Help needed with a Thieve's Cult/Religon

[Chekaman]

This is what I have allready.

Secrecy

In almost every country (with perhaps the exception being a country with near-total lawlessness) the Religion of Thieves is going to be one that, however otherwise religiously tolerant the country is , has to stay on the quiet in the shadows. It has no written bible, but instead an oral one passed down through the priests/priestesses. They have no church buildings...at least no *open* church buildings. (Again, the sole exception might be in a lawless land, protected by it's acolytes.)

Priests/Priestesses

Old thieves, near the end of their lives, too old to steal and rob anymore, but with a wealth of experience who have dedicated their lives to the cause of crime. Unable to help physically anymore, they have turned to religion...their religion. They live on the offerings given to them by those who beleave. Inoffensive, they don't make waves, noone would have a reason to hurt/kill them. They have very little money, other then that needed for the basics of staying alive. If a thief murders or harms a priest/priestess, the God of Thieves will turn his back upon them, and it is said, his/her crimes will fail and land him/her in prison or worse. As well as criminal advice, they do the things of other priests in open religions....christenings, weddings, blessings, funerals and the like. The thief afterlife belief is that the God of Thieves will break a hole in the wall of Heaven for them, allowing them to enter despite their crimes.

Symbols

Perhaps a broken key?

Religious commandments

Every religious belief small or large has a code of conduct for it's devotees to follow. What sort of code would a Thieve's Religion have?

Thanks in advance for anyone who helps me.

 

[Queshire]

Let's see.... Well, stealing is wrong, M'kay, so the conduct should make it into something good, maybe a robbin hood type of thing.

1) Only take what can be afforded to be lost from those that can afford to loose it.
2) Only keep what you need, give the rest to those that need it more.
3) Do not speak against those that follow the religion.
4) Act against those that break the first three tenents, whether they follow the religion or not.

I think, some of the power of the priests should come from the dirt they've gotten on others, I mean, if you live that long in the underworld, you're gonna be knowing some juicy secrets.

 

[Ireth]

I agree with Queshire about the priests' power. Blackmail (or whatever you want to call it) can be a very powerful force.

 

[Griffin]

Based on what you've given, I am assuming that the Religion of Thieves is widespread. I would recommend having a set of commandments written down somewhere. The further people spread, it is very difficult to stay "true." Even with a written text, some faiths branch out (just look at Christianity.) Of course, that can just add subplot: two branches fighting over what's true versus what's not.

As far as the commandment themselves, they may be centered around the thieves themselves (since it is a little cultish.) For example, "A thief shall not steal from his brother" meaning that thieves can't steal from each other.

I hope this helps in the slightest.

 

[Mindfire]

Well, usually thievery is based on greed. How about turning that idea on its head? Instead of stealing because of greed, the adherents of this religion steal because they believe that it's important not to become attached to material possessions because they could disappear (or get stolen) at any time, or that riches are part of some kind of "cosmic flow". You can't truly hold on to them, they simply pass through your hands for a moment before they pass into someone else's. I also agree with Queshire's suggestions. Kinda reminds me of Assassin's Creed though.

 

[shangrila]

Here's what I came up with for commandments; We move in the shadows, so the world cannot see. We take what we can, so the world may be ready. We fight for each other, for our family. A call and response sort of thing, though I have no idea how to end it.

I think they should have a "church" of some kind, if only to have a place that they can all meet. In the Lies of Locke Lamora, there's a similar religion to the one you're describing (the main characters worship the Crooked Warden, the 13th god in a 12 god pantheon), and they actually pose as priests of another god in order to hide.

I personally like a pair of keys, crossed over a lock (like the swords crossed over a shield knights use), but that's just me.

 

[Caliburn]

What if, as far as this cult is concerned, stealing is right?

 

[Hans]

There might be a god that disallows personal property because everything is owned by the god. So redistributing is not stealing, is it? Everything stays in the possession of the righteous owner (AKA. God).
Stealing might become a religious act to work against those heretics that claim to have property.

A religion as such has some severe implications for its followers also. Might be worth to think about it.

 

[gavintonks]

let them become Politicians they know how to steal when they get old

 

[Saigonnus]

I would agree with pretty much everything people have said. If I had a thieve's guild or order that was very widespread over a single continent or world. Their main headquarters would be on an island near the coast, or in a centralized location; in a heavily fortified stronghold or building. The stronghold/building itself would resemble others in the area so it wouldn't look out of place. They would have a "lord" of the stronghold, and "peasants", "magistrates" etc... but they would be mostly thieves; whose skill above anything is about hiding in plain sight.

They would wear regional clothing so they blend in and unless the customs dictate otherwise, they'd wear no jewelry beyond simple things (to make them seem of modest means).

They would be trained from the time they are children (likely orphans or slaves they freed and put under indentured servitude) and would have a strict code to follow. Since anonymity is paramount, they wear a token or charm that protects from magical interrogation and should that spell be broken, it kills the thief wearing it. They don't steal from each other... or even other guilds and they don't steal from people who cannot afford it.

I would think having it so anything taken by larceny is guild/order property, and the punishments harsh for breaking the rules by keeping something for themselves. Or having strict regulations on what could be taken as personal property. (Maybe 90% of what is taken goes to the guild... or one magical item out of 10 or 20 can go to the thief)

 

[ThinkerX]

'Laverna' - ancient Roman Goddess of Thieves and Imposters. Worshippers usually gathered in groves. Often portrayed as a disembodied head.

That said...having grown up with a number of people who took the 'wrong track' while young, your typical thief is an idiot. Thinking things through, showing restraint, balancing risk against reward are not their strong points.

 

[Ireth]

I like your suggestions, Saigonnus. Your last couple of points kinda sound like what a monastery would do -- monks and nuns weren't allowed to own personal property, even clothing. Everything belonged to the monastery, and therefore to God.

 

[Saigonnus]

Thanks Ireth; I had a thieve's guild like that years ago for my gaming world, which is loosely the basis for my WIP world. The thieve's guild was founded on an already populated (though sparsely) island and had their own fleet of "trade vessels" so they could travel where they would without attracting attention. The novices lived among the islanders, working the fields, learning trades and building up physically. They dealt in trade, had their own craftsmen, military and "police" beyond the stereotypical beggars, thieves, spies and killers. The spies were for gathering information (potentially for sale), the killers targeting people the guild leadership deem a threat or could provide a change in a situation in their favor (not usually just for money)

Anonymity was important, even to the point of obscuring them from other guilds, so they'd never fall into the pattern of killing rival thieves and having their own targeted. Wealth was simply a device for moving the guild forward and it flowed through their guilds and back into their trades.