DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 09/12/2005    Duedate: 09/24/2005

ALJAFIR ARENA

DM-17    TURN-519

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

ALEXANDER THE GREAT
HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)
(17-6656) [15-5-2,119]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

ALEXANDER THE GREAT            POSITION IS EMPTY
HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)       
(17-6656) [15-5-2,119]         

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

TABETA UNIS                    TABETA UNIS
MIDDLE WAY (484)               MIDDLE WAY (484)
(17-6405) [16-42-0,90]         (17-6405) [16-42-0,90]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)    54
2. MIDDLE WAY (484)            37      PROJECT MAYHEM XXX (544)
3. LET'S DUEL! (519)           14      Unchartered Team
4. SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS (428)   1
5. SURPISE! (538)               0      NEED FOR SPEED (262)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1 PROJECT MAYHEM XXX (544)  23   9  0 71.9   1/ 1 HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)  9  5 1
 2/ 2 HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475) 305 206 12 59.7   2/ 3 MIDDLE WAY (484)          8  7 1
 3/ 3 SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLE (428)  24  24  1 50.0   3/ 2 PROJECT MAYHEM XXX (544)  4  2 0
 4- 4*SURPISE! (538)             1   1  0 50.0   4/ 6 LET'S DUEL! (519)         2  6 0
 5- 5*BLITZKRIEG (543)           1   1  0 50.0   5- 4*SURPISE! (538)            1  0 0
 6/ 6 LET'S DUEL! (519)         39  50  1 43.8   6- 5*BLITZKRIEG (543)          1  1 0
 7/ 7 MIDDLE WAY (484)         238 392  5 37.8   7/ 8 SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLE (428)  0  2 0
 8- 8*FEROCIOUS BASTARDS (547)   0   1  0  0.0   8- 7*FEROCIOUS BASTARDS (547)  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[ The Black Ship #4 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Near Willaf:

     Lady Protector Goldenrod didn't like rowboats.  Oh, no doubt they were fine in
their place, no doubt they had their uses, but she didn't like being out in the
strait in one.  She said as much.
     "This isn't a ROW boat," Old Gold answered, panting.  Rowing called for a lot
more stamina than a fast arena fight did, and it used different muscles, too.  He had
the sinking feeling, no, cancel that, don't want to think about sinking right now, he
had the unpleasant feeling that he was going to regret this activity tomorrow.  "It's
a, what'd'ye'callit, a fishing punch?"
     "Smack?" Chardinee asked.  For a merchant, he was doing a lot better with HIS
oar.  It seemed unfair.  "Or maybe it's a dory," he added.  "I'm not familiar with
the technical terms.  But it's all the boat the two of us can handle, so...."  He
shrugged.
     "It's a boat, and you're rowing it," Goldenrod stated.  "So it's a rowboat.  And
why you think the Black Ship would bother to accost a ratty little rowboat like
this--"
     "When you scream, the pirates will know there's a woman on board," Old Gold
said, grunting with exertion.  "Pirates always want to capture women."
     "And women always prefer NOT to be captured!  If you had paid more attention to
landmarks--"
     "Let's not go into that again," Chardinee said quickly.  "The lightning was
deceptive.  What appeared to be reliable landmarks in the storm were not when we went
to check on the ground.  But we still know the general area, and Lady Peach and the
others are watching there to make CLEAR identification of the spot when the Black
Ship emerges to capture us, and they will be there when we are taken back to their
base."  The standby paused and licked his lips.  "Has it occurred to you, Old Gold,
that while the Black Ship may want to capture Lady Goldenrod, they may have no
interest in the two of us?"
     The new-made Lord Protector shrugged, but he looked uneasy.  "It's a gamble," he
muttered.  "It's the scrambled eggs thing.  You know, first you break the eggs."
     Goldenrod smiled, managing to look nasty at the same time.  "And all the king's
horses and all the king's men--"
     "Don't SAY that," Old Gold snapped.  He glanced at the dark water around them,
hoping that there were no sharks in this area.  Then at the sky, stars and a crescent
moon...and a mass of clouds boiling up out of north and spreading southward.  There
had been no clouds when they'd set out.
     "It's going to be a dark and stormy night," Goldenrod said.  She shivered.

     Lady Protector Peach Nutt leaned against a tree, which concealed her silhouette
from anyone who might be looking.  "It's clouding over," she said.  "It's going to be
hard to see what happens out there."
     "We figured on clouds," Lord Protector Fool's Gold told her.  He was sitting
nearby, giving a good impression of a boulder.  He had experience with adventures.
That he wasn't alarmed was reassuring.
     Peach's teammate, Lady Protector Moonjumper muttered something.  It sounded like
"exciting times."
     Fool's Gold laughed.  "Is there any other kind?"  A bolt of purple lightning
streaked across the sky from the headland above them to the clouds.  "Showtime!"

            + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Black Ship #5 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Aljafir:

     "Move, dammit!"  The vice gripping Korranjal's arm shook it once more and let
go.  "I'm not dragging you further.  I need both hands to fight with."
     Lej Korranjal blinked again and managed to clear his sight, more or less.  There
were still strangely colored spots of light drifting across his vision, but he could
make out the shape of Shagrath the Assassin moving away from him.  The dwarf was
twirling an axe in either hand, advancing on a less distinct shape that climbing over
the lip of the harbor into the street.  Korranjal fumbled his own blade out of its
scabbard.  He saw that another of the creatures was climbing out of the water a
little farther down and moved to cut off its efforts to get behind Shagrath.
     He didn't get a clear look at the creature, barely had time to block an arm that
ended in a scythe-like claw with his sword.  The arm had scales as well as claws, he
discovered as his blade slid along it with a nails-on-a-slate screech.
     "Back to back!" Shagrath shouted, whirling away from the wreckage of a monster
to put his own back against Korranjal's.  "We've got to work our way to the Water
Temple, there are too many for us here!"
     The gusty rain was coming down more heavily now, veiling the horde of creatures
crawling onto the waterfront, but this was familiar ground to Korranjal.  He could
find the Water Temple in pitch darkness, and a good thing that was.  No more than a
hundred yards, but they had to fight for every foot.  Whether they fought a few
monsters to the death or had passing encounters with a score he couldn't tell.
     The Water Temple was dedicated to one of Kjarran's lesser aspects--some people
said to a whole different deity--called Ksuuljin, a patron of ships and sailors.  The
small arcade was crowded with sailors, dock workers, and waterfront loungers who had
taken refuge first from the rain and then from the creatures loosed by the Black
Ship.  There were a lot of drawn blades around, and several people were shouting, but
Korranjal's height and strength opened a path for him and the assassin.
     "What's out there?" someone shrieked in his ear.
     Korranjal looked down.  The top of the priest's head only came to his shoulder,
and he could only be heard over the crowd and the storm when he screamed, but the man
still radiated dignity and authority.  "Some kind of monsters," Korranjal said.  "I
never got a clear look at one.  Seems like they came out of the Black Ship."
     "I didn't see 'em clear, either," Shagrath growled, "but I can tell you they're
mortal."
     "Good to know," the priest said.  "When the sacrifice bell rang at the main
temple, I feared the worst, for in this time spilled blood opens gates that might
otherwise remain closed.  Hoist me up!"  When Korranjal gaped, he added, "I need to
be above the crowd a little if I'm to speak to them and be heard.  Hoist me up!"
     Korranjal dropped to one knee and braced his other hand on the tiled floor.
"Climb onto my shoulders."
     The priest scrambled upward with an ease that suggested an earlier career as a
sailor.  When he was high enough, he clapped his hands sharply.  The sound was picked
up by the temple's acoustics and became a drumbeat.  "Friends!" he shouted, "those
are not demons, they are monsters of the flesh, and they can be killed.  Let us clear
our harbor of the scum!  Forward!"
     The crowd, boiling with fear and anger, swirled, roared, and poured back out
into the night.
     "A lot of them will die," Shagrath said as Korranjal lowered the priest.
     "All men die," the priest answered.  "Their bodies, at least.  These will die
fighting, which is the proper way for a man to go down, and their souls will soar
free.  There are worse fates."

                                      SPY REPORT

     Greetings, warriors of ALJAFIR!  Once again I've been called out of retirement 
for my abilities and insights into Spyreporting.  It seems so recently people were 
saying MIDDLE WAY was washed up, finished.  But 5-0-1 moved them up 1.  I guess 
they're washed no more...  What's with MARSHALL?  He actually beat PROJECT MAYHEM 
XXX's PYRO, and walked away with 24 more points from the fight.  Major screwup at 
PROJECT MAYHEM XXX.  PYRO lost 19 points to MARSHALL.  Some new strategies, perhaps?  
Maybe PYRO will provide more easy wins...  So HI-JINX finally bought it, eh?  I 
thought she too sure of herself, always strutting around.  ALEXANDER THE GREAT, 
there's a lesson here!  I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip about 
your fellow fighters?  Tough!   
     Speaking of cowardly avoiders and unfair challenges...  The most avoided team 
was HEROESANDFOUNDONES.  Management must be dealin', as the boys at 
SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS ain't reelin'!  HEROESANDFOUNDONES' mad!  What do people see in 
TABETA UNIS?  Hers 16-42-0?  MIDDLE WAY ain't talkin', but she's got 90 points.  
TABETA UNIS didn't quite know what to make of a challenge she received from VAMPIRE 
LORD of LET'S DUEL!, who is 23 points below her.  VAMPIRE LORD perhaps got his just 
desserts, seeing as he was beat by TABETA UNIS and ended up with 65 recognition 
points.   
     A fighter's lot is filled with strife, revenge, and killing.  Some fighters 
don't accept this.  The best do.  Here's some advice:  study your opponent, master 
many skills, fight dirty.   
     Many other cities have retirement homes for aged warriors.  Any plans here?  
ALJAFIR is a nice place to live, but I don't like to live in nice places.  I don't 
want to overstay my welcome...-- Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ALEXANDER THE GREAT 6656     15   5  2   119       HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 TABETA UNIS 6405             16  42  0    90       MIDDLE WAY (484)
-LA JINN 6419                  8   6  1    90       LET'S DUEL! (519)
-$ ANTHONY BURGESS 5319        8   5  0    77       SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS (428)
 VURZHAL UR 6618              13  20  1    69       MIDDLE WAY (484)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 VAMPIRE LORD 6640             5   5  0    65       LET'S DUEL! (519)
 MARSHALL 6673                10   8  1    62       HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 $ JAMES FLETCHER 5356         9   5  0    44       SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS (428)
 OBIDA PANIRI 6700             6  10  0    41       MIDDLE WAY (484)
 PYRO 6678                    11   5  0    38       PROJECT MAYHEM XXX (544)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MAXIMUS 6718                  4   3  1    31       HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)
 EXODIA NECROSS 6654           2   3  0    29       LET'S DUEL! (519)
-$ TONY PICKETT 5452           1   0  1    27       SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS (428)
 STRAIGHT LINE 6714            5   5  1    26       MIDDLE WAY (484)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-DR PEPPER 6665                1   0  0    20       BLITZKRIEG (543)
 ERBIN FRORLIN 6725            2   1  0    18       MIDDLE WAY (484)
-BOO!!! 6621                   1   1  0    18       SURPISE! (538)
 KHALUM'S MIDGET 6721          3   1  0    16       HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)
-$ DEREK MARTIN 5451           1   0  0    12       SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS (428)
-QUICKSTRIKE KILLER 6692       0   1  0     7       FEROCIOUS BASTARDS (547)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
PERSISTENT BEGGAR 629  0  1 0   1                   STRAIGHT LINE 6714    519 NONE    
TABATA DOS 6728        0  1 0 HEROESANDFOUNDONE 475 SHEWISH GIANT 646     519 NONE    
HI-JINX 6674          12  4 0 PROJECT MAYHEM XX 544 ALEXANDER THE GR 6656 519         

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Hi-Jinx -- I'll be in 100 if you ever want to hook up again.  I'm sure you do...but I
really don't. -- Dark Magician

Vampire Lord -- You want to duel?  You're crazy in the head!  Let's NOT duel, okay?
-- Tabeta Unis
P.S.  I don't know about you, but I'm better at the "not doing" than the "doing."

Pyro -- Well, I think we've probably MADE all the easy plays on your name, and I
don't have the energy to come up with one anyway.  How about if you just pretend I
said 'em? -- Obida Paniri
P.S.  And give me back the edge!  I may need it in my next fight.  It wasn't meant as
a forever-gift, just a LOAN.

$James Fletcher -- Bit of a mouthful, that name.  Listen, kid, you'd have done a lot
better if you hadn't been dipped in batter and deep-fat fried.  Come au natural next
time. -- Vurzhal Ur

Khalum's Midget -- Khalum must be hard up these days. -- Straight Line

Quickstrike Killer -- Your name is too long, and your team name is too long, and it
bugs me, okay?  Unless you write some kind of personal for members of our team to
respond to, we're probably going to harp on that. -- Erbin Frorlin
P.S.  Not ME, having said it once, that's it for me.  But SOME of my teammates are
the kind that go on and on and on and ON!  Be warned.

Dr Pepper -- I consider that your use of strange drugs, especially (shudder) those
fizzy ones, was unfair!  I have presented a beautiful affidavit from MY doctor
explaining all this in detail to the arena authorities, and you will probably be
HEARING from them SOON. -- Louis Teal, a scribe but NOT an embezzler, someone just
MISUNDERSTOOD my accounting system

Marshall -- Listen, just because I'm a prisoner here doesn't mean I'm a pussycat,
boy.  You gotta do better than that. -- Geroge Murv, Orc, captured by gross trickery

Alexander the Great -- Enjoy it while you can.  Life is short, and victory is
shorter. -- M. Konvalh Chardinee

Ghost of Bar Tab -- You think I CARE about the likes of you?  I would feed you to the
fishes if I could, but I suppose they'll use your carcass for fertilizer. -- Dark
Champion, name withheld for various reasons

Ameba -- You too squishy. -- Gruk, Mountain Troll

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

TABATA DOS was butchered by SHEWISH GIANT in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
VAMPIRE LORD was bested by TABETA UNIS in a exciting 1 minute Challenge duel.
$ JAMES FLETCHER was overcome by VURZHAL UR in a 3 minute Challenge match.
EXODIA NECROSS defeated KHALUM'S MIDGET in a crowd pleasing 1 minute Challenge duel.
HI-JINX was butchered by ALEXANDER THE GREAT in a 1 minute one-sided Title fight.
PYRO was demolished by MARSHALL in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
MAXIMUS lost to OBIDA PANIRI in a 2 minute fight.
STRAIGHT LINE butchered PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a 1 minute mismatched match.
ERBIN FRORLIN overcame EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute beginner's fight.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|WALL OF STEEL                    4         AIMED BLOW        11 -   5 -  0      69  |
|AIMED BLOW                       2         STRIKING ATTACK    9 -   5 -  1      64  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   2         WALL OF STEEL     15 -  13 -  1      54  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         PARRY-STRIKE       5 -   5 -  0      50  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         PARRY-RIPOSTE      9 -   9 -  1      50  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         SLASHING ATTACK    9 -   9 -  1      50  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  1         BASHING ATTACK     6 -   6 -  0      50  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   1         LUNGING ATTACK     6 -   6 -  0      50  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  1         PARRY-LUNGE        6 -   7 -  0      46  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      1         TOTAL PARRY        2 -   4 -  0      33  |

Turn 519 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        1 -  0     WALL OF STEEL      1 -  3         3  WALL OF STEEL  
PARRY-STRIKE       1 -  0     STRIKING ATTACK    0 -  1         2  LUNGING ATTACK 
PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  0     TOTAL PARRY        0 -  1         1  PARRY-LUNGE    
SLASHING ATTACK    1 -  0                                       1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
BASHING ATTACK     1 -  0                                       1  BASHING ATTACK 
AIMED BLOW         1 -  1                                       1  TOTAL PARRY    
LUNGING ATTACK     1 -  1                                       1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                                                                1  STRIKING ATTACK

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
WALL OF STEEL    ALEXANDER THE GREAT 6656   15   5  2  119 HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)
BASHING ATTACK   MARSHALL 6673              10   8  1   62 HEROESANDFOUNDONES (475)
TOTAL PARRY      $ JAMES FLETCHER 5356       9   5  0   44 SOUTHERNFRIEDKILLERS (428)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is TABETA UNIS 6405.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was TABETA UNIS 6405.  The ten other most popular fighters were VURZHAL UR 6618, 
EXODIA NECROSS 6654, MAXIMUS 6718, $ JAMES FLETCHER 5356, ERBIN FRORLIN 6725, VAMPIRE 
LORD 6640, ALEXANDER THE GREAT 6656, MARSHALL 6673, OBIDA PANIRI 6700, and STRAIGHT 
LINE 6714.

The least popular fighter this week was PYRO 6678.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were HI-JINX 6674, KHALUM'S MIDGET 6721, TABATA DOS 6728, STRAIGHT LINE 
6714, OBIDA PANIRI 6700, MARSHALL 6673, ALEXANDER THE GREAT 6656, VAMPIRE LORD 6640, 
ERBIN FRORLIN 6725, and $ JAMES FLETCHER 5356.