Emergent gameplay is one of the greatest strengths of a free range universe like ours. Today I’m going to tell you about a career that few have even considered, and fewer still practice as a way of life: Thievery! I know what you’re thinking, gentle reader. Thieves have always existed, in New Eden as well as everywhere else. I mean one of the first things we are taught in New Eden is be very careful who you trust because at any second someone can take it all.
Now something has changed; the thieves are getting organized.
I spoke with Toni-Anne Brinalle, of the Thieves’ Guild. She was kind enough to spare some time to enlighten me on who they are…sort of. She refused to give details about membership, numbers, or the exact scope of their operations. An endeavor of this sort requires finesse and confidentiality as well as confidence. What she could divulge was that they operate mainly in Hisec at this time. Expansion to other regions is not out of the question, but there are no moves in that direction right now.
The Guild got its start liberating citadels from their careless owners, a practice they continue to refine and perfect to this day. It was a report of one such citadel, an Azbel, that caught my attention in the first place. One of the Guild’s agents pretended to be interested in purchasing the Azbel, fully fitted, from a seller over the span of several days. The seller became impatient with third-party brokers and turned the citadel directly over to the rogue with expectation of payment upon approval, a mistake which proved costly and infuriating for the seller.
Citadel theft is but one part of guild operations. Toni-Anne regaled the tale of how one of their agents stole an entire corporation through a confidence scam. The rogue told the CEO of Imperial Amarr Industries that he represented an alliance that was moving in to the area for industry, that he would need to move his citadels out of system. The CEO wished to comply with the newcomers, but hesitated on the offlining which caused the rogue to simply wardec Imperial Amarr Industries as a threat.
The CEO immediately eve-mailed that he would sell the citadels to the rogue for a fraction of their cost, but the wardec prevented transfer. The rogue generously offered to join the corp and help the transfer. Once director roles were secured, he hijacked the corp and kicked the ex-CEO. The corporation currently stands closed.
As if theft wasn’t enough to keep busy, the guild has also begun operations as a spy outfit. Toni-Anne told me of an extensive information network that spans the entire universe. The Guild keeps dossiers on the lives and habits on a surprising number of New Eden’s folk. Information is available at a reasonable price, with investigation as a possibility. If you have need of their services, Tori-Anne is available for consultation.
So, hold tight to that sense that your moves are perhaps charted and surveyed, gentle reader. Corp recruiters: be sure to get those APIs, for as the Guild slogan reads: “You don’t watch the Thieves’ Guild. The Thieves’ Guild Watches You”.
Moon Moon Burdy is a merc-turned-nullbear, blogger whose work can be found right here! Moon enjoys nefarious deeds and the people who perform them. Check back for more from one of our newest writers!
