Hundreds of years ago, the city of Kaskar was a very different place. Today it was a bustling commercial center, ruled by a great baron reigning under a distant King. Into the city came agricultural product - apples, carrots, potatoes, cabbages, honey, butchered cattle, sheep and goat, cheese - from both goats and cows - grapes, millet, wheat, bread butter, flour, and more. And other things came in to feed the appetites of the city - wood, iron, stone, clay, hides, leather, rope and more. Imports from distant lands could even find their way to the markets, though more rarely - olive oil, silks, jewels, spices and even exotic birds, brightly colored and capable of repeating back words, as if mimicing talking.
But in the days of the old Vilarian Empire, Kaskar was wholly different. Not a city dedicated to the consumption of raw materials and the production of finished goods. Not just a place for the buying and selling of goods. No, the city that was once here was dedicated to philosophy, theology and the theory of magic. The towering edifices of Goriavus had been a center of learning for hundreds, if not thousands of miles.
Of course, then General Delitid Kaskar had to come along and sack it, and for all their learning, the Vilarians couldn't hold him or his allies back. And so now Delitid's descendents run the place.
Julian Syrus was not a native of the city, but he'd given it extensive study before he'd come to it. Being born the nephew of the Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild of the city of Torelos had given him wealth and training that few others would get. Starting just as a look out and then rising to pickpocket and eventually being able to pull his own jobs, Julian had spent his spare time in the study of history. He'd been curious about just why the Vilarian artifacts that he'd stolen from various wealthy collectors would sell for so much to the Guild's network of fences, which had led to his interest.
Finally though, he'd managed to get a real payoff, which was why he was here in Kaskar with a letter of introduction from his uncle to the head of the Guild here. The various Guilds in each city of the Kingdom were all distinct and independent of one another, but they all stayed in contact, plugged into the same black market that carried their stolen goods from thief to buyer.
Ducking down a side-alley, Julian looked carefully for the building he'd been told to look for. Finally, he found what looked like a run-down storage warehouse, at least three beggars (a least one of which had to be a guild lookout) within sight. At the west wall, Julian found, then tapped the stone his Uncle had mentioned, and slowly, the wall slid inward, revealing the flight of stairs that took him down into the headquarters of the Kaskar Thieves Guild, which doubled as a tavern in the front end for thieves to hang out in between jobs.
But in the days of the old Vilarian Empire, Kaskar was wholly different. Not a city dedicated to the consumption of raw materials and the production of finished goods. Not just a place for the buying and selling of goods. No, the city that was once here was dedicated to philosophy, theology and the theory of magic. The towering edifices of Goriavus had been a center of learning for hundreds, if not thousands of miles.
Of course, then General Delitid Kaskar had to come along and sack it, and for all their learning, the Vilarians couldn't hold him or his allies back. And so now Delitid's descendents run the place.
Julian Syrus was not a native of the city, but he'd given it extensive study before he'd come to it. Being born the nephew of the Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild of the city of Torelos had given him wealth and training that few others would get. Starting just as a look out and then rising to pickpocket and eventually being able to pull his own jobs, Julian had spent his spare time in the study of history. He'd been curious about just why the Vilarian artifacts that he'd stolen from various wealthy collectors would sell for so much to the Guild's network of fences, which had led to his interest.
Finally though, he'd managed to get a real payoff, which was why he was here in Kaskar with a letter of introduction from his uncle to the head of the Guild here. The various Guilds in each city of the Kingdom were all distinct and independent of one another, but they all stayed in contact, plugged into the same black market that carried their stolen goods from thief to buyer.
Ducking down a side-alley, Julian looked carefully for the building he'd been told to look for. Finally, he found what looked like a run-down storage warehouse, at least three beggars (a least one of which had to be a guild lookout) within sight. At the west wall, Julian found, then tapped the stone his Uncle had mentioned, and slowly, the wall slid inward, revealing the flight of stairs that took him down into the headquarters of the Kaskar Thieves Guild, which doubled as a tavern in the front end for thieves to hang out in between jobs.
