Circle of Thieves

The Circle of Thieves, Thieves' Circle or rarely the Thieves' Guild is an underground organization for thieves, operating in The Hub. Based in the Old Town district, they are led by Loxley, who styles himself a modern day Robin Hood, robbing rich merchants for the benefit of the poor folk of the city. It is a minor faction .
==Background==
The Circle is a loosely organized group of like-minded people, formed by Loxley in response to the wealth inequality generated by the caravan houses in the Hub. Inspired by the story of Robin Hood, the thieves do not take only for themselves, but also share their take with their fellow Old Towners,Vault Dweller: "{107}{}{Tell me about the Circle.}"Cleo: "{167}{}{It's both a job and an adventure. Helping the poor, risking your life, meeting new and interesting blokes. That us, the good guys!}" mostly poor workers laboring for the great merchant companies. They live in shantytowns on the poor side of town,Vault Dweller: "{1033}{}{Oldtown} "
Loxley: "{1134}{LOX_79}{Most of the poor who work for the merchants live here, in buildings so thin they don't block the sun. Meanwhile, those rich bastards are comfortable in their nice homes over in the Heights. Makes me ill.}" while the merchants and their courts live in affluence in the Heights.Vault Dweller: "{1014}{}{Heights} "
Loxley: "{1114}{LOX_80}{Fancy buildings. Bought with the blood of the poor.} " The rich are prime targets for the Circle, with the take split: 10-20% goes to the people of Old Town, another 20% to the Circle, and the rest is pure profit for the thief.Loxley: "{227}{LOX_53}{We steal from the rich, plain and simple. We give about, oh, ten to twenty percent to the poor folks over in Old Town. The Circle keeps twenty, which leaves the rest for the thief. Not a bad deal all round.}"
==Organization==
The Circle does not have a fixed hierarchy, though everyone looks up to Loxley as a leader. Though eccentric, he is fair and both helps the Old Towners while giving the right people a headache, all without going broke in the process.Vault Dweller: "{105}{}{Tell me about Loxley.}"Cleo: "{159}{}{A great leader. He's doing everything to screw over the right people and keep the Hub together -- for a small fee, of course.}" Jasmine is his aide,Vault Dweller: "{106}{}{Tell me about Jasmine.}"
Cleo: "{128}{}{She's the bosses assistant. Not a bad gal.}" giving prospective and current thieves information and supplies for jobs, as well as pawning larger pieces of loot. She also makes sure to remind her fellow thieves not to kill their marks, as otherwise, they might be replaced by someone more competent and make their lives harder. Daren Hightower tops the list of "benefactors."Jasmine: "{105}{}{Welcome to the Circle of Thieves. I'm Jasmine. I'm here to help make your infiltration of the Daren Hightower estate as painless as possible. Hightower's estate is located in the Heights. It has a minimum of two guards on duty at all times. The necklace is probably in a strongbox, which often have some minor traps, so be careful. Here are some lockpicks and a couple of flares to make your job a little easier.. And a bottle of Nuka-Cola. Try not to kill Mr. Hightower. He's one of our "favorite" people. You got all that?}"
Vault Dweller: "{106}{}{What do you mean by "favorite."}"Jasmine: "{123}{}{Well, he's been our benefactor on many occasions. If you kill him, someone smarter may take his place. We wouldn't like that.}"
Recruitment into the Circle is highly informal. Anyone who can find the hideout and make it through the traps and locked doors is considered a potential candidate, as the perimeter constitutes the First Test.Loxley: "{155}{LOX_17}{Haven't figured it out yet, have we? The First Test was just getting here! That's the only reason I'm considering you.}" The Second is actually proving themselves as a capable thief, which usually entails stealing a high value item from a mark.: "{115}{}{You got a real interesting accent, my friend.}"
Loxley: "{101}{LOX_0}{It's a little gift from me Da and Mum. Actually, a few generations before that. Do you like it?}"
Vault Dweller: "{102}{}{It suits you.} "Loxley: "{104}{LOX_0A}{Why, thank you. Have to work a bit to keep it with so little refinement about, don't you know. But enough of that. Loxley's the name. And yours is?} "
Vault Dweller: "{111}{}{I'm } {112}{}{.}"Loxley: "{118}{LOX_2F}{Quite pleased to make your acquaintance actually...for now. Let's get the other bit of politeness taken care of, shall we? What the bloody, bloody, bloody hell are you doing here!}"
Vault Dweller: "{119}{}{I want to join the Circle.} "Loxley: "{122}{LOX_3}{Oh, how nice. A joiner. Well, you've worked hard enough for a look-see. But if you really want to join, then you'll have to take the Second Test.}"
Vault Dweller: "{123}{}{What's that?}"Loxley: "{126}{LOX_4}{Quite simple, really. You prove yourself as a thief. Succeed, and the world is yours! If not, then you'll never see us again. Except if you come looking. And if you don't understand, that last bit is a threat.}"
Vault Dweller: "{127}{}{What's the test?}"Loxley: "{130}{LOX_5}{It's so, so simple. In the Heights you'll find Daren Hightower's home all plump and ripe for the picking. Are you ready for life! Do you accept the challenge?}"Vault Dweller: "{131}{}{I'm ready!} "Loxley: "{134}{LOX_6F}{That's the spirit, luv!}"Loxley: "{133}{LOX_6M}{That's the spirit, mate!} "
Loxley: "{135}{LOX_6B}{Just talk to Jasmine in the room outside this chamber. She'll give you details, a map, and a few little goodies to help you on your way. But remember, if you even think about ratting us out to the cops, we'll be a memory before they arrive. But enough gloom. Cheerio, good luck, and ta-ta!}" If accepted, the thieves are expected to follow two basic rules: Don't get caught and never steal from the Circle.Loxley: "{231}{LOX_56}{Couple of ground rules. One, don't ever get caught, and two, never, ever steal from the Circle. Put it down.} " Disloyalty is a serious offense, though unlike Decker, the Circle doesn't kill traitors. Instead, it just moves shop, disappearing into thin air.Loxley: "{151}{LOX_14}{Oh, what do you take me for? If you want cold blooded murder, talk to Decker and his lot. If you fail, which seems much more likely at this point, we will simple disappear. Now, then care to try or not?}"
Much of the recruitment is up to Loxley's whim. If he sees potential in someone, he'll offer them the Test immediately.Loxley: "{166}{LOX_22}{This is the famous Thieves' Circle! I thought you would've known this, seeing's how you made it through all the defenses and whatnot. But no matter. You're quite promising, and the Circle could use someone like you.}" Otherwise, he'll throw them out, especially if they seem to be a coward, refusing potential triumphs in favor of safe mediocrity.Loxley: "{154}{LOX_16}{Oh, no. I'm so afraid. Life is so hard. Loxley, I'd rather be a coward for all of my life than to have a single moment of triumph. Ah, just another wanker, aren't you. Out!}" Showing any sympathy for the merchants is an instant kick-out too.Vault Dweller: "{222}{}{What's wrong with making money?} "
Loxley: "{224}{LOX_47}{What's the harm?! you little...well, I was wrong about you, wasn't I? Jasmine, show this merchant's boot licker the door!}"
===Membership===
The leader of the guild is Loxley, who manages the guild's functions. The three other members in the hideout are Jasmine, Cleo and Smitty. 
==Outside relations==
Loxley hates merchants with a passion, considering them criminals squeezing the life out of the town.Vault Dweller: "{1008}{}{Caravans} "Loxley: "{1108}{LOX_74}{Criminals. Absolute criminals. They're squeezing the life out of the town. The Far Go Traders, the Crimson Caravan, and the worst of the bunch, the Water Merchants. You can have the lot.}" Loxley specifically formed the Circle to even the odds a little, with the merchants its prime target.Vault Dweller: "{218}{}{Merchants are pretty much scum, huh?}"
Loxley: "{221}{LOX_44}{Too right! That's why the Circle was formed, you see. You got all those rich buggers, feeding off the poor. And those poor are just waiting for a hero. Because of the help we give them, they practically bow at our feet.}"Vault Dweller: "{223}{}{Just like Robin Hood.}"Loxley: "{225}{LOX_48}{You know the story! I knew there was something special about you. Ah, me granddad told that one a long time ago. Now there was a thief! But enough of that. Anything else you need to ask?}" Naturally, the caravan heads despise the Circle in turn, as they are a constant problem. While they suspect Old Town shelters their hideout, they can't prove it.Vault Dweller: "{1003}{}{Thieves} "Butch Harris: "{1103}{BUTCH76}{What a pain they are. We think their hideout's in Old Town, but we can't prove it.}" Both the Circle and Loxley are known to the people of Old Town, considered alright, though slightly odd. Nobody has reported the Circle to the authorities yet, both because of the share of the loot they receive and the disenfranchisement suffered at the hands of the merchant-dominated government of the Hub.Vault Dweller: "{1003}{}{Loxley} "
Harold: "{1103}{hrold303}{Oh, him. He leads the Thieves Circle. Thinks he's Robin Hood. [cough] He's alright, I guess.} " Even bandits who use the Old Town for cover have grudging respect for the Circle and refuse to stay there for extended periods.Vault Dweller: "{123}{}{Are you going to be okay?} "
Missing Initiate: "{124}{}{Well, thanks again. I am going to stay with some friend of mine until I regain my strength. By the way, I'd watch it around here. I heard my hosts talking about some Thieves' Circle. I guess we're close to their territory or something. I think that might be why they were talking about moving to a different location. Bye.}"
The Circle generally avoids confrontation with the Underground, as Loxley is well aware of the power structure in the hub and the degree of influence Decker holds.Vault Dweller: "{196}{}{Heard any good rumors lately?} "
Loxley: "{216}{LOX_42}{Oh, just the usual. The merchant caravans get fat off the poor, while that villain Decker plays off everyone.}" Pitting the merchants against one another from his lair beneath the Maltese Falcon,Loxley: "{241}{LOX_66}{No. Decker's a slick one. He's got the whole town in his pocket, he does. He gives his 'protection' to the merchants, all the while pitting them against each other. Not someone you want to mess with, but he can usually be found in the Maltese Falcon.}" Decker considers the thieves a minor nuisance,Decker: "{167}{DECK_25}{ Someone appears to be stealing whole caravans from the Far Go Traders. And the Thieves' Circle is causing their normal minor difficulties.} " inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.Vault Dweller: "{1003}{}{Thieves} "
Decker: "{1103}{DECK_52}{They steal from the merchants and give to the poor, or some such nonsense. They are inconsequential to me. That old mutant, Harold would know more.}" The thieves don't care for Decker either, especially since some of their friends ran afoul of him and ended up killed or worse.Vault Dweller: "{108}{}{Tell me about Decker.}"
Cleo: "{175}{}{I had a friend who worked for him once. When the assignment went bad, he ran back to Decker for reinforcements. Decker called him a fool, and he had him obotomized as an example to others. We don't like Decker very much around here.}" As the Underground is preoccupied with trying to control commerce through the merchant guilds,Vault Dweller: "{109}{}{Tell me about the missing caravans.}"
Cleo: "{176}{}{What rumors do you want to hear? The Water Merchants are playing games. Decker's squeezing merchants for more protection. The Children of the Cathedral sacrificed it to their god. The Deathclaw ate it. Rumors ain't worth nothing. The world's full of rumor and suspicion, and empty of truth. Look for fact, not fiction. But why are you asking? You had friends on the caravan?}"
Vault Dweller: "{178}{}{I promised a friend I'd look into it.}"
Cleo: "{182}{}{Sorry I can't be more useful. Oh, and then there's the rumor about the ship from outer space. I think someone's been playing around with too many of Rufus's stupid games.}" the best way to describe their relationship is that the Underground tolerates the Circle (though any cooperation is ruled out).Kane: "{245}{}{That might be. Are you a member of their 'Thieves Circle?'} "
Vault Dweller: "{246}{}{Yes.} "Kane: "{248}{}{Well, I'm sorry, but we don't work with your little friends. We barely tolerate their existence and we would never work with them.}"
==Technology==
The Circle does not rely on high technologies, using simple tripwires and explosive traps to protect their hideout. Thieves are given basic tools for larger jobs, such as a set of lockpicks, flares, and Nuka-Cola (jokingly referred to as their corporate sponsor).Vault Dweller: "{108}{}{Nuka Cola?}"Jasmine: "{125}{}{They're our corporate sponsor. Loxley got thirsty, and they "donated" several dozen bottles to us. Real nice of them to help us out.}" However, thieves are expected to be able to survive on their own wits and anything they can scrounge up.Vault Dweller: "{107}{}{Lockpicks and Flares? That's all.}"Jasmine: "{124}{}{Pfah! A real thief lives on her wits. We're being generous with you. Now scat!}"
==Interactions with the player character==
After locating the stairs leading down into the basement of a small building in the Old Town and penetrating the defenses, the player can accept a quest to steal a diamond necklace from Daren Hightower in the Heights (the Second Test). If successful, they will receive 3,000 bottle caps and an electronic lock pick, which is very useful for breaking into the Mariposa Military Base. 
While Jasmine asks not to kill Mr. Hightower, the reward doesn't change if the merchant and his wife are slain.
==Appearances==
The Circle of Thieves appears in Fallout and is mentioned in the Fallout Bible.
==Gallery==
FO1 Thieves' Guild map.png|Underground location
==References==
Category:Fallout factions
Category:Fallout Bible factions
Category:New California factions
Category:The Hub
es:Gremio de los Ladrones
pl:Krąg Złodziei
pt:Thieves' Guild
ru:Гильдия воров
uk:Гільдія злодіїв
zh:盗贼工会