"There was a time when thieves and murderers strived as darkness ruled; The heathens slept, dreaming their heretical way of life would last forever. But then came the Master Builder, and with Him the light of justice, And the miscreants were cast down to the Earth by his Holy Judgment. -- The Book of the Stone" "The high plazas of Stonemarket call me tonight, whispering a sweet lullaby of dark smoke and grinding machinery to my ears. It was not long ago I swiped a magical relic from my old friends the Keepers, but this time is now over, and life resumed its course. I am, again, low on funds, and not in the best shape: keeping my network of associates was hard enough, but I suspect one of those backstabbing bastards had the nerve to rat me out to the Hammers, and a swarm of fanatics came to bash the door of my hideout. Luckily for me I managed to get out, but in the commotion I forgot to take some of my equipment with me; most notably my climbing gear. I can't risk going back to South Quarter, not with all the activity down there. I guess I'll have to borrow some ropes on my way because I'll need them if I want to get the piece I'm being commissioned for. Not to mention my usual supplier won a trip to Cragscleft recently. I got tonight's job mostly by accident: as I was pawning off some items a greasy old beggar approached me, introducing himself as Cutty. Beneath all the grime on his clothes and his crude way of talking you could tell he was someone very clever and particularly methodical, and I was impressed to say the least. No one would ever suspect that tramp, perfectly blending in The City's finest populace of being one of the most famous fences in town. I introduced myself and he was mildly amused... I could see he wasn't convinced I was the one who sacked Beric's manor and pulled off so many daring jobs, so he offered me a job as a test: my goal tonight is very simple; I am to steal a precious opal called Moon Tear from Lord Monsegur, the new Warden of Stonemarket. Cutty did not exactly tell me why he wanted this opal in particular, but he is ready to pay me quite a sum if I return the opal to him, and will consider offering me prime jobs, the kind only real professionals get and with the promise of reliable funds. On other occasions I would have declined the offer; I prefer to stay away from these Wardens as much as I can, but the prospect of working with a person of his reputation is not something you can refuse, and Stonemarket is a rather wealthy district with all these thieving merchants and fat nobles around... It's just too good to resist! I will enter through Iron Gate when lights will dim. It's a cold and rainy night so I doubt I'll find many people out in the streets. From there I will need to proceed to Monsegur's manor that's located north of the Hammerite clocktower. I know Stonemarket has been the theatre of various thefts lately so I imagine the district will be on watch during the night, with guards ready to arrest unlawful interlopers, and Monsegur's manor will most likely be well protected. My first goal will be to find some ropes. One of my associates is ready to give me a potential tip... but as always, it comes at a price. Or I could always pay the merchants a little visit to see if they have some wares for a taffer like me. Time to go.