers, a lack of manpower elsewhere means that the Order is increasingly forced
to contract out the production of weaponry to secular agents.

The Order of the Hammer is in dire straits. Although it seems united and powerful, with a
strong grip on the affairs of the City, it is increasingly becoming marginalized and
fragmented. The Order possesses little influence in the functioning of the City, and its
small force of warriors cannot compete with the standing army and militia under the
command of the Baron. Its wealth is declining as bequests dry up, and as numbers of
conversions fall the Hammerites no longer have the manpower to exert a meaningful
presence on the streets of the City. The current High Priest, Markander, is a weak man
who is unable to prevent the factionalism that has spread through the Order. Some
Hammerites believe that the Order must gain the Master Builders blessing by continuing
to purify itself and follow the strictest laws of conduct. Others believe that the Order must
relax its doctrines and adapt itself to the modern, secular world.

It is a sad decline for the Order of the Hammer, and one that we must slow until it has
completed its work. It is needed as an ally against the Trickster and his nefarious plans, but
95
once he is dead and the Metal Age is upon us it is difficult to see how the Order will be able
to resist the pressures, both internal and external, that will be thrust upon it.

KEEPER JOREBEE

96
ADDENDUM: THE ORDER OF THE HAMMER AND THE METAL AGE

T he past year has seen many events. The fall of the Woodsie Lord has upset the
Balance, as we knew it would, and the forces of order and progress now threaten to
overwhelm the scales. As was predicted, the Order of the Hammer has been unable to resist
the changes that this has involved, and is now a shadow of even its former, deteriorated self.

In the course of the destruction of the Trickster, the Hammerite Temple, the centre of the
Order since the fall of the Cathedral, was ruined and desecrated by his minions. Many
Hammerites were slaughtered, among them some of the most learned and most senior of
the Order. The desecration of the Temple, and the failure of the Order to prevent this, led
to a plunge in morale that left the Hammers at their lowest ebb since the loss of the
Cathedral. The crisis had the effect of encouraging the development of the factions already
within the Order, who had widely varying ideas for the future course of Hammerite
practice. Some, looking back to the days of co-operation with the Baron, wanted a renewal
of these links. Others took the events as a sign from the Master Builder, and wanted
increased devotion and piety, and an even stricter adherence to doctrine than ever before
contemplated. Still more wanted the Order to place increasing emphasis on the
development of technology to give an advantage that could be exploited economically, and
attract adherents interested in the mechanical arts.

The High Priest, Markander, a weak man in any case, and traumatised by his experiences at
the hands of the Tricksters beasts, was incapable of suppressing these factions. Splinter
groups began to form that fragmented the Order. Markander was increasingly limited in
his options, possessing neither the power nor the authority to suppress these groups. Most
burnt out of their own accord, but one proved the spark that completed the fall of the Order
of the Hammer. Brother Karras, a fervent believer in the value of technology, gathered a
group of likeminded Hammerites around him, and set up a splinter group he called the
Mechanists. Through research and development in the neglected fields of alchemy and
clockwork his order developed new technologies that could be sold at a considerable profit.

These new inventions were eagerly snapped up by the nobility, ever willing for impressive
baubles with which to outdo each other. The Mechanist Order grew rich, and gained the
protection of several powerful nobles. Markander was unable to suppress it, and Karrass
order was swelled by Hammerites disillusioned with the strict lifestyle of their former order.
The growing wealth and power of the Mechanists attracted many others from amongst the
population, and as they grew in power the Hammerites continued to decline.

97
The situation has now been reached where the Order of the Hammer, despite its long,
distinguished history, is on the verge of collapse. Acolytes are few, and talented acolytes
even fewer. Cragscleft remains operational, but with a skeleton staff. There are no enough
Hammerites to patrol the gaol, let alone patrol the streets. Money is at an absolute
premium, and most of the Hammerite temples and chapels throughout the City have been
closed or sold off to raise enough to keep those still open running. The lack of competent
staff has meant that the Order no longer produce their own hammers, but contract out all of
their limited business to the secular armourers. The vast revenues that the Order used to
gain have gone as land is sold to provide funds, and a bare trickle of money comes in from
the few who remain faithful. Usually such people are old and poor, meaning that income
from this source is minimal.

The Order of the Hammer balances on a knife-edge. If it cannot weather this dramatic fall
in its fortunes that it will undoubtedly collapse and vanish completely. Threatened from all
sides, its doctrines are increasingly inadequate to deal with the modern world. The Order
has entered terminal decline, and it remains to be seen what, if anything, can reverse this
trend.

KEEPER JOREBEE

98
KARATH-DIN AND THE PRECURORS - A REVISIONIST
PERSPECTIVE

W ith knowledge comes progress it allows society and civilisation to move forward
and develop. It is therefore an established truth that as society develops knowledge
must develop with it. There have been many years since the knowledge and truths we cling
to have been developed and perhaps now is the time to question what we know about the
Precursors.

There is a romantic, idealised view that the Precursors lived in a utopian society, a
civilisation at its height, a culture approaching perfection. If this ever was the case, then all
evidence has crumbled to dust with the passing of years. What little is known to the City,
and what little more is known to us Keepers, suggests that the truth is very different.

When we opened the Lost City to place the Elemental Talisman in it, we found it had been
deserted for several thousand years. Much was buried underground, or encircled by
running lava, and it was barely possible to deposit the Talisman there the burricks and fire
elementals roaming the place defeated even us. Time was limited, and so the chronicler
accompanying the expedition had only a short while to gather what little evidence we have.

Evidence suggests that the Precursor society was exceptionally stratified and rigid, caste-
bound to such an extent that movement was almost entirely impossible. At the height of
society was the Emperor, raised to divine status by the people, but prone to human failings.
Answerable only to the gods of whom the Precursors had several the Emperor was
generally a distant figure, seen only from afar by the vast majority of the populace. This
inevitably gave rise to a political structure of immense size and importance. The
bureaucracy that existed to translate the Emperors word into law became powerful in its
own right, and the Emperor become isolated from his people. The bureaucratic classes that
were the effective rulers of the Precursors and Karath-Din were naturally anxious to
consolidate their authority, and so society became ossified to such a point that it became like
bedrock; stratified, solid and utterly immovable.

This structure had its benefits of extreme stability, but had substantial disadvantages.
Progress was arrested, then stopped entirely, and the spirit of technological enquiry began
to decay. The Guild of Enlightenment, apparently the main organ of development in
Karath-Din, was ignored by many. Tensions in the population were ruthlessly suppressed
by the bureaucratic classes, and never reached the attention of the Emperor. The
commoners grew frustrated, and suppressed tensions built up behind a shell of normality.
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By the time of Karath-Dins destruction, Precursor society was undergoing extreme
deterioration, regressing into a degenerate state. Emperors were being worshipped to
absurd degrees, with elaborate tombs being built for them and extensive traps put in them
to deter those grave robbers who did not respect the divine nature of the Emperor. The
gods were called through the sacrifice of geldings.

The last Emperor of Karath-Din, Va-Toran, was typical of the corrupted nature of
Precursor society, more obsessed with money than governance. Extravagant entertainment
venues were built to impress the citizens with the wealth of their Emperor, and to direct
anger and discontent down safer avenues. Blood sports were the norm, and the Emperor
pushed his magicians into creating fire elementals to maintain the spectacle as long as
possible. The culmination of this degeneracy, the Coliseum, was as big as a small village,
and had hundreds of fire elementals.

The Emperor was courting disaster. Precursor society, so strong and stable from without,
was balancing on the blade of a knife. Popular discontent could only be held back with
elaborate spectacles and entertainments, which could only be provided by a heavy tax
burden that increased discontent. Va-Toran, the last Emperor of Karath-Din, was ill
prepared for the disaster that would signal the beginning of the end for the Precursors.

Tectonic activity increased slowly, but perceptibly, as Va-Toran settled into his new role as
Emperor. No cause is known for this the City has never suffered any tectonic disturbance
but there are some who would blame the Trickster for it. Current scholarship holds that
the Emperor, in order to maintain his hold over the people, commanded the Guild of
Enlightenment to create ever greater spectacles to keep the populace occupied. Eventually
this reached the point where they were tapping into the very energies of nature, attempting
to bend them to their will. Perhaps some of this energy was funnelled into a gemstone that
was to become The Eye. The Woodsie Lord, threatened by this encroachment on his
power, set in motion a plan to destroy Karath-Din, and drive away these manfools that
dared to try to equal him.

Whatever the reason, Karath-Din and the Precursor society was becoming slowly
unbalanced. Increasing tectonic activity, including the emergence of fissures and magma
pools, drove the priesthood to ever more elaborate and bloody measures such as the sacrifice
of four geldings horses were held in high regard by the Precursors. However, the energies
that the Guild had untapped could not be stopped, and eventually the city became
untenable. Romantic legend holds that the Precursors and their society perished, and
passed out of all knowledge into myth. Recent research has, however, revealed a totally
100
contrary story. Far from perishing, the Precursors were able to escape and prosper beyond
their ruined city.

As the situation grew worse, the evacuation began. The bureaucracy was transferred to
other cities in the Precursors dominions, as were the riches of their civilisation. A trickle
became a flood as more and more people commoners, gentry and nobility fled the
encroaching fire, carrying with them their most precious possessions. The evacuation was
hurried and frantic, Va-Toran refusing to countenance such a blow to his prestige until it
was unavoidable. Those records and valuables that could not be carried were buried in the
foundations of buildings, to await their owners return. Some stayed behind. A few
bureaucrats remained to guard the parchments transported to the deep cellars of the
Emperors magnificent temple-palace. Thieves moved through the city collecting hidden
valuables. The Guild of Enlightenment, aware of the treasures contained in their tower,
tried to remain to guard their Tower, but were eventually forced away by the disintegration
of Karath-Din as a city. Riven by streams of magma and large fissures, many houses and
shops swallowed up as the earth collapsed beneath them, movement was difficult, and
habitation impossible. As magma met air it cooled and solidified, encasing structures in a
blanket of impenetrable stone. When the magma stopped, Karath-Din was unrecognisable
as a city.

Meanwhile, the Precursors were surviving in other places. Although maintaining the
outward appearance of stability the structure was now completely rotten. The forced
dislocation had weakened the power of the Emperor to control both the bureaucrats and his
people, and factional conflict began to be a problem in the centuries after the fall of Karath-
Din. Central authority diminished as the nobility strove to cement their own authority and
carve out kingdoms for themselves, rebelling against an Imperial administration that was too
ossified and unwieldy to adapt. Popular pressure for social movement placed incredible
strain on the structure of Precursor society, and it is remarkable that it survived these strains
for several centuries before its collapse.

In many walls it would have been better if the collapse had come earlier. Pressure was so
great that when law and order failed, it failed absolutely. The region entered a dark age so
chaotic and anarchistic as to draw the Trickster from his Maw of Chaos and reign over the
lands. Authority crumbled to nothing as the rich retreated behind fortified walls and moats,
guarded by vast private armies. Learning was lost as the great libraries and universities of
the Precursors fell into disrepair or were razed to the ground, while the cultivated fields
were overrun by forest and woodland. Plagues decimated the population.

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The Dark Age lasted for several centuries, until finally its heavy cloak was lifted from the
land. The nobles, formerly besieged in their castles, were eventually able to extend order
throughout their domains, and the explosion of trade and industry that resulted was a potent
boost for the development of a new civilisation. The intervening years had resulted in
increased social freedom that totally changed the face of society, and resulted in the
civilisation we strive to protect today

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CITY TIMELINE A REVISIONIST PERSPECTIVE
1000 Accession of Va-Toran to the Imperial Throne at
Karath-Din
980 Growing tectonic and volcanic activity
970 Evacuation of Karath-Din, and relocation to other
cities in the Empire. Guild of Enlightenment
remains behind to guard the Tower.
500 Breakdown of order
300 Precursor central civilisation collapses. Beginning
of the Dark Ages
70 The Prophet Jeremyn produces or collates the
Book of the Nail, one of the foundations of
Hammerite doctrine.
0 Founding of the City
50 Baron finances construction of a wall around the
City.
150 The City becomes the only part of the Barons
lands
170 Construction begins on the Barons Palace.
250 End of the Dark Ages. City gains extensive
revenues as trade grows. Expands in size and
population. Start of Golden Age
270 District of Shalebridge built for warehousing and
industry. Canals dug in it to aid transport and
drain the marshy land.
280 Construction of City Guildhall.
300 Creation of nobility, as City is divided into
administrative districts. Rise of the middle classes
310 Customs House built to collect customs duties.
315 Commissioner of Taxes appointed to oversee the
collection of the Barons revenues from tolls,
customs and levies.
325 Census Bureau set up to store records from the
Commissioner of Taxes
350 End of Golden Age. War erupts in lands around
the City. The Baron is forced to grant
concessions to the middle classes in order to raise
money. Creation of the City Council, with Inner
and Outer Circle.
400 War ends. Baron apportions captured land to
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 nobles, appointing Governors over them. Trade
revives. Start of second Golden Age.
415 Census Bureau creates Hall of Records and
Licenses to regulate increased construction in the
City.
430 Building booms brings Order of the Hammer to
prominence.
460 Baron forces his election as High Priest of the
Order.
470 Construction of sewerage and other infrastructure
by the Order. Creation of a standing army and
police force. Cragscleft prison constructed in the
mountains.
480 Baron forces Master Forgers to elect his son to
High Priest upon his death. Forms extremely
important precedent.
520 City captures Northern Territories from
Blackbrook
540 Newmarket Exchange built to act as central
commercial site of the City.
550 Construction of the Hammerite Cathedral.
610 Dissent in Order over increased secularisation.
Master Forgers refuse to elect Barons son.
Hammerites withdraw from secular society. End
of second Golden Age
615 Baron forced to admit defeat. Sets up Department
of Public Works to maintain and operate
infrastructure. Commissioner of the City Guard
appointed to control the new policing service, the
City Guard.
620 Skirmishes between Baron and the Order of the
Hammer as each claim right to arrest, try and
punish criminals. Baron and nobles co-operate to
subdue Hammerites and retain secular control of
the judiciary.
630 Baron forced to call City Council and ask to raise
taxes and grant a subsidy due to risk of insolvency.
640 Disputes with Blackbrook over territory spill over
into war. Baron again increases taxes in order to
raise an army.
650 Economy begins to shrink due to heavy burden of
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 taxation and fall-off in trade revenues.
680 Events at the Hammerite Cathedral. Cathedral
and surrounding area sealed off behind the
Barricades, by order of the Baron City Council.
Hammerite worship becomes focused at the
Hammerite Temple.
700 Order of the Hammer enters decline.
730 The Tricksters Dark Project. Start of the Metal
Age.
731 Emergence of the Mechanist Order, and
continued decline of the Hammerites. Blackbrook
invades Baron departs to fight them, leaving a
Regency Council. Sheriff Truart becomes
undisputed leader of the City Watch following the
purging and reform of the City Guard.
732 Karrass project.

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 LITERATURE

A THIEFS APPRENTICESHIP

Chapter 1

T he guard stood by the gate-house, his breath emerging from his mouth into the cold
night air in periodic gusts of vapour. In his right hand he held a sword, which shone
brightly in the light of the moon, and whose point reflected the flame of the solitary torch
that flickered next to him. He wore a coat of chain-mail, with a fabric coat over it, and a
helmet over his head. They were obviously heavy, for he continually shifted his weight
between his feet, and sometimes rested the tip of the long sword on the ground. Or maybe
he was bored instead. Garrett, from his hiding place in the shadows across the street, could
hear him muttering something under his breath, something about a guard who should have
relieved him several hours ago.
The gate-house the guard stood by was built in the typical style of the City: a medium sized
stone structure, with crenulated tops, and small archers slits in the walls. However, there
was no light behind the slits, and no figures with bows patrolled the tops of the walls. The
man who owned this small mansion was not wealthy enough to hire many guards: according
to Garrets information the house only contained three guards, and the occupant.
On the front of this gate-house hung a banner, a green carpet of cloth upon which was
woven a stylised T. The T was a symbol of the Lord Tanner, a small nobleman who was
one of the lesser classes of nobles that lived in the City. By all accounts his father had been
a successful builder, one responsible for the construction of some of the greatest landmarks
of the City, and the house in which his son now resided was in that time merely a guest
house. However, then the Hammers had taken notice, and the father could not compete
with the Hammerites unique combination of building skill, and justified violence. Lord
Tanners father was a lay builder, a profession that the Hammerites saw as an anachronism,
a mocking of the Builders word. When the Hammers had finished with the poor man, all
that remained was the guest house, and a small amount of money that he and his family had
managed to escape from their house with.

Now Lord Tanner lived there, alone apart from his guards, with chest of money that no-
one had reported to have been paid from. However, Garrett needed this job for more than
just the money. He had been fleeced on his last few jobs, and had decided that it was time
to make an acquaintance with a fence who would get a decent price for him. He had found

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one, named Cutty, but Cutty would only take Garrett on if he had evidence of his skill.
Lord Tanners money was reportedly stamped with the name of his departed father. It
would be a fitting catch. He could always spend the money if Cutty turned him down.

The guard was still muttering, periodically turning round to glance at the heavy wooden
door behind him. Deciding to make a move, before a Hammerite night watchman found
him, Garrett waited until the guard had turned away, then quietly crossed the street. He
melted into the shadows by the gatehouse as the guard turned round to view the silent
streets. Garrett knelt, and felt in the gutter of the street for a suitable distraction. His hand
touched a glass bottle, the cork missing and the paper falling off with damp. Holding it in
his palm, he drew back his arm, and then threw it forward, releasing the bottle. It impacted
in the shadows across the street where Garrett had previously been hiding. The bottle
splintered with a crash, and the guards head jerked up. He raised his sword and peered into
the darkness. Slowly he advanced forward, sword held at the ready, and his eyes searching
the streets. Reaching the bottle, he knelt down and picked it up. Suddenly he heard the
wooden door at the gate-house shut. He whipped around, but there was no-one there. The
streets were as silent as they had been since he had come on duty after dinner. Looking
around thoughtfully, he shrugged his shoulders, dropped the broken neck of the wine
bottle, and walked back to his post, dismissing the broken shards of the bottle as having
fallen from the window of one of the houses. People left their windows open sometimes,
even in this weather and with the threat of thieves, and doubtless they must have placed the
bottle there when they went to bed. The rustle of wind he had heard must have knocked it
off from there.

Inside the gate-house, Garrett leaned against the door and breathed deeply. It would have
been possible to knock the guard out, but he had only just bought a blackjack, and was
reluctant to use it before he knew how to. Straightening up, he walked over the stone floor
to a convenient shadow, and examined his surroundings. He was in a long hall, that
stretched down to an atrium in the centre of the house. The hall was stone, except for the
wooden roof, and was decorated with tapestries hung on the walls. They were obviously
designed to impress any visitor that visited at the height of the family fortune, but now they
were faded and threadbare, and some were ripped and torn. Every so often there was a
torch attached to the wall with decorated fixings, but the brass fittings were tarnished and
dirty, and some of the torches were out. Garrett smiled to himself. This was going to be
easy.

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He silently crept down the hall, sticking to the shadows, and pausing before he left them. A
corridor bisected it at the end of the hall before the atrium, and appeared to continue round
the other side of the atrium. This one was brightly lit, with wooden doors at intervals, and a
plush carpet down the middle of the stone floor. Garrett paused to listen. His caution was
rewarded. A guard came round the corner, his footsteps inaudible, his sword held by his
side as he whistled a Hammerite hymn. Obviously Lord Tanner didnt hold any grudges, or
if he did he wasnt picky about those who he hired to work for him.

Once the guard had left, Garrett emerged from the shadows, and turned left into the
corridor. He walked on the carpet, his footsteps as inaudible as the guards, his ears pricked
up for any sound that could signal the guards return. Coming to a door, he opened it and
walked in, then closed it gently behind him. The latch clicked, and then Garrett turned to
look at the room. It was a dining room of some sort, small but grandly furnished. The
room was decorated with expensive wallpaper, the floor with a carpet that only the rich are
accustomed to. In the centre of the room was a large wooden table, while around it were
chairs that seemed, in the dim light, to have been newly upholstered. Garrett clicked his
tongue in consternation. Lord Tanner had obviously been spending some of his hoard
recently. There might not be much left. The thief looked around the room for any
valuables, but the place was devoid of any loot, and the table was covered only with a table
cloth.

Garrett walked back to the door, and then suddenly froze as he heard the footsteps of the
guard on his patrol. The footsteps became louder, and then quieter as the man moved
away. When the coast was clear, Garrett opened the door, and glided out. He moved over
to the carpet, and carried on to the next door. The room behind it was just as disappointing
as the first. The only valuables were stuck to the walls, or covering the cushions of the sofas
and armchairs that were arranged around the room.

However, the next room was far more rewarding. Garrett opened the door, and gently
closed it behind him. He had found the kitchen, a room with a large, cold fireplace against
one wall, and assorted shelves loaded with canisters of seasonings. All along the walls were
waist-high work surfaces on which tools were scattered around, while below them were
closed cupboards. Moving through the room, a glint of glass caught Garretts eye, and he
stooped by the counter to find a rack of wine bottles, all of rare vintages. For someone who
could not afford to replace the tapestries in his front hall, or hire decent guards, Lord
Tanner was living suspiciously well.

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Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps on the floor above him. Garrett looked up in
alarm, but when nothing more was heard he dismissed it as the unaware Lord Tanner
getting up for a visit to the privy. He bent down again, and pulled a bottle of wine from its
rack. It was indeed a rare vintage, one that it was said the Baron only drank on special
occasions, and used to toast the Builder when attending a Hammerite ceremony. Garrett
smiled, and silently placed it in the folds of his cloak. This would fetch a fair price, fence or
no fence.

He was reaching for another bottle when he was pulled up short by the sound of a
conversation outside the door of the kitchen. As his instincts rushed him into a shadow, the
door opened, and two guards walked in, the one from the corridor and a new one. The new
one walked over to the rack of wines, muttering to himself at the Sirs need for a nightcap at
this hour. He took a glass from the counter, and then bent over to search the wine rack.
Garrett did not dare to breath as the guards gaze swept up and down the rack, and his brow
narrowed in his search for the missing bottle. The other guard also grew impatient, and
began tapping his foot in annoyance. Finally the new guard straightened up, and looked
around in search of the bottle.

Maybe it was the light, or the location, but whatever the reason, the guard suddenly lifted
his sword and began to advance towards the thief in the shadows. Garrett fumbled in the
folds of his cloak for a weapon, and the movement attracted the attention of the other
guard, who also raised his sword. The thief withdrew from his cloak a small round device,
with a large eye, and a small red button. Garrett was reluctant to use the flashbomb, but
realised that this was the only he was going to get out of the mansion with both his skin and
any loot there was left. He jabbed his thumb down on the button, then threw it on the
floor, while he brought the other arm up to shield his eyes.

The flashbomb exploded in a brilliant flash of light, and the guards screamed in pain.
Garrett delved into his cloak and produced the blackjack, which he raised high over his
head, and then swung down on the skull of the new guard. He cried out, then slipped
unconscious to the floor. The other guard, realising that something was amiss, waved his
sword weakly in front of him while his hands clawed at his eyes. However, it was childs
play for Garrett to evade the ineffectual strokes, slip under the guards blade, and bring
down the lead weighted club on his head. The guard crumpled, his blade dropping on the
floor with a clang as he fell backward unconscious.

Garrett stood silent, surrounded by his fallen adversaries. He listened for perhaps ten
minutes, but there was still no reaction. Maybe the Lord had fallen asleep without the
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night-cap, he thought, and smiled to himself as he breathed a sigh of relief. However, the
business of disposing of the bodies still remained. There was no convenient cellar or well to
dump them in, and there was no way he could drag the bodies to the streets. In the end, he
settled for tying the bodies up with cords made from a ripped up tablecloth, and gagging
them with the same material. Leaving them in the darkest corner of the room, he offered
up a mental prayer to the Watchman, the god of thieves, that they not wake, and then knelt
by the wine rack. There was no way he could carry all of them, so he settled for the few that
his scarce knowledge of fine wines told him would be valuable.

Finished with the kitchen, Garrett rose, and left the way he came. Continuing round the
corridor he passed the other end of the atrium, and saw a flight of stairs leading up to the
second floor of the mansion. However, he ignored it for the moment, anxious to search the
remainder of the floor. His search was rewarded when he stumbled across the guards
barracks. All of the other rooms contained no removable valuables, but in a chest in the
barracks he found a pouch of coins that would make the trip worthwhile, even without any
other loot. The barracks presented a startling contrast to the rest of the house, the bare
stone walls and wooden floor seeming of an entirely different character.

Once finished with the first floor, Garrett embarked on the most important part of his
mission. Although the wine was remarkably valuable, he wanted proof to show to Cutty
that he had been inside the house, and that could only be obtained with the gold. The stairs
that led up to the next floor were stone, and possessed no carpet to muffle his footsteps. He
took them carefully, pausing every time he made a sound to check for a reaction. However,
the whole house was silent. At the top of the stairs, the stone changed to wood, and the
carpet began again. This part of the house was dark, with no crackling of torches to mask
any errant footfalls. Then again, the absence of torches meant that there were more
shadows to hide in. The carpet in this part of the house was far superior to any Garrett had
encountered in the first floor, and the walls were decorated with the same expensive
wallpaper used in the rooms below. The ceilings were of carved wood, intricate spiral
patterns that looped and dove beneath each other. Garrett was worried by this. This type
of decoration cost money, and lots of it. More than would be available to the son of a lord,
who had fled his burning house with only as much money as he could carry. This sort of
revelation was uncomforting, especially in a man who hated surprises.

However, Garrett pressed on, his footfalls unheard on the plush carpet. He paused at a
door, and listened at it intently. When he was sure there was nobody inside, he pushed it
open. Inside the room was richly decorated, with silver birchwood furniture, inlaid with

110
pearline and onyx. The bed was made with expensive sheets, and the table beside it was
carved with engravings of such delicacy that it seemed a mere breath of wind would break
them. Garrett stepped over to the cupboard, a large construction about as tall as he was,
and covered with exquisite artwork. He gently pulled open the doors, only to reveal an
empty interior, with a single rail on which to hang clothes. He searched the rest of the
room, but it seemed that whatever wealth existed here could only be carried away with the
help of several men and a burrick. The bed alone would have needed two burricks to
transport it, three if they were old and weak.

He gently withdrew from the room, and went over to the other side of the corridor. The
room there was decorated to match the furniture, this time pieces made of weirwood with
copper embellishing and ink-and-glaze cracquadare varnish. The effect was overwhelming,
but once again it soon became apparent that any loot here would be leaving in pieces, or
with the aid of a burrick.

As Garrett exited the room he saw at the end of the hallway a door that stood alone in the
wall. Striding over to it, he leant over to listen through the wood. When he heard nothing
he cautiously gripped the iron handle, and slowly pushed down. The latch clicked, and the
door swung open at his push. The room before him was incredible. The designer had
melded both elements of the other two rooms, to create an effect that was nothing short of
incredible. The contrasts reinforced each other, and the woods gleam told of hours of
polishing and labour. The furniture also combined elements of the previous two rooms,
and the bed, the centrepiece of the room, was like an island in a sea of plush blue carpet.
The room was about 40 feet by 20 feet, with a high ceiling from which hung gleaming brass
lamps. These were lit, and cast a warm glow over the room, while the richly decorated
tapestries became alive with the reflected flames of the fire burning in its grate on one wall.

However, Garretts attention was immediately drawn to the large central window, which
seemed to open onto a balcony. The window was open, and the wind from outside made
the draperies flap and the fire flicker. He strode to the balcony, and looked out at the
darkened city skyline. Suddenly, a shape appeared on the roof of the house opposite. A
silhouette of a man in a night-shirt, the figure turned round to stare at the open window,
and then dropped down out of sight.

Garrett turned back from the window, his heart quickening in panic. Lord Tanner must
have heard the noise of his encounter with the guards, and fled from the house. The figure
Garrett had seen must have been the escaping Lord. He must have gone to summon help,
and Garrett only had a little time before the Hammerites and the City Guard came down on
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him. However, he had not come all this way for nothing, and he resolved to take something
with him, to pay the rent if nothing else. He stepped back in the room, and began to
examine it. The cupboards or a safe hidden somewhere were the only places where any loot
could be. He began to make a cautious circuit, but still nothing came to light.

However, his attention was continually drawn to a section of wall next to the fireplace,
against what was presumably empty attic space. Walking over to the wall, Garrett could just
make out the outline of a hidden door, its hinges concealed in the decorative ornamentation
that covered the room. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on the door and pushed
gently. To his relief, the section of the wall suddenly swung away, with a minimum of fuss,
to reveal a small, plain room, with a desk and a pile of chests. He stepped in, ducking under
the small doorway, and made his way to the desk. It was empty, except for a single sheet of
paper. Garrett picked it up, and held it close to his eyes:

Lord Tanner

Needless to say, I am most pleased with your acquisition of the miniature silver birchwood
treasure box. As you are well aware, I dislike using the Downwinders in tasks of such
delicacy, but I realise that you believed they are the only group capable of such a feat. I
require your assurance that they are no aware of my involvement, or the ownership of
Grimworth and de Perrin. The place was formerly well guarded, and I am satisfied that
Ramirez is no longer able to avail himself of their services in times of need.

However, I am also disappointed that the Guild was unable to reach the place in time to
obtain the sceptre. As you know, I desire all valuable antiquities, and the sale of the sceptre to
Lord Bafford places me in a difficult situation. I am reluctant to steal again from yet another
one of Ramirezs people, but the situation may demand another use of the Downwinders
skills. Please provide them with the details that will allow them to complete the job, and at no
point reveal that Grimworth and de Perrin belong to Ramirez. I have enough problems
without the Downwinders being angry at being tricked into stealing from their bosss
company. If they are reluctant to take the job I recommend that you remind them of the
unfortunate arrest of one of their number. Subtlety is more suited to these circumstances
than brute force would be.

I am relying on your abilities to ensure that the final stage of my plan is completed
satisfactorily. You have been adequately rewarded thus far; do not make me regret this. If
there are any questions meet me personally at my place in Oldbridge.

Larnseng, Warden of OldBridge and CityGate

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Garrett gasped when he read this. Lord Tanner, in the pay of Larnseng! And as a thiefs
pawn! Larnseng was Warden of OldBridge and CityGate, some of the oldest parts of the
City. He was a remote man, but was famed for his rivalries with some of the other Wardens
of the City. Garrett had heard that the man secretly owned most of the businesses in his
ward, and even controlled businesses in other wards, through series of false fronts and
middlemen.

The thief placed the parchment in his cloak, thinking that it could be useful if there ever
came a time to confront Larnseng, and then turned his attention to the chests. They were
locked, and there seem to be no key in the room that could open them. They were
definitely full though, for they did not sound hollow when tapped. Garrett grimaced, and
walked out of the room. The gold may well be in those chests but it would take more than
brute strength to get it out. Maybe at some other time he could come back and take what
he had earned tonight. With one backward glance at the small alcove, he headed for the
window. He climbed out, then crouched and jumped for the wall of the neighbouring
house. He grabbed on to the eaves of the roof, and pulled himself up onto it. His escape
route now open, he looked back, and caught a glimpse of the guard outside the gate as he
waited for the replacement that now would never come.

Chapter 2

Garrett made his way towards Farkuss shop. Since his meeting with him early in his career
as a thief, Garrett had relied on the shop keeper for the necessary tools of his trade. Farkus,
like the thief himself, was an independent, and could be relied upon to keep silent about the
large purchases that could signal the start of a mission. The shopkeeper kept a shop, called
Farkuss Functionals, at Newmarket, practically on a main highway through the district.
Newmarket was not a particularly savoury area, but it was still patrolled by the City Guard,
and the Hammerite night-watchmen. If Farkus was ever suspected, the shop would be a
death trap.
Garrett had chosen to go to the shop at late evening, when the crowds would be few, but
large enough to conceal his presence from inquisitive eyes. He wore a light cloak, sufficient
to cover the few things he intended to purchase from Farkus for use in his next mission.
Most of the wine bottles had sold well, to a middleman of a thiefs-pawn reputed to have
links with Constantine, the mysterious new arrival to the City. Since the Tanner job
Garrett had been out of work, but he had heard of a Blackbrook Underguild Ambassador,
Dorcas Goodfellow, who traded in medicinals and elemental crystals. Things like this could
fetch a high price on the market, and Garrett needed the money to pay the rent on his small
apartment. He had heard that the City Hospital, and its bureau the Department of Public

113
Health, had recently received a consignment of gas crystals for use as anaesthetics during
their operations on the wealthy nobles who could afford their treatment.

He was walking over the bridge at Downtown when suddenly he heard a heavy step behind
him. He began to turn round, but as he did a blackjack came down and landed with a heavy
thwack on his shoulder. His movement had prevented it hitting his head and knocking him
unconscious, but it still took him down. He fell heavily to the floor, and then gasped in pain
as a metal-toed boot struck him in the stomach. He could hear footsteps as another man
came up, and then pain blossomed from his leg as the man stepped on it. Bone cracked, and
then the foot came up and kicked Garrett in the head, knocking him unconscious.

The two men stopped hitting the now still body, and one bent down. His practised hands
searched the folds of the thiefs cloak for the key to his apartment. He pulled out a small
purse of gold and tied it to his waist, and was turning back when a contingent of the City
Guard came round. Assessing the situation with one quick glance, the leader drew his
sword, and shouted for his group to advance. The two assailants, seeing themselves
outnumbered and in danger, took to their heels and fled through the labyrinth of the City.
The captain and his men chased after them.

When the men had left, a door in the street slowly opened. A young womans face
appeared, lined and grey despite her age, but with sharp eyes and a firm mouth. She took in
the scene with one glance, then left the safety of the doorway and advanced towards the still
form lying in the road. She bent down to search his pockets, and eventually withdrew a
small iron key. She turned it over to look at it, and then pursed her lips in annoyance. The
key was unmarked, and probably only the unconscious owner before her knew the location
of the lock in which it fitted. She stood still for a moment, then turned around and ran back
to the house. She emerged from it again with a companion, a tall man with dark hair, and
the same sharp eyes as the woman. Together they walked to the body, hoisted it over their
shoulders, and carried it into the house. The door closed after them on a silent street.

Garrett awoke with a start, and looked around him. He was lying in a small, stone room,
with a wooden floor and a plaster ceiling through which varnished beams protruded. The
room was lit with a single torch which spluttered loudly and cast a dancing orange flame on
the other contents of the room. The furniture was scarce: merely the bed he was lying on,
some battered old chairs, and some chests situated in a corner. Garrett groaned and tried to
sit up, but found he was tied to the bed with ropes of strong cord. The knots were tight and
out-of-reach, and the cord was secured to holes bored in the bed. He fell back onto the
bundle of rags that was acting as a pillow, and cast his mind back to what had happened. He
114
remembered the thugs who had tried to kill him, the impact of the heavy boot that had
knocked him out. He was just trying to remember any more than that when a woman
walked into the room, carrying a tray of food.

Oh, so youre awake are you?, she said, in a light voice that contrasted oddly with her lined
face. Garrett would have guessed her age to be fifty by her appearance, twenty by her voice.
She was a strange contrast. Her small face was crinkled by fine lines, that wound their way
around her eyes and mouth. Her hair was a dusty grey, her skin the pale grey of a city
dweller who did not see the sun too often. However, her mouth was firm, and her eyes
possessed a sharpness that seemed to cut through whatever she looked at like a knife.

Where.where am I? asked Garrett, with a mouth parched dry. She smiled and put down
the tray of food, which he could know see contained a portion of bread and cheese, and a
tankard of water. He twisted over to look at them, and as he did a man came in. He was
tall, and well-built beneath his simple tunic. His face was like the womens, grey and lined
yet containing eyes of remarkable clarity. His hands were remarkable, long and slender like
those of a musician, or someone else whose employment requires extreme dexterity.

The two talked under their breath for a moment, and then the man drew a short club. The
women came forward, and loosened the bonds that held him. She step quickly backwards as
Garrett sat up and rubbed his wrists. She indicated the food on the tray that had been set
before him. Understanding her intention, he eagerly devoured the food, washing it down
with generous drafts of the water. The man standing behind her waited until he was done
eating, and then hefted a club that had suddenly appeared in his hands, whilst the woman
retied that knots that bound Garrett to the bed.
His leg still hurt abominably, and he could feel the splint that held it straight. However, it
was clear that he would be unable to walk for several weeks, and only then with a crutch.
The ropes were entirely unnecessary. However, the next day, when the woman came in, the
tray also carried a small vial. The woman placed the tray down next to him again, and
untied the ropes. Garrett reached out and took hold of the tray, and picked up the vial. He
opened it to see a small amount of golden liquid, which seemed to sparkle as it caught the
light. It was fairy viscous, clinging stubbornly to the cloth sides of the vial and moving
sluggishly about as Garrett rocked it to and fro. He shrugged mentally, figuring that it was
unlikely they would go to anything this elaborate to kill him, and poured the contents down
his throat. All at once, he felt a tingle in his broken leg, that intensified into a wave of heat
that grew hotter until finally it stopped, and then disappeared.

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Garrett opened his eyes, not realising he had closed them, and then gasped in astonishment.
The pain from his leg had gone, and he found he could move it with ease. He started to get
up, but the man hefted his club, and Garrett decided against it. He could see there was no
way out, and that with no weapons he was no match for the man. He sat up, slowly, and
opened his mouth to speak. However, the question that was forming on his tongue was
replaced by a gasp as the woman held up her hand, and revealed his house key dangling
from it. His expression of astonishment was then replaced by fear as she held up a sword at
him. Abruptly she thrust it out at him, stopping just before she hit him. Garrett was now
close enough to see the blade, to see the nicks in it, to see the handle that looked
suspiciously like that of his own sword

The woman laughed as he gazed up at her in surprise, a soft laugh that spoke of the release
of tension. The man laughed to, but his vocal contribution was edged with a sinister tone.
He smiled, and walked out of the room, to return several moments later with something else
under a cloth. With the air of one performing a magical trick, he whipped off the cloth
drape to reveal a bottle of wine. In fact, the same bottle that Garrett had so expertly stolen
from the manor of Lord Tanner. He had been meaning to sell it, even if it had meant
getting less than was possible, but somehow had never found the opportunity. He slumped
back on the bed in despair. They now knew he was a thief, and something in their eyes told
him that the knowledge would have been better kept from them. The man stooped and
drew up a chair a distance from the bed, and lowered himself into it. The woman stood
behind him, still grasping Garretts sword. Then the man began to speak.

It turned out that their motives for helping him had been less than kindness of spirit. They
had the key to his house, but no idea where it was. They intended to nurse him to the point
where he was able to speak, get the location of what they thought might be a wealthy house,
and then dump his body in the sewer. However, one of the mans contacts had dropped
by, and recognised Garrett from an earlier occasion. He pointed out his house, and also
told them that he was a thief, thought by some to be one of the brightest prospects. Then
the pair had had a different idea. The man, it seemed, was called Basso, and was a boxman
by trade. This accounted for his long, slender hands, which were perfectly suited for the job
of breaking open safes. He was apparently quite accomplished in this field, and for some
time had had his eye on an enticing prospect in the City district of OldBridge. A wealthy
merchant, whom his sister Sophia worked for as a servant, had recently installed in his
bedroom a brand new safe, an event that coincided with a mysterious drop in the merchants
finances. Sophia was a trusted servant, and could get Basso inside the building, but the
trouble was that he would soon be spotted and arrested, or worse. The boxman had
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identified a point in the mansion where it would be possible to get in with a bit of effort, but
he needed someone to scout ahead for him, and clear the path to the safe. This was where
Garrett came in.

Garrett opened his mouth to refuse, but sight of the woman hefting the sword made him
reconsider. He realised that once he started they would use him until he was of no further
value, and then discard him. That was an unattractive option, but there were few
alternatives. If he rejected their offer his corpse would probably end up in the sewers, but if
he accepted an early death was almost certain. He knew how these things worked, and
realised that no doubt Sophia had a certain scroll which the City Guard would no doubt be
delighted to have. All Garretts possessions were in the house, as well as his secret stash of
savings, and the idea of having the Guard being able to follow his movements was not
attractive. Realising the futility of refusing, he accepted.

This was the reason that Garrett found himself outside the merchants house the next day at
the dead of night. OldBridge was an ancient part of the City, probably one of the original
districts. The houses were mostly made of wood, with few windows and small doors. Some
had been repaired with stone, creating a striking contrast to the yellow and brown plaster in
which most of the buildings were covered. A few streetlights existed, mainly at crossroads.
They were of the original pattern, reputed to have been built during the theoretical period
of time when the Hammerites had controlled the City. They were waist high, a small light
element encased in a glass tube. This pattern was repeated in the Old Quarter, and also in
the Docks district, where the Bonehoard was located. Rumour said that the catacombs
contained a set of Hammer tombs, presumably from when the Order had ruled the City.
However, such an event was hidden in the mists of time, and although the Hammerites were
now a big influence, they still had little ultimate power compared to the Baron and his City
Council.

Basso whistled softly from the shadow in which he had hidden himself, and Garrett sighed
and got to work. He had to admit that the boxman had chosen a good spot, with plenty of
shadow and a wooden roof in which to shoot a rope arrow. Rope arrows were hard to come
by, and expensive, but now they proved their worth as Garrett buried the arrow into the soft
wood. He jumped onto it, and climbed steadily up. The roof belonged to a wooden
guardhouse, obviously erected after the construction of the main wall that surrounded the
home and gardens of the merchant. The thief reached the top of the rope, and looked on
the wall for a good landing spot. He eventually found one, and made a flying leap for it.
He landed softly, falling forward onto his knees to muffle the sound of his shoes. Sophia

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had said that the merchant only had guards at the front gate, but Garrett was prepared to
take no chances. He stood up and looked over the battlements. A figure detached itself
from the shadows, and ran for the rope. He turned away satisfied, but then a hint of red
caught his eye. He turned back round, and then swore softly as he saw what had arrested his
attention. A Hammerite night-watchman was making the rounds, his lamp in one hand and
his hammer in the other. Basso had not yet finished his ascent, and if the guard saw him
while he was still visible.

No sooner than Garrett thought this than it happened. The watchman abruptly stopped,
and started to peer in the direction of the rope. He hefted his lamp higher, while Basso
froze on the rope in an effort to remain unseen. Garrett swore again. It was vital to keep
moving in these situations, to make the man think he had only seen a rat or the moving of a
tree. The end came when suddenly the Hammerite made out the form of a man on the
rope. He shouted in alarm, and Basso made a desperate effort to ascend the rope and get
away. However, he tugged on the rope too hard, and it parted from the arrow, the shaft
splintering with a clear crack as the knot at the end was pulled out. Basso fell the ten feet,
landing with a crash. He must have struck his head on the pavement, for blood suddenly
appeared and Basso made no effort to move. Garrett could see his chest rising and falling,
but that was it. The Hammerite moved in cautiously with his hammer, and prodded the
prone figure with it. Seeing that he posed no immediate threat he drew a whistle from his
pocket, and blew three blasts on it that would have woken anyone in the immediate
neighbourhood. Garrett didnt wait to see what happened. He dropped down from the
battlements into a shadow in the street, and ran off while the watchman turned round to see
what had caused that sound of metal hitting stone

Chapter 3

Garrett paused for breath in the shadow. Although in good shape the wild run from
detection by the Hammerites had tired him out, and his heavy clothes and equipment did
not help matters. He was dressed in his normal cloak, with lighter clothes beneath, and his
boots. His equipment was carried either in his quiver, the belt around his waist, or in the
small pockets on his cloak and clothes. For this mission Basso had visited Garretts house
earlier, after tying him to the bed, and had collected his sword, blackjack and short-bow.
He had also managed to get hold of a small stock of broadhead arrows, water arrows, and a
single moss arrow. The arrows were tucked safely on the quiver at his back, whilst the
sword and blackjack hung from his belt, and his bow was looped over his shoulder.

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He looked up, and surveyed the street around him. He was still in OldBridge, but close to
the Docks, and the buildings around him showed the characteristic large doors of
warehouses. The structures were tall, mostly made of stone, with tile roofs and wooden
dormers that protruded from them. Garrett sank into the shadow and pondered his next
move. Sophia would almost certainly release details of Garretts home to the City Guard
once he and Basso didnt return, and the sudden appearance of the night-watchman would
only reinforce the idea that Garrett had betrayed them. He couldnt go back home, not
only because he didnt have the key, but also because the Hammerites could be out looking
for Bassos accomplice, and anyone out on the streets at this hour would surely be dragged
off to Cragscleft. The best strategy would probably be to lay low for the next few months,
until the fuss had died down and the City Guard assumed that Garrett had disappeared from
the scene.

He glanced around, and then casually moved out of the shadow. He turned north, and
began to make his way further into OldBridge, where there was the best chance of finding a
small place to lie low. He had no money, but the weapons in his quiver and on his belt were
bound to fetch something. If he could sell them to a shopkeeper like Farkus he would get
even more, but he knew few, and was not particularly keen to be seen by them. Some were
probably in the pay of the wardens or the City Guard, and it would defeat the whole point
of his selling them if he was recognised.

He made his way through the small back streets of OldBridge, through small canyons of
buildings that loomed up from a narrow street. He eventually came to a main thoroughfare,
and was about to cross it when he saw a flash of colour. He glanced over at its source, and
saw a gold coloured letter L on a green background of a banner. The L was stylised,
decorated with delicate curves which looped around the letter. Garrett suddenly
remembered the document he had found in Lord Tanners secret room. Larnseng had
mentioned that he had a house in OldBridge, and this must be it. Garrett nearly crossed
over the road, but a sudden thought made him stop. He had suspected that Larnseng was
behind the assassination attempt, nothing else could explain it. He had rejected Ramirezs
offers of employment, but that was no reason for this measure of violence. Larnseng must
have been told by Lord Tanner of the break-in, and then later finding the document
missing. It obviously had more value that Garrett thought.

He glanced thoughtfully at the banner, and the large gatehouse from which it was hung.
He had no money, and it was risky trying to sell his weapons to whoever gave him shelter.
However, if he broke into Larnsengs mansion then he could get enough loot sustain him,

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and also find out what the crime warden was up to. The idea had merit. Garrett was not
tired, and still fully awake. Dawn was still far away, and most of the household would most
likely be asleep, with only minimum security.

He made up his mind, and quickly walked to the shadows next to the gatehouse. The
structure was typical of the architecture found in this district, a tall ornate building with
crenulations at the top, and a mass of arrow slits in the walls. The gate was down, but on
the battlements there was a wooden shelter that would provide an excellent hold for
Garretts one remaining rope arrow. He snuck underneath it, listening for sounds of
movement. None came. He reached back and pulled the arrow onto his quiver, then
nocked it into the bowstring, which he then drew back. He sighted the bow, and then
gently released it. The arrow sped off, and impacted into the side of the shelter with a loud
thump. He looked around anxiously, but nothing stirred. The rope that gave the arrow its
name uncoiled and hung down to the ground. Garrett walked over to it, and cautiously
gave it a tug. It held. He jumped onto it, and quickly ascended it until he had reached the
top. He pulled himself up onto the roof of the shelter, and turned round and gently drew
the arrow from the wood. No sense in leaving it there for someone to see. He then turned
to look at the house. It had been originally built in the style of the gatehouse, the vast
fortress style that had characterised the early districts, as if they still feared attack from the
beasts in the darkness, or rival cities. It was large, with sheer sides that had small windows
inset in the rough stonework. At the top were several guard towers, while at the base the
door to the house was flanked by two more. Round the back of the keep was a newer
building, made of brick and ornate stone that contrasted with the crudeness of the older
structure. The new extension was smaller, but built in the modern style now fashionable,
with large windows, exposed wooden beams, and ornate gargoyles. Unlike the other
buildings of OldBridge the new structure had a steep roof, covered in the slippery tiles that
gave it its red colour. Most of the buildings in the district, and that of the Old Quarter, had
flat roofs, intended to serve as a guard position in times of conflict. By the time that the
Barricades went up, to guard against the undead in that section of the City, the style was
beginning to change, but OldBridge had not seen many renovations and most houses
retained their flat roofs.

However, this was not what immediately drew Garretts attention. He could see moving
silhouettes of guards on the roof, and also the shadows of men in the gardens around the
house as they passed in front of torches. The battlements appeared to be empty, but he
could make out a set of steps that led up to those that the guards patrol route appeared to
be close to. By his estimation, he could make out two guards in the gardens and two on the
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roof. That could mean that there were at least ten guards in a mansion that size, maybe
more. However, Garrett didnt want to loot the mansion, just the study where the letter,
and Larnsengs safe, was most likely to be.

He silently slid down from the roof of the shelter, onto the battlements. He crept along the
walkway, keeping low to avoid being silhouetted against the moonlit sky, and the glow of
the street lamps. Reaching the stairs, he paused, allowing the guard to pass, then crept
down them. His feet made no noise as he gently trod on the moss-covered steps. At the
bottom he turned left, and slid behind a bush, to wait for the next guard to pass. He
adopted a squatting position, his hand inside his cloak, ready to draw a weapon if necessary.
He pricked his ears, and faintly heard the sound of the other guard, his footsteps inaudible
on the soft grass of the garden lawn. Garrett held in his breath, and released it as a quiet
sigh. He picked himself up, then ran across the lawn to the side of the house, his heart
pounding, waiting to hear the astonished cry of a guard. However, none came, and he
relaxed, melting into the shadows of the wall. He looked around, evaluating his next
strategy. There was no way he could climb into the windows of the original keep, they were
too small, but the new addition, with its large windows and exposed beams presented a
better opportunity. Lights burned behind several of the large windows, but even as Garrett
watched one of them went out.

Making up his mind, he quietly crept towards the structure, carefully ensuring to keep
himself in shadow. Whenever a guard passed he would stop, and wait anxiously in shadow
by the shrubbery until then soft sound of the footsteps had died. Eventually he reached the
house, and slowly knelt below one of the windows, behind a bush. Cautiously he tried the
handle of the window on the ground floor. It refused to budge. Clicking his tongue softly
in dismay he cast his eye around for another window. Then, he saw the glint of metal
coming from a place in the ground just in front of the window. He crept over it and
stooped to look. Slowly, his mouth contracted into a smile. Concealed beneath the leaves
was a trapdoor, its hinges and lock glinting in the torchlight from the window.

Garrett placed his hand on the handle, and gave a slight tug. The door refused to budge. It
was not rusted shut, but locked, and he did not have the tools to attempt to open it. He
sighed and sat back on his haunches, considering his next move. Suddenly, the window
above him became ablaze, as someone walked into the room. Garrett dove out of the line of
sight, but slipped, and ended up lying directly in the light of the window. He stayed deathly
still, not even daring to breathe. He heard footsteps on the floor of the room, footsteps that
became louder as their cause came closer to the window. The footsteps became louder,

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until finally they stopped, just by the window. There they paused, and Garrett waited
fearfully as the silence grew, until suddenly there was the wonderful sound of the footsteps
leaving, diminishing in volume as the person walked unhurriedly away.

Garrett relaxed, his heart trembling with fear and exultation. He sat up, and looked back to
see what he had slipped on. It appeared to be a path of grass, but a closer examination
revealed that it had slipped, and was revealing a patch of soil. He pulled on the grass, and
was surprised to see it move, and reveal a small area of bare earth with a cloth-wrapped
package in it. Curious, he took the package and opened it, then grinned delightedly.
Within the oilskin there lay a key, the key to the trapdoor. He moved over to the trapdoor,
inserted the key into the lock, and turned it. There was a sharp click, and the door sprung
open on silent hinge. Garrett waited for any reaction, but there was none. He returned the
key to its hiding place, then stepped through the doorway into the inky blackness. His feet
found a ladder, and he climbed down, ending up in a dimly lit basement.

There was no sound but that of the rats. Inset in the walls were unlit torches, and above
them the ceiling was stained black with soot. Scattered around the basement were rotten
boxes and barrels, their sides black with rot and mould. There was a strange smell, not just
of decay, but also of death. It seemed to impregnate every pore; even the walls seemed to
emanate it. Garrett moved forward, each step with growing unease. In the next room, he
found the source of the smell. Lying on a rack in the middle of the room was Lord Tanner,
his face distorted in agony, his body still chained to the instrument. He was dressed in a
night-shirt that was stained with blood and vomit. The rack was too, its metal surface red
with dried and crusted blood.

The rest of the room was similarly horrific. Against the one wall was an iron maiden,
against another a set of thumbscrews. Standing against the third was a garrotte. All were
stained in blood. On the straw-covered stone floor were bones and bits of rotten flesh,
while mounted on another wall were human heads, their faces frozen forever in agony.
Garrett felt bile rising up. This must be Larnsengs torture chamber, where he dealt with
those who had displeased him. Although not given to remorse, Garrett felt slightly sorry
that he had been the cause of Lord Tanners death at the hands of Larnseng. However,
business was business, and so Garrett began looking for a way into the house proper. He
doubted that a private room such as this would have an obvious entrance, just in case a
guard happened to walk in. It would most likely be somewhere private, somewhere guards
would not enter often, or even at all. Garrett smiled. Such a place would be Larnsengs
bedchamber.

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He began a search around the room, looking for a way out and presumably up. Finally he
came across a ladder, that stretched all of the way up to the roof of the house, or so it
seemed. He placed one foot on the ladder, and started climbing ever upwards. Every so
often he would have to pause, lest the guard patrolling on the other side of the wall hear
him over the sound of the mans footsteps. The torture chamber was probably
soundproofed, but the same could not be said about the space through which the ladder ran.
Finally he reached the top, and a small platform. He hopped lightly onto the platform, and
looked around. Behind him was a door, its hinges set into the stonework, and the actual
door wood painted to look like stone. Cautiously he opened it, to find himself staring at the
back of a richly decorated tapestry.

Garrett cautiously took his knife and made a small incision in the tapestry. He withdrew the
knife, and put his eye to the hole in the fabric. Through it he saw that the tapestry hung in
a fantastically ornate room, decorated even more richly than the master bedroom at Lord
Tanners mansion. The silver birchwood, inlaid with pearline and onyx, and the weirwood
with copper embellishing and ink-and-glaze cracquadare varnish, had been expertly
combined to create a stunning effect. The walls were covered with expensive fabric
wallpaper in a light cream colour, and the occasional tapestry or painting also hung from the
wall. A door in the wall on the left was wooden, and decorated with ornate patterns, as was
the door opposite it. The floor was made of black and gold tile, the ceiling decorated with
sculpted plaster and gold leaf, which formed intricate geometric patterns. From the ceiling
hung torches of brass, with ornate carvings. None were lit, but instead light came from a
candle by the bed. The furniture, made from the two woods, seemed like oasiss of beauty
amid the desert of the floor, while the bed seemed like a huge mountain.

However, it was the contents of the bed that drew Garretts attention. In it was a middle-
aged man, thin and well-muscled. He snored loudly, the bedclothes that stretched up to his
beard rising and falling with each breath. His beard was black, and well trimmed in the
current style, his hair the same. It could only be Larnseng.

Garrett was about to lift the tapestry and slip out when he heard the muttering of a guard
outside the room. He sat back and listened. The guard was moaning about his dinner, but
in the few minutes that Garrett sat there the guard never moved. He seemed to be on a
permanent station, and even as Garrett watched he opened the left door and looked in.
Satisfied that there was no change, he withdrew his head.

Garrett considered the situation. He would never be able to make his way silently across
the room to the right-hand door in the intervals between the guards checks, but the guard
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would also notice a carpet of moss on the floor. To creep across the floor would result in
him being spotted by the light of the candle, or even against the light colour of the silver
birchwood and of the wallpaper. A moss arrow would be easily seen against the distinctive
colour of the floor.

He considered this for a moment, and then made his decision. Slowly, as the guards head
retreated once more, Garrett slipped out from behind the tapestry, water arrow at the ready,
and let fly with it at the candle. The arrow disintegrated when it reached it, scattering water
that doused the fire. There was a hiss, and also a faint sound of shattering glass. Garrett
stepped back behind the tapestry and waited. The door opened again, and the guard put his
head in. immediately, he noticed the candle, and looked around suspiciously. Garrett
remained still as the guards gaze swept over him. Finally the guard retreated, muttering to
himself about the quality of the candles these days.

Garrett slipped out from behind the tapestry, and shot a moss arrow into the floor. It hit,
and a carpet of moss slowly spread out from the point of impact to coat the floor in sound-
deadening vegetation. He slowly made his way over the floor to the right door. Cautiously,
he tried the handle. The door opened silently, and he slipped in to Larnsengs study. The
room was relatively small, but the walls were lined with shelves of books, all of them but the
far one, which had an enormous tapestry covering most of it. Against this wall was also a
desk, covered with parchments. Garrett moved over to look at them. He picked one up and
held it close to his eyes.

Warden Larnseng

I am delighted at your wish to acquire the Grimworth and de Perrin antiques business
that I currently control. I am aware of your taste for rare antiques, and can assure you that
the business has connections that enable them to obtain the most precious of collectibles.

The business occupies several floors of the old Hammerite chapel in Dayport. There are 15
employees, with several more freelancers. The building possesses exceptional security, with
thick metal doors, electric lights, and complicated locks to deter thieves. There also exists a
large safe for the valuables of the business, which can only be opened remotely from a different
room. The building is patrolled by my own toughboys, but regretfully you will have to supply
your own if you do decide to purchase.

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 The typical annual income of the business is 26,000, and its annual expenditure is 20,000.
The resultant profit is, as I am sure you are aware, very dear to me, and so I am only
prepared to offer the business to you for 16,000, or several of your gambling dens in Old
Bridge. Please be assured that this is the lowest price I can offer, and that the business would
be a marvellous acquisition for you.

Ramirez

Garrett put down the parchment, and thought over its contents. Larnseng wanted
Grimworth and de Perrin, but why had he ordered Lord Tanner to steal from them? He
shrugged, and picked up another parchment

Warden Larnseng

In reply to your letter, I am afraid that I must confess that we have been experiencing
problems with the security of the business. This is a minor matter, and the arrangements
being made will certainly render the theft unrepeatable.

However, I am prepared to offer you a discount on the business, in light of the recent events
that have transpired. The price for the business is now 11,000. Please may I assure you that
this does not reflect my lack of faith in the security of the business, but rather my desire to
ensure that you do not feel cheated by the deal.

Once again, let me assure you that such a thing can never happen again, and that I am still
convinced that the business will be your most profitable purchase.

Ramirez

Garrett put down the parchment in silent admiration. Larnseng was being cunning, driving
down the price of the antiques business. Suddenly, the letter at Lord Tanners mansion
made sense. Of course Larnseng did not want the Downwinders to know that they were
cheating their own boss, or that they were robbing from their bosss business! That must be
why Larnseng was so desperate to get rid of him: if Garrett told Ramirez, Larnseng could
face war.

Garrett now knew Larnsengs plans, but was determined not to leave the mansion without
some sort of material reward for his efforts. He glanced around the room, wondering what
there was that he could carry away easily. Nothing sprang to mind. He was just about to
leave when the tapestry glinted. He looked at it more closely. It was woven in gold thread,
a practice that had died out many years before. Garrett thought for a moment, then took
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his knife and cut away the centre of the tapestry, an area rich with gold. However, the hole
also revealed metal behind the cloth, not wallpaper. He cut off more of the tapestry, then
smiled at what he saw. Larnseng may have thought himself clever to hide it behind the
tapestry, but it was not too clever a place for Garrett.

The safe seemed to have no lock, so Garrett tried to move it. It refused to budge. He cast
his eye around for a switch, but couldnt see anything remotely resembling one.
Disappointed, he turned away, and began to search the shelves for valuable books. Being an
antique collector, Larnseng would surely have something valuable on his book shelf.
Garrett decided on a book, with a gold leaf cover, and placed his hand on it to pull it out.
However, instead of sliding out the book hinged over. And the safe opened. He smiled,
amazed at his good fortune, and took a look at the contents. There, nestled in fabric, was a
miniature silver birchwood treasure box, the smaller version of the one famously owned by
the Grimworth and de Perrin antiques business. He carefully removed it from its resting
place, and wrapped the fabric around it. However, that would not totally cushion it, so he
used the tapestry piece and the parchments from the desk to make it totally safe.

Garrett left the way he came, and on his way back considered what to do about Larnseng.
He wanted the man dead, for having tried to kill him, but he didnt want to do it in a way
that would make him a target. He smiled wickedly to himself as the idea came to him.

Chapter 4

Garrett stood in the shadows across the street from the entrance. The massive gate was lit
by several torches, with flames that guttered as a biting wind swept down the wide street.
The gatehouse into which the metal portcullis was built was made of massive blocks of cut
stone, cheap stone brought into the City on the backs of burricks from the quarries outside
of the City. The stone was good only for building, and poor quality building at that.
However, when the Department of Public Works had built the power maintenance station,
they were more concerned with cost than quality. Besides that, Lord Whitsimmon had
bribed the Baron to order the department to use the stone from the nobles quarries, both in
the building of the public buildings and in the construction of the Barricades. The Baron
had been won over by the bulging purse of Lord Whitsimmon and the smaller purse of the
Department, and that was why it was now possible to climb the walls of the Barricades by
using the crumbling stonework for footholds.
The gate was not only guarded by the lights portcullis, however. A guard, in the
uniform of the City Guard, stood outside the building, his bow held in numbed fingers.
Every so often he would lift his fingers to his mouth and blow on them, forcing warmth into
the clammy skin. His woollen surcoat protected him from the cold, and also from the
attentions of the Hammers and the real City Guard. For the man in front of the building
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was a thief, a member of the Downwinders Thieves Guild. And the building he was
protecting was not just a power maintenance station, but also the Guilds hideout.

The Guild had made their lair in the tunnels and conduits that the maintenance station was
supposed to serve. The machines that the Hammers made were solid and dependable, and
rarely broke down. There was not much call for the access tunnels and storage rooms, and
gradually they had been taken over by the filth of the City. Engineers dared not go down
into the tunnels, for fear of what lurked there. Those that were bold enough to brave the
poisonous spiders were often found missing their heads, as a warning from the thieves to
others.

However, the Downwinders were moving, transferring their base to a better set of tunnels, a
series of sewer caverns hidden below the surface. Garrett had found this out, along with
other useful information, from a beggar who made his home outside the maintenance
station, and had seen him casing the joint. Issyt had been a member of the Guild, until
theyd kicked him out for having sticky fingers. However, he still hung around, just in case
they decided to take him back on. It was he who had betrayed his comrades to Garrett, in
return for his lucky Hand of Glory. The Hand was a relic Garrett had picked up, long ago
during his childhood. It was of value to him, but he had decided that getting revenge on
Larnseng was worth losing it. Besides, he could always get it back later.

Issyt was also going to deliver a map of the tunnels and conduits below the station, but fate
and the Hammers had interceded. A Hammerite night watchman had picked up Issyt
during one of the recent anti-crime sweeps, and carried him away as Garrett watched,
infuriated, from the shadows. Issyts bundle had been left behind, but it neither contained
the Hand of Glory or the maps. The Watchman, it seemed, had been looking the other
way this time.

Garrett considered his options. Taking out the guard would be best, but was liable to leave
a body around that he might have trouble hiding. He had not had time to check over the
rest of the place, and knew only of this one entrance. However, if the guard remained then
opening the door might prove difficult. The sole lockpick Garrett possessed was 3 feet
long, and only worked, noisily, on wooden doors. He thought what to do with increasing
desperation, but it was the arrival of a lone man who opened another option. The man was
dressed as a merchant, but was acting more like a drunk. He swayed from side to side, and
seemed to tack into the wind in the manner of a ship. He sung raucously, slurring his
words, and pausing to lift the bottle to his lips. Garrett smiled. It was perfect.

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He unslung his bow, and carefully drew a gas arrow from his quiver. The gas arrow was in
his quiver courtesy of a thief who had decided that Garretts temporary lodgings would
make a fine target. The fight had been quick and one-sided, Garretts ambush from behind
the door catching the thief off-guard and unawares. The thief had been carrying an
assortment of weaponry, most of it expensive and rare. Garrett had used one of the fire
arrows to conceal the evidence of his crime, and had had to use the other on the landlord
who came after him as the building began to burn. The tenement had been made of stone,
but the resulting conflagration removed all traces of the lodger at the top floor.

Garretts choice of the gas arrow for this task was purely mercenary. Although a
conventional broadhead would do the job, and attract the guards attention better, the death
would probably attract the attention of others. At a crucial point such as this, he did not
want the Downwinders made wary by the death at their doorstep, and the inquiries that
would follow. By using the gas arrow, he could attract the guards attention, but no other
persons. People who saw the unconscious drunk would just assume that he had passed out.
And besides, the merchant might prove a source of income at a later stage. It was best to
leave all options open.

Sure enough, the abrupt unconsciousness of the drunk caught the guards attention. He
slowly walked over to the body in the gutter, slowly enough to allow Garrett to lift the key
from his belt. Suddenly, he realised with horror that for the part few minutes the wind had
died down, and the air had been still. Sure enough, as the guard approached the body he
suddenly gasped, turned around, and was stepping forward as the gas took hold and silenced
him as effectively as it had the drunkard. Garrett winced. The situation had become worse.
However, there was nothing for it but to make the best of a bad job.

He moved towards the two bodies, drawing his cloak around his mouth as he did. Although
he would have been happy to see the guard in a cell in Cragscleft, he didnt want to end up
in the cell opposite. He took a deep breath, and then ran over to the body, his boots loud
on the cobbles. He hoisted the guard onto his shoulder, and then ran to the entrance of the
maintenance station. He deposited the body on the floor, and then knelt by it. His skilled
hands ran swiftly through the pockets and seams of the clothing, picking out small coins and
the sutlers' wares. Then he moved the body, propping it against the wall so that it looked as
if the man had fallen asleep. He stepped back to admire the effect, and then returned to the
body of the merchant. Taking no chances, he hoisted it onto his shoulders, and moved back
to the guards body. He dropped the merchant on the floor, and took the bottle from the

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hand of the drunk and placed it in the hand of the guard. Now at least nothing looked
suspicious.

Garrett reached into his cloak, and drew from it the key he had lifted from the guards belt
minutes earlier. Stepping over the bodies, he went up to the door, and after a quick glance
around, inserted the key into the lock on the portcullis. He gave it a twist, releasing the
counterweight, and drawing the portcullis up. It screeched as it went, the tracks coated in
the rust that evidenced the decay in importance of the maintenance station. He winced, and
looked around quickly. However, nothing stirred, and the streets were as silent as they had
been before. Garrett looked into the inky blackness of the entrance hall. It was made of the
same stone as the outside, the walls stained white from water, and black from the smoke of
the industries around the district.

Cautiously, he stepped forward, and into the darkness. He was in his element here, a
creature of the shadow, a student of the best. Where other people feared the dark he
welcomed it, wrapping it in a cloak around himself. The dark released primitive emotions,
made people restless and fearful, and made those who took advantage of it the most skilful
men alive. He paused inside, and then turned around. An open portcullis would attract
attention, but so would closing it. In the end, he left it open. It was always best to have a
quick way out.

He strode forward carefully, his mind alert, his ears strained to hear the faintest sound. His
boots clicked on the stone of the floor, and his breathing was slow and steady as each foot
went slowly forward. Eventually he reached an inner door, and stopped, listening. Hearing
nothing, he slowly pushed it open. The heavy wooden door swung ponderously open, to
reveal a stone corridor, with heavy machinery on one side of it. From the machinery came
hisses of white steam, the crackle of power, and the constant hum of working machinery.
On the other side of the corridor were several doors, made of wood, and rotting as they
hung on their hinges. The corridor was lit by several powered lights, which burned brightly
in their inset holes.

He paused once again, and then silently began to move forward. Hiding in this light would
be impossible, and the only option would therefore be to take out anyone who came across
him. In his right hand he clutched the heavy lead club that was his blackjack, and would be
his weapon of choice for the night.

However, no-one came, and Garrett was able to move down the corridor, and into another,
which seemed to run for the short length of the building, along the back wall. Again it was

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illuminated with lights, and the walls held several doors. These too were rotten, apart from
one which had been replaced with a solid metal door. Above it, the sign told why.
Maintenance Access, it read. He slipped over to it, and tried the guards key in the lock. It
fitted perfectly, and when turned the lock gave a sweet click as the bolt sprang back. He put
the key away, pleased that he would not have to resort to finding the alternative entrance to
the hideout.

Garrett opened the door, and peered at what lay beyond. It was a flight of stairs, steep and
narrow, with no illumination. He walked forward, letting the door close softly behind him.
He didnt lock it; there was no telling what might cause him to leave in a hurry.

At the base of the stairs was a small room, piled with boxes, from which several corridors
ran. The map Issyt had been supposed to deliver would have shown which way to go now.
However, not all was lost. Garrett squatted, and looked at the floor. Most was clean, except
for one part where the dust has been disturbed, and dried mud was lodged in the cracks
between the stones of the floor. He stood, and walked down the nearest corridor, down
which the tracks led. The corridor was small and cramped, with huge pipes all around it
that carried the districts power supply. Every so often there were lamps, but these were not
illuminated, and so he was forced to walk slowly, his hand held out in front of him so as to
navigate the twists and turns of the tunnel. Every so often he would stop, and listen. Issyt
had said that most of the Downwinders had moved to the new location, but there was no
need to take chances.

Eventually the passage widened into a room, into which another corridor ran. Light spilled
from this, and Garrett could faintly hear a buzzing noise that rose and fell in volume. He
stepped out, and into a patch of shadow. When no harm came, he moved on, into the
corridor.

The corridor stretched for a reasonable distance, with doorways on both sides. As he
walked down he could see other corridors that had bisected it, that were now bricked up,
and fittings for powered lamps along the ceiling. Now, flames flickered on torches, and the
ceiling above them was black with soot. Above the doors were numerals, and sometimes
letters. These were the barracks, where the men who had built this complex network of
tunnels and conduits had lived and worked.

Blankets covered most of the doorways, while others had rotten wooden doors that hung on
rusted hinges. Garrett paused at one from which no light came, and lifted the blanket. In
the darkness beyond was a bunk, with empty boxes scattered around it. Either the workers

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had left it here, or else the Downwinders had decided to add a few home comforts. At the
end of the corridor there was a metal door, dull from age. The walls around it were made of
metal, not the plaster and stone of the rest of the complex. In former days it must have been
the armoury, but now what better place to site the valuables of the Guild? He paused at it,
and slid the key into the lock. It refused to even go in.

Garrett swore, and stuffed the key back into one of his many pouches. If he had lockpicks
then the job would have been much easier, but now he would have to find the key. He
stepped back, and silently slipped into a darkened room to think over what he should do.
The buzzing abruptly increased in volume, and he smiled as it resolved itself into snores.
The room he had just stepped into was occupied, but the occupant was in no position to
notice him.
From what Garrett could see the room was reasonably decorated, with relatively expensive
furniture, and rugs on the walls. In the ceiling was a lamp, while in one corner there was a
fireplace, with the remains of the fire in its grate. Against one wall was a chest of drawers,
with ornate carvings that seemed out of place in a den of iniquity such as this was. He
stepped over to it, his boots making no noise on the straw strewn floor of the room. The
night may have been a failure, but there was no need to leave with nothing. He reached the
chest, and quietly pulled the drawer open. There was nothing there. He pushed it closed,
and then tried another. This one was occupied, by a pouch of money. From the open neck
came the gleam of gold coins, coins shiny and bright from lack of use. Garrett smiled and
picked it up, the coins clinking faintly as he slipped it inside the numerous pouches of his
clothes.

He looked back at the drawer, and was closing it when suddenly his eyes were drawn to a
patch of wood at the back of the drawer. There seemed to be a thin line around it, a line
that disappeared as he focused on it. He peered closer, and eventually decided that there
was something there. Slowly he reached out his hand, and gently pushed the wood. It
resisted, but then came loose and slid back. As it did so part of the front of the drawer drew
back too, revealing a small hole inset into the front. Garrett reached into it, and then
withdrew his hand, smiling to himself in the darkness. Dangling from his hand on a short
length of cord was a key, its edges notched in a manner that signified that it was for a very
complicated lock. He quietly stepped back, and then ducked out the room, dropping the
curtain back behind him.

The key slipped into the lock, and turned as if lubricated with oil. With a sharp click, and
then a noise like silk the latch slipped back, and Garrett was able to enter. The room was
not large, and it seemed smaller due to the shelving hung on the metal-lined walls.

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Formerly this would have contained the picks and shovels and explosives and fire arrows
used to blast holes in the rock below the City, but now the shelves were lined with the tools
of the thieves trade. Swords were stacked on them, together with blackjacks and shortbows.
Quivers of normal arrows lay on the shelves, along with the precious crystals that gave them
their special powers. The mines were stacked in one corner, while in another there were
flashbombs that could blind a man for several minutes. However, in the centre of one wall
was a large safe, with a hole for the key in its centre.

Garrett stepped into the room, his shadow cast on the wall by the sharp glare of the lamps.
He had no interest in the tools of his trade, except for some of the rarer and more valuable
crystals. These he filled his pockets with, taking care not to let them break and release the
potent knockout gas. He had no wish to be here when the Downwinders awoke. He crept
over to the safe, and inserted the key into the lock. He guessed that with such a strong lock
on the door the thieves would not have bothered with a proper safe, and he now found that
he was right. The safe swung open, to reveal piles of paper, and several items of expensive
loot. The loot went into Garretts cloak, while the papers came out onto the desk. Garrett
glanced through them quickly, but only one was of much interest. He spread it out onto the
desk so as to read it better:

Downwinder Donal

I am most satisfied with your efforts to recover the miniature treasure box, and I am aware that you
expended a great amount of time to carry out this contract. It is most unfortunate that one of your
guild was arrested by the Hammers and deported to Cragscleft, but I am sure that he will be in no
position to reveal any involvement of either myself or you. My client will of course reimburse you for
your tragic loss.

However, my client is also displeased that you neglected to fully carry out the terms of your contract.
You have not recovered the sceptre, an antique that is now in the hands of a noble. You will not be
paid until you recover it from Lord Bafford. I am aware that the item in question was not present at
the time of your job, but my client is loathe to listen to the excuses you have provided for your late
delivery. If you had made the attempt at the time that was suggested in my previous letter, I doubt
that you would be in this situation

My client is not inclined to wait a similar period for the delivery of this part of the contract, and so I
have been authorised to disclose to you several details that have been discovered as to the location of
the sceptre. As I am sure you are aware, this information is sensitive, and could mean something
when it reaches the ears of a certain person. As a result, you are not to inform any of your guild
about the source of this information, or even its content. Might I suggest that you send a scouting
party to the location in question so as to provide a false source to this information? Rest assured, my
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client will spare no expense to revenge himself if it becomes clear that the information has been made
available to the wrong person.

The sceptre is made of weirwood, and is about 3 foot long. Six inches of the ferule, and five of the
grip, are overlaid in burnished copper with an ink-and-cracquadare varnish. At the top is a six-inch
cloustone gem. A more detailed description is known, so you would be best advised not to attempt to
remove several gems from the sceptre before conveying it to me and my client. The sceptre is in Lord
Baffords guest house, in his throne room. There are around 15 guards in the mansion, and it is
known for sure that one of them guards the entrance to the throne room.

It is known to me from other sources that in several weeks Bafford will be attending a dinner in the
neighbouring town of Cyric, so then might be the best time to obtain the item. My client will be most
displeased if he is forced to wait for this particular antique. Once you have it, contact me through the
usual channels so as to arrange a point to deliver it. Do not fail.

Lord Tanner

Garrett smiled to himself, and tucked the paper inside his cloak. Any information on
another job was welcome. He moved his fingers to another pocket, and drew out several
pieces of paper. The papers he had taken from Larnsengs desk, the papers that revealed his
plot. Grinning with sheer animal wickedness, Garrett strategically placed the papers in the
open safe, and then stepped back to admire the effect. Now the Downwinders would be
sure to notice them, and to read them. And once they did they would go after Larnseng.
Their fear of the consequences of Ramirez finding out would do that. And if Ramirez got
to know about it then the resulting conflict would be even bloodier. Garrett smiled in
happy anticipation. Revenge was indeed sweet.

A dark figure detached itself from the shadows outside the maintenance station, and made
its way through the warren of streets in the City. Garrett had something to show a man.
Cutty. And he had an inkling of where his next job would be. He patted the letter in his
pouch, and smiled.

Chapter 5

Cutty sat at the table, and peered at the man opposite him. A bulky, muscular man, Cutty
was a fence for some of the best thieves in the City, and was used to dealing with the
criminal classes. His vacant blue eyes and balding head hid behind them a sharp, analytical
brain that had served Cutty well during his career. Starting as a thief, he had gradually
made enough money to retire, but the thrill of his career had kept him stealing. This was
until a guards sword had punctured his lung. A healing potion had helped, sealing up the

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rent, but Cutty still found trouble breathing, and was frequently sick in the damp, polluted
fogs that often blanketed the City.

However, for all his experience he was made nervous by the man on the other side of the
desk from him. He said that his name was Garrett, and that he wanted Cutty for his fence.
The fact that this man had even heard of Cutty was remarkable; the fences profession was
not one that encouraged notoriety. However, Garrett had also found Cuttys home, had
stepped out of the shadows as the fence had approached his door. Cutty had heard rumours
of men who could vanish into the shadows, and the fact that Garrett had managed to remain
undetected even to the fences watchman made him uneasy. However, the most unnerving
thing was Garretts face, hidden in the shadows cast by his hooded cloak. The flickering
candlelight occasionally highlighted a nose and cheekbones, but nothing else. Garretts eyes
also reflected the candlelight, sparkling as he shifted his head.

Cutty stopped his inspection of the man, and looked down at the parchment that he had
brought. The paper was poor quality, and the ink had faded. However, the writing was
smooth and aristocratic, reminiscent of the few letters that Cutty had received from Lord
Tanner during the progression of a previous job. The details in the letter matched with
what Cutty knew, but did not convince him of the validity of Garretts purported
reputation. The fingers that had appeared to hand the letter over had been long and slim;
perfect for a thief, but also for a forger. Cutty had no wish to be duped.

He cleared his throat, and began to speak in his low, throaty voice. Garrett, he said,
while I acknowledge that the letter appears genuine, I remainunconvincedabout its
origin. There are as many forgers in this city as there are thieves, and, as you can
understand, I have no wish to act as your fence on the evidence that you have presented.

Before Cutty could say any more, Garretts head came up, and the eyes stared into his. The
shadow inside the hood nodded slowly, and then the man stood up from his chair. Nervous,
Cutty slipped his hand below his desk to prepare to summon the watchman from outside the
door. Garretts hand came out, and Cutty was on the verge of pressing the button when the
thief snatched the letter from his other hand. The paper went into the cloak, and then
Garrett turned around to leave, his cloak sweeping round to cause several other papers on
the desk to fall off. Garrett stepped towards the door, opened it and walked through it,
shutting it behind him. Cutty released the breath he had been holding, and moved his hand
from the button to the desk. The silence of the thiefs exit had been unsettling, and Cutty
was glad to see the back of him. Calling in his watchman, he sent the man out to tail
Garrett, both to see where he lived and to ensure that he was not an agent of the City
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Guard. The one time that had happened before, the agents body had been found floating
in the sewer.

Garrett slipped quietly through the shadows of the sleeping City, fuming at Cuttys words.
Life on the streets and with the Keepers had been tough and disappointing, but he had
come to expect more from his career after the Keepers. Although he understood
intellectually why the fence had refused him, he felt betrayed, especially after what he had
been through to obtain what he though was sufficient evidence of his skill. He paused at an
intersection, and waited in the shadow of a porch as a contingent of the City Guard passed
by on their patrol. After their departure all was silent, and Garrett was about to move off
when he heard the faint scrape of leather against stone. He paused, and then heard the
sound again. Garrett smiled. While it would not endear him to Cutty, removing his
watchman might make him more eager to receive Garrett when the time came to see him
again.

Garrett drew his bow from his back, and selected a broadhead from the quiver. Nocking
the feathered end into the string, he leant out and scanned the street. All seemed still and
quiet, but the Keepers had taught Garrett how to force someone to reveal themselves. He
drew back the arrow, and aimed it carefully. Then, he released the string and the arrow
sped off, impacting on the wooden door of the house with a large thud. Suddenly, from a
shadowed doorway in another part of the street, a shape moved, as the man moved to the
door. Garrett smiled coldly. By making the arrow hit the join between the planks, it made
a sound like that of a body hitting the floor. He now prepared to make the sound for real.
This arrow struck the watchman in the throat, piercing the windpipe as the steel head
buried itself in the flesh. Gurgling in pain and surprise, the man fell backwards, and Garrett
resumed his journey back to his lodgings.

At his lodgings, he removed his cloak, and stored the tools of his trade in a secret space he
had made behind his bed. A false nail and hidden latch concealed the space, and the bed
prevented accidental discovery. Garrett then sat down on his bed to read his reward of the
evening. His fit of pique at Cuttys house had been only partly real. The sweep of the cloak
over the desk concealed his hand as it reached for the letters. He had only managed to grab
one, but it promised to be a mostenlightening read.

Cutty

I write to inform you that my client is most impressed with the talents you have displayed in
retrieving the requested items. Although your price is somewhat high for the work performed, my

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client has consented to allow me to offer you a bonus for the considerable speed with which you
obtained the Compass Gems, and for your disgression. Angering the Hammerites is never a good
idea, and my client is pleased that the Gems were retrieved from them with no trace of his
involvement.

I regret that you believe my involvement with the arrest and subsequent execution of the thief who
performed our contract. Rest assured that I am in no way involved with this sorry incident such a
thing would destroy my fellows trust in me, and, as you must be aware, trust is the most valuable
thing a fence must possess.

However, to ensure that you hold nothing against me, I am prepared to offer you another job. Your
success in dealing with the Hammerites has also influenced me and my client in this choice of your
services.

The task is to enter the Hammerite library in the district of Prisongate, and remove a certain book
from the shelves of the library. The book is called The Sacrifice of Brother Gearsmith to defeat the
Trickster, and contains several pages that my client would prefer to remain the exclusive owner of.
The pages deal with the Tricksters lair, the Maw of Chaos. Let me assure you that my client has no
Pagan ties, but merely wishes to ensure that he possesses the sole copy of this rather valuable tone. My
client will accept either the complete book or proof of its destruction. He is prepared to pay 2000 if
this is done in two weeks, otherwise the amount decreases by 100 every week. I will, of course, pay
half the amount beforehand.

If you wish to accept this commission, contact me through the usual channels to confirm it, and to
arrange for when to deliver the book or the proof. If you wish to decline this commission, please
return this letter to the standard address. Viktoria

Garrett put down the letter, and stared at it thoughtfully. He had heard of Viktoria, an
attractive woman who dealt with exotic objects and medicinals. This orientation towards
nature had led some to accuse her of being a Pagan, a label that was undesirable to someone
who had the ambition she was reputed to have. She had previously been the fence to a City
Warden called Raputo, but had left suddenly. Rumour had it that she had forged links with
a wealthy new client. Judging from the sum being offered in the letter, this would appear to
be true.

He picked up the letter and read it through again. The sum was attractive, and libraries
tended to be full of librarians and not guards. Even the Hammerites in this library were
likely to be scholars and not warriors. Additionally, he was eager to cultivate contacts to
help him in his work, or to pass on news of his work to others who would require his
services. Garrett was ambitious, and while not consumed by greed he was determined to
live out his life in a reasonable standard of luxury.

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That was the reason why, several days later, Garrett found himself outside the library, the
chill wind cutting through his skin to his bones, despite the clothes he wore. His cloak was
intended only for concealment, and the clothes below were light to allow him to carry the
tools of his trade. However, he was not the only one who found the cold unbearable.
Outside the library stood two Hammerite guards, dressed in their red and silver clothes.
Around their necks were neck-plates to protect the throat, while they each carried their
trademark sledgehammer. A large instrument, heavy enough to be only wielded by the
warriors of the Hammerite Order, it could inflict devastating blows to unprotected flesh,
and dent the expensive armour that nobles wore. Garrett remembered a scene from his
youth, where a Hammerite patrol had been prevented from arresting a citizen by a
contingent of the City Guard. Facing six swords, the Hammerites had attacked, using their
sledgehammers to beat aside the weaker blades and crush the skulls of the Guards. By the
time that the sole remaining member had retreated, the two Hammerites had killed the
remaining five without a single injury to themselves.

The gate that the Hammerites guarded was typical of their unique architectural style. As if
fearing attack from the Pagans or revolting citizens, the Hammerites built their installations
like fortresses, with thick, crenelated walls and large towers. The gate was flanked on both
sides by thick, squat towers, their tops only slightly higher than the level of the surrounding
battlements. The entrance was small, and blocked by a heavy portcullis controlled by the
gatehouse above. Through the archer slits in the walls, Garrett could see powered lights
that seemed to flash on and off as the archers walked in front of them on their patrols. In a
frontal attack, the library would only fall through a siege or total destruction of its defences.
However, Garrett was not planning to enter the building through the front gate.

He knelt, his cloak forming a black puddle of cloth on the floor, and reached out his hands
to lever back the drain cover inset in the floor. The sewers were normally reached through
the district maintenance stations, but certain sections of the Citys sewers possessed
manholes, to enable the workers to climb down and eliminate problems. Although intended
to be locked and bolted, the Department of Public Works assumed that no-one would want
to climb down into the sewers, and so did not replace the locks when they rusted away and
fell off.

The cover opened with a scream of protesting hinges, and Garrett quickly slipped into the
hole beneath to avoid being seen. He closed the cover behind him, and found himself
standing on a platform several feet above the main sewage tunnel, with a ladder leading
down to the walkways that flanked it.

Garrett dropped down on to the walkway, and looked around. The sewage level in the main
channel was low, evidence of the recent shortage of water that the entire region had been
experiencing. The small amount of food that was grown in the local area had raised the

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prices for it enormously, and meant that now only the rich could afford it. As a result the
stench was minimal and bearable, and would hopefully not leave a distinctive odour on his
clothes. He stepped along the walkway, his footfalls loud against the roughly cut and
dressed stone. His hand slipped inside his cloak, and emerged with a sheet of rough
parchment. The archives of the Department of Public Works were well guarded to prevent
the misuse of its maps in this manner, but Garrett had contacts who could procure the
necessary plans for a price. Most of his working budget went towards purchasing maps for
the jobs he was contracted to do. Although expensive, it gave him a valuable lead over his
competitors.

His map in hand, Garrett navigated his way towards his objective, using the faint light of the
infrequent torches and his own hand to guide him. Eventually he reached the side tunnel, a
smaller sewer with no walkways or lamps that branched out from the main sewer. It was
blocked by a metal grate, its bars rusted and old. It was a work of moments to use his sword
to smash open the padlock that held it shut, and then to push the grate open so as to allow
him to access it. Thankfully the tunnels floor was curved in such a way that Garrett could
walk along it without dirtying his feet. Although he was not fastidious by nature, he was
reluctant to dirty his feet in a way that would leave distinctive footmarks and make him easy
to smell.

Eventually Garrett reached the end of the tunnel, and found himself inside the privy of the
library. While not the most elegant way to enter such an institution of learning, he had
decided that it would promote longevity to avoid taking on the guards at the entrance to the
it. He took out his short-bow, and reached into his quiver to draw out his sole rope arrow.
He had been relying on the Hammerites using wood as their ceiling although he had
planned how to get in if the ceiling was stone, he was reluctant to go to such extremes to
enter. The rope arrow impacted in the roof, and the line extended downwards through the
hole to Garrett. Sending up a mental prayer to the Watchman that no-one walk in, he
climbed on the rope and hauled his way up. Gradually his head, and then his shoulders,
emerged through the hole, allowing him to see that the place was unoccupied and lit by a
flickering torch that could be extinguished if the need arose. The room itself was
remarkable only in its ordinarity, with a flagstone floor, stone walls and a wooden roof. The
walls were bare stone, undecorated with either carvings or tapestries, while the only
furniture was the wooden board with the hole in it through which Garrett had come.

He crept over to the door of the room and listened. Faintly he heard the sound of footsteps
on stone floor, footsteps that decreased in volume as the guard presumably walked away.

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Garrett opened the door, and peered out into the corridor. It was similar in construction to
the room he was in presently, but the floor had carpet runners, and wooden panels covered
the walls above waist height. Torch lights flickered in inset holders. At the moment all was
quiet, but Garrett knew that he would have to move quickly, for Hammerites were
patrolling the corridors.

Mentally recalling his map of the place, he slipped out of the door, shut it behind him, and
then made his way down the corridor. He had decided that the most likely place it would be
in the Ancient History section of the library the most obvious section, Pagans, was no
longer in existence, and its books had been re-distributed among the many remaining
sections. However, the quickest route to the necessary section required passing through the
Technology section of the library. While the bookcases would provide good cover,
Garrett would have much preferred to take the longer, but safer route through the reading
rooms and the scribes quarters. However, speed was of the essence, due to the fact that he
wanted to be far away from the library before the Hammerites became aware of the books
absence.

He walked down the corridor, finally finding the correct door. In the background he could
hear muted footsteps of a guard, footsteps that increased in volume as the guard drew nearer
and nearer. Garrett never made it his practice to walk into rooms without listening at the
door first, but the need to disappear before the guard arrived made him ignore his instincts,
open the door, and slip in. Thankfully the area on the other side of the door was deeply
shaded, and he quietly walked into it, shutting the door behind him to avoid arousing
suspicion. The door to Ancient History was on the other side of the room, and Garrett
began to move towards it, taking care to stay in the shadows as much as possible. He had
just moved out of them when he heard the sound of footsteps that drew nearer and louder,
until they finally stopped just on the other side of the bookcase. Garrett froze with fear,
hardly daring to breathe. Then two voices began to speak, and he realised with horror that
there were two Hammerites on the other side of the bookcase, having a conversation just
feet away from him;

So, Brother Karras, dost thy work on thine new security cameras proceed well?

Indeed, Brother Dovetail. Master Forger Garacon hath expressed great satisfaction
on the functioning of them. I have even heard that mine work hast been chosen to
be installed in Cragscleft!

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 Truly this is news! Thou hast solved the problems thou didst experience with
them?

Aye, the cameras do now function as the Builder intended. Indeed, I do want to
make further improvements to them, but the accursed Master Forger Masonson hast
prohibited me from it!

Why, Brother Karras?

Oh, he didst say that mine ideas are too unconventional, that the Master Builder
hast given us the technology and that it is not our purpose to improve on it. His lack
of vision infuriates me. The Builder didst give us hands to work with, and didst give
us the brains to improve the machines that were His gift to us. Are we to be like the
Pagans, who use not their brains and so still build their houses of wood?!

Hush, Brother! Thine passion for our Order does indicate the depths of thine faith, but
ist that thou is thinking of defying the wishes of the Master Forgers, even the High Priest?
Aye, the Master Builder gave us His machines and His blessing, but thou canst seriously be
so radical as to rebel against our superiors. For tis their task to interpret the Builders
word, and ours to follow it. If thou dost continue with thine attitude, thou willst find thyself
closer to thine security cameras than thou dost wish to. Cragscleft is the only destination
for those who choose to doubt the Builders commands, or those whom He has chosen as
our leaders!
I know, Brother Dovetail, I know. Yet, I cannot rid myself of these thoughts. I
even have plans for a greater security measure, with great cameras of copper and
brass that move by themselves and can do more actions than just raise the alarm.
Our theology does not allow for such radical machines, but I feel

Brother Karras, if thou art to continue this diatribe against our theology I will have
no choice but to speak of thee to the Master Forger. As the Master Builder says,
When thou dost consort with thieves thou dost become one in the eyes of those who
see. I have no wish to end up in the cell beside thee. I bid thee good night, and
warn thee that if thine attitude persists thou may be meeting the Master Builder
earlier than thou dost hope for!

Abruptly the conversation ended, with the sound of a single set of footsteps wandering
away. The other priest remained behind. From the lisping voice Garrett decided that it
was Brother Karras, for that was how the voice had been addressed by the other priest. He
was preparing to move on towards the door when suddenly the one behind him opened. He
spun round quickly, to see a Hammerite guard walking through the door. In his hand was a
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sledgehammer. Aware that he only had moments to act, Garrett drew his sword its
scabbard inside his cloak, and ran at the man. The Hammerite was quick to see him, and let
out a call for help that must have alerted the entire compound. Garrett feinted with the
sword, and thrust at the man, but the Hammerite was proficient with his weapon and
responded with a parry that blocked the attack. With his sword pushed away the thiefs
flank was open, and the Hammerite took advantage of this. He thrust his sledgehammer
towards Garretts head with a roar. The thief tried to avoid him, but the heavy metal head
caught him just above the ear, and knocked him to the ground. Garrett landed heavily, and
felt the world grow black as the Hammerite loomed over him.

When Garrett came to he found himself in a cell. The walls were stained white with water,
the floor brown with mud, and the ceiling black with soot. The bars of the cell were rusted
but strong, and deeply inset into the stone of the floor and ceiling. He was lying on a
mound of earth covered with straw. A small pit in the corner stank abominably, while the
floor was stained with ominous patches of dried, crusted blood.

Suddenly, there was movement in the cell next over. A groan came from it, and Garrett
looked over to see a pale man emerge from beneath the straw of the bed. He was dark-
haired and medium in size, with soft hands that were stained with ink. His clothes were
those of a clerk, but were ripped and torn, probably from when the Hammerites had taken
him into custody. His eyelids gradually flickered open, and he lay for a long time looking at
the ceiling, breathing shallowly. Then, with a curse, he rolled over and saw Garrett for the
first time. The man was ill, that was plain, but seemed to be strong enough to talk.

Garrett normally kept to himself, but the man had no such inhibitions. He said that his
name was Giry, and that he had formerly had a job tending the ticket counter at the Citys
opera house. Fired after Lady Valerius had taken over the job of managing the opera house
from her rival Raoul, he had been forced to live on the streets. However, the Hammerites
had arrested him after a failed attempt to earn a living as a pickpocket. He needed money to
bribe a worker for a key to a Department of Public Works sewer maintenance building.
Like the Downwinders, Giry had found a secret passage below it that would be perfect to
live in.

Girys conversation was cut short by the arrival of a Hammerite guard. Gloating, the guard
came and stood by the cells, just out of reach.

So, he said. You are to be the newest arrivals at Cragscleft. I canst see that mine
brethren will be very busy for a time most probably a short time.

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Chapter 6

Garrett awoke with a start, his body aching and drawing him back to the comfortable
oblivion of sleep. The Hammerites had not been gentle, and the rack had been extensively
used before finally he had been thrown back into his cell to await deportation. He felt as if
he had been pummelled all over no part of his body did not hurt. An informant of his,
Dikket, had undergone such torture before recanting and being released from Cragscleft.
Garrett had not believed him, thinking that such sadistic practices were beyond even the
Hammerites. However, recent experience seemed to indicate that the treatment meted out
to suspected Pagans went beyond even that which heretical Hammerites underwent. Dikket
had been able to walk when he had been thrown back onto the streets Garrett felt as if he
could not move.

Willing himself to resist the pain, he struggled to sit up and look around at his cell. As the
brief impressions he had glimpsed from the previous night had shown, it was small and
cramped. Rusted bars were deeply inset in the mud-covered stonework of the floor. Water
ran down the bars and also dripped of a roof stained black with soot. On the floor was a
thin covering of straw, which was not thick enough to conceal the brown stains of dried
blood there. The entire dungeon was similarly composed, with several cells that were the
same as his. In the adjacent one was Giry, while the others were occupied by sullen drunks
or labourers. The Hammerites made frequent anti-crime sweeps, arresting anyone they
regarded as suspicious. The librarys proximity to PrisonGate meant that there were more
disreputable types in the area then might otherwise have been expected. They were all
dressed in rough clothes, and their dull eyes stared out of dull and expressionless faces.

In one part of the dungeon, by the single set of stairs leading down there, there was a
powered console, with switches that controlled the doors of the cells. Remote-locking
doors were a recent invention of the Hammerites, and the design was beginning to appear
in some of the houses in the City. While such doors could not be locked, the fact that the
sole method of opening them was often either concealed or a great distance elsewhere made
opening them require considerable effort. When meeting another informant at a local
tavern, Garrett had overheard a conversation from a thief at another table, talking about
how all of the switches had been in a guard room, a room brightly lit and patrolled by
several guards. The thief had left, the impregnability of the doors forcing him to seek
alternative, and easier, prey.

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However, Garretts eyes were immediately drawn to the figure standing by the console.
The man was smaller than most Hammerites, and was dressed in a red surcoat that
displayed the Hammerite symbol of the hammer in silver. From his build and dress Garrett
guessed that he was a priest of the order, rather than the guards who wore the full body
armour and carried the massive sledgehammers. From the mans presence in the dungeon,
Garrett even guessed that the man was an Inquisitor, a priest trained in the art of torture.
The thief had recalled glimpses through his tears of pain of a small man on the outskirts of
the group of Hammerites torturing him who appeared to be directing them. Hammerite
priests were arrogant, assured of their power and domination over their proselytes and the
common people. However, this mans face was full of fear, his eyes continually shifting
from the stairway to the sledgehammer lying on the console. The sledgehammer was too
heavy for him to wield, and must have been placed there by another member of the
Hammerite Order.

Garrett gradually became aware of shouts and screams that could be faintly heard. The
dungeon was probably many feet below ground level, with tons of solid rock in between.
That must mean that the faint noise he could hear would be deafening at its source. It
almost sounded like a riot, a mass of people yelling and screaming at the object of their
hatred. However, the notion that such a thing would take place inside the Hammerite
library was ridiculous. He dismissed it, and instead considered that perhaps it was coming
from another part of the street.

He was forced to reconsider this conclusion as the sounds of the riot increased in volume.
The people appeared to be getting closer. The Inquisitor became more nervous, walking
around the room and occasionally looking up the stairway. The noise steadily grew greater,
until it became almost too loud to think. It seemed like a pure expression of rage and hatred
from thousands of throats. Screams and yells echoed down the stairway towards the
cramped space of the dungeon.

Suddenly, there was movement at the stairs. A Hammerite guard tumbled down them into
the room. His head was bloody, his armour red with the stuff. His sledgehammer was
missing, and even as Garrett watched an arrow shot out of the stairway to hit the man in the
chest. Hammerite armour could guard against most types of melee weapons, and the solid
neck guards could resist even arrows. However, the chain-mail of the body armour could
not stop the arrow, which seemed to have penetrated below the ribs. The man convulsed,
his body jerking as blood and vomit flowed from his mouth. He gasped in pain, but soon
fell silent as more blood flowed from his mouth and his wounds. The Inquisitor rushed to

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the stairway. Garrett saw his lips move as the man mumbled words, and his hands orbited
each other in front of him. Light began to glow at the centre point, and then the light
began to solidify. The Inquisitor leaned forward suddenly, and a small, glowing
sledgehammer shot from his hands, up the stairs. Garrett was shocked. The Hammerites
denounced magic, claiming it was magic of the Trickster. They hunted those who practised
magic, and killed or imprisoned the Hand Mages whenever they found them.

Even as Garrett thought this, another body fell down the stairs. It landed on top of the
Hammerite, and as it rolled of it Garrett saw that the chest of the man had been burnt away.
The man was dressed in the worn clothes of a workmen. The Inquisitor was, meanwhile,
preparing another hammer, but men emerged from the stairs before he could finish. One
threw a rock at the Hammerite. It struck him on the head, spinning him round even as he
released the deadly fireball. The man collapsed on the floor, while the hammer flew off and
crashed into the console. It impacted catastrophically, penetrating the tough metal and then
meeting the power connections and cables that the console operated. The machinery
exploded, the power igniting in a spectacular explosion that completely destroyed the
console. Suddenly the cell doors sprang open, but the crowd ignored this as they surged
towards the fallen Hammerite. They surrounded him, and, even as Garrett forced himself
out of the cell, swords, rocks and stolen sledgehammers raised and fell. Many of them were
red with blood. The Inquisitor screamed, a futile outburst of pain that abruptly stopped.

The crowd of rioters had not stopped screaming, but the overall volume had decreased to
the point where individual words could be made out. Most of what the rioters were saying
was a stream of suprisingly inventive invective. Garretts body ached, and the pain was
almost unbearable. He stumbled drunkenly to the stairs, and then attempted to climb them.
People were starting to return to the upper levels of the compound, and pushed him against
the walls of the stairway as they ran back up. Parts of the walls and the stairs were dark with
blood that was still wet, while occasionally he would see broken blades or splintered arrows.

Eventually he reached the top, and stared in amazement at the scene before him. The
rioters had completely destroyed the library, trampling the books and manuscripts into the
dirt, and burning them with the torches that had flickered on the walls. Powered lamps had
been smashed, and splintered furniture lay on the floor. Book shelves had been overturned,
spilling ancient parchments to the floor, where the heavy boots of the rioters scuffed and
tore them. Also on the floor were bodies, of both Hammerites and rioters. The dead rioter
bore horrific injuries, with heads that bore blood-stained dents, or limbs that were bent into
anatomically impossible poses. Their cheap, worn clothing was soaked with blood, blood

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that covered the floor and was absorbed by the pages of the books. The bodies of the
Hammerites were surrounded by greater numbers of dead bodies, evidence of the sheer
volume of attackers. Their bodies had been attacked even after death, crushed by clubs and
torn by the sword blades. All around Garrett people were drinking precious sacramental
wine with wild abandonment, or tearing the fine tapestries from the walls. Others walked
around with gold altar decorations, or relics inset with precious stone.

Garrett stared in amazement, but the pain of his battered body brought his thoughts back to
the current situation. With no equipment or lodgings, he had no hope of even surviving,
much less making a living. Battered and bruised as he was, living on the streets would make
him a target for all of the thugs and cut-throats that ruled them when the sun went down.
He had to find somewhere to hide until his strength returned. Unfortunately, no place
sprang to mind. Garrett made few friends the more there were, the greater the chance
was of being betrayed. However, this also meant that most of his companions were business
associates, such as informants, and no-one where would risk the wrath of the Hammerites
and the City Guard by sheltering him. As he thought this through, the crowds behind him
managed to destroy a marble pillar, smashing it with captured sledgehammers to get at
precious stone. The pillar collapsed, as did the roof it supported. A huge slab of rock fell
onto the packed crowd below. It did not hit the floor, but instead slammed onto two pews
that briefly resisted the weight before being smashed themselves. The slab hit the floor, and
Garrett could see the legs of people who had not moved in time sticking out from the slab,
and the bodies of those whose legs were beneath the slab. For a moment, the slab had
formed a rock shelter. However, while he saw it he did not observe it. His eyes glazed as he
thought, but then he hit his forehead with his hand in dismay, and rushed to the stairway to
the dungeons.

When he emerged at the top, he was soaking with sweat, and his body screamed with pain.
He dropped Giry from his shoulder and collapsed onto the ground, panting and drawing in
deep, painful breaths. Giry moaned as he fell to the floor, but made no move to get up. His
treatment at the hands of the mob had not been as systematic as the torture of the
Hammerites had been on Garrett, but he had been hurt just as much. Garrett and the other
prisoners in the dungeons had been hardened felons, rough men much like those who had
started the riot. Giry, on the other hand, was a meek clerk who was unfamiliar with the laws
of the street, and the punishments for disobeying them. When Garrett had finally
despatched the last of the group he had found Giry lying, curled up, on the floor, all visible
skin dark with bruises. From the belt of one of the fallen group Garrett had found a healing
potion, but Girys wounds were only partially affected by it. He would require a long time
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before he was well. However, he was conscious enough to remember the location of the
cavern.

Garrett looked around at the crowd, which was still devastating the wrecked library. He
considered going after the book that Viktoria had asked Cutty for, but if the scene before
him was any proof then by now it would have been torn, ripped and ground into the dirt.
Garretts only hope was now to find Girys cavern, and then to make more elaborate plans
from there. The noise of the crowd was still painful, a mass of voices that screamed and
yelled profanities at the Hammerites and each other. Garrett had spoken with a quieter
member of the crowd, and what he had learnt greatly disturbed him. The man said that he
had encountered the riot several streets away, and that they had been yelling for the
Hammerites to release the people they arrested on the streets and sent to Cragscleft.
However, the thing that disturbed Garrett was that there were no ringleaders to the riot.
Spontaneous riots were rare, and most petered out through lack of leadership long before
they grew to such a size as to overpower the guards at the front gate of the library.
Sledgehammers had mysteriously appeared to batter down the portcullis, and many of the
rioters had been armed with swords or bows. The man had said that he had caught glimpses
of mysterious shadows that moved around, but had dismissed them as tricks of the lights.
Garrett was not quite so disbelieving. He possessed such a skill, and had learnt it from the
Keepers. It was the Keeper way to manipulate people or crowds, leading them so as to
accomplish the job and cover all traces of the Orders involvement. The thief was not so
egotistical as to believe that the Keepers had instigated the riot to rescue him, but the
timing and intent of the riot made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Then, he found something else to be scared about. At the door at the end of the room he
had seen a flash of red and silver. The colours appeared again, and he could see panicked
rioters fleeing towards him. Then a sledgehammer, dripping with blood, lifted above the
heads of the crowd, and plunged down again. The Hammerite counter-attack had arrived.

The noise of the crowd changed from anger to despair. People in torn clothing, with
treasures in their hands, rushed past him, and Garrett could hear the sounds of angry
Hammerite voices. Suddenly he heard others, and turned to see more Hammers where
most of the crowd was fleeing. They were trapped.

Suddenly, he remembered how he had entered the place. However, he would not have
much time to escape, especially through the mass of panicked people. He stooped, and
picked up Giry. Throwing the mans battered body over his shoulder, he forced his own
aching body to move towards the direction of the privies. He had memorised the maps of
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the place, but the distances seemed much greater with the weight of another as well as
himself to carry. From both sides he could hear screams of panic and fear from the crowd,
and the hysterically angry shouts of Hammerites. One group attacked the rioters
ferociously, carving a path that would intersect Garretts. The leader of the group pointed
at Garrett, and the thief saw the blood-soaked face of the Hammerite who had found him
and knocked him out. The man pointed, and the group redoubled their efforts.

Then, an arrow sped out and hit the man in the chest. He tumbled backwards, his face
changing from anger to surprise. His body slid out of view behind the heads of the crowd.
The group he had been leading stopped in surprise, and the rioters around them fell upon
them, fists and stones beating aside the heavy sledgehammers. Garrett turned round, and
fancied he saw a shadows melt into the stonework where the arrow seemed to have come
from. The hairs on the back of his neck standing, he managed to make his way to the
privies, now dragging Giry behind him. The clerk moaned in pain as the rough flagstones
scraped his back, but the alternative was to leave him here. Garrett needed Giry to tell him
where to find the man with the key to the sewer cavern. If Giry was co-operative, Garrett
might even leave him alone after this.

Finally he reached the privies, and recoiled in disgust from the smell. A several Hammerites
had been present when the riot had reached the library, and the results of the massacres
were not pleasant. Steeling himself, Garrett stepped in, and over to the holes that led down
to the sewers below the place. He grabbed the collar of Girys torn shirt, and lifted him
onto the seat. He forced the mans legs through the hole, and then released him. Giry fell
on the floor with a dull thump, but was still moaning and seemed undamaged. With a
backward glance, Garrett too put his feet in the hole, and then slid through it.

He managed to avoid landing on Giry, but his ankles and knees screamed in pain as he
impacted on the floor. He managed to maintain the presence of mind to remain upright,
and not to land in the sewage on the floor. Although periodically flushed by running water,
the Hammerites appeared not to have done this before the crowd fell upon them. Giry was
soaked in sewage. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, and glad that he would have to get rid of
the clothes anyway to avoid being recognised, Garrett picked up Giry and began to make his
slow and painful way towards the main sewer, and the exit there to the street.

Chapter 7

Garrett looked around the small cavern in disgust. Created from a geological fissure, its
rough stone walls made sinister gargoyles in the candlelight. The torches themselves
flickered as water dripped from the low ceiling onto the solitary holder. The floor was a
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rough carpet of moss, which did nothing to make the jagged stone beneath it any more
comfortable to lie on. From further down the tunnel, in the inky blackness, he could hear
the sounds of venomous spiders, their legs clicking as they hit stone. Occasionally he would
hear low hisses as two spiders met, and once he had even heard a death cry as one spider was
defeated by another. Giry sat on the straw, leaning against the opposite wall, his attention
focused on the pitiful collection of necessities he had managed to obtain. His bedroll had
been folded into a neat collection of folds, on top of which lay a rusty cooking pot and a
collection of broken and bent eating utensils.

He shifted, and looked at Garrett. The two had come down here after dark, Giry with his
possessions and Garrett with the key. A few hours rest had cured Giry, and the additional
healing option had helped. The apothecary that Garrett had broken into had yielded only
two potions the rest of the potions there had been for people who were charitably known
as ladies of negotiable affections. He had made enough money from the job and from
picking pockets to afford the key, and the maintenance worker had been happy to exchange
a copy of it for the bulging purse. Looking around, Garrett privately thought that the
worker had profited the most from the deal. Only the most desperate of felons would live
down here. He needed to obtain some money, to purchase equipment and to afford
reasonably civilised lodgings. He also wanted to get proof of his skill for Cutty, something
other than a letter the fence would contemptuously toss aside. Garretts time with the
Keepers had taught him how to keep his emotions in check, but his time on the streets and
his departure from the order had meant that he had forgotten these lessons. He wanted to
get back at Cutty, to prove that he was truly worthy of Cuttys skills as a fence. However,
with no equipment, no money, and no leads, he was in a decidedly disadvantageous position.
Giry would be no help the man was too much of a coward and did not possess enough
money to make stealing from him desirable.

This was until Giry started talking about his time in the opera house. The torch still burnt
in his holder, as he talked to both himself and Garrett about the opera house. The building
was a veritable maze, full of twisting corridors, forgotten rooms, and secret passages that
were only known to some of the staff. The previous owner, Raoul, had not trusted the
opera cast, and had withheld the knowledge of the passages from them. Garrett was
listening at this point, taking in the information in the event that he would ever find it
necessary to pull off a job there. It seemed unlikely, for Giry said that the floors were
mainly of loud tile, the lamps frequent and inextinguishable, and the guards numerous. The
subject of the opera cast had opened up a new road for Girys conversation, and Garrett was
forced to listen as the man talked on about the affairs of the cast, and the secret messages
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that the Prima Donna had made him carry between her and her admirer. His last package
had been bulky, and so heavy that he suspected it was something of immense value.

Upon hearing this, Garretts interest in Girys ramblings flared up. Sensing his attention,
the other man went on about his secret journeys, the perfumed notes and mysterious
strangers hidden in the damp fog that frequently covered the City. However, Garrett was
able to direct the conversation back towards the subject of the bulky package, although at
the cost of being assailed with gossip about the suspected courtiers of the Prima Donna.
Garrett learnt that Giry had delivered the package directly to the woman, and had actually
been inside her house. Apparently she lived in an apartment a short way from the opera
house, preferring to live in her own accommodation rather than that which the opera house
offered. The apartment had been small but elegantly furnished, with numerous momentos
from previous courtiers. There were several large windows into the rooms, and Giry had
seen a large decorative moulding that ran around the building at just below the base of the
windows. He also said that there were few guards, and that the only people, other than the
Prima Donna, who slept there were the housemaid and the cook.

Garrett settled back to think about what Giry had said. The bulky package could only have
been a gemstone or something of similar value, and he had heard rumours that the Prima
Donna had recently been given a rather valuable gift from a certain admirer. Judging from
what Giry had said, the place was not well guarded, and the job would most likely be
painless - and profitable.

That was the reason why Garrett found himself crouching on the window ledge of the
apartment building several days later. The weather was steadily becoming worse, with more
frequent fogs that sometimes lasted for days. He had profited well from this blanket of
mist, the faint glow of the streetlights failing to illuminate him as he stole the pouches off of
peoples belts. While he had considered such activities to be below his status as a thief, the
money had been useful, and enabled him to equip himself with the necessary tools to return
to Cutty with definite proof of his expertise. Garrett silently laughed it would be best if
Cutty never heard about the job at the library in Prisongate. Such failures were bad for
ones reputation, and it meant that Garrett was now known to the Hammerites as a thief.
While not enough to wreck a thiefs career, most fences were unwilling to employ one who
was already known and could be recognised.

The weather also caused biting winds that were funnelled by the tall buildings of the City
into formerly sheltered streets. The gusts were infrequent but powerful, and he had had to
exert extreme care in order not to end up on the streets. However, the wind did serve, to
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cover the sound of his footsteps. It would also cover the sound of his entrance. He did not
expect the Prima Donna to leave the contents of the package unattended, but instead to
hide it in a secret safe. After his experiences at Larnsengs Garrett was more knowledgeable
about such safes, and conversation with Giry had increased his knowledge further on the
ways in which levers and switches for such secrets could be concealed. He expected it to be
in the bedroom of the opera singer, but could not rule out the possibility of it being
somewhere else, such as the dining room. It would definitely not be in the servants rooms
the Prima Donna was, according to Giry, snobbish and had ambitions of nobility. Such
people kept their valuables close to their heart, and far from their servants. This eliminated
the possibility of hiding places there, and also in other rooms where the presence of the
servants would be common, such as the kitchen.

Garrett crouched by the window to bedroom, and gave it an experimental tug. It slid open,
but beyond the glass he could see the bed, and the Prima Donna in it. She stirred as the
cold wind filled the room, and so he shut it and moved on to the next window, which led
into the dining room and the lounge. This window moved equally easily, but this time
there was no-one on the other side of it. It was foolish to leave the windows unlatched in
times such as these, but, to be fair, no-one could have expected a thief to approach from the
windows rather than the door, for there had been several guards patrolling the top of the
roof. Now one lay unconscious, and the others lay with arrows in their bodies. Hopefully
they would not be discovered until dawn, by which time he hoped to be far away.

He slid in through the open window, and then turned to stare at the room. It was opulently
decorated, with a thick carpet and expensive wallpaper that was decorated with paintings.
The paintings had been produced on the printing presses of the Hammerites, and so were
identical to most of the others Garrett had seen. The ceiling was made of plaster, with
small chandeliers that dangled on blackened chains. At one end of the room was a dining
table with chairs set around it, all made of a polished wood that matched the carpet. At the
end nearest Garrett were several couches and an armchair. Their colour likewise matched
the carpet. However, this was not what drew Garretts attention. By the dining table, and
the shadowed alcoves there, he had just seen a shadow move. He was in shadow himself,
concealed in the space below the open window.

He watched again, but the shadows remained stubbornly silent. He was about to draw his
bow and arrow when suddenly the door from the Prima Donnas bedroom opened. The
woman herself emerged, in a night-dress that was distinctly unflattering. She walked bare-
footed across the carpet in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the bedroom door shut

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behind her. Then, as she disappeared, the shadow she had just passed moved. Garrett
could make out the shape of a cloaked figure as a man who must surely be a rival thief
moved towards the bedroom door. The shadow paused at it, testing the handle to see if it
was locked.

Garrett needed the loot from this job, and was not prepared to let anyone else deny him of
it. As the rival thief moved to open the door, Garrett pulled out a bow and arrow, and drew
back the string. The rustle of cloth and the creak of the wood alerted the man, whose
silhouette changed as his head swung about inside his hood to track the source of the noise.
However, that was his last conscious motion, for the arrow buried itself deep inside the
thiefs heart, piercing skin and muscle to puncture the organ. The thief made a gargling
noise as the arrow pierced the lungs as well, which began to fill with fluid, as he dropped to
his knees and then fell forward to the floor. He raised his hand, as if in mute appeal, but
then the shortage of oxygen and blood made it drop, and the corpse lay still on the elegant
carpet.

The whole process took no more that a few seconds. Stowing his bow, Garrett got up and
ran to the corpse. The blood stained the carpet, making it wet and soft. He cursed softly
neck or head shots usually released little or no blood, and resulted in a quicker death.
However, there was nothing to be done. He carried the body to where he had been hiding,
and concealed it in the shadows there. He stepped up, and opened the door, but then heard
the sound of footsteps returning, the sound muffled by the carpet. Garrett threw himself
into a shadow by the door as the woman returned, holding in her hand a plate of bread and
cheese. She paused suddenly, seeing the open door and window, and stood there as if
considering whether she had opened them herself. Then, she shook her head in dismissal,
and began to make her way back to the bedroom. On the way her feet encountered the
blood. The Prima Donna stopped in shock and horror, releasing the tray so that it fell with
a quiet crash onto the carpet. She looked down at her feet, and made as if to scream.
Garrett tensed in anticipation, his blackjack out and ready.

Then, the woman ran into the bedroom, leaving the door open and thus allowing Garrett to
look through into the bedroom. The room was decorated in the same style as the living
room, but with a wooden floor instead of a carpet for one. The footfalls of the Prima
Donna hit the floorboards with dull thumps as she rushed to a bookcase in the room.
Pulling a book from the shelf and tossing it aside, she reached behind it and appeared to
work something. Nothing happened for a moment, and then there was the dull grind of
working machinery as a section of the wall slid inwards, to reveal a hidden safe. The woman

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rushed over to it, and anxiously peered in. Her hand entered it and then withdrew, bringing
with it a large object wrapped in brown cloth. She clutched it to her, and her face showed
signs of pure relief. She then turned around to prepare to put the mysterious package back
in the safe.

In the shadows, Garrett smiled. She had done all of his work for him. While her back was
turned away from him, he slipped out from the shadow and walked towards her. His
blackjack was raised over his head, in preparation for the swing that would knock the
woman unconscious. However, his feet impacted on the floor with faint thumps, and as it
creaked under the weight the Prima Donna turned round, her mouth open and preparing to
scream.

With no time to think Garrett rushed forward and swung the weighted club at her head.
She tried to dodge but it hit her by her right temple, the lead lining giving lethal weight that
knocked her to the ground. He body fell with a loud thud, as Garrett stuffed the blackjack
onto his belt, and stepped forward. He picked up the fallen woman, and made his way to
the bed, staggering under the weight. Although physically fit, he was small and thin, as
befitted thief, and was ill suited to carrying heavy weights. He eventually reached the bed
and threw the body onto it, then arranging the sheets to make it look as if the woman had
fallen asleep. The deception done, he turned to look at the package that the Prima Donna
had just put back into the secret hiding place. The object was not as big as he had been led
to believe, being only the size of a small box. It was swaddled in thick, coarse brown cloth,
and tied securely with string. The string was curiously knotted in an elegant fashion that
contrasted ludicrously with the obvious crudity of the rest of the wrapping.

Garrett withdrew from his pocket a sharp knife and cut through the string, allowing it to fall
to the floor. He never normally brought such knives with him, for the blades were thin, and
thus weak, making them liable to snapping if a struggle ensued whilst they were being used
on a target. The cloth, released from its restraint by the removal of the string, fell open.
Garretts eyes widened in surprise as he looked at what lay within. There, nestled in the
fabric, lay the very treasure box that Larnseng had had stolen from Ramirez, and which
Garrett had taken from him. The silver birchwood box lay there in the folds of cloth, the
lion-paws of the base still clutching their crystal globes. Garrett had sold the box to a pawn-
shop that was known to deal in stolen goods. He had been cheated on the deal, reinforcing
his desire to find a fence, but the money had been necessary to pay the rent and other
miscellaneous expenses. However, he had heard rumours that Lord Bafford had enquired
after the full-size version. He had dismissed them as mere rumours, but now he wondered

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whether there was not a grain of truth in them. If it was so, then the box might also have
come from Bafford, for the sum of the set was worth much more than the two separately.
That would make Bafford the Prima Donnas admirer, and situation that would bring a
sizeable amount of embarrassment to him of it was made known. However, all of the proof
that Garrett had was mere conjecture there could be a simpler explanation.

Dismissing the thoughts of blackmail from his mind, Garrett considered what to do with the
treasure box. It would definitely be sufficient proof for Cutty, due to the fact that only one
was known to exist. It would also pay for more equipment, and of course the rent, until
Cutty could direct more lucrative jobs his way. Making his decision, Garrett wrapped the
box back up in its protective fabric, and gently placed it in his loot bag. He then thrust his
arm inside the safe to see if there was anything else left. His hand encountered only metal,
and so he withdrew it and went over to the bookcase to close the safe. The hidden door slid
shut with the dull grind of machinery, and Garrett went to the window to find his way back
out. The Prima Donna had no loot which could be easily removed, and so Garrett was
forced to console himself with the fact that he had the proof he needed for Cutty. The
journey back to the roof and then to the street seemed easier than it had in the opposite
direction, and once again a dark figure detached itself from the shadows, and made its way
through the warren of streets in the City. Garrett had something to show a man. Cutty.
And he had an inkling of where his next job would be.

Cutty turned the box over in his hands, staring critically at the fine workmanship. Unlike
Garrett, Cutty had seen the actual, full-size box, and was aware of how perfect a replica of it
this miniature was. The carvings alone had taken several months for the craftsman to
complete, and Cutty had marvelled at the fine work as he stood over the unconscious body
of the man, looting other items from his workshop. He had considered taking the partly-
completed treasure box there and then, but had decided to allow the man to complete the
small but perfect box, and then steal both the miniature and the actual piece. In the time
between then a guards sword had dashed that hope to pieces, and Cutty had despaired of
ever seeing it again. His gaze lifted to the shadowed figure opposite him. Cutty still had
suspicions about what had happened to his former watchman, but wasn't prepared to hold
that against this Garrett. Not when he held an example of the mans obvious skill. Well
Garrett, I believe this remarkable box to be genuine. Might I inquire where you obtained
this little trinket? he said. No, Cutty. Not until our business is concluded, said Garrett.
Although projecting an aura of confidence and silent malevolence, he was in actual fact very
nervous. If Cutty refused him his services, he would have nowhere else to go. Despite this,
he was reluctant to give away any more information that he needed to. Snap snap, Puppy
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Cutty said, silently impressed at the mans silence. Few thieves could resist bragging about
their jobs. However, it was also best to make sure they knew they were not invincible. I
admire your reluctance to divulge information. A most useful trait. However, I have heard
that the Prima Donna of the opera house has recently moved to Cyric after being robbed at
her house. Apparently Lord Bafford has also gone as well. A man who has enquired after
the larger version of this little treasure. Does this involve you in any way?. Garretts head
jerked back inside the hood as he heard this. In the shadows it was barely noticeable, but
Cutty had learned to see such things. He nodded his head, and spoke again; Well, it is of
no consequence. However, I must admit that I am most impressed with your acquisition of
this piece. As a result, I am prepared to act as a fence for you.

Garrett slumped back in his chair in relief. Finally he was on his path to wealth and
retirement. Releasing drawn breath, he said; What will your cut be?. Cutty looked up,
momentarily surprised by the mercenary nature of the question. 25 percent, he said and
that is on the more valuable pieces. For the smaller objects I can either take 50 percent, or
direct you to some of the moregenerous pawn shops. I am sure that you can interest
them in whatever trinkets you bring. Garrett had hoped for a larger cut, but such things
could be negotiated later. He brought his hand out, and Cutty shook it.

Now, Garrett, what do you want for your first job? Cutty asked as they sat back down I
am looking for someone to obtain for me a gemstone that I can have cut up and smuggled
to Bohn. I can suggest a few places for you of which I have maps. His voice trailed off
as Garrett reached into his cloak and drew from it a roll of parchment, which he pushed
across the table to Cutty. The fence picked it up, unrolled it, and found himself staring at
the letter he had seen earlier, the letter Garrett had brought with him the first time he had
met. Cutty looked up, and smiled at Garrett in delight. Ah, I can see that you have an
excellent sense of irony. Very well, Baffords manor and the jewelled sceptre. Cloudstone
gems are very much in demand. I can provide you with maps. I can see that this is to be the
start of a very profitable business partnership. Across the table, in the deep shadows of his
cloak, Garrett smiled.

He smiled again as he looked up at Baffords manor, and then down at Cuttys maps. The
main gate was far too exposed, but the fence had told Garrett that there was another way in,
around to the side and more out of the way. Garrett looked back up, and then made his way
towards it. It was time to begin.

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 A KEEPERS APPRENTICESHIP
NOTE: This was a story that I started but never got round to finishing, although I intended it as a
prequel to A Thiefs Apprenticeship. Midway through I became dissatisfied with the whole
premise, and offered to turn it over to anyone who wanted it. Someone did.

You can read how Black finished the story at The Circle:

http://www.thief-thecircle.com/fanworks/tales/35.asp

Meanwhile, feel free to read on

The sharp clicking of lockpicks in the lock was deafeningly loud to Garrett, and he pressed
himself further into the scant cover that the shadows next to the doorway offered. Once
again, he wished for the security provided by his sword, or even the bow and its attendant
arrows, whose use he had now become proficient in. However, the laws of the Keeper
Order specified that no Acolyte should be armed while on a mission. The aim, according to
Keeper Tyball, was to encourage the youths to use tools other then weapons to work
around problems. However, Garrett privately thought that if those problems proved
insurmountable, then a weapon would be more desirable than an ability to move silently
through shadows.

Thinking this, Garrett looked at the hooded figure next to him. His teacher, Keeper
Tyball, was bent over the lock, working the tumblers with practised dexterity. His lockpicks
were old, but the lock on the door was even older. Eventually it swung open, revealing
darkness beyond. Tyball stepped through the doorway from the shadowed street, and then
a third hooded figure stepped through the door. Garrett followed him, shutting the door
behind himself and standing aside to allow Keeper Tyball to work the tumblers again so
that the lock clicked shut. The Keeper doctrine was one of stealth if it was known that
there had been interference, then the whole mission would have been for naught. Tyball
pushed on the handle to make sure the door was locked, and then headed off down the
darkened hallway. Garrett and the hooded figure followed silently.

Garrett mentally pictured the map of the City Print Works in his mind. If he recalled
correctly, the corridor led to a locked door, and from there to a stairway to the offices on
the floor above. However, he was not confident in his recollection. There had been scant
time to memorise the drawings Keeper Tyball had brought to him several days ago. At a
time when the rest of the Keeper Compound was in increasing disarray, the chances to

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memorise several sheets of paper had been few and short. However, he had done his best,
for he realised that this was possibly his most important mission yet.

Ever since he had been taken in by the Keepers as a teenager, he had been sent on errands.
His early life as a message runner and pickpocket had given him an education that most
other Acolytes did not have. The Keepers drew most of their recruits from the City
University, the City Library, and other such institutions of learning. A Keeper had to be
well educated as well as Gifted, the ancient texts and glyphs of the Keepers requiring
translation before they could be read. Garrett had missed many of his lessons in Keeper
language and doctrine, preferring the physical challenges of the training course the
Compound possessed. As a result, he was an exceptionally good Keeper, but not a Keeper
Scholar. To him the difference was minimal, but others were loath to ignore the Gifted,
but uneducated, teenager. Now reaching manhood, he had been assigned to Keeper Tyball
as an apprentice, to learn from perhaps one of the best Keepers.

Tyball had spoken with Garrett before they had left, explaining to the mystified apprentice
why he had memorised the maps to a print works. The Hammers were building a new
temple over the sole, hidden, entrance to the Keeper Compound. There was no other way
in to the high-walled structure other than through the tunnel and its disguised entrance.
Now that was threatened. The Keeper doctrine specified minimal involvement wherever
possible sabotaging the building effort would not work, and might even alert the
Hammerites that something was afoot. On the other hand, altering the building plans
would not arouse so much suspicion. Especially if the plans were not seen to have been
exchanged.

That was the theory, and would have worked if the Keepers who had gone to exchange the
plans had not found that the originals were printed on a special paper, in special ink, in a
manner that would be impossible to forge. The only hope now was to find where the plans
had been printed, alter them, and then print a new set. Garrett had been sceptical of this
plan, believing that neither he nor his master possessed the skill needed to flawlessly alter
the plans. Then Keeper Tyball had introduced the man who had then walked into Garretts
small room.

The figures hood had been thrown back, to reveal the aged head of an old man. A wrinkled
face, with white hair and eyes that were blank and watery. The hands that had thrown back
the hood were also old, curled with arthritis and spotted with age. Garrett secretly laughed
at the old man. This was who would forge the plans? However, his humour disappeared as
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Keeper Tyball began to speak. The old man was the Document Keeper, a shadowy figure
who procured or made the letters or passes the Keepers used to access forbidden areas. He
was a recluse, working in his vaulted room with his assistant forgers. Often, all that could
be heard was the scratch of quill on paper, or the quiet sound of the pens being dipped into
the ink wells. The Document Keeper was extremely old. He had been alive when the
Barricades had gone up, when the Baron had died and had been succeeded by his grandson.

The Document Keeper had then been a young Hammerite, newly ordained and eager to
carry out his duty. On the fateful night that the events of the Cathedral had occurred, he
was patrolling the streets of the Old Quarter, on the watch for thieves or other scum.
Passing the Watchmans Grave in Market Street he had become aware of a low groaning
behind him, which gradually increased in volume. Turning around, he was confronted with
a zombie, a monstrosity of rotting flesh and tortured groans that tottered on rotten legs, and
had raised a rotting arm to strike at him. He had dodged, and the zombie had fallen
forward with the force of its blow. He had lifted his hammer, endowed with the Builders
blessing, and brought it down on the zombies head. The monstrosity had groaned in pain,
and then the mystical energies that held it together dissolved, and the zombie had spattered
across the street.

The Document Keeper had run blindly from the horror, stumbling along streets that were
now choked with fleeing people and the zombies that herded them. Eventually he reached
the front-line of the Hammerite defence, where his brethren held off the zombies with
arrows of fire and holy water. He had leapt over the barrier ahead of the clutches of a
zombie, and had fallen to the ground exhausted. However, the numbers of Hammerites
were decreasing, as the legions of the undead grew larger. As Hammerites fell they became
sword-wielding zombies, who wielded their weapons as the zombies wielded their arms.
Hammerite priests became ghostly apparitions, who threw skulls in a ghoulish mockery of
their living opponents missiles.

However, suddenly the undead seemed to disappear and begin to retreat. Pumped up with
adrenaline, the Document Keeper had rushed over the barricade and now began to pursue
the fleeing zombies. His brethren followed, but at a slower pace. He began to draw away
from them, until eventually he was alone. He stopped, and rested in a doorway. Then,
strangely, he became aware of shadows that were moving in the night, shadows that began
to assume the form of cloaked figures. Thinking that they were the undead, he had
launched himself at one of them, his hammer striking the figure on the head and knocking it
to the floor.
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He was of aware of the other shadows that he sensed stopping, but at that moment his
brethren had arrived, and the shadows had stilled and could be seen no more. They had
carried that unconscious, cloaked figure, to a nearby temple. There, a combination of the
rack and the Inquisitor had made the now unclothed figure talk. He belonged to a sect
known as the Keepers, who were tasked with keeping the forces of nature and progress, of
chaos and order in balance. They were attempting to seal the undead into the Cathedral, by
using the four Elemental Talismans they possessed to prevent the Cathedral doors from
ever being opened again. The Keeper had yielded the location of the Talisman of Air, and
had then died under the ministrations of the Inquisitor. Then the visits had started. The
Document Keeper had begun to see shadows that flitted about behind him, or quiet footfalls
when there was no one else present. Eventually they had left a note, asking him to meet
with them. He was Gifted, and would be a valuable asset to the Keepers. A visit with them
to the vast library in the Keeper Compound had decided the matter, and the man had been
a Keeper ever since.

Shaking his head and returning himself to the present, Garrett walked carefully, his ears
alert to the sounds of others footsteps. Keeper Tyball carried on down the corridor, until
he reached the locked door at the end of it. Here he brought his lock-picks out of his cloak,
and bent down to his task. Garrett could hear the sharp snick of the picks as they worked
the tumblers. Eventually the lock clicked as the bolt slid back, and then Tyball cautiously
opened the door a crack. Light spilled in, and a narrow line illuminated the bricks of the
corridor wall through which they had just travelled.

Tyball waited at the door for some time, listening for any footsteps. Supposedly the place
was not guarded, but there was no need to take risks on so important a mission. When
there was no sound, he eased the door open, and slid out into the new corridor. This was lit
with torches that flickered in their holders, and created dark shadows in the cracks of the
stones that comprised the wall. The floor was wooden, the ceiling plaster. There were
wooden doors that led off from the corridor, and a flight of wooden stairs at the end.

Keeper Tyball crept out of the doorway, and made his way towards the stairs. Garrett
followed him, the Document Keeper close behind. The young acolyte looked to his left,
through an open door into the room beyond. It was sparse and crude, with rough furniture
and no decoration. It seemed to be the office of a minor draftsman or clerk certainly the
bottles of ink and sheets of paper belonged there. However, both of his fellow Keepers

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passed it without a glance, and so Garrett followed behind them, up the stairs and to the
next storey.

Here the dcor was grander and richer, with carpet on the floor and electric lights
suspended from the ceiling. With the power in the building off they were dark and blank.
Eventually, Keeper Tyball halted, and stepped towards a door. His hand went to the
handle, put it yielded to a downward force without any resistance, and the door swung open.
The room beyond was that of a draftsman, with a large drawing board, rolls of tied paper
and parchment, and bottles of ink and boxes of quills. In one corner hung an ink-stained
apron, worn and discoloured.

The next one was more promising. The room was the same size as the previous one, but a
whole wall of this place was covered in reinforced shelves, which held thick metal plates.
Running all over the plates were delicate lines, circles and figures, carved with intricate
delicacy into the tarnished metal. They were a bright gold to the dirty, dull shine of the
plates. The Document Keeper at once headed for these, and began examining the
designations carved into the plates. Meanwhile, Keeper Tyball went over to the other side
of the room, to where several heavy, steel desks were lined up. At the back edge of each was
a special stand. He lifted up the lid of the central desk, and took from it a set of knives, and
other tools of the draughtsmans trade. He tested the edge of the blade of the finest knife
with his finger, and nodded in satisfaction as the metal cut through his glove with ease.

Silently, the Document Keeper motioned to Garrett, who went over to the plate being
indicated, and lifted it out of its shelf. Treading carefully, he brought it over to the desk
that had been prepared. Supported by the other Keepers, he lay it down onto the stand, and
then stepped away. Keeper Tyball signed for them to stay in the room, and then left,
treading almost silently over the wooden floor. The Document Keeper drew a stool up to
the desk and sat down. He reached forth an aged hand for the tools Tyball had laid down,
and felt each one, checking the blades as the other Keeper had done.

Garrett became impatient, and began to move towards the door. So far, the expedition had
gone smoothly, boring him more than the endless lessons back at the Compound had. Even
on the streets as a young boy he had craved excitement. The Document Keeper looked up
at him, but made no move to arrest the acolytes passage. At the door Garrett looked up
and down the hallway, and then moved off towards the unexplored part of the building. As
he crept he thought in his mind how to explain himself to Tyball, when he went back.
Tyball was a fair tutor, but demanded obedience above all things. Garrett shrugged. He
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could just say that he was trying to find any useful information. The Keeper doctrine
emphasised the need for information to enable the Balance to be preserved the vast library
at the Keeper Compound was evidence of this.

The floor yielded little, most of the documents appearing to be kept in a single safe in the
managers office. He spent several minutes trying to open it, but was forced to desist after
nearly damaging the lock and bending his crude pick. However, he did manage to find one
document of value. It was in a drawer that had not been locked, and was hanging open
when he entered the room. He held it close to his eyes and read:

Cartinase

The Hammerite Order dost thank thee for thine service in the drawing and printing of our
building plans. As thou wast perhaps aware the recent events with the Pagans in Eastport
hath damaged our offices there to the point where they are virtually unusable. We are most
grateful for thine provision of a draftsman to complete the plans that our order rescued from
the wreckage. As thou art perhaps aware, it is most undesirable for us to have in existence a
man who doth know the intimate details of our glorious new temple. Thou wilst be
adequately compensated for thine loss if the man were to be found to be engaged in criminal
activities. Cragscleft is the only destination for those who defy the word of the Master
Builder.

As a reward for thy services, in addition to the handsome amount that hast been paid to thee,
we of the Order are prepared to consider with favour any structural additions thou might
consider necessary to thine buildings. We wouldst be willing to provide you with a number
of our tamed burricks, or even a member of our order as a consultant. To request such help,
all that thou needst to do is deliver thine request to the burrick stables in Prisongate, or
to me at our Cathedral.

Once again, we thank thee for thine assistance.

Brother Mortice

The rest of the rooms of the floor were merely offices, with more shelves of plates or rolls
of parchment. Garrett examined the first set of parchments he encountered, but upon
discovering that they were only building plans he did not examine any more. Eventually he
ended up back at the room with the Document Keeper, and went through the door to find
the man engaged with scribing lines into a fresh plate. Keeper Tyball stood over his

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shoulder, looking at the mans work. At Garretts entry he jerked his head up alertly, and
the acolyte saw anger in his tutors eyes. However, Tyball said nothing. Instead he
beckoned Garrett to follow him, and then walked past him to the door. They went along
the hallway to a door that Garrett had tried, but found locked. Tyball bent down and
worked away at the look with his lock picks, and eventually the mechanism in the door
clicked. The Keeper pushed the door open, and then walked through. In the room beyond
there were stacked piles of unidentifiable machinery, while in the corner there was an
elevator shaft and a console. Tyball went over to the elevator shaft, and looked down it.

Garrett came and looked too. The elevator was locked down at the bottom, and with the
power off the console that operated it were useless. However, Tyball reached into he cloak
and slipped his bow off of its mounting. His other hand reached behind his back and drew
an arrow from the quiver. Competently, he nocked the arrow into the bow, drew back the
bowstring, and took careful aim at the wooden ceiling of the shaft. He flicked the fingers
holding the bowstring forward, and the arrow sped away, immediately impacting into the
wood. From the foot of the arrow uncoiled a rope, which extended down into the shaft.
Only about 20 feet in length, the rope was long enough to allow Tyball to jump onto it, and
slide down the stone-lined shaft. Garrett followed, sliding down the rope and landing with
a loud clang on the metal elevator platform. Tyball whirled round in alarm, and his face
showed intense anger as Garrett crept hastily away from the platform. Then he froze,
waiting for any indication that the sound had been heard.

He waited for several minutes. Then, when there was no reaction, he moved forward
towards Garrett. Raising his hand, he caught the acolytes wrist in an iron grip.

What do you think youre doing? he hissed, his eyes hard and cold. Do you not
remember your training? Do you need me to guide you through the training course again?
Garrett tried to shrink back from his teachers anger, but the hand kept a tight grip on his
wrist. Be very careful, Garrett. Tyball said, his voice softer but more menacing for it.
You may be a skilled acolyte, but you can still go back to where you came from. The
acolyte gulped, and opened his mouth to stammer an apology. However, Tyball turned
round and walked away, moving to a stone corridor lit with flickering torches at far
intervals. His anger at Garretts performance was clear.

Garrett paused for a moment, and then walked hurriedly off to join his tutor. He was not
accustomed to criticism his poor upbringing had given him a burning ambition to succeed,
to make something of himself. He wanted to escape the darkness and treachery of the City,
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the schemes and plots of the Baron and the nobles and the City Wardens and the Keepers.
The Keepers was a way out, a way for him to escape from the streets. He sometimes
entertained notions of leaving the Keepers, and making a living for himself with the talents
he had learnt. However, he thought to himself as he glided along, while he was still making
mistakes of this kind it might be better to remain with the Keepers.

Ahead of him, Keeper Tyball was bent at a lock, his picks clicking as they worked it open.
Eventually the latch slid back, and the heavy wooden door was pushed open. Beyond was a
mass of machinery, of pipes and boilers and cogs and gears that lay silent and still. Belts of
chains ran round wheels and disappeared into holes in the ceiling, while the moss-covered
walls seemed to have sprouted gauges and meters that lay dim and quiet. Tyball went over
to a particular profusion of gauges on one of the walls, and worked the levers there for
several seconds.

Behind Garrett, the cogs and gears of the machines began to move, rotating against each
other as power was fed into the equipment behind them. The belts began to move as the
wheels did, and the gauges on the walls became alive with the flickering of needles against
glass covers. A deep, bass knocking filled the room, and the sound gradually decreased into
a steady hum as the individual knocks became quieter and merged into the general sound.
Power had been restored. Now the next task could begin.

The two Keepers returned to the lift, whose button was now operational. From here the
sound of the generator was a low, barely audible hum. Tyball stepped onto the lift and
jumped onto the rope. Arms straining, he pulled himself upwards. Garrett waited until he
had reached the top and jumped off the rope before he tried the ascent himself. Hand over
hand, he clawed his way up the elevator shaft, lifting himself off the floor. At the top he
jumped onto the floor, landing with a muted thud as his feet came into contact with the
floor.

Tyball was waiting at the door, and together they both walked back to the room with the
Document Keeper. Garrett looked nervously at his tutor, wondering uneasily why he was
so silent. He had made a mistake he knew, but he did not think that Tyball was right to
treat him so.

Tyball leaned over the Document Keeper, and bent down to speak in a low voice with him.
Garrett stood at the door, worried, and watched as the two other Keepers spoke in hushed
tones. Finally they both stood, and the older Keeper picked up the metal plate. New

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engraved on it were a profusion of fines lines and circles, with delicate lettering and
numbering. The template had been completed.

The three Keepers left, the Document Keeper holding the template. As they walked along
the corridor Garrett saw the old man beginning to stagger under the weight. He moved
over to help him, but was dissuaded from this by the tiniest shake of Tyballs hooded head.
Shortly afterwards the Document Keeper left, moving off down a set of stairs Garrett had
not noticed. Tyball walked on.

Eventually they came to a metal door, with the legend Control Room above the frame.
Tyball produced a metal key from one of his numerous pouches beneath his cloak, and slid
it into the lock. Upon turning the key the lock clicked, and Tyball pushed the door open.
Together they went in.

The room was obviously a control room. There were two consoles of gauges, buttons and
levers, and two windows which looked out into a large room. In this space was a complex
array of machinery, with cogs and gears that were now spinning, and moving belts that
disappeared into the floor. There were large boxes which held ink and paper, and the
conveyor belt in the centre ran though all of the machinery. As Garrett was looking at this,
he saw the Document Keeper walk slowly along with the precious template, until he found
ladder and began to climb onto the top of the machine with it.

Behind Garrett, Tyball coughed. Garrett spun round, and saw that his tutor had thrown his
hood back to expose his face. His eyes were still hard but no longer cold, while his face was
set in an expression of disapproval.

Garrett, he said softly I want to apologise for my words. They were uncalled for.
Garrett opened his mouth to speak, but Tyball continued. I believe you know that you
earned them, but it was not my position to say them. Anger disrupts the Balance, as does
sentiment. I should not have said them. However, I need to know that you understand
your mistake. Are you aware of what you did wrong? Garrett, amazed, could only nod.
Good, then it is over, said Tyball. You have the potential to be a good Keeper, if only
your pride will let you accept failure. Now, I have need of you. Stand by the window, and
alert me as to the Document Keepers signals.

Garrett turned and walked to the window, and looked down. The Document Keeper had
set up the template, and had laid it down ready in the machine. He looked up and waved at

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the acolyte, who turned to report it. However, he saw Tyball staring at the machine,
reading the labels by the levers and buttons to himself. Perceiving Garretts stare he looked
up, and then down again as his acolyte passed on the message.

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 AFTERMATH

D awson sighed as he pushed the needle through the tough cloth of his jacket. The work
was tiring and time-consuming, and he might have easily avoided the rent in his jacket
had he been a bit faster on his feet. The sword had been obvious, its bearer obviously
drunk and in a mood for combat. Even though it was Dawsons job as a guard in the City
Watch to take care of the drunks and sots that had congregated outside the inns and taverns,
he should perhaps have waited and disarmed the man before attempting to force him to the
nearest watch station last night. And now, before he left for the station, he had to sow his
jacket back up before his sergeant pounced on him for improper attention to dress. He
could go for months without making a single arrest, but if his jacket had a rent in it from his
attempting to do his duty.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door of his small cubicle. He flicked his eyes up in
annoyance, and decided to let it be. This was his time to do as he would, and he would be
damned if he gave it up so Benny could have company on his inspection of the taverns in
Shoalsgate. The knock came again, and insistent rapping on the thin wooden door of his
small, and rather spartan, cubicle. He sighed again, and, dropping the jacket on the floor,
stood and walked over to the door. He threw back the bolts, and opened it.

It was Benny, who obviously hadnt bothered to change out of his uniform before walking
over to bother him. The man was a disgrace to that uniform anyway as usual, his belt was
awry, his jacket stained and dirty, his chain-mail faintly traced with rust, and his helmet
disfigured with a dent that he refused to hammer out. Perhaps he had kept it as a trophy of
when hed been blackjacked by some thief in his days before he joined the Watch. But he
probably couldnt be bothered to like most of the scum in the Watch, he had no pride in
his job. Hed been a guard, others had been criminals. Only a few were still good men, but
they had been discredited in the days before Truarts reforms. And most of them had been
killed in that foolishness with the Tricksters beasts.

Exasperated beyond words, Dawson stepped back to give himself space to slam the door.
But Benny put his foot out to stop the door, with impacted loudly on it.

Oww, you taffer! he cried out. Whyd you go and do that?

Because Im not interested in speaking with you Benny. Or going on another of your
stupid inspections. I dont want to have to carry you home again

Benny glared back in self-righteous indignation, his foot forgotten.

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That was only once, Dawson. Besides, you...you said you had a good time you taffer.
Better than old Benny had, I thinks. Anyways, I isI is not here bout that. Though if
youre inin.inerested?

He winked rakishly, and hiccupped. Dawson rolled his eyes. Benny had obviously started
early tonight.

No Benny, Im not. Now get your taffing foot away from my door before I crush it for
real

Ohhh, Dawson, you wouldn do that to ol Benny, would you? Besides, Is not here task
you that. SergSergSergeant Trevick tol me to fetch you to the station. Pparently they
want toto speak with you? What you done now, eh, you taffer?

Dawson fielded off Bennys playful punch, and managed to slam the door before the mans
addled sense could detect it. He leaned against the door, and listened as Benny, apparently
communicating with a third party known only to himself, discovered that the door was
closed, and Dawson was gone. Dawson walked over to the bed, and sat down. The
summons were unusual, and worrying. What could Trevick be interested in him for? If it
was about the incident with the Barons niece and the burrick cloak, then he was blameless.
Butand here an icy chill gripped his heart...what if the sergeant wanted to speak with him
about the whole episode with Webster and Lord Dionies? That had been a good piece of
detective work, putting the Warden away finally, but Dionies was Lieutenant Mosleys
friend

Well, obviously shed just heard about it. Dawson could feel the beginnings of a cold sweat
running down his back. They wouldnt kill him, but apparently Mosley had liked Dionies a
lot, and so her revenge might beunpleasant. Should he just run now?

Eventually, he decided against it. After all, it might be something else. By the Builder, let
it be something else. He pulled on his jacket over his chain-mail, pushed the helmet onto
his head, and, taking his sword and sheathing it, stepped out the door. He locked it behind
him, and strode to the stairway at the end of the corridor. The wood was damp and rotten,
so he took care. He slammed the door behind him as he left the block of cubicles, and set
off across the ward to Shoalsgate station.

***

Arriving there, he reported to Sergeant Trevick. The man held him at attention while he
studied the rent in Dawsons jacket that hed not had the time to repair. Finally Trevick
stood him at ease, and told him to report to the Lieutenant Mosley. Or, rather, Sheriff
Mosley. Now. Dawson asked why, but Trevick just shrugged.
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Now Dawson knocked on the door of the Sheriffs office, and waited for the
acknowledgement before entering. The office was well appointed, with a large desk, a
fireplace, and several armchairs. It was also liberally decorated with plants there were
plants on the windowsills, in pots by the fire place, and on stands around the room. Mosley
was standing at the window, idly fingering the peony there. It looked wilted, as if it had
been there for several weeks. As he entered she turned, and Dawson was struck by the look
of worry and anxiety there, so different from the casual superiority that had been there
before.

You many stand at ease Dawson she said. Has your sergeant told you why youre here?

No Maam. I was sent for, and I have only just arrived

Very well. Ive just been reading the report of your investigation into Webster. An
encouraging example of investigation. The Warden Affairs Department were still
struggling to find the head of that Ward

Dawson relaxed slightly. So far she hadnt mentioned Dionies. Perhaps she wasnt going to
punish him for that? He suddenly noticed that there was a silence, and that she was looking
at him expectantly. A reply seemed called for.

Thank you Maam. I simply found some leads during the raid of his warehouse a few
months before, and followed them up in my own time

Yes it was impressive how you managed to find enough evidence to incriminate him.
And did so without the help of our own department. Most impressive. I was considering
promoting you to heading the Warden Affairs Department, but

Here she paused, and looked towards the window at the peony. Her face creased in worry,
andnervousness? She took a deep breath and turned back.

I find I have other uses for your skills. Moreunorthodox uses. You are aware of what
went on at Soulforge?

Vaguely, Maam. I know its been sealed by the Mechanists, and that there have been
rumours Karras hasnt been seen since then. And something about a red mist or dust, but I
dont believe that

Hmmm. Well, I suppose you will know soon enough. Karras is dead

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Dawson gaped at her, his mouth hanging open before he thought to shut it. Karras dead?
The head of the Mechanists gone? Sure, there had been rumours, but he hadnt believed
them. Suddenly he realised Mosley was still talking

perished at Soulforge. From what Ive heard, the red mist is some sort of corrosive
agent. For plants and animals only it seems. And his demise has also resulted in a decrease
in Pagan activities. Almost as if their leader has gone too. Ive waitedIve not heard
reports of Pagans for several weeks. I need you to discover what has happened, who did it,
and where the Pagans have gone

Having said this, she turned around again and walked to the window. She stood there,
looking out of it, and fingering the peony, as Dawson hurriedly accepted the offer. A
chance to stop those taffing patrols and night watches? And gain the gratitude of the
Sheriff? This must be a gift from the Builder Himself.

Very well, Mosley said when he had accepted youd best start immediately. The
Mechanists have sealed Soulforge, but I have for you a pass to get you inside. The letter on
my desk requires any member of the Watch to help you within reason. Take them and
leave.

Dawson hurried to pick up the sheets of parchment from the desk, and stuffed them inside
his jacket. He moved towards the door, and was opening it when Mosleys voice reached
him;

And Dawson be careful. There are forces at work here beyond what you can know. Be
discreet, especially around Mechanists. And never tell anyone but me what you find. It is
vital that only I find out where the Pagans have gone.

He turned, saluted, and escaped out the door.

---

Dawson decided to start with the most obvious of places Soulforge. He picked his way
through crowded streets, bumped and jostled by the crowds around him. Servants, traders,
guards he passed all on his journey to the Cathedral. Sometimes he passed figures in long
cloaks and hoods, their faces hidden. Normally he would have studied them, for only
thieves and jackblades hid themselves so. But now he had a new mission he paid them no
mind. He didnt even think to stop one figure when they inadvertently bumped against him
and almost knocked him over.

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Eventually he reached Soulforge a tall structure of grey stone that loomed over the manor
houses and mansions surrounding it. It was encircled by a sheer wall, with only one
entrance barred with iron gates. At the gates stood two Mechanists, their posture tall and
their weapons held ready. A small crowd stood by a distance away from them, gesturing at
the Cathedral, but hostile glances from the Mechanists soon scattered them. No-one
wanted to risk their wrath.

Dawson marched to the gate and its Mechanist guards, and loudly demanded entrance. The
guards looked at each other amusedly, and then one spoke to him.

Thine request cannot be granted, Watchman. Friend Gorrick hast forbidden any entry to
Soulforge. Shouldst not thou be at thy duties, dealing with the scum that doth pollute our
streets like a vine upon a wall?

Dawson bridled at the mockery and the veiled insult, and his anger made him aggressive

Hold your tongue, you taffer! Ive got here a letter that allows me entrance to your
Cathedral. Open the gates and let me in.

The Mechanists reaction was impressive

Silence thy tongue, knave, and soil it not with the name of our defeated adversary! Show
us then thine letter I disbelieve that Friend Gorrick wouldst allow such a thing as thee to
enter.

Dawson reached inside his jacket, and brought out the sheet of paper, which he thrust at the
Mechanists to read. His pride trampled, he awaited eagerly the humiliation for them that
was soon to come. However, the humiliation was his when the Mechanists laughed at
reading the paper, and handed it back to him with mocking politeness. Angry but puzzled,
he looked at what was written on it.

Dawson,
We know what Mosley has asked of you. For the sake of your life, and of the City, cease your
investigation. You are meddling with forces you would be better to ignore. If you continue, you risk
destruction

He dropped the letter as if it were burning, then spun on his heel and ran. The mocking
laughter of the Mechanists followed him.

---
Leaning against the wall, Dawson took stock of his situation. The precious letters were
gone, and he did not dare go back to ask for new copies. The humiliation of asking, of
169
admitting that he has been pickpocketed, and the letters replaced with someones idea of a
joke. Who could have done it? Probably someone in the City Watch, who knew hed been
assigned somewhere else and who used to be a thief. Hed have to continue without the
letters. His teeth bared in a wry grin he hadnt had the letters when hed discovered
Webster. But then again, Webster was a Warden, while this involved the High Priest of the
Mechanist Order

Sighing, he straightened. There was no sense in bemoaning what could have been, and
meanwhile there was still an investigation to conduct. He looked around, taking stock of
where he was. Hed run down one of the streets leading away from the Cathedral, a small
one lined with trading stalls. In doorways there lay wasted bodies bundles of rags that were
the homeless of the City. Most were still, either asleep or dead, but a few held out cupped
hands to passers-by, begging for alms. He moved towards them, and was momentarily
amused at the speed with which they became rags again. After all, it had only been a few
weeks ago that the order had come down from Truart to round up street scum such as
these.

Still, street scum though they were, they might have seen something the night the
Cathedral was sealed that might give him some leads. Most beggars tended to stay in one
place, to avoid losing their small patches in doorways or under awnings to others. The first
few had been asleep, or hadnt seen anything, or didnt want to say. Then Dawson struck
gold. One man said that he had heard strange sounds coming from the Cathedral that
night, sounds of explosions, as if the Mechanists machines had been fighting each other.
The man scrawny, lice-infested, and dirty told the story with disinterest, but then smiled
a gap-toothed smile, and held out his hand for a reward. Interest piqued by the mans story,
Dawson flipped him a small coin, and turned to ask others.

There was a forest of hands in front of him, as the beggars grabbed at his small purse, and
gabbled accounts of that night. Now that he was paying, they were eager. They told him of
explosions in the Cathedral, strange flashes in the windows, shadows of creeping vines
silhouetted against the windows, and first one, then several, dark figures leaving and
entering the Cathedral. Dawson was interested in the last account, and asked the scrawny
old crone who had said it to explain

There were dark shadows, Mister. Were like the shadows were moving. These figures in
black cloaks and cowls, meltin into shadows and like. Theys all saying Is blind, Is seeing
things. But nothing wrong with my eyes Mister. Can still see. Theys all blind!

Her wave encompassed the rest of the beggars, who angrily protested, and began to
threaten the old woman. Dawson asked more, but the woman had no more to offer.
Shrugging, he turned away. Hands plucked at his jacket, and angry voices demanded
payment. He took several coins from his pouch, and, without looking back, tossed them
170
into the crowd of beggars. The squabble for them was still audible by the time hed reached
the end of the street.

---

Dawson paced the streets, wondering what those shadows could be. Wondering if the old
crone has been lying, or mistaken. Figures that could melt into shadows? It sounded like a
childrens tale, a tale told by mothers to frighten children into obedience. He snorted in wry
self-derision. It was clearly ridiculous he was foolish to even consider it. And yet, as the
sun fell and the shadows lengthened, he found himself looking into them anxiously, his head
constantly pivoting as he tried to scan the shadows for figures lurking within. Eventually,
when he seemed to catch sight of something move in a shadow in the corner of his vision,
he drew his sword and rushed over to it, preparing to swing and cut down whoever lurked
there. But there was nothing.

Eventually, he looked up and realised that the stars were beginning to appear in the
firmament, and that the moon was providing most of the illumination. Scattered street
lights through pools of light onto the ground, and dimly lit the buildings around them that
loomed up so that the street appeared a canyon. Dawson looked around him, and realised
that his wanderings had taken him near Shoalsgate. He was far from his lodgings, and the
City could not behospitable for a watchman, alone, at night. He hurried to the
Shoalsgate station, passing the watching mechanical eyes at the door, and signed in for a bed
for the night. He walked to the locker room and left his sword and helmet there, then
threw himself onto the bed. Most of the Watch were out patrolling, otherwise he would
never have gotten any room. The day had been long and tiring.

He was drifting asleep when suddenly a thought struck him that made him sit bolt upright
in bed. Hed suddenly remembered what a thief had said, a long time ago, as hed hauled
him to gaol. Hed been caught in a nobles home, and protested that he was innocent. Hed
been in the manor, yes, but it had already been picked clean. By a thief. A master thief.
Perhaps the best there was. One who could melt into shadows at will. What was his
nameGarreth? Garrotte? Garrett? Yes, Garrett. The thief who could become a shadow,
the gabbling man had said.

Dawson threw off his covers, too excited for sleep. Could this man be the one whod killed
Karras? The woman had said several figures were there, but she could have been
mistaken

He rushed to the main hall, where the Watch officers conducted their administrative
business. Thank the Builder, Trevick was still there.

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 Uhh, Sergeant, is there anyone from Robbery still here?

Trevick looked up, saw Dawson standing there, and frowned at the mans haste.

At this time of night, you taffer? Unlikely. Halterly might be there, if hes not sleeping off
the alcohol.

Dawson nodded his thanks and rushed off, feet pounding on the stone floor as he ran
through the corridors to the staircase. He pounded up the stairs, past the bemused guards
there, and ran to the Robbery/Homicide office. Thank the Builder, it was open. There was
someone there, slumped over a desk at the end, snoring and muttering.

Dawson hurried over to the man, and shook him. The man mumbled but refused to wake.
Dawson shook him harder, until the man finally stopped snoring and opened his eyes.

Watchawatchawatch doing, you taffing Pagan? Its slack time Im allowed to be

asleep

Not on duty, and not because youre drunk you arent. Now shut up you taffer, Ive got a
question for you

What? I aint drunk. I didnt touch a drop! I was jus sleeping. What you want tknow?

Shut up. You were. I need to see what you have on a thief called Garrett

The change in Halterly was remarkable. The man snapped completely awake. All the
tiredness and drunkenness seemed gone. His eyes were suddenly alert, and when he spoke
his voice was steady.

Garrett? Now theres a name I havent heard in a while. What do you want with a man
like him?

He exists? Hes a thief, isnt he?

Yes one of the best. So good that we dont have the slightest bit of evidence to go on.
What do you want with him?

I need to know about him. Ive heard he has a reputation for melting into shadows or
something. I need to find out about that

Halterly seemed to absorb that, then nodded. Indicating that Dawson should follow him,
he led him along the corridor to the stairs, down them, and then to the other side of the
172
building where the secure records were kept. He nodded to the guard on duty there, and
then climbed the spiral steps to the library. He produced a key from his belt, and opened
the door. Books lined the walls and the shelves there, and Dawson could see doors that
presumably led off to more rooms of books and records. Halterly walked along the shelves,
mumbling names under his breath

..GabbleyGapsonsahhh Garrett

He took from the shelves a thin folder with only a few sheets of paper in it. These he
removed, and spread out on a table nearby. Dawson bent to examine them as Halterly
started talking.

---

An hour later, Dawson gingerly rose and rubbed his cramped back. The work had been
exhausting, but rewarding.

So, we think Garrett might be responsible for all that business with Larnseng? I thought
that was something to do with the Downwinders.

In a way it was, but theres more to it. Garrett framed Larnseng, and planted the evidence
so the Downwinders found out theyd been working for him. They were suspicious, but
they still made sure that we found him.

Why didnt they take him out themselves?

The Downwinders have a reputation for always letting their victim realise what happened
to them. They did it with Lord Randall, when they stole his vase collection. I believe they
let him know somehow that they knew, and held him until they could tip us off

Hmmm. So Garrett was behind that. Anything else?

There was some business with the Hammers a while back, around the time that those
Trickster beasts appeared. I dont know what went on there. And I remember reading
somewhere that when the Hammers had that break-in at Cragscleft, the thief was spotted by
another of the prisoners talking to Cutty, Garretts fence

Cutty? That might be my link to find Garrett. Where can I get hold of Cutty, and ask
him some questions?

173
With a shovel. He died soon after. Im sure Garrett has a new fence, but Ive no idea who.
If you have any contacts, or any favours, now might be a good time to call them in

Fine. Dont worry, I know some people who might be able to find out. Can I ask you a
question?

Halterly looked at Dawson, wondering what the question would be. After an hour of
scanning the meagre file, and cross checking it with other accounts, what questions could
remain?

How do you know so much about Garrett? You seemed to only wake up when I
mentioned his name, and now youve just spent an hour talking to me about him. Why?

Halterly looked away from Dawson, towards the wall of books and records. His fingers
squeezed each other white as he spoke.

I had a brother once. He used to work as a guard for Bafford chief guard in fact. Then,
someone broke into the manor, and stripped it. Everything, gone. Including Baffords
precious sceptre. Cedric was dismissed, andkilled himself out of shame.

Halterlys voice broke as something caught in his throat.

Some of the guards said they had seen strange shadows that night. When I first heard
about Garrett, I knew it was him. Hed shamed my brother into suicide. I joined the
Watch to try to get Garrett, but thus farmy luck has not been what it might. You seem as
if you might catch him. Thats why Ive helped you

Dawson stirred, and held out his hand to Halterly, murmuring his thanks. The man turned.
His eyes glistening with moisture, he clasped it.

Good luck Dawson. And when you finally arrest him, spit on him for me. Please

Dawson mumbled agreement, and moved off.

---
Dawson wearily approached the door of his cubicle, and fumbled at his waist for the key.
Itd been several days since he had last seen his home he had spent much of his time on the
streets, chasing up fragile leads to Garrett. Hed thought that it would be easy merely a
case of finding a thief with the grudge against him, and proceeding from there. But too
many criminals had shaken their heads and proclaimed themselves ignorant of him, while
others had refused to talk. No threats had made them reveal what they knew they all said
that Garretts revenge would be worse than anything Dawson himself could do. One had

174
muttered that Dawson should see what Garrett had done to Ramirez if he was so eager to
continue the case.

Dawson had looked at Ramirezs case, but found nothing special. The man had been
robbed at his home, and not been heard of since. Was that the best Garrett could do?

He finally grasped the key, and pushed it into the lock. It clicked as he turned it, and then
the bolts sprang back. He pushed open the door, and was greeted by the darkness of an
unlit room. He felt in his pocket for a flintlock. Grasping it, he lifted it to the candle by the
side of the door, and struck sparks with it until the wick began to flare, and flames rise . He
then shut the door, and was preparing to bolt it when

Dont bother

The quiet, mocking voice sounded behind him. Dawson spun round, to see a black shape
standing there, a figure in a dark cloak and hood. He clutched for his sword, but discovered
with icy surprise that it was no longer there.

Looking for this, Dawson? the figure said, waving the sword at him. Dont worry, you
have no need for it. I wont harm youyet

Dawson took a step backwards in fear, and came up against the closed door. He scrabbled
at it, but the figure shook his head within the shadowed hood.

Stop it Dawson. Ill only kill you if you become a threat. Killing isnt my style its too
messy and loud. I prefer to sneak past idiots like you rather than having to mop up your
blood

Dawson finally found a voice

Youreyoureyoure Garrett?
Cleverly deduced. Yes, Im Garrett.
Whatwhat do you want?

Some answers. Why have you been making such ineffectual attempts to get me?

Attempts? What attempts? II dont know what you mean

Garretts voice now held a sharper tone, and he began to play idly with the sword that he
had stolen from Dawson without him noticing. He twirled it on its point as he spoke,
adding a threatening undertone to his words.

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Dawson, dont act the idiot, however easy it may be for you. I have certain friends who
alerted me when you began to make your rather indiscreet enquiries. As you can imagine,
my profession does not encourage notoriety, and I do not appreciate attention from the
forces of law and order. Now, besides my past activities, why do you want to get me?

I dontI dont! Ive no idea what youre talking about

Dawson, Ive indulged you thus far, but my patience has limits. Tell me

Dawson looked around frantically but there was no escape. Garrett now held his sword, and
could flick it up and at his throat before he could escape. He might yell and alert the people
in the building, but would he be there to see Garrett captured? Probably not. He took a
deep breath, and, forcing his weak knees to hold him upright against the door, told Garrett

You murdered Karras! Mosley told me to find out who did it, and catch him!

Garretts head jerked up within the cloak, and the sword became still as he gripped it in his
hands.

Well, not what I was expecting at all. And why might I be the murderer?

Somesome woman said she saw figures at Soulforge that could melt into shadows. And I
remembered that someone had said you, a master thief could. So I wanted to find where
you were so I could tell Mosley

Dawson sagged against the door, limp after his confession, and panting with fear and terror.
His terror increased as Garrett stepped nearer, a black figure with a shining sword. The
thief stopped a short distance from Dawsom. The light of the candle illuminated the raised
parts of his face, but the rest was black shadow. Garrett lowered his voice.

Listen to me Dawson. Youre meddling with forces that are more potent and dangerous
than you imagine. Mosley is using you, as I was once used by another, for her own plans.
She has an agenda you do not even suspect. When I was used I was lucky to only lose this

He tapped his right eye, and leaned closer to Dawson, who saw with horror that the eye was
not normal. It was metal, a construction that clicked and whirred as it focused on him from
the new position.

You may lose a lot more, Dawson. Those who work for the Pagans do not remain long
once their usefulness is at an end.

The Pa...the Pagans? But Mosley isnt a Pagan!

176
Dont be so sure. Stop searching, tell Mosley that you cant find the culprits. You can
either remain silent by choice, or by force. Leave; now

Garrett watched with silent amusement and a hint of contempt as the desperate
watchman wrenched the door open and ran from the room. Footsteps echoed as the man
hurried along the hallway and down the stairs. When they died away, Garrett stirred, and
walked to the open door. He blew out the candle and closed the door, then addressed the
shadow in the hallway.

That was easier than I expected, Keeper Darnley. Was it really necessary for me to do it?
Surely some other keeper

Dawson would not believe a keeper. He would dismiss it as a joke. Your presence was
necessary to convince him of the seriousness of what you said

I guess so. Do you think hell listen?

I believe so. We will follow him to be sure, but yes, I believe that he will give us no further
trouble. Oh, and Garrett?

Yes?

With a hint of amusement, the shadow said

Your old ways continue to assert themselves. At least leave the man his money

Garrett smiled, and tossed the small pouch onto Dawsons bed. Together he and the
Keeper walked toward the stairwell. The thief turned to look one last time at the empty
corridor, and then, flicking a small coin, descended out of sight.

177
 THE RISE OF KARRAS
NOTE: This story remains unfinished due
more to a lack of time than any other factor.
Perhaps eventually Ill finish it meanwhile,
feel free to read on

Chapter 1

Karras was looking at the book he had just pulled from the shelf when Brother Dovetail
approached. His footsteps load on the stone-flagged floor, the fellow priest came up beside
Karras, and glanced over to see what he was reading. Karras looked up at the mans sallow
face, and at the weak eyes. Dovetail returned the gaze, and felt obligated to say something.

So, Brother Karras, dost thy work on thine new security cameras proceed well?

Karras sighed inwardly, and lowered his hand, along with the book, to his side.

Indeed, Brother Dovetail. Master Forger Garacon hath expressed great satisfaction on the
functioning of them. I have even heard that mine work hast been chosen to be installed in
Cragscleft!

Truly this is news! Thou hast solved the problems thou didst experience with them?

Aye, the cameras do now function as the Builder intended. Indeed, I do want to make
further improvements to them, but the accursed Master Forger Masonson hast prohibited
me from it!

Why, Brother Karras?

Oh, he didst say that mine ideas are too unconventional, that the Master Builder hast given
us the technology and that it is not our purpose to improve on it. His lack of vision
infuriates me. The Builder didst give us hands to work with, and didst give us the brains to
improve the machines that were His gift to us. Are we to be like the Pagans, who use not
their brains and so still build their houses of wood?!

Hush, Brother! Thine passion for our Order does indicate the depths of thine faith, but
ist that thou is thinking of defying the wishes of the Master Forgers, even the High Priest?
Aye, the Master Builder gave us His machines and His blessing, but thou canst seriously be
so radical as to rebel against our superiors. For tis their task to interpret the Builders
word, and ours to follow it. If thou dost continue with thine attitude, thou willst find thyself
closer to thine security cameras than thou dost wish to. Cragscleft is the only destination
178
for those who choose to doubt the Builders commands, or those whom He has chosen as
our leaders!

I know, Brother Dovetail, I know. Yet, I cannot rid myself of these thoughts. I even have
plans for a greater security measure, with great cameras of copper and brass that move by
themselves and can do more actions than just raise the alarm. Our theology does not allow
for such radical machines, but I feel

Brother Karras, if thou art to continue this diatribe against our theology I will have no
choice but to speak of thee to the Master Forger. As the Master Builder says, When thou
dost consort with thieves thou dost become one in the eyes of those who see. I have no
wish to end up in the cell beside thee. I bid thee good night, and warn thee that if thine
attitude persists thou may be meeting the Master Builder earlier than thou dost hope for!

With these words Brother Dovetail walked away slowly. Karras raised his head to look at
the priests departing back. He luxuriously imagined summoning a hammer and shooting it
at the robe that the priest had so disgraced. Karras hated the Hammerites, with a hatred
that grew thicker and blacker every day. They patronised him, spoke condescendingly of
him behind their back, treated him like a fool because of his voice. Most of all, he hated
their blindness, the blinkers they had voluntarily put on themselves, the refusal to consider
altering the Builders gifts one iota. Karras had had to work alone in his workshop,
patiently fitting the pieces together of his security camera, and begging pieces of machinery
from fellow priests who were too set in their ways to see his vision.

Karras sighed again, and returned to his book. His cameras were incredible, far beyond
anything built before, but he felt that more could be done. They could detect motion
adequately, but more was required. He could feel himself on the brink of a revolution, an
evolution of Hammerite theology into something far beyond what he had been taught since
he had joined as a novice. He had made several attempts to put down his ideas, ideas that
were so radical he had had to work by candlelight as the other novices had slept in their
bunks.

His musings were suddenly interrupted by a great roar for help, and a sound like a
blacksmiths hammer on metal. The sound of metal on metal came again, and Karras
started round the bookcase to find the source of the sound. As he rounded the wooden case
he saw a dark figure fall to the ground, and a sword fall from nerveless fingers. A
Hammerite guard stood above the man, his hammer raised for a down-stroke that would
smash the figures head to pulp.

Stay thy hammer, brother! called Karras, hurrying to the mans side. Do not let thy
blow land!

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The guard turned, surprised, and saw Karras standing there. Seeing a priest, he
immediately checked the ascent of the hammer, and then brought it down to his side.

Brother Karras! he said. I didst discover this thief on my patrols! He ist a heretic, and
must be dealt with forthwith! The laws of the Builder demand it.

Karras stopped the mans protests with a raised hand, and bent over to look at the figure.
The man was dressed in a ragged cloak, below which was a tunic and breeches. Around his
shoulder the thief carried a shortbow, while on his back the priest could see the feathering
of several arrows. He straightened, and looked up at the guard.

Thou dost speak the truth, brother. This man ist a thief. However, we canst send him to
the Builder yet. The guard frowned, and prepared to open his mouth in protest , but
Karras spoke on. Hast thou considered that there have been no reports of disturbances at
the front gate? Nay, not a whisper! Methinks this heretic must have entered a different
way, one only his heretical mind knows. We must send him to Brother Inquisitor, who will
find the truth

The guard snapped his mouth shut, and then nodded his agreement. Stooping, he picked
up the unconscious form and slung the man over his shoulder. He was turning to leave
when Karras suddenly remembered how the man had addressed him. He stopped the
guard, and said;

Pause a moment brother. How ist that thou dost know mine name?

The guard looked down for a moment, as if in embarrassment.

Well, Brother Karras he said, I hast heard of thine work with the security cameras, and
wast greatly interested in them myself. Mine brother, Dikket, didst say that thou art a man
of vision, who dost work wonders with thine hands. Being interested, I didst request this
post that I may earn thy good will, and possibly become thine assistant

Karras stared in astonishment at the big man, hardly believing what he was hearing. Here
was a man who wanted to be taught by him. Not only that, he seemed to admire Karras,
and was now staring at him with a dog-like devotion that Karras had never quite seen
before. The priest was unable to speak for several moments, and finally managed to gasp
out that the guard should take the man down to the Inquisitor, at his place of work in the
dungeons.

The man left, and Karras stared after him in astonishment. Unaccustomed to positive
recognition, or even recognition, he was left dumbfounded, unaware that the book in his
hand was slipping through his fingers. The sound of metal on stone brought him back to

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his senses, and he bent to pick up the book. Walking back to the shelf to replace it, he
could feel stirrings within him of something great, something revolutionary, something
almost like the touch of the Builders hand. But they remained only stirrings, wisps of
vapour that drifted on the edge of his consciousness.

He replaced the volume on the shelf, and walked thoughtfully off towards his rooms. He
would have to find out the guards name, and then convince the Master Forger that the man
wanted to be taught by him. It would all be very difficult, but Karras had met someone he
had not before, and would not let the opportunity pass him by. However, as he strode
towards the guardroom by the entrance, one stray though occurred to him. If his cameras
had had been installed in the library, the thief might have been caught before he had
reached the Technology section

The sound of screaming and shouting woke Karras from his slumber. From beyond the
door of his small room there came a most dreadful noise, screams and shouts of voices full
of anger and passion. He threw the covers off and rose, and then went to slip his robe over
his head. Attired, he went to the door and opened it.

A scene of utter chaos greeted his eyes. Men and women in ragged and dirty costumes
fought with each other over golden hammers and other valuables in the corridor. Others
wielded clubs and cudgels that smashed the delicate wooden panelling of the walls of the
library. One man in course clothes lay insensible on the floor, clutching in one hand a
bottle of sacramental wine. Red liquid dribbled from his mouth as he snored. He turned to
look the other way, over the balcony that overlooked the main hall. Here too was
pandemonium. Books and manuscripts, aged repositories of knowledge, lay scattered on the
floor where they were trampled on by the dirty boots of the rioters. Bookcases lay on their
sides, windows were smashed, and the rich tapestries that had lined the walls were now mere
rags. The crowd of street scum were rampaging through the library, destroying it and
wreaking havoc. In one area a group of Hammers were fighting desperately, raising their
hammers and bringing them down on the heads of the mob surrounding them. Even as he
watched one was hit on the head by a thrown cudgel, which knocked him forward into the
vengeful crowd, which made sure that he would not be able to rise.

Karras was horrified by this, and then terrified when a scream from the corridor told him
that someone had seen his garb. He turned to look, and saw a crazed man heading for him,
wielding a captured hammer and shouting madly. Fanaticism was plain in his eyes, and he
was screaming and shouting as he brought the hammer up to strike at Karras. The priest
backed away, too frightened to remember how to wield his magic.

Then, as the hammer reached its apex, another one appeared above the mans head. It was
brought down, and the man collapsed on the floor. Karras stared with horror at the remains
of the head, and then with nausea as he realised that the man was still alive, and moaning
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with pain. The priest looked up and saw his rescuer, a Hammer guard so spattered with
blood his face was as red as his uniform. Blood dripped from his weapon. The guard saw
Karras and shouted at him to come with him. Behind the man other Hammerites were
laying into the rioters, and the priest averted his face as one Hammer swung his weapon up
at the mans face. The sound told him all he needed to know. Taking one last look at this
room he ran forward, and the Hammerites formed a protective cordon around him. In the
hall behind him, a crash resounded as a part of the carved ceiling of the hall fell inwards.

As they descended the stairs Karras looked ahead of him, and recognised the guard he had
spoken with yesterday. The man towered over the crowd, and was leading a group of fellow
Hammerites into the fray. Their hammers rose and fell, and the roars of anger of the crowd
now turned into screams of fear as they fled before them. Rioters dropped the precious
books and relics and icons that they had been carrying, desperate only to escape from the
hysterical screams of anger and rage that escaped from the Hammerites as they hacked
down with their heavy sledgehammers. Red liquid ran from beneath their feet, and Karras
tried to persuade himself that it was not blood, but wine.

Suddenly the guard stretched out a long finger at a figure in the crowd, and the group
seemed to redouble their efforts. Karras looked along the line that the finger indicated, at a
hooded figure in the crowd who staggered under the weight of a body on his back. The
figure looked familiar, and Karras searched his memory. Then the man looked up, and
Karras saw the face of the man that had been captured the day before. He opened his
mouth to shout, but then the situation changed.

An arrow suddenly appeared in the guards chest, an arrow that buried itself in the chain
mail and the flesh below so that only the feathers on the end were visible. The guard fell
back, surprise replacing anger on his face. His great form fell back into the ranks of his
brethren. The fall pushed them off balance, causing their mighty hammers to smash down
on empty air. The crowd took advantage of this, and the clubs and cudgels of the crowd
rose and fell as the mob took their revenge. More red liquid joined that already on the
floor, and Karras could no longer delude himself that it was the spilled sacramental wine.

The crowd, which had been on the edge of fleeing, gained resolve as a result of the defeat,
and now came for the group of Hammerites surrounding Karras. The priest had one last
glimpse of the unwounded thief hurrying in the direction of the privies, before his escort
swept him away from the avenging mob.

Brother! one of the guards shouted at him. Use thine magic on these heretics! Our
hammers crumble against them, and we needst must beat them back so that we may make
our escape!

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Karras nodded in understanding, and gathered his wits together to cast the spell that would
send a fireball out towards the crowd. Even as he did it he was acutely aware that he had
never before cast one in anger merely to practice his technique. A believer in technology,
he had been reluctant to wield his powers. Now he did so, and a hammer shot of from
between his hands, to impact in the centre of the mob. He could not see what damage he
had done, but numbly began to cast another. His escort were escorting him to the entrance,
whose massive portcullis he could now seen to have been smashed asunder, and rent to the
four winds.

Another hammer shot off, and this time Karras saw it impact on a man in course, workmans
clothes. The man was swinging wildly a stolen hammer, and Karrass hammer hit him on
the upstroke. The man released the hammer, screaming as his chest was burnt into a
smoking pit, and the weapon went cartwheeling into the crowd.

Now the gate was close, and Karras was escorted through there. Beyond, in the street, there
was a barricade, behind which were Hammerite archers and priests. Arrows and hammers
shot over Karrass head, and behind him he could hear cries of pain, the sharp crack as
arrows hit the stone floor, the deeper bass as the hammers impacted and exploded. The air
was sharp with the smell of smoke and blood, and the stench of roasted flesh hung over the
place like a malevolent cloud. At the barricades, a crude, hasty construction of wood and
stone, he was hoisted over to the other side, as his escort went back into the fray.

Karras was deposited on the fire step, and stood up to see beyond the barricade a crowd of
Hammerites, drawn there by the violence and destruction. Next to him the archers fired
volley after volley at the rioting crowd, who were now retreating from the rain of arrows.
He looked into the crowd and saw crates of explosive and incendiary fire arrows being
passed along to the archers, and whole groups of Hammerite guards. Beyond them was a
line of watchmen and guards from the City Watch, and a contingent of burrick cavalry.
The burricks, bipedal lizards that snorted and whimpered from their slit mouths, were
controlled by their riders, who sat in the saddles clutching the reins in one hand and their
straight swords in the other.

However, Karras had eyes for only one man in the crowd. There, talking to none other
than Brother Dovetail was Master Forger Garacon. The man, dressed in the decorated
robes of the Master Forger, was gesturing towards the library as he spoke with Brother
Dovetail.

Karras, now raging with anger, jumped down from the fire step and ran towards the pair.
Garacon saw him first, and raised a hand in grateful salutation. However, Karras ran up to
him, and screamed at him;

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Thou art a Trickster, Garacon, the incarnation of a Trickster! Thou hast killed these men,
through thy lack of vision and foresight! I curse thou! Thou art not fit to stand here in
those robes; nay, thou art unworthy to join the Master Builder in his paradise!

Karras was raging, screaming all his hurt and rage and fustration at the man who now
cowered under the force of this. Karras was a screaming fury, furious, livid, at this weak
man who now stepped back as he advanced.

Thou hast killed them! he screamed. Thou didst reject mine works, mine cameras which
I developed to guard mine brethren. Thou didst reject them, thou didst scatter my hopes to
the winds, and so condemn mine fellow brothers to death!

Brother Dovetail tried to lay a restraining hand on Karrass arm, but the enraged priest
shook it off. Karras was raging, livid at the destruction of the precious knowledge of the
library, incensed that this man before him had condemned his brethren to death by telling
Karras that his inventions were unconventional. And most of all, he was angry that this
mans lack of vision had caused a student to die, a student who was prepared to follow
Karras, and seek knowledge from a man who had never been respected before. Karras now
hated Garacon, hated the religion that had produced him, hated the religion that prohibited
change and innovation, and condemned its followers to live with outdated technology. He
loathed the reactionism of the priests, the scholars who stifled progress by bleating that the
Master Builders gift had been sufficient, and that to alter it would be blasphemy.

Karras was faintly aware of other Hammerites turning in astonishment, dumbfounded that a
priest would dare to speak to a Master Forger like that. Garacon had backed up until he had
come to a crate of fire arrows and cold retreated no further, and in his eyes was true fear,
and a certainty of death. His thin face was slack with fear, and his body trembled as the fear
took over him. Brother Dovetail had been making feeble attempts to calm Karras, but now
Karras turned round and swung his fist at the priest. Dovetail tried to dodge, but the blow
hit him square on the chin, snapping his head upwards. As his eyes rolled up in
unconsciousness, his body became limp and fell to the floor.

Karras turned round at the mass of Hammerites around him, breathing heavily, his heart
thumping as pushed blood around his shaking body. His brethren looked at him in
astonishment, their features showing that bewilderment, and their tasks forgotten as they
watched him. One or two raised their hammers and began to advance towards him, plainly
intending to silence him, and punish him for striking a priest. Karras began to cast a spell,
but as he did so an arrow sped towards him, and hit him on the chest.

He momentarily glimpsed the green glass crystal that was the head of the arrow, and then it
shattered into myriad fragments. The blow hurt him, and he could now see a green vapour
had escaped from the crystal. His eyelids suddenly felt heavy, he felt tired and exhausted,
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and was now struggling to stay upright. He waved his hands wearily, trying to fight off the
effects of the gas arrow. However, it proved too much for him, and as his eyelids closed the
ground rushed up to meet him.

CHAPTER 2

Karras slumped in his chair, and idly fingered his quill as Hammersmith talked on the other
side of the desk. The man stood tall and straight, his hammer at his side, and his other hand
holding a sheet of paper close to his eyes. Hammersmith held the paper close to his eyes,
and read haltingly from the scrawled script there.

Three men art now with the Master Builder, after they didst not exercise due care and
attention when they examined the trap that thou didst order them to.

Karras jerked upright at that, and looked up at the man.

What didst thou say, Brother? Three men? Didst I hear right? Thou hast just told me
that three men are now with the Builder? Didst they not listen to mine orders when
examining the traps?

Hammersmith fidgeted as Karras stared at him. As the overseer, the large Hammerite knew
that he was responsible for the men. The Bonehoard was a dangerous place, and
Hammersmith was aware that if he wished to be able to study for the priesthood he so
wanted he would have to impress his superiors. Karras drove his men hard, but the Master
Forger Garacon had ensured that the priest was only given the laziest, most heretical, and
most disposable men.

They were fools, Karras said, who didst imagine that they couldst defy death. Why ist
that those heretics at the Cathedral didst send me only the most incompetent of mine
brethren? When I didst request this job to discover the mysteries of the Bonehoard, I did
not known that I wouldst be foiled at every stage of its implementation! Why, we have lost
fifteen men alone merely sending those accursed zombies to their Builder! The only reason
that we didst overcome them was through the grace of the Master Builder, in making them
all depart for some reason.

Hammersmith seemed to shrivel under the force of this tirade. He had rarely seen Karras
so angry the priest was usually cold and supercilious. He had thrown himself into the task
of discovering the Bonehoard and its secrets with surprising passion, but the mistakes of his
workforce frustrated him at every turn.

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Finally Karras was silent, and Hammersmith was able to stop trying to avoid catching
Karrass eye. He took his gaze away from the moss-covered walls, and instead looked back
down at the priest at the table in front of him.

Karras waved a hand to dismiss the man, and then looked back at his interrupted work. He
moaned in anguish. Another three of his brethren dead that was six in the past week. At
this rate he would be through with the task-force before the Bonehoard had even been
mapped. He had been eager to explore the place at first, eager to examine the long dead
technology that had given rise to myths about the Bonehoards impregnability. He had to
admit that technology was impressive. The arrow traps in particular were extremely skilled
at filling his men full of arrows.

He picked up the quill, and fixed his mind on his work again. The weekly report to the
Master Forger was due, and he had naught to report. The tombs were bare of valuables, as
if a thief had stripped the place clean. Karras had seen with his own eyes footprints in the
caverns, and a rope arrow that hung from the wooden ceiling of the Upper Vaults. There
were several half-rotted bodies lying about, but none had any valuables on them. Karras, as
much as he despised thieves and thievery, had a small amount of admiration for the man
who had pitted his wits and his skill against the zombies, and won.

However, other prospects were promising. The dismantling of several of the arrow traps
had revealed their inner workings, and he had hopes of being able to produce weapons of
war from them. He had ample proof that they could kill. His lip curled in disgust. The
Hammerites he had been assigned were the dregs of the barrel, the weakest members of the
Order, who seemed better suited to life on the streets than as honoured brethren. They
complained insecently, of the damp, the smell, the rotting corpses of thieves and zombies,
and the arrow traps that slew so many of them. Their flesh was weak, and yielded far too
readily to the arrows and boulders. If only they were encased in metal, that would protect
them. Not that they were worth protecting, but if he, Karras, were to examine the traps
then some protection would be in order

He was considering this line of thought, imagining men wearing and controlling suits of
metal, when Wills rushed in. The man was breathing heavily, and in the light of the
flickering torches he seemed to be covered in blood. Air whistled from his mouth as he
sucked it in, while trying to retain an upright posture. Karras briefly glanced up at the man,
and then looked up again and stared intently as he took in the sight before him. The man
was desperate to say something, and so Karras waved his hand to indicate that he should
proceed;

Brother Karras, Wills said thine brethren hast need of thou in the Alarus Extension! We
didst come across a trap of which there wast no warning, and Tabaris didst take an arrow in

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the chest. He hast me to request that thou dost say the Prayer of the Dying over him before
he dost die in this pagan place.

The words poured out of Wills mouth, as Karras sat aghast in his chair. However, he was
not thinking of Tabariss pain. He was only thinking of the delays, the setbacks. One less
man to explore the workings of these precious traps, one less worthless body that had not
accomplished anything before the arrow pierced his chest. Karras felt like letting the fool
die as an example to others, but was aware that his hold over the other Hammerites was
tenuous. Besides, Garacon had the ear of Markander, and Garacons worthless nephew was
due to arrive at the site within a few days. He sighed inwardly and stood up, and instructed
the man to lead him to Tarbaris.

When the pair arrived at the newly opened Alarus Extension it was clear that there was
nothing that could be done for the broken body on the floor. Despite the hands and cloths
that pressed on the chest, blood spurted out as the treacherous heart pumped the mans life
away. The blood dribbled down Tarbariss side, and formed red puddles at his side. It was
bright red, and seemed to disappear where it met the red of the mans surcoat. He
screamed and bucked from the pain, his legs twitching in agony and his teeth grinding in his
head.

Karras knelt down next to him, and laid his hand on the mans forehead. At his touch
Tarbaris quietened, and sobbed softly as Karras recited from memory the prayer for the
dying. He felt hypocritical doing so, quoting a scripture in which he now had no faith, for a
man for whom he felt only contempt. The man was weak and faithless, and his broken body
proof of its vulnerability to arrows and the like. Karras though briefly of his thoughts of
men controlling metal creations that would do their work for them, but then returned to the
present.

Finally, when he had finished, he stood up and backed away. The Hammerites surrounding
Tarbaris backed away also, and now the blood ran freely from the arrow wound. The
doomed man was still now, his face pale and breathing laboured. The torturous sound of air
in his lungs grew quieter until eventually his chest ceased to rise and fall. His eyes rolled up,
and the man was dead.

Karras turned away in disgust at the body, and signalled several other Hammerites to pick
him up and bury him. The Hammerite tombs that they had discovered were too worthy for
this man, but he would stay there until they left, and could take his bones to the surface.
Then, suddenly, an urgent thought occurred to him. He turned quickly to Wills, and said;

Brother, hast thou disarmed the trap that didst strike poor Tarbaris to the
ground?

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Wills gaped at the priest as if the thought had only just occurred to him. His mouth open
and closed several times as his brain struggled to think of an excuse for his lack to do such
an important thing. The man was saved by another Hammerite, one of the few mechanics,
dressed in a dirty robe smeared with grime and mud.

Yes Brother Karras, I didst make safe the trap after it didst spew forth its arrow to strike
Brother Tarbaris. Twas but a footplate that didst trigger it, and I didst resolve the problem
by applying a boulder to it. Thou mayest rest assured that it will trouble thee no more

Karras looked at the speaker, whose deep voice he recognised. He instantly recognised the
figure of Brother Gibson, a recent convert to the Order. Aware of Gibsons history, Karras
restricted himself to only a nod, and then spun about on his heel to leave. He walked
towards the main chamber so as to get back to his office, but then suddenly stopped as
something caught his eye. It was a complicated assembly of parts, with a spring in the
centre and several bolts and joints around it. Close by were several rocks, roughly spherical
in shape, which looked the correct size to fit into the contraption. Karras stepped towards it
in interest. He rarely had time enough to do any of his own inventing, the demands of this
job trapping him to his desk all day. He had managed to make substantial improvements to
his security cameras, but that was all. He reached out a hand to touch it.

Stay thy hand Brother! a voice shouted.

Karras jerked his hand away, and turned to see who would dare speak to him thus. He saw
Brother Gibson running towards him in apparent consternations, and some of the other
Hammerites frozen in shock. He was about to ignore demand a reason for Brother
Gibsons conduct when the man spoke again.

I am sorry for mine rudness to thee, Brother Karras, but I do not wish to see thee hurt.
This thing that thou dost see before thee is a new invention of mine, that I didst cunning
develop from the traps that we hast been excavating here.

Indeed? said Karras, interested. It dost not look like any that I have seen with mine
eyes.

Nor should it, Brother, for I do modestly claim that the Master Builder inspired me in
mine work, and didst show me how to improve the traps here enormously. Dost thou see
this spring? Thou dost? Good. If I load a stone such as this into the mouth of mine
creation, and then dost press this lever

Karras gasped in shock and amazement as the contraption jerked to life, and threw the
stone, the size of his clenched fist, clear over to the other side of the room. The missile
moved with incredible speed, and hit the wall with such force that chips of stone flew out
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from its point of impact. Karras turned to Gibson, his mind shocked by such a display of
power and technology, and saw the satisfied face of the mechanic.

Why, Brother Gibson, thisthisthis.contraption canst have been made by thee! Only
the Builder dost possess the skill to make such a wondrous machine!

Gibson smiled with pride.

Thou dost speak the truth, Brother Karras. The Master Builder didst guide me in my
work, and while my hands didst place the pieces together, it was His will that directed the
pieces to their proper location

Karras nodded in understanding, and then went back to examining the machine, as Gibson
fetched a new stone to put in it. He was fascinated by it, by its workings, by this thing that
could throw a stone far further and much harder than any human arm. Humans were weak
at throwing stones this machine accomplished that and more besides, and with less effort.
Karras was enamoured by it.

Then, suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by an unwanted intrusion. From down
the stairs, being escorted by the Hammerite who was supposed to be guarding the entrance,
was Lord Bafford. Karrass lip curled in annoyance and disgust. If he hated his brethren, he
loathed and despised the parasitic aristocracy that grew rich off of the benefits the Order of
the Hammer had given the City. They were vain, pretentious, and arrogant, and treated
Karras with condescension unmatched even by the Master Forger, Garacon.

Karras waved for Gibson to back away, and then went to meet the Lord, who now stood
waiting imperiously by an ancient sarcophagus. Unconsciously, he slipped into the speech
patterns of an upper-class noble, which he found made these arrogant buffoons more
susceptible to his subtle manoeuvring.

Ah, good day to thee, my dear Lord Bafford. Might I ask how thou didst brush aside the
security that I installed with mine own hands at the entrance to the Bonehaord?

I entered, Karras, because your security is as good as your promises. Your little mechanical
eyes have no more brains than you!

Come come, my Lord. Might I enquire why thou dost curse me so? The Master Builder
frowns upon those who soil their tongues with the language of the Trickster.

Karras, you know that I care little for your Master Builder. With your Order in decline,
with the Baron gone, and with the City Council in control, I now wield more power than
you did when you visited me some time ago

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Karras paused here, worried about the turn that the conversation had taken. He could see
that, surprisingly, Bafford was angry, and was too angry to try to conceal it. Normally the
nobility, of which Bafford claimed to be a part, hid their feelings behind a cold mask of
emotionlessness. Karras was apprehensive of the cause of the anger, and his eyes flicked
over to where Brother Gibson had been. Bafford saw this movement, and followed it with
his eyes. Karras spoke again, to draw Baffords attention away from there.

My dear Lord Bafford, I know not of what thou dost mean. Art thou referring to the
matter a few months ago, when I didst take one of the Builders accursed away from thee,
and give thee in return my wondrous inventions?

Yes, Karras, I speak of that. You said that the man I caught stealing was a heretic, and that
it was your duty to deal with him. I gave him to you in the expectation of a more severe
punishment than those fools in the City Courts would afford to a mere thief belonging to a
guild owned by Ramirez! I didnt do it for those cameras you gave me, which now protect
where my sceptre used to be! And now what do I find? A contact has told me that you
released this Gibson, and that he is now working for you!

Karras shrank back from the mans anger, and made pacifying gestures with his hands.
Bafford was livid, his face red, and spittle flew from his mouth as his tortured throat
screamed at the priest.

Lord Bafford, please, I beg of thee, give not was to thine destructive emotions. Tis true
that the thief of which thou speakest works for me, but he is...he ishe is a test subject, yes,
a test subject. For my new inventions.

And you expect me to believe that, Karras? You really think I would fall for that? Do you
think me an idiot? An imbecile? A taffer no cleverer than my guards?

Calm, please, Lord Bafford. Thou hast mine oath upon the matter. And thou hast more
besides! Thou wilst have mine new security inventions, when they are completed and have
been tested upon Gibson! Come, there is no need for us to end our agreement!

Very well, Karras! I will expect those delivered soon! Remember, you are no longer the
patron, to crush me below your foot! Now I am the superior, and your squabbling Order
will not be able to stand against me and the City Council.

Yes, my Lord. As ever I obey

Bafford, thus satisfied, spun about on his heal, and walked away. Karras stared with pure
hatred at his retreat back. He clenched his fists desperately as a surge of adrenalin burst
through him. His anger and hate at Bafford, at his ilk, at the world that had heaped shame

190
and derision upon him threatened to overwhelm him. Tears of rage sprung to his eyes, and
he ground his teeth until his jaw hurt. He did not even begin to calm until the sound of
Baffords shoes on the floor of the Bonehoard had disappeared. Karras was mad with rage,
his dignity torn to shreds, and his soul keening for revenge against the arrogant lord.
However, at this moment he could not do that. But there was one thing he could do.

He spun about and searched that crowd of Hammerites for a single man. They began to
back away as they saw the expression on his faith, and their lack of backbone incensed
Karras even more. His finger shot out, they flinched, and one man of them stopped dead.
Karras beckoned at him, and the trembling man stepped forward.

Ah, Brother Hammersmith. Wouldst thou do me the favour of placing thyself over here?
Yes, just so. Come, come, why dost thou tremble so? The machine willst not fire without
the control of a man, and tis mine hands upon the controls. Surely thou canst not have a
reason to fear me?

Karrass voice was controlled, and icy, as if the rage had crystallized into a hard diamond.
The Hammerite Karras had selected was standing directly in the path that a missile would
take if released from Gibsons machine. Karras rested his hand lightly on the release
mechanism, and spoke to Hammersmith as he did so:

Now, Brother Hammersmith, I am sure that thou didst hear the words of Lord Bafford.
While arrogant, andheretical, he is also a most trustworthy gentleman. After all, he is a
noble, and so thou wouldst expect no less. And so, when he dost tell me that he hast a
contact within the Order, who didst tell him of the matter of Gibson, I believe him.

I see thou tremblest when I do speak. Dost thou fear me? What cause hast thou given me
to threaten thee so? As I wast relating, this contact didst inform Bafford of the matter of
Gibson. Bafford is a wealthy man, despite the loss of his sceptre from his Town House. An
ambitious person wouldst surely wish to gain his patronage, especially when the patron hast
so much power over our Brethren. Art thou an ambitious man, Hammersmith? Thou dost
wish to study for the priesthood, thou dost want the trappings of mine office. And thou hast
little love for Brother Gibson. Look not so surprised, Brother Hammersmith I hast eyes
to see, and despite the words of thine patron, Bafford, my brain ist superior to those of mine
machines.

And why dost thou look so shocked at my words, Brother? Art thou shocked that I didst
dare to accuse thee of corruption, or that I didst discover the matter? Look not wildly
round for help, Hammersmith! Thou art in charge of the security, and thou didst let
Bafford through to confront me! Thou wishest for mine office, mine robes! Thou knowest
that if I fall thine star shall rise! Thou art a traitor, thou art a wretch, thou art an
accomplice of the Trickster, and thou dost seek to sabotage the work of the Master Builder!
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Well, thou canst! See what thou hast rejected through thine hereticism, and see the power
of the Master Builder!

Karras had been becoming increasingly angry, and his voice rose in rage as the pathetic
figure of Hammersmith cowered before him, as Karras had done before Bafford. The
priests arm, and clenched fist, repeatedly crashed down upon the table, and Karras was
uncaring of the blood that tricked from it. His voice now screamed rage and hate, and with
a final smash of his arm upon the table he brought his hand down on the lever of the
machine.

The machine spat forth its load, a ball of stone that shot with incredible speed to impact in
Hammersmiths stomach. The ball hit the chain-mail there with a clang, broke through it
to enter the stomach. It smahed skin and muscle and organs as it travelled, before being
arrested in its flight by the chain-mail at the back of Hammersmiths clothes. The stone
snapped the spine and destroyed in internal organs, and the Hammerite toppled to the
ground as blood spewed forth from his mouth and stomach. He twitched weakly as his
mouth screamed silent agony, and then after a final convulsion he was still.

Karras looked at the man, his anger sated but still there. He thought of the weakness of the
flesh, of the mind, of the dedication to the Builders teachings. Of how frail and susceptible
the body was to stones and arrows, of how frail the mind was, and how susceptible to
dishonesty and heresy. He though of what he had been considering before, of the suits of
metal to protect mens bodies. Now he wondered if there was a way to protect a mans
mind from the teachings of the Trickster.

He turned, and looked at the crowd of Hammerites. They stared back at him, terrified by
this display of power. He thought of how weak they were, how they and their former
taskmaster had yielded before the Builders gifts, and how the machine of iron and brass had
taken a flawed life so easily. He waved his hand and they left, running to get away from
him. Karras returned to his office more slowly, thinking of the revelation he had had, and
still livid with his treatment at the hands of Lord Bafford.

And blood still dripped from the dead Hammersmiths mouth onto the uncaring floor.

CHAPTER 3

Blessed be the Master Builder, who we see in His Works be the Master Builder, who we
see in His works

Blessed be the Master Builder, who we see in His Works

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Blessed be the Master Builder, whose power endureth forever

Blessed be the Master Builder, whose power endureth forever

The service finished, Karras turned from the altar, and allowed his gaze to rest on his
congregation, arrayed on the pews that stretched to the back of the small nave. His place on
the raised platform with the altar allowed him to look down on the mass of people within
the nave. The temple was small, yet filled with devoted followers, former Hammerites who
had likewise seen the error of their ways. For Karras no longer thought of himself as a
Hammerite, but as someone new, someone different, someonebetter.

Mine loyal followers, he began, in his characteristic speech as a boiler doth fill with the
steam that giveth it its power, so our humble temple doth fill with thou, the steam that
giveth the Builder His power. Tis a great sight to see that so many of thee hath seen the
light of mine teachings, and forsaken the erroneous precepts of our mistaken friends the
Hammerites. Tis even greater to see how our influence among the heathen rabble of this
City doth grow and swell as our great inventions, from thine own hands, doth win over
these feeble and shallow shadows.

Soon even they will know the sweet savour of the Builders presence. Let it be thine duty
to aid these sorry specimens to find the Builder in the beauty of our buildings and our
machinery. This I command thee, this I urge thee, and this I release thee that thee may go
forth and bring the light of the Builders teaching to those around thee!

Karras gestured with his hands, and two men seized the heavy doors at the end of the nave
and pulled them open. He sighed unobtrusively at the mens clumsy effort, for their
strength was not such that the doors opened smoothly, as befitted such fixtures in the
Builders dwelling. Such a job would be better entrusted to machines twould be a simple
job to arrange such a machine as to open heavy doors on command. But alas, the full might
of his orders mechanical capability was focused on winning favour with the barbarian
nobility and with another project. Karras smiled as he thought fondly of what was the
crowning glory of the mechanical sunrise that his order had unleashed.

Later, dispensing with the ornate robes he had been wearing for the service, he dressed in
the simpler robes he himself had designed simpler, but not so simple as not to command
respect and slowly walked from his private suite of rooms to one of the larger rooms
surrounding the nave. As he approached the door the mechanical eye, surveying his
approach, blipped slightly, but settled down into its normal routine, scanning the corridor
along which he had just approached. Karras was relieved. Developing the mechanical eye
had been a complicated process the design he had first completed at Cragscleft had proved
to be temperamental, and it was only after extensive development that the internal workings
of the eye had been completed to his satisfaction. And the satisfaction of the City Watch, to
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whom Karras had sold several. Gordon Truart, the Sheriff of Shoalsgate and de facto ruler
of the City, had been most pleased, and Karras had made a powerful friend.

He passed through the door that the eye watched, and entered the largest of the workshops
that the temple held. No one was there, but in a corner sat the fruit of many hours of
labour both Karrass and his followers. A mechanical beast, a great automaton capable of
moving, recognising a friend and foe, and bringing down the Builders wrath upon the foe
with a weapon using the newly-discovered gunpowder. Karras smiled as he silently
contemplated the machine. His absent-mindedly played with a small cog, his fingers
spinning the little gear around again and again as Karras lost himself in the sheer perfection
of the robot. Flawless, possessing none of the impure tendencies that plagued humankind,
an unblemished mind with which to worship the Master Builder.

He was brought back to the world of the present by a quiet cough behind him. He turned
around, to see his aide, Brother Stoneson, standing at the entrance to the workshop, with
Brother Coltus, the man who had done the most to develop the machine, standing behind
him. Stoneson inclined his head down in respect, and spoke.

I hesitate to disturb mine master when thou is thus engaged in such contemplative matters,
but it was the judgement of Brother Lermann that the matter should be brought before thee
in the utmost haste, it being his opinion that it was of importance to thee, considering
that

Speed thine words, Brother, said Karras, growing quickly weary of his aides
prevarication, what be this matter that dost demand mine attention?

High Priest Markander has presented himself at gate, Brother Karras, with his entourage,
and seeks an audience with thee immediately

Karrass lip curled contemptuously at the thought of the old priest, and the expression on
his face was so malevolent that Stoneson paled slightly, fearing his principals anger. Karras
had nothing but hatred and contempt for the doddering old man that the decreasing
numbers of Hammerites adulated as the High Priest of their order. In Karrass opinion that
man was weak and flawed, unworthy to lead a service, let alone the Hammerite Order.
Hed been weak before the affair with the Tricksters beasts, hed been weaker after it, and
had lately been presiding over an order that had lost direction and drive, and was no longer
worthy to worship the Master Builder. The malevolent expression remained on his face as
he directed Stoneson to prepare the audience chamber, and direct Markander there. Then
Karras stormed from the room, thoughts of mechanical purity forgotten in his hatred of
Markander.

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The audience chamber was smaller than the workshop, a medium-sized room with a raised
seat at one end, and chairs lining the sides. Karras used it when he spoke with officials,
petitioners or potential contractors. Now a line of Hammerite guards circled the room,
their massive war hammers gilded and blued, the steel polished, their uniforms looped with
gold threads and decorative frogging. They were not mere guardsmen they guarded the
High Priest. The High Priest himself, aged and frail, sat on a chair at the side of the room,
wearing his decorated robes that showed his status within the order.

Karras entered the room, accompanied by a small force likewise armed with war hammers,
but with considerably less ornate uniforms. The two groups exchanged barbed stares with
each other. Karras settled into the chair at the end of the room, and waited for Markander
to make the first move. Both men stared at each other for several seconds, until finally the
High Priest slowly pulled himself upright, and stood in front of Karras. He was plainly
uncomfortable there not only was he frail and weak, but the symbolism of him standing
before a renegade priest sitting upon his throne was potent and telling.

Brother Karras, he said, in a weak voice I have come unto thee to ask, nay demand, that
thou return to the Order. Our beloved Order of the Hammer hast sore suffered since the
time of the Tricksters minions, and we needeth every mind open to the Builder, every hand
willing to do his work, that our Order might once again render unto all the Builders
teaching. We demand of thee that thou combine thine might into ours

Karras sat still in his chair during this speech, giving no sign as to the effect that the High
Priests words were having upon him. But when he heard this, he stood up from the chair,
towering over the old man, and shouted;

Markander, thou canst take thine demands and feed them to the Burricks! The Order of
the Hammer is no longer mine Order, nor the order of any of mine followers here. His
wave took in his followers standing around the room. We have rejected thine flawed
beliefs, for we hath seen in what stead those beliefs have held thee. Thou mayest ask, thou
mayest demand, but we shall never return unto thee!

Brother Karras, mine Order is thy Order! The Hammerites have endured for generations.
Thine order is but a new building upon Hammerite foundations. Come, join with us.
We shall listen to thine demands, value thine opinion, consider what thou doth ask. But
this poisonous schism between us must heal. Our Order has endured the animosity of the
peasantry, the nobility; the animosity of all. Yet when we are divided we will surely yield
and be scattered. Thou MUST heal the chasm if our order is to survive.

Thou wouldst value mine opinion?! Thou wouldst listen to mine demands?! Thou dost
lie! Karras screamed in rage. Thou didst not value mine opinion when I was part of thee.
So why shouldst I hear thee now?! For years thou didst reject me and shun me, and now
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thou dost insult me by thinking that I will be swayed by thine pleading. Enough! I have
heard enough from thee. Begone!!

Karras screamed this, and flecks of spittle flew from his mouth in his passion. He towered
over the frail old man, who seemed to cringe in the face of such anger. Markander was old
and tired, too weak to compete with the youth and vigour that Karras was confronting him
with.

To Be Continued eventually

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 A PATH NOT TAKEN
NOTE: This was an attempt to depart somewhat from the usual pattern of fan fiction. It was such
an unusual premise that for a long time I tried to continue with it. However, I doubt it will ever be
finished now.
Chapter 1

I am prepared to offer you the sum of 100,000upon receipt of The Eye

Garrett leant back in the chair to consider Constantines offer. The amount was tempting.
100,000 could buy an easy retirement; a quiet house deep in the countryside, like Lampfire
Hills, or maybe a richly-appointed apartment somewhere in the better district of the City.
In the short term, he could pay off his outstanding debts, maybe even spread a bit more
money about to pick up new titbits of information.

But even as he thought this, misgivings arose in his mind. There was something
deeplywrongabout Constantine. He was rich, fairly eccentric [if his mansion was
anything to go by] and willing to pay top price for the best. But his manner made Garrett
wary, and the thought that Constantine had been following him made him uneasy. More
than that, Constantines mansion had seemed verypagan. As did his manner, and his
desire for an item deep in the heart of the Closed Area, by the Barricades didnt fit with
this persona he was trying to project. The whole job made Garrett feel uneasy, and so he
rose up out of his seat and deposited the glass on the table.

I dont see how I can accept such an offermixing up with the Hammerites isnt my idea
of fun. Maybe you should find another artist to obtain this item for you.

I see Constantine spoke in a low voice, with a hint of anger that Garrett could barely
hear. The thief fancied he saw the mans eyes flash an angry red, while he was faintly aware
that Viktorias face had stiffened into an angry grimace.

In that case, Mr. Garrett, Id appreciate your silence in this affair. Viktoria has her ways of
ensuring that you do. Goodbye, Mr. Garrett.

Constantine held out his hand to the thief, who shook it back, surprised at the strength of
the old man. He then turned to leave, and saw Viktoria watching him. Her beautiful face
now seemed different the beauty had turned into hateful beauty. She was lovely still, but
the loveliness was poisoned. She turned away without a word. Garrett slipped past her to
the door, and opened it to leave.
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Remember, Garrett, she said as he stepped through your silence. He nodded, and
moved off.

***

Garrett slowly made his way back to his home in South Quarter, his mind in turmoil. He
cursed himself for having lost perhaps his only chance to retire after one job, but also found
himself glad that he had not accepted the offer. There was just something about
Constantine He thought to himself as he quickly slipped from shadow to shadow in the
darkened streets. Keeper beliefs did not put much belief into extra-sensory perception.
Concealment in shadows was a case of physical skill rather than any sort of mental skill.
But yetGarrett had known several people who claimed that they could wield natural
magic. He wondered if Constantine was such a personperhaps even a Pagan magician of
some sort. Certainly it would make sense - Viktoria was known to deal with exotic
substances. Garrett thought amusedly that maybe Constantine was the Trickster himself, a
thought he dismissed with a quiet laugh.

Eventually he came to a brightly lit crossroads the alley he had been travelling along
intersected with a major road that was illuminated with a row of gas lamps. He stopped in a
shadow, and cautiously peered along the road. There seemed to be no sign of movement.
Suddenly there was a brief flicker of movement in the corner of his eye, and he turned just
in time to see a figure disappear into the darkness of a shadow in the opposite alley. He
strained his eyes to see more, but could make nothing out.

Suddenly, he heard the clink of metal on stone, and the soft rustle of clothing in the wind.
He risked a glance back and saw a cloaked and hooded figure press himself into the
shadows under an inn porch. The new arrival was nowhere near the calibre of Garrett, who
could see the inexperienced thief clearly. He took out his blackjack, just in case the thief
decided to move into his shadows, but the figure suddenly dashed over to a shadow opposite
Garrett in the alley. Garrett could hear the mans heavy breathing from here, and make out
the form of a sword and large pouch beneath the others cloak. He sunk further into the
shadows, not even making a sound.

The stranger did as Garrett had done before he looked along the road to check if it was
watched. Seeing nothing, the stranger launched himself from the shadows and quickly
scurried across the brightly lit road.

The arrow hit him in the chest as he ran, and its force knocked him backwards. His legs
flew out from under him, and his inertia caused him to fall forward onto the ground. He let
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out a great shout of pain that trailed off as his heart gave up the unequal struggle, and his
head fell down to hit the ground. Garrett stayed where he was, and watched the action
unfolding.

The arrow had come from the mysterious shadow. As the thief watched, two figures
emerged. One was armed with a bow and arrow, the other carrying a sword. They walked
over to the body. It was a strange walk, almost like that of a monkey. Then Garrett realised
with a start that these figures were not human they had tails that swung behind them as
they shambled towards the still corpse. By the light of the gas lamps Garrett could see that
their bodies were covered in coarse, thick hair, and their faces more like those of apes or rats
than of a human. He silently offered up a prayer to the Watchman for his good fortune, as
the gross creatures stooped over the body.

Garrett leaned forward, and saw them kicking the body, and hissing to each other in a
strange tongue,

thinksie Father Woodsie be pleased with us this night. Sneaksie thiefsie not escape this
time. Takesie the sneaksies sword Father Woodsie wants back what is his.

I takes it now, and me shall leave the sneaksie for the rest of the manfools. Let them think
over what happened manfools will never suspect Father Woodsie. Come!

The two beasts shambled off into the shadows with the mans sword, and Garrett faintly
heard the squeal of rusty metal; as if a sewer drain cover were being opened. He slumped
down against the wall, praising even the Builder that he hadnt been the first into that street.
The shock of his close escape made his hands tremble violently. To be killed by a guard
was an accepted risk dying at the hands of thosethingswas something he would wish
on no one.

Still, there was work to be done. Garrett looked out again over the empty street, and,
seeing no one, ran over to the body. He saw immediately that the man was dead his blood
was slowly pooling over the cobbles. Garrett quickly ran his hands over the mans cloak,
searching for any valuables. He quickly checked the pockets and seams, and collected a few
loose coins there. He felt inside the dead thiefs cloak, and smiled triumphantly. Those
things hadnt taken the pouch hanging from the belt there. Garrett quickly undid the
pouch, and delightedly flicked one of the many gold coins in there. About 1000 in gold
coins, and all for being in the right place at the right time. Or perhaps the wrong time. He
kept looking for anything else, but the man had nothing else. The only other item on his
belt was a scabbard, empty of the sword.
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Garrett was looking at this scabbard when suddenly a thought occurred to him. Something
about a sword and Father Woodsie. He struggled to remember what the creature had said,
but his thoughts were interrupted by a shout from further down the street. He turned his
head, and saw a Hammerite running towards him, his hammer raised and ready to strike.
Garrett abandoned the body and sprinted for the shelter of the nearest alley fortunately
the one that he had been intending to take. He ran down its narrow, foetid path, turning
suddenly where the alley made abrupt changes of direction. He could hear the sound of the
Hammerite running behind him, screaming of murder and rousing everyone in the vicinity.
Windows began to be flung open as Garrett ran past.

Suddenly a door was flung open ahead of him, and a man stepped out. He was carrying a
short sword and wearing a helmet, but the effect was spoilt by the nightshirt that he still
wore. He took in the speeding thief and the Hammerite running behind him, and decided
he was probably safer inside. He moved to go back in, but Garrett was going too fast to
avoid him, and his shoulder slammed into the man. Both went down into the dirty alley,
but Garrett was able to roll back upright and keep running. The Hammer, sprinting behind
him, was not so nimble. He tripped over the fallen man, and his massive weight slammed
him into the street. There was a wet crack, and the sound of a massive sledgehammer
hitting the cobbles. Garrett grimaced in misplaced sympathy, and ran on.

***

Sitting in his room later, he counted out his profits of the night. Several neat stacks of gold
coins were arrayed on the table in front of him, and the equivalent of several others lay in
his pouch. Not enough to retire on, not even enough to live on but enough to pay the
rent for the next two weeks, and a few other sundry expenses. And a new bolt for the door.
Garrett was taking no chances after what hed seen tonight. His sword hung on a hook by
the door; easily accessible in the event of an emergency. Its strange power caused it to
almost blend in with the shadowed wall.

He looked at the sword, which triggered a sudden memory. One of those creatures it had
made a point of finding and taking the mans sword. Almost as if he had been specifically
ordered to take it. But Garrett had caught a glimpse of the sword it was a cheap, flimsy
thing of no real value. As was Garretts old sword. But his new one A cold sweat formed
on his back, and his hair stood on end. The creatures had been looking for his sword and
that arrow had been intended for him alone. So someone was out for him. Who was it that
the beast had said wanted it? Father Woodsie? Garrett stood up and began to pace his

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small room. He had heard that phrase before a long time before, back in his days with the
keepers. Something to do with the Pagans.

He needed to find out who, or what, this Father Woodsie person was. The sooner he could
find him, the sooner he could work out a way to avoid being caught at the wrong end of an
arrow. Hed need a large library, a place sufficiently big enough to have a reference such as
that. The Keeper library would, of course, have reams of information. But Garrett wasnt
too keen on looking up anything there. After all, hed abandoned the Keepers years ago to
follow his own path. Itd be humiliating to crawl back now for help. Assuming they didnt
just kill him first.

Apart from the Keeper library, there werent many other options. The Hammerite library
at Prisongate was a possibility, but Garrett didnt want to take his chances there. His one
infiltration several months before hadnt turned out too well and the Hammers were sure
to have radically enhanced the situation there. Besides, most of the books had been
damaged and disordered in the great riot there. Garrett grimaced in painful remembrance.

Suddenly, he stopped as the obvious solution came to mind. The City University. A large
campus spread around the City, the University Library was located in Hightowne
somewhere. A prestigious address that the University had owned since its formation. The
place was perfect. Few guards, filled with harmless academics and students, and likely to
have many mentions of Father Woodsie. Garrett smiled to himself. Hed have the next day
to gather his equipment and maps, and then use the evening to find the required
information there. Hed his blackjack, broadheads, water arrows and moss arrows but no
fire arrows, he thought to himself wryly.

Chapter 2

The guard walked silently past the shadowed alcove, neither looking right nor left as he
murmured to himself. On his head was a dull metal helmet, while under his surcoat he wore
a tunic of rusty chain mail that clinked and shook as he walked. He was armed with a sword.

Garrett waited until the man had reached the end of the carpeted corridor and turned right
before moving from his hiding place. He silently walked down the carpeted runner in the
centre of the corridor, senses alert for any sign of danger. He eventually reached the end of
the corridor, and there slid into a patch of shadow, in order to watch both ways down the
corridor. He snorted softly in mild disgust. The guards that defended this place were
pathetic. As an institution of learning the University had no security force of its own. It
contracted in a private company of guards. Garrett had scouted out the library the day
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earlier, and seen how ineffectual and amateur the guards were. All they needed to do was
patrol around and frighten academics with their swords.

Seeing that there was no danger, Garrett crept from his hiding place in the shadow, and
silently continued on his way down the corridor. Finding another, smaller corridor leading
off of it, he slipped into a convenient shadow and consulted his map. This was the corridor
he wanted. He leant round, took out his bow from his cloak, and nocked a water arrow to
it. He drew back the bow, aimed carefully, and finally let loose the arrow. It sped away and
extinguished the torch with a brief flash of smoke and sound. Smiling with satisfation, he
moved away down the smaller corridor.

***

Garrett crept up behind the guard, a heavily built man who stood by a heavy, barred door.
The guard leant against the wall beside it, occasionally looking round. The chain mail
surrounding the helmet clinked as he did so most of the guards had added their own
enhancements to their armour. The thief silently crept up behind him, making sure to stay
pressed against the wall to avoid detection. Finally he reached the guard, and crept up so
that he was standing directly behind him. Then, he struck.

He took a knife in his hand, and suddenly wrapped his arm round the guards neck so that
the blade touched on his throat. His other arm slammed over the guards mouth, taking the
stunned man by surprise and preventing him from crying out. Garrett leaned over and
whispered in the guards ear:

One move or cry for help and you die. Understand?

The guard, stunned and frightened, nodded, eyes flickering down to make sure he didnt
move his neck into the blade. Then Garrett asked:

Nod once if youre called Resputan.

The man nodded once.

Garrett released his grip on the mans mouth, and took the blade away from his throat. The
guard span round, and his eyes lit up as he saw the thief.

Garrett, you taffer! I thought youd got cold feet and bottled out. I was getting ready to
go in without you!

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The thief smiled back at the man, who had slapped him on the shoulder and flashed rotting
teeth at him as he said this.

And make a mess like you did last time?! Thanks but no thanks Resputan you just stay
here and watch the door. Youll get your share soon enough.

Ahhh, Garrett, the last time you said that the City Guard nearly caught me. You
remember that time we

Resputan, lets catch up when were finished shall we? Now, have you got the key?

Resputan tossed a key at Garrett, who tried it in the lock of the door. It fitted perfectly. He
twisted it, and listened to the click as the tumblers moved and the bolt on the other side of
the door slid back. The thief pushed it open, then turned to look at the grinning guard.

Remember if anyone comes, knock twice on the door and try to delay them as much as
possible

Resputan nodded, and Garrett slipped through the doorway and closed the door behind
him. He locked it firmly, then started off down the passage. He grinned. Resputan was an
old childhood friend the only remaining one Garrett would still trust absolutely. Theyd
played as boys, and stolen together as teenagers. Until Resputan had decided to do a job
without Garrett, and had nearly died as a result of a guards swing. Garrett had gone back
to avenge himself on the guard, while Resputan had stood watchand been there when the
City Guard had turned up. It had been close. But it had shaken Resputans nerve, and he
never stole after that. Instead, he turned his expertise the other way and sought
employment as a guard. Garrett had found out he worked for the same company that
guarded the library, and it was a simple matter to slip him a note in their own secret code.

Suddenly the passage ended, and Garrett looked with satisfaction at the great hall revealed.
He had reached the Pagan and Myth Section. Acting on intuition, he had guessed that the
name Father Woodsie sounded Pagan, and it had been a simple matter to ask Resputan to
be guarding that particular door, and have the key ready.

The first thing to do was the find the index. He crept around silently, making sure no one
was present, and then went to a great book lying on a circular table in the very centre of the
hall. It was the index. Garrett rapidly turned the pages until he reached the F Section. His
finger ran down the entries, but to no avail. No Father Woodsie. Hissing through his teeth
in annoyance, he flipped through the book until he reached the W Section. Again he ran

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his finger down the column of entries until, finally, he found Woodsie, Father. He bent
over to study the entry.

Woodsie, Father

Noun, Pagan Title Father of the Woods

Reputedly informal, colloquial title amongst Pagans for Woodsie Lord i.e. The Trickster

See Woodise Lord Entry for further details.

References: Pagan Studies, H E Gerturs; Woodsie Gods, J G Hertman; A Study of

Mythological and Pagan Legends, L L Lyer.

Garrett gasped. Father Woodsie was the Woodsie Lord! The Trickster! The fabled god
of nature and chaos. And a deity who had sentbeasts. to kill him. Garrett felt a cold
sweat break out over his back as the hairs on his neck stood on end. A deity wanted him
deadand had very nearly succeeded. Did he know that Garrett was still alive? As a god he
must do. And that meant he was still after him.

Suddenly, a thought came to Garrett that knocked the breath out of him. Constantinethe
desire for that gemthe sense of unease he had about himthe pagan feeling Garrett had
had about himand his refusal of the offer Could Constantine actually BE the
Trickster? Garrett wanted not to believe this, not to believe that he had shaken hands with
a god, drunk his liquor, and then turned down his offer, but a logical part of his mind was
telling him there was a probability this was so. He sank down to the floor, stunned.

Finally, after several minutes, he roused himself. What could he do? Constantine would
keep hunting him down until finally he was killed. He needed a way to appease him, and
maybe escape with his life. An idea came to him. Constantine had mentioned he wanted a
gemstone called The Eye. Perhaps if Garrett got this gemstone and managed to get it to
Constantine, his life would be spared? He might even make some money on it, enough to
retire perhaps

He dragged the index towards him and flicked to the E Section. It was of considerable size,
but eventually Garrett tracked down the entry.

Eye, The

Noun, no Pagan/Mythological name known

204
Fabled gemstone. Existence unproven, current owner unknown.

References: Lost Gemstones, K A Retremarte; Of Gems and Legends, J A Barnest; A

Detailed Study and Consideration of Fabled Objects and Gemstones, with Special
Reference to The Eye, K L Hermandares; A Study of Mythological and Pagan Legends, L
L Lyer; Hammer and Pagan Tales and Myths, H A Joneste.

Garrett looked across the page for the reference number of Hermandares book, which
seemed to be the most specific. Having found it, he moved off towards the relevant aisle,
snatching a pair of glasses foolishly left on the table. He wasnt in this for money but
Resputan was.

***

Garrett pulled down the book from the shelf, and carried it over to a reading table. He
rapidly flipped through the book, until eventually he came to K L Hermandares
consideration of The Eye. He skimmed through it rapidly, pausing to read important
sections.

a fabled gemstone, never proven to have existed, but with too much evidence to be
dismissed as a figment of the imagination. References to the Eye feature in early Pagan
writings, as noted by Lyer (1), ascribe the gem fantastical powers of necromancy and
anarchy

to be a large, cut gem of unknown composition, but with a milky clarity. Legend also
holds it to be set in a decorative holder of some significance, possessing three decorated
prongs. The entire holder is supposedly decorated with gold. Who decorated it, or why,
remains a mystery

several theories of its origin. Some have suggested Precursor provenance, citing various
pieces of evidence. Gurtelsterte dismisses these conclusions (8), and instead affirms that the
Eye is probably of Pagan origin. He bases these conclusions on evidence in Pagan texts,
which say that the Trickster was who commanded the gem cut and mounted, and then
infused it with Pagan powers

supposedly possesses the powers of necromancy and anarchy. Theorists have used these
powers as an encompassing reason for the prevalence of the undead in several sections of the
City

205
suppressed Hammerite accounts seem to affirm that the Hammerites discovered a
gemstone capable of necromancy and took it to the Hammerite Cathedral in what is now
the Closed Area in order to use it to their own ends. H G Termenatre, in his foreword (12)
to The Collected Letters of the Smith-In-Exile, suggests that this gemstone, possibly the
Eye itself, was responsible for the emergence of the undeadand remains there still,
controlling them. This conclusion, though fanciful, has as much merit as any other
observation put forward

Garrett put down the book, his mind fired with what we had read. A gemstone capable of
necromancy? With Pagan origins? Why could Constantine possibly want such a gem,
except to wreak havoc upon the City? Garrett had no great regard for any other inhabitants
of the City, but this place was his home and his livelihood and what would happen to it if
Constantine were to get his hands on the Eye? But what would happen to Garrett if he
could not appease Constantine?

He finally arose from the volume, not knowing what to do or even what he could do. But
he knew one thing for certainit was time to leave the library. He had what he wanted,
and the more time he spent here, the greater the chances of being caught. He moved off
towards the exit.

***

A gentle tap on Resputans shoulder made him spin round in surprise. His features changed
from fright to happiness when he saw Garrett locking the door to the place behind him.

Thanks Resputan. I would say I owe you one, but I got this for you instead

The thief flicked the set of expensive reading glasses to Resputan, who laughed in delight.

Ahh, I knew you wouldnt forget me Garrett. Well, lets be off then

What?

Im coming with you Garrett. Cant stay here now that youve been at work inside. Come
onlets go!

Garrett followed Resputan, with grave misgivings, as they crept down the corridor. He
knew he should have left Resputan be, and gone another way, but the man was an old
friend. How could he abandon him. Resputan glanced around, then softly lept from one
shadows to another. Garrett smiled at least his friend still remembered how to be a thief.

206
***

Suddenly the footsteps of the guard grew louder, as the man took a path neither Resputan
nor Garrett had anticipated. The pair was forced into a brightly lit corridor, with only a
bare amount of shadow. They squeezed into the small patch of shadow together, and
waited with bated breath as the guard approached.

Garrett looked around this small hiding place with mounting apprehension. There was no
way he and Resputan could hide here the guard would see them for sure. One of them
would have to move. He turned round to look at his friend to tell him.

Unfortunately, Resputan had reached the same conclusion. As Garrett turned he heard his
friend whisper;

Sorry about this, Garrett

Resputan brought down his massive fist on Garretts head, dazing the thief and knocking
him into the centre of the corridor, and in full view of the approaching guard. Resputan
stepped over to him and launched another blow that spun the thief round and dropped him
to the floor. As darkness began to close over Garrett, he heard Resputans triumphant cry
to the other guard;

I got him, I got him! He was about to kill me, and I got him! Captain Parsoms gonna be
giving me a bonus for this. I caught the thief!

Garrett dropped his head to the floor in disbelief and anger, and the darkness rushed in to
devour him.

Note: What happens when Garrett wakes up? He escapes from the prison hes been flung into, and
takes his revenge on Resputan. There he finds that Resputan was hired to kill him by Viktoria. This
makes him even more determined to find the Eye he drops into the Haunted Cathedral, and finds
that others have been there before him. Its a race against time to get the Talismans before the other
thieves Constantine has hired, but eventually Garrett returns and gets the Eye. While he is deciding
what to do with it Constantine, now the Trickster, strikes; he steals the Eye and tears out one of
Garretts own to place in it. From there the story returns to the true Thief storyline at Escape,
leading the Garretts revenge and the Tricksters downfall.

207
 THE UNIFIED CITY SOCIALITE REPUBLIC

T he past year has seen events of unexpected and unforeseeable seriousness, that threaten
the very fabric of contemporary society, and might result in the demise of all that our
order has struggled for through these many years.

The trouble began immediately after the fall of Karras, after his untimely end at the hands
of Garrett. Warned of his plans by a treacherous member of our Order, whose name shall
ever remain unspoken, Garrett brought about the downfall of Karras, and the destruction of
the plan for which we have laboured so long. He killed Karras before we were able to place
our agents in such a position as to avert the affects of his inevitable downfall, and thus
manoeuvre the City into a state of balance. As a result, the scales have been adversely tilted,
perhaps even permanently.

As word came of the devastation at Soulforge, we rushed there immediately to prevent

Garrett causing any more harm. We brought him back to the compound, and watched
from inside as rioting mobs in the streets slew Mechanists and their brother Hammerites.
Blood ran through cobblestones, and into sewers that became choked with offal. Rioters
smashed machinery, destroying the pumping stations, power generators and pipelines that
were the arteries of the City. Our metropolis was plunged into darkness both physical and
moral. The rich retreated to their fortified strongholds, protected by guards and walls. The
City Watch, deprived of leadership and purpose, joined the riots.

The situation calmed eventually, aided no doubt by the Great Fire, which spread through
the warehouses of the harbour districts, destroying food and supplies. Those who could
left, those who couldnt fortified their dwellings and tried to weather the storm, while those
that could do neither starved. Food reached those who could afford it. Some industries still
functioned there remained work at the docks, at the mines, in the fields. The workers,
bowed under the weight of their loads, were paid little by the foreign merchants that were
the only people who now had the capital to operate.

But there arose one man from out of the masses, an orator by the name of Marngels. He
would stand by the heap of rubble that had been the most splendid of the Barons palaces,
and let forth vituperative rhetoric on the rich that still lived in the City. He would curse the
merchants, the exploiters growing rich off the backs of the workers, and he would call for
their blood. He would let forth on his views of society, his dream of a classless society,
where all would be equal, where everything would be shared, where people would work not
for wages, but for the common good.
208
Unsurprisingly, this appealed to many of the oppressed workers to whom he was reaching
out. They agreed that the merchants should be punished, that their wealth be shared, that
class be abolished, and that all should work for the common good rather than themselves.
Calling themselves Socialites, they grew in number as Marngels spread his teachings to
other parts of the City.

Meanwhile, the merchants were not idle. After one failed assassination attempt, they called
on the one who would be both brethren and betrayer Garrett. He had left us, impatient
again with our teachings, angry that we had decided it would be better for Viktoria to die,
and disgusted that the situation was so different to what we had planned for. The new City
proved a rich hunting ground for him, and so it is no surprise that the merchants decided to
hire him to make the assassination. What was rather more surprising was that he chose to
make known to the merchants our existence. We had not planned on him being so angry
with us, or else we would not have let him leave again.

The merchants cunningly let it be known to the Socialites that we existed, and implied that
were their supporters. The resulting riot destroyed our compound, and forced us into even
deeper hiding. Even after so long we are still finding Keepers who were lost in this great
diaspora. Garrett succeeded in his assigned task, and killed Marngels as he stood making a
speech before his followers. The conspicuousness of the deed is perhaps a fitting end to this
master thiefs career. He disappeared soon afterward probably into early retirement, paid
for by the merchants and we have found no trace of him. We taught him too well.

However, the merchants did not have long to enjoy the removal of Marngels. His vizier,
Stenin, took over his duties. Stenin was even more radical than Marngels, and his fiery
speech was the key factor in the storming of the Barons Palace, and the end of centuries of
autocratic rule. The Baron was killed with his family, his supporters either murdered or
forced to flee, and the merchants that had grown fat off of the profits of the workers
suffered horrific fates. Stenin set himself up as head of the new city-state, proclaiming it to
be a unified socialite republic. The name of our metropolis was changed to Stenincity.
Hence the new name given to the City the Unified Stenincity Socialite Republic.

Stenins changes were immediate and far-reaching. The wealth of the merchants was added
to the City coffers, and their houses assigned to those who had distinguished themselves in
the storming of the merchants palace. The previously oppressed workers were allowed to
elect governors to represent their districts, and the governors elected representatives to sit
in the new City Council. Stenin and the City Council introduced plans to rebuild the
factories that the rioting had destroyed, and restore the new USSR to the trading role that
209
the old City had occupied. Promises were made, punishments threatened, and the Socialites
knuckled under. Those who protested were executed by the City Watch reformed and
renamed the Stenincity Guards or else sent to Cragscleft to work the renovated mines.
The protests increased as more and more people realised that this was not the classless
society that they had been promised, where they would no longer have to work, but so did
the punishments. The governors and representatives were loyal to Stenin, and those who
were not could expect death.

This is the situation as it stands now. Stenin has introduced a series of plans aimed at
revitalising the industrial capability of the USSR, and rebuilding the utilities and amenities
that they initial rioting destroyed. However, he rules his city-state with a grip of iron,
squeezing from it the dissidents and the undesireables. Hammerites and Mechanists dare
not show their faces, while the Pagans have been driven ever deeper underground. It is only
a matter of time before we too are threatened with extinction. And what then will come of
the City?

210
 SNEAKSIE THE THIEFSIE
Sneaksie the Thiefsie, with stealthily cunning
With shadows a-slinking and shadows a-running
And Sneaksie by light of a grey harvest moon
A thiefsie, a manfool, a shadow in gloom

Sneaksie the manfool, with whisper of cloak

The thiefsie, the stealsie, as solid as smoke
And runs he and thieves he, a soul stained with black.
And sneaksie does he past the pagansie back.

Sneaksie the thiefsie, with fleetsie of foot.

And eysies alert to for feet where to put.
Past guardsie and heathen and Hammer of olds
And all for the lure of the manfoolsie gold

Sneaksie the Thiefsie, past flickering torches

With steelsie that pierces and arrows that scorches
A Sneaksie, a Thiefsie, with manfoolsie fight
A manfool, a Trickster, a bringer of night

211
 MISCELLANEOUS

MAP OF THE CITY AND SURROUNDING TERRITORIES

- BASIC
THE CITY Original area of the City before a period of aggressive
expansion expanded the territorial limits of the
shrunken Barony. Most covered with urban
development, it is bisected by the river, and is the site
of its lowest bridging point.
MARKHAMS Small island named after the infamous pirate Capt.
ISLE William Markham. Site of a lighthouse and not much
else. The Baron controls it de jure, but pays very
little attention to it. Generations of pirates have used
its caves for a base now the Mechanists have
purchased control of it.
WESTERN A flat and fertile floodplain, its agricultural
COUNTRYSIDE productivity and proximity to Cyric and Bohn have
led to its densely-concentrated population.
Administered by a Governor appointed by the Baron.
EASTERN The mountains form a chain that makes
MOUNTAINS communication with the world east of the City
difficult. The Cyric/Bohn Blackbrook road passes
through the mountains, and is defended by several
forts and castles. One of its numerous abandoned
quarries was converted into Cragscleft Prison by the
Order of the Hammer. Administered by a Governor
appointed by the Baron.
NORTHERN Neither good for farming nor mining, the Northern
TERRITORIES Territories are nevertheless an important strategic
possession, defending the river, the main artery of
trade in the region, and a major bone of contention
between the City and Blackbrook. Excellent hunting
makes it popular with nobles, despite the war
proceeding there against the armies of Blackbrook.
Administered by a Governor appointed by the Baron.

212
213
 MAP OF THE CITY - ECONOMIC

THE CITY Site of most heavy industry in the Barony, as well as

jewellery production. Site allows easy transport of
heavy equipment for export, and the river is excellent
for launching ships. Position means that it has
excellent access to the coal, iron ore and timber of the
Eastern Mountains. The economic powerhouse of
entire surrounding region not even Blackbrook can
compare to the Citys economic activity.
MARKHAMS Although some veins of precious metal have been
ISLE found, they have not been exploited in any systematic
way, and the problem of transport precludes extensive
mining. The position of the Isle in the midst of a sea
rich in fish should have led to a modicum of
development, but the presence of pirates has
prevented this.
WESTERN A fertile floodplain, this region used to produce high
COUNTRYSIDE yields of wheat and grain. However, overcultivation
has decreased its fertility and yield, leading to soil
erosion and salinisation as farmers irrigate the land
with sea water to try to maintain yields. This has, in
recent years, led to something of a crisis, and made
the City dependent on massive imports of food.
EASTERN Rich in coal, iron ore and timber, this region is the
MOUNTAINS most extensively industrialised after the City. The
topography of the area makes transport difficult, and
the lack of good roads has prevented further
development. Livestock farming is a traditional
industry, but also a low yield one that is not enough to
feed the City.
NORTHERN The nature of the Northern Territories means that
TERRITORIES few industries are profitable enough to survive.
Hunting is the only real asset of the region, and the
lack of development allows the nobles vast, cheap
estates. Blackbrook still lays claim to the territories,
and war has continued intermittently ever since their
acquisition.

214
215
 MAP OF THE GRAND BARONY OF THE CITY

AND SURROUNDING TERRITORIES

This map is a diagram of the basic layout of the lands under the control of, or owing fealty
to, the Baron. As befits his rank and power, his personal realm is the Grand Barony of the
City; the last vestiges of land from the original barony. Markhams Isle is also within the
Barons personal realm, although in reality it is controlled by whoever has to means to do
so.

216
Through strategic marriages and alliances, as well as the occasional application of force, the
Grand Barons extended the size of their domains to the extent shown by the diagram. They
owe their allegiance to the Coronet [i.e. the institution of the Grand Barony] rather than
the Baron himself. The timeline below shows the dates that they were brought under the
Barons suzerainity:

275 Occupation of the Earldom of Orowell.

307 Capture of the Earldom of Middleburg

350 War breaks out throughout the land. In retaliation for attacks the
Barons forces invade the Duchys of De Navan and De Perrin. The
Earl of Ravencourt is forced to become the vassal of the Baron.

400 The Duchys are granted to nobles who distinguished themselves in

the conflict.

470 The Earl of Ravencourt dies with no heirs. His lands revert to the
Baron.

520 The death of the Prince of Blackbrook causes the Archduchy of

Lesser Blackbrook to revertto the Baron; with the Archduchy comes
a claim to the Principality of Blackbrook.

610 The withdrawl of the Hammerites from public service causes

disruption in the City. Cyric attempts to invade the Earldom of De
Navan. The Baron marches out and routs their forces, driving them
from the Citys lands and capturing a swathe of territory. This
disputed border area is formed into the Marches of the West. In 624
the situation is settled to the Barons advantage, and the Marches
gain a civilian government; however, they retain their name.

640 Blackbrook launches an invasion to regain the Archduchy. They are

repulsed with difficulty, and an attempt is made to flank their armies
by passing through their vassal the Earldom of Auldway. As the
fighting reaches stalemate, the manoeuvre becomes a permanent
occupation. In 673 the Earldom is incorporated into the Coronet
and obtains a civilian government.

217
Orowell Old Dialect; Orlas Well. First recorded reference approx. 23

Middleburg Historical origin of area as the middle of the three burgs trading districts.
First recorded reference approx. 5
De Navan Old Dialect; The North Vern i.e. northern hillside. First recorded
reference approx. 47

De Perrin Old Dialect; The Prowerrorn i.e. the proud heron. The Earls of De Perrin
traditionally wore heron feathers into battle. First recorded reference approx. 38

Ravencourt Pagan Dialect; River Course. Its spelling is a corruption of the pagan
pronunciation [raverns courtsie]. First recorded reference approx. 27

Lesser Blackbrook Old Dialect; Black brook. It refersto the startlingly dark colour of the
river that runs through the region. The Archduchy follows the line of a minor
tributary. First reference approx. 2

Marches Old Dialect; a border area under the military jurisdiction of a Marquis. Has
since reverted to civil authorities. First recorded reference Unknown

Auldway From Old Dialect; Old Way. The road to Karath-Din used to follow the
path of the river at this point. First recorded reference approx. 20

218
 C.I.A. WORLDBOOK THE CITY
Note: This refers to the initial set of Treatises, as opposed to the Revisionist ones.

The City
Introduction

Background: Established on the reputed site of the Lost City of Karath-Din, the City grew
exponentially as the resources of the area were successively exploited by its inhabitants. The
presence of the Order of the Hammerites in the City led to its early position as a leading
industrial power.

Geography

Location: Situated at the River delta near the Eastern and Western Mountains

Area:
total: 5,735 sq km
land: 5,297 sq km
water: 438 sq km

Area - comparative: Similar in size to the city-states of Blackbrook or Cyric

Land boundaries:
total: 249 km
border countries: Blackbrook 151 km Cyric 43 km Bohn 53 km

Coastline: 7 km

Maritime claims:
None

Climate: temperate, with heavy rain and frequent mists in winter.

Terrain: Bordered by mountains, with the River running through its centre. Situated on
the flood plain and surrounding flat land

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: 14 m
highest point: Eastern Mountains 1,665 m

219
Natural resources: iron ore, gold, silver, crops, coal, timber, stone

Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 10%
urban: 78%

other: 1% (est.)

Irrigated land: 631 sq km (est.)

Natural hazards: Frequent flooding during winter

Environment - current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose
serious constraints; air pollution from industrial emissions; groundwater pollution from
industrial and domestic waste

Geography note: All urban land is concentrated in the City, inside its walls. The farm
land of the City is squeezed between the city itself and the mountains

People

Population: 2,636,086

Age structure:
0-14 years: 49% (male 697,508; female 594,173)
15-64 years: 42% (male 686,436; female 420,719)
65 years and over: 9% (male 177,935; female 59,311) (est.)

Population growth rate: 2.84% (est.)

Birth rate: 25.72 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 15.84 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.16 male(s)/female
220
15-64 years: 1.28 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.50 male(s)/female
total population: 1.34 male(s)/female (est.)

Infant mortality rate: 32.63 deaths/1,000 live births (est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 50.84 years
male: 50.62 years
female: 51.06 years (est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (est.)

Nationality:
noun: N/A
adjective: N/A

Ethnic groups: Native 83.5%; Immigrant 16.5%

Religions: Hammerite 30.6%; Order of the Vine 5.3%; Unaffiliated 65.1%

Languages: Local dialect. Hammerites use an antiquated version of local dialect, while
Pagans use a dialect springing from a common root, but differing in substantial ways

Literacy:
definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 47%
male: 86%
female: 14% (est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: The City
conventional short form: None

Government type: Absolute monarchy

Administrative divisions: Divided into many districts; Stonemarket; Undermarket;

Newmarket; Dayport; Eastport; Downtowne; Hightowne; North Quarter; South Quarter;
New Quarter; Old Quarter; Shalebridge; The Docks

221
Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are fulfilled
by Hammerite religious law and City Law

Legal system: City Laws laid down by the Baron, after approval by the City Council.
Sometimes overruled, unlawfully, by Hammerite religious law, especially in the areas of
crime and civil disputes

Suffrage: 20, limited to literate voters.

Executive branch:
chief of state: The Baron
head of government: The Baron
cabinet: Council of powerful lords appointed by the Baron, and responsible to him

Legislative branch: City Council contains two houses: the Inner Circle of nobles, and the
Outer Circle of elected commoners.

Judicial branch: Commoners elected to the Outer Circle act as Magistrates for their
districts. Some are appointed Lesser Justices in the Courts of Common Appeal. Nobles
sitting in the Inner Circle are automatically appointed Chief Justices for their district,
sitting in the Court of Higher Pleas.

Flag description: None

Government notes: None

Economy

Economy - overview: The City has a substantial industrial economy, thanks in no small
part to the presence of the Hammerites. The City exports precious metals such as gold and
silver, as both ore and refined metal. It also exports finished goods such as jewellery. The
City also exports vast quantities of coal and iron ore, as well as finished iron and steel. In
addition, it exports large amounts of industrial, agricultural and infrastructural machinery,
along with the manpower needed to operate and install such machinery. Expensive wines
are also a well-known export, as are low-grade timbers and building stone. However, the
City is not self-sufficient in food, and consequently imports vast quantities daily, as well as
elemental crystals and high-quality timbers and building stone. The high value of the
exports, caused by high demand and low supply, has lead to a nearly-continuous boom in
monetary growth; however, a fall in Hammerite apprenticeships, and the loss of educated
people to other cities has led to a fear that the City will not be able to maintain its position
as a leader in the field of machinery for long

222
GDP - real growth rate: 2.2% (est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2%; industry: 76%; services: 22% (est.)

Population below poverty line: 73%

Labor force: 1.1 million

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1.1%; forestry 0.4%; mining 0.5%;

manufacturing/construction 35.6%; processing 21.2%; fine detail manufacturing 19.2%;
public services 10.4%; business and commerce 5.3%;

Unemployment rate: 23.1% (est.)

Budget:
revenues: 40.1 million (est.)
expenditures: 38.4 million (est.)

Industries: mechanics and machinery; stone mining; forestry; winemaking; ore mining; fine
metalworking; iron and steel production

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (est)

Power - production: 40.732 Units (est)

Power - production by source:

fossil fuel: 74.32%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 25.68% (1998)

Notes: Power was formerly produced through unknown means, possibly involving magic.
In an attempt to move away from such methods, the Hammerites began a program to
replace installations with coal-fired power generation plants, with arguable success. The
new plants are dirtier, more polluting, more expensive and are much less efficient.
However, to the satisfaction of the Hammerites, the plants no longer function using
heretic technology.

Electricity - consumption: 40.718 (est)

Electricity - exports: None

223
Electricity - imports: None

Agriculture - products: high-quality wines

Exports: 25.6 million

Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, low quality building timber and stone,
high quality wines, fine metalworking e.g. jewellery, iron and steel, coal

Exports - partners: Cyric, Bohn

Notes: The City is technically at war with Blackbrook. However, trade between the two
city-states still occurs in the shadow economy

Imports: 28.9 million

Imports - commodities: meat, vegetables, alcohol, high-quality building stone and timber,
elemental crystals

Imports - partners: Cyric, Bohn, Blackbrook

Debt - external: Unknown

Economic aid - recipient: None

Currency: No official currency. Gold discs of set weights are an accepted medium of
exchange.

Notes: No official currency exists in the City due to the nature of its economy. The Citys
lifeblood is trade, and many merchants refuse to allow the Baron and the City Council to
issue a currency, claiming that this gives them control over the economy. The gold discs,
known as coins despite their lack of an issuing authority, are accepted as currency within the
City, and can be minted by anyone with sufficient gold. As a result of this, many discs have
minted designs to identify their issuer.

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation

Highways:
total: 11,522 km

224
paved: 2,159 km
unpaved: 9,363 km

Pipelines: sewage 42 km, water 63 km, power 67 km

Ports and harbors: Eastport, Dayport, Wayside, The Docks

Merchant marine:
total: 46 ships
ships by type: bulk carrier 34, costal lugger 12

Military

Military branches: The City Army has responsibility for all armed forces on land, and in
times of extreme crisis has control of the constabulary of the City. The City Navy is
responsible for all maritime conflict. The Hammerites occasionally field small armies that
fight with the City Army but are not controlled by it.

Military manpower - military age: 16 years of age

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49: 686,463

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49: 547,842

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males: 8,723

Military expenditures: 4.867 million

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 8.239% (est)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Blackbrook currently occupies significant portions of the East

and West mountains, lost during recent military campaigns. Several attempts have been
made to recapture the strategically vital mountains, so far with little success.

Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about spice being smuggled in from unknown
locations.

225
 THE CREST OF THE BARON

Curved shield fulle flute, with lesser crossbar greye over

scarlet; high tower stone greye flanked twain lesser towers
crowned diadem baronial; in centro crossbar hammer lordes
atopped quill scribent in golden; in dextrous quatre brok sinuous.

T he Barons crest reflects the perceived nature of the lines achievements. The central
tower represents safety through foresight; the flanking towers indicate both support
and loyalty to vassals. The baronial diadem above it is a reminder that the realm is still,
technically, a barony. The hammer was added to mark the position of the Barons as Lord
High Priests of the Order of the Hammer; it has never been removed. The golden quill
represents both intelligence and wealth through trade. Its position atop the hammer it
symbolic of the importance of trade over religion. The lesser cross its arms beneath the
centre-line is the traditional pattern of the Baronial line. The positioning of the stream
sinuous to indicate carefulness in the sinister quarter means that the land to which it lays
claim (the Principality of Blackbrook) is a vassal rather than a territory. This is fiction;
although the Barons claim Blackbrook through their possession of the Archduchy of Lesser
Blackbrrok it is no vassal. Were it ever to become incorporated into the Barons domains
the stream would be moved to the dextrous side, on the right*.

*Sides are taken as they would appear to a person holding the shield i.e. they are reversed.

226
 ODDS AND ENDS
POWER AND POLITICS: GOVERNMENT IN THE CITY

P ower is personal. Ultimately influence springs from an individuals personal charisma

and natural authority. This is shown nowhere clearer than in an examination of the
Barons role as ruler and monarch of the City. All Barons since the first of the line have
received a verdict from history dependent upon the strength of that personal authority, and
with what degree of success they managed to imprint it upon the City.

The doctrine underlying the Barons position depends upon the acceptance of the
paradoxical theory of the rulers two bodies. The Baron is understood to exist as a private
individual, owning lands and drawing income from them as any other citizen might. Just
like any other citizen he is bound by the laws and legal codes that he creates as the other of
his incarnations; that of the institution of the Coronet. The Baron also exists as a
representative of the institution of government, the supreme ruler of the City. In this
capacity he creates laws and dispenses justice, makes war and peace, and conducts all the
other business expected of a royal figure.

In theory at least the Baron is a titled noble of the Empire, still nominally subject to the
Emperor. This monarch is a distant, almost mythical ruler who dwells beyond the travels of
all but a few in the City. He presides over the decaying fragments of what was once the
civilization of the Precursors. Once the Empire was a magnificent edifice, extending its
awesome power and influence over many leagues of rolling hills and misted mountains,
beyond even the reaches of settlement today. However, the destruction of the capital city of
Karath-Din in a series of violent tectonic disturbances fatally undermined the integrity of
the civilization, and it broke apart under the accumulated weight of its own scale and
complexity. The former nobles of the Empire have carved out for themselves their own
fiefdoms amongst the debris of a fallen civilization, paying scant attention to the Emperor
and his meagre scraps of land. Thus the City remains a barony, even though the
destruction of the society that brought it into being has allowed its barons to adopt for
themselves powers monarchical in their scope.

227
However, the theory of Empire had not been totally abandoned. It provides for the Barons
an invaluable justification for their rule. They are held to have been appointed to their
position by the Emperor, and rule their lands at his behest. Such theories contain a kernel
of truth, but buried beneath layers of confusion and obstupefaction. In practice few believe
such a tales, but philosophers of royalty have yet to invent more sophisticated models. The
absorption of the Order of the Hammer into royal administration led to the appearance of
theories that held that the Baron draws his power from a divine mandate i.e. one from the
Master Builder, but the divorce of the Order caused these embryonic theories to crumble
back to the dust whence they came.

Hammerite doctrine has only retained some foothold in the question of the Barons powers.
Here both traditional and Hammerite opinions are in accord; they are absolute. In theory
at least, the Baron retains absolute power over every man, woman and child within the
borders of his realm. He sets laws, deals judgement, makes war and peace, mints coinage
and carries on other such business of governance. He is the court of final appeal, the arbiter
of all disputes, and the sole power in the barony.

Theory dictates that a Baron should use this power wisely and fairly, voluntarily submitting
himself to respect the rights and privileges he has granted to certain groups or institutions,
and undertaking to rule in accordance with the will of the people. This does not represent
an admission of the role of his subjects in governance; instead, it is a statement that the
Baron enhances his own power and reputation by ruling in a manner concurrent with their
wishes.

However, how does theory relate to practice? The answer is that although the theory is
widely espoused by all, there are very few indeed who would undertake to vigorously assert
its veracity. The truth is that the Baron cannot rule absolutely. Although it would be
excessively emphatic to say that he is dependent upon the consent and co-operation of the
nobility and gentry, it is certainly the case that no Baron has ever ruled successfully without
paying close attention to the interests of these social and political groups within the City.

These interests have varied from generation to generation, but usually consist of a desire for
an increased role in governance, and an increased flow of patronage from the royal purse.
Patronage is the Barons main means of keeping the nobles in check and bending them to
his will. By dangling the lure of reward before the nobles the Baron can encourage the best
and brightest of them to compete for his favour. That favour is - - -

The Baron can also call.

228
 THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE EMPIRE

T he Empire was a marvellous edifice. It was a thing of wonder and awe, built on the
wealth and power that comes from ruling distant leagues of land. The Imperial
Coronet ruled with wisdom and justice over the many diverse peoples of the Empire...

However, it could not last. Constrained by inadequate communications, the stability and
the coherence of the Empire depended upon the maintenance of a central hub from which
order and instruction could disseminate as quickly and as widely as possible. The imperial
city of Karath-Din was the central node in a network of way-stations for imperial
messengers. It was only by maintaining a flexible system of governance, with extensive
provincial autonomy, that the Empire and its people could exist in harmony. Provincial
governors and nobles possessed immense autonomy, while still looking to the Emperor at
Karath-Din for overall direction.

The systems great strength was also its great weakness. Karath-Din was what kept the
Empire from falling into anarchy. Order flowed out though the network of roads that
radiated out from the city. But this meant that in the absence of karath-Din, the system
could not work. Records from the Fall are rare; chronicles fail the historian, and only
fragments of evidence remains. From what has been found, it seems that the period before
the fall was one of unsettling change. The Emperors from the House of Va were
attempting to centralise their power, consolidating it in Karath-Din. This necessitated a
massive growth in the bureaucracy, what was drawn almost exclusively from the local
province. This exacerbated regional tensions, already inflamed by the repressive,
centralising policies of the Emperors.

The crisis came when Va-Taraq came ot the throne. A devious, cunning man, he possessed
nonetheless foresight where others had none. He knew that the Empire required mone
above all, more so even than the acclaim of the crowds. Money bought troops; money
bought horses, money bought the means to administer and control this new form of
Empire. Gold and coin flowed from the coffers of the people of the Empire. Discontent
mounted among both the people and nobility.

At this critical juncture the Empire might yet have been saved. However, disaster then
struck. The city of Karath-Din was consumed by flames.

229
 CRIME IN THE CITY: REVISIONIST PERSPECTIVE

T here are many professions that claim to be the oldest. Thieves say that they are the
oldest profession, prostitutes that they are, cutpurses that they are, and smugglers that
they are. There is no evidence to support any of these claims. However, all of the claimants
belong to what the City Watch prefers to call the criminal underworld. It is perhaps this
underworld as a whole that is the oldest profession whenever the City is spoken of, a
mention of crime is sure to follow. It is irrevocably entwined with the history of the City.

The inception and early history of the City is unknown, and mostly conjecture. However,
by following known trends and attitudes at later points in the Citys history it is possible to
form a structure of conjecture that is logical deduction from known information. And this
structure indicates that crime was a major influence in the City from its very start.

The City is built over the entombed remains on Karath-Din, the legendary Lost City that
was buried by unknown factors many centuries ago. Its destruction shattered the economies
of the surrounding cities, for they were dependent upon Karath-Din and in many cases its
vassals, and plunged the region into a dark age from which it has not yet emerged. Most of
the Precursors seem to have fled before the final catastrophe occurred, and radiated out into
a countryside shattered by events. There, their knowledge was lost in the dark ages that
followed its fall.

What remained behind them was an entire city of gold and gems. The Precursors were
famed for their fine metalwork and jewellery, which outlived both them and their
civilization. The site of Karath-Din became farmland and an area for grazing the livestock
of the few peasant farmers that lived there. Changes in climate and topography caused the
river flowing through the site to increase in size and discharge, and it cut down through
layers of topsoil.

In the alluvium deposited by the river, these peasant farmers found riches. Fine jewellery
and golden utensils began to be found occasionally, as well as the ruins of ancient buildings.
Tales of the treasures to be found there spread throughout the land, and drew in the dregs
of society. To these sites of fabled antiquities came drifters, looters, treasure seekers, and
beggars, each hoping for the find that would make them rich. Some found fortune, but
most camped down in the small settlement of huts and tents, and continued to search.
There was no authority, no leadership, and no means to enforce law and order. The
strongest survived, the weakest were crushed, and the men who could gather the largest
band around them became the first figures of authority the fledgling settlement ever knew.

230
Occasional finds brought more people in, including criminals eager to capitalise on the
wealth emerging from the soil. Clans of people, drawn together with the desire for mutual
protection, began to coalesce, and the evolution of power in the settlement split along two
different and mutually antagonistic paths. One group began to exert authority over the
most valuable digging sites, hiring muscle to protect them and their workers from others.
Gradually they began to accumulate land that was definably theirs, splitting it off into
separate estates that were loyal to the strongest member of the group a position that was
to become known as the Baron. The nobility had emerged.

The some other groups took different approaches to survival. Instead of attempting to gain
wealth through the financing and supporting of excavations, they aimed to become rich by
stealing the products of others labours. Groups of criminals mounted attacks on people
both inside and outside the growing town, endeavouring to gain possession of their riches.
Eventually the different groups became reasonably permanently based in a single area of the
settlement of its agricultural hinterland. From this area they extracted protection money.
The choice they offered to its inhabitants was stark and clear-cut. Either they paid and
were protected from the predations of the other groups, or they risked loss of possessions,
limbs or life. Because of the apparent seriousness with which the criminals offered these
options, their leaders became known as Wardens, and the area they protected Wards.
The first City Wardens had emerged.

On the whole, the power of the City Wardens as this elite group of master-criminals
became known was fairly limited within the City. The Barons own army patrolled the
main streets, arresting on sight those engaged in criminal activities and chasing the City
Wardens. Civic cases were judged by the lords of the districts, but criminal cases were tried
before the Baron alone. Most Barons took an uncompromising stance towards crime, and
punishments were harsh, in order that they act as a deterrent. Nevertheless, the Wardens
organisations contained thieves, brigands, toughboys and cutpurses, who plied their trade
on the growing population of the City.

Outside its boundaries, however, terror reigned. The Wardens exerted control over great
swathes of the countryside, and the nobles there retained their private armies to guard their
own manor houses and castles. Criminals controlled the rest of the land, terrorising the
peasantry with their predations upon them. Trade caravans had to be heavily protected
with outriders and guards, or else sent by sea. The state of crime was such that almost all
the money taken from crossing tolls and rudimentary taxes went towards the construction of
a city wall, which encompassed the perimeter of the contemporary city and proved effective

231
at keeping back the majority of the criminals outside it. Entrance was through several gates
in the massive walls.

With the added security of the wall, the City grew in size and importance as trade with
neighbouring cities increased. Docks emerged, and the City Wardens were not slow to
realise the importance of these latest additions. Cargoes began to be smuggled in to avoid
the tariffs that diverted money to the Barons purse, and the merchant shipping traffic soon
began to be preyed upon by pirates sponsored by the Wardens. Criminal activity was also
aided by the development of a reasonably rich bourgeoisie, whose houses contained rich
pickings but were inadequately guarded. Thievery increased, and guilds became to form
around the most successful of the business. As coinage increased in use, so did coinfaking
and its associated areas of activity.

Criminal activity continued in this vein for many years, surviving the upheaval of the revolt
of the middle classes against the Baron, and the subsequent destruction of the revolt. Wily
and shrewd, the City Wardens chose to maintain a low profile, living out their rich and
well-appointed lives while competing amongst each other in bitter feuds to gain control
over each others Wards. As well as directly controlling criminal activity in the City, they
also exerted influence over many semi-independent or vassal guilds of specialised criminals.
Formerly independent organisations such as the Downwind Thieves Guild gradually
became incorporated into the loose federation of directly controlled businesses, vassal guilds
and solo contractors that formed the criminal empires of the City Wardens.

The Barons adoption of the Order of the Hammer and appointment to the position of
High Priest was a major blow to the security of the City Wardens and their organisations.
The days of easy pickings was brought to a close by the decision of the Order to send out
patrols to guard the City streets. These patrols were better armed, more competent and far
less drunk than those of the former police force, and many criminals were forced out of
their profession as the Hammerites cracked down on street crime and the unsavoury
elements of the City. The increased severity of the City courts meant that more criminals
were found guilty and punished with worse punishments, and the Wardens were forced
onto their collective back feet as the Hammerites began to eat into their profits.

However, this situation did not last for a damaging length of time. The death of the Baron,
and the ensuing civil war between his son and brother caused the Order of the Hammers
supremacy to collapse totally as they were caught in the middle of the conflict. Their
outposts of temples were desecrated and destroyed, and they were forced back into their
Cathedral, which remained the sole focus of their power for many years to come. Those
232
Hammers surviving became introspective and isolationist, rejecting external concerns to aid
internal or spiritual purification. They no longer sent out night watchmen to protect the
population. Free of the constraints of Hammerite oppression, the criminal element of the
City grew in force and power as the City Wardens reunited denuded organisations and
plotted their revenge upon the Order.

Later events did not bring this revenge, but did benefit the criminal fraternity in other ways.
The establishment of a Census Bureau was of substantial benefit to the Wardens, allowing
them access through corrupted clerks to the financial records of most of the upper crust
of the City. This provided potent opportunities for blackmail, robbery and other such
nefarious activities. Later responsibilities of the Bureau, such its task of collecting plans of
most buildings of substantial size, was of incalculable benefit to criminals such as thieves,
and a ready trade sprung up in stolen and copied blueprints.

However, there was one event that did not benefit the Wardens and their organisations in
any sense. The Baron had laxed the strict Hammerite laws in order to compensate for
increased taxes, and the Order almost rose in outright rebellion against this. Desperate to
avoid civil war and public disorder, the Baron chose to compromise; the laws would be laxed
on the condition that the Hammerites could run their own gaol, and throw whosoever they
chose into it subject to the approval of the City Council of course.

Now that the Hammerites had obtained the right to incarcerate criminals, they required a
place in which to do so. As a result, Cragscleft Prison came into being. Work began soon
after the agreement, in a disused and worked-out quarry in the Esse range of mountains
outside of the City. Former dormitories, offices and storage rooms were renovated or
rebuilt into blocks of cells. Remotely operated gates were fitted, together with a power
system to allow their operation. The first prisoners were used to renovate the old mines
below the gaol, and begin the construction of a new series of levels. Construction was
delayed, and then halted, by strange occurrences that eventually led to the disappearance of
several criminals, their subsequent reappearance as undead creatures, and the resulting
abandonment of the project.

The policies of the Baron and his successors ensured that the growth of the City continued
for many years, and that new houses and industry sprung up in the districts of Undermarket,
Newmarket, and Shalebridge. These all presented profitable opportunities for the criminals
in the City, and the Wardens and guilds soon began to grow fat off the profits from

233
ventures in these new areas. New breeds of criminals such as pirates began to appear, while
old ones such as highwaymen were resurrected. Combined with the appearance of low-
income slums at Wayside, crime levels soared. Those who could hire guards did so those
who couldnt relied upon infrequent patrols by the Barons personal police or more frequent
Hammerite patrols to protect them.

However, this situation was to change for the worse after only a few generations. Fearful of
rising Hammerite power, the Baron decided to regain control of the streets from them, and
established a police force for the City, known as the City Guard. Elements of the Barons
private army were the core of this new force, but other nobles guard contingents were
incorporated into it through a legal technicality relating to feudal obligations. Control of
the new Department was vested in the Baron, a Commissioner chosen from amongst the
nobles organised the Guard, and elected Sheriffs directed the effort in individual districts.
However, the large numbers of districts both large and very small - meant that the efforts
of the new City Guard were fragmented and ineffectual, while the Sheriffs proved amenable
to bribery and corruption. Indeed, the whole Department was; from the lowliest Guard
Officer to the aristocratic Commissioner, most were in the pay of one or even more
Wardens. The City Guard soon proved ineffective at stopping crime, and the Wardens
continued much as they had before.

The real downturn occurred after the successful conclusion of the Barons wars with
Blackbrook. Safe in the adulation of the crowds, and possessing an experienced and veteran
army, the Baron decided to implement a major crackdown on crime, perhaps only paralleled
by Truarts initiative. The City Guard was thoroughly purged, and the information wrung
from the corrupt elements assisted an assault upon the Wardens themselves. Most of them
escaped unharmed, but in their absence most of the organisations disintegrated as the City
Army instituted a curfew and conducted raids on most of the centres of criminal activity.
The targets were not the low-level criminals or their bookkeepers and fences, but the heads
of the guilds, stables and gangs.

With many of them out of the equation, organised crime collapsed and dropped the nothing
more than a nuisance level. While petty crimes such as mugging, pick pocketing and
burglary were impossible to stamp out entirely, serious crimes no longer occurred, and the
City rejoiced as it entered a golden age of peace and prosperity.

234
As is always the case, the golden age had to end eventually. The disastrous events at the
Hammerite Cathedral dealt a mortal blow to the City that sent it into a downward spiral.
Falling trade and industry profits led to a recession, and an increase in unemployment and
civil discontent. Wardens who had overseen pared-down organisations over the golden
age now built them up again as the effectiveness of the City Guard began to wane and as
more people turned to crime to put bread on their table. Guilds were resurrected or formed
anew, and the crime levels rose until once again it was no longer safe to walk the streets at
night without guards.

The Order of the Hammer sent out more patrols to counteract this, but they were
ineffective at staying the tide and had little effect on the inevitable. The Order began to
adopt harsher measures, often arresting and incarcerating those acquitted by the
increasingly corrupt City Courts. Cragscleft was regularly filled to overflowing, until
Hammerite numbers fell so low that there were too few guards to support operating the
gaol at its full capacity. These draconian measures caused great public resentment, and in
poorer, crime-ridden districts Hammerites were stoned and jeered as they attempted to
carry out their patrols.

The situation has remained at this level up to the present time, at the finale of the
Tricksters Dark Project. Organised crime is controlled by a small, elite group of criminal
masterminds known as the City Wardens. Each has control over a criminal organisation
whose ward roughly corresponds to several Greater Districts of the City. Ramirez,
Webster and Raputo are all powerful Wardens who control swathes of territory in the City.
Together the three control almost all of the City, with minor Wardens having sway over
small slivers of territory and estates outside of the City.

Wardens structure their organisations differently, but there is a general pattern, especially
in the higher tiers. Ramirez has a vizier called Vrinde, will others favour a committee on
the basis that factional infighting will reduce the threat to their own position. Together, the
executive elements administer a complicated web of subsidiaries, vassal organisations, semi-
independent guilds and contract criminals. Upon the death of the Warden, either his heir
apparent within the organisation is appointed, or various factions within the committee
engage in violent civil wars over their favoured candidates. Hereditary wardenships were
tried briefly, but abandoned upon the discovery that the son was never as proficient as the
father. Indeed, most Wardens are not married, preferring the gleam of coin to the security
risk of matrimony.

235
Most Wardens maintain a small permanent organisation that is the core of their business,
extracting protection money and guarding their Wards from the intrusions of others.
Webster, Warden of Docks, Eastport and Dayport, runs a permanent organisation
specialising in rooftop-breaking, protection and anti-protection services, smuggling and
coinfaking. Raputo, Warden of North Quarter, Shalebridge, Newmarket and New Quarter
specialises in bloodsports, moneylending and spywatching. These organisations provide a
steady, reliable source of income, as well as providing a source of trusted toughboys and
other criminals who can be used for alternative intentions. These criminal activities are
usually concealed behind the faade of reputable companies that can provide an excuse for
employing such unlikely characters. In some cases the companies are so old and well
established that they have begun to attract both legitimate and criminal business. There is a
charming irony in the fact that the City Guard does some of its business with the Dayport
Traders Bank in Dayport the same well-established business that deals with smugglers
such as Don Valencia and acts as a front for Raputos moneylending.

In addition to these core businesses, the Wardens control, or have a controlling interest in,
a cartel of illegal or semi-legitimate businesses that are administered by someone
independent to the Wardens organisation, but who effectively acts as an extension of it.
Some Wardens such as Ramirez favour this because it creates an extra layer of
administrative distance between the Warden and his criminal enterprises, preventing
exposure in the event of a raid. The drawback is that the Warden is more reliant upon the
operator of the business and cannot exert so much direct control over its doings. The same
applies to the owner of the business it is common practice to appoint a comptroller who
will oversee the financing and running of the business, allowing its owner to take a cut of
the profits and send the rest on to the Warden.

The businesses controlled by these franchisees vary widely in terms of scope and service.
Some run highly illegal enterprises, while others run semi-illegal businesses that are
permitted by law but which exceed the restrictions that the law places on legitimate
businesses. Brothels and bear-pits are popular businesses due to their low profile and the
fact that most of the City Guards are too busy making use of them to want to enquire too
deeply into their ownership. More risky businesses include cash pits and liquor nets, which
have higher takes but which also attract the attention of the Hammerites. The nature of the
businesses also leaves them open to grafting by the comptroller, due to the difficulty of
adequately accounting for all of the income and costs.

236
A THIEFS COMPENDIUM: THE COMPLETE REFERENCE
REFERENCE NOTES LOCATION
Bafford, Lord Noble. Interest in antiques. Increased M2ants,
grocery budget by over 50% to account M2cook,
for Stonemarket shortages. Intolerant of M2ginny,
poor cuisine. His comptroller at M2ledge,
Dreckbourn cash pits is Ginny. Contact M2tax, M2tip1,
between Ginny and Bafford seems to be M2tip2
Dominic. Interests in north districts of
City unwilling to tolerate competition
from Victoria. Sent out Dominic to find
information on Victoria for leverage in
case she tried to settle in. Some issue with
Ramirez over debts possible that
Ramirez is seeking a debt from Bafford
that he is unable to repay due to falling
profits in cash pits. Seeks to hire Dominic
to protect him? Pays approx. 1/5 of
revenue from businesses to Ramirez
protection money? Other debts? Pays for
girls shopping trips to Sunnyfair girls
are mistresses, daughters, sisters, friends?
Controls Dreckbourn, Fendon, Sunnyfair.
150 paid as debtor assist [meaning
unknown]. Known to be concealing
income from gambling houses. Current
master of guards is lax previous one was
more stringent in his duties. Entry into
manor via sewers. Guards hired are slow
and not very competent lack of funds?
Baron Owed duties by Lord Bafford and M2tax
other nobles? Personal interest in
taxation, or is the term Baron used also
as an implication of government?
Basso Firelighter. Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b3
Block 3, Cell 4]. Branding.
Bohn Antiques delivered from. City, country or M2ants
region?

237
Bonehoard Site of the Horn of Quintus. Legends say M3felix
the dead walk there.
Breach Noun a collapse of a criminal business M2ledge
due to intrusions by law and order e.g.
Dreckbourn.
Brynveran, Lord Penalised harshly for concealment of M2tax
income. Seems to be several years, even
decades, ago.
Cadge Someone who acquires something M2ginny
through begging. Ginny is a cadge, Issyt
is a cadger. This is not consistent with
other evidence perhaps a cadger is slang
for a controller?
Beggar? Perhaps a slang for a controller M3b1
Cadger or fixer? Hammerite terminology?
Carpenter, Brother Hammerite guard at Cragscleft. M3nammon
Reported a commotion [possibly
Nammon escaping] to the west when
repairing the stocks. Are these normal
stocks or something else? Another
example of a name being a title rather
than an actual name?
Cash pit Informal gambling den? Contains M2ledge
dealers.
Cedric Steward of Baffords household. M2cook,
M2memo
Cloudstone Precious jewel. Sceptre one is six inches, M2ants
teardrop-cut. One of the finest of its type
coldstone (Criminal?) Slang for stone esp. damp, M2dom
cold stone i.e. underground.
Commissioner of Taxes Overall responsibility for collection of M2tax
taxgelt for the Baron. Position implies an
organised, developed department.
Cook Cook in Baffords household. Seems to M2cook
be responsible for finding ingredients
himself at Stonemarket. Chastised by
Bafford for inadequate cooking.
Cragscleft Hammerites known to be eager to take M3holywatertip,
back top level of haunted mines. How is M3nammon

238
 it known? Hammerite speeches or orders
of equipment? Holy water font why was
it put there? Hammerites seem to accept
the dead there aware of the danger but
actually seem to be slightly blas.
Example of Hammerite doctrine or
simply a relaxing of standards or
familiarity breeding contempt?
Crystal Used as decorative sculpted element M2ants
Murderer esp. slitting throats with razors. Mb31
Cutthroat E.g. Sennet. Hammerite terminology?
Cutty Thiefs-pawn. Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b4
Block 4, Cell 6]. Palms scalded daily.
Dates Format e.g. 3/24/34, 4/3/34, 4/10/34. M2ledge
Format possibly M/DD/YY. Seems to be
Year 34. Abbreviation of a longer number
or true figure? If so, maybe years since
accession of Baron? At least 4 months in
year. If Bafford keeps regular accounts,
then a week has 7 days, and the third
month has 28 days. Is this consistent with
a lunar calendar?
de Perrin Partnership in antiques business M2ants
Grimworth and de Perrin.
Deirne Whore. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block 3, M3b3
Cell 7]. Shorn and branded. Release
intended. How does the punishment
match the crime? What are the criteria
for release?
Dellin Ladytaker. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block M3b1
1, Cell 4]. Scalding. Why does his
punishment differ from that of Possum?
Severity of crime?
Dikket Heretic. . Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block M3b3,
3, Cell 2]. Sour Mash. Released upon M3cellblocktip
recantation and informing informing
upon other heretics? Released not
returned to the Order? Contacts with
Garrett how? Casual acquaintance or

239
 deeper relation? Knew location of Cutty
prisoners allowed to talk? Or saw Cutty
going into Cell Block 4?
Dominic Employee/contact of Bafford. Involved in M2dom,
his shady businesses. Speaks an abnormal M2ginny
dialect similar to Pagan. Contact between
Bafford and his shady businesses. Sent to
Ginny by Bafford to sort out falling
revenues. A busy man maybe has other
clients? Some form of connection with
Bafford over Ramirez and debtors.
Dreckbourn Disturbed by Hammerite intrusions. M2dom
Several patrons (2+) arrested and
imprisoned, as well as a dealer. Patronage
has declined recently. Falling profits.
Interest
Presumably a liar? Hammerite M3b3
Falsetale terminology?
Felix Thief. Speaks slightly reminiscent of M3felix
Dominic. Criminal dialect? Has debts
that can be paid off by stealing the Horn
of Quintus. Obtained a map from some
dead old bugger during one of his jobs?
Confident believes the sound of the
Horn will lead him to it. Why does he
leave a map in case something happens?
Seems to be well acquainted with Cutty
friendly relationship, almost as if friends.
Fendon Owned by Bafford. Cash pit and liquor M2ledge
net. Guard contingent given a token for
use there?
Arsonist? How does this relate to fire M3b3
Firelighter boys?
forgey-chained (Criminal?) Slang for forged i.e. wrought M2dom
out of metal.
Friehalt, Julian Commissioner of Taxes. M2tax
Gelland Thief. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block 2, M3b2
Cell 5]. Wrist broken.
Ginny Visited by Dominic and terrified into M2dom,

240
 finding ways to prevent Hammerite M2ginny
intrusions through Fear of Flattening.
Loyal cadge to Bafford for many years.
Ursurer? One who lends money at M3b3
Goldlender extortionate rates of interest? Does this
indicate a Hammerite doctrine against the
lending of money at interest? Might
imply conflict between Hammerites and
bankers.
Graft to graft to steal money through M2ledge
dishonest auditing and accounting fraud.
Grimworth Parternership in antiques business M2ants
Grimworth and de Perrin
Grimworth and de Perrin Company dealing in Fine Antiquities and M2ants
Precious Relics. Shop for viewing.
hammer-hearts (Criminal?) Slang for Hammerites M2dom
Hammerites Intruding in Dreckbourn Hammerite M2dom,
doctrine disapproves of cash pits and M3pray
similar legal or semi-legal enterprises?
Arresting patrons and dealers. There are
means of preventing them investigating.
History/Theology: the Master Builder
provided aid when mankind was in need.
Provided hearth i.e. heating and roof-
beam i.e. building when cold. Provided
pot and cauldron e.g. the production of
metal to make the cauldrons? Provided
spear and shield when attacked. How
come we see no other
mention/appearance of spears or shields?
Yet in second verse of hymn mention a
hammer as a weapon of war rather than
shield progress? Note that it says the
Builder taught of these things i.e.
provided the knowledge. Hammerites
believe that their technology is divinely
inspired? First verse of hymn is the
Builders contribution to mankind.
Second verse is the utilisation of that

241
 technology, all through the use of a
hammer.
Heretic Presumably one who disagrees with M3b3
elements of Hammerite doctrine. What
degree of dissent is allowed before it is
classified as heresy?
Holy Water Specially-blessed holy water font in top M3holywater tip
level of Cragscleft haunted mines. What
is holy water used for other than
combating the undead? Baptism? Does
all holy water come from specially-blessed
fonts, or are there other means of gaining
it? How is the font/water blessed?
Horn of Quintus Valuable horn. Rumoured to be in the M3felix
Bonehoard. Known to echo how?
Magic?
Housekeep Informal housekeeping i.e. cleaning M2memo
Ink-and-glaze craqudare Valuable decorative varnish
varnish
Inquisitor, Brother Hammerite at Cragscleft. Connected M3nammon
with punishment esp. bonds Nammon
escaped from the bonds while his back
was briefly turned. Is the name his actual
name or a title? If so, what is an
Inquisitor [religious heresy] doing
presumably torturing/flogging a common
criminal? Perhaps Inquisitor in the sense
of questioner through torture, or just a
torturer. Seems to have been
administering a flogging, but also
conducting an interrogation. Or is
interrogation a euphamism?
Inspector Employee of the Baron involved in M2tax
collection of taxgelt. Possibly an auditing
function. Recent practice of giving a
bonus for discovering undisclosed income
has improved enthusiasm of scrutiny.
Position implies a developed structure
within which the auditors operate.

242
Issyt Cadger. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block 1, M3b1
Cell 9]. Caning and sour mash. Died as a
result of righteous punishment
flogging/caning? Possession of Garretts
Lucky Hand of Glory.
Knifeman? e.g. Wrendal. Hammerite M3b1
Jackablade terminology?
Julian Friehalt See Friehalt, Julian M2tax
Keybond, Brother Hammerite guard at Cragscleft charged M3nammon
by ? to organise a search detail for
Nammon. Could the name Keybond
indicate a position rather than a name i.e.
the brother in charge of the keys
controlling cells? What precedents are
there in monastic orders?
Rapist? E.g. Dellin. Hammerite M3b1
Ladytaker terminology?
Lamb Meal implies existence of domesticated M2cook
sheep and thus pasture land. Local or
imported?
Latton Falsetale. . Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b3
Block 3, Cell 3]. Tongue pierced
appropriate punishment. Factory work
why arent criminals working in the
factory while Garrett is there?
Lion Lion-paws are decorative features on M2ants
furniture
Liquor net Informal bootlegging? Illegal M2ledge
smuggling and distribution of spirits?
Lisalle Patron at Dreckbourn. Arrested by M2dom
Hammerites.
Measurements Imperial feet, inches, inch. M2ants,
M2dom
Meat Lamb. Long interval of storage. M2cook
Milordy (Criminal?) slang for Lord, i.e. a term M2dom
of respectful address
Misa Vandal. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block 4, M3b4
Cell 4]. Whisking and factory work.
What is whisking? Whipping/flogging

243
 with lighter cords? Why is the
punishment different to that of Potsol?
Severity of crime?
Nammon Jackablade. Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b2,
Block 2, Cell 8]. Flogging. Died as a M3nammon
result of righteous punishment
flogging/caning? Escaped from his bonds
while Brother Inquisitor briefly turned his
back. Stole half the contents of the
evidence box where was it and how did
he get to it? And why only half? Why
the discrepancy that he escaped but is
noted as having died? Attempt to cover
up escape so as not to lose face? Points to
a certain slackness of adherence to rules.
Said to have been interrogated rigorously
to find out what?
North districts. Several districts a general term for the M2ginny
northern districts of the City? Bafford
has (presumably criminal) interests there.
Victoria working as a thiefs-pawn.
Pearline and Onyx Semi-precious lining (for wooden M2ants
surfaces?)
Possum Ladytaker. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block M3b4
4, Cell 1]. Gelding. Why does his
punishment differ from that of Dellin?
Severity of the crime?
Potsol Vandal. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block 2, M3b2
Cell 2] Fingers crushed.
Ryen Patron at Dreckbourn. Arrested by M2dom
Hammerites.
Seasons Spring M2cook
Sennet Cutthroat. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block M3b1
1, Cell 7]. Razor finger removed, caning,
and factory work.
Sewers Route of entry into Baffords manor M2tip1
Silver Birchwood Semi-precious wood. M2ants
Stonemarket Market, inc. food. Recent shortages. M2cook
Prices seem to have risen by up to 50%

244
Sunnyfair Owned by Bafford. Cash pit. Guard M2ledge.
contingent given a token for use there?
Site of retail activity or profits used to pay
for shopping trip?
Taffer to taff to fool around esp. to against M2ginny
someone.
Tarquis Dealer at Dreckbourn. Arrested by M2dom
Hammerites.
Tarquis Goldlender. Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b3
Block 3, Cell 10]. Nose cropped and
factory work. How does the punishment
match the crime?
Taxgelt Money levied through direct taxation. M2tax
Made on first day of the month. Levied
on all businesses. Inadequate submission
is grounds for harsh punishment.
Thiefs-Pawn Someone who pawns stolen goods, esp. M2ginny
with direct contact to thief.
Slang aboveground M3felix
Topside
Tybal Whorekeep. Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b4
Block 4, Cell 8]. Died of flux i.e. fever.
A person who wilfully or maliciously M3b2
Vandal destroys or damages property.
Hammerite terminology?
Vegetables Used in salads. M2cook
Victoria Investigated by Bafford through Dominic M2dom,
a standard check on new face. Subtle M2ginny
and secretive Dominic unable to find
any information about her. Operating as
Thiefs-Pawn in north districts, making
connections there.
Weirwood Type of wood. Semi-precious? M2ants
Whore Prostitute. M3b3
Presumably a pimp. Hammerite M3b4
Whorekeep terminology?
Wills Heretic. Held in Cragscleft [Cell Block 4, M3b4
Cell 5]. Meditation is this actually a
punishment? Factory work. Why is the

245
 punishment different to that of Dikket?
Less heretical?
Wine Used in toasts M3felix
Wrendal Jackablade. Held in Cragscleft [Cell M3b1
Block 1, Cell 1]. Flogging and factory
work.

246
 THE ORDER OF THE HAMMER

T he Order of the Hammer is an old order; an order so ancient that its roots are not
known to even its own adherents. In the great tapestry of the City, the Order can
perhaps be said to be a thread that passes through all parts of the design.

Yet the theology and beliefs of the Order remain shrouded in mystery to all but the most
interested of the laity. Although a citizen may encounter a Hammerite in the street, may be
imprisoned in a Hammerite gaol, may be tried before a Hammerite judge in a Hammerite
court, few know the motivations behind these actions.

The Order of the Hammer is a monotheistic religion, believing in the existence of a single
deity who reveals himself through earthly prophets. They hold that this single,
transcendent deity created the universe and continues to govern it providentially.
Underpinning this monotheism is the teleological conviction that the world is both
intelligible and purposive, because a single divine intelligence stands behind it and has
created it. Hammerite theology is extensively rooted in the metaphor of their deity as the
literal architect of the world. Just as an architect designs and constructs a building, so the
Hammerites hold that the Master Builder has designed and created this world. And thus,
since a building has purpose, so the world has a purpose. The Order arose out of opposition
to the Trickster, rather than any positive act of will - as a result, Hammerite theology is
orientated towards a rejection of all that is seen as Pagan or heathen. It is a religion of
opposition, as opposed to one of independence. As a result, the Hammers have evolved in
such a way that this purpose is the rejection of the beliefs of Order of the Vine.

Hammerites believe this purpose to be expressed in the words of earthly prophets that the
Builder designates. It is held that the first prophet was a man known as the First
Apprentice, whom the Hammerites revere as the founder of their way of life. Further
prophets seem to have appeared at various points of history, who aided the Hammers in
some way, and who further codified and expanded the laws by which the Hammerites live
their lives. Eventually, with the rise of a priestly caste, the intermittent prophets came to be
named High Priests. Over the centuries this custom has become somewhat altered, with the
result that the High Priest of the Hammerite Order is now seen as the divinely appointed
representative of the Master Builder.

The Hammers see the laws they are given by prophets as conditions they must follow in
return for continued existence in their Builders creation. They regard their existence as
being part of a contract with the Master Builder they must worship and obey the
247
commands of their deity, who has given them life and who provides aid and direction for
them. The direction provided exists in the form of the Book of Tenets. This revered
collection of assembled wisdom and rules forms the basis for the Hammerite way of life. A
body of subsidiary lecture surrounds the Book, expanding and explaining the contents of the
book, and providing precedents and tales for study. Known as the Compendium of
Precepts, Regimens, and Rules of Conduct, it comprises many volumes that are divided
into three subjects Precepts, Regimens, and Rules of Conduct.

The most noticeable feature of the Hammerite religion is the seeming preoccupation with
construction. The Hammers see their deity as an engineer, and so regard the world as a
work of engineering. This stems from their rejection of Pagan theology, and causes them to
hold Order, expressed as engineering or architecture, as the aspiration of the world. This
has led them to devote energies into the construction of ordered buildings and machinery
that leads to the subjugation of the nature and chaos inherent in pagan theology.

248
 TREATISE ON THE ORDER OF THE VINE N 1

T he Order of the Vine is an infamous order, its origins unknown, its acts shrouded in a
cloak of secrecy so thick that even our order is ignorant of much of their doings. What
we do know is conjecture and assumptions based on minimal evidence, of their actions and
of what is written in our books.

The Order of the Vine is an order that has always existed, probably even before the
Hammerites came to be. The adherents, known as Pagans, worship the god of nature, the
Trickster himself. They exalt nature, its achievements and its successes.

They most probably came into being in the dark days of this land, when settlements were
few and far between, and those that existed built walls to guard against what lay in the night
beyond. It must have been an age of fear, when men shivered in the cold and feared what
hid in the darkness beyond the feeble circles of light that their primitive torches and fires
gave out. From this age we have the tales of the Woodsie Lord, as he is known in the
distinctive language of the Pagans. Myths have arisen of rats grown into sword-wielding
men, insects into great creatures that spat more insects, of giant spiders that could trap a
man in their web of magic. These wild tales, of cray creatures with swords for arms and
frogs that could explode when approached, are dismissed as fantasies, but contain an
element of truth. We discovered this for ourselves when we placed the Elemental
Talismans in their final resting places.

To guard against these beasts, the populace seems to have split into two opposing camps o
opinion. Some tried to resist the Trickster, and grew into the beginnings of the
Hammerites. Others tried to appease the Woodsie Lord, offering sacrifices at temples, and
revelling in the inherent chaos in nature. Eventually, the technological advances offered by
the early Hammerites resulted in support for them, and the Order of the Vine was forced to
hide to avoid being annihilated.

This much we know from the ancient books we recovered in Karath-Din, the records kept
by a few survivors who hid underground. After a point, however, the writings stop, and due
to the presence of Fire Elementals in the Lost City one can only assume they were overrun.
This would certainly account for the apparent disappearance of the scribes. Indeed, a
Hammerite scroll obtained during the evacuation of the Cathedral suggested that the
Tricksters lair, the Maw of Chaos, is built within the remnants of the Lost City. However,
this can be assumed to be false.

All mention of the Pagans ceases after this, and one can only conjecture that they retreated
underground. The next point at which they achieve mention is during the construction of
Wayside, so called for its proximity to a former main thoroughfare through the City from
the east. Wayside was designated a district, and the temporary slums sprang up. The
249
Hammers began work to install the services, but then they were forced to perform a
different task when they were set upon and attacked by the followers of the Trickster. As
has been explained the Pagan philosophy is in direct opposition to that of the Hammerites.

The Hammerites reacted swiftly to this, so swiftly that even the City Guard were caught
unawares. They massed and marched into Wayside, burning hovels and slaughtering
Pagans when they found them. Eventually the Tricksters followers retreated into the
central market of the district, where they fought a desperate last action before being
slaughtered by the Hammers. Legends say that some Hammers even glimpsed an
apparition there, of a man with horns and tail shooting magic at the attackers, and a third
eye that spat lightning. Needless to say, these Hammers were excommunicated, but the
legend persisted, and other legends imply that the Hammers took possession of this eye as
the apparition fled. The Hammers have taken measures to halt the spread of these legends,
and also declared that they would no longer aid Wayside.

The results of this are well known, and have been observed by most of our Order. The
most interesting mention in this account is of the horned, tailed man. Traditional images of
the Trickster are similar, with the exception of the third eye mentioned. If the Trickster
was present then this is of great importance, not in the least of which that it proves his
existence. It might also indicate a failed attempt to gain control of the City, and action
which it has been predicted be will repeat. The refusal of the Hammerites to publicly
accept the legend is mysterious, but it is an interesting fact that soon after the event the
Hammers painted their infamous painting of the Master Builder defeating the Trickster in
battle.

As a result of this incident, the Pagans were driven further underground, by the hatred of
both the Hammerites and the populace of this City. The Baron, upset that the fight had
resulted in a reduction in business profits, and thus personal gain, ordered a purge of
suspected Pagans, an action which the Hammerites carried out with unsurprising vigour.

Once the repercussions of this action had abated, no more mention of the Order of the Vine
can be found. One might imagine that the Trickster has retreated to again raise an army
with which to impose his nefarious schemes. Recently there have been reports of possible
Pagans, such as Constantine or Viktoria, entering the City. This does not bode well for the
Hammerites, or the City in general, but we are forced to wait until the situation is such that
our assistance is required to maintain the balance.

250
 TREATISE ON THE ORDER OF THE VINE N 2

T he Order of the Vine is a mysterious, semi-mythical Order that few can claim to have
ever encountered. Its existence is a matter of continued interest to us, for it is our most
important asset with which to counter the Order of the Hammer.

Adherents to the Order of the Vine, known as Pagans, cannot afford to be as blatant as the
Hammerites. Hammer propaganda has prejudiced most of the populace against them, and
where they emerge they quickly come into conflict with the Order of the Hammer. As a
result, they live a secret, nomadic existence, most of them hiding in the great forests that lie
close to the City and have not yet given up all their secrets. There, living in the
environment their god, the Woodsie Lord, demands, they exist in small villages, farming
crops and continuing their devotion to the Trickster.

Pagans who live in these forests speak an ancient dialect, with many abandoned verb and
vowel constructions that have fallen out of common use, and thus render the Pagan
language perplexing, even incomprehensible to some. Their alphabet is the same as that in
common use, but writing is only used for devotional or historical texts, and only the few
who carry out transactions with city-dwellers are able to write fluently.

Settlements used to be prolific in the territories surrounding the City, but in recent years
these have declined to shadows of their former selves. Urban and industrial development,
combined with persecution by the Hammerites and Mechanists have forced them into
smaller and denser communities, and it is not unusual for urban developers to discover
abandoned villages and homesteads, complete with Pagan temples.

The history of the Order is fragmented, with no conclusive proof to confirm or deny the
prevalent theory. This theory holds that they are the remains of a tribal civilization that
worshipped the Trickster in order to appease him, but were gradually relegated to obscurity
as the Order of the Hammer grew in power and began to persecute them for worshipping
their deity of nature and chaos. The age of their language and lack of technological
development provides the best evidence for this theory.

The Order of the Vine is a polytheistic religion, with a Pantheon of deities subservient to
the Woodsie Lord. The Woodsie Lord, known to the City as the Trickster, is the deity of
nature and chaos, who controls his cohorts of greater and lesser gods. Deities such as
Viktoria control nature, while lesser gods.

251
 INDUSTRY IN THE CITY

T he City is famous for many things: its criminals, its wines, its factions and its might.
But what it is perhaps best known for is its industry, which pours forth machines of
iron and creations of brass, and spews a thick chocking fog that covers the City is darkly as
the its black moral fog, penetrating the pores of the City and its people.

Industry has always been a part of the City, certainly ever since the establishment of the
Hammerites, whose power is based on the secure foundations that their industry built for
them. The industrial areas of the City are predominantly based on its western side, near to
the mines of coal, iron ore and precious metals that are its life-blood. The River flows from
the mountains where these mines are, allowing the raw materials to be floated to the
factories, and then the finished goods to be trans-shipped to the warehouses of Dayport,
Eastport and the Docks. Due to the presence of the coal in the Mountains, the power
plants that supply the City with its power are located by the sprawling mass of industry
where their power is in great demand.

The main industry present in the City is the mining and refining of iron ore into iron and
thus to steel, and the attendant and linked industries that utilise the steel and the slag.
There exist many blast furnaces, some capable of reducing tons of iron ore a day, that
consume with voracious hunger the resources of the mountains. Iron ore is mined and
shipped to the furnaces in barges, as is the coal. Limestone is plentiful in the cliffs to the
north and south of the east side of the City, and is shipped upriver in barges that carry the
finished steel to the warehouses. The furnaces burn tons of coal a day, resulting in clouds of
ash that spread far and wide over the City, blown there by the prevailing wind, and hang in
the air on even the brightest of days. The ash dirties buildings and chokes the inhabitants,
and covers the area with a pall of smoke and darkness.

The steel produced after the iron has been tapped out of the blast furnace is put to many
uses. There exist several shipyards along the river that employ the steel in the new
generation of river- and ocean-going craft, although such ships are large and unwieldy, and
cannot yet compete with the wind-driven barges and ships that carry most of the Citys
marine trade. The iron is also formed into girders, and often used in the construction of
buildings in the City, as structural reinforcement.

Smaller scale uses of the iron also exist. Workshops in the industrial areas buy the iron, and
hammer it into.

252
 HAMMERITE COMPENDIUMS OF PRECEPTS, REGIMENS AND
RULES OF CONDUCT
Vol. 1

When I was cold, Thou taught of hearth and roof-beam.

When I was hungry, Thou taught of pot and cauldron.
When I was beset by foes, Thou taught of spear and shield.

Thy hammer pounds the nail, holds the roof-beam.

Thy hammer strikes the iron, shapes the cauldron.
Thy hammer in my hand, unto my foes."

Vol. 2

When the thief did cry to the master "release me, for I repent, and shall do good all my
days" then did the master strike the thief's hand from him with a blade. And the master said
"Go now and do good, for thy repentance has been paid.""

Vol. 3

Thy Builder places thy challenges before thee as a stairway of hewn stone up the tower of
thine life. When thou seekest to add to those challenges, to compass thine pride thou dost
clutter the design of the stairway, and introduce cracks and weaknesses through which the
Trickster mayest enter and bring thy ruin.

Vol. 4

Thieves respect naught. Divinity, even false divinity, is as the mud below their feet. They
risk not it be clay, for it shall be shaped by the Builders hand.

Vol. 5

Our walls be cut from the thickest stone, our gates be wrought from full iron. Any who pits
his strength gainst their strength shall smash himself with his own effort, even as the fruit
falling from the tree dashes itself on the rock below

Vol. 6

A foe is best contested in the light, not the shadows. Allow none to so disguise themselves
before thee, lest thou slip into the shadows thyself, and so be lost.

253
Vol. 7

When the Builder walks before thee and builds for thee a fortress, wilt thou go inside and
shut the door? Or wilt thou say "Yes, and now I shalt raise one of mine own!"

Vol. 8

The stone cannot know why the chisel cleaves it; the iron cannot know why the fire
scorches it. When thy life is cleft and scorched, when death and despair leap at thee, beat
not thy breast and curse thy evil fate, but thank the Builder for the trials that shape thee

Vol. 9

Before death came, the liars were made to feast upon the hands of the thieves, and the
thieves were made to ingest the tongues of their liar brothers. And we praised the Master
Builder for his judgements.

Vol. 10

As thine sword becomes blunt through lack of maintenance, as does thine soul through the
same lack. Repair thine soul as thy wouldst thine sword.

Vol. 11

In the beginning we lived as thieves, stealing fur and fang of beasts for survival. Then came
the Builder who brought us the hammer, and with it we forged a new way of life. To reject
the hammer is to denounce the Builder.

Vol. 12

The Builder gave thou the raw stuff of thy life - make thou a great work of it or thou
mockest His gifts.

Vol. 13

A stone wheel canst both sharpen thine sword and grind thine flour. Use thy hammer both
for war and for peace.

Vol. 14

254
Thy life is like clay in the hands of a person. A child doth use it for spurious purposes, a
sinner doth use it for nefarious purposes. Be like a master craftsman, and shape thine life
into an object of consequence.

Vol. 15

Thine hammer dost have two sides it its head and so can strike both ways. Similarly, thine
actions do have two heads, and can affect things thou didst not aim at.

Vol. 16

When thou dost abandon thine home, the plants do take over it, and endeavour to consume
it. Eventually it doth disappear. Do not abandon thine faith, else the Trickster will
consume it and willst make it disappear.

Vol. 17

The fire of the candle dost bring light to darkness, but also destruction to those who use it
carelessly. Use thine faith it illuminate the darkness, and not to sow the seeds of thine
destruction

Vol. 18

A tree nearby a building will eventually bring it down as the roots spread, unseen, under it.
Take care that thou dost not allow the Trickster to spread his roots in your mind and so
bring it down.

Vol. 19

A building that is constructed poorly will collapse, bringing death to those who dwell in it.
When thou dost build thine house in thy mind, ensure that it is constructed well to avoid
thine death.

Vol. 20

The clay beneath thine feet is soft and uninspiring, as is the straw that doth cover it. When
thou dost bind the two, however, thou canst build thine home to the sky. When thou dost
tutor thine acolyte, think not of what he is, but what he could be

Vol. 21

255
When thou dost raise thine home, the foundation will affect how the remainder becomes.
Thine acolytes must also have a strong foundation upon which you do build.

Vol. 22

Thou dost not leave unguarded gates in the city walls; thou dost block them or post guards
on them. Do the same for the unguarded gates of thine mind.

Vol. 23

Thine life is a great book, upon which thine deeds are written. Just as a holy book is holy
regardless of its size, so your life must be good regardless of its age.

Vol. 24

Thou hast been given eyes to see sin, a mouth to speak of it, and hands to correct it. Thou
most use all these to eradicate sin, for to use only one is to mock the Builders charity.

Vol. 25

Stand thine hammer upright, and then release it. It willst fall anywhere on the ground.
Place thy hand by it, and thou canst guide the direction of its fall. Use thine knowledge to
control the events around thee; do not be a mere spectator while the Hammer falls

Vol. 26

If a brick is missing from thine home, it is of no consequence. If a beam is missing from

thine home, it is of much greater importance. If thou and thine master are threatened, be as
the brick and allow the beam to remain.

Vol. 27

Thine home is better than thine shelter. Thine shelter is better than thine tree. Thine tree
is better than the plain. Each advancement is accompanied with increasing sophistication.
It is those who prefer the plain to the home that fear sophistication, and so fear the Master
Builder.

Vol. 28

256
If thou dost encounter a rat, dost thou kill it or follow it back to its nest and kill the
remainder? Before thou dost carry out thine thoughts, consider the advantages you willst
gain from doing the opposite.

Vol. 29

Thine word of honour is like a bond of mortar. Let it not break, even when the bricks
around thee are gone.

Vol. 30

What ist that is more important; the tapestry as a whole, or the arrangement of one
individual thread? The tapestry is more important, but is the result of many threads. The
arrangement of one thread can ruin the tapestry. Be not so proud as to neglect the small
details, nor so pedantic as to fail to see the main picture.

Vol. 31

Thine home wast not built in a day, and neither shall thine acolytes mind.

Vol. 32

Just as thou doth use thine torch to light the path ahead, and not the path behind, use thine
knowledge to see thine further path, and not the route upon which thou hast already
travelled.

Vol. 33

Thou hast built walls about thine roof to shelter thou from what dost lie beyond? Is thine
mind a mere shelter, or home with a wall to deny enemies entrance?

Vol. 34

The Trickster is a deity of nature, who doth lair in the Maw of Chaos, and is the darkest
evil. The Master Builder is the greatest good, and so must dwell in a place of order. Ist
that thou willst deny him a home in thine mind and in thine temple?

Vol. 35

257
The strong of this world are the tall, who tower over the short and weak and are able to see
beyond them. When thou dost construct thine buildings, thou must ensure that thou art
the strongest of those amongst whom thou buildst.

Vol. 36

Time once past, the harlot did say to the priest "Tarry a while, and wait upon thy duties"
and the priest did tarry. And then was the harlot scourged with birch branches, and was the
priest crushed beneath the great gears, for the path of righteousness leads ever upwards, to
where it is perilous to fall.

Vol. 37

As a burden is easy to let fall but hard to pick up, so faith is easy to discard but difficult to
gain. However, just as carrying a burden is better than leaving it on the ground, so carrying
thine faith is better than discarding it.

Vol. 38

When thou finds a rat, dost thou kill it even is it has not stolen food from thou? Nay, thou
killest it, and its brethren besides. Similarly, when thou dost encounter a felon who has not
yet done crime, dost thou allow him to pass by?

Vol. 39

Hadst I a hammer, wouldst I hammer in the morning. Wouldst I hammer in the evening,
all over this land."

Vol. 40

Vol. 53

To use thy chisel is to blunt its edge 'gainst the stone. To not use thy chisel is to waste its
edge.

Vol. 77

What is a tree but a tower that withers and dies?

What is a pond but a cistern that stagnates and fills with muck?
What is a patch of ground but a road which cracks and washes away?"

Vol. 94

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Guard thy tongue from falsehood as thou gardest thy purse from a jackablade. Guard thy
hand from misdeed as thou gardest thy house from firelighters. Guard thy heart from
doubt as thou gardest thy tools from corrosion, for thy faith and thy tools are the best that
thou hast."

Vol. 108

Mortar cannot hold when the stone is not strong and clean. Before beginning thy
endeavours, look to thy material, both physical and spiritual."

Vol. 113

A stroke of thy chisel, once made, canst not be undone, but a stroke thou dost not make
from fear is a worse flaw. Be not cautious - be correct."

Vol. 141

When the Builder came amongst his children and asked "Who is it that hath spoilt this
work?" then didst his errant son answer "I do not know. Then didst the Builder cast down
his son and smite him with his hammer. For is it not known that a mistake may be
mastered, but a lie lasteth forever on the tongue?"

Vol. 170

The proof of the wall is that it stretcheth above the height of a man, and lasteth beyond the
span of a man. Our greatest works exceed us in all ways."

Vol. 199

A flaw in the gear will fate it to shatter. A flaw in the beam harbours the termite. A flaw in
a man's righteousness encompasses his death."

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 KNOWN NOBILITY IN THE CITY
Highest

BARON

Archduke Damor
Duke Leanord
Duchess Alexandra Kurenov

High

(Lady?) Evelle de Ravencourt

(Lord & Lady?) Frederick and Penelope Rothschild (Clan Rothschild?). Bank with First
City Bank and Trust
(Lord?) De Navan (Commissioner of the City Guard) Post extinct under the Mechanists?
(Lord?) De Perrin. Clan of former importance, esp. in Old Quarter. Partnership in
antiques business
(Lord?) De Wall City Warden

Lady Einhorn
Lady Louisa Suite of rooms in Dayport, near Angelwatch
Lady Shemenov Powerful family, involved with smithing. Black and Silver surcoats on
guards, armed with halberds
Lady Valerius Owner/Operator of City Opera House
Lord & Lady van Vernon adulterer. Husband owns a profitable weapons business
Lady Waterdike
Lord & Lady Rumford
Lord Anders Connection with the war with Blackbrook [T2]. Position of importance?
Lord Bafford
Lord Bassel
Lord Brynveran Arrested for tax dodging (Clan extinct?)
Lord Carlysle
Lord Gervasius Member of Clan Gervasius. Collector of rare artificacts, esp. Precursor
artefacts e.g.
masks. Important/powerful has post on Regency Council
Lord Holanthrus advisor to Baron. Selective but well-regarded library
Lord Randall. Former owner of a collection of rare vases.
Lord Thorburn
Lord Toby
Lord Veloden [& Lady Carina Veloden (daughter)] would gain great benefits from
marriage to Gervasius.
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Lord Whitsimmon Organised construction of the Barricades

Low

Lady Angelica Experimental Apothecary in Rampone Dockside Shipping

Lord & Lady Archibald and Winifred Bumbleson regarded as commoners. Excluded
from the Inner Circle for many years. Collector of plants from Lord Signoli.
Lady Caughlin
Lady Lamer
Lady Thomson
Lady Weatherington
Lord Brosius
Lord Church
Lord Donal Leader of Downwinders Thieves Guild [Closed down by Sherriff Truart]
Lord Dunswick
Lord Mani Rammstein powerful importer. Embezzling money from business. Links to a
top cleaner i.e. assassin?
Lord Meuse
Lord Porter Art gallery and brothel in Rampone Dockside Shipping
Lord Reuben Leader of Downwinders Thieves Guild [Closed down by Sherriff Truart]
Lord Signoli importer of rare plants from Pagan villages, via agent called Jabril.
Lord Wilkerson
Lord Winhill

Sir Christopher & Margaret

Sir McAllister Crom
Sir Allard McCrellis
Sir Cullen
Squire Shanus

Nobility Doubtful
(Title is most probably a term of respectful address)

Madame Deniere
Madame Robilard
Master Willey
Master Gaspar
Master Vrinde
Master Ramirez

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 MISSION IDEA
Setting Hospital/Mental Asylum

Story Garrett needs to break into a hospital and break out a friend, who knows
some thiefs-pawns who could replace Cutty. The hospital is for both the
wealthy and the poor. The wealthy get treated, the poor go there to die.
Garrett needs to break into the hospital, and convince the friend to leave with
him. However, he gets there to find that the friend is too ill to move only a
healing potion will heal him. However, when he gets to the apothecary he
finds that the potions are locked away, but that more can be made in
Soulforge-like machines. Putting food and elemental crystals in can make all
sorts of potions. Garrett does this, then steals a set of nobles clothes. He
gives the clothes to the friend, who can now walk out the front door while
Garrett leaves by the back

Features Soulforge-like machines to make potions. A mini-asylum for mental cases.

Secrets in the basement where doctors try out new potions on patients and
loot the bodies for organ transplants, possibly allowing the inclusion of
zombies there. Doctors and patients walking about, guards to protect the
nobles from other occupants. An ER / A&E with guards suffering from
arrow wounds. Dispensary and kitchens where Garrett can gather
ingredients. Large apothecary with frob-inert glass cupboards with loads of
potions behind. Side objective to look for information to blackmail nobles
(i.e. sexual diseases, taking fake sick leave, or having an affair with one of the
nobles)

Setting Large hospital in centre of city, possibly old stately home. Wing for poor,
rest for nobles. Mortuary for dead, possibly zombies. Hammer chapel, with
priests walking around giving last rites.

Products Suggested: Healing P = Earth crystal + food, Speed P = Fire + Food, Breath P
= Air + Food, Slowfall P = Earth + food, Invisibility P = All crystals + food.
Also new ones programmed into engine: super-healing potion; potion which
can be added to water fountains (which guards drink from) to make
unconscious or drunk; alcohol; dexterity potion (faster lockpicking)

262
 A KEEPERS APPRENTICESHIP

This was my original synopsis document, where I wrote a brief summary of the plot to remind myself
of its lines as I wrote the story. I never finished the story, but this synopsis is what went off to Black,
and the base for his excellent conclusion to my lacklustre start. Enjoy!

T he Hammerites are building a new temple, a temple that is unfortunately on top of the
only entrance to the Keeper Compound. The Keeper Compound is home to the
Orders immense library, and also most of the dormitories, workshops, classrooms and
training areas. To make another entrance would be difficult, but it must be done. The
Keepers have decided to leave the entrance sealed, but to create a secret passage in the
designs that will allow them to access the entrance if the need arises. However, there is only
one design for the plan, and it is kept in a locked safe in the centre of a Hammerite
installation. The plans are impossible to break out without leaving a trace, but there is
another option. By making a duplicate set of plans and swapping them on the building site
whilst the work is in progress, there will be no trace of the exchange.

Unfortunately, the plans have been printed on distinctive paper, and with the aid of a
mechanical printer. The mechanical printer is in a printing workshop that is controlled by
the Hammerites. If the Keepers can sneak in, alter the plans, and print the new ones, then
there will be no need to painstakingly forge the plans. Keeper Tyball has been chosen to
infiltrate the printers, with an aged member of the Order who has the skill to successfully
forge the plans. The old man was once a Hammerite, who was recruited into the Order
after seeing one of them during the events at the Barricades. Also breaking into the printing
works is a young Keeper Acolyte, named Garrett, who is in the final stages of his tuition.
The job proceeds flawlessly, the forger replicating the plans and printing them in the
machine, a vast construction of metal. Being stationery, it is powered. However, Tyball is
not proficient in operating the machine, which cannot be stopped and soon explodes,
alerting guards outside. The guards attack and pursue three fleeing shadows, and catch up
on the old man. As Garrett reaches the window, he turns to see the old man run through
with a sword. Dead, through Keeper Tyballs mistake. As he leaves the print works burns
to the ground behind him.

The next week, Garrett and his mentor enter the construction site through the concealed
entrance, and make their way to the site office. The makeshift building is patrolled by
Hammerite guards, even at this late hour, but the two Keepers find their way in. However,
once at the office they find that the plans have been moved, and are now in of the completed
rooms of the temple. The Hammerites have built the dormitories already to provide
accommodation, and the plans are in the room of the Master Forger supervising the
construction. Garrett and Tyball manage to slip into the dormitories, and finally make their

263
way down to the Master Forgers room. There, the man asleep in the corner, Tyball picks
the lock on the safe open, and replaces the plans.

They get back to find that there are serious problems. There have been unanticipated
difficulties sealing the entrance, mainly due to the power conduits and sewers that run
through it. The Keepers need more time to bypass these sewers and conduits, running their
functions through others. Garrett thinks that he and his mentor are to be sent on this
mission, but in fact they are to go on another. The project needs to be stopped in a way
that will not seem suspicious. Keeper Tyball and Garrett need to break into the burrick
house where the animals are kept in between their stints in the cranes, and add gas crystals
to the burricks feed. These powerful anaesthetics send burricks into comas that can last for
several months: time enough for the entrance to be concealed. The two break into the
house through a grate in the floor. They emerge in the burrick house, and are thus able to
easily access the food supplies. They break the crystals into the feed, and then head for the
main entrance. The way in is one-way only the switch to the sewer is controlled from the
main office.

On the way to the gate the pair are forced to hide in a room, where they find a young boy,
who has snuck in and fallen asleep. Garrett sees himself in the thin, starved boy, who will
soon die if not fed. Tyball refuses, saying that to help the boy would to be something other
than an observer. They move off again, and Garrett is fuming at the heartlessness of the
Keepers. The apparent refusal of the Keeper Council to punish Tyball for the mistake he
made at the printers, which resulted in the death of the old man, further infuriates him. As
they slip through the halls, Garrett takes his leave and makes his way into the managers
office. There he takes loot and the managers dinner. Hastening back to the boy, he finds
that the boy is already dead if the food had arrived earlier, then the boy might have lived.
Garrett resolves to strike out on his own, to return to the streets as an independent thief.
He takes the loot with him, and then makes for the front gate. The two guards there fall
victim to his skill at concealment and with the sword, and from one of them he takes his
bow and quiver.

Stepping outside, he hurries off to the half-remembered streets of his upbringing to find a
pawnbrokers he once stole from. From the shadows outside the door to the burrick house,
Tyball watches. The laws of the Keepers are strict. One whose heart is clouded by anger or
sentiment cannot be a Keeper. However, Garrett is not angry with the Keepers, but at
Keeper Tyball. There still might be hope for him. He hurries back to the Keeper Council.

264
 THE HAND OF KARRAS

This was my original synopsis document for my The Rise of Karras series. It will never be finished,
but for completions sake I have included it here so that fans of the story can see how it was meant to
end. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Karras is in the Hammer library, at Prisongate. When another Hammer finds
Garrett, Karras is angry because he believes that, had his new better cameras been installed,
the thief would never have got in. Later, the riot destroys the library, and Karras is
incensed at the failing of the Hammerite guards, and believes even more ferverently that
had the cameras and other machines been in place this would not have happened.

Chapter 2: The encroach of the Tricksters minions fills Karras with even more alarm. He
is alarmed by the failures of the human Hammerite guards, and is convinced that the
technology he is developing, based on that recovered from the Bonehoard by the Hammers
under his command, would have dealt with them. The technologies of the Bonehoard allow
him to develop machines which throw arrows, and later bombs. This evidence of the
knowledge of the past prompts him to look for the technologies of the Precursors, the race
who inhabited the Lost City, Karath-Din. While he is there, Lord Bafford bursts in to
complain that Karras has not executed a thief the lord handed over to the priest in return
for valuables from the Bonehoard. Karras wanted the thief because the man was a renegade
Hammerite who showed mechanical expertise. The man was taken to Cragscleft, where he
was persuaded to work for Karras, and is the one who has developed the traps.

Chapter 3: Karras now has a reputation as an innovator, and during the consolidation of the
power of the City Watch has developed new inventions. His faction, comprised of most of
the progressive innovators of the Order of the Hammer, have gained in power. One of his
faction Brother Coltus developed a primitive robot, and Karras took over the
development. With this now available, Karras can force his will upon the Order. He takes
the cog as a symbol of the Mechanists, from the cogs that drive the robots. The break-away
almost complete, he is visited by Markander, old and ill, who attempts to convert Karras
back to the way of the Hammerites. Cowed by the robots, he beats an ignominious retreat.

Chapter 4: The drought in the City lowers water levels to the point where the entrance to
the Lost City is visible. Karras breaks in, pumps out the water, and there discovers the
Precursors lost city. He immediately sends Mechanists down into there to recover any lost
artefacts. While down there himself he finds a container of rust gas, and after observing its
effects believes that the Builder has guided him to it so that he may bring about the
265
Builders paradise. He observes this when a cultivator is accidentally fastened to the rust
gas, which then proceeds to turn the Mechanists there to rust.

Chapter 5: Brother Coltus now friend Coltus discovers the method of creating Servants,
and Niklars Hammersmith is chosen to be the first subject. Hammersmith was a
Hammerite until the fall of the Order, when he left and set up his own gambling den and
burrick stables. Karras is delighted at this, and orders further experiments. Meanwhile
there are other inventions that have been developed, and Karras makes reference to the fact
that he has obtained Sheriff Truarts trust.

Chapter 6: Karras proclaims triumphantly to Coltus that he has obtained street-scum from
Truart in return for robots and cameras. He then turns to Coltus, tells him that he will
soon be with the Master Builder, and signals for the robots behind him to carry Coltus away
to be transformed into a Servant himself. As Coltus/the Servant returns from the building,
Karras hears the bells of the clock tower strike 11, and he hurries to the seminary, ready for
the conversation with Truart at midnight.

Written in third person narrative. Writing is Modern English Hammerite and Mechanist
speech is in Old English.

Chapter: 1 = Chapter 5; A Thiefs Apprenticeship

Chapter 2: = During the events of Into the Maw of Chaos.

Chapter 3: = A short while after the end of Thief: The Dark Project

Chapter 4: = Between Thief: The Dark Project and Thief II: The Metal Age

Chapter 5: = A short while before the beginning of Thief II: The Metal Age

Chapter 6: = Immediately before the events of Eavesdropping.

The Hand of Karras; The Rise of Karras; Child of Karras; The Ascension of Karras; The

266
 THIEF III MISSION STRUCTURE: A PROPOSAL
This was written back when LGS went under. A few of us were kicking round ideas for a story arc
that could be made by the fans. This is my contribution. Please not that this is in no way linked or
affiliated with the official Thief III, the Correspondence of Thieves at TTLG or the T2X expansion.
You have been warned.

Background: Several months have passed since Garrett dealt with the
Mechanists. They have now re-joined the Hammerites, who have grown in power. Garrett
is again an independent thief, still searching for the 'big one', a job that will allow him to
retire

Mission 1-Antiques Fair: He breaks into 'Grimworth and de Perrin', and loots whatever
he can find. Most of the loot is gone, but there is a note. Apparently there has recently been
sold to Lord Rathton the Crystalline Gem, an antique stone of immense value.

Mission 2-Planning and Mapping: He wants to loot Lord Rathton's manor, but needs to
find the plans to it first. He breaks into the guarded quarter of the City, TradeBridge, where
the City's smaller businesses are. There, he finds the plans to the manor in the architects
house, taking the opportunity to loot all the businesses along the way.

Mission 3-Break-In: He breaks into the manor, but finds that both Lord Rathton and the
Crystalline Gem have been removed to his luxury home in the country, a place Garrett has
never heard of.

Mission 4-Research at the Census Bureau: To find the location of the house, he breaks
into the offices of the Census Bureau, and there he searches through the archives for the
location of Lord Rathton's country manor.

Mission 5-Confrontation: Garrett breaks into the country mansion, only to find that the
Hammerites have taken over there, the Gem is missing, and Lord Rathton dead. Apparently
the Hammerites received an anonymous warning that Rathton was a Pagan. They have the
letter in a safe at the new Hammerite temple Garrett resolves to break into the temple to
look at the note, in case the Keepers have given it to the Hammerites.

Mission 6-Breaking and Entering: Garrett breaks into the Hammerite temple to look at
the note. At the safe, he finds it empty and the other door to the room swinging open He

267
follows the figure, who is a Keeper, to a secret passage, and goes outdoors, where the scene
fades to black.

Cutscene 1: Garrett has been knocked out by the Keepers. They explain that the time for
the Balance is at an end ,and that the time has come to rid the world of both the
Hammerites and the remnants of the Pagans. Garrett guesses that the Keepers manipulated
the Hammerites into killing Rathton, to make Garrett hate the Hammerites and turn on
them, destroying them. The Keepers decide to kill him, for he knows too much, and throw
him, unarmed, into a sewer.

Mission 7-Shadow in the Night: The sewer is where the Pagans have taken refuge. Garret
must sneak past them, with no weapons, to the exit to the street.

Mission 8-Searching: Garrett plans to use the Hammerites to kill the Keepers. First he
needs to find the Keeper compound. To do this, he determines that the best way would be
to search the offices of the city newspaper for reports of areas with strange occurrences.
Anyplace where there are many stories of men who seem to be able to vanish into the
shadows is sure to be the location of the Compound

Mission 9-Mapping the Ground: Having found the district, Garrett scouts it out, to find
the actual entrance to the Keeper Compound. He must search through the City district of
TradeGate to find the entrance. Eventually he finds it, and is able to draw a map by
observing the entrance from another building.

Mission 10-Sowing the Seed: After having drawn the map, Garrett must plant it on the
Hammerites, in a way that they do not suspect. He must sneak in without being seen, and
plant the map in the safe of the Master Forger. The same safe he stole from earlier.
However, security has been beefed up, so the job is not as easy. When it is discovered, along
with a forged note from the High Priest, the Hammerites will attack the Keeper
Compound, sorting them out.

Cutscene 2: Garrett watches as the Keepers defeat the Hammerite attack, slaughtering them
and forcing them into retreat. Garrett decides that stealth is the only way that he will be
able to deal with the Keepers - using their own doctrine against them

Mission 11-Hammerite Armoury: Garrett breaks into the Hammerite Arsenal, to search
for a sunburst device to plant in the central meeting hall of the Keepers. However, he finds

268
that they are all at the building site of the new Hammerite Cathedral.

Mission 12-Praise the Builder: He breaks into the building site, and steals from them a
sunburst device.

Mission 13-Repaying Old Debts: He wants to set up a timer, and so needs a mechanic
'friend', to whom he owes a favour. However, the friend is in the new Hammerite prison,
and so must be rescued.

Mission 14-Return to the Cathedral: Garrett has rescued the man, but is then told that to
make the device the friend will need a device that the mechanists had just developed before
Garrett dealt with them. He has to go into the ruined mechanist cathedral of
'Eavesdropping' to recover the vital component, having to deal at the same time with
Mechanist zombies and the undead.

Mission 15-The Final Conflict: Garrett must break into the Keeper Compound, and then
plant and arm the sunburst device. He sneaks in, making his way through the halls. He even
passes the training course. Finally, he plants the bomb, and then walks out and away.

Cutscene 3: The bomb explodes, and the Keeper Compound is destroyed. Garrett walks
away, satisfied with a job well done. The Keepers are gone. As his back turns, a shadows
rises up from behind him. Is it a trick of the light...or is it a Keeper?

269