sledged said:
As are the Telflammar Shadowlord PrC, the Shadow Thief of Amn PrC, the wood elf subrace, and the shodow-walker template. I can't see how they wouldn't be aware of the setting limitations of this build. I'm just imagining the character transversing half the continent to take levels in both PrCs. Foreign exchange thieves' guild member program?
Sure, why not? It's not like I'm mixing FR and Eberron material, after all. Granted, this build was somewhat more RP-consistent in 3.0 (when it was just the "Guild Thief" rather than the SToA), but it's hardly inconceivable that a member of the Shadow Thieves would find his way to Telflamm, especially given the absurdly vast reach of the Shadow Thieves. Ever read
Cloak and Dagger? The Shadow Thieves are spread far and wide through Faerun; it's hardly inconceivable that a rogue wouldn't end up working for both guilds. Moreover, you'll note that a character doesn't actually need to be a member of the Shadowmasters of Telflamm to take the PrC; he just needs to be from Thesk. (What's interesting, of course, is how the region requirement would play out in 3.5, since it's much more relaxed in 3.0.)
So here's the story: A wild elf of the Great Dale (right where Thesk is, after all) sets out into the wider world to seek fame and fortune; a cheerful, curious, good-hearted adventurer. He eventually travels to the lands of eastern Tethyr, Amn, the Shining Plains, or even Baldur's Gate, where he finds a good living for his rogue skills. But he needs to operate, thus requiring the collusion of the Shadow Thieves. Due to his skills at fast-talking, he gains himself a membership and starts rising rapidly in the guild. With this advancement in such an evil organization, however, comes a sort of moral lassitude: The first step toward corruption. The character becomes more reckless and less empathic, becoming CN. He begins to look for ways to advance his power within the guild, and his deadliness in combat, by any means, fair or foul. He recalls the stories of Telflamm told him in his boyhood, and travels back to Telflamm to take the ritual of shadow-walking and become, after long training, a telflammar shadowlord, a deadly creature of darkness. All the while, he serves his guild loyally, feeding the Shadow Thieves back information about the Shadowlords and helping to work toward the day when there will be a Silhouette (sort of an over-guildmaster) of the Eastern Reaches. Yet all the while, oblivious to the darkness in his soul, he is training more and more to kill, plain and simple.
Seems like a fun character to play, if you ask me.