Part 20: Thieving in the upper quarter

- Thieving in the upper quarter



I had the ornament and had no more business in the upper quarter - for now. I walked to the Inn in the lower quarter. I found Cavalorn in the city so I stopped by him to tell him of my success.



I informed the Innkeeper that I wished to awake at midnight. She looked a bit annoyed at the request but nevertheless obliged.



That night I decided I would be gathering the funds to finance my work with the Water Mages. I stripped off my guard armor so as to not attract attention and slowly made my way up to the upper quarter, avoiding the few guards and people who still walked the streets.



The two guards at the entrance to the upper quarter were half asleep and didn't seem to pay any attention to my entry.



I surveyed the upper quarter. Wambo and Luther were the only two on guard in the first portion of the quarter. I formulated my plan: I knew that the six blood chalices were in town somewhere and that the upper quarter was the most likely place. I would search each building starting from the judge's home and then continue clockwise until each home was pilfered.



I approached the judge's home and saw that he had his own militia guard posted. Sneaking in with my ring outfit would draw attention. I crept into a nearby alley and changed into my uniform. From there I could stroll in without drawing much attention from the guard.

Unfortunately I had to change my plan. The judge was still awake and eating a late dinner, there was no way I could sneak in right now.



I decided to move on to the next building: the barracks, located just west of the judge's home.



Much of the city's paladin population was sleeping here. I had to be very careful or I'd definitely not make it out of here.

A locked chest sat in the corner of the room. I could tell that it needed a specific key. If I was to thoroughly search this building, I'd need a key.



I grabbed some golden candlesticks and a statue of Innos, and crept into the adjoining room.



The next room contained a chest, two book stands, cabinet, and a bed with a sleeping citizen who presumably owned the building. I picked open the chest and found the key I was looking for.



I crept over to the book stand on the far side of the room. The tome itself contained nothing of interest, just a history of the city, but I found a small switch located next to it. Remembering what the gardener had said, I pressed it and immediately heard the sound of something moving.



The cabinet had shifted to the side to reveal a spell scroll of Oblivion. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was still somewhat useful.



Back in the bunk room I unlocked the chest to reveal fifty coins and a handful of potions.



The next building didn't have anything of real note, though I did manage to snatch some silverware, a couple purses of coins totaling about 150 gold, and a quiver of arrows.



My third target took a bit of patience to break into. The Paladin Luther stood guard nearby and it was only when he turned to the side that I could get inside.

I believed this to be Valentino's home so I made extra certain to steal as much of that bastard's things as I could. Two gold candlesticks were found on the lower floor. I carefully crept up the stairs, careful not to wake anyone.



It seemed that Valentino was absent, likely still in the tavern, but his wife was on her bed fast asleep.

I picked open the chest by her bed and found fifty coins. I also stole a silver goblet that sat on top of their cabinets.

On my way out, the lamp on my right caught my attention. Unlike the others, it was unlit and it was also somewhat lower to the ground. I examined it and found that it was actually a hidden switch. Grinning, I pulled it and heard the familiar sound of a wall moving nearby.



The hidden wall was downstairs. It slid down into the floor, revealing a hidden nook that contained a chest and skeleton. The last thief must not have been lucky.

Using the key I picked off the belligerent nobleman, I unlocked the chest. Inside I found 150 gold coins, a silver goblin, and the first blood chalice. One down, five to go.



The last house in this row belonged to the merchant Gerbrandt.

Atop his fireplace I came across a golden chalice. Nothing too uncommon, but it would still bring in a good bit of coin once fenced.

I crept closer to Gerbrandt and his wife.



Between the two beds was a single chest. After picking it, I opened it to reveal the second blood chalice and some loose coins.

After finding the chalice I quickly left the building and ventured across the street to the sole home on the other side. I wasn't sure who it belonged to, only a single woman was asleep, but I guessed that it was Fernando's home.

I found some gold and silver plates and goblets, as well as a coin purse, but no chalice.




I was finished with the homes in the main part of the upper quarter. I walked to the other side of the district for some quick recon. Two militia were on guard duty here, though I could tell that they wouldn't pose any trouble. Both had a tendency to look away from the areas they were meant to be watching.



As soon as the guard turned away, I quickly snuck into the northern most home. It contained the items typical to a wealthy household, various gold and silver items. The main item of interest, however, was a note I found in the bedroom upstairs. I carefully unfurled the parchment and looked it over.



According to this note, Lutero, the home owner, had a blood chalice but was forced to pawn it. I'd need to visit Lehmar after I was finished here.


Two buildings in this part of town remained. Salandril's shop, which I had no interest in at the moment, and another building. Two beds lined the side of the wall with a locked chest in between.




Unfortunately, the chest required a key. Neither of the two men sleeping in the room had any obvious key rings hanging off of them. I surveyed the rest of the room and found the key I was looking for sitting atop the fireplace.

The third blood chalice and a purse of coins were mine.




On my way back to the main part of the quarter I ran into the guard Wambo. He was the guard in charge of protecting the citizens from burglary. Obviously he wasn't doing a good job. I gave a curt nod and stealthily walked off his key ring.



Dawn was almost here and I was running out of time. I made my way back to the Judge's home to see if it was now free to rob. There was no sign of the Judge so I assumed he had finally gone to sleep.



I walked past the front door guard, mumbling something about orders. He nodded his acknowledgement and stepped aside. Once inside, I snuck upstairs into the bedroom and searched the room. A key dangled off the judge's robes. I carefully took hold and pocketed it.

Nothing else of interest popped out, but on my way out I noticed that the coat of arms on the wall was peculiarly low.



I got close and pulled one of the swords to the side. There was a quiet click and a soon I heard the familiar sound of stone scraping against stone downstairs.



The hidden switch revealed a hidden nook on the bottom floor. The key I'd just stolen from the judge fit the lock perfectly and inside I found the fourth blood chalice.



Only one more location in the upper quarter remained: the mansion. While it was undoubtedly crawling with paladins, it was also the building I had the most justification to be in. If I was stopped and questioned, I'd simply have made up a story about needing to speak with Lord Hagen.
A cursory search of the lower level didn't reveal any of the remaining blood chalices. Carefully I walked upstairs. I'd not been up there before so I wasn't quite certain who or what to expect.



It turned out that it was fairly empty. Two people resided upstairs and one of them was sleeping. I found the fifth blood chalice on a set of cabinets inside the den.




My recent successful theft left me a bit cocky and my departure from the mansion was less than quiet.

The man who'd been sleeping was now up, awakened by my noise.

"What's your business here? If you want something, make an appointment!" The man said groggily.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Larius, the local governor. Even if it may not seem so at the moment, I am the most powerful man in the city."

"So you're in charge here?"

He looked embarrassed. "I.. well... at the moment my hands are tied. That Lord Hagen is in command here, for as long as he is in the city at any rate."

"How's it going?"

"What business is it of yours? As long as the paladins are in the city, Lord Hagen takes care of all the affairs that concern the city."

"I didn't mean to intrude."

"You have failed utterly in that. So go away!"

A wave of relief washed over me. I was certain he was going to want to check my pockets.



It was a little past dawn when I left the mansion. All five blood chalices located within the upper quarter were in my possession. The sole remaining one was located with Lehmar in the harbor district. I double checked my things and left the upper quarter for the harbor.



I peeked inside Lehmar's door, hoping that he was asleep. While he was sleeping, some lady was inside cooking. I would never be able to get in and out without being seen. So I did the next best thing.



I ran in, sword unsheathed, and began beating on the sleeping man. I quickly knocked him unconscious and made for the chest. The woman was visibly frightened but I had no need to hurt her.

I picked open his chest and found the sixth blood chalice along with some other miscellaneous items.

Now I just needed to turn them in.



On my way to the Inn I made a quick stop at the Militia HQ to inform Andre of my work with Lobart.

"I've helped Lobart." I told him.

"Excellent. If Lobart is happy, then he will continue to sell his turnips to the city. Here is your pay." The paladin said, handing me a purse of coin.



Next, I walked into the Inn and used the hidden passage to the Thieves Guild. Cassia was already awake and busy doing whatever it is she does.

"I've got all six chalices now."

"Good work. I've found a buyer in the meantime. You can have your reward now. Thanks for doing that. There's nothing else I have to do for you - but you can learn from me at any time. Moreover, there's enough on this island just waiting for a taker" she replied, smiling.

"I've come to pick up my reward."

"What's your choice? A ring of life force, 4 elixirs of healing, or 400 gold pieces?"

I took the elixirs. I had no use for the ring and I didn't need the money right now.



While I was down here I wished to see if any of the other thieves had jobs. It just happened that Ramirez did.

"Have you got a job for me?" I asked.

"Hmm... there is a thing that I'd like to have. But I haven't found one so far. A sextant. Bring me a sextant - I'll pay you a good price for it."

That sounded easy enough. I walked back up to the inn and slept until noon.

Other: A labeled map of the locations I robbed in this update.