As told by Cal's Father:

“I'm sure you have questions, son. Why did Raven keep me locked up in there, and what do your mother and I have to do with the Rise of the Swift. Let me tell you a story that might explain a few things.

The fact is, there was a time when that name wasn't spoken as a curse. Generations ago, by human reckoning. I know because your mother and I used to be proud to call ourselves members.

Back in those days, we were less of a thieves guild and more of a band of wandering adventure seekers. Oh, we stole some trinkets and baubles from time to time. But it was never for the gold. Usually just to take some stuck up noble or merchant lord down off their pedestal. We spent just as much time exploring, drinking, or dancing in the forests of Arborea.

Things started to change when we took on a new member. An elf named Raven DuBois. A few of us had misgivings about her… there were rumors she had unseelie blood in her veins, but it was more than that. There was a darkness in her character that none of us could pin down. But we were young and foolish. We ignored our better judgment and let her in as one of us.

The changes she made were slow. So slow we barely noticed. She showed an aptitude for training the new kids, so we let her. But she taught them more than just how to walk quietly and swing a blade. As time went on, she draw a following of the new blood that started to eclipse the rest of the guild.

Things hit their peak after she went on a scouting mission into the town of Torch. We were hired to scout the movements of a group of Yugoloths. Raven and two other senior members went. We lost contact with them after that. Half a year went by before we found her. She had been taken prisoner by a group in Torch… the Gray Orb, or something like that… we busted her out of her dungeon and brought her back. She'd been the only survivor. The others had been killed.

We should have been more suspicious of that, in hindsight. But by then it was already too late… shortly after we returned, she made her move. Using her following as backup, she declared that the Rise of the Swift had more potential than just a bunch of drunken revelers in the forests. She declared that she was taking control of the guild and steering it in a new direction. Some tried to oppose her. She had them killed.

Your mother and I… we would have fought back, if it weren't for the fact that your mother was already carrying you. We didn't want anything to happen to our new family, so in our fear we agreed… us and several others that wanted nothing to do with Raven. We agreed to walk away from the Rise of the Swift, to never ply our skills again, to never raise a finger against its membership on pain of death.

As the years rolled on, the Swift grew ugly. It left Arborea and moved to the Outlands. It took up slaving, and rumors of demon worship began to swirl. For elves like ourselves we knew the history of the Swift. But for the mortals… the humans, and other short-lived races, the Swift's past faded away. The reputation they enjoy today has overshadowed everything else.