The young thief shook the day's dirt off of his leather boots as he entered the common room of The Drunkard's Arse. Normally he would have been excited about enjoying a night of revelry in such a "fine" establishment, but tonight was different. As the door closed slowly behind him, he quickly scanned the room for trouble. Seeing a quiet spot in one of the corners, Riley cautiously strolled over and took a seat with his back against the wall. It had been several years since he had returned to Perdition's Point and arriving in Hamsberg meant he was only days from his inevitable return home.
Riley had been born to tenant farmers in Perdition's Point. He spent much of his early life working with his father in the fields. The few possessions they owned were due to the landowners who allowed the McCormick's to squat on their land. Life was rough and mundane. It would get even worse when Riley's mother died of influenza when Riley was only eight years old. In deep despair, his father turned to alcohol and pushed most of the hard labor onto his son. Riley spent the next few years toiling in the fields. He had little hope of a normal life.
Startled out of his thoughts by a female voice, Riley looked up to see a pretty young barmaid. "Good evening ma'am." Riley was skilled at veiling his mood. Bluffing a charming smile, he continued, "I'll take a tankard of your finest ale and whatever stew you have warm!" With that, he slid a silver across the table. As the barmaid walked away his attention turned to the bard. Decent looking enough for a town like Hamsberg. His eyes then traveled down her long legs to her bag lying about two feet away. His keen eyes noticed the performer's coin purse. Not tonight Lucky...not tonight.
There were multiple reasons for Riley to return to Perdition's Point...the Mayor's family and a family will. It was the mayor's wife and their young daughter, Elena, who helped Riley move on from his mundane existence. They had always come to check on Riley's father once he had been widowed. They often brought food for the two. It was them who first suggested that Riley attend school and who made sure he had a couple of decent outfits to wear. Riley thought back to his first day of school at the age of twelve. The young Elena, barely old enough to attend school, spent the entire day introducing him to the teachers and the other kids.
"Your stew sir. Will there be anything else?" Riley smiled once again at the barmaid and shook his head no.
The next few years were much better than any Riley had ever known. He was gifted with intelligence and succeeded in every class. Unfortunately, his social life was not as good. Elena and the younger kids were always kind to him and attempted to include him, but his peer knew that Riley was a poor commoner and gave him very little thought. By the time he graduated, his father had drunk himself to death and Riley was left with little opportunities to succeed. Shortly after graduation, he buried his father and left Perdition's Point without a word.
"So if you're not playing along, you must be playing with yourself!" Riley chuckled to himself as the crowd reveled in song. He held up his mug of ale and toasted the room. Leave tomorrow's troubles for tomorrow Lucky. There is a keg full of ale and a room full of beauties...well...woman at least.
Appreciating the good people in the tavern brought Riley's thoughts back to Perdition's Point...back to the mayor's family. After seven years on the road, they were still the kindest people he had every known. They were the only people he missed after he hooked up with the 1st merchant's caravan out of the hamlet. Years later he wondered if they even remembered him.
Life took a turn for the good when Riley joined the caravan. He met a traveling merchant and was trained to protect the merchant's interests. Being weaker than the merchant's usual toughs, Riley had to rely on his dexterity and smarts to hold his own (reactionary). He took to daggers easily and soon was one of the toughest son of a guns the merchant had ever seen. He was soon promoted to work as a guard on one of the merchant's vessels, a small cargo ship that bartered goods throughout the area utilizing the river channels (river rat). As his skills progressed, so did his position. After only two years on the river, he was brought to the merchant's home city and given the opportunity to apprentice in the local thieve's guild. It was after three years in this position that he, now known as Lucky, received a meesage that his only known relative, Jim McCormick was on his death bed. Jim was Riley's father's brother. To the best of his knowledge, they had not spoken the last five years of his father's life. For some reason though, he had left his belongings to Riley in his will. While wondering why he even cared about his skeletons, he decided it was time to face his past and return to see his uncle and maybe even return the kindness the Mayor's wife had shown him and his family.
