View source for UO:2002: Dark Tides IV

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| shard = Drachenfels & Europa
| title = Dark Tides IV
| type = BNN
}}
<i>Note: This was originally posted on the short-lived uo-europa.com official page, rather than on uo.com.  The original English version of this story is unavailable; this version has been machine-translated from German.</i>
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The forts that the pirate alliance had been constructing around Britannia had crumbled. Varliin had been brought this dire news early in the morning, and had set sail for his hideout immediately.

As the wind was favorable, his fleet reached the north coast of Yew early in the evening. The ghostly silence was disturbed only by the soft roar of the surf. 

Suddenly a horn sounded. 

"What was that?" Varliin cried. Immediately his men ran to the railroad ... and recognized a few men, who now stepped out of the dense forest above the limestone cliffs of the coast. More and more men came out of the woods. They were no longer keeping the pirates' ships out of sight. 

"They found us!" Varliin shouted. 

By this day, Varliin had managed to keep his hiding-place secret. The thought that these men had discovered his treasures brought his blood to a boil. 

"These bastards will pay for it!" Varliin shouted. His men rejoiced, though many of them were afraid. At least 100 heavily armed enemies were waiting for the pirates on the shore ... but how many fighters were still waiting in the shelter of the forest? 

The pirates did not have ammunition on board. Their mighty guns were useless. Varlin's men had to row with the dinghies to the beach ... a dangerous and at the same time deadly. But Varliin had no choice. 

His greed had given Varliin the reputation of a fearless and bloodthirsty pirate. And now she was to be his doom. 

In the face of sure death, he ordered his men to row to the beach. He had no choice in saving his treasures, his life's work. His men obeyed the last commandment of their lord, whom they were at their mercy. Without him, they knew, there would be no more raids ... and their rioters would chase them mercilessly. 

When the pirates rowed to the beach, they voted a loud war song. At the same time, the warriors withdrew to the cliffs to accommodate countless archery. Slowly they stretched their arches ... Countless arrows whirled through the air and rained down on the pirates, who were desperate to continue. 

The few pirates who reached the beach alive pulled their swords and rushed up the hill with loud roar. Varliin also belonged to them.

A little later the bloody battle was over. The sand was soaked with the blood of fallen pirates, and the sea was also turning red. Many of the warriors who stood up to the pirates had lost themselves through the cruel attacks of pirates and family members. They were determined on everything. That night, so they had sworn, the pirates would pay for their crimes! 

Varliin fought like a raging bear and killed innumerable opponents until he was finally overwhelmed. Seconds later, his conquerors held Varliin's severed head triumphantly into the air. When the few surviving pirates saw this, they took flight, but the angry citizens of Britannia did not spare one of them ... 

Varliin, the dreaded pirate was dead. 

Grarg did not hear of Varlin's defeat until the next day. In his rage he stabbed the messenger and tied his body to the buzzing of the buzzard. He had lost his best man ... and with him almost half his fleet. If they had found Varliin's hideout, it was only a matter of time before they would discover his treasures. So Grarg struck the same morning that morning and took course on his hiding place. 

On board the buzzard there was a ghostly silence. The pirates supposedly invincible after their cruel booties finally recognized how vulnerable they were ... and for the first time in their lives, the intrepid men were afraid. 

When they reached their destination on the morning of the next day, the pirates loaded the dinghies in wind ropes and rowed to the beach. Grarg's mighty fortress was large enough to accommodate all his men. 

Faced with their enemies, the pirates hurriedly erected a defensive wall. As they rolled the powerful cannon into position, countless craftsmen began building barcades and mountaineers. 

Grarg did not intend to lose this battle.
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