Great Hall of the Thieves' Guild
This imposing stronghold is the true heart of the Old City, where decisions shaping life in the Low Quarter are made. The guildhall stands alone, surrounded by open streets to ensure no one approaches unseen.
At all hours, apprentice thieves stand silent watch, their keen eyes scanning for threats. The doors and windows are fortified with deadly traps—slashing scythes, hidden pits filled with spikes, and stabbing spears that emerge from the walls.
To the common folk of Greyhawk, the Thieves' Guild is everywhere—watching, listening, taking. If something is lost, it was surely stolen by the guild, and mothers warn their children that "the thieves will steal you away if you don't behave."
But the truth is more complex. Once a legendary power, the guild has weakened over the years. Economic growth and organized resistance have reduced its dominance. The Beggars' War, waged by former Guildmaster Arentol, thinned the guild’s ranks, leaving only the most cunning and ruthless behind.
Even so, the guild remains a force to be reckoned with. The Guildmaster openly sits on the Directing Oligarchy, the Lord Mayor is secretly Assistant Guildmaster, and even the Merchants' and Traders' Union harbors guild agents among its ranks.
While common thievery persists, the guild has learned to steal smarter—merchants, adventurers, and outsiders make far better targets than the city’s own people. A strict quota system ensures that only so much can be stolen from Greyhawk’s powerful guilds, while non-union traders and treasure-laden adventurers remain fair game.
Beyond theft, the guild’s true wealth comes from protection rackets, forgery, and subterfuge. Those who fail to pay their dues often find their luck mysteriously souring—a shop ransacked, a warehouse set ablaze, a business partner found floating in the river.
The Thieves’ Guild of the Thieves' Quarter
The Thieves’ Quarter remains the nerve center of the guild’s operations, home to both guild leadership and the training grounds for new apprentices.
The Thieves' Guildhall looms over the quarter like a fortress, its high walls and few windows betraying its true nature. Inside, the upper floors contain barracks and training halls, but the real power of the guild lies beneath the surface.
Below the guildhall, a vast network of hidden chambers extends deep into the earth. There, the guild maintains:
- A library of stolen city maps
- Private chambers and meeting rooms for its leaders
- A shrine to Kurell, god of thievery and revenge
- The heavily guarded Guild Treasury, where ill-gotten gains are stored
Guildmembers rarely use the main entrance—instead, they slip in through hidden tunnels, secreted away in neighboring buildings, sewers, or notorious establishments like Zorbo’s House of Fun and Devin Halfhock’s Pawnshop.
One of the guild’s most profitable ventures is its forgery ring, located in the cellar of the guildhall. Here, master forgers produce fake credit notes, supposedly from moneylenders in distant cities. These notes are infiltrated into Greyhawk’s economy, often with the aid of corrupt merchants or sold at a steep discount to those willing to take the risk.
Overseeing it all is Sharyn Messandier, the Master of the Thieves’ Quarter, whose cunning has kept the guild afloat and thriving in an age where the world grows increasingly hostile to their kind.
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