DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 08/23/2005 Duedate: 09/05/2005
ZUKAL ARENA
DM-9 TURN-523
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
DEATH
DEATH SQUAD (20)
(9-3500) [18-13-4,86]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
DEATH HOMESTAR
DEATH SQUAD (20) HOMESTAR & CO (474)
(9-3500) [18-13-4,86] (9-5143) [5-1-0,36]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
DEATH DEATH
DEATH SQUAD (20) DEATH SQUAD (20)
(9-3500) [18-13-4,86] (9-3500) [18-13-4,86]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
ARENA FELINES (433)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. KARNHORN KARNAGE (382) 25
2. HOMESTAR & CO (474) 21 ARENA FELINES (433)
3. ARENA FELINES (433) 20 Unchartered Team
4. LETTER BOMBS (436) 19
5. DEATH SQUAD (20) 15 HOMESTAR & CO (474)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 1*WOLF OF ANGBAND (478) 1 0 0 100 1/ 1 ARENA FELINES (433) 12 1 0
2/ 0*HOMESTAR & CO (474) 8 3 1 72.7 2/ 0*HOMESTAR & CO (474) 2 0 0
3/ 2 ARENA FELINES (433) 166 102 12 61.9 3- 3*WOLF OF ANGBAND (478) 1 0 0
4/ 0 DEATH SQUAD (20) 630 524 66 54.6 4/ 0 DEATH SQUAD (20) 1 0 0
5/ 0 LETTER BOMBS (436) 105 100 8 51.2 5/ 0 LETTER BOMBS (436) 1 1 0
6/ 0 PHILANTHROPISTS II (446) 89 116 4 43.4 6/ 0*KARNHORN KARNAGE (382) 1 3 0
7/ 3 BLUE MOON (381) 379 510 9 42.6 7/ 4 BLUE MOON (381) 0 10 0
8/ 0*KARNHORN KARNAGE (382) 1 11 0 8.3 8/ 0 PHILANTHROPISTS II (446) 0 2 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[ +
Zukal:
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, he habitually dressed in plain, well-worn clothing, and he 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?" Barandine 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."
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Wait! Good gods, I didn't REALIZE that I was Duel2Dude because Top Cat left! I
mean, I lost the fight, I shouldn't be on top now! I didn't have anything ready to
say, but if I'm still here next time, I will. Sorry.
Blue Haven
SPY REPORT
Good day, friends and fiends, welcome to your friendly neighborhood spyreport.
I doubt ZUKAL will ever be the same. And let's see, STRONG BAD fought BLOOD SUGAR
BABY and gained 15 points and contributed to HOMESTAR & CO's 2-0-0. CAT-FU has lost
to DANGEROUS CRIMINAL, falling 1 points, while helping make ARENA FELINES a 4-1-0
turn. And not without some honor, DEATH now claims the title and throne of
Duelmaster of ZUKAL. Can someone confirm a rumor for me? I hear the top team makes
their losing fighters do dishes at The Blue Boar Inn until they win. Maybe?
He who challenges well, fights well. He who avoids without cause, shall lose
for good reasons. My mama told me that one.
We only live a short time in this world, so why not take a sharp blade, and
shave it close? A brave warrior does not carry a red shield, he has nothing to cover
or hide when the fight is over. Consider well.
Remember, blood on the purple robe does not change it from a purple robe. Dare
to fight bravely. Well, I'm burning daylight here in ZUKAL and I've a long road
ahead of me. Happy Trails. Until the sun next rises and my pen sets to paper--
Alarond the Scribe
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DEATH 3500 18 13 4 86 DEATH SQUAD (20)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BLUE HAVEN 5087 18 16 0 72 BLUE MOON (381)
COPY CAT 5151 11 3 0 67 ARENA FELINES (433)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PUSS 5184 6 0 1 60 ARENA FELINES (433)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-FEBLES 4821 8 5 0 55 PHILANTHROPISTS II (446)
E. LECTER 5158 3 0 0 44 LETTER BOMBS (436)
AZURITA 5124 9 10 0 37 BLUE MOON (381)
CAT-FU 5180 5 1 0 37 ARENA FELINES (433)
HOMESTAR 5143 5 1 0 36 HOMESTAR & CO (474)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TUNA BREATH 5169 4 2 0 30 ARENA FELINES (433)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
STEELE 5171 4 5 0 17 BLUE MOON (381)
STRONG BAD 5140 1 0 0 15 HOMESTAR & CO (474)
-DRAUGLUIN 5190 1 0 0 13 WOLF OF ANGBAND (478)
-COACH Z 5141 1 1 1 10 HOMESTAR & CO (474)
EXPENDABLE YOUTH 4200 1 0 0 9 KARNHORN KARNAGE (382)
-TROGDOR 5142 1 1 0 8 HOMESTAR & CO (474)
MAINE COON 5202 1 0 0 6 ARENA FELINES (433)
PREMATURE BURIAL 4206 0 1 0 5 KARNHORN KARNAGE (382)
BLOOD SUGAR BABY 4605 0 1 0 5 KARNHORN KARNAGE (382)
TRUE BLUE 5203 0 1 0 1 BLUE MOON (381)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
SLAP HAPPY 4207 0 1 0 KARNHORN KARNAGE 382 MOUNTAIN TROLL 621 523 NONE
R. SONIST 5157 0 2 0 LETTER BOMBS 436 BANDIT PRINCE 628 523 NONE
N. DORFIN 5175 2 2 0 LETTER BOMBS 436 PUSS 5184 519 NOT REVE
:.: 5167 0 1 0 PHILANTHROPISTS I 446 HIGH ELF 622 523 NONE
-; 5165 0 1 0 PHILANTHROPISTS I 446 BANDIT PRINCE 628 523 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
Top Cat -- They tell me you're graduating. Good! I really like the idea of you not
being here any more. -- Blue Haven
P.S. Congratulations.
Copy Cat -- Couldn't you copy somebody ELSE? A loser, for instance? -- Azurita
Cat-Fu -- Darn these esoteric fighting styles! I hate it when somebody does that to
me. -- Steele
Lord Protector Anxiety of Dsm4 -- The Lady on the Isle says we are to give you lands.
The Bandit Princes of Zukal demand to know by what right she disperses their
territory. This puts us of the arena staff in a quandary.
Surely you don't really WANT lands? Think of the worry it would be to you,
trying to administer property from a distance, or wondering whether the manager you
had hired was honest, or traveling constantly back and forth yourself. You really
don't want lands, I can tell. It would be a constant anxiety to you.
And it isn't like we could manage MUCH land for you--a cemetery plot would just
about sum it up, considering that we have to finance the purchase of this land from
the arena treasury, and, well, take a look at the newsletter and guess what condition
the Zukal arena treasury is IN, eh?
So how about if we just give you a fine going away party, or maybe a special
pass to the Baths of Terulia, quite a plush establishment where you can get just
about anything you want. Um, within reason--I know some gladiators have exotic
tastes, though I'm sure YOU wouldn't want anything that wasn't available. Drop by
there any time in the next two weeks, and you will be admitted free of charge. --
Arenamaster Zrof One-Eye
4 August 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Announcement You Have All Been Waiting For Is Here!!!!!!!!
ZalCon3...The Rebirth!!!!!!!
The Rules Are Simple, The Prizes Are Awesome, The Competition Fierce!
Where: Dullens (DM13) When: October 8th, 2005
The Rules:
Every Manager Must DA Their Entire Team On The First Turn They Enter The Contest.
All Warriors DA'd In This Manner MUST Be At Zero FE And May Fight In The Contest If
They Live. The Style Of The Warrior Must Be Present In The Name In A Non Ambiguous
Manner, Standard Abbreviations Accepted. Scoring Starts On The 3rd Turn Of The
Contest Which Will Also Be The First Turn After The October Mail In. Dead Warriors
May Be Entered From The Contest To Dead Apprentices ONLY--And With Zero FE!!!!! All
Living Warriors May Be Entered Into Rookies or Apprentices For The October Mail In.
Scoring:
1 Point For Each Win.
1 Point For Each Kill.
-1 Point For Each Loss.
-1 Point For Each Death.
Categories:
Ultimate Style Master: Warrior Of Any Style With The Most Style Master Points.
Top Team: Team With The Most Points At The End Of The Contest.
Top Warrior: Warrior With The Most Points At The End Of The Contest.
MVP Team: Team With The Most Free Fight Awards At The End Of The Contest.
MVP Warrior: Warrior With The Most Free Fight Awards At The End Of The Contest.
Style Master: Warrior With The Most Points Vs. Style In Each Style At The End Of The
Contest.
Warrior Top 11: Next 10 Top Point Gaining Warriors At The End Of The Contest.
Iron Manager: Any Manager With 100 Fights During The Contest (20 Turns Plus 2 Pre
Turns).
***Special Category*** An Additional Top Team Award Will Be Granted For Each 5 Iron
Manager Awards Starting At 6.
Prizes:
Ultimate Style Master, Top Team, Top Warrior: +1 To Bonus, Damage Bump, Free Train
Or Learn 2 Skills, Favorites Knowledge.
MVP Team And MVP Warrior: 20 Rollups.
Style Master: +1 To Bonus.
Warrior Top 11: Free Train Or Learn 2 Skills.
Iron Manager: +1 To Bonus.
Please Contact Zalgor Prigg Via Diplo (Armor & Weapons DM102) or Email
(zalgor@hotmail.com) Should You Have Any Questions Or Wish A Free Team Rollup To Dark
Arena On Turn 1.
Disclaimer: All Prizes Are To Be Used On Contest Team Only And Are Non Transferable.
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
R. SONIST was butchered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
SLAP HAPPY was barely slain by MOUNTAIN TROLL in a 2 minute brutal Dark Arena duel.
:.: was easily killed by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute gory Dark Arena match.
-; was slaughtered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena brawl.
BLUE HAVEN was viciously subdued by DEATH in a 3 minute veteran's Title fight.
COPY CAT bested DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 2 minute duel.
PUSS overpowered FRATSFA SLAVE in a 1 minute one-sided struggle.
CAT-FU was unbelievably bested by DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 1 minute competition.
AZURITA was vanquished by E. LECTER in a 1 minute uneven duel.
HOMESTAR vanquished STEELE in a 1 minute uneven fight.
TUNA BREATH vanquished PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
EXPENDABLE YOUTH beat TRUE BLUE in a 2 minute novice's melee.
PREMATURE BURIAL was defeated by MAINE COON in a 1 minute novice's match.
BLOOD SUGAR BABY was handily defeated by STRONG BAD in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 5 STRIKING ATTACK 20 - 12 - 2 63 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 11 - 8 - 0 58 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 3 LUNGING ATTACK 11 - 8 - 1 58 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 2 AIMED BLOW 10 - 8 - 0 56 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 TOTAL PARRY 9 - 8 - 1 53 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 WALL OF STEEL 4 - 4 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 7 - 0 42 |
|BASHING ATTACK 1 BASHING ATTACK 3 - 6 - 0 33 |
|TOTAL PARRY 1 SLASHING ATTACK 8 - 17 - 0 32 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 523 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 3 LUNGING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 AIMED BLOW
LUNGING ATTACK 4 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 3 2 PARRY-LUNGE
STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
TOTAL PARRY 0 - 1 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 2 1 STRIKING ATTACK
1 SLASHING ATTACK
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
LUNGING ATTACK DEATH 3500 18 13 4 86 DEATH SQUAD (20)
TOTAL PARRY BLUE HAVEN 5087 18 16 0 72 BLUE MOON (381)
PARRY-RIPOSTE COPY CAT 5151 11 3 0 67 ARENA FELINES (433)
STRIKING ATTACK PUSS 5184 6 0 1 60 ARENA FELINES (433)
AIMED BLOW CAT-FU 5180 5 1 0 37 ARENA FELINES (433)
PARRY-LUNGE HOMESTAR 5143 5 1 0 36 HOMESTAR & CO (474)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
The overall popularity leader is DEATH 3500. The most popular warrior this turn was
DEATH 3500. The ten other most popular fighters were MAINE COON 5202, STRONG BAD
5140, SLAP HAPPY 4207, COPY CAT 5151, PUSS 5184, CAT-FU 5180, E. LECTER 5158,
EXPENDABLE YOUTH 4200, HOMESTAR 5143, and TUNA BREATH 5169.
The least popular fighter this week was BLOOD SUGAR BABY 4605. The other ten least
popular fighters were TRUE BLUE 5203, STEELE 5171, AZURITA 5124, -; 5165, R. SONIST
5157, PREMATURE BURIAL 4206, BLUE HAVEN 5087, :.: 5167, TUNA BREATH 5169, and
HOMESTAR 5143.
The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:
ANXIETY (9-4961) DSM4 (239)