DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 02/12/2018 Duedate: 02/24/2018
NIANIA ARENA
DM-2 TURN-731
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
LIL LEGS
THE RUNAROUND (381)
(2-6304) [8-2-0,110]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
GATLITH TREEHOUSE
2ND DIRE LANCERS (693) MMM BEER (721)
(2-6026) [11-1-0,118] (2-6363) [2-0-0,26]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
PANDARAMA RITHLO
THE RUNAROUND (381) 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
(2-6375) [11-4-0,46] (2-6022) [7-4-0,66]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
THE RUNAROUND (381)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. MMM BEER (721) 20
2. FAVORITE SAYINGS (699) 18 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
3. 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693) 11 Unchartered Team
4. THE RUNAROUND (381) 5
MMM BEER (721)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693) 30 13 1 69.8 1/ 1 THE RUNAROUND (381) 6 5 0
2/ 1*MMM BEER (721) 4 2 1 66.7 2/ 2 FAVORITE SAYINGS (699) 5 4 0
3/ 2 FAVORITE SAYINGS (699) 22 14 0 61.1 3/ 3*MMM BEER (721) 4 2 1
4/ 4 THE RUNAROUND (381) 199 254 18 43.9 4/ 0 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693) 2 1 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
SPY REPORT
Hail and well met warriors of NIANIA! Know me for who I am, Zontani Sharp Eyes,
Spymaster extraordinaire of all Alastari. SWEET TOOTH caught the eye of many in the
gladiatorial commission as she skillfully bested DANGEROUS CRIMINAL and was awarded
12 points in recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels, RITHLO put down
PANDARAMA, causing him to lose 10 points of recognition in the process. Not for
nothing has LIL LEGS in the past laid claim to the Duelmaster's throne, and this week
he's proven his combat skill yet again. Heed this! A seer has warned that if
exactly 6 die in duels this week, the whole city shall perish! Just remember...5 or
7!
But come now, let us look deeper into the maze of contention and crossed blades
that is city NIANIA.
Vendettas. Bloodied blades and broken spears. Indeed the city has seen more
than its fair share of red in recent times. Dark alleys may hide both secrets and
assassins. In the arena there is only the brightness of steel. Keep vigil always!
If it were not for my skills as a spy I would have been mugged three times
already in NIANIA. Nice atmosphere you have here! Ahh, but I can hear the spires of
a far off city calling to me. I must away! Till we meet again, remember: a turtle
walks slow, hides head in a shell, and harms no one; a lion runs to slay its prey.--
Zontani Sharp Eyes
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LIL LEGS 6304 8 2 0 110 THE RUNAROUND (381)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
GATLITH 6026 11 1 0 118 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
-SPRING CHICKEN 6085 7 1 0 102 FAVORITE SAYINGS (699)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
FENZE 6024 12 5 1 88 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
PHILIP FLOP 6303 12 3 0 80 THE RUNAROUND (381)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RITHLO 6022 7 4 0 66 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
SWEET TOOTH 6306 6 1 0 59 FAVORITE SAYINGS (699)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PANDARAMA 6375 11 4 0 46 THE RUNAROUND (381)
TRUE COLOURS 6087 5 5 0 44 FAVORITE SAYINGS (699)
-HIGH FIVE 6305 4 1 0 43 FAVORITE SAYINGS (699)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TREEHOUSE 6363 2 0 0 26 MMM BEER (721)
BUD 6357 2 0 1 24 MMM BEER (721)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DOH DE PERE 6387 4 3 0 15 THE RUNAROUND (381)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
BYE 6396 0 1 0 MMM BEER 721 STONE GOLEM 731 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
BYE was butchered by STONE GOLEM in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
LIL LEGS vanquished FENZE in a 1 minute uneven Title battle.
GATLITH demolished PHILIP FLOP in a 1 minute uneven fight.
SWEET TOOTH devastated DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
RITHLO overpowered PANDARAMA in a 1 minute mismatched match.
TRUE COLOURS bested AMBITIOUS GUARD in a popular 4 minute duel.
TREEHOUSE devastated DOH DE PERE in a 1 minute bloody mismatched match.
BUD overpowered PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a 1 minute uneven melee.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW 4 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 0 - 1 100 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 3 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|TOTAL PARRY 3 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 0 - 0 100 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 1 AIMED BLOW 21 - 8 - 0 72 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 TOTAL PARRY 12 - 10 - 0 55 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 STRIKING ATTACK 8 - 8 - 0 50 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 0 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 - 0 50 |
|BASHING ATTACK 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 731 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 TOTAL PARRY 1 - 2 5 AIMED BLOW
SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 STRIKING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY
AIMED BLOW 2 - 2 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 SLASHING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 0 - 0
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK LIL LEGS 6304 8 2 0 110 THE RUNAROUND (381)
SLASHING ATTACK GATLITH 6026 11 1 0 118 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
AIMED BLOW FENZE 6024 12 5 1 88 2ND DIRE LANCERS (693)
TOTAL PARRY PHILIP FLOP 6303 12 3 0 80 THE RUNAROUND (381)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is PANDARAMA 6375. The most popular warrior this turn
was RITHLO 6022. The ten other most popular fighters were LIL LEGS 6304, GATLITH
6026, SWEET TOOTH 6306, TREEHOUSE 6363, BUD 6357, BYE 6396, FENZE 6024, PHILIP FLOP
6303, PANDARAMA 6375, and TRUE COLOURS 6087.
The least popular fighter this week was DOH DE PERE 6387. The other ten least
popular fighters were TRUE COLOURS 6087, PANDARAMA 6375, PHILIP FLOP 6303, FENZE
6024, BYE 6396, BUD 6357, TREEHOUSE 6363, SWEET TOOTH 6306, GATLITH 6026, and LIL
LEGS 6304.
Mission to the Twisted Lands
Episode One
Old Brown could run pretty fast if properly motivated, but mostly he walked with
a long-legged, distance-devouring stride. He was a huge horse, a half-giant's
warhorse, shaggy and self-assured, with muscles like half-buried boulders in his
shoulders and hips. Lounging in the saddle was the motivating force, the half-giant,
Keel Woodhaven. Although in his mind he was slouching and half-asleep, he sat up
straight in the saddle since that is more comfortable for riding.
It was twilight, stars coming out above and lights in farmhouse windows below.
They traveled through vineyards, brown and fallow now in the winter, descending gently
toward the tree-crowded coast. The distant trees, not just pines, were green. They
stayed green because the marsh that surrounded the city-state of Bonsur had hot
springs in it.
Keel Woodhaven had always liked Bonsur. It had a relaxed feel about it, the
women seemed prettier, the music was great, everyone thought about having fun. And
the booze was excellent, of course. He passed the arena at the edge of town, and
paused to read the current statistics, posted on the gate and lit by a lantern. So,
an elven cobbler was the Duelmaster? Why would a shoemaker take up such a painful
profession? Then he noticed the team name: Shewish Picnic. He snorted. That
explained it, all right. As a half-Shew, he was kind of bothered by that team theme,
which was present in Home Guard as well. It was sort of funny though. He saw that
Elf Cobbler was headed for the Isle. Probably not bound for Home Guard just yet,
though.
They passed a small chicken ranch. A rooster uttered an untimely crow. At about
that time, Old Brown took exception to something and bolted. Cussing, Keel hauled on
the reins, to little effect since the horse was stronger than him and apparently
frightened. He didn't see the masked men coming out of their hiding places behind
him, looking frustrated. At least not until a crossbow bolt thunked into the backside
of his leather cuirass. His horse screamed and ran faster.
Hauling Old Brown to the left as they passed a set of big open gates into a well-
lighted courtyard, Keel got them behind the shelter of the high stone wall, and patted
the horse's sweaty neck. "You're okay now, friend. I'll go take care of those
bozos."
As he dismounted, he noticed he was becoming surrounded by uniformed men, some
with swords and some with halberds.
"Howdy?" he said, hoping they were friendly.
"Your horse has been shot," said someone, pointing at a bolt sticking out of Old
Brown's butt.
"Well damn!" Keel laid a comforting hand on the horse's flank, which quivered.
"So have you," the guard continued.
"Yeah, thought so. Doesn't feel like it got through the armor though." Keel
tried to look over his shoulder, but could only see the feathered end of the bolt.
"Who are you guys?"
"We are the Queen's Guard."
"What? Queen Gemra? Okay, please take care of Old Brown here, and I'll go find
the ***holes that shot him."
"Sir, you are mistaken. You will be taken to a doctor. We will arrest the
assailants."
"Hey! I'm on a mission from Sheila Greywand. Anyway, they shot my horse. My
HORSE! I'm gonna get 'em." Unslinging his huge sword, Keel strode toward the gate.
Four Guardsmen came with him, flanking him like the trailing ends of a flock of
geese. They might have intended a different formation, but he had the longest legs
and walked the fastest. The one who'd spoken to him before said, "I'm Corporal Brat
Langerman. And you are?"
"Keel Woodhaven."
"I've heard of you! The Queen will want to meet you."
"That's fine. Let's stick to the sides of these buildings. If they're still
around, we'll be targets in the middle of the street."
They weren't quiet, exactly, since the guards wore highly polished chain mail
which jingled. However, Bonsur had a lively night life. Music and laughter came from
bars and nightclubs on adjacent streets, people lingered on corners chatting and
sometimes playing instruments, and children hawked newssheets, shoeshines, flowers, a
selection of rouges, and offered to carry packages. So the sounds the guards made
weren't too noticeable.
Keel led the way back to the chicken ranch. He was thinking that the bad guys
wouldn't have waited around to be hunted. They might have left clues, though.
Perhaps even a discarded, crumpled note offering a cash reward for his head, and
signed by a notorious crimelord. Or distinctive cigar stubs, monogrammed hankies...
personalized masks. Tracks of boots made by elven cobblers. Anything. Witnesses,
even.
There were no people on the street near the chicken ranch. It was full night
now, a bit chilly although there was a warm and slightly funky breeze from the marsh.
Corporal Brat Langerman said quietly, "Is this where it happened?"
"Yup."
"Well, I don't think they're here anymore."
Keel was about to agree, when a crossbow bolt appeared in the Corporal's arm.
The young man hissed, "Everybody down!"
The guardsmen hunkered against the wall of a hardware store, which didn't offer
anything resembling good cover except that they were in shadow there. Keel crouched a
little, but he knew he was a pretty big target, plus his sword gave off a faint
greenish glow. He looked around, searching the darkness for signs of their foes.
A shadow on top of a shaded walkway across the street shifted a little. Keel
pulled a weighted dart out of his pocket and hurled it. He was good at tavern darts,
but it was dark, the distance was too great, and he just wasn't lucky. The little
missile clattered against the shingles of the porch roof. There was a startled twitch
from the half-seen form. At that instant, Keel lunged across the street. His long
legs carried him across to the opposite shadows in three bounds. More bolts came out
of the darkness, one lodging in his calf, the others missing him altogether.
Now the Guardsmen had a good idea where their foes were, and it takes a while to
reload a crossbow. The four men charged, yelling wildly. Tucking his sword under his
arm, Keel grabbed one of the posts holding up the porch roof, strained, and dislodged
it. After a moment he yanked it out of the structure entirely. The roof sagged,
there was a yelp of surprise, and someone's foot appeared off the edge of it. Keel
grabbed him by the ankle and hauled him the rest of the way down.
There were brief sounds of fighting, then footsteps that rapidly receded down an
alley. Three Guardsmen raced off in pursuit. Keel's prisoner started to try to get
away, so the half-Shew tossed him up, grabbed him by the arms and bashed him against
the wall.
"Are you okay?" asked Brat, sheathing his sword.
"Took one in the leg, but it's not too bad I think," Keel said, shifting his
unconscious prisoner to one hand and bending to pick up his sword.
"I'll help you tie that one up," Brat said. "There's a dead one here. I think
there were two more." He grunted slightly, trying to reach something with his injured
arm. "Got some ties in my right-hand belt pouch. If you could get them for me?"
They bound the prisoner, then bandaged each other.
"What did they want?" asked the Corporal.
Keel shrugged. "No clue. Let's get him somewhere safe and we can ask him..."
He listened. "Your guys are coming back."
"Yeah."
The Guardsmen hadn't been able to track their assailants in the darkness, but at
least there were no further injuries. The group of them returned warily to the
courtyard of the Guard House, where a woman was smearing some kind of ointment on Old
Brown's wound. After the horse was bedded down in the stable, the Guardsmen led Keel
into their office, where there was a welcome scent of fresh coffee. The medic set
about binding Keel's wound and that of the Corporal, who turned out to be an extremely
handsome man. Keel remembered hearing that Queen Gemra required her Guardsmen to be
good looking. That didn't mean they weren't competent, though. Brat had done pretty
well.
The medic roused their prisoner with smelling salts. They all sat in the main
office, Corporal Langerman facing the miscreant, who was seated in a cushioned chair,
looking reasonably comfortable except for his bandaged head. "All right," said Brat.
"Now I want you to tell me that you're going to turn Queen's Evidence."
"Not on your life, pretty boy!" The man had, perhaps, some excuse for hard
feelings since he was more homely than not, with a crooked nose and eyes set too close
together. He and Keel looked shabby and ill-favored amongst all these gleamingly
handsome Guardsmen.
Keel leaned forward. "You guys shot my horse."
"Oh. Sorry, didn't mean to do that. We were just shooting at you."
"Why?"
"Glowing sword."
"What?"
"Duh, it's a magic sword! We saw it when you drew it in Delarq Tor, and figured
we could sell it so we followed you."
The half-Shew snorted. "The Dentless isn't magic. It was in a Chaos Gate for
five hundred years and it picked up some energy, that's all. All it does, is glow.
And cut things."
The bandit looked chagrined. "But... it's got to be magic."
"Ain't. Sorry kid."
After that, Keel was taken to enjoy a sumptuous dinner at the Palace. Queen
Gemra was a definite babe, with long, silken black hair, a delicate pouty face, and
luscious curves. She asked him about his mission, which was to go to the Twisted
Lands and shut down a leaking Chaos Gate. He entertained her with the story of his
adventure on the Two-Shew Express, and she gave him a brown velvet cloak to show her
appreciation. She did not invite him to her bed, which was fine because his heart
belonged to another, always and forever.
* * * * *
This is a continuing adventure.
Watch for future chapters in the Bonsur and Home Guard newsletters!