Warfare

The merchants hate and fear the thieves. They go to extreme lengths to protect their property, and many able-bodied folk get jobs as nightwatchmen. Even ordinary warehouses have traps and many secret hidey-holes, wall safes and the like, and some have magical traps as well. Merchants often have bodyguards, and they won't pay protection monies. They may even band together to form mutual "insurance policies" to help each other. The merchants exert all their political clout to get the authorities to suppress thieves. Even small-scale pilferage will result in an offender being dragged off to face the sternest justice the merchant's advocate can plead for.

Under these circumstances, the thieves' guild may react in a number of ways. It may turn to other forms of crime. It may turn to imported help to crack the merchants (more thugs for protection racketeering, more thieves for daring robberies recruited from a friendly guild from a nearby town). It may use methods such as abductions and blackmail to force its way back into a position of strength. A really powerful guild will effectively "declare war" on the merchants if it thinks that forcing a few to cave in will lead to other merchants giving in also. Many options exist. This situation is a real struggle of wills, and the life of a thief will be dangerous—but never dull.

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