Guildmaster

Guildmaster is captain of the crew The Guild, on the Hunter Ocean. He is also an independent pirate on the Viridian Ocean.

Accomplishments

 * Captain of The Guild
 * Governor of Iocane Island

Biography
Guildmaster burst on to the scene in early June 2007, creating quite a buzz on the forums with his PoE making ventures. His first venture was offering loans on all three doubloon oceans, with ship deeds as collateral. He was widely criticized for the terms he was offering. Soon, he claimed that overwhelming demand forced him to withdraw his loan offer. Subsequent forum announced ventures included facilitating greeter pillages for a fee and a bookmaking operation for blockades, both on the Hunter Ocean. The Ocean Masters quickly moved to shut down forum advertising on both ventures but not before some activity in the respective ventures had taken place.

Guildmaster has frequently claimed a neutral stance in matters of ocean politics, promising that the services of The Guild are open to all. In Paihia V, some claimed that Guildmaster had hired a flag to aid the brigand king attack. No connection to Guildmaster has been proven, but those who cite his involvement claim he did so after his request to EAC royals to become governor for a few days was denied. According to those who make the claim, Guildmaster offered 500,000 pieces of eight for the privilege. When his offer was rejected, Guildmaster promised the financial and political cost to EAC would be much higher. Guildmaster has no known association with the flag Capehorn Fever, the flag that assisted Barnabas in Paihia V, an event referred to on the forums as Operation Meanyhead. Mentos, monarch of Capehorn Fever, has never publicly acknowledged any connection to Guildmaster either.

Speculation continued to increase the following week, when both Mentos and Guildmaster were observed jobbing for Your Purdy Pimps in Paihia VI. According to some, Guildmaster conspired with Mentos and Gunnermooch to weaken EAC with Operation Meanyhead, in preparation for a full assault the following week. If true, the strategy appeared to be successful as EAC did not match YPP's jobbing pay for most of blockade and chose to make it non-sinking. This one-two punch marked the first defeat of the dominant alliance ring on Hunter (The Conquest) in defense of an island. If Guildmaster was indeed involved, as many suspected, his impact on Hunter's political scene has been significant. Prior to Paihia VI many regarded a successful blockade of a Conquest-held island as a futile undertaking. No public acknowledgement of any connection to Guildmaster has come from YPP.

Guildmaster's quest to become governor of an island didn't appear to end at Paihia. The next rumor to swirl came when Barnabas attacked Sayers Rock, an island held by what was considered to be Hunter's most powerful flag, The Eye. According to the growing legend, Guildmaster asked to become Governor of Sayers Rock, making much the same proposal to Eye royals he had made to EAC royals. Several parties have confirmed that no tells from Guildmaster were ever returned. This apparently infuriated Guildmaster, and he was overheard stating "The Eye will fall." Most dismissed the claim as preposterous. Subsequent events place the quote in a new light.

Cape Horn Fever, the flag that attacked Paihia after Guildmaster was allegedly spurned, then announced an operation identical to Operation Meanyhead on the forums. In the days to come, CHF shifted its attack to Pukru, a medium island also held by The Eye. At the same time, The Eye blockaded Alkaid with the thinking that a PvP blockade would be more fun then defending Sayers. Beyond The Veil then responded in kind by dropping on Aimuarui. The sequence of events is debated, but what is certain is that The Eye was suddenly involved on four fronts. The outcome was that The Eye lost Sayers Rock and Aimuari, both large islands. Sayers was uncontested and taken by Barnabas, while Beyond The Veil took Aimuari. The Eye lost at Alkaid in 4 rounds, but managed to defend Pukru from Cape Horn Fever in five rounds, keeping one of their three islands.

Guildmaster neither confirmed or denied involvement after what many saw as a shocking upset of The Eye and the balance of power on Hunter. When asked if it was over, his reply was "It's not over until I become governor. Take that however you wish."

Known for a verbose and well spoken writing style, Guildmaster engages his numerous critics in debate frequently. He diligently defends his honor with the frequently used line "The Guild honors all contracts". To date, no evidence has emerged to the contrary. He claims to have collective years of gameplay experience in The Guild, which allows him to design and deliver needed services to the oceans. However, many have disputed the need for the services he offers.