Sky Pirates: Aetherblade Assassin - Hunted down and killed members of Tyria's newest pirate faction.В (11 )В (Historical).Known bases ДЄetherblade Armada and Aurene concept art for Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons. They named the stolen airship The Wobbling Skies. However, when they were questioned about the airship's origins upon their return to the Corsair Flotilla, none of the crew members remembered how exactly they had acquired the ship as they had been drunk during the raid. Mai Trin remained elusive since, and her current whereabouts remained unknown.Д«y 1330 AE, the Elonian Alehound Crew of corsairs managed to steal an aethership during one of their seaborne raids. While several Aetherblades participated in the Battle for Lion's Arch under Scarlet's command, none of the faction leaders of Scarlet's Alliance, including Mai Trin, were present in the city when the Pact Commander killed Scarlet. These fears were founded once Scarlet's Alliance invaded Lion's Arch. Kasmeer Meade and Marjory speculated that it was so Scarlet could weaken the city's defenses from within. Marjory Delaqua's later investigations revealed that Mai had been acting at the behest of Scarlet Briar, who had wanted an ally on the Captain's Council. She and her followers set up a temporary base of operations at the Juncture in the Edge of the Mists. The Aetherblade captain eluded capture, however, and learned that Scarlet wanted her alive for another mission suited for her talents. Braham vowed to wring Mai's neck for escaping, as the resulting chaos had led Taimi into a dangerous area where she could have been killed. She was later freed by her Aetherblades and taken to the Edge of the Mists, pursued by the Commander's allies Braham and Taimi. Mai spent time incarcerated in Fort Marriner and taunted both Ellen Kiel and the Pact Commander, who had tried to question her for her motives, while ominously stating that they should keep their eyes to the sky. At some point most of the Aetherblades' Inquest allies abandoned the pirates. The defenders of Tyria were able to thwart the pirates' plans by shutting down their operations although many lives were lost in the process.

They also set up a base in the Twilight Arbor, after Scarlet had worked out a deal with the Nightmare Court. However, the Aetherblades eventually returned in far greater numbers and with far more airships, attacking Divinity's Reach in an attempt to disrupt the Queen's Jubilee, where it was revealed that the Aetherblades were working for Scarlet Briar. The Lionguard were able to defeat Mai Trin and First Mate Horrik with help from the Pact Commander, and they hoped that it would bring an end to the pirates' machinations. Mai Trin eluded capture, however, and Lion's Arch authorities discovered that the Aetherblades had a retreat hidden in Lion's Arch, and a second site in the Gendarran Fields. Upon investigation by Inspector Ellen Kiel and Delaqua Investigations on behalf of Logan Thackeray who wanted the murderer of his family friend Ashford brought to justice, it was discovered that this was a scheme to generate an opening on the Captain's Council (Ashford's second was also killed, by the Molten Alliance), which would be filled by the Aetherblades' (ostensible) leader, Captain Mai Trin. The Aetherblades first appeared in public at the 1326 AE Dragon Bash, disrupting the effigy lighting ceremony and causing the death of Captain Theo Ashford. They were the first known faction to use rapiers, introducing these weapons to Central Tyria. The Aetherblades managed to steal Pact airships and modified them into their own vessels called aetherships. Once they were in, however, they found it problematic to get out again, as Scarlet had plenty of work for them to do and kept them hard at it or they would face her wrath.

Officers like Mai kept the Aetherblades organized and active, and their ranks swelled as more and more unaffiliated pirates and pirate bands signed on, lured by the promise of easy money and power.

The Aetherblades started out as a particularly greedy and bloodthirsty pirate crew in which Mai Trin held high rank when the sylvari terrorist Scarlet Briar found them and presented them with Inquest magitech and allies, the crew became far more dangerous and far more successful at the business of pirating.

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