SamMiller
Member
Hi,
here is the second part, i look forward to reading any comments you have
"Well what a ma sposeda do then, eh?" Said the small, none to clean man standing before the counter. Standing behind the counter was a tall, stern looking man who regarded him with an expression of unhidden irritation.
"I could make a few suggestions but I don’t fink you’d like em" he replied with an expressive look.
"You know the deal, it’s not my problem if you ain’t got anything to pay for yer keep" The small man looked up at him, his face a mask of distress, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"Look just get out of ere before I call over big Nige, an you don’t want me to call over big Nige do you Neb"
The small man threw a nervous glance over to the gentleman in question. Nige served as the peacekeeper in the guild flophouse, a post he fitted perfectly due mostly to the fact that he closely resembled a grizzly bear, only with a shorter temper. Upon hearing his name, the huge man swung his head around and grinned maliciously at Neb. Gulping slightly, Neb quickly backed out towards the door, being careful to keep the great hulk well within view. Just as he reached the door, he collided with another figure that had just turned into the room.
"Hey watch it you clumsy ass", the newcomer said angrily.
"Why don’t you watch it you….oh its you Caleb, sorry bout’ that I was just…" He cut off mid-sentence and ducked out of the doorway into the night.
Muttering a curse, Caleb looked around the large room. It was filled wall to wall with hard sleeping pallets, Men, women and even a few children occupied most of them, though a few lay empty. The room was lit by rows of lamps set into the bare stone walls, casting a flickering light around the room. Deep shadows pooled in the room’s corners, most likely cloaking rats and other vermin. The floor was made of compacted dirt, giving the room a musty, earthy smell. It was warm, humid and not very pleasant, but it was safe and out of the way, and that was good enough for him.
Caleb had only recently reached his thirty-fifth year, though few would have thought that if they saw him. He had a thin almost feminine nose and a strong jaw line. A pair of quick, intelligent eyes matched the colour of his thick, shoulder length chestnut brown hair which was tied carefully back behind his head. He held himself with a confidence that came only with experience.
"Ah Caleb my friend!" He turned around to see the man behind the counter beckoning him over.
"Evening Vachel, you’re looking well" Vachel was the manager for the flophouse in the area, there were many other flophouses scattered around the city each managed by a guild member who lacked the skills necessary to be of much use in the streets.
"I might say the same about you, business good?" replied Vachel
"Would I be here if it wasn’t?" Caleb withdrew the pouches from within his cloak and placed them on the counter before Vachel. Upon seeing the bulging pouches, he began to rub his hands together in anticipation, a greedy gleam sparked in his eyes.
"My my you have been busy". He gasped in delight as he emptied the contents of the pouches into a shallow dish. There were around thirteen semi-precious gemstones along with a healthy amount of gold and silver coins. He divided the loot carefully, placing about a quarter of it into a strongbox hidden beneath the counter. Caleb then replaced the rest into the pouches and pocketed them.
"Right well there are a few spare places tonight so you just go and take your pick, you’re not in time for food so you’ll ave’ to do without till’ morning" announced Vachel, waving his arm towards the empty sleeping pallets. Caleb nodded in reply and walked carefully between the pallets towards a free one near the corner. He threw his cloak onto the hard sleeping mat and sat down.
Caleb had grown up in the poorer part of the city. His mother had worked as a maid in a wealthy merchants home in the inner city but had been thrown out when she fell pregnant. Who his father was, he’d never know but he assumed it was one of the household staff that had worked alongside his mother. His mother had died when he was just six years of age, murdered in her bed by some drunken lout or another who hadn’t been keen on paying her fees. Since then he had sought protection from the thieves guild, starting out as a beggar boy. He grew in skill and experience and became a pickpocket then finally he went into burglary. In exchange for the guilds protection and the use of their flophouses, each thief had to give a portion of their ‘earnings’ to the guild or be cast out. The thieves guild were the real power in the poorer districts of the city. They controlled almost all illegal activities in the city from smuggling and assassinations to petty theft and begging. The guild flophouses were located throughout the poor districts, providing a safe haven for thieves and cutthroats and other unsavoury characters.
here is the second part, i look forward to reading any comments you have
"Well what a ma sposeda do then, eh?" Said the small, none to clean man standing before the counter. Standing behind the counter was a tall, stern looking man who regarded him with an expression of unhidden irritation.
"I could make a few suggestions but I don’t fink you’d like em" he replied with an expressive look.
"You know the deal, it’s not my problem if you ain’t got anything to pay for yer keep" The small man looked up at him, his face a mask of distress, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"Look just get out of ere before I call over big Nige, an you don’t want me to call over big Nige do you Neb"
The small man threw a nervous glance over to the gentleman in question. Nige served as the peacekeeper in the guild flophouse, a post he fitted perfectly due mostly to the fact that he closely resembled a grizzly bear, only with a shorter temper. Upon hearing his name, the huge man swung his head around and grinned maliciously at Neb. Gulping slightly, Neb quickly backed out towards the door, being careful to keep the great hulk well within view. Just as he reached the door, he collided with another figure that had just turned into the room.
"Hey watch it you clumsy ass", the newcomer said angrily.
"Why don’t you watch it you….oh its you Caleb, sorry bout’ that I was just…" He cut off mid-sentence and ducked out of the doorway into the night.
Muttering a curse, Caleb looked around the large room. It was filled wall to wall with hard sleeping pallets, Men, women and even a few children occupied most of them, though a few lay empty. The room was lit by rows of lamps set into the bare stone walls, casting a flickering light around the room. Deep shadows pooled in the room’s corners, most likely cloaking rats and other vermin. The floor was made of compacted dirt, giving the room a musty, earthy smell. It was warm, humid and not very pleasant, but it was safe and out of the way, and that was good enough for him.
Caleb had only recently reached his thirty-fifth year, though few would have thought that if they saw him. He had a thin almost feminine nose and a strong jaw line. A pair of quick, intelligent eyes matched the colour of his thick, shoulder length chestnut brown hair which was tied carefully back behind his head. He held himself with a confidence that came only with experience.
"Ah Caleb my friend!" He turned around to see the man behind the counter beckoning him over.
"Evening Vachel, you’re looking well" Vachel was the manager for the flophouse in the area, there were many other flophouses scattered around the city each managed by a guild member who lacked the skills necessary to be of much use in the streets.
"I might say the same about you, business good?" replied Vachel
"Would I be here if it wasn’t?" Caleb withdrew the pouches from within his cloak and placed them on the counter before Vachel. Upon seeing the bulging pouches, he began to rub his hands together in anticipation, a greedy gleam sparked in his eyes.
"My my you have been busy". He gasped in delight as he emptied the contents of the pouches into a shallow dish. There were around thirteen semi-precious gemstones along with a healthy amount of gold and silver coins. He divided the loot carefully, placing about a quarter of it into a strongbox hidden beneath the counter. Caleb then replaced the rest into the pouches and pocketed them.
"Right well there are a few spare places tonight so you just go and take your pick, you’re not in time for food so you’ll ave’ to do without till’ morning" announced Vachel, waving his arm towards the empty sleeping pallets. Caleb nodded in reply and walked carefully between the pallets towards a free one near the corner. He threw his cloak onto the hard sleeping mat and sat down.
Caleb had grown up in the poorer part of the city. His mother had worked as a maid in a wealthy merchants home in the inner city but had been thrown out when she fell pregnant. Who his father was, he’d never know but he assumed it was one of the household staff that had worked alongside his mother. His mother had died when he was just six years of age, murdered in her bed by some drunken lout or another who hadn’t been keen on paying her fees. Since then he had sought protection from the thieves guild, starting out as a beggar boy. He grew in skill and experience and became a pickpocket then finally he went into burglary. In exchange for the guilds protection and the use of their flophouses, each thief had to give a portion of their ‘earnings’ to the guild or be cast out. The thieves guild were the real power in the poorer districts of the city. They controlled almost all illegal activities in the city from smuggling and assassinations to petty theft and begging. The guild flophouses were located throughout the poor districts, providing a safe haven for thieves and cutthroats and other unsavoury characters.
