Robbing the Robbers

Thieves as a class are people who enjoy toeing the line, when it comes to risk-taking. Some renegade thieves take it a step further, often a step too far, and dare to steal from other thieves, or even thieves' guilds.

It's dangerous activity, but it does have certain advantages. Foremost, the guilds and thieves can't very well report thefts to the authorities (assuming they don't control those authorities through bribes or blackmail).

And, of course, authorities permit the theft of stolen items when its purpose is recovery, to return the goods to the original owner, as bounty hunters do.

Sanction and some degree of protection might also be gained from a rival guild. Mob wars provide many opportunities for the daring thief, willing to run around in the crossfire, scoring loot. The trick is not to be identified as stealing from the wrong people (i.e., the guild that wins in the end).

Perhaps the biggest advantage of all, and the reason that thieves will brave the risks, is the enormous wealth that can be concentrated in the hands of a single criminal, especially an important officer of the guild.

But there's no shortage of risks. First off, intelligent thieves understand themselves and, by extension, other thieves. Each thief needs to be a troubleshooter, in a way, designing protection for himself and his possessions, and making sure that it's proof at least against any thief of his skill or less. This means that in stealing from another thief, you can expect a fairly difficult job.

Sometimes, however, a thief may be surprisingly flippant about not protecting his wealth. The people who can get away with this are incredibly powerful crime lords, with vast wealth and myriad connections. They have the resources to find anyone who dares to steal from them and deliver a fitting punishment. Among such punishments, a simple assassination is very mild and humane.

Understand that the underworld is often harsher on thieves than the established authorities. The underworld does not presume innocence; and sweet revenge is more important to a wronged crime lord (and his ego and ruthless reputation) than the recovery of any but the most precious property.

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