Pirates of the Burning Sea Schwag Bag

Getting game schwag, be it t-shirts, pens, stickers, key chains or any of the many other cool and kooky items companies come up with to promote their titles, is always a joy, and the best kind of schwag always ties into its game of inspiration in a fun and interesting way. Friday afternoon, I received such a schwag bag. Courtesy of the folks at Sony Online Entertainment, a bag of trinkets in promotion of Flying Lab Software’s upcoming MMORPG Pirates of the Burning Sea (going on pre-order November 13th and launching at retail on January 22, 2008) docked on my doorstep filled with all the necessary pirate gear to get me on my path to becoming a virtual buccaneer.

As you can see from the snapshots, the pirate kit came with a hook, eye patch, earring, tattoos, bandanna, treasure chest key (key chain), soundtrack CD and a treasure map. I also received a letter from Captain Aurelia Trinidad and the first of five clue cards to solve. The letter and clue card read as follows:

Ahoy, landlubber!

Quit scratchin’ yer arse and wonderin’ what ye’ll be havin’ for supper tonight. How can ye just sit there, wastin’ yer life away, when there’s so much more life out there waitin’ to be lived? And adventures to be had? And best of all, matey, treasure to be found?

Pack only what ye can carry. Leave yer girlie beauty products behind. On the high seas, we value dirt, stink, and sweat. Then come along with me, Captain Aurelia Trinidad, and I’ll make ye feel like yer life’s worth livin’ again!

I’ll show ye, matey, what it feels like to walk in a pirate’s boots. But ye can’t be a true pirate until ye find yer very first treasure chest.

So here’s a map for ye. Study it close! I can only open the door, but I can’t walk through it for ye. I’ll send ye five separate clues. What ye do with the map and the clues, well, that’s none o’ my affair. But ye must follow the map and solve the clues by January 22nd to find the treasure.

May the wind always be at yer back and yer rum casks always be full!

I’d send ye luck, but I know ye’ll do fine without it.

Yers in piracy,
Aurelia Trinidad, Capt. of the Schooner Albatross of 10 Guns

Clue #1:

I be an echo on a branch.
I live for 80 years, or more.
A dweller of shoulders, I be.

What ye say is what I say.
When ye plunder a ship,
forget the doubloons;
I be wantin’ the crackers.

Pretty sweet, huh? I’ll continue to report in as additional clue cards arrive. Feel free to help me solve the riddles and work my way towards finding the treasure as the game’s January 22nd launch approaches.