DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER Date : 03/08/2004 Duedate: 03/20/2004 CALEAM ARENA DM-26 TURN-475 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS WOOLLY LOCO POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) (26-3902) [9-0-0,123] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader DIESEL WOOLLY LOCO WARCKERS (362) POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) (26-4277) [14-15-0,91] (26-3902) [9-0-0,123] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite DIO KORIBUS HEADBANGERS (87) GOLDEN CANYON (290) (26-4302) [15-10-1,64] (26-4227) [9-32-0,60] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM WARCKERS (362) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. HOME LIFE (453) 24 2. HEADBANGERS (87) 16 WARCKERS (362) 3. POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) 11 Unchartered Team 4. GOLDEN CANYON (290) 9 5. IT'S ALL RELATIVE (449) 3POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 0*POISONOUS PUGILIST (414) 9 5 0 64.3 1/ 1 WARCKERS (362) 11 4 0 2/ 2 WARCKERS (362) 524 375 28 58.3 2/ 2 HEADBANGERS (87) 6 6 0 3/ 3 HEADBANGERS (87) 381 275 23 58.1 3/ 5 GOLDEN CANYON (290) 5 10 0 4- 4 SHERWOOD FOREST (438) 150 120 19 55.6 4/ 3 IT'S ALL RELATIVE (449) 4 3 0 5/ 5 HOME LIFE (453) 128 104 7 55.2 5/ 4 SOULS OF BLACK (303) 4 11 0 6/ 7 SOULS OF BLACK (303) 200 268 16 42.7 6/ 9 HOME LIFE (453) 3 4 0 7/ 8 GOLDEN CANYON (290) 358 531 13 40.3 7/ 0*POISONOUS PUGILIST (414) 1 1 0 8/ 9 IT'S ALL RELATIVE (449) 11 21 1 34.4 8- 8 SHERWOOD FOREST (438) 1 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[ Out of the Past #3 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Valamantis: Hallie O'Dene did not stay in Valamantis. She hadn't been able to get an audience with the ruler of the city-state, Garlor Shanmarrik, and the clerk to whom she had given her warning had been...disbelieving. Had, in fact, threatened her with imprisonment if she "stirred up unrest." A very proper bureaucrat, he'd been. Hallie considered slicing off his ears and nailing them to the wall, or possibly nailing the man's ears to the wall without slicing them off, but such action would serve no purpose but to express her anger, so she didn't. There really wasn't any point in that. She gave her warning to Arenamistress Sitalva, who was at least polite, and then went on her way. Carefully circling wide around the ruins of Old Valamantis and ghosts of the ancient city that came and went unstably above them. The people of Valamantis, in the person of the Lord's clerk, had chosen to ignore her warning, and there were others she had to find and warn, others who might listen. Arenamistress Sitalva did not exactly believe Hallie's warning about the danger from the Bloodgames, but she didn't disbelieve, either. She had already seen the mirage-like ancient towers above the bloody ground. She had seen those ghostly towers before, after other Bloodgames, had accepted them as a normal illusion there. Maybe she needed to re-think "normal." She couldn't imagine anyone resurrecting Old Valamantis for any kind of GOOD reason. The oldest levels of the city were Folstrom. And saturated with dark magic. Mordant: Mordant was like a stirred up hive of bees, full of activity, and hostile to any stranger who had the misfortune to get in the way. She guessed that she wouldn't have any more luck getting in to see Queen Talissen of Mordant than she had in Valamantis. Which was frustrating, since it was a serious warning she had to deliver. Well, she hadn't expected this to be easy.... After a moment's thought, she headed straight for the arena, bypassing the palace entirely. There would be people who'd listen to her at the arena, because she was one of them. Kakar was arenamaster in Mordant, she'd met him once. A grim man, but who wouldn't be if they had to live in Mordant? She avoided looking at the pitted black stone that most of the city was built of, and the windowless architecture. The Mordanti were a grim people all around. The arena was seething with activity and speculation, though it wasn't fight day. Rumors were flying; before she managed to locate the arenamaster, Hallie heard seven different versions of "an attack on the Queen!" which had been foiled by a gladiator, or maybe more than one gladiator, or maybe it had been made by a gladiator, or only reported by a gladiator, or.... The attack on the Queen, if it had happened at all, was the main topic, but there was a froth of other rumors in the background: monsters in various likely or unlikely places, out in the swamp, down in Valamantis, in the Syrinwald lake, or up in the mountains. A war that might or might not be happening between two different kingdoms in the south, and even the supposed participants kept changing--Trocar, Rocanis, Xochithlan, the wild Rirorni. Banditry around Tricorus; she shrugged that one off. There was always banditry around Tricorus. Arenamaster Kakar was closeted with a sober looking man, tall for a Kannar, and richly dressed. Kakar didn't actually refuse to listen to Hallie, but he made it clear that he didn't have much time to spare. Hallie shrugged. The way things had been going since she'd set out to spread the warning, his attitude was no surprise. She wondered in passing whether Khaldren could have managed some kind of spell that made people unwilling to listen. Not that it mattered at the moment. "I bring word of a powerful wizard who has come out of the past to spread disaster in our time," she began. "He is a wizard from drowned Krael, and he claims the intention to resurrect Celestinvael and other lost cities and build a new empire in Alastari." The tall man leaned forward, suddenly frowning. "Celestinvael is five hundred years dead," he stated. "How can this be 'resurrected'?" Celestinvael was also, Hallie knew, the closest of the dangerous ruins to Mordant, unless you counted Old Valamantis--which Khaldren hadn't mentioned. "I'm no wizard," she answered. "I don't know. But he stated his intention to use 'blood magic' to do it, which he believes will work even with the Arcanum in flux." She shrugged. "I don't know about magic, but he seemed confidant, and I saw him work spells of great power." "No doubt we've mages around who can confirm or deny this possibility," the tall man said. "I will carry the warning to Queen Talissen and set our magicians to work." Seeing her surprise, he added, "I am Allech Rabo, Her Majesty's Herald. I have the authority to take these steps." "Good! You might pass word to Valamantis, too--I couldn't get to see anyone but a damned clerk. If it's blood magic at work, well, there was a lot of blood spilled in Old Valamantis just over a month ago--" "Mordan!" The Herald leaped to his feet. "The Bloodgames! If blood magic still works, then the danger is extreme! I must go to the Queen at once!" "And I will speak to the gladiators of this city about the dangers ahead," Kakar said when the Herald had gone. "Doubtless they will be called upon to take arms against enemies of Mordant." Iaye: The first ground tremors made people uneasy, but no more than that. There had been small earthquakes for months now, mostly centered on Seam and its underground disturbances. They posed no threat to the island, except in the case of those boats who were just coming into the docks when tremor-waves hit. And even that...the sailors of Iaye were skilled, and they had learned to deal with it. But the mild tremors didn't stop, they were replaced by serious jolts, and the ground underfoot shivered like jelly in a bowl. All the sailors who could took their ships out of the harbor and around the island toward the center of the Trier. No one wanted to get caught by a bigger wave than usual and shoved onto a rocky shore. Once the ships were safely away from the land, alarm turned to eager speculation. Did this herald new geysers for Seam? Would a volcano erupt and destroy the town entirely? Bets were placed. After all, Seam wasn't THEIR town.... Or maybe this quake would strike a little closer to home, like the one that had cracked open the Ogre's Tomb in Point. That thought sobered people. There had been...things in the Tomb, and it had taken all the warriors who could reach Point to deal with them. What else might be down there, to be released by a fresh earthquake? They didn't really want to know. Most of the ships were strung out parallel to the coast north of Point and Iaye. Far enough apart not to damage each other if something went wrong, close enough to pass messages along. The message that came up from the southern end of the line near sunset was unexpected, and more than a little alarming. Everyone knew there were ruins under the lake between Point and the island of Iaye. But nobody had expected them to rise. And none of the half-remembered stories of Krael made people happy about the great city's reappearance. SPY REPORT Like the magnificent Sun, rising upon the Dawn and exiling the Night for a Day, I, Novgorodny Vir, return once again! Nothing works for a team like victory (How's that for a perceptive observation?) as HOME LIFE can attest... Practice pays for BEAUTY QUEEN, who pummelled TEMOOR, to pocket 16 points. PEIDAO certainly had a baffled expression on his face, after losing to ZODIAC FREAK and losing 11 points in the process! What can be a greater victory? WOOLLY LOCO has taken his place as the top, as CALEAM's new Duelmaster. Word has it one team in CALEAM is taking speech lessons to try to bore their opponent to death. I'll bet it works. A Zenmaster once told me, 'Does not the spinning wheel turn? And do not the little birds cry out?' Any ideas? To quell some nasty rumors, the guys in HEADBANGERS are not carrying any incurable diseases. No need to avoid 'em. Like a pup with its tail between its legs, WARCKERS scurried away from HEADBANGERS. Oh, the shame! If challenges were horses, KORIBUS could open up a fast food joint! CHARDON challenged KORIBUS! Who says SOULS OF BLACK are just a bunch of wimps! CHARDON of SOULS OF BLACK kept hers wits as she was subdued by KORIBUS. My love of complete Spyreports dictates that I note the mismatched fight, JUMBO SHRIMP and BOUNCER. Are HOME LIFE unwilling to engage in a fair fight? I thought JUMBO SHRIMP showed great skill and promise when it was overcame by BOUNCER. All right, so I slept through it! Big deal! Ah, the duel! The roar of the oppenent, the smell of the crowd! Like a tattered, worn-out, faded, out-of-fashion garment cast out to rot, AIKSU of SOULS OF BLACK has been summarily sent to the Dark Arena. Ask not for whom the sword slashes; it slashes for thee. Leave me now, you base fools! As the seasons change, and the creatures of the wild change also, so do I feel a yearning to leave this place. Can anything compare to the pleasure of writing Spyreports for CALEAM? On that giddy note I take my leave-- Novgorodny Vir DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME WOOLLY LOCO 3902 9 0 0 123 POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SAPPER 4243 13 8 2 100 SHERWOOD FOREST (438) DIESEL 4277 14 15 0 91 WARCKERS (362) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SAILOR VENUS 4326 12 2 0 74 SHERWOOD FOREST (438) RAZOR BACK 4317 14 9 0 73 WARCKERS (362) FLIMSY 4406 6 1 0 70 WARCKERS (362) -AMEE 4301 15 9 2 68 HEADBANGERS (87) -MOUNTAIN TROLL 4385 7 3 1 67 HEADBANGERS (87) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME ZODIAC FREAK 4353 7 7 2 65 HEADBANGERS (87) DIO 4302 15 10 1 64 HEADBANGERS (87) KORIBUS 4227 9 32 0 60 GOLDEN CANYON (290) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SON OF A GUN 4382 5 2 0 56 IT'S ALL RELATIVE (449) PEIDAO 4365 7 7 0 42 SOULS OF BLACK (303) MISS PRISS 4371 6 8 0 40 GOLDEN CANYON (290) -SPLINTER 4439 4 0 0 37 HEADBANGERS (87) CHARDON 4364 7 7 2 36 SOULS OF BLACK (303) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME TUK ADOW 4395 5 2 0 33 WARCKERS (362) ONYX 4409 5 1 0 28 WARCKERS (362) MOUNTAIN MIKE 4405 4 4 1 26 SOULS OF BLACK (303) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MOTHER SUPERIOR 4380 3 5 0 22 IT'S ALL RELATIVE (449) -DE DE MAO 4397 3 3 0 20 SHERWOOD FOREST (438) BEAUTY QUEEN 4456 1 0 0 16 HOME LIFE (453) -GRAPHITE 4408 2 2 0 14 SHERWOOD FOREST (438) GO-FER 4444 2 1 0 14 GOLDEN CANYON (290) BOUNCER 4445 1 2 0 12 GOLDEN CANYON (290) POPPA LODE 4392 1 8 0 11 GOLDEN CANYON (290) -TWISTED SISTER 4390 1 1 0 8 IT'S ALL RELATIVE (449) JUMBO SHRIMP 4440 1 3 0 6 HOME LIFE (453) TEMOOR 4442 1 2 0 5 SOULS OF BLACK (303) JAW BREAKER 4454 1 0 0 4 HOME LIFE (453) CANADA YEW 3899 0 1 0 1 POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? LITTLE NUGGET 4269 6 22 0 GOLDEN CANYON 290 DIO 4302 472 DONTNEEDONE 4452 0 1 0 HOME LIFE 453 BLACK ORC 416 475 NONE DONTNEEDONE 4455 0 1 0 HOME LIFE 453 BLACK ORC 416 475 NONE INBRED FRED 4388 0 1 0 IT'S ALL RELATIVE 449 BLACK ORC 416 475 NONE AIKSU 4361 4 10 0 SOULS OF BLACK 303 STONE GOLEM 422 475 NONE PERSONAL ADS All -- I am going to be sitting on a few of the Headbangers till the tourney, so save your challenges. -- SOV Won't that make your chair kinda lumpy? -- Ed. Poppa Lode -- That's right baby, Lode of skills! -- Splinter Flimsy -- That must be one hell of a desperation strategy you are using. What is it? 12-12-12 L ? -- Zodiac Freak Chardon -- Looks like my challenge kinda made it through anyway! -- Dio Razor Back -- Sigh...it's really not even close, is it? -- Amee Diesel -- And you too! What is it with all these PR's to take down my strikers! -- Sablon All -- What? Are you allergic to personal ads? Sheesh...lazy bums. -- Sablon-O-Vlad Son of a Gun -- Whoosh, don't let me get in the way of you learning stuff! -- Koribus Splinter -- Just a sliver off the old tree, I see. -- Poppa Lode Aiksu -- You must realize, young man, that having a black soul is not Good. I strongly recommend yellow soap and a wire brush. -- Miss Priss Jumbo Shrimp -- (crossly) Okay, so the bucket of sauce was rude. I can be rude if I want to! -- Bouncer Temoor -- One of us had to lose, and Leeta told me to gofer the win, so I did. -- Go- Fer Zodiac Freak -- I'm biased in favor of trolls. -- Koribus 25 February 2004 Readers, and especially those who volunteered warriors -- My apologies for the sudden lack of episodes. I've been sick, but expect to be back at the keyboard soon. -- the Scribe 3 March 2004 MONGO'S MARDI GRAS MADNESS DUELMASTERS AUCTION Mongo, aka Matt McIntosh and ex-Warden of the Dark Circle, is auctioning off his entire collection of Duelmasters warriors and stables. Don't miss out on this chance to own some fantastic warriors! There are ADM warriors available in every class from Primus to Freshmen, as well as over a dozen Basic stables. Does a Slasher with +4 attack, +4 decisiveness, +3 initiative and +2 riposte sound good? How about a Lunger who received the benefit of a TC prize, has TVed three times after graduating--and still hasn't maxed out his skills!? How about a Striker in the Freshmen class who has decisiveness for a favorite learn and the MAUL for a favorite weapon!? Or perhaps you prefer playing in Basic. Then how does a stable with four Adept class warriors who have a combined record of 41-19-9 sound? Or maybe a stable with three 21-Will warriors? Or perhaps a stable with four Initiates and a Rookie who have a combined record of 23-6-1? The quality of the lots is excellent. All you need to view and bid on the lots is go to: http://members.aol.com/jvmerlino/mardigras.html If you want to be on the mailing list to receive regular updates on the auction, just send an e-mail to JVMerlino@aol.com. Merlin, aka John Merlino and also an ex- Warden of the Dark Circle, will be running this auction for me. I just moved to New Orleans and am likely currently stumbling around the French Quarter...because it's Mardi Gras! So I have named my auction in honor of this occasion. The auction will start on Saturday, March 13th, 2004, and will continue for several weeks. But you should get your bids in early if you want your best chance at owning any of these fantastic warriors and stables. Many thanks to all for your interest and your bids, Mongo 5 March 2004 Style Masters Symposium Hosted by Hammer The years have slipped by and many DM Managers have come and gone since the last Hammer's Handbook was compiled and printed. There is now a stirring within me to begin writing and editing yet another Handbook with a distribution date sometime in 2005. This Handbook will be made available via Email with a possibility of burning the info to a CD for distribution. Special arrangements will be made to provide the information via printed page to those contributors who are serving sentences behind bars. The working title of this new Handbook is "Style Masters Symposium Hosted by Hammer". Distribution of this Handbook is projected to be MAINLY for those DM Managers who contribute information/articles to Hammer by June 2004. Informative and entertaining articles should focus on insights regarding Any or All 10 Style Masters for both the Basic and ADM arenas as well as Tourney competition. Articles focusing on Weapons/Armor are also encouraged for inclusion. Whether you are a Newbie Manager without a clue or a Jaded Veteran; everyone has discovered something about this gaming experience that is both Insightful and Entertaining. Email Your Articles to HammerDM@fastermail.com or send them via Diplo to either Flower Hammerz (372) in DM 28 or Casino Hammerz (576) in DM 33. Length and Content of the Style Masters Symposium Hosted by Hammer will be Determined by the Quality and Quantity of Contributors Combined with the Literary Efforts of Hammer who is currently overseas for an indefinite period of time. Articles Contributed for this Project should be of Sufficient Length and Content to Warrant being Included to Receive the Finished Document when Hammer has completed this literary work to His satisfaction. Managers contributing articles are also requested to include a DM Bio of Themselves along with any Notable Successes and/or Failures during Their DM Career in Basic, ADM and/or Tourney Play. A listing of Active Stables would also be Helpful for Anyone Seeking to Reply to Contributors via Diplo, Email or Snailmail. May Your Blades Be Sharp And Your Wits Sharper! -- Hammer of Flower Hammerz (372) DM 28 and Casino Hammerz (576) DM 33 18 March 2004 St. Valentine's Day Massacre Update We are pleased to announce that the kLk sponsored St. Valentine's Day Massacre kill contest in DM 36 is off to a great start. We are also pleased to announce that in addition to the 10 team rollups we are also able to offer the renaming of a dark arena warrior as a prize to the manager with the most kills. The contest is only 2 turns old and is still wide open. There are currently 5 managers tied with one kill each. Anything can still happen so hurry up and get into the arena. On a personal note, no other alliances have entered the arena in force to challenge the kLk dominance. We were expecting The Firm to put up a fight for their supposed home arena. But, they were a no show. Guess they proved what they are really made of. *evil grin* Perhaps another alliance would like to step in to give us a challenge. We are throwing down the gauntlet. Perhaps the Chaos Inc. boys I keep hearing about would like to step in and challenge the kLk for arena dominance. If you don't show up, Chaos, don't feel bad. FAR better managers than you have been invited into Jhans but have chosen to pass on the offer. So if you consider yourself worthy to compete, like fierce competition, and enjoy arenas where the personals are as fierce as the fighting, come visit JHANS DM 36. We're already planning our next contest, "Capture the Flag," and have a storyline being actively worked on in the arena. Whatever you like about DM you can find it in JHANS. Bookie mgr. of Suicidal Dreams and Director Jhans Board of Tourism kLk Alliance LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS AIKSU was barely slain by STONE GOLEM in a 3 minute bloody Dark Arena fight. DONTNEEDONE was slaughtered by BLACK ORC in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena battle. INBRED FRED was murdered by BLACK ORC in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena fight. DONTNEEDONE was butchered by BLACK ORC in a 1 minute Dark Arena contest. CHARDON was savagely defeated by KORIBUS in a exciting 3 minute Challenge fight. MOUNTAIN MIKE bested GO-FER in a 1 minute Challenge duel. ONYX defeated MOTHER SUPERIOR in a exciting 4 minute Challenge struggle. JUMBO SHRIMP was viciously subdued by BOUNCER in a 2 minute Challenge competition. DIESEL was vanquished by WOOLLY LOCO in a 1 minute uneven Title duel. RAZOR BACK lost to VIRGINAL CONCUBINE in a 2 minute gruesome expert's fight. FLIMSY was defeated by KHALHUMS DWARF in a exciting 3 minute gruesome fight. DIO beat MISS PRISS in a exciting 1 minute fight. ZODIAC FREAK demolished PEIDAO in a 1 minute mismatched competition. TUK ADOW bested POPPA LODE in a 1 minute battle. TEMOOR was demolished by BEAUTY QUEEN in a 1 minute one-sided brawl. JAW BREAKER slimly won victory over CANADA YEW in a 8 minute novice's conflict. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |SLASHING ATTACK 6 TOTAL PARRY 18 - 5 - 0 78 | |LUNGING ATTACK 3 STRIKING ATTACK 35 - 26 - 5 57 | |AIMED BLOW 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 18 - 15 - 0 55 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 5 - 0 55 | |BASHING ATTACK 2 LUNGING ATTACK 17 - 23 - 1 43 | |TOTAL PARRY 2 AIMED BLOW 12 - 17 - 1 41 | |STRIKING ATTACK 2 BASHING ATTACK 8 - 12 - 1 40 | |WALL OF STEEL 2 SLASHING ATTACK 13 - 20 - 0 39 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 10 - 1 33 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 9 - 0 18 | 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: BASHING ATTACK 2 - 0 AIMED BLOW 1 - 2 5 STRIKING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 2 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 5 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 2 1 SLASHING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 3 1 LUNGING ATTACK 1 BASHING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME SLASHING ATTACK WOOLLY LOCO 3902 9 0 0 123 POISONOUS PUGILISTS (414) PARRY-RIPOSTE RAZOR BACK 4317 14 9 0 73 WARCKERS (362) STRIKING ATTACK FLIMSY 4406 6 1 0 70 WARCKERS (362) LUNGING ATTACK DIO 4302 15 10 1 64 HEADBANGERS (87) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is DIO 4302. The most popular warrior this turn was KORIBUS 4227. The ten other most popular fighters were MOTHER SUPERIOR 4380, FLIMSY 4406, AIKSU 4361, CANADA YEW 3899, MOUNTAIN MIKE 4405, DIO 4302, ZODIAC FREAK 4353, CHARDON 4364, JUMBO SHRIMP 4440, and BOUNCER 4445. The least popular fighter this week was JAW BREAKER 4454. The other ten least popular fighters were TEMOOR 4442, POPPA LODE 4392, PEIDAO 4365, DIESEL 4277, ONYX 4409, GO-FER 4444, DONTNEEDONE 4455, INBRED FRED 4388, DONTNEEDONE 4452, and BEAUTY QUEEN 4456.