The thieves’ guild holds great power in Al-Kalim, and its cutpurses are everywhere within the Caliphate. They come in many forms, from filthy street urchins and beggars feigning debilitating injuries to well-dressed merchants and offspring of the nobility, as the strength of a good thief is often the ability to get close to a target without raising suspicions. These nefarious robbers are most often found in taverns and markets where crowds are at their thickest, although daring individuals can operate wherever there is wealth for the taking. The guild takes a dim view of “freelancers” in its territory, so most cutpurses are accounted for. They are marked with the guild’s tattoo and must tithe a measure of their take to the local den bosses.
Many cutpurses work in teams, one or more distracting the mark while the others relieve them of their money. A victim who turns on a cutpurse might be in for a nasty surprise when they are led on a chase into a blind alley containing a dozen or so of the cutpurse’s companions. Guild thieves are not above using clubs, blades, and fists to obtain what deception and quick fingers could not.
References
- Realms of Terrinoth