Ghelle, the Lutin thief

Ghelle had done his fair share of digging tunnel networks, and was among the first to comment about how they were spreading unevenly beneath Ganareth. After which, he was quite upset to have been put away for mine exploitation, and to see other people get some benefit from this activity. Day after day, he saw many convoys loaded with ore, he saw full purses, he saw granted honors... but these were not for him. He kept a smile on his face, but within him, a great plan was forming.

Ghelle spent countless days trying to obtain the maps of Al-Drifa, and to find a house in an appropriate location. For two years, he dug a tunnel all by himself, which finally reached the mine managers’ warehouse. Then, all he had to do was to pierce a hole in the warehouse floor, and reach in to get all the gold coins he wanted. When he thought he had enough gold, he would then repair the hole and go away, until the next time. During the two years that followed, he stole a lot of coins in this way, and nobody ever noticed it. One day, he heard that a certain amount of the goods belonging to the mining companies had been reported as having disappeared, so he decided to hurry. That same night, he made a larger hole in the vault room floor, and took everything away.

Since Ghelle couldn’t take everything at once (without help), he dug a very large room beneath the hole he had pierced in the vault floor. Then he covered it all with earth, and then he compacted it with his feet careful to leave no trace that it was him. He was smart enough to use Human boots since he had started to dig that tunnel. The investigation on the theft lasted for more than one year, and many people were paid to find the culprit. Ghelle patiently waited before starting another tunnel, then he learned the place was about to be sold. He quickly bought it from his landlord. Once this purchase was complete, he went back to the old vault and started to dig again, since the hole had been refilled in the meantime.

Ghelle dug more than necessary, but found nothing left. He thought he was losing his mind. The more he thought, the less he understood. He stood there for one hour, when he heard someone laughing above his head. He looked up and saw Jzearaël, his former landlord, with a great-big smile upon her face. She told him he should have learnt from his first lesson, and that soon he would learn another one. Ghelle was getting impatient in his hole, and swore to his god he would kill her once he was out. Then he realized Jzearaël had taken his rope, and that there was no way out. He decided to calm down. Both stayed like that for three hours, staring at each other; then Ghelle started to smile again. They eventually laughed together and Jezaraël helped him out.

The teaching could start. Ghelle had learned his first lesson: when you are a thief, never rely on anybody, arrange everything by yourself.

Jezaraël taught him how to pick locks and to detect traps. She also taught him how to change his looks, how to become invisible and to disguise himself. Ghelle was then able to resume his thief activities, and he displayed good skills in this expertise. The Treasurers were forced to find a better solution to store their goods, putting in a lot of effort in doing so. And until this day, it has worked, since nobody knows where the gold reserves of Ganareth are, and how they are protected. The amulet Jezaraël gave to Ghelle did not help him in finding this place, although he used it many times to spot traps and to evade capture.

Ghelle continued working alone. He lived unnoticed for a long time, but what he could get from his robberies could not quench his thirst for revenge. He then plotted other tricks, with variable degrees of success. Using his wits, he succeeded in working as a treasurer for increasingly important guilds, and eventually managed (embezzle seems more appropriate) huge amounts of gold.