The Pirate Conspiracy

About the Events

All Catskills players are invited to participate in a new ongoing event series organized by the Catskills roleplaying community. An incident on June 21st 2008 kicked off a new storyline, bringing a lot of fun and interaction for the involved guilds and players. With these events we will introduce the background of the conflict between unsavory folk (pirates) and the honorable society of Britannia. It is time to CHOOSE YOUR ALLEGIANCE! To participate, you should join one of the involved guilds!

One of the minor artifact rewards unveiled

The events will start with the Pirate Conspiracy, and more events will follow at regular intervals. Information about the schedule will be posted here. It is possible to join into the event at any given time.
The event will cover roleplaying, adventuring, riddles and fighting (PVP). There will be challenges for each type of player, be it roleplayers or fighters, good or evil, experienced or new players.
Expect the Pirate Conspiracy event to last at least 2 weeks, with new things happening at a certain predetermined time almost every day. When this event is finished, others will follow (depending on the outcome).
For those who contribute a lot to the event, be it as outstanding roleplayer, brave fighter, reliable companion or clever riddle-solver, valuable rewards are waiting! Your names will go down in Catskills history!
An incident on June 21st gets the ball rolling. Stay tuned for news and reports about what happened in Britannia!

Event Schedule

June 27th, 9 pm EST: Due to the current situation in New Haven, the United Pirates will hold an emergency session on June 27th at 9 pm EST. At this meeting, they will discuss about the next steps to be taken against landlubbers, as well as the matters concerning a certain hostage. The location of the meeting place will be communicated to the crew members on the day of the meeting in a secret way.

The hiding place of a certain hostage has been written down in an encrypted document. This document has been distributed on a series of books. To find out the location, you have to possess all books. These books will be handed out to trustworthy pirates for safekeeping. The first book will be handed out in this meeting. (Note: The book always has to be carried in the backpack by that pirate, and it must not be insured.) It is up to the enemies of the pirates to find means to retrieve this first book. Also, the concerning pirate will carry a valuable artifact weapon called "Pirate Slayer". This weapon may be looted from the pirate and belongs to the guild that defeats him.

Previous Incidents

The kidnapping of the GRI treasurer

June 21st: During a guild meeting in the Lion's Den in New Haven, the treasurer of the Gentle Rest Inn guild named Hefeustus was lured under false pretenses to a room next door. There he was knocked out and kidnapped by an infiltrator, while Hawkeye Pike, Captain of the United Pirates guild, was seen blocking the door with chests, thus enabling the escape of the traitor. Nobody knew the real reason for this hostile action. The Torm's Fury and Purple Guardians of Honor guilds declared all pirate folk outlaws in New Haven, who would be punished and chased away from this town without warning. Ever since, heavy war has been raging in the streets of New Haven more than before.

Hefeustus has been missing ever since. Everyone is advised to be extra careful when entering the town of New Haven.

Pirates threatening honest townsfolk

April + May 2008: The United Pirates have been haunting the streets of New Haven, demanding a "security tax" from honest citizens. They claimed that New Haven now was under pirate law, and that their presence would ensure the safety for both inhabitants and visitors. Anyone who refused to pay the security tax to the amount of 500 gold coins, was asked to leave New Haven or was attacked and chased through the streets.

Honorable and brave fighters from the Purple Guardians of Honor, the Torm's Fury, the Loyal Fury, the Undead and other guilds have tried to resist and sometimes even won battles against the pirate intruders. But still the evil folk are present in this once peaceful town, prowling its streets and threatening passers-by.

How to Join

You can join the event at any given time. We don't expect you to participate in each event. If you miss events, you can catch up by reading the reports of previous happenings, here on the front page. If you want to join, please consider the following: You can join as a spectator, or you can really participate. If you are a mere spectator, there's not much you have to consider, except for not interfering with guild battles (by healing, for example). You can watch or in some cases help solving riddles.

If you want to participate, you should join one of the involved guilds listed below. This is necessary, because there will be a lot of interaction between those guilds that require "highlighting" (meaning a guild war).
Choose your allegiance! Do you feel drawn to the pirates, or do you rather feel like you're one of the good guys? Or are you neutral and don't want to decide yet? Make up your mind before deciding which guild to join.
Being part of these events will not force you to fight. You just can support, accompany, or help solving riddles if you like.
Get acquainted with the rules of engagement (see below) which apply to all involved guilds! They basically prohibit player looting and player griefing.
Contact the appopriate guild master. Guild masters are enlisted behind the list of the involved guilds below. They will explain the rules to you and let you join, if you are trustworthy.
Check this page regularly, as this is the place where there will be given an account of the progress of the events. Here you can read about what already happened and what will happen next. The schedule of the following events will be posted here.

Involved Guilds

Do you want to join with your guild? Contact Hawkeye Pike!

Rules of Engagement

The following rules apply to everybody who wishes to join our guild war battles. These rules make sure that fighting each other is fun and players are neither harrassed nor grieved.

EACH CONFLICT NEEDS A BACKGROUND! Each fight or battle needs to have a background. This can be a dispute between guilds or certain circumstances of an event. Guild wars are meant to be a challenge and fun to all parties involved. No mindless killing sprees!
NO LOOTING! Looting in guild wars is strictly forbidden (except specifically arranged and announced otherwise for certain events)! The remains of yer victim always stay untouched! However, although all guildmasters check their applicants carefully before adding them, it can never fully be guaranteed that a black sheep hasn't sneaked into a guild and breaks this rule. Thus it is strongly recommended to insure valuable items!
NO KILLING ON SIGHT! Killing on sight is to be avoided, except in specially arranged war situations! If you attack an enemy, there should always be a context to it. Maybe you were threatened or you want to challenge someone. There always should be a little "story" initiating a fight. But do not attack without a reason!
NO ATTACKING OF THE DEFENSELESS! Attacking people while they are obviously away from the keyboard, while they are at the bank, or immediately after resurrection (res killing), is not allowed! The victim should be given a fair chance to defend himself or flee. (Exception: Raids or special battle situations, in consent with the enemy guild.)
ANY EQUIPMENT, ANY TACTICS! You are allowed (and even encouraged) to use your favorite equipment and combat strategy in guild wars. Restrictions always penalize someone and spoil the fun. You will soon find out that your tactics and coordination weigh much more than items.
NO WHINING! If you feel that something unfair happened, talk to your guild master! Whining and complaining (especially in front of other guilds) are frowned upon. Everything can be worked out, if the parties concerned with the incident really want to solve the issue. UO is a game and it should be fun!
SHOW YOUR ALLEGIANCE! Make sure to show your guild abbreviation (option can be checked in the paperdoll menu at "guild"). People have the right to know who they're dealing with.