From a mercenary guild in the Ultima Online beta to one of the most feared names in online gaming. Ruining the gaming experience for others since 1996.
It started in a high school computer lab. A kid with wiry black hair was staring at a screen, furiously typing. When asked what the hell he was doing, he said he was telling some guy off because he kicked his ass in UO. That kid was Rivan, and the addiction had begun.
Before Ultima Online, there was the Kali network — Diablo, Warcraft, Red Alert 2, and ICQ chatrooms. Rivan and Aries were the founding two, playing together before securing spots in the Closed Beta of Ultima Online on the Pacific shard.
They formally established the Sosarian Armed Services — a mercenary guild built on rank and structure, offering services including assassinations, item removal, key theft, guild war mercenary work, and escort services. The guild had a formal charter, laws, and even an induction oath that new members had to recite while placing their hand on "the Founding Blade of the SAS."
"During UO Beta SAS was pretty small, very small actually. Rivan and myself were probably the only two members to be playing. Our city of choice was, of course, Trinsic so we spent a lot of time there. I spent most of it at the docks fishing until I eventually became 'The Great Lord Aries, Grandmaster Fisherman.'" — Aries
But Rivan and Aries quickly discovered something: you could amass far more wealth and reputation through killing other players. That discovery would dictate the guild's playstyle for the next three decades.
The original website was hosted at www.ronalds.com, and the guild's social backbone was IRC channel #SAS. Famous channel topics included: "Ultima Online: OSI — We Create Worlds, they just don't work" and "Ruining the gaming experience for others since 1996."
Rivan served as High Lord, with four regional lords dividing the map: Fugazi/MxPx for the Northwest, Terrilan for the Northeast, Icy for the Southeast, and Marcus Aspenfall for the Southwest. Britannia was kept under Rivan's direct command. Aries held the rank of 1st Knight.
The guild laws were simple and brutal:
When the Sonoma shard went live on December 13, 1997, SAS was there on day one. The guild immediately established itself as a Player Killer (PK) guild. A common theme among members was putting "of SAS" at the end of their character names — Rivan of SAS, Aries of SAS could be seen running through Sonoma in the very early days, terrorizing everyone around them.
Since Sonoma was a new shard and SAS already had a year of experience working together, they quickly became a dominant force. SHADOW purchased and placed his tower in the South Trinsic swamp during the first three months of Sonoma. Over time, this tower became the home and guild house of SAS on the Sonoma shard.
Trinsic was home. Virtually every story from the golden age revolves around Trinsic bank, the Trinsic swamps, and the south Trinsic housing. Members had keys to nearly every house in south Trinsic. Access built a spy ghost account called "Immaspy" that he'd park at Trinsic bank to ambush unsuspecting players.
"Some kid is in the lab with wiry black hair and a grin while he stares into a computer screen while furiously typing. My interest is caught, I inquire to him wtf he's doing and he responds: telling some fucking guy off because I kicked his ass in UO. I realized shortly after I attended elementary school with this dude, so a friendship started with Rivan, and an addiction to online games had started." — Access
By mid-1998, membership had blossomed to 40+ players with notable additions including ChaoS, ArKaiNe, MoneyMaker, True Pimp, MasterMind, Psycho the Ripper, Drizzt Do-Urden, DragonMaster Dyn, Rainfall, SHADOW, Blood Crypt, Dakkon, and many more.
The earliest clan war SAS fought was against the Chaotic Horde, led by Jeitarium — a group of Player Killers based in the Southern Trinsic jungles with a tower near the spawn point. Both Dakkon and Nexus had been Chaotic Horde members before defecting to SAS.
Another rivalry formed with the Lords of Evil (LoE), beginning when Rivan used a gate-travel bug to break into LoE leader Charger's house and steal a Chaos Shield.
In the spring of 1998, Origin released the infamous Rep Patch which implemented Stat Loss for "Murderers" — fundamentally changing the PK landscape of the game. The Dread Lord days were coming to a close, but the guild war era was about to begin.
"Everybody is biased and will say their guild was the best. Weigh the facts and nobody kicked ass on Sonoma on a large scale more than SAS. SAS was never a PK guild — we ran small crews from within the guild time to time as reds, but SAS came to life when the reputation patch was introduced and guild wars began." — Garen (MasterMind)
Not everyone had a graceful entry into the guild. ArKaiNe arrived on Sonoma with nothing but 200 gold pieces begged from a stranger. He wasted it all buying dye tubs, trying to sell dyeing services for 6gp when the competition charged 5gp. Walking past strangers saying "dum dum dum" (meaning "dum di dum"), they thought he was calling them stupid, chased him down, and killed him.
He eventually bought a large brick house and boat for 30k, then made the fatal mistake of putting all his gold and house deed in the ship's storage. Two screens out of guard range, Mario and Wario hit him with 3 fireballs and killed him. He then had to wait 6 hours for a GM to get his ghost unstuck from the boat.
"How far back can I go? I was a charter member of the Chaotic Horde back on Sonoma. Soon after, I log on to find Rivan and Leo exploiting into my house to loot me. I shoot Leo, attack full force, killed Rivan and almost got Leo before I went down. I shot Leo an ICQ and the looting ceased and started a friendship that would eventually come to a bitter end. I remember the words very well: 'WTF Dakk, who guilded you?' Rivan asked. Leo did, I told him. 'You will never be SAS, Dakk,' Rivan shot back. 7 years and counting..." — Dakkon
The Free City of Oasis was a player-run city formed by Jonas, Flaeme, Lady Rei, and Smitten w/Love. The city sponsored gladiatorial events called "Fight Nights" held on Sunday evenings, where hundreds of players would come to watch fighters battle it out inside GM-made cages.
Rivan started climbing the ranks at the Oasis Fight Nights, first as a contender and then as a "terrorist." At the end of the first year, Oasis celebrated by putting together the 50th Fight Night Tournament of Champions, inviting back the winners of the first 49 Fight Nights. Rivan was the victor.
Fight Nights were also a favorite target for SAS raids. Donovan was once given 150-300k worth of gear for a Fight Night bout, only to immediately recall to Trinsic bank where BLD killed him and looted everything.
OSI launched a test server called Siege Perilous, hoping the power-gamers would consolidate there and leave the general population alone. SAS recruited many of their members from the Sonoma shard and logged in on the first day.
SAS started fast — grinding gold to secure a boat, traveling to Deceit where they farmed a large amount of gold, and ultimately securing a house and a guild stone. However, the server was wiped in the days after with the introduction of ROT (Raise Over Time) skill system, and with it all of SAS's possessions.
The members who stayed on Siege Perilous formed a new guild: Disciples of the Moment (DTM), led by Meursalt and the late Orin Warrick. SAS also fought The Boat War on Siege — naval combat that became the stuff of legend.
SAS members who returned from Siege Perilous to Sonoma ignited what became the defining conflict of the shard — the BLD vs SAS War. What started as skirmishes between the guild and the Blood Clan (BLD) escalated into a server-wide conflict between the PKs and the Anti-PKs.
A huge rivalry emerged between Rivan of SAS, MRGrimm of SAS and the BLD founders Grunk Half Orc and rukNar the Orc. As the war raged on, both sides drew in allies, and the battles became bigger and bigger. Guild wars with BLD, RED, HKW, FoH, SoB, OGD, BD, M and many others defined this era. The war lasted for months.
"Without us BD wouldn't even have had a guild to fight. I remember when they were hiding behind OGD at Wrong gate, blue healing them. We've conquered every enemy we have ever gone up against." — Blood Crypt
There was no clear winner — just a lot of bloodied and battered participants. Out of this war came a great amount of respect from both sides. Many formed friendships and bonds between the guilds, even as they remained enemies on the field.
During this era, Blood Crypt and Drizzt earned the nickname "The Fun Police." They became an inseparable duo, patrolling Sonoma and ruining everyone's day. Blood Crypt was known for his devastating combat skills, and Drizzt for being one of the most hated (and respected) players on the shard.
One legendary fight saw JodoCast battle at the Trinsic Pen for over 30 minutes straight, a fight so intense that the entire area was littered with empty potion bottles. And every fight Palou started, he was naked — and he finished in full gear.
"MRGrimm of SAS, truly one of Sonoma's Most Hated people. Grimm and I have always had something of a mutual respect, not a mutual admiration. He has on several occasions been able to bring together a cohesive unit of the 'Trinny Crew.' The 1st Incarnation of SAS was truly remarkable and was, for a time, utterly the most dominant bunch on the shard." — Drizzt
The Order of the Golden Dawn (OGD) was one of SAS's major adversaries on Sonoma. Led by Gara, OGD was born from the split of DOM/DDT and became a significant PvP force. When SAS was losing ground in the OGD war, Leo (MRGrimm) called a team meeting. After that meeting, SAS "controlled that war."
The culture of Sonoma in this era was so rich that even rivals wrote poetry about it. Griffyn, a roleplayer from the YMCA, penned a verse history of the server:
"SAS wars with BLD / OCT and $oB / FoH to LoE / ML and the OGD / legends like your MRGrimm / that cyst lip having guy Rivan / Famine fought like this was Quake / ain't seen Jeit since '98" — Griffyn, YMCA Roleplayer
The guild needed a new name — one that kept the SAS abbreviation but better reflected who they actually were. NeXuS came up with it.
"Guess my biggest contribution was the Sinners Among Saints name. We had to think of something that fit 'SAS' and since we were all PKs and thieves, the name seemed to fit pretty well." — NeXuS
SAS by this point was no longer just a guild — it was a reputation. The culture around Trinsic, the wars, the rivalries, and the bonds had created something that transcended any single game.
This era was defined by creative chaos. Members exploited bugs to break into houses — sneaking in under steps, using keychains-for-a-gold tricks, and more. Dakkon had a magic resist training room packed with elementals. ArKaiNe was known for poisoning dragons in Destard, joining a stranger's guild, stealing his key, and looting his house right in front of his ghost.
The YMCA was the unofficial name for the roleplayer community in Trinsic. SAS had... complicated relations with them. While some roleplayers like Griffyn and Brianne earned genuine respect, the YMCA was generally a favorite target for SAS shenanigans.
"Brianne, 'The Goddess of Healing.' A heartfelt tribute is owed to a healer in Trinsic who was known for healing anyone who needed it and keeping spirits up. She kept me from quitting UO one night." — Drizzt
The Trammel patch split Ultima Online into two mirrors: Trammel (no PvP) and Felucca (PvP). For a guild built on killing other players, this was devastating. SAS called it "a Trammie wonderland."
Members began splintering across games. NeXuS and Aries joined Fires of Heaven (FoH) on the Veeshan server in EverQuest. A Counter-Strike team was formed, bringing in new members like Sentium. Others went to Dark Age of Camelot (BC's addiction), Diablo 2, and Shadowbane.
Blood Crypt questioned why FoH got legendary status while SAS didn't, despite being their equal on Sonoma. He suspected FoH's EverQuest dominance built their cross-game reputation.
Internal drama tore at the guild. MRGrimm (Leo) departed under contentious circumstances. Dakkon also had a bitter falling out. The looting of the Keep — involving MRGrimm, Rivan, and a stolen plaque — became one of the most infamous incidents in guild history.
In one memorable incident, Garen (MasterMind) went berserk at Trinsic bank, killing every guilded member in sight until 4-5 SAS members had to take him down. The reason? Possibly because Leo and Rivan had looted Babs. The line between ally and enemy was always thin in SAS.
SAS continued to be active on Sonoma through the Age of Shadows expansion. Members also played on Chesapeake, where Blood Crypt honed his dueling skills. On Sonoma, the guild was thinner — ArKaiNe ran the guild stone largely solo with only Elf, BC, and Access regularly active.
ArKaiNe's favorite memory from this era: raiding Black Dragons' (BD) 3v3 tournament with dragons. "It was a low blow, yeah... but shit, it was pretty funny... and they had it coming."
ArKaiNe and Elstow led SAS into Shadowbane, a game that rewarded teamwork over numbers. "Nothing like running over zergs of 40-50 people with your 10-man group."
World of Warcraft brought a second membership explosion to SAS. The guild established themselves as a Horde guild on the Kil'Jaeden US PvP server. But WoW also brought guild drama — the SAS name was abandoned in WoW for a time, with CSM, Radjin, Nexus, Rivan, and Tilt all involved in the politics of it.
Nexus, playing with Statigar and Kashi, owned alliance players 3v8 in Stranglethorn Vale. The competitive spirit was alive, even if the game was different.
"I can't believe we've been around almost a decade. The cool thing is even after that game is played out, SAS will remain." — NeXuS
SAS members reunited on various UO free shards, and old rivalries found new life.
IPY was a player-run UO shard that let SAS relive the glory days. They established SAS Island and became the "undisputed kings of the server." It was on IPY that old enemies became friends — Pagan, who had spent years fighting SAS as part of BOL and the 408/409 PK guilds, buried the hatchet after finding Rivan dying repeatedly in Hythloth trying to earn castle money. He resurrected him instead of finishing him off.
"In '97 I was PKed by Rivan and a few other SAS in the bone knight room. I was so pissed, I lost all my newbie things! Was also the first time meeting a Dread Lord, man I hated the game then. In '97 I wanted you all dead, and in 2005 I'm here somewhat fighting by your side." — Pagan
UO Redemption (2005-2008) brought 17+ SAS members back together including Nexus, Pagan, BC, Rivan, Aries, Rostrax, ArKaiNe, and others. This era had its own drama — Lakkin and Rostrax's falling out, Sin City with Druidkin and Parker, the Great S.O.S "Trammie" off, and the legendary triple-looting of Myst's house.
UO Hybrid (2010) was another revival, with 228 screenshots documenting SAS's continued presence in the Ultima Online community.
By the later years, getting into SAS had become an ordeal. Rivan would tell prospective members: "Find our IRC server if you want to join." If they managed to find #SAS, ArKaiNe was waiting — and he immediately kick-banned every new face.
"I remember people walking around Trinsic, not even SAS members, saying 'SAS will kick your ass.' No one really played the game anymore and Rivan gave me the challenge of finding their IRC server if I wanted to join SAS. As soon as I find it, ArKaiNe showed me the most respect I have ever had by immediately kick-banning me from the channel. I was kick-banned daily for months, eventually got ops (while still getting kicked), and eventually fell into the family." — Rechid
"When I first wanted to join SAS it was when the UO era was ending. I had heard of SAS in UO and everyone that knew of SAS knew of what a great bunch of gamers they were. Rivan told me to find the IRC server. ArKaiNe immediately kick-banned me. This went on for a month. Then more months of getting kicked daily. Eventually accepted into the family." — Rostrax
Being kick-banned from IRC for months was a rite of passage. If you stuck around through the abuse, you'd earned your place. SAS was more than a guild — it was a family, and family doesn't come easy.
Three decades later, the Sinners Among Saints endure. The group evolved to have members of all walks of life — climatologists, lawyers, game developers, entrepreneurs — spread across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. What began as a ragtag band of PKs in a high school computer lab became a lifelong brotherhood.
Former enemies became members. Strangers became family. And through every game, every server, every war — SAS remained.
"I hated you all, and I would have killed you all in real life, but now I'm with you. Weird!" — Pagan
"SAS is more than just a bunch of kiddies on a game." — Rechid
Every member who wore the SAS tag across all eras.