DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER Date : 09/23/2003 Duedate: 10/06/2003 ZUKAL ARENA DM-9 TURN-475 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS GWEN RYDER DREAM PARK (447) (9-4867) [15-2-0,109] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader GWEN RYDER SLASH LARUE DREAM PARK (447) CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) (9-4867) [15-2-0,109] (9-4993) [4-1-0,40] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite GWEN RYDER SLASH LARUE DREAM PARK (447) CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) (9-4867) [15-2-0,109] (9-4993) [4-1-0,40] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) 28 2. BLUE MOON (381) 10 DREAM PARK (447) 3. DREAM PARK (447) 4 Unchartered Team 4. LETTER BOMBS (436) 0 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 2 DREAM PARK (447) 23 16 0 59.0 1/ 1*CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) 9 5 1 2/ 3*CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) 14 10 1 58.3 2/ 2 BLUE MOON (381) 6 8 0 3- 4 LETTER BOMBS (436) 58 61 2 48.7 3/ 3 DREAM PARK (447) 3 0 0 4/ 5 BLUE MOON (381) 273 390 9 41.2 4- 5 LETTER BOMBS (436) 0 1 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[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #69 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(< Zukal: Ghenis watched the ship _Relentless_ ease out into the channel and brushed his hands together. It was bound for Niatoli to further certain interests of the dark cult. On it was Veleks, and Cousin Og, who would look after the small thief...one way or another. Which freed him to attend to other matters. First of those other matters was a meeting with Pelishtekan, the Ferencian who was currently the 'chief priest' of the cult. Ghenis scowled to hide his grimace of disgust. He didn't like the Ferencian. In fact, he loathed the man. But it wasn't necessary to like him, not really. As long as Pelishtekan did his job, nothing else counted. And right now, the man's job was to explain what manner of creature, monster, or whatever was hunting over the lands just north of Zukal. And how the damned thing could be fought and destroyed. It was in the way of certain plans that he had made for the benefit of the dark cult...and of himself, of course. The dark power did not expect his minions to work for nothing but the joy of it. Ghenis left the waterfront behind and wove his way through the twisted and noisome alleys of one of Zukal's poorest districts. The cult always had its centers among the homes of the poor. They were the ones who had something to gain from it, and nothing to lose, from shaking up the old order, after all. Ghenis smiled just a little. He liked shaking things up. The cult was headquartered in a tall narrow building squeezed between other tall narrow buildings. The cellar, which was dark and always damp and divided into tiny rooms no more than six feet square, was used for...storage. More or less. The ground floor, reached by going down half a dozen steps from street level, was the shrine itself. The level above that was where the main work of the cult was done, the plotting and planning, the gathering of information, the good stuff. Above that, two floors of small rooms where members of the cult lived if they couldn't do better for themselves. And on the top floor, the pigeons that carried messages from points as distant as Zuwayza and Murska in the north, Rocanis, Xochithlan, and even Tricorus in the south. Most people had no idea how far the cult reached. Which was another source of amusement to Ghenis. The authorities here in Zukal, the very heart of the cult, had no idea that it was anything more than a handful of dissatisfied commoners meeting to worship some petty godling. Ha! If Bey Sekahos knew how near he stood to the rim of disaster, how fast he was sliding down the slope into hell--! Even the Bandit Princes, who had a clearer understanding of their city, didn't know that the cult was gaining power daily and would soon be ready to make its move. IF the monster north of the city could be dealt with. Ghenis pushed open the door and stepped toward Pelishtekan's office. Near Malcorn: The finger of light slid across the surface of the tall stone and touched the worn carvings, which leaped into sudden clarity. The little clearing, which had been empty except for Lord Malcorn and Tiljanz al Burgos, the young Karnhorn diplomat, was suddenly full of shadows. Or something. Tiljanz could feel the weight of a dozen minds thinking about him--calculating minds, hostile minds, hungry ones. He held himself still and quiet with difficulty. This was Lord Malcorn's meeting; he himself was just present as a witness. Words came out of the darkness, hollow as caves, clear as trumpets. "Why are you here, Malcorn?" "To demand that you enforce your side of the agreement we made, Dregur," the lord of Malcorn replied. If a great tree had spoken, its voice might have sounded like that. "Our side? What have we, the true and original lords of all the land between the lakes, to 'enforce' at the command of an ephemeral like you?" "Do not play games with me. A deal was made and sworn under just such a moon, that the dregur would attack only those who entered this land at the command of the Easterner Inzolas. In return for this, you were released from the Silent Place." "And if we choose now to disregard that 'deal' you speak of?" Idle inquiry. "The Silent Place is still there." "You think you could return us to that captivity?" Scorn and amusement. "You?" "If you do not keep your side of the agreement," now Malcorn's voice was like iron, cold black iron, "I will return you to that captivity. Me." At that moment, Tiljanz did not doubt that Blackie would do just that, whatever the cost to himself. "We did make an oath." The voice was the same, but different. A different dregur speaking, Tiljanz thought. "The oath is a binding already. He could do it." Warning, cool consideration. "Because a few of us have chosen to Hunt freely, as we used to? Unfair! This land was OURS. If we stretch out our hand to take it back, where is the injustice in that?" Passion. "The injustice is in the breaking of our oath. The land itself will reject an oathbreaker. It has always been so." Stern command. "We must keep our part of the bargain, or by our failure we release Lord Malcorn from his. And he could then return us to the Silent Place, if he is willing to pay the price." A pause. "And you can see that he is so willing." Objection. "Those who Hunt alone will not be called back to the kennel, even by you." Unyielding command. "Then I myself will lead a Hunt against them." SPY REPORT Oh, hi. Its just little 'ol Debby Tonte. Thought I'd check out ZUKAL to see what's new. MVP award for BISBEE? BLUE MOON's proud of him after beating EMBEZZLING SCRIBE and getting 18 points. This Duelmaster is like something else! GWEN RYDER stopped M. CHARDINEE dead in his tracks! Who was the wiseguy that said ZUKAL's Duelmaster was paying for drinks at The Blue Boar Inn? Don't look at me! So just why would someone becomes a warrior anyway? It can't be for these really neat Spyreports can it? The warriors of SUPERIOR SPLASHES must be getting lonely. They were the most avoided team. Do you guys know something that I don't? I don't know what CLAN O' WHOOPAS' been doing. They certainly haven't been accepting many fights from SUPERIOR SPLASHES, that's fer sher. Can BLUE MOON's BLUE GOOSE be more popular than me? He was challenged the most, but is that really the same? For sure, I was holding my breath when I found out SLASH LARUE challenged BLUE GOOSE. After all, haven't CLAN O' WHOOPAS and BLUE MOON had a long standing duel in ZUKAL? It wasn't a spectacular fight, or anything, but BLUE GOOSE wants me to write about it since he beat SLASH LARUE. Satisfied? TITO THE GUIDO must not be a good enough fighter to get in fair fights. He challenged BLUE MONDAY. 11 is a big difference. (Well, that's what they tell me.) I thought TITO THE GUIDO showed great skill and promise when he overcame BLUE MONDAY. All right, so I slept through it! Big deal! Challenges, revenges, Bloodfeuds. All ZUKAL ever talks about is fighting! Me, I'm more laid back. Hey you guys, don't you think your families would like to hear from you? Write! (Or have someone write for you.) I really didn't, you know, study when I was a kid. Who would've guessed I'd be a famous Spyreporter? I gotta leave. ZUKAL is like such a dump, and you guys smell too much! I had a fun time, see you later-- Debby Tonte DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GWEN RYDER 4867 15 2 0 109 DREAM PARK (447) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -E. VICTOR 4864 13 9 0 79 LETTER BOMBS (436) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BLUE GOOSE 4937 12 12 0 59 BLUE MOON (381) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SLASH LARUE 4993 4 1 0 40 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) TITO THE GUIDO 4992 4 1 0 38 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ 4990 3 2 1 31 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) -ALEX GRIFFIN 4856 5 5 0 29 DREAM PARK (447) -ACACIA GARCIA 4862 3 2 0 28 DREAM PARK (447) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BISBEE 5002 2 2 0 23 BLUE MOON (381) BLUE MONDAY 4968 5 6 0 21 BLUE MOON (381) STONEWALL JACKSON 4991 3 2 0 15 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MORENCI 5003 0 4 0 4 BLUE MOON (381) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? PERSIS 5020 1 1 0 BLUE MOON 381 CLEOPATRA SCHWAR 4990 475 ANOTHER BAD ROLL 5022 0 1 0 CLAN O' WHOOPAS 457 WURM KIN 630 475 NONE PERSONAL ADS Blue Groove -- Forget about it! It's business, nothing personal. -- Tito The Guido Moleaci -- Lash Larue has no relation to me. But my name was based on The Cowboy, with a personal touch to my style. -- Slash Larue Slash Larue -- (stern look) That was unneighborly of you. -- Blue Monday, heading for a black and blue Tuesday Stonewall Jackson -- You were SUPPOSED to just STAND there like a stone wall! -- Morenci Cleopatra Schwartz -- I can see you're getting the hang of this dueling stuff. Darn. -- Bisbee, not doing so well yet P.S. But the skills will help me, no doubt. Tito the Guido -- Hmm, that could be classed as a demonstration of the extreme unfairness of the MUGs (match-up gods). Though I am not by nature a killer (we Ducks are pacifists at heart), you did well to survive that mismatch. Better luck next time. -- Blue Goose So far, so good. -- Persis, looking apprehensively at the other gladiators in the arena 25 August 2003 To any that care -- The CDC is back; our current roster is: Malaquar -- Minion of Guardian Pip the Troll -- Burly Enforcer Type mouse -- Official Sneaky Bastard Papa Bear -- Elder Statesmen The Sealer says, "Hi, I'm the dealer." Papa Bear says, "It's not my f****n fault." Guardian -- Paper Figurehead 9 September 2003 WE'RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MANAGERS! If you think you have what it takes to match wits and blades with some of the best managers in Alastari, then WE WANT YOU! The Tournament Of The Golden Scrod #4 will begin in Aradi (DM 60) the turn after the Fall Mail-In. It's not too late for you to sign up. I realize that many of you may be hesitant after seeing that myself and Hombre have teamed up again, but we'll try to take it easy on you guys a little bit. For more information on T#%S IV, please contact me at ganolus@aol.com. We're looking for a few good managers...the few, the proud, the TOGS! -- Ganolus Oakleaf, T#%S IV Commish 15 September 2003 An Announcement Concerning the Brotherhood of the Blade Alliance: I have chosen to withdraw my membership from the Brotherhood of the Blade alliance. The years I have spent in the alliance have been the best of my DM career. I leave the alliance with many great friends and will always remain close to my former brethren. The Brotherhood of the Blade will not skip a beat without my membership. It remains in very capable hands and its roster is among the strongest in the game. With the return on some of its founding members to DM, I know the BOB will continue to grow in strength and prestige in the years to come. -- The Sandman LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS ANOTHER BAD ROLLUP was butchered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight. SLASH LARUE was bested by BLUE GOOSE in a 2 minute novice vs. expert Challenge duel. TITO THE GUIDO demolished BLUE MONDAY in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight. CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ butchered PERSIS in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge contest. STONEWALL JACKSON defeated MORENCI in a 3 minute amateur's Challenge match. GWEN RYDER devastated M. CHARDINEE in a 1 minute one-sided Title duel. BISBEE devastated EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute mismatched match. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |WALL OF STEEL 4 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 0 - 0 100 | |BASHING ATTACK 2 AIMED BLOW 6 - 1 - 0 86 | |LUNGING ATTACK 1 WALL OF STEEL 20 - 10 - 0 67 | |STRIKING ATTACK 1 SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 2 - 0 67 | |AIMED BLOW 1 STRIKING ATTACK 9 - 8 - 1 53 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 8 - 8 - 1 50 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 TOTAL PARRY 9 - 12 - 0 43 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 3 - 4 - 1 43 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 BASHING ATTACK 6 - 10 - 0 38 | |TOTAL PARRY 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 7 - 0 13 | Turn 475 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: LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 1 4 WALL OF STEEL STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 LUNGING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 3 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 BASHING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 STRIKING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME WALL OF STEEL GWEN RYDER 4867 15 2 0 109 DREAM PARK (447) SLASHING ATTACK SLASH LARUE 4993 4 1 0 40 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) STRIKING ATTACK TITO THE GUIDO 4992 4 1 0 38 CLAN O' WHOOPAS (457) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is GWEN RYDER 4867. The most popular warrior this turn was SLASH LARUE 4993. The ten other most popular fighters were MORENCI 5003, BLUE GOOSE 4937, TITO THE GUIDO 4992, BISBEE 5002, CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ 4990, STONEWALL JACKSON 4991, GWEN RYDER 4867, ANOTHER BAD ROLLUP 5022, BLUE MONDAY 4968, and PERSIS 5020. The least popular fighter this week was PERSIS 5020. The other ten least popular fighters were BLUE MONDAY 4968, ANOTHER BAD ROLLUP 5022, GWEN RYDER 4867, STONEWALL JACKSON 4991, CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ 4990, BISBEE 5002, TITO THE GUIDO 4992, BLUE GOOSE 4937, MORENCI 5003, and SLASH LARUE 4993. FACE-TO-FACE TOURNEY XXXI GATEWAY TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME VENGEANCE 2052 (233-64-109) 3 3 0 ANGELS OF PAIN BRASS BELLS 4417 (49-35-0) 0 6 0 UNRELATED PRIMUS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME MENDELSSOHN 2894 (164-75-2) 11 3 0 MEPHISTO'S WALTZ TREMOR 3352 (116-57-1) 2 3 0 DSM4 BLUE BUNNY 2717 (105-57-0) 0 5 0 SUPERIOR FORCES ELIGIBLES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME BOUNCY BOTTOM 4393 (54-30-2) 8 3 0 UNRELATED ADM TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME THE BIG 'E' 4474 (34-27-0) 4 3 0 CAMERON CRAZIES D. FILER 4721 (28-5-1) 3 3 0 LETTER BOMBS PARANOIA 4557 (13-3-1) 2 3 0 DSM4 PORK CHOP 3878 (10-5-1) 1 3 0 PIGS ON PARADE CHAMPIONS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME ABE SIMPSON 4453 (13-8-0) 3 3 0 SPRINGFIELD PREDATOR 2701 (10-9-1) 3 3 0 THE WILLBURYS 9 FREE WHEEL 2912 (9-5-1) 2 3 0 THE WILLBURYS 9 SURADNA 4368 (8-2-0) 2 3 0 THE WILLBURYS 9 TREMERE 4915 (20-0-0) 1 3 0 DARK TOADS ADEPTS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME E. VICTOR 4864 (12-6-0) 3 3 0 LETTER BOMBS INITIATES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME ACC 5-PEAT! 4757 (1-1-0) 0 3 0 CAMERON CRAZIES ROOKIES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME VENTRIIE 4987 (0-0-0) 4 3 0 DARK TOADS D. RANGED 4972 (0-0-0) 0 3 0 LETTER BOMBS