Fresh from a gaming session with Dataphage and Tyrethali, with Tyr DMing for us. During which Dataphage and I took a couple rakasta thieves from first level to fifth level, all through the wonderful magic of the thieves' ability to gain XP for finding/stealing gold.

**Begin Journal**

    As I wandered into the bustling city I gawked around like a a raw country bumpkin. I was, however, aware enough that I felt a rustling of my cloak and caught a reaching hand too close to my money pouch. I dropped into a crouch and hissed at the boy attached to the hand,

    "Where is the Thieves' Guild, boy?" His eyes widened and he squirmed, trying to get free. I held up a silver coin and he stopped struggling.

    "It's in the slum quarter, sir," He replied.

    "Of course it is, but where in the slum quarter?"

    "I'll show you… for a price." He said, looking with undisguised greed at the coin I was holding up.

    "Five coppers now, and the silver when we get there." He nodded and started off, threading his way through the crowd with the ease of long experience. I tried to imitate his sinuous manner, for if I was to be a thief, I would have to become as adept as he at winding my way through crowds.

    I was naturally skilled at concealment and stealth, being an anthropomorphic cat, five eight at the shoulder, with jet black fur. I had some practice at climbing buildings, but I was not experienced in picking locks, pockets, or traps. Which was why I was in this crowded city in the first place. I was here to learn.

    We arrived at the guild house, where I paid the boy and dismissed him, searching for the black pelt of my cousin, Sinclair. He was already an initiated member of the Thieves' Guild, and we planned to go into "business" together. He already had a set of thieves' picks ready for me and a long, hooded cloak to conceal my more obvious features. He began my training in the art of thievery.

***

    Several days later we wandered out into the city, moving towards the artisans' district. We looked the crowd over for potential marks for about a half hour before spotting a fat merchant waddling home at the end of an apparently successful workday. His money pouches swung heavy and low on his belt, practically begging for someone to remove them. I worked my way ahead of the merchant while my cousin kept an eye on him from behind. I headed into a dark alley and waited for our mark to pass. As he walked across the mouth of the alley, I grabbed him, holding a paw over his mouth, to prevent any undo commotion.

    "Hello, friend." I said, as Sinclair cut his purses from his belt with a single claw, "Do you have any other valuables?" I looked down and removed a ring from his finger, the only piece of visible jewelry. He shook his head frantically.

    I said, "Good. Time to go, bye." I ripped the sleeves off of his expensive silk shirt, and then bound his legs with one, gagging him with the other. We stowed him under some garbage and went straight up the wall. Once on the rooftops Sinclair appraised the ring. It appeared to be worthless, so we dropped it into an alley as we climbed back to the Guild.

    Once back at the guild we examined the pouches, finding one hundred and eleven gold, exactly. We "donated" eleven gold to the guild as their ten percent cut and split the remaining one hundred between us. We decided to acquire some equipment, rope and gags especially. We also looked for grappling hooks and I kept my eyes open for a glass cutter.