DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 05/14/2009    Duedate: 06/10/2009

ARKERS ARENA

DM-8    TURN-309

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

CONCUSSION
CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
(8-4893) [12-2-0,172]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

CONCUSSION                     AYANNAH WULF
CONSANGUINEOUS (567)           HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)
(8-4893) [12-2-0,172]          (8-5145) [2-5-0,25]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

KERBIN NOTTS                   AYANNAH WULF
MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)            HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)
(8-5040) [13-20-0,71]          (8-5145) [2-5-0,25]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

CONSANGUINEOUS (567)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. HEAD BANGERS (595)          26
2. MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)         20      CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
3. THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)     17      Unchartered Team
4. Z GLADIATORZ (519)          11
5. SMITHSONIAN (245)            5      HEAD BANGERS (595)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)      57  14  0 80.3   1/ 1 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)     10  5 0
 2/ 0*HEAD BANGERS (595)         4   1  1 80.0   2/ 2 MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)       8  6 0
 3- 2*WARRIOR POETS (578)       11   4  3 73.3   3/ 5*HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)     6  6 1
 4/ 3 Z GLADIATORZ (519)       140  76  0 64.8   4/ 0*HEAD BANGERS (595)        4  1 1
 5- 4 BONDAGE (469)            128  81 12 61.2   5/ 3 SMITHSONIAN (245)         4  4 0
 6/ 5 SMITHSONIAN (245)        602 390 13 60.7   6/ 4 Z GLADIATORZ (519)        4  4 0
 7/ 6 MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)      133 177  2 42.9   7- 7*WARRIOR POETS (578)       3  2 1
 8/ 7*HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)     13  22  3 37.1   8- 6 BONDAGE (469)             3  6 0
 9/ 0*THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)    1   4  0 20.0   9/ 0*THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)   1  4 0

    '*'   Unchartered team                       '-'  Team did not fight this turn
   (###)  Avoid teams by their Team Id          ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

        + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Andorian Succession #27 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

     The Flower Shoppe was near the edge of the city, and Ravishing Redbud clearly
knew the neighborhood intimately--  Fandil paused and rephrased that thought as he
followed the Lady Protector and young Elosjon:  She knew the area very well.  She set
a wandering course at the beginning, so that within five minutes no one could have
guessed where they'd started from.  And, as the young woman had predicted, people
were looking only at her, not at her companions.  The old mage considered adding a
light spell to make himself and Elosjon even less noticeable but decided against it.
Even a minor spell used power, and he might need that power later.  And here in
Fratsfa, where there were, if not "lots" of magicians, at least several, the spell
itself might attract unwanted attention.
     They were passing through a very modest residential area, small houses, fenced
yards with gardens and laundry on the lines, chickens scratching in the dust, and
dogs that barked as they passed.  No mobs, hired or otherwise, no haughty lords, just
plain people.  Rather pleasant, if they didn't have such a weight on their future:
Finding out what had happened to the king and working out some way forward for
Andoria as a whole.
     The outskirts of the city faded into not-quite-rural, and then into outright
farming country.  Small farms, mostly, truck gardens, milk cows, more chickens.
Fandil avoided an aggressive rooster and admitted to himself that he didn't really
like chickens until they came out of the skillet all crispy and golden.  Woodlots
here and there along the winding, unpaved road.  More woods ahead, from what he could
see--rising ground, hills becoming the Daggerspine Mountains.
     He moved closer to the two young people ahead, noting that Redbud had a firm
grip on Elosjon's arm.  "Where do you plan to turn back, Redbud?" he asked.
     She flung a glance over her shoulder at him, with a smile that would have felled
an unwary young man at fifty paces.  "Oh, I think I might go all the way, sir!  After
all, I can see that Elosjon wants me to come along...."
     Fandil looked at the young mage, whose ears were as red as beets.  "Is that so?"
     Elosjon muttered something that Fandil took for agreement.  But he wasn't trying
to pull away from Redbud, so it might actually be agreement.
     "You say your grandfather told you about the Duke of Mountain Home," Fandil
said.  "What, exactly and completely, did he tell you?  After all, information is
power, and we'll need all we can get--that was a powerful spell we both felt."
     Elosjon seemed glad of something to think about other than the Flower Girl who
had hold of him.  "My grandfather just told me about the Duke resisting incorporation
into the Andorian League," he said.  "How he fought it to the end.  And that there
was a son who went away to study magic.  Most of what I know--it isn't much--about
how things are now is from Herlas.  He said--"
     "One thing at a time," Fandil said.  "Who's Herlas?"
     "You never heard of...?  Well, he's a magician from Zensu.  Older, he must be, I
don't know, at least forty.  Very skilled, but he had a bad reputation."
     "Bad as in doing what?  Demon worship, human sacrifice, Chaos magic?"
     "Oh, NO!  Not like that.  Well, that I ever heard of.  But very, um, ambitious,
and not too how his spells affected other people, you know."
     Fandil nodded.  He knew.  That kind of attitude was common among younger
magicians, and those who didn't grow out of it tended to go down dark paths to a bad
end.  One foot on the downward road and the other on a banana peel, as the saying
went.  "You say he 'had' a bad reputation.  Has this changed?"
     Elosjon shrugged and shuffled his feet in the dust of the road.  "I don't know.
We don't talk about him any more.  Not since he went to Andor to serve in the palace.
     If he'd been a dog, Fandil figured his ears would have stood straight up at
that.  "Herlas went to serve in the palace?"
     "Yes, about a year ago.  But I saw him a few months later, just the once, you
know, and he said, well, I didn't understand why he told me, or what he meant by it,
but."  Elosjon bit his lip and looked across Redbud at the older mage.  "I never knew
Herlas personally, you see, and while I'm fairly good, I'm not the best young
magician in Fratsfa, but he came to ME.  And he said I should remember that things
aren't always what they seem, and that 'right and wrong are independent of official
decrees', and that there was a magician around somewhere more powerful than all of us
together.  And two wrongs not making a right.  A lot of stuff like that.  And he said
that there was what he called a 'black heart' in the Daggerspines.  I thought about
that a lot after he left, and I remembered what my grandfather told me, and then we
felt the first of the barrier spells, and, well, I made some conclusions.  I don't
know if I'm right, but--"
     "I suspect you are right.  At the least, it will bear looking into.  Do you know
how to reach Mountain Home?"
     "I think so.  I never went, but I did look it up on a map."  The young Fratsfan
pointed ahead to where the road they were following bent northward.  "There should be
a fork up there, and we take the left-hand branch, south and west and uphill."
     Redbud looked right and left.  The countryside they were crossing was
increasingly wooded, and there had been no houses for the past few miles.  "This is
mostly hunting preserves for the lords of Fratsfa," she said.  "We'll need to go
carefully, especially once we turn off the road."
     "Might meet gamekeepers?" Fandil asked.
     "Yes, and they could be nasty ones.  But there might be other things, too."  She
scowled at the nearest trees, already dim with shadow as the sun sank toward the
Daggerspines.  "Things they hunt, and not just deer, you know.  Boars and bears!  I
wouldn't like to meet one of those while we're on foot."
     "Simpler to avoid trouble," Fandil agreed, "but if we meet it, we'll deal with
it."
     The road bent to the right, and there was the fork.  The left-hand branch was
narrow and choked with brush; it didn't look like anyone had passed there in months.
Fandil probed the first wall of brush with his staff.  Brambles and saplings bound
together with morning glory vines, but nothing that absolutely denied them passage.
     Redbud put her hand on her sword, perhaps thinking of cutting a path, then
hesitated.
     "Quite right," Fandil said.  "We don't want to leave a clear notice of our
passing this way."
     "We'll end up with leaves and bugs down our shirts!" she warned.
     "No doubt, but we'll survive that.  If one of your nasty gamekeepers found a
clear sign of intrusion and followed us, that would be worse."
     "I suppose."  She twitched her shoulders as though she was already itching and
then pushed into the brush.
     The other two followed.

        + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Andorian Succession #28 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Elsewhere:

     Lenpro didn't mention the disappearance of the gate they'd come through from Old
Fratsfa, but Sizzling Sunflower turned to look also.  "It isn't like we need a way
out," she said.  "This is a great place, really good soil for the roots, and plenty
of sunlight!"
     Lenpro looked at her, suddenly worried.  "Is this what you want for your life,
to become a sunflower completely and stand in the light with your feet in the dirt?
Bees to pollinate you and birds to harvest your seeds?"
     She turned her face, which was rounder and flatter and more like the flower she
was named for with every passing moment, toward him, and her eyes opened wide.
"Bees?"
     "I seem to recall that's how sunflowers do it."
     "BEES?"  She blinked at him, startled and dismayed.  "No!  Surely I wouldn't
become a PLANT."
     "Look at yourself," Lenpro said.  "Listen to what you've been saying."
     "The lady wants to be a plant, you shouldn't butt in," someone growled.
     Gladiator and manager turned.  Something that was half man and half feline faced
them, ears laid back and whiskers bristling.  "And this was your choice?" Lenpro
asked, indicating the hybrid form.  "To be neither one thing or the other, unwelcome
in either group?"  To ask such questions here and now was probably dangerous, the
creature looked to be balanced on knife-edge of temper and sanity, but he wasn't
feeling diplomatic.  A good fight might clear the--  No, he couldn't push things that
far, what was he thinking?  Was this place getting to him, too?  He had
responsibilities, and they did not include getting himself killed here in some pocket
dimension.  He took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, not my business.  But the young
lady is my business."
     The man-cat looked at them for a long minute, while others of this place
gathered behind him.  Other man-cats, but no two alike, something that might have
been a sort of werewolf, and many stranger forms.  Some were clearly not far from
their human beginnings, but others--he assumed they had started as human, but now it
was hard to believe that.  "You need to see the king," the man-cat decided.  "We will
take you there."
     So, a king.  Not the anarchy he had thought at first.  Was this good or bad?  A
king meant authority he could appeal to in order to get the kidnapped women returned.
But if the king said no, it meant authority on the other side, no recovery of the
women, and maybe no escape for himself and Sunflower.  Well, you played the hand you
were dealt.  He watched the denizens of this place move to surround them and herd
them through the chaotic jumble of buildings and ruins.  They weren't going to be
given a choice to decline.  And if they had to run, it wouldn't be easy to find their
way back through this maze.  Which was assuming that once they got back to where the
gate had been, they could make it appear and open for them; no guarantee on that.
     The king was holding court in--Lenpro blinked.  It looked more like a ruined
arena than any kind of palace.  An oval space open to the sky, stone steps or ledges
rising all around it with people lounging on them.  The floor of the place was
sandy... and blood stained.  They were hustled into a position before the raised
throne.
     Lenpro looked up at the king critically.  He might be some kind of werewolf, but
there was more to him now than just the man and the wolf.  He looked... unstable,
which was no surprise.  Tricky to deal with.  But the man behind him, if it was a
man, looked worse.  Ancient, skeletal, not-quite-human but in some different way.  No
suggestion of cat or wolf there!  Nor elf, dwarf, orc... it would be easy to call him
half a demon, and it might even be true.
     The mancat who had led them here began to speak, hissing and yowling and barely
intelligible.
     The king growled back at him, then turned his yellow-eyed gaze on Lenpro.  "You
would take people away from this place where they can be themselves?" he asked.
Despite his conspicuous fangs, he was easy enough to understand.
     "Those who came here of their own will, no," the manager said.  He didn't like
the idea of leaving so many people here in this insane place, but he couldn't rescue
everybody.  "Just the two women who were kidnapped a few hours ago.  They weren't
volunteers."
     The half-demon leaned to the king's ear and whispered something.  The werewolf
shrugged and shook his head.  To the mancat, the king said, "Bring the women here."
     The wait seemed interminable, and Lenpro didn't try to guess how long it was.
Subjective time was tricky, and he suspected that it might be different here anyway.
     Presently the mancat returned, with two more who were, well, not his own kind,
exactly, but more like him than like the others around.  And two still-human women,
young, disheveled, and frightened.
     The king scowled at everyone impartially.  To the kidnappers he said, "It is a
rule here that no one is forced to enter.  How came these women to be with you?"
     One of the kidnappers replied, yowling like an angry cat.  "We wanted them.
That is our nature.  So we took them.  Why should we not?  It is our nature.  We live
our true natures here."
     The king roared, leaping to his feet.  If there were words in the roar, Lenpro
could not decipher them, but several of the observers came forward to grab the
kidnappers.  "It is the Rule," he said, becoming calmer.  "Each of us can be himself,
but only if it does not put this whole place at risk.  By your actions you drew the
attention of Those Outside.  You know the penalty."
     "Death!" roared all the spectators together.
     The king nodded.  "Death on the altar.  Take them away."  When the guilty pair
were taken away, he turned to Lenpro.  "There will be no more kidnappings," he said.
"Your work here is done.  You may leave."
     "Not without the women we came for."
     "They have seen too much.  They cannot go."
     "Sunflower and I have seen, too.  Will you try to keep us here?"
     "You, no, you'd be nothing but trouble, but the woman is one of us.  Already she
is changing, as you see.  She shall remain and become her true self."
     "I don't want to stay here," Sunflower protested.  "This... plant is NOT my true
self, dammit!  It's just an accident because of my arena name!"
     The half-demon leaned forward to whisper to the king again, but he brushed his
advisor back.  "You are a gladiator?  Good.  Will you fight for your right to leave?"
he asked.
     "Yesss!"
     "And for the right of the other two," Lenpro added.  "They won't tell about this
place, and if they did, who would believe them."
     The half-demon muttered something and smashed the butt of his staff onto the
stone floor.
     The king turned to snarl at him.  "No!  I am king here, and I decide.  The
sunflower will fight for the right to leave, for herself and the other two women.  I
have said it.  Let it be done.  Bring someone to oppose her."

West of Fratsfa:

     The brush that choked the end of the road turned out to be a thin screen, maybe
a couple of yards of it.  The road beyond that screen wasn't exactly well worn, but
it did look like there'd been travel.  Regular travel.  Horses or maybe mules, Fandil
was no tracker to tell the difference, and besides, it was getting dark fast under
the trees.  But nothing with wheels that he could see a sign of.
     "We're going to have to find a place to camp soon," Ravishing Redbud said.  "In
fact, we should probably take the first good place we find."
     Elosjon stopped in his tracks and stared at her.  "Sleep OUTSIDE?"
     Redbud widened her eyes in comical dismay.  "You were going to ask someone who
lives out here," she waved at the forest, "for shelter?  I really don't think so."
     "If we could find a tree big enough to shelter us in its limbs, that might be
even better," Fandil said.  "I don't know what wild animals live in these woods--"
     "Deer, wolves, wild boars, bears," Redbud recited.  "Bears climb trees, though."
     "Three out of four is better than nothing," Fandil said.  "Start looking for a
tree."
     Elosjon opened his mouth, to make a further protest, probably, Fandil thought,
and then stopped.  The notes of a hunting horn were echoing through the shadowy
aisles of the forest.  He shivered a little.  "Trees, right.  Big trees... over
there?"  He pointed toward a darker area where the ground sloped downward.
     "Probably our best bet," Redbud said.  "And we'd better move fast."

       * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *

                          ---===ANDORIAN REGIONAL NEWS===---

                                     Duelmasters
                                     -----------
 DM   8 ARKERS (turn 308): CONCUSSION of CONSANGUINEOUS (Mannequin, mgr.)
 DM  11 ARUAK CITY (turn 619): LILAC LIZARD of ANIMAL FARM (Mino, mgr.)
 DM  14 TOBIR (turn 618): MR FANG of THE DOGHOUSE (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  22 SOLVEN (turn 606): ULTRA FAIT of DROP THE LEASH (Jekyll, mgr.)
 DM  24 ZORPUNT (turn 608): PAUL WEIDORFER of MEDAL OF HONOR J4 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  25 LYRATILAN (turn 605): WORKER BEE of WE BEE BAD (Dartor, mgr.)
 DM  26 CALEAM (turn 604): FLESH FLAYER of ULTRA-VIOLENT (Deep Thought, mgr.)
 DM  30 IAYE (turn 600): BAINES of GAMEHENDGE (Malaquar, mgr.)
 DM  40 ZENSU (turn 570): DAY TURNER of MEDAL OF HONOR G1 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  41 KATI-TEI (turn 561): SERGEANT 1 of MEDAL OF HONOR H3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  46 ARDIVENT (turn 552): BUM of DEATHTONGUE (Technogeek, mgr.)
 DM  52 FRATSFA (turn 256): BRAIN TUMOR of OTTO'S PARTS (Crip, mgr.)
 DM  63 AMEN-TEI (turn 451): THOMAS WIGLE of MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  71 KYR'TERR (turn 210): TRYPTOPHAN of SUPERIOR FORCES ZC (Manager, mgr.)
ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 504): GOKU of DRAGONBALL Z (Armalias, mgr.)

                                      Top Teams
                                      ---------
 DM   8 ARKERS (turn 308): CONSANGUINEOUS (Mannequin, mgr.)
 DM  11 ARUAK CITY (turn 619): ANIMAL FARM (Mino, mgr.)
 DM  14 TOBIR (turn 618): OTAGO HIGHLANDERS (The Mun, mgr.)
 DM  22 SOLVEN (turn 606): MIDDLE WAY 15 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  24 ZORPUNT (turn 608): MEDAL OF HONOOR J4 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  25 LYRATILAN (turn 605): THE MIDDLE WAY 4 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  26 CALEAM (turn 604): MENAGERIE (Ichabod Frothingslosh, mgr.)
 DM  30 IAYE (turn 600): LENPROS (Lenpro, mgr.)
 DM  40 ZENSU (turn 570): MEDAL OF HONOR G1 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  41 KATI-TEI (turn 561): MEDAL OF HONOR H3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  46 ARDIVENT (turn 552): FANDILS (Wise Old Fandil, mgr.)
 DM  52 FRATSFA (turn 256): FLOWER GIRLS (Lady Fern, mgr.)
 DM  63 AMEN-TEI (turn 451): MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  71 KYR'TERR (turn 210): THE ZOO (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 504): SUPERIOR FATHER et al (Manager, mgr.)

                                   Recent Graduates
                                   ----------------
 DM  11 ARUAK CITY (turn 618): SEPHIROTH of NIGHT'S GUARDIANS (Ichabod Frothingslosh)
 DM  14 TOBIR (turn 618): LITTLE BIG MUN of ALL THE MUN'S MEN (The Mun, mgr.)
 DM  41 KATI-TEI (turn 561): SERGEANT 1 of MEDAL OF HONOR H3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  52 FRATSFA (turn 255): TEALIN SALI of MIDDLE WAY 8 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  71 KYR'TERR (turn 210): TRYPTOPHAN of SUPERIOR FORCES ZC (Manager, mgr.)

                                      SPY REPORT

     Hail and well met warriors of ARKERS!  Know me for who I am, Zontani Sharp Eyes, 
Spymaster extraordinaire of all Alastari.  My praise to MIDDLE WAY 11 for their 3-1-0 
week this time out.  Indeed, it was a skillfully fought round deserving of notice!  A 
new guild, HEAD BANGERS, entered ARKERS with a clash this turn, showing off a 4-1-1 
record.  Indeed, a worthy addition to the city guilds.  WAR BOND caught the eye of 
many in the gladiatorial commission as it skillfully bested CONFIDENCE and was 
awarded 19 points in recognition.  In one of the week's more notable duels, NORM 
QUESHA put down ALAMO, causing it to lose 9 points of recognition in the process.  As 
is fitting, the most sought after warrior on the challenge boards this week was none 
other than Duelmaster CONCUSSION himself.  Who here was not present for the title 
fight this week as PEARL HARBOR boldly challenged CONCUSSION in order to strive for 
the Duelmasters honors?  Not for nothing has CONCUSSION in the past laid claim to the 
Duelmaster's throne, and this week he's proven his combat skill yet again.  Would you 
believe that over half of the old women in ARKERS seem to feel that they could fight 
better than you gladiators?   
     I have been in deep conclave with my spies who watched all that has recently 
transpired.  Indeed there is much I would report.  I saw one fighter that warriors 
avoided when this week's challenge seeking began.  BONDAGE is feared.  This much I 
can say.  If you didn't look down dark alleys you'd have been hard pressed to find 
any of Z GLADIATORZ last week.  Busy avoiding BONDAGE?   
     Vendettas.  Bloodied blades and broken spears.  Indeed the city has seen more 
than its fair share of red in recent times.  Must the anguished spirit of BOILING 
BLOOD toss forever in the grave unrevenged?  Against the code, QUEUE has escaped his 
deed unpunished by BLOOD RITES!  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 ARKERS.  Nice atmosphere you have here!  More than a sharp eye must I 
keep, indeed a stout pair of legs must I keep as well!  The endless paths of Alastari 
await me!  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                  
 CONCUSSION 4893              12   2  0   172       CONSANGUINEOUS (567)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CONSTERNATION 4896           13   1  0   118       CONSANGUINEOUS (567)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ZENITH 5082                  13   7  0   110       Z GLADIATORZ (519)
-ZIP 4383                     17  11  0   104       Z GLADIATORZ (519)
 ZINGER 4890                  25   9  0   100       Z GLADIATORZ (519)
 WAR BOND 5066                15  11  0   100       SMITHSONIAN (245)
-EMM 4588                     12   8  1    98       BONDAGE (469)
 CONUNDRUM 4892               14   4  0    93       CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
 INDIOR LANDIS 5058           16  15  0    92       MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 PEARL HARBOR 5076            15  11  0    87       SMITHSONIAN (245)
 CONFIDENCE 4894              10   4  0    86       CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
-QUEUE 4549                   14  11  4    83       BONDAGE (469)
-PUSSY GALORE 4467            11  11  0    76       BONDAGE (469)
 KERBIN NOTTS 5040            13  20  0    71       MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ZILCH 5081                    8   5  0    66       Z GLADIATORZ (519)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 NORM QUESHA 5171              5   0  0    50       MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)
 CONFESSION 4895               8   3  0    46       CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
-GERONIMO 5125                 3   4  0    45       SMITHSONIAN (245)
-WATERLOO 5119                 5   2  0    44       SMITHSONIAN (245)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-ROSA KLEBB 4713               7   7  1    33       BONDAGE (469)
 ZITHER 5153                   5   0  0    32       Z GLADIATORZ (519)
-JUVENAL 4988                  2   1  1    31       WARRIOR POETS (578)
-DIOCLETIAN 4990               2   1  0    31       WARRIOR POETS (578)
 ALAMO 5151                    3   1  0    29       SMITHSONIAN (245)
 AYANNAH WULF 5145             2   5  0    25       HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ESAU HARDGRAVE 5144           5   2  1    23       HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)
-MARTIN LUTHER 4987            3   0  2    22       WARRIOR POETS (578)
-SIMON BOLIVAR 4989            2   1  0    19       WARRIOR POETS (578)
-MENCIUS 4986                  2   1  0    15       WARRIOR POETS (578)
 JOS GATECRASHER 5146          3   4  1    14       HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)
-ALBRECHT WULF 5142            1   6  0    13       HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)
 SONIA 5185                    1   0  0    13       THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)
 JEREMAYO MELLON 5179          2   2  0     8       MIDDLE WAY 11 (546)
 METALLICA 5159                1   0  1     7       HEAD BANGERS (595)
 PINK 5161                     1   0  0     6       HEAD BANGERS (595)
 KORN 5160                     1   0  0     6       HEAD BANGERS (595)
 SLIP KNOT 5162                1   0  0     6       HEAD BANGERS (595)
 FORSAKEN 5180                 1   0  0     5       HEAVEN'S SHADOW (594)
 SALIVA 5163                   0   1  0     1       HEAD BANGERS (595)
 DRIZZLE 5181                  0   1  0     1       THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)
 SHEN ZU 5183                  0   1  0     1       THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)
 GRUUMSH 5182                  0   1  0     1       THE ASSASIN GUILD (598)

'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
BOILING BLOOD 5093     13  7 0 BLOOD RITES 585      QUEUE 4549            305  NOT REVENGED
GEORGE JOHN 5186        0  1 0 MIDDLE WAY 11 546    MARTIN LUTHER 4987    308   
GIMBLE THE QUICK 5184   0  1 0 THE ASSASIN GUIL 598 METALLICA 5159        309   

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Too many little gremlins running around here!  We need to bag 'em and return 'em to
The Shire. -- The Z Man

Nice DM column, Concussion.  Did you tell us all your manager knows? -- The Z Man

Jos -- I may not be done with you yet.  I like the song you sing.  (wink) -- Zither

Congratulations, again, to duelmaster Concussion. -- Curator

Yep, his surprise attack stunned me and left me with few weapons to use.  You just
wait until I get my atom bomb, Concussion! -- Pearl Harbor
P.S.  Meanwhile, salute.

Toker -- And a big welcome to you!  Howdy.  It should feel a little like a mini-TW
here, what with Mannequin, Jorja, Spawn, Consortiums, and a few others.  We are GLAD
to have you.  Lady Fern says "See you in the Fratsfa Quest." -- Curator

Rosa Klebb -- Turnabout is fair play, they say.  For a change, it wasn't MY...
Waterloo

Khalhum's Dwarf -- Thanks for the win.  Hey, you look like a giant compared to those
Consanguineous guys! -- War Bonds

     He has a big spirit.

After the past few turns, I'm more than happy with a 4-0-1 result against the
riffraff.  Now, if I can just manage the same thing against you lot, I'll be in much
better shape. -- Downtime

Toker -- Greetings to you and your Warrior Poets.  I'm rather new here but I'm
certainly enjoying myself.  It's been a bit sparse here lately, so I'm looking
forward to playing against returning veterans. -- Downtime

Spawn -- Your reprint worked.  Thank you! -- Downtime

Conundrum -- No, sorry, that's a puzzle to me. -- Indior Landis

Pussy Galore -- Er, ah!  It was an experience. -- Kerbin Notts

Mencius -- Why am I thinking in Chinese?  Where's my encyclopedia?  Ah, here we are:
follower of Confucious, held that man is naturally good and true moral sense is
inborn.  A radical idealist, in fact.  Good show.  Long may you wave, or something.
-- Norm Quesha
P.S.  I don't know if you're right, but I hope so!

Simon Bolivar -- Somehow I don't think your style fits your bio.  But we do as we
must to get by in the world, don't we? -- Jeremayo Mellon

Martin Luther -- It isn't that I have anything against you personally, well, except
that you won and I died, but you didn't even give me a chance to get baptised.  How
can you have allowed that? -- Ghost of George John

Zilch -- Balance is important.  Aggression balanced with defense, action with
reaction.  There's a natural law about it. -- Indior Landis

Z Man -- Yeah, well, on the one hand I want to say "it gets no better," but on the
other hand, how could it? -- Kerbin Notts, with the same matchup

Curator -- Thanks. -- Ferodis Ink

29 April 09
Greetings All -- This is Vincent Michaels, "the Rake", mgr. of the Stormbringers out
of DM 33 Niatoli Island, back after a relatively long layoff.  I come back to my
arena to find only two other teams there.  Terrible!  I'm calling on all you managers
out there who have inactive teams in Niatoli to put them back in the game.  Also,
anyone else who wants to come check out our little island are welcome.  Good food and
a lot of good gambling, and you will have a chance to smack around Gen. GirlPants and
his band of Ravaged Queens.  Great fun.  Come one, come all!

4 May 09
Players of Duel 2:

RSI wants to try, in a few arenas, a system that rewards role-play and general arena
involvement.  Our thoughts at this time are as follows, and feedback is earnestly
solicited:

1.  What to reward.
a.  Spotlights--they don't have to be involved and lengthy storylines, and in fact,
my own inclination is to say: anything game related and original (i,e,, not a
reprint), maybe set a minimum length.  I use TOGS here as my model--half a column as
formatted for the newsletter, and we don't judge the quality of the writing (so long
as the editor isn't grossed out), just the intent to make a positive contribution.
b.  A dm column where one is "due."  Again, no judgment on quality of writing, should
be dm-related, and I would say (this is just me) a minimum length of maybe five
lines.
c.  Personals.  More than just "you suck," or "good fight."  How much more doesn't
really concern me, and quality, other than "not offensive to the editor," should not
be an issue.  We don't want to encourage participation and then muzzle it.
d.  It has been suggested that a reward point or two be offered for running a full
team.  We could include this, but my own inclination would be to say that there would
be no points for this, but that those who don't make a clear effort on this
(accidents happen, so maybe something like "when the three-turn total of fights is
below twelve"?) aren't eligible for points on any turn until they get it back up to a
full team.

2.  How to reward it.
a.  We've been thinking nebulously about some kind of point system, obviously, as an
example, say 3 points for a spotlight, 2 for a column, 1 for personals, more points
here for what takes more effort, but some points for any effort.  This is in no way
final!  But some way to keep track of who is contributing and how much, and as non-
subjective as possible; this would be noted as each newsletter would be proofed.  A
way to clearly identify who's sending in what would help, but I can work it out by
referring to the warrior listings if I have to.
b.  But, assuming a point system, do the rewards, whatever they end up being, go to
the player who achieves a certain point total?  Is this calculated per turn, or as a
running total over as many turns as it takes to reach that point?  Or to the player
with the highest total on any given turn?  What about ties?
c.  What do the points get the player?  The current thought is X points gets a free
fight, probably replacing the "Popularity Leader's" free fight in the relevant arena.
That suggests only one player getting a role-play free fight on any given turn.  Is
this enough to encourage the newsletter participation we're hoping for?  Should we
convert "This Week's Favorite" to a role-play free fight also?  Or handle rewards in
some other way entirely?

3.  Where it happens.
The current thought is, try it in four arenas:  one in each region, and one slow
arena.  Who picks the arenas in question?  I'd be inclined to rule out those that are
doing fairly well already (Ardivent, Sunset, Lapur; Arkers, Morya, North Fork), but
is that wise?  Or even fair?  Darned if I know.  Places where it is NOT currently
intended to happen:  Transfer arenas.  Maybe rule out the no-tourney arenas as
current candidates, too?

If this seems to work well enough to be worth the effort, should we consider
extending it to more, eventually to all non-transfer, arenas?

This is not a "someday down the line we might" concept.  We want to do this, and
SOON.  Your feedback would be appreciated, for, against, changes, anything.  You can
email me directly at jputney zianet com (make sure it says DM in the subject line) or
send a diplo to scribe, any arena.

the Scribe

P.S.  Staff members not to be eligible for role-playing free fights.

5 May 09
The Battle Royal V is upon us!  Come join one of the original contests that has had
some of the games best managers involved in the past.  DM 18, Talcama, some consider
it to be the crown jewel of the Delarq cities is where this contest will take place.

The Battle Royal is intended to be a play as you want, play what you want Delarquan
style contest with very few rules.  While I'd love to say, "NO AVOIDING" is the only
rule (and that wouldn't be too far off), I must spell out situations that can and
have occurred and require additional clarification.

The advantages of this format:
1) Simple.
2) No penalty for DAs.
3) No restrictions on warriors entered into the contest (baggers, TC mods, etc all
   welcome)
4) No penalty for not fighting. 
5) It isn't a race where 21 wit and favorite learn determine the victor.
6) Losing a warrior (or even your whole team) doesn't eliminate you from contention.
7) It is possible to overcome almost any deficit.  And this has been proven, with
   managers making huge point swings in short periods of time!
8) It is a contest designed to show manager skill rather than warrior ability.

There are a few disadvantages:
1) There is no set end.  It is possible for this contest to go on indefinitely.  In
   practice, this format has worked very nicely in the past and I expect it will
   continue to work well. 
2) You cannot avoid (But that is part of the fun and the head to head nature of this
   contest requires this rule.)
3) It encourages bloodshed.
4) Baggers and experienced warriors have an advantage over new warriors.

Battle Royal Rules:

- Any team in Talcama is eligible to participate.  There are no restrictions on
warriors (baggers, TC prize modified, etc).  However, any warrior that fights for
your team is considered in the BR.

- Teams may not avoid any other team within the contest.  (Note that you may avoid
teams outside the contest but you do so at your own risk.)  Avoiding a team on the
turn they enter the Battle Royal is not considered against the rules (since you
couldn't know the team wasn't part of the BR).  The suggestion is not to avoid at
all.  Assur (the contest moderator) gets an avoid report every turn and will catch
people avoiding!

- Managers may only enter a single team in the contest.

- Any manager with more than one team in Talcama may not challenge any other contest
warrior with their non contest team(s).  The intention is that no advantage can be
gained by having multiple teams in the arena.

****Failure to comply with the above rules***
1st offense: Disqualification from the prize, but you may still participate.
2nd offense: Warning.
3rd offense: Removal from Battle Royal.

- If a manager decides to switch teams, his score will start back at 0.  This is to
prevent a manager from sweeping the contest with several teams of sandbaggers.  Can a
manager use this clause to go from a negative score to zero?  Yes.  I realize this is
sort of cheating, but I'd rather have a manager start over with a new team than drop
out of the contest.  Even so, they have to start at 0 and must gain 25 points.

- If your warrior loses a contest fight because of an input error and this error is
verified by RSI, you will have a point added to your score.  The head to head records
will remain the same and any points gained by another manager will remain on that
manager's record.

- As soon as you are announced in the newsletter, you are officially entered into the
Battle Royal.  Scoring begins on that turn!  You are expected to follow the rules
that turn and every turn following.  Your team may enter any time they wish during
the course of the Battle Royal.

- If you are exiting the Battle Royal, you are not removed until the turn after your
intention is published.  You are asked to follow the rules for that turn (either
through not avoiding or not running your warriors).

Scoring:
- Scoring begins the turn your team declares participation.
- Scoring continues through the turn your team withdraws.
- Score is calculated by: Wins+Kills-Lossses.
- Only fights with other B.R. participannts count towards your score, but they count
  whether they are challenges or random match-ups.
- First Manager to 25 points wins!
- In event of tie, B.R. continues until one team that has reached 25 points is ahead
  of all other participants.

Disputes:
- The attempt has been made to make these rules as complete and bulletproof as
possible, but Tripwire will resolve any disputes as fairly as he is capable.

Prizes:
For the Winner:

6 Months Free Play in Talcama for the winning team (doesn't include tourneys)!

One +1 Bonus Potion (up to max for warrior, to be used on a warrior in DM 18)!

One Limited Damage Bump Potion (one time use, up to max for stats, used on DM 18
warrior)!

One Minor Stat Switch Prize (up to 2 points can be moved from one stat to another
stat on a new rollup in DM 18, before adding 14 points.  This prize can be used up to
3 months from the contest end.  Both points must be used in the same place (can't
take one from a speed and one from deftness and add one to wit and will)).

One Favorites Knowledge Potion (to be used on a 5+ FE warrior in DM 18).

Rename One Dark Arena Creature in DM 18, which will be renamed for 6 Months or until
the Ladies decide to return it to the previous name.

All potions renaming prizes must be used within 2 turns of the end of the contest.

Endurance Award (available to all participants):

One +1 Bonus Potion (up to max for warrior, to be used on a warrior in DM 18).

To qualify for the Endurance Award you must participate in 90% of the total fights
possible over the course of the BR.  If you don't have time to make it into the BR by
the first turn, there will be a two turn window before the counter will start for new
teams.  The fights do not have to be BR point scoring fights, just 90% of the total
possible participation over the course of the contest!  So, if the contest runs 26
turns, there are 130 fights possible. Your team must have 117 fights during those 26
turns to be eligible.

All prizes/potions subject to RSI's interpretation of how they are used/implemented.
RSI said the faves knowledge must be used on an Inits warrior or higher and set at
5FE or more.

Tripwire

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

PEARL HARBOR was devastated by CONCUSSION in a 1 minute Challenge Title fight.
ZINGER was outlasted by CONSTERNATION in a slow 19 minute veteran's Challenge melee.
ZENITH viciously subdued CONUNDRUM in a popular 2 minute veteran's Challenge contest.
ALAMO was devastated by NORM QUESHA in a 1 minute uneven Challenge brawl.
CONFESSION was savagely defeated by KERBIN NOTTS in a 6 minute Challenge struggle.
ZITHER unbelievably bested AYANNAH WULF in a action packed 8 minute Challenge fight.
CONFIDENCE slimly lost to WAR BOND in a popular 4 minute gruesome expert's duel.
INDIOR LANDIS unbelievably bested ZILCH in a popular 2 minute brutal fight.
JOS GATECRASHER was overcome by STRAY CATMAN in a 2 minute gory bout.
ESAU HARDGRAVE subdued JEREMAYO MELLON in a 1 minute match.
PINK viciously subdued GRUUMSH in a exciting 1 minute brutal amateur's conflict.
SLIP KNOT bested DRIZZLE in a crowd pleasing 1 minute amateur's bout.
SALIVA was luckily beaten by FORSAKEN in a 4 minute bloody novice's duel.
KORN won victory over SHEN ZU in a crowd pleasing 1 minute novice's fray.
METALLICA viciously butchered GIMBLE THE QUICK in a 1 minute brutal novice's brawl.
SONIA demolished SHIFTYEYED VOLUNTEER in a 2 minute one-sided bout.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK                   9         BASHING ATTACK    33 -  20 -  1      62  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      5         AIMED BLOW        26 -  17 -  1      60  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    3         TOTAL PARRY       28 -  21 -  0      57  |
|AIMED BLOW                       3         LUNGING ATTACK    23 -  21 -  5      52  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  3         PARRY-RIPOSTE     13 -  13 -  0      50  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    3         PARRY-LUNGE        8 -  10 -  1      44  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   2         SLASHING ATTACK   13 -  17 -  2      43  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         WALL OF STEEL      8 -  12 -  0      40  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         STRIKING ATTACK   12 -  20 -  0      38  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  0         PARRY-STRIKE       6 -  11 -  0      35  |

Turn 309 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:

TOTAL PARRY        4 -  1     AIMED BLOW         1 -  2         3  BASHING ATTACK 
PARRY-RIPOSTE      2 -  1     SLASHING ATTACK    1 -  2         2  TOTAL PARRY    
BASHING ATTACK     6 -  3     WALL OF STEEL      1 -  2         2  WALL OF STEEL  
                              PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  1         2  AIMED BLOW     
                              PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  1         1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
                              LUNGING ATTACK     0 -  2         1  LUNGING ATTACK 
                              STRIKING ATTACK    0 -  0     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
BASHING ATTACK   CONCUSSION 4893            12   2  0  172 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
PARRY-RIPOSTE    CONSTERNATION 4896         13   1  0  118 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
TOTAL PARRY      ZINGER 4890                25   9  0  100 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
WALL OF STEEL    WAR BOND 5066              15  11  0  100 SMITHSONIAN (245)
AIMED BLOW       CONUNDRUM 4892             14   4  0   93 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
LUNGING ATTACK   CONFIDENCE 4894            10   4  0   86 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
SLASHING ATTACK  ZILCH 5081                  8   5  0   66 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
PARRY-LUNGE      CONFESSION 4895             8   3  0   46 CONSANGUINEOUS (567)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is KERBIN NOTTS 5040.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was AYANNAH WULF 5145.  The ten other most popular fighters were KERBIN NOTTS 
5040, ZENITH 5082, CONFIDENCE 4894, WAR BOND 5066, ZILCH 5081, PINK 5161, SALIVA 
5163, CONCUSSION 4893, INDIOR LANDIS 5058, and SLIP KNOT 5162.

The least popular fighter this week was ZINGER 4890.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were CONSTERNATION 4896, GIMBLE THE QUICK 5184, FORSAKEN 5180, GRUUMSH 5182, 
ALAMO 5151, PEARL HARBOR 5076, SHEN ZU 5183, DRIZZLE 5181, JEREMAYO MELLON 5179, and 
JOS GATECRASHER 5146.

The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:

CONCUSSION (8-4893) CONSANGUINEOUS (567)

                  MAIL-IN TOURNEY XLVII

ADM TOURNEY                            W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
AUJARD 4639 (42-35-0)                  5  3  0         LA PENTARCHIE        

FRESHMEN TOURNEY                       W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
CRIMSON MIST 5047 (22-9-1)             5  3  0         BLOOD RITES          

CHAMPIONS TOURNEY                      W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
CONSTERNATION 4896 (12-1-0)            1  3  0         CONSANGUINEOUS       

INITIATES TOURNEY                      W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
DIOCLETIAN 4990 (2-1-0)                2  3  1         WARRIOR POETS        
MENCIUS 4986 (2-1-0)                   2  3  0         WARRIOR POETS        

APPRENTICES TOURNEY                    W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
ZITHER 5153 (4-0-0)                    5  3  0         Z GLADIATORZ         

ROOKIES TOURNEY                        W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
BLOOD SPRAY 5170 (0-0-0)               2  3  0         BLOOD RITES          
CRIMSON DRIP 5172 (0-0-0)              1  3  0         BLOOD RITES          

CHAMPIONS FOOLS TOURNEY                W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
ZENITH 5082 (12-7-0)                   5  2  1         Z GLADIATORZ         

INITIATES FOOLS TOURNEY                W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
JUVENAL 4988 (2-1-1)                   1  3  0         WARRIOR POETS        
MALBORGIA V 5084 (6-4-0)               1  3  0         PENUMBRAL MISTS      

APPRENTICES FOOL TOURNEY               W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
SIMON BOLIVAR 4989 (2-1-0)             1  3  0         WARRIOR POETS        
MARTIN LUTHER 4987 (3-0-2)             0  3  0         WARRIOR POETS