DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 05/16/2007    Duedate: 05/29/2007

IAYE ARENA

DM-30    TURN-549

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

CARDINAL ARIZPE
LENPROS (145)
(30-4645) [12-5-2,123]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

CARDINAL ARIZPE                KESTRINA
LENPROS (145)                  FIRE AND RUIN (453)
(30-4645) [12-5-2,123]         (30-4696) [1-1-0,16]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

QUEEN CHINEE                   DR TRINAIRE
THE WARLOCKS (430)             RED DOG GANG (356)
(30-4588) [23-18-1,91]         (30-4606) [16-16-0,80]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

LENPROS (145)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. LENPROS (145)               52
2. RED DOG GANG (356)          21      THE WARLOCKS (430)
3. THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431)  17      Unchartered Team
4. GAMEHENDGE (299)             3
5. RESCUE RANGERS II (385)      1      FIRE AND RUIN (453)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1- 2*RAGGED EDGE (454)          9   5  0 64.3   1/ 1 LENPROS (145)            11  3 1
 2/ 3 THE WARLOCKS (430)       146  90  8 61.9   2/ 2 RED DOG GANG (356)        6  9 1
 3/ 4 LENPROS (145)            947 609 27 60.9   3- 3*RAGGED EDGE (454)         5  3 0
 4/ 6 THE A'S -- LOSERS  (431) 185 160  6 53.6   4/ 5 GAMEHENDGE (299)          4  2 0
 5/ 5 RESCUE RANGERS II (385)   16  14  2 53.3   5/ 6 THE A'S -- LOSERS  (431)  4  2 0
 6/ 8 GAMEHENDGE (299)         169 151 10 52.8   6/ 4 WORLDLY DECLINE (445)     4  5 0
 7/ 7 WORLDLY DECLINE (445)     42  40  2 51.2   7/ 8*FIRE AND RUIN (453)       1  1 0
 8/ 1*FIRE AND RUIN (453)        1   1  0 50.0   8/ 7 THE WARLOCKS (430)        1  2 0
 9/11 RED DOG GANG (356)       490 666 11 42.4   9/ 9 RESCUE RANGERS II (385)   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[ Cities by the Shore #15 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Between Point and Aruak City:

     Captain Tollisker kept them moving at a steady walk-trot-walk which chaffed
Adie's nerves even as she recognized that it was going to give them the most distance
covered in the least time.  If they'd been able to count on changing horses, things
would have been different, but since they couldn't....  They were arguably on the
King's Business, cleaning up the mess Khaldren had made of the Clanholds, and they
should be able to get spare horses from the royal posting stations.  If there had
been any horses to get.  They passed two such stations between Point and Aruak City;
one had been completely deserted and showing signs of vandalous attack, the other was
doing duty as a farmhouse-and-fortress, and there were only two heavy plowhorses in
the corral.
     Adie watched the countryside flow past as they rode and wondered how things had
gotten so bad so quickly.  Except, some of the damage done to buildings, bridges,
roads, fields didn't look like quick work.  Some had plainly been done the year
before, or even longer ago, and never repaired.  Even if he could not reach into the
heart of the Clanholds at this time, the King should be doing something!  What was he
thinking to let things go like this?  He was playing right into Khaldren's hands.
"We'll have to talk to him," she muttered, glaring at another abandoned farmstead.
     "There are lots of people we'll have to talk to," Fandil answered.  The old man
sounded weary and grim.  "It's figuring out what to do first that'll be the problem.
The king, the clanlords...Lady Sheila?  Other magicians and priests?  Do we start
working on the effects of the shapeshifter plague first, or tackle the political and
governmental mess first, or--"
     "Or square off against Khaldren first," Adie said.  "He's the root of the
problem."  When the old magician didn't answer immediately, she sighed.  "I know Cho
said we shouldn't act rashly against Khaldren, but we have to DO something and fast.
And...Fandil, can we trust Cho?"
     "Trust his judgment in the matter of attacking Khaldren?  Yes, no question about
it."  Another of those silences that she had come to know meant he was figuring out
how to say something she might not want to hear.  "Khaldren is the root of our
current problems," he said finally.  "But the real, deepest, original root is Lady
Sheila, Adie."
     The sun priestess had several different reactions to that statement, and they
whirled through her so quickly she couldn't decide which to pick first.  Finally, she
just said, "How is she a problem?"
     "How many days have we got to list the ways?" he asked.  Then he swept the
question away with a gesture.  "Doesn't matter right now.  Root or no, it's like the
old saying, you know the one.  How it's hard to remember, when you're up to your, ah,
hips in alligators, that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.  First things
first, and we have to get to Aruak City and start killing alligators.  Later for
draining the swamp."
     "But not too much later," Adie said.
                        ***     *****     ***     *****     ***
     They had stopped at sunset, still fifteen miles short of Aruak City.  A
farmhouse with hex signs painted over every door and window, a wary family, a watch
kept through the night, on the way again at sunrise.  Two more hours to the city.
     A wary city.  The main gates were closed, with travelers being admitted one at a
time through secondary gates after a careful scrutiny.  Name, occupation, residence,
reason for traveling, and do you have any local references?
     And when they got in, the mood of the city was...odd.  Unexpected.  Some
wariness, yes, they'd expected that.  But there was a bright, almost eager
heedlessness, a hunger for violence near the surface, that was as shocking as the
blood-splashes on the walls.
     "I wish Tollisker had come in with us, him and his twenty good men, instead of
heading back to Point right away," Fandil muttered.
     "This is Aruak City," Adie protested.  "The heart and soul of Andoria!"  She
flinched as an argument over the price of onions at a market booth erupted into
blows, escalated to the use of clubs and daggers, spread like fire in dry grass
across the market square, then faded out.  Faded, except for half a dozen men and
women limping and a body being dragged away down an alley.  "What is WRONG with these
people?"
     "Alligators," Fandil answered grimly.

Point:

     The chosen tunnel descended steadily.  Gissanniah could tell that from the way
her legs ached, but she found it hard to judge the angle of the slope.  Steeper than
the fall of land between Point and Krael, she thought.  Had they come far enough to
actually be under the ruined city?  She touched one wall.  Wet stone.  The other
wall.  She could touch them both at once.  Even with Doc Circ's elixir she felt
confined.  Trapped.  But the elixir prevented a full-blown attack of claustrophobia,
so it was probably good.  Another hundred-foot-marker knot slipped through her hands.
The eighteenth one since they'd tied the rope near the entrance.  Eighteen hundred
feet...they hadn't gotten far, then.  More than a quarter of a mile, less than a
half, she didn't try to do the math in her head.
     The men in front of her came to a stop and bent over the map again.  Why?  There
was no junction here.  No sudden change in direction.  When they stood close
together, most of the light was blocked, leaving her in darkness.  In darkness, the
walls moved closer.  She couldn't prove that they actually did squeeze in, but...she
wasn't at all sure that they did not.  There was all that weight of land overhead.
Maybe the ceiling of the tunnel was being forced down.  She breathed in and breathed
out, filling her lungs and emptying them at a steady pace, counting, fighting the
urge to hold her breath and listen for the walls coming closer, which she would not
be able to hear, it would come silently when it did.  Resisting the urge to breathe
too fast as though in preparation for running.  Running wouldn't help, anyway, there
was nowhere to run to.
     What were they DOING that was taking so long?  Why didn't they get moving again?
     Master Cho was feeling along the left-hand wall.  The left side was sinister,
wasn't it?  Hadn't she heard it called the Lefthand Path when people did things the
dark way?  And Cho was strange, maybe even sinister, anyway: he was Adantri, and yet
a magician.  Everyone said there were no true Adantri magicians.  Of course, he
LOOKED Adantri, but--
     The wall faded away under his hands, showing the tunnel angling off to the left
and down more steeply.  "This way," he said, his voice echoing.

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     I'm so glad it's you, Lady!  My favorite dancing partner, you know?  The last
waltz with you kind of thing.
     Me, I'm off to retirement, think I'll open a dancing school somewhere.  Maybe in
Lirith Kai.

                                       Bigfoots

                                      SPY REPORT

     Well, what are you looking at, IAYE?  Ain't you never seen Snide Clemens before? 
Ah, shaddup and listen to my news.  Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see 
EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE win a fight and gain 15 points, terribly.  Tsk, tsk, EARTHQUAKE 
EXCUSE beat DR TRINAIRE and DR TRINAIRE lost 10 points.  You're breakin' my heart.  
Looks like IAYE has some guts at least, BIGFOOTS the Duelmaster was this turn's 
most-challenged warrior.  And if variety is the spice of life, IAYE may be getting 
bland, as BIGFOOTS stays top dog in the city.  I'm not in a very good mood today, but 
why am I telling you this?  You want to know what's new, don't you, IAYE?   
     He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day, the coward.  What's 
the big D?  WORLDLY DECLINE was the most avoided team?  Bunch of lily livered... 
grumble... mumble... curse...  And who led the way in this mass act of cowardice?  
Let's see, well, whatcha know?  It was LENPROS.  Ha ha ha ha!  I suspect either a 21 
will or a 21 ego on this one, but DON FRANCIS has challenged up by 36 in an attempt 
against THE BOY KING.  And The Dragon's Blood Inn has banned THE BOY KING from 
service until next turn for losing to DON FRANCIS and giving him 28 points in the 
process!  Ha!   
     Ah, now we come to my favorite part, where we see all the guys who are dead and 
gone, and get to see if their team cared.  Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess 
what brave team is developing these kinds of weapons?   
     What does the IAYE arena have in common with the inns?  It's just as comfortable 
to sleep in either place.  Ha ha ha ha!  Just wait 'till next time I show up here, I 
won't be so nice!  So nyaaah!  I see the crowds are getting restless, I must leave 
now-- Snide Clemens  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645         12   5  2   123       LENPROS (145)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 LADY HUNTSMAN 4579           26  10  0   104       LENPROS (145)
 DON FRANCIS 4619              6   3  0   100       LENPROS (145)
 GADGET 4528                  10   9  1    96       RESCUE RANGERS II (385)
 POP IDOL 4617                13  10  0    93       WORLDLY DECLINE (445)
 QUEEN CHINEE 4588            23  18  1    91       THE WARLOCKS (430)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE 4584       18  23  1    90       THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431)
 DR TRINAIRE 4606             16  16  0    80       RED DOG GANG (356)
 THE BOY KING 4615            14   9  1    77       WORLDLY DECLINE (445)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 FENCE POST 4604              13  21  0    65       RED DOG GANG (356)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SLEEPS ALL DAY 4603           9   9  1    56       GAMEHENDGE (299)
 OUT OF TIME 4681              9   3  0    55       GAMEHENDGE (299)
 KLINK 4647                   10   8  0    53       THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 IRISH CREAM 4654              6   9  0    33       RED DOG GANG (356)
 DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL 4704        3   1  0    26       LENPROS (145)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-CHELYE 4699                   1   0  0    21       RAGGED EDGE (454)
-CELL BLABBER 4616             3   3  0    19       WORLDLY DECLINE (445)
 WINDSONG 4702                 1   4  1    16       RED DOG GANG (356)
-DALE II 4025                  1   0  1    16       RESCUE RANGERS II (385)
 KESTRINA 4696                 1   1  0    16       FIRE AND RUIN (453)
-SERRIS 4697                   3   1  0    15       RAGGED EDGE (454)
-QORK ORKKIN 4698              1   0  0    13       RAGGED EDGE (454)
 PRIVATE PERNA 4690            3   2  0    12       LENPROS (145)
-FRENCH VETO 4618              1   6  0     9       WORLDLY DECLINE (445)
-MODBLYE 4700                  2   2  0     8       RAGGED EDGE (454)
-WARG 4701                     2   2  0     8       RAGGED EDGE (454)
 KID MEDICATION 4713           0   1  0     1       WORLDLY DECLINE (445)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
SHIFTYEYED VOLUNT 360  0  1 0   1                   WINDSONG 4702         549 NONE    
ECK 4649               9  6 1 THE A'S -- LOSERS 431 CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645  546         
LORD WALTON 4612       9  9 0 LENPROS 145           GADGET 4528           545 JUST REV
PRINCESS DIANA 4614   11 11 1 WORLDLY DECLINE 445   CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645  548         

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Oh, my!  Not princess Diana?!  I am so sorry for causing her death.  Mea Culpa.  I
apologize to all The Worldly Decline team. -- Cardinal Arizpe (heading to confession/
reconciliation)

Bigfoots -- What did you do?  You don't love me any more?  I am so hurt. -- Lady
Huntsman (being rather melodramatic)

Warg -- It took effort, but victory was mine, Big Guy. -- Duke Of Whirlpool

Chelye -- You proved to be my better.  Salute. -- Private Perna

Congratulations to Lord Protector Bigfoots. -- Lenpro

Fencepost -- It is true I am light of foot.  One must be in my Family and my
profession. -- Don Francis

A fishing pole?  Lord Walton would have relished that donation.  Thank you Red Dog
Gang. -- Lenpro

Earthquake Excuse -- That never seems to work for me, so I just have to try harder.
And you're helping, thanks for my now-winning record! -- Dr Trinaire
P.S.  I've probably jinxed it by noticing, but what the hey, I'll enjoy it while I
can.

Klink -- You're just too cold and metallic for me. -- Irish Cream

Out of Time -- Story of my life, and then everything gets skimped together at the
last minute, and people never see my BEST work at all. -- Fence Post
P.S.  I can TOO kill houseplants.  EASILY.

Serris -- Ouch!  You ripped my shirt and caused runs in my stockings and just
EVERYTHING torn.  You're a menace. -- Windsong

Don Francis -- It's what I do best. -- Fence Post

20 April 2007
All -- I've been...out of circulation for the last couple of months, and my lists
are not up to date.  If you've announced a manager name, a new alliance, or changed
a manager name or alliance since the middle of February, let me know in the ads, via
diplo, or in an e-mail (Sue (at) solberg-mathews (dot) com).  For that matter, if
you just want to make sure I've got things right, you can always do the same. -- The
Saint, keeper of lists

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

LADY HUNTSMAN bested GADGET in a 2 minute master's Bloodfeud fight.
POP IDOL lost to CARDINAL ARIZPE in a action packed 1 minute Bloodfeud Title battle.
DON FRANCIS demolished THE BOY KING in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
BIGFOOTS bested QUEEN CHINEE in a exciting 1 minute veteran's fight.
DR TRINAIRE was bested by EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE in a popular 3 minute expert's brawl.
SLEEPS ALL DAY was luckily beaten by FENCE POST in a crowd pleasing 2 minute brawl.
KLINK defeated IRISH CREAM in a action packed 2 minute melee.
OUT OF TIME won victory over RUTHLESS JAYWALKER in a action packed 3 minute duel.
KESTRINA was luckily beaten by DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL in a 2 minute gruesome duel.
PRIVATE PERNA defeated KID MEDICATION in a action packed 1 minute novice's fight.
WINDSONG executed SHIFTYEYED VOLUNTEER in a 1 minute one-sided fight.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW                       4         PARRY-STRIKE       7 -   3 -  1      70  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   4         BASHING ATTACK    13 -   7 -  3      65  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      3         TOTAL PARRY       24 -  14 -  0      63  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    3         SLASHING ATTACK   15 -  13 -  1      54  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      2         STRIKING ATTACK    8 -   7 -  0      53  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  1         PARRY-LUNGE       19 -  17 -  0      53  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   1         WALL OF STEEL     12 -  11 -  2      52  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         AIMED BLOW        18 -  17 -  0      51  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         PARRY-RIPOSTE      7 -   8 -  0      47  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  0         LUNGING ATTACK    24 -  32 -  0      43  |

Turn 549 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     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  1         3  LUNGING ATTACK 
STRIKING ATTACK    1 -  0     PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  1         2  TOTAL PARRY    
BASHING ATTACK     1 -  0     LUNGING ATTACK     0 -  4         2  AIMED BLOW     
TOTAL PARRY        3 -  0     SLASHING ATTACK    0 -  0         1  BASHING ATTACK 
WALL OF STEEL      2 -  1                                       1  WALL OF STEEL  
AIMED BLOW         2 -  2                                       1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                                                                1  PARRY-LUNGE    

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
BASHING ATTACK   CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645       12   5  2  123 LENPROS (145)
TOTAL PARRY      LADY HUNTSMAN 4579         26  10  0  104 LENPROS (145)
AIMED BLOW       DON FRANCIS 4619            6   3  0  100 LENPROS (145)
WALL OF STEEL    GADGET 4528                10   9  1   96 RESCUE RANGERS II (385)
LUNGING ATTACK   POP IDOL 4617              13  10  0   93 WORLDLY DECLINE (445)
PARRY-STRIKE     QUEEN CHINEE 4588          23  18  1   91 THE WARLOCKS (430)
PARRY-LUNGE      KLINK 4647                 10   8  0   53 THE A'S -- LOSERS II (431)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is QUEEN CHINEE 4588.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was DR TRINAIRE 4606.  The ten other most popular fighters were SLEEPS ALL DAY 
4603, IRISH CREAM 4654, GADGET 4528, CARDINAL ARIZPE 4645, OUT OF TIME 4681, PRIVATE 
PERNA 4690, DON FRANCIS 4619, EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE 4584, KESTRINA 4696, and LADY 
HUNTSMAN 4579.

The least popular fighter this week was KID MEDICATION 4713.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were POP IDOL 4617, FENCE POST 4604, THE BOY KING 4615, WINDSONG 
4702, DUKE OF WHIRLPOOL 4704, KLINK 4647, QUEEN CHINEE 4588, LADY HUNTSMAN 4579, 
KESTRINA 4696, and EARTHQUAKE EXCUSE 4584.

The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:

BIGFOOTS (30-4512) RED DOG GANG (356)