Shadow Tales: The Thief in the Night

Once there was a thief, who did not come from Miir. He stole from the Houses, and was caught, but his sin was more grave. For to avoid his capture, he blew out the candle of his companion to hide the light. In this he sinned, for he gave no thought to the life other than his own, and put his companion at the mercy of the Shadows to save himself.

When he was brought to trial, he was given a choice. Pay the value of his take, work off his debt the honest way, or take Exile in the streets. And the thief, who was not from our city, chose Exile, smirking as he did so, for he thought this way he would avoid punishment for his crimes. And in this he sinned, for he did not respect The Shadows, and mocked them.

And so he was given to the night. He was stripped of his weapons, his tools, and his light, and thrust into the Pen to wander until dawn. Not humbled, he went to the nearest house, and, finding an open window, crept into an empty room. And he decided to rob the house, take everything of value for himself, and in this he sinned, for the room was opened for The Shadows, and only they may claim those things offered in such empty rooms in the night.

And because he had sinned, and shown no remorse, the Shadow Lord appeared. And the thief attacked the Shadow Lord, to his sorrow, for the Shadow Lord had no flesh to harm. And the thief injured himself, and was marked by the Shadow Lord. But the Lord took pity on the thief, who was ignorant of the ways of the city, and so, in a display of unfathomable generosity, the Shadow Lord offered the thief a way to atone for his sins.

The Shadow Lord told the thief of a vessel that had been taken from him. If the thief found the vessel and returned it to the Lord before dawn, he would be absolved of his sins, and he would escape the wrath of The Shadows. And the thief agreed to look for the vessel. And the thief agreed to look for the vessel. And yet, here again the thief sinned, for he lied to the Shadow Lord. Instead of seeking the vessel, the thief vowed to flee the city. And this final sin moved the Shadows to wrath, and the Shadow Lord knew there would be no more chances for the thief. So the Shadow Lord let the thief go into the night.

And the thief ran, but the Shadows waylaid him, changing the streets as he moved and obscuring the true path. And the Shadow sent the Redcaps to tear at the thief's flesh. And the Shadows sent a Symbie to tempt him and steal his soul. And all these things the thief endured, each thing worse than the last, but the Shadows are cruel, and the worst was yet to come. The Shadows appeared to relent, and allowed the thief to come to the Pen Wall, giving him false hope that he may escape Miir and The Shadows, if only he could climb over.

And the thief tried to climb the wall, but the Shadows made the wall higher. And the thief tried to go around the wall, but the Shadows made the wall longer. And the thief tried to go back into the city. And so the Shadows struck, appearing before him as a dark mass. And the Shadows tortured him, eating the flesh from his bones and inflicting countless agonies upon him, until the thief cried out in terror and pain.

And the Shadow Lord appeared before the thief, taking pity on him once more. He offered the thief a final chance to escape his fate. If only the thief would acknowledge his sins, and repent of them, he would be spared the agony of the Shadows' embrace. Though he would be scarred forever and live in agony for the rest of his days, he would be spared from The Shadows. And the foolish thief, even after all he had endured, would not admit his sins. And so, with a heavy heart, the Shadow Lord departed, and the Shadows closed in once more, and when the sun dawned, there was nothing left of the thief. But if you are alone in the darkness, and you listen very hard, you may hear him screaming still, as the Shadows will never let him die.

Heed well this tale, and always, always remember to render unto the Shadows their due, and respect their wishes. And never mock the Shadows, or show them any disdain. Or you may well share the fate of the thief.

Good night, sweet children.