Running the Thief Domain: What about Followers?

Running the Thief Domain:
So, you have some followers, what are going do with them?

The domain I am currently running has 15 thieves ranging in level from 1 to 7.  They are mostly Human, but few are different races.
They have to earn, how do you put them to work?

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN TOWN
Any Master Thief's stronghold must be located in or very near a Town or City, so his followers will spend a lot of downtime in these urban settings.

Sure, there is the chance they'll randomly encounter a good target for pickpocket or mugging while moving around town.  Though the DMG 191 random City encounter entry indicates a gang with a leader,  minimum 8th level, one could create a gang with the same total levels...

So, say you have a 7th level Thief follower and pair him with two 2nd levels...that's more than an average total number of levels for a Random Thief encounter from the City description.  Or a 5th with two 3's.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN THE WILDERNESS
Consider the MM entry for Merchants & Pilgrims...
Where do these theives come from?
The Guild where the trek originiated from of course.

They are planning to either heist the pay chest or boost a wagon load of trade goods... or make off with a religious artifact.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS IN THE UNDERWORLD
The lower level guys can seek to join those NPC party of adventurers the other PC's in your campaign encounter in the local dungeon...
or join the PC parties themselves...
or hire themselves out as henchmen...

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