Well, i dont regard tradeskillz financial offer as surprising. This is coherent with their guild chart, they are money makers, not fighters, so they use their financial power to buyout mines to make more money. Nothing big here. Great roleplay.
I spoke with a GM about the ninja settlers issue, and offered them the solution to regard the one who desabled the shield as the winner so that in a combined attack, all parties could agree in advance who would be the winner of the land. Looks like they agreed with the idea.
We also got ninjaed by "the vigil" guild on tuesday after organising a raid on a beach in Upper Street Bank. They refused our offer to swap it for a safer area in Galway Castle. Well the logic was respected a few days ago. As the weakest took the land, they couldnt resist the first clan attack today and lost it in half an hour. As a matter of fact their greed cost them a land.
The lesson? If you get ninjaed, as long as this problem is not fixed by funcom, just let the weakest get the land and wait for them to be wiped off by the enemy. Then fight again for the land and make sure the people you brought are reliable =)