I am not a member of Shallam. Neither you, Maran, or Shallam as a whole have ever done *anything* to protect my shop. My sigils and my wits do that for me.

Please, by all means, if it floats your boat, blindly pay the tax which Shallam has imposed upon you. Until certain undesirable characters gain the ability to pick locks, your 5000 gold per year is only being used to make up for the piss-poor job Shallam did expanding their influence on Sapience. Don't deny it.

And never, ever claim that Shallam does not have it's fair share of theives and brigands. I find often find the guilds of Ashtan to have more class and honour than anything I have ever seen emerge from the Jewel of the East.

Eschereheye

Penned by my hand on the 3rd of Ero, in the year 229 AF.