My name is Senassori. I do not know where I am from, who my parents are. It has been to long since I was taken from them. All I remember is being a young cub, probably about 3 or 4 winters old, with my tribe out near the jungle where we travelled and hunted. It was in the middle of the summer and I was playing with my friends in the camp. I wanted to go out and explore but was being watched by one of the older kids. I found a way to sneak out of camp and I started wandering around the area. I remember being suddenly picked up by someone who stuffed me in a bag and started running.

I lost consciousness at some point and woke up in a cage. I didn't understand the people around me; their language was foreign and rough. It soon became apparent that I had been captured by these people and they didn't want me to get away. I was kept in a small cage on the back of a horse as the people took me far away from my home. We met up with a larger group of people who had several other children ether walking between them in chains and ropes or also in cages. I still didn't understand what anyone was saying but I know now that they were slavers who made their living by capturing young children for sale in various markets across Golarion.

I was treated badly by my captors whom didn't seem to care what they did with us. We had little food and had to sit in our cages in the hot sun. Some of the other children didn't make it and were thrown out on the road side since they were of little value at that point.

We traveled for a long time and I thought we would never get where we were going. It was almost winter when we arrived in the city of Totra in Osirion. I saw the ocean for the first time and was scared at the wide expanse of water. I was placed for sale in the slave market there but was never sold. Instead, on the night before the sale, I was stolen from the slavers by a beautiful cat woman. She had seen the slavers come into the city and had spotted me among the children there. She drugged me as I quickly fell asleep and don't remember how we got from the alley where my cage was to be on a boat on the ocean where I came to.

I learned that my captor was a member of the Catsdew Lofties, a thief's guild from the far away city of Korvosa in Varisia. She told me her name was Nessori and that she had been travelling back to Korvosa from a trip when she had seen me in the alley. She said that her group was always looking for young catfolk to join them as they made the best sneaks and burglars. She said I would never want for anything and that I would be trained by the best. I didn't understand most of what she meant then, but I was happy to be fed and full once more. I didn't take well to the boat ride though and was sick for most of it.

We arrived in Korvosa and Nessori took me to meet the leader of the guild, Marqet, who was a dark-skinned human with kind eyes but a hard face. She approved of Nessori taking me and placed me under her tutelage until I was old enough and skilled enough to become an active member of the group. I am to train under Master Nessori for several years and prove to be a very good asset to the group. Then I may be made a Master myself to help train other persons we find.

I have been here for almost seven winters now. Master Nessori tells me that I am now old enough to begin training with weapons. We try to avoid conflict but need to be prepared to defend ourselves if necessary. I wonder which ones I will choose and be trained in the use of. Master Nessori uses spiked gauntlets over her hands which allows her to grapple with enemies and deal quick blows to disable them. Master Marqet uses a katana strapped to her back in case of opposition. I am too small to use a sword, nor do I have the strength to punch people and cause the necessary damage. Master Nessori said she had something in mind for me, but I shall have to wait till tomorrow to see what she has for me.

The following day

I love my new weapons! I went to the training room this morning and Master Nessori had some items sitting on a table for me. She handed me two small daggers, just for my size, and asked how they felt in my hand. I flexed my wrists and the daggers moved fluidly in the air. The said she thought it would be a good match. She then gave me two leather wrist guards to put on my forearms. My daggers slid into a concealed sheath in each and I could eject them into my hand with a twitch of my wrist, or at least I will be able to do so with practice. She had me practice all day pulling them out, how to hold and move with them, and how to sheath them with a flick. It will take me a long while to get sheathing them right, but I will get it. My daggers will allow me to protect myself from even the largest foe as I can throw them through the air, or at least I will be able to after much training.

Some of the older girls have been making fun of me recently. I am very small for my age, only about three feet tall when I should be around four by now. They say I will never be a good thief as I will never be able to steal anything larger than a paperweight and only that if I manage to pick it up at all. I tried to remind them that sometimes the most valuable things are the smallest ones, but they just laughed and continued to make fun of my size. I will show them, no matter what it takes.

6 months later

I am quickly mastering the use of my daggers. I can release and sheath them silently every time without dropping them or cutting myself. For a long while my hands were covered with small cuts when I failed to catch them correctly or get my hand out of the way putting them back. I'm getting better at throwing them as I can hit the target but not always where I want. I wear my daggers everywhere and practice with them whenever I can. I know we aren't to kill people if we can avoid it, but I keep finding myself wanting to take out the guards instead of sneaking past them. They are getting more and more perceptive as the years pass. Several of the more inexperienced thieves have been caught recently and were executed for their failure to be silent. I would rather kill a guard upon entering a house than risk being caught by one.

There's a new girl here. She was found by one of the other thieves stealing from people in the market. Her name is Vasara and she is around my age and is also a catfolk, though she if from one of the tiger-like clans while I was from a leopard-like clan. I've been assigned to be her sister for that reason. The masters try to pair us up if possible with the new ones so that we can help them to acclimate to their new life better and we are sisters for our time here. We will train together and go out on missions as pairs. I hope she proves to be a good thief else I will have issues having an incompetent sister.

6 months later

I get to go out on my first mission tomorrow! Master Nessori has deemed me able to join in the smaller and less dangerous ones. I don't know what my task will be, but I can't wait. I have been working diligently on my skills and can almost rival the older sisters in my acrobatics and stealth abilities. So far only Master Nessori and Master Marqet have caught me sneaking around the compound these last few weeks. I have started to learn other burglary skills such as picking locks and how to evaluate the worth of something. I had no idea how much you have to consider when guessing how much something is worth. Master Marqet said she would take me with her to the market sometime soon to show me how true this is and to test my abilities. I hope I can please her in my abilities as I want to be a good thief and do my best for everyone here and prove I was a good choice and that I can be a good thief even though I'm small.

Vasara has come along well in the few months she has been here. She is quickly mastering the sneaking abilities, but her acrobatics could use some work. She is larger than me and stronger, but I am faster and can disappear easily into the night. We make a good team and enjoy pulling pranks together. Since I've learned how to pick locks we have been breaking into others' rooms and move things around. She stands guard while I open the door and sneak in. We move a few things around but don't take anything. We are allowed to do this in order to hone our skills in burglary but are not to take anything of value nor keep it for any extended period of time. We are also to only do this to other trainees and never to target the rooms of the older sisters who are full members of the gang. Vasara wants to adhere to the rules while I want to test my skills on a more challenging target. I'll refrain from doing so now but I will do it someday, maybe into Master Nessori's chambers just to see if I can.

Next day

That was an affront to my skills as a thief! I can't believe that Master Marqet would even send me on such a paltry mission! Does she think of me as a weak kitten who can't leave her parents' side! I am one of the best here!

I guess punching the wall wasn't the best idea. That hurt. I guess I should explain what got me so worked up.

Master Nessori sent me with an older trainee, a native Korvosan named Elie, on the mission today. She instructed us to go to the market and meet with a familiar person there who would then have more information for us. We bowed and slipped out the door in the quickly brightening light of dawn. We quickly climbed up to the roof and set out towards the central market a dozen or so blocks away. There were few people out, but none were looking up as we passed by. We made it to the market as the sun floated fully above the horizon. We scouted out the area but couldn't find anyone we knew. I suggested we climb down and try to mingle with the growing crowd as merchants were setting up their stalls with their goods. Elie didn't want to leave the safety of the roof where we were concealed. At that moment someone tapped me on the shoulder and I jumped and almost fell off the roof. Master Marqet was standing behind us disguised as a gypsy woman.

"Your skills in perception could use a good deal of work, Senasorri." She told me. "If I was a guard or another thief you would easily be dead now."

I hung my head. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings like I had been taught. Master Marqet placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to her smiling.

"It takes practice and out here there is a lot more to contend with than there is in the compound. You are not familiar with every sound and person here. You must always be on guard and alert. You never know what will happen out here." She said kindly. "This is only a basic test, so you know what to expect on a real and larger mission."

I nodded and she squeezed my shoulder.

"And for the record Elie, you should have been paying more attention too. You are almost ready for the initiation, but you did not perceive my presence here on the roof from the moment you arrived."

Elie began to protest but Master Marqet held up her hand for silence.

"I shall speak with Master Belva about your training. You may not be as ready as she seems to think. You will both have another chance to redeem yourselves from this slip up but remember, you don't always get second chances in life."

We both nodded and awaited her instructions.

"You are to follow me as I go to sell things in the market. You are to pretend to be my apprentices in learning how to trade and sell things of value. This part is not to sneak around but to show you can blend in with a crowd. I also want you to pay attention to how the transactions go as I may quiz you or ask your opinion on a deal and if you answer wrong the next task may be much harder."

We both nodded and she beckoned for us to follow her down to the city streets.

I hadn't been out in the city much since I had arrived at Korvosa nearly eight years ago. I was almost overwhelmed by all of the sights and sounds assailing my ears. I stuck close to Master Marqet and tried to calm my thudding heart as excitement for my mission swelled though me. I paid close attention to her bartering with various merchants as she purchased various things that would be useful to the Lofties. Food, clothing, trinkets, etc. were haggled over and purchased at sometimes surprising prices. I watched as she skillfully beat the merchants down to more desirable prices and sometimes paid very little for something that was initially a fairly expensive item. Soon she switched to selling items that had been lifted by other members of the crew. Little trinkets and jewelry that wouldn't be recognized by anyone but the owner was apparently easy to sell in the market here as long as it hadn't been taken too recently. I was starting to become bored and watch the crowd when Master Marqet said my name.

"Sena, what do you think about this offer?"

I hadn't been paying much attention, but I quickly ran over what I had learned and did my best.

"I think that 50 silver would be a reasonable price for the bracelet. It has decent craftsmanship and would be easily sold again."

Apparently, that wasn't what she had wanted me to say as her face flitted to a scowl them became blank again.

"Maybe next time you should be paying more attention to what your Master is doing than watching the people pass by." She said. "This merchant is offering 60 silver which is a reasonable but low price for this bracelet which could fetch up to 80 silver easily."

I was quiet as she finished her transaction and let Vasara and I out of the market. I had failed her again and didn't know what was in store for me. We turned a corner and met Master Belva there. She quickly took all of our bundles before nodding to Master Marqet and quickly moving away. Master Marqet turned to us then with a resigned look on her face.

"I doubt this shall go well but I trust that the two of you can manage this task. You are to split up and mingle with the crowd again. You are to pickpocket people and take any items of worth from stalls without being caught. Consider this a trial to see if you are actually worthy of being a member of the Catsdew Lofties. Report back to the compound by nightfall. If you do not return, we will assume you have been caught and are no longer worthy of our training. Good luck as you will need it."

My mouth hung open as I watched her virtually disappear before us. How could she do this? If I failed I was done, and obviously she expected us to fail.

"Well good luck little one, you will need it." Vasara said before turning to return to the crowd in the market.

I scowled as she disappeared and took a few deep breaths before following and going a different direction. I knew I could do this as I have natural abilities in sneaking around. This was just a much more complex environment than I was used to. I could do this as long as I was careful.

I decided I would target stalls near the far edge of the market and work my way back later so as to have a safe area where most people wouldn't be on the alert for me in case I was seen. I was at a disadvantage as many stalls had tables that were just at my head height, making stealing something nigh on impossible from them without being seen. I finally found a jewelry stand being manned by a gnome who had much lower tables than anyone else I had seen so far. I casually approached and viewed her wares with a casual but calculated look. The gnome seemed to find my presence funny and humored me by asking if I was looking for something. I said I wanted to buy a gift for my mother and the gnome smiled and showed me a few items for fairly low prices. I thanked her before moving on. After going far enough away I snuck back behind the stall and waited till the timing was right. I managed to snitch a pretty gold bangle from the back of her stand while she was talking with someone else and slipped away. I secured the jewelry inside of my tunic so as not to lose it to another thief or have it fall out in case I had to make a speedy retreat.

I managed to lift two purses off relatively older gentlemen which contained a fair amount of coin though nothing of great value. I added to my cache a bracelet, some food, and a scarf which was dyed a beautiful sea green that I took as I wanted it to make a sash or something as I liked the color. I hadn't seen Vasara all day and it was beginning to get dark. I was satisfied with what I had managed to get and decided to go back home before I was caught. I debated eating the food I had pilfered but wanted to have everything there to show Master Marqet so I ignored my growling stomach and booked it home.

I showed Master Marqet what I had managed to steal, and she merely nodded and left the room with a single comment.

"I'm surprised you managed to carry anything back with how poorly you preformed today."

I was seething from this and couldn't believe that she still thought I wasn't a good thief. I stormed out of the room, taking the scarf I had stolen. I turned and went back and swept everything else off the table as well before running back to my room. I hope Vasara comes back with nothing and shows that at least I was able to get something.

Few weeks later

It is becoming harder and harder to break into the others' rooms. I used to be able to sneak in easily and move things around and even take a few small items to leave elsewhere in the area. I think they are catching onto me, or at least that someone is getting in. The doors are barred with more secure locks and they are not so lax about leaving their valuables out in the open. I don't know if I will be able to keep doing this, especially with Vasara being gone. She was caught by the owner of a house she was supposed to sneak into in order to find the location of a specific object that Master Marqet wanted us to take at a later date. She didn't fight back as she was apprehended by the man and was injured pretty badly. I know we aren't supposed to harm or injure people but fighting to save your own life is different. A quick blow would have disabled him and left her free to get away. Now she faces the executioner because she had lifted a few small but valuable items while there instead of just getting the information she was supposed to. Master Nessori has forbid me from trying to help her to escape, and she is pretty much guarding my room to keep me from leaving without permission. Vasara is my friend. I can't just leave her to die.

Next week

Vasara is gone. Her cell was found empty but there was a lot of blood there. I don't know if she somehow made it out or if she is dead somewhere. It would be foolish to try and search for her. She wouldn't have stayed in this city after getting out of that cell. I wish I could go and search for her, but my training is almost finished. I'll be a master in a few more years and I won't keep that from happening.

A few months later

I write this hastily as I do not have much time. I've managed to grab a few things that I cannot bear to leave behind. I shall never see this place again.

1 Week later

I do not think anyone is following me. I have travelled far and I do not think anyone has pursued me from Korvosa. My last entry was so short but that is all I had time for before I fled. Details are now hazy, but I feel I must write about what happened in case I am ever caught and killed before I can confess my innocence.

We were assigned a mission. We were to go to one of the noble houses and steal an item of value. This was to be my trial mission and if I preformed perfectly I was to become a master. I remember being nervous but determined to do a good job. We managed to get into the house fine even though the guards seemed to be on alert. While inside one of the other thieves went into another room to get a few other items. In doing so they woke a child who was in the room who began screaming. They kidnapped the child as they left instead of just running. We were not to ever take someone, especially a child, from a house nor to kill them even if our lives depended on it. After regrouping the thief decided to kill the child before we continued on. I objected and moved to stop them but was too late. The thief slit the child's throat and all I remember is moving quicly. I do not remember much of the fight but soon every single one of the thieves there were dead. I picked up the child and snuck back to the house and laid it outside where it could be found. I snuck into my room and quickly grabbed a few things I couldn't leave behind. My journal, favorite pen, a few jewelry items I had picked up over the years, and that green sash that I first stole.

Then I started running. I knew I could never go back after what I had done. I had turned on my comrades and killed them all. Those were the first people I had ever killed. I have killed several more now, defending myself in order to stay alive. I'm not sure what I should do now. I've been living off what I can find, stealing what I need to live. I don't have any sense of direction besides the map I took from a shop a few months ago. I don't know who I can trust. Even if I should trust anyone.

3 Weeks later

I've decided to head south. I've managed to make it a ways down the coast and haven't seen or heard of anyone coming after me yet. It shouldn't have taken them long to find that my body wasn't among the dead. I can't risk staying around here and risk them finding me. I have nowhere to go really, unless I try to find my home. All I know is I was a few months travel away from Osirion since the caravan took that long to get there. I will head there first and see if I can find any information on either those who took me or about my tribe.