[Not-Pride I/T] The Thieves Guild (Open!)

[Meepfur]

I can no longer resist the temptation. Hi.
Look, a contest!

 

[Meepfur]

Basics

• The Thieves Guild is not a pride, and will never be an official group with a subforum or cert. It is a loose collective into which members are inducted, not born.
  
• Individuals of any species may be invited to join, be they regular, familiar, or even unlined (although something like an elephant, rhino, or giraffe is pretty unlikely!). Currently, Yehl is seeking out promising individuals herself, but once the Guild is more established, a current member will have to vouch for them, and they will be set a task to prove themselves before they are accepted.
  
• Membership in a pride and membership in the Guild are not necessarily mutually exclusive, so long as you have OOC permission from the pride's owner for your SoA to also be a member of the Guild. Depending on the pride's distance from the headquarters and whether or not comings and goings are permitted, a SoA does not need to visit the physical location of the Guild frequently or even at all. The Guild may come to them in the form of a visitor (very likely an avian, particularly in the case of stricter prides) now and then.
  

Origin
The Thieves Guild is a brand new group in the process of being established by a lioness named Yehl. She is the daughter of Aharu'kai, the Goddess of Thieves, and was raised in a pride of thieves that dissolved shortly after she reached adulthood. Undeterred, she continued to sneak and steal, but rarely kept anything, in part due to practicality (where would she keep it all?), but mostly because she was more interested in the act of stealing itself than in the stolen items. It did seem a bit of a waste, though, to take things and then just abandon them for someone else to find, and there was something inherently unsatisfying about it. Yehl began to long for recognition of her feats, acknowledgement of her skill and the risk taken, someone to show off for, and so she would call on her mother and present the choicest prizes as gifts, much as she had done as a cub. Sometimes, when Aharu'kai was particularly pleased with her daughter, she would give her a blessing in return.

It was a trade that gave Yehl the seed of an idea. There were other thieves of all kinds scattered throughout the lands, some who already worshipped Aharu'kai and many who did not, who would surely be interested in such transactions...and her mother would surely be interested in the belief as much as the offerings. At first, she conceived of a shrine, perhaps in the pride she had heard of that kept such things, and she shared the idea with Aharu. As they spoke, over the course of many nights, the concept evolved far beyond a simple shrine. They would create not a shrine, not a pride, but a web of thieves across the lands. There were thieves everywhere, they just needed to be connected, and where they were not already, they could be sent, for where can a clever enough thief not infiltrate?

They would still need a gathering place, however, where they could meet, take sanctuary, brag and show off to and trade with each other. A mountain cave was chosen, higher than most creatures tended to venture but not inaccessible. And Aharu would have her shrine, too, upon which offerings could one day be heaped. Well, perhaps not heaped, but left at least occasionally. Ideally. But with one lioness and an empty base, they have a long way to go...

Getting Off the Ground
The Guild is still very much in its beginning stages, and will evolve as members are gathered. Beyond its original intentions of camaraderie, safety net, and reverence for the Goddess of Thieves, it could also evolve into an information network and/or black market, or even into an organization that can be 'hired.'

The first recruits (and bulk of the guild) are most likely to be rogues, though pridal recruits will also be sought, particularly in groups where items and/or crafters are common. If and when information-trading becomes of interest to the Guild, they may also attempt to place members in groups considered to be important or influential. OOCly, a Guild member will never be placed in a group without the permission of that group's owner(s), who may specify what items can be stolen and what information can be passed along. If you're a pride owner and interested in 'housing' a Guild member (or even multiple Guild members), just in general or for plot reasons, please let me know! (Or if you want to issue a blanket "no Guild in mah pride, don't ask!" please also let me know.)

 

[Meepfur]

Religion
The Guild has no strict religion or set of beliefs. The existence of gods is, of course, accepted, and all members are expected to acknowledge Aharu'kai, the Goddess of Thieves, as their patron. The extent of an individual's devotion may vary, though, and can range from respect to reverence to active worship. The Guild's base houses a thus-far simple shrine to Aharu'kai, a large flat rock upon which offerings can be placed. As the Guild grows, members may choose to erect other, smaller shrines to other gods and goddesses whose domains are relevant to their profession. If your SoA is interested in establishing a 'mini' shrine, they must ask Yehl for permission to do so.

Although it is not a rule, when visiting the Guild's headquarters, most members will bring an offering for the shrine, not necessarily out of devotion: some will do it simply for politeness' sake or because they hope it will bring them luck. If an offering is particularly good, or took particular skill to acquire, Aharu'kai may grant them a temporary blessing (pending approval of her powers).

Upon their induction to the Guild, each member will be given a single black feather to wear, a symbol of their black-winged patron. These feathers do not actually come from Aharu'kai, but from birds.

Rules

• The Guild is a secret! Members are not to speak of the Guild to anyone outside of it, unless they are a potential recruit. In that case, they will be given only minimal information until they have passed their test and joined. Even mates and family of members are not to know of the Guild's existence unless they are also members.
  
• Only adolescents and adults may join, no cubs/pups/etc. They are not considered old enough to fully understand and take the allegiance seriously.
  
• The Guild is primarily non-violent, and members are expected to avoid conflict unless they have no other choice. The taking of items by force or intimidation is frowned upon; they are thieves, not bullies, and pride themselves on skill, not strength. They are also most certainly not assassins or murderers.
  
• While within the Guild headquarters, members are expected to have the courtesy not to steal from each other, and though there is no hard and fast rule against stealing from other members, it is generally considered crude to do so simply for the sake of greed or malice. Doing so as a game or due to a rivalry, however, is more accepted, as stealing from fellow thieves requires greater skill than stealing from the average unsuspecting populace.
  
• The Guild has no rules about who someone can mate or fling or have any other kind of relationship with, as long as there's no blabbing about the Guild to non-members. Views may vary among individuals, as they have a wide array of backgrounds and beliefs, and discussions and disagreements may be had, but harrassment will not be tolerated.
  
• Regardless of how hungry you are, you may not eat your fellow guild members, even if they're tasty-looking prey animals. Have some manners!
  
• Anyone who is found to have betrayed the Guild in some way, who repeatedly resorts to violence, who is caught stealing from the shrine, or does some other thing that hasn't occurred to me at this point in time but is Very Serious, will be expelled from the Guild after having their tongue removed to ensure that they cannot speak of it to anyone.
  

 

[Meepfur]

Ranks and Members

Leader - Yehl (Meepfur)
Simple enough, this is the head of the Guild. There is currently no established system of succession, though it is most likely that the next Leader will be named by Yehl (or by Aharu'kai) in the event that she chooses to step down. As an active thief herself, the Leader is not always in residence at the base.

Watcher
These are members who are trusted to watch the base, and also manage it if the Leader is away. Watchers will rotate in and out (though not on a consistent schedule) so that they have plenty of opportunity to go out and do exciting thief things instead of being stuck on boring cave duty all the time. Watchers are preferred to be of the larger predatory species and therefore more capable of dealing with problems that might require a little force.
Tifua (Meepfur)

Guild Member
Default rank! At the moment, Yehl is seeking out, interviewing, and recruiting thieves directly. Eventually, joining will require an invitation and a test, which usually involves stealing from a designated target.
Abala (Meepfur)
Kinagiri +Jino (Ecavi)
Mashaka (Meepfur)
Meowen (F a y t h - x)
Neal (Quaji)

 

[Meepfur]

Joining the Guild
If you have a SoA you'd like to put in the Guild, please post the following form! Remember, pride members will need the permission of pride owners (OOCly, since ideally the IC leaders wouldn't know, unless they're the ones joining).

[color=darkblue][b]Joining![/b][/color]
[b]SoA:[/b] [url=image URL here]Name Here[/url]
[b]Personality Blurb:[/b]
[b]Background Blurb:[/b]
[b]Anything else of interest/relevance, comments, etc.?[/b]

 

[Meepfur]

Potential Connections

Jini-msemi

• Thief members welcome (OOCly, anyway).

Nyota-Wasomaji

• Open to hosting thieves (must be wild dogs).

Ulili-Mlindaji

• 'Decoy' shrine, will need a thief!Keeper.

Ela'wadiyi

• Maaaaybe? Sedi in Wolf Clan?

 

[tani duh!]

I can't wait to see more info on this!!!
It reminds me of skyrim from how it sounds.

Definitely will have to try and get someone in here.  

[Meepfur]

mmmSkyrim. <3 There is definitely some in here. 4laugh  

[Meepfur]

F a y t h - x

Joining!
SoA: Meowen
Personality Blurb: An agile, sharp, and witty lioness, Meowen has a confidence in her actions while not being outright arrogant, and a cunning mind. The shadows and her are almost one when it comes to being unseen, hunting, and stalking. And when it comes to battle she relies heavily on speed and her brains. She'd really rather avoid fights though... She does have some concept of honor, though! And on the exterior she can seem somewhat cold and distant, but inside she actually really, really REALLY cares. Like, momma-bear, cares.
Background Blurb: She has connections that she has made over her years as thief, assassin, and protector, and yet she prefers a more solitary, independent life for now. AND I FAIL ATBACKGROUNDS AUUUUGH.
Anything else of interest/relevance, comments, etc.? Future queen of my Dwarrowdelf pride I/T.

Yesss. biggrin A future queen could come in handy!  

[Meepfur]

emotion_bigheart  

[Meepfur]

Ecavi

Joining!
SoA: Kinagiri (and Jino)
Personality Blurb: Not always unfriendly but not always kind, but definitely not shy or reserved. She is ultimately selfish, looking out for herself, but she has her moments when she genuinely wants to help. So she's basically a walking contradiction, I guess. Jino is primarily the reason for that, since he is self-centered and manipulative (and has been with Kina since she was small, advising her and combining their strengths to take advantage of others.. when really he's also taking advantage of her because who doesn't want a lion on their side??).

Background Blurb: Kinagiri is a seer with an established MO of offering her fortune telling services in exchange for payment (sometimes trinkets, sometimes food, sometimes information, idk. things lions can pay with).. but that is not to say she is running a legitimate business. Though she is not actually a sham, it'd be a lie to say she hasn't deceived anybody or taken advantage of her foresight to the disadvantage of others. Besides, sometimes stealing and/or lying is easier than actually trying to tell someone's future.

She has ties to the Mwezi'Johari, having been part of the pride they warred with (from their original history). Her father and nephew live there now, though I don't think she realizes that. She also has a handful of offspring, a couple are in the Nergui but I don't think the rest have really gone anywhere.

Anything else of interest/relevance, comments, etc.? Not your typical kind of thief but an established shady character of mine, so I thought I'd try.

Mm, shady characters. <3 Sounds excellent!  

[Quaji]

Joining!
SoA: Neal
Personality Blurb: Neal presents himself as a charming, sophisticated gentleman with a wide range of knowledge, from art to jewelry, to even a few foreign languages he's picked up along the way from rogues. He's not fluent in them, but it's usually enough to get by. With a confidence like his though, he draws attention fairly easily causing him to need to adapt to situations and think outside of the box of simply -grab and dash- thefts. I kinda fail at personalities. By kinda I mean a lot.
Background Blurb: Neal here has a love for the good life. Except he wasn't born into it. His family was big and despite all that love and attention, he was just the son of a scribe and a nanny in the Dawnwalkers. He grew up stealing small things, little things of jewelry from artisans as gifts for his mother and sister, or traded them off for things the family needed. Eventually the Dawnwalkers disbanded and his days of petty theft were over. Moving on with his parents, at least one brother and any other siblings that came with them, the family struck out into the rogue lands. Small fights sparked through tension and eventually he left to make it on his own. Now he travels the rogue lands, visiting prides and taking from them without much notice.
Anything else of interest/relevance, comments, etc.? holy s**t yes, so excited for thiiiis. Neal's also possibly planning a pretty big heist in the Tianxia <3

Oh yeah, the Nyota would be perfectly okay with hosting thieves. o: They're pretty secluded from the rest of SoA, especially since they live between two sections of mountains, in a sort of valley. Also since the entire pride is nocturnal so any members would be more adapted to working in darkness. <3 They have a pretty strong hatred for lions though, so any members there would need to be WD or maybe hyena later on, unless they work something super special out.