DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 04/19/2005 Duedate: 05/02/2005 ZUKAL ARENA DM-9 TURN-514 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS TOP CAT ARENA FELINES (433) (9-4928) [13-3-1,112] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader TOP CAT AGEE ARENA FELINES (433) COVENANT ARMY (477) (9-4928) [13-3-1,112] (9-5163) [1-0-0,16] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite TOP CAT AZURITA ARENA FELINES (433) BLUE MOON (381) (9-4928) [13-3-1,112] (9-5124) [7-3-0,50] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM ARENA FELINES (433) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. COVENANT ARMY (477) 49 2. BLUE MOON (381) 29 ARENA FELINES (433) 3. ARENA FELINES (433) 4 Unchartered Team 4. DSM4 (239) 2 5. PHILANTHROPISTS (418) 0 COVENANT ARMY (477) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 0*COVENANT ARMY (477) 5 0 1 100 1/ 1 ARENA FELINES (433) 7 4 1 2- 1*HOMESTAR & CO (474) 6 3 1 66.7 2/ 3 BLUE MOON (381) 6 7 0 3/ 3 ARENA FELINES (433) 137 95 10 59.1 3/ 0*COVENANT ARMY (477) 5 0 1 4/ 0 DSM4 (239) 363 285 26 56.0 4- 2*PHILANTHROPISTS (418) 5 5 2 5- 4 LETTER BOMBS (436) 96 92 8 51.1 5- 4*HOMESTAR & CO (474) 2 1 0 6/ 6 BLUE MOON (381) 367 487 9 43.0 6/ 0 DSM4 (239) 0 2 0 7- 7*PHILANTHROPISTS (418) 14 20 3 41.2 7- 7 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[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Old Secrets #1 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Zrof One-Eye did not claim to be one of the Bandit Princes who ruled Zukal. No useful purpose would have been served by making such a claim, and it would have taken time and energy to defend it--time and energy which he preferred to spend on other things. And what was in a name, after all? It was significant that whenever the Bandit Princes met in secret council to debate problems and questions of policy, they always invited Zrof to attend. Tonight, the meeting was being held at the Baths of Terulio, an establishment which had been purchased a year ago by Doreg, one of the younger Bandit Princes. Parts of the building were ancient, said to pre-date the Chaos War of five hundred years ago. No one knew who, exactly, had built it, but the Fratsfans had been involved at some point, as the pointed Gathic arches testified. And the Serevadans must have had a hand in those atria. Had the Ferencians erected the colonnades? Despite the hodgepodge of architectural styles, and the Rirorni "furnishings" (tapestries, carpets, and cushions) with which Doreg had filled it, the whole thing was pleasing to the eye. And magnificently pleasing to the body. Zrof emerged from the hot pool, plunged briefly into the cold one, and finally allowed an attendant to wrap him in a toga-like bath sheet. Relaxing, refreshing, and--he allowed another servant to hand him a goblet of wine--supplied with the best vintages. He strolled into the private dining chamber that had been set aside for the meeting. Seven of the Princes were there already, and Doreg would doubtless enter at any moment. With himself, that made nine, and seven Princes were enough to conduct business in the name of the city. "This is a wasteful extravagance," Barandine grumbled. He was noted for his parsimony, habitually dressed in plain, well-worn clothing, and had been known to serve guests in his palace with a meal that the lowest tavern in the town could better. He was never slow to indulge in Doreg's generous meals, of course, and presently he sat in front of a plate loaded with roast venison, glazed ham, two roasted and stuffed pigeons.... Zrof shuddered and averted his gaze. That kind of indulgence made a man fat and slow, and a Bandit Prince of Zukal, the most intrigue-riddled city in Alastari, could not afford to be fat or slow. "You consider that it was too extravagant of Doreg to offer us this fine meal? The good wine?" The Arenamaster studied the selection on the long table--there were never servants at these private meetings--and picked up a plate. "No, if he wants to feast us, that is proper. He's the youngest of us, after all. It shows respect. It's buying this bathhouse in the first place, not to mention all the restoration work he's done here--wasteful! Extravagant! Just throwing his money away--" "I happen to know that the Terulio makes him a very handsome profit," Zrof countered. "And even if it didn't, so what? He isn't spending YOUR money." "Quite true." Doreg had entered unnoticed and now took his place at the table. "I have received word that none of the others can come tonight, therefore the doors are closed and the meeting is begun." The young (perhaps thirty) Rirorni fixed Barandine with a hard stare. "You called this meeting. Why? Surely it wasn't just to protest my business ventures." "I have several points," the older man growled. "First--" here he shot a spiteful glance at Zrof, "that we should close down the arena finally and completely, raze the structure, and turn the land to other uses. It's a good location--" "The arena is breaking even at the present," Zrof said. "Things may improve later--they have in the past. But in any case, the arena structure AND the land it stands on belongs to ME, and I have a contract with the Lady Greywand which requires that I keep it open until she says otherwise. If you, Barandine, make one move to damage my property or interfere with the fulfillment of my contract, I will see you dead...slowly." Barandine flushed with anger, which was easily visible on his light complexion-- could he be a renegade Fratsfan? That raised an interesting question with regard to a rumor Zrof had picked up three days ago. It had seemed unlikely at the time. True, men of all races poured through the city, but why should the Fratsfans care who ruled it? They were a long way off, and by all accounts their emperor was devoted to agricultural experiments. "Who cares what the Grey Witch wants?" Berandine demanded. "Besides, what She wants won't matter at all, soon." His narrow mouth twisted into an unpleasant smile. "She's an old woman, when all is said and done. Old women die. They're well known for it." "Fine. When the situation changes, we can think about other uses for the land," Zrof said. "But not until then, because I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for a five-thousand-year-old witch to die. She's had a lot more practice staying alive." Barandine opened his mouth, probably to argue, but there was an interruption. Karolvingar, the Roving Demon of Zukal, erupted into the room. Quite literally. The floor tiles near the back wall flew apart, and the demon burst upward in a fountain of flame. "To arms!" the demon cried. "To arms, leaders of Zukal, for your doom is upon you!" "From you?" Zrof asked. The Roving Demon was a some-time standby at the arena, and he had a fair idea of its fighting ability. He would bet on himself to take Karolvingar down in two minutes, armed only with a table knife and an offhand fork, and with nothing but a bath sheet for armor. "Not I!" Karolvingar looked offended. "You must realize that I consider myself to be practically a Bandit Prince of Zukal myself! All the lesser demons in the city defer to me, after all, and I have...certain enterprises here which I would not like to see disturbed." The demon shrugged. "And in what other city of Alastari would the people be so cosmopolitan as to tolerate a community of demons? No, the danger comes from Barikala--" "Which has been cut off from all contact with the rest of the world for some years now," Barandine snapped. "Which is, in fact, one of the points I wanted to--" Karolvingar flicked one leathery wing at the Prince. "Be silent, old man, you know nothing about it." Barandine opened his mouth, but Doreg cut in before the narrow-faced old man could speak. "Tell us how Barikala menaces the city, Sir Demon," he said. "Firstly, are you aware that the island has become the focus of a cluster of uncontrolled rips in the boundaries between worlds? And that creatures which you would call monsters are emerging from this rips?" "I've heard," Zrof said, and Doreg nodded also. "Excellent, it saves time. Know now that not all the 'monsters' which appear are what you might call 'beasts'. Some of them are as intelligent as any human--more intelligent than some," the demon added with a glance at Barandine. "And they have decided that Alastari is a fair land, well suited to become their new home. It is, in fact, an invasion such as those spoken of in the time you call the Chaos War. For NOW, it is localized around Barikala and the delta of the Urt. But if it is not stopped there, it will spread to all this world." * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 513): TOP CAT of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 513): DREB 3 of THE LAWMEN (Marshal D, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 507): STALKING HORSE of GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 509): O. PUN PLEEZJ of PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 508): DARON EL of MIDDLE WAY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 506): TMARACK of THE SIERRAS (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 253): BALDER of VALHALLA (KAT, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 498): ENOSHIMA of BLACK SAMURAI (Doc Miracle, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 251): REZOS THE THRACIAN of OVERLORDS (The Icelord, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 495): SAVORY of SARATOGA GLORY (The Trainer, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 493): LIONESS of DARK TOADS II (TigToad, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 486): POSITION IS EMPTY DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 449): TIRO CUCKOO of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 228): HOT LIPS of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 47 SCOMSS SWAMP (turn 222): LEVIATHAN OF LARD of MYSTIC ORC FEAST (Slugbait) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 209): FENDER GRALE of MIDDLE WAY 6 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 374): MACHINE of TOOLS OF TORMENT (Mad Max, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 353): COOL CAT of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 158): ABASHI of BAATANAR'RITEZU (Asmo Dius, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 399): PARANOIA of DSM4 from ZUKAL (The Sandman, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 513): ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 513): FORCE OF NATURE (?, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 507): STARBASE 5 (Zeus, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 509): DAGGERS EDGE (Zeus, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 508): HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 506): VALHALLA (Odin, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 253): VALHALLA (KAT, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 498): BLACK SAMURAI (Doc Miracle, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 251): NUMBERS GAME (Destitute Noble, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 495): THE STORMLORDS (The Icelord, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 493): CASINO HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 486): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 449): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 228): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 47 SCOMSS SWAMP (turn 222): BLACK STORM (Blackstorm, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 209): DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 374): RESCUE RANGERS (JE, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 353): BLADE AND BLOOD (Noachian, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 158): BAATANAR'RITEZU (Asmo Dius, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 399): LEGION OF DUMB (Carnage, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 513): T. ZER of LETTER BOMBS (Papa Bear, mgr.) (turn 512): CAT TASTROPHIE of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 512): PLATO of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 506): BATTERY of STARBASE 5 (Zeus, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 253): BALDER of VALHALLA (KAT, mgr.) (turn 252): MAXIMUS DECIMUS of NORTHERN BADLANDS (Maximillian, mgr.) LAVA RUNNER of PRIMAL FURY (Sensei Jan, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 251): REZOS THE THRACIAN of OVERLORDS (The Icelord, mgr.) TRASHIUS of WHAMMO & THUDDA 4 U! (Micky, mgr.) ABYSSINIAN of THE STORMBRINGERS (High Lord Bosk, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 495): DIETER KWAN of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.) LIL ETH of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.) PICKLED PIGSKIN of BUFFY'S DINER (Alfredo Frothingslosh) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 485): BARRISTER of BLITZKRIEG (Polarius, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 449): TIRO CUCKOO of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 228): STORM SERPENT of SUPERIOR FORCES (Manager, mgr.) DM 47 SCOMSS SWAMP (turn 221): RAINBOW of LAND OF OZ (Oz the Successful, mgr.) DEEP FRIED LARD of MYSTIC ORC FEAST (Slugbait, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 158): ABASHI of BAATANAR'RITEZU (Asmo Dius, mgr.) (turn 157): CHINESE SIMIAN of K.B.W.F II (Polarius, mgr.) SPY REPORT If you were disturbed from your beauty rest only to have to watch a bunch of ZUKAL brutes like you, you'd be grouchy, too. I can just hear all the boasts coming in COVENANT ARMY's next personal ads. Their first turn they went 5-0-1. Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see BLUE SUEDE win a fight and gain 16 points, terribly. Tsk, tsk, AGEE beat KITTY LITTER and KITTY LITTER lost 15 points. You're breakin' my heart. And if variety is the spice of life, ZUKAL may be getting bland, as TOP CAT stays top dog in the city. Kickbacks and bribes, kickbacks and bribes, how else do you think some of these guys win their fights? Skill? Ha! He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day, the coward. Death and Taxes. The less death I see, the more it taxes my patience. Let's see if anyone's dead or dying. Honor is like a chainmail shirt, it only shines through use. Certain nameless cowards will doubtless rebuke me on this one. There's got to be a better place in ZUKAL to get a drink than The Blue Boar Inn! Any suggestions? Just wait 'till next time I show up here, I won't be so nice! So nyaaah! Paste this one in your scrapbooks, you'll need the kindling come this winter-- Snide Clemens DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME TOP CAT 4928 13 3 1 112 ARENA FELINES (433) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BLUE SUEDE 5112 10 7 0 77 BLUE MOON (381) -ANXIETY 4961 9 1 2 77 DSM4 (239) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BLUE HAVEN 5087 14 11 0 53 BLUE MOON (381) -KEPLER 4552 4 4 0 51 PHILANTHROPISTS (418) AZURITA 5124 7 3 0 50 BLUE MOON (381) -PAGANINNI 4780 3 0 0 35 PHILANTHROPISTS (418) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -ZANADU 4781 1 2 1 33 PHILANTHROPISTS (418) -HOMESTAR 5143 4 1 0 30 HOMESTAR & CO (474) COPY CAT 5151 4 1 0 27 ARENA FELINES (433) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME AGEE 5163 1 0 0 16 COVENANT ARMY (477) -BEETHOVEN 4555 3 5 1 15 PHILANTHROPISTS (418) ELEAZAR 5161 1 0 1 13 COVENANT ARMY (477) -COACH Z 5141 1 1 1 10 HOMESTAR & CO (474) ADINO 5162 1 0 0 9 COVENANT ARMY (477) -TROGDOR 5142 1 1 0 8 HOMESTAR & CO (474) -QUETZALCOATL 5168 1 1 1 7 PHILANTHROPISTS (418) KITTY LITTER 5113 1 2 0 7 ARENA FELINES (433) SHAMMAH 5159 1 0 0 6 COVENANT ARMY (477) DODO 5160 1 0 0 5 COVENANT ARMY (477) TUNA BREATH 5169 0 1 0 1 ARENA FELINES (433) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? PERSISTENT BEGGAR 607 0 1 0 1 ELEAZAR 5161 514 NONE VIOLIN STRINGS 5170 0 1 0 ARENA FELINES 433 WURM KIN 630 514 NONE THE PRUSSIAN 5039 15 17 0 BLUE MOON 381 TOP CAT 4928 513 LAZULIO 5123 6 3 0 BLUE MOON 381 ZANADU 4781 513 SADISTIC 5091 0 2 0 DSM4 239 MOUNTAIN TROLL 621 514 NONE MUNCHAUSEN 5114 0 1 0 DSM4 239 STONE GOLEM 629 514 NONE PERSONAL ADS Kepler -- These shoes are made for walking.... -- Blue Suede Beethoven -- I wouldn't call it philanthropy. I never did care for beets. -- Azurita Top Cat -- Damn. -- Ghost of the Prussian Gods, that Userous Merchant is MEAN! Who told him he could bring his leg-breakers into the arena with him? -- Blue Haven Zanadu -- I hereby lay this curse on you, that your stately pleasure dome shall have a leaking roof which the most dedicated roofers can't fix. That all your unicorn's milk shall be sour. That your peacocks shall molt when you most want to admire them. That the River Alph shall overflow its banks and flood the dome, irretrievably staining the carpets. That the Sunless Sea shall be infested with jellyfish and sharks. That your musicians shall be able to play no tune but Chopsticks. That all the houris shall have headaches. That...well, you get the idea. -- Ghost of Lazulio 28 March 2005 Is there anybody in the DM game who is incarcerated that has had to litigate in order to continue playing? Or anyone in the free world who may be able to help me with case law or legal advice? The Administration has already taken "D&D type games" from us once (though I recently had that decision overturned). I believe it's only a matter of time before they try it again and I am prepared to file a lawsuit if need be. I enjoy DM and any help that could be offered would be greatly appreciated! I can be contacted at: Danny Warren #28341 P.O. Box 250 Draper, UT 84070 or: Heathen, mgr. Misnomers DM 47 28 March 2005 Ladies and gents...get your teams together and join in on the hottest and fiercest contest ever to grace the arena sands! Intrigue, personal wars, you name it...we got it going on! What is this contest? It's the Turf War IV in DM 47, North Fork!! This fantastic contest was begun by my alliance mate Asmo Dius, and I've picked up some of the slack. Contest starts on Turn 225 (approx. date June 9th?). It's an "alliance-type contest", so grab your folks and bring them in for a bang up time. Rules will be printed in the DM 47 newsletter at least until the contest starts. -- Baphomet, Host...Company of Brothers Alliance, Illuminati Confederation of Alliances 28 March 2005 Contest Announcement ==================== It's finally here! ScumFest 2005! The greatest scum in the land of Alastari are formally invited to participate in ScumFest 2005, a contest involving the scummiest scum in all of Alastari! Who: All Scum in Alastari What: Scum Fest 2005! Where: Talahya When: May 23rd, Talahya Turns 490-499 Rules ====== The object of winning ScumFest is to have the longest cumulative time (in minutes) at the end of the 10th round. Should there be a tie at the end of 10 rounds, tiebreakers are (in order): - Head to Head Record - Win/Loss Percentage - Average Fight Length (We'll go into overtime if they're still tied) There are no other rules. A manager may use any means at his disposal in order to accomplish his goal. Collusion, hiring Aimed Blows to take out the leaders, etc. Anything goes! To enter the scum fest, please write a personal ad in the DM 100 newsletter, declaring your intention to join the contest, or send an email to managerr@aol.com Please include warrior name and ID numbers of the contestants. You may enter the competition up until Turn 494. Prizes will be announced after the competition begins. The point of the contest is to prove you have the scummiest scum, and necessarily for a silly prize. Good luck and Happy Scumming! -- Manager 6 April 2005 SLAUGHTER'S CHALLENGE I would like to make a formal announcement to all the managers of Alastari that the inaugural/memorial challenge put forth by Abarsis, The Slaughter Priest (Richard Hammes) has been approved by the commission. The contest will be held in TROCAR, arena 54, beginning on the turn that starts around June 2nd. Keep in mind that this is a slow arena. Before I go on, I would like to personally thank the commission for procuring an outstanding top prize for this contest. This announcement follows my last and entry into the contest will be a minimum $5 donation, which I will pool and give to a charity in the San Diego area in Richard Hammes' name and memory. My address is at the end. Once the donation is made, I intend to notify RSI of the charity and amount we donated as a matter of pride for them and us in this game! I will notify everyone in an all arena ad as well. The contest is pretty simple. Any team may enter, there are no restrictions on fight experience! There are no challenges, avoids, bloodfeuds, or tourneys allowed and only one single use of the Dark Arena is allowed after the contest begins. To help eliminate any interference, I am going to allow avoids of non-contest teams in case they are there to manipulate and affect the winner of the contest. Scoring is as follows: 1 point for winning 1 point for killing (giving 2 in total, 1 for the win and 1 for the kill) 1 point for at least one of your warriors writing a personal (regardless of number of personals beyond one you still only get one point). Make sure it is written from one of your team's warriors and not simply the manager entity or you will not get the point. -1 point for losing -1 point for being killed (giving -2 in total, -1 for losing and -1 for being killed) The contest will last for 12 turns, again beginning roughly June 2nd. May I point out that if you use your Dark Arena fight you will get either 2 points, for winning, or -2, for losing, and ALL fights count in the scoring. It matters not if you fight a non-contest warrior or a stand-in; they still count as much as fighting a contest warrior. This will be a test of basic strategy with a touch of luck added in as well. If anyone should break the no tourney rule they will lose 5 points for each warrior entered and those warriors, and any subsequent warriors who replace them in death, cannot score points! Break the no DA, challenge, or avoid rules (except avoids of non-contest teams) and you will be DQ'd as soon as the transgression is discovered. To keep the contest playing field as level as possible, we will have no messing with these rules. Of course you may DA the one time, just as a clarification, but the second time gets you DQ'd. This also counts if it is found you bring a second team in for the purpose of making challenges. You can bring a second team, just don't think they can challenge to give you an advantage. This means DQ to your contest team. A second team may also enter the contest with its own donation of $5 and adherence to the rules. Well, enough of that, I'm sure you'd like to see the prizes so here they are: 1st place - +1 bonus to one warrior on the team, 1 resurrection potion, and 1 favorite knowledge 2nd place - +1 bonus for one warrior, 1 favorites knowledge 3rd place- +1 bonus for one warrior Iron Manager - Run 54 of the possible 60 fights and get a +1 bonus potion The resurrection potion may be used on any FE warrior, however the favorites and +1 bonus potions must be used on a warrior with at least 5 FE. These prizes also must be used within 2 turns of the ending of the contest. Even those rookie level teams can figure out a way to use that resurrection potion if you think night fight ;), after the contest of course, so don't think this is only good for experienced teams! Check your rosters and unused RU's and see if you can't find a reason to come and test your mettle! Again, entry fee is a minimum $5 donation, money order preferred method but if that doesn't work for you we can figure alternate means. If a hopeful entrant happens to be incarcerated and the only real means of making the donation is an account transfer, please make sure you let me know where the transfer came from and which team it is for. I prefer that this only be used as donation method by incarcerated players unless otherwise discussed with me. Please drop me an email, or diplo my team in Tobir(14), letting me know you are sending a donation for entry and the amount so I can be on the lookout for it in the mail. Thanks to all who have sent their sympathies regarding our game's loss of a kind and admirable soul and my best wishes to all! Street Legal Jeff Bura 193 Pepperidge Dr. Wixom, MI 48393 triumph1971@hotmail.com THE DEATH SQUAD (63) in Tobir, arena 14 12 April 2005 A Question of Contests by Hammer the WordSmith The familiar figure of a veteran manager clad in an Elven War Cloak at a lone outpost somewhere near the cross roads of ElseWhere and ElseWhen sorted through his vast disarray of DM papers and notes. Hammer pondered upon the recent dispatches that he had received regarding the upcoming contests that he had been invited to participate in; after all, most contest managers enjoyed having a HAMMERZ stable on the sands, due to the fact that they were usually comprised of dues paying gladiators who were just a cut above the average RSI Stand Ins. The Scum Fest in ADM sponsored by the veteran manager named Manager looked like an entertaining offer, but alas, Hammer had NO candidates worthy enough to warrant spending the cycle fees for their fleeting participation in such a contest. Perhaps sometime in the future, when Hammer succeeded in graduating some Aimers and a promising candidate from one of his slow arena stables, would be the proper time. TW4 in DM 47 was already on Hammer's list of contests to participate in, especially with the convening of the Clown Circus in North Fork/SCOMSS Swamp Arena, along with all the other zany personalities and alliances that promised to make this the greatest ever Turf War contest that Alastari had ever witnessed upon the bloody arena sands! Those same Clowns had sent Hammer an invitation to participate in a contest that their Dark Knighties were sponsoring in an Andorian slow arena, but Hammer also had an invitation to send a stable to DM 54 for a contest being held in the memory of Slaughter Priest, one of Hammer's former alliance mates who had met with an untimely and violently unexpected death while doing a good deed for a friend off world in San Diego. Also added into the mix was an intriguing contest being sponsored by Zalgor Prigg that was to be staged in a few months in the currently closed DM 13 Dullens Regular Arena. Zalgor had contacted Hammer earlier in the year to inform the veteran manager that his newest contest would feature a first round Dark Arena Challenge to level the playing field. Also, each gladiator would have a hyphenated Style listing after their name for the Style Masters competition. An All Arena Ad Announcement was expected to be filed by Zalgor sometime before the Summer 2005 Tourney, thus allowing the DM 13 Dark Arena Replacement Warriors from the Dullens Contest to enter the Rookie Fall Mailer Tourney to prep for the contest. Hammer had been considering sponsoring such a Dark Arena First Round Type Contest, but it would be much better to just enter the Zalgor sponsored contest, rather than to be subjected to all the current Contest Host Harassment that was plaguing the many contest arenas throughout Alastari. A grim smile crossed the lips of Hammer as he thought about the possibility of the Clowns getting a taste of their own medicine while sponsoring their Andorian contest. Hammer quickly took a pen and paper, writing instructions to his gladiator trainer GrimmDorr at his Hammerz Flower Garden Morya Manor Estate on the Lake on the outskirts of the DM 28 Morya Arena, to assemble a Cast of Cast Offs to enter the upcoming contest being sponsored by Zalgor Prigg. Hammer jotted down a note to file the following stable with the Gladiatorial Commission once Zalgor Prigg had announced the contest in Dullens DM 13 Arena: ASTONISH HAMMERS stable to register DARK ARENA HAMMER--SL, DARK ARENA HAMMER-- ST, DARK ARENA HAMMER--AB, DARK ARENA HAMMER--BA and DARK ARENA HAMMER--PS for the Zalgor Prigg sponsored contest in Dullens DM 13 whenever the Gladiatorial Commission was ready. Hammer then turned his attention to the two slow arena contest invitations that tugged at his emotions for full participation. However, there was only room for one more stable addition in the current plans of the veteran manager, who had deactivated his SNOW CALL HAMMERZ in DM 50 to devote his attention to entering a new stable in a promising slow arena contest. Street Legal had recently cleared the air with the Gladiatorial Commission in regards to sponsoring SLAUGHTER'S CHALLENGE in DM 54, which would begin in Trocar around the first week of June. As yet, there seemed to be NO OFFICIAL ALL ARENA ANNOUNCEMENT from the Clowns regarding their contest in an Andorian slow arena. These Clowns had a lot to learn about sponsoring and advertising contests! Hammer thought back to two years ago when Maximillian had convinced the veteran manager to Co-Sponsor Maximillian's Morya Madness in the DM 28 slow arena. Abarsis the Slaughter Priest had answered the call to cross blades in the Madness by entering a stable named LEE FAMILY. LEE FAMILY had NOT missed a single fight during the Madness until Slaughter Priest's life was snuffed out one dark night in San Diego while helping a friend. When the Delarq Death Fest was sponsored by Hammer in the DM 59 Illis slow arena, Slaughter Priest had answered the call to cross blades by sending a stable named FASCIST DROOL to compete for the Ten Death Fest Prize Categories. Abarsis the Slaughter Priest a.k.a. Richard Hammes had been a true DM friend and a fine competitor among many, not to mention a close comrade in arms while Hammer had been a member of the Vendetta Cartel. As was written by Street Legal a.k.a. Jeff Bura in a recent All Arena Ad Eulogy to the Memory of Slaughter Priest a.k.a. Richard Hammes: "On November 10, 2004, Richard Hammes was taken from us in a senseless act of violence during a robbery attempt at a friend's store where he sometimes worked. He was watching the store so his friend could go home to tend to his son who had taken ill." Now the DM Community who either knew Rich personally from the RT and VC Emails, or from crossing blades on the sands with this avid DM competitor; now have the opportunity to Honor His Memory by competing in a DM 54 contest held in his Honor. Could Hammer do no less? This was an opportunity to set aside personal goals and allocate the necessary funds to enter a stable in SLAUGHTER'S CHALLENGE to Honor the Memory of Rich Hammes! Hammer quickly filled out an entry form to dispatch to the Gladiatorial Commission to register the following stable in DM 54 Trocar for SLAUGHTER'S CHALLENGE: Be it known that MEMORIAL HAMMERZ are hereby registering SLAUGHTER HAMMER, FASC DROOL HAMMER, LEE FAMILY HAMMER, HONOR RICH HAMMER and GRUNGE GRL HAMMER in DM 54 Trocar for the Street Legal sponsored contest in Honor of Richard Hammes a.k.a. Abarsis the Slaughter Priest. GRUNGE GIRL was one of Slaughter Priest's warriors from his FASCIST DROOL. stable that was entered in the Delarq Death Fest in DM 59 Illis Arena, so it was only fitting to name one of the MEMORIAL HAMMERZ gladiators after one of Rich's warriors that had competed in a Hammer Sponsored Contest. Hammer leaned back in his chair and reflected upon the memories of his fallen comrade from his days in the Vendetta Cartel. Tears moistened the veteran manager's eyes upon every remembrance of his fallen VC comrade in arms. Hopefully the odd assortment of veteran and newbie managers would answer the call to cross blades in Honor of the fallen Slaughter Priest in the type of contest that Rich had envisioned to one day Sponsor and Participate with some of Alastari's Finest Managers! This One's for YOU Rich/Slaughter Priest; May You Rest in Peace! Hammer WordSmith WeaponSmith Minister of War kLk Knight Illuminati Ice Pick 12 April 2005 FRATSFA'S QUEST FOR THE BEST!!! Rollup certs aplenty! Need to know favorites for warriors initiate or above? SURE! Renaming of both the arena and the D.A. Monsters? Why not! Skill bonus potions? Of course! This and more is all possible for the top 10 (ten) teams in: Fratsfa's Quest for the Best! What does it cost you ask? NOTHING! Who is running the contest and putting up the total of 30 rollup certs as prizes to be split up amongst the top 6 (six) teams? Dark Knight Wasby, Dark Knight Goat and Dark Knight Toker of the Desolate Empire of vendett@UNITED! The gaming commission is also going to supply prizes for the top 10 (ten) teams. Where? FRATSFA DM-52! When? The month of July, T-207. Rules! We, of the Desolate Empire, do not like the word Rules! So, we use the term requirements. Here they are: 1. One team per manager entered in the contest. 2. Only (1) Total Parry on your team at a time. 3. You must declare (1) warrior as your team's scout. 4. Managers that have teams established in Fratsfa must have 3 (three) warriors in the initiates class by the contest's 3rd turn. (If they wish to compete, or can send in new team!) 5. If you bloodfeud, you must use a different warrior each time to score the bloodfeud points. 6. You must declare your team in the p-ads to be entered. 7. A declared champion and scout cannot be the same warrior. 8. Champions are not required (manager's choice)! Champions must be declared on the first fight. We are also offering 25 bonus points to managers that submit a brief history (5 paragraph minimum) including your manager and team name by the contest's 3rd turn. These points will be added to the scores on turn 211. Now, on to the scoring: Wins + Kills - Losses = base score Base score + Variants = Total Score BASE SCORE POINTS WIN = +1 point KILL = +1 point LOSS = -1 point VARIANT SCORES SCOUT WIN = +2 points SCOUT LOSS = -2 points SCOUT DEATH = -5 points CHAMPION WIN = +3 points CHAMPION LOSS = -3 points STYLE MASTER FOR TURN = +1 point MOST AVOIDED TEAM = +2 points SUCCESSFUL BLOODFEUD = +2 points FAILED BLOODFEUD = -2 points Let's say (a) team goes 3-2-2 = 3 wins + 2 kills - 2 losses = +3 base score. His champion won (+3 pts) and is style master for this turn (+1 pt). His scout lost (-2), for a total turn score of +5 points. Now, let's say (b) team goes 1-4-1 = 1 win + 1 kill - 4 losses = -2 pts. His fighting marvel of a scout won (+2 pts) and the scout's win was a successful bloodfeud (+2 pts). So, the total points for the turn would be +2 points. (There was no champion on this team.) Now on to the prizes: 1ST PLACE "FRATSFA'S BEST": 1) 12 (Twelve) rollup gift certificates transferred to "Fratsfa's Best" ultimate victor. 2) Renaming of Fratsfa's arena for 6 (six) months. 3) Renaming of D.A. monsters: Wurmkin', Bandit Prince and Black Orc. 4) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 5) 1 (one) +1 bonus skill potion.** 2ND PLACE 1) 8 (eight) rollup gift certificates transferred to 2nd place manager. 2) Rename the D.A. monsters: Dark Champion and High Elf. 3) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 4) 1 (one) +1 bonus potion.* 3RD PLACE 1) 4 (four) rollup gift certificates transferred to 3rd place manager. 2) Renaming of D.A. monsters Mountain Troll and Shewish Giant. 3) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 4) 1 (one) +1 bonus skill potion.** 4TH PLACE 1) 3 (three) rollup gift certificates 2) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 3) Rename D.A. Monster Stone Golem 5TH PLACE 1) 2 (two) rollup gift certificates 2) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 3) Rename D.A. monster Spy Master 6TH PLACE 1) 1 (one) rollup gift certificate 2) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 7TH PLACE 1) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 8TH PLACE 1) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 9TH PLACE 1) 1 (one) favorites potion.* 10 PLACE 1) 1 (one) favorites potion.* STABLE STAMINA AWARDS: All teams that fight at least 67 of the possible 75 fights will get 1 (one) FREE tournament entry for a warrior of that team in the first tournament after the completion of "Fratsfa's Quest for the Best"! -- NOTE -- * -- All potions must be used within 2 (two) turns of the contest and on initiate (tournament class) or higher character on the same team that competed in Fratsfa, non-transferable. * 1 (one) favorites potion gives all faves: Rhythm, Tactic and Weapon. ** 1 (one) +1 bonus skill potion gives +1 to 1 (one) skill. Our thanks go to RSI for their cooperation with us on the prizes they have sponsored to make this contest of ours a reality. Any questions can be addressed to Toker, mgr. Vincere Aut Mori in DM 18 or by email: darkknighttoker@yahoo.com! OR to Goat, mgr. Desolate Ones DM 47 or to Wasby, mgr. Soul Forge in DM 47. LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS SADISTIC was butchered by MOUNTAIN TROLL in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight. MUNCHAUSEN was butchered by STONE GOLEM in a 1 minute Dark Arena duel. VIOLIN STRINGS was murdered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute Dark Arena melee. TOP CAT demolished VENOMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute uneven Title fight. BLUE SUEDE devastated KUNG-FU MASTER in a 2 minute gory one-sided contest. AZURITA subdued THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a crowd pleasing 2 minute competition. BLUE HAVEN was vanquished by AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute mismatched fight. COPY CAT overpowered PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a 1 minute mismatched brawl. KITTY LITTER was defeated by AGEE in a 2 minute beginner's melee. DODO outwaited CONVICTED THIEF in a slow 8 minute beginner's duel. ELEAZAR slaughtered PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a slow 6 minute one-sided duel. ADINO beat CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute novice's melee. TUNA BREATH was defeated by SHAMMAH in a crowd pleasing 1 minute novice's match. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |STRIKING ATTACK 5 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 0 - 0 100 | |TOTAL PARRY 4 WALL OF STEEL 12 - 5 - 1 71 | |SLASHING ATTACK 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 - 2 - 0 67 | |AIMED BLOW 1 AIMED BLOW 8 - 4 - 0 67 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 22 - 15 - 4 59 | |WALL OF STEEL 1 TOTAL PARRY 8 - 6 - 1 57 | |PARRY-LUNGE 1 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 - 0 50 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 LUNGING ATTACK 17 - 20 - 3 46 | |LUNGING ATTACK 0 PARRY-LUNGE 4 - 5 - 0 44 | |BASHING ATTACK 0 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 4 - 0 0 | Turn 514 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: AIMED BLOW 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 1 2 STRIKING ATTACK PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL WALL OF STEEL 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY TOTAL PARRY 3 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 2 1 AIMED BLOW STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 2 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-LUNGE 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME STRIKING ATTACK TOP CAT 4928 13 3 1 112 ARENA FELINES (433) WALL OF STEEL BLUE SUEDE 5112 10 7 0 77 BLUE MOON (381) TOTAL PARRY BLUE HAVEN 5087 14 11 0 53 BLUE MOON (381) AIMED BLOW AZURITA 5124 7 3 0 50 BLUE MOON (381) FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is TOP CAT 4928. The most popular warrior this turn was AZURITA 5124. The ten other most popular fighters were KITTY LITTER 5113, SHAMMAH 5159, TOP CAT 4928, BLUE SUEDE 5112, COPY CAT 5151, ADINO 5162, AGEE 5163, SADISTIC 5091, MUNCHAUSEN 5114, and VIOLIN STRINGS 5170. The least popular fighter this week was DODO 5160. The other ten least popular fighters were ELEAZAR 5161, TUNA BREATH 5169, BLUE HAVEN 5087, VIOLIN STRINGS 5170, MUNCHAUSEN 5114, SADISTIC 5091, AGEE 5163, ADINO 5162, COPY CAT 5151, and BLUE SUEDE 5112. The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn: T. ZER (9-5011) LETTER BOMBS (436)