DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER Date : 04/08/2004 Duedate: 04/21/2004 NIYTYOLE ISLAND ARENA DM-33 TURN-467 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS KEOKOTAH SACKETT'S & CO. (552) (33-6471) [17-11-2,147] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader KEOKOTAH POSITION IS EMPTY SACKETT'S & CO. (552) (33-6471) [17-11-2,147] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite DARTMAN IRON CHEF COLGATE DAYS (594) FOOD FIGHT (10) (33-7161) [8-6-1,56] (33-6925) [10-4-0,66] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM CASINO HAMMERZ (576) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. JOYS OF BOOZE (556) 27 2. FOOD FIGHT (10) 22 COLGATE DAYS (594) 3. SACKETT'S & CO. (552) 13 Unchartered Team 4. PIG BATTALION (226) 10 5. LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) 8 SHADOWMASTERS (261) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1- 2 PETS ON FIRE (573) 130 79 8 62.2 1/ 1 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) 9 6 0 2/ 3 COLGATE DAYS (594) 9 6 1 60.0 2/ 5 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) 8 4 0 3/ 4 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) 112 89 12 55.7 3/ 2 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) 6 5 0 4- 6 VEGGIES (435) 161 141 11 53.3 4/ 8 PIG BATTALION (226) 5 5 0 5/ 5 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) 76 67 13 53.1 5/13 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) 5 5 0 6/ 8 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) 131 121 4 52.0 6/ 3 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) 4 4 0 7/ 9 FOOD FIGHT (10) 146 144 5 50.3 7- 4 JAILBIRDS (590) 3 2 1 8/10 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) 136 136 3 50.0 8-10 BAD BREAD (95) 3 5 0 9/12 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) 30 33 2 47.6 9/ 6 FOOD FIGHT (10) 3 6 0 10-11 BAD BREAD (95) 191 216 20 46.9 10/14 COLGATE DAYS (594) 2 1 0 11/13 PIG BATTALION (226) 83 102 6 44.9 11-11 PETS ON FIRE (573) 1 1 0 12-14 JAILBIRDS (590) 30 40 3 42.9 12-15*CHAOTICDISORDER (585) 1 1 0 13-15*DARK TOADS II (598) 2 4 0 33.3 13- 7 VEGGIES (435) 0 5 0 14-16*CHAOTICDISORDER (585) 1 3 0 25.0 14-16*DARK TOADS II (598) 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 Hammerz Herald Hammer Run Edition/Turn 467 by Hammer I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my balsam and spice [from your sweet words I have gathered the richest perfumes and spices]. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends [feast on, O revelers of the palace; you can never make my lover disloyal to me]! Drink, yes, drink abundantly of love, O precious one [for now I know you are mine, irrevocably mine! With his confident words still thrilling her heart, through the lattice she saw her shepherd turn away and disappear into the night]. [John 16:33.] -- Song of Solomon 5:1 Amplified Bible Lord Protector MAHATSAWD the Mighty was well pleased with the progress his promised bride LUCKY LADY HAMMER had made in recent cycles. LUCKY LADY HAMMER had finally fought her way to a 12-11-1, 78 Winning Record to secure herself in the ranks of the Champions Class on Niytyole Island with 4 straight surprising wins. MAHATSAWD could not fault her for her 11 losses; afterall, the Lord Protector himself retired with a 21-24-1,88,57FE record and did not warrant a further ADM career with his 21-17-11-13(1)-7-5-11 stats. On the other hand, it may amuse Hammer to allow LUCKY LADY HAMMER to enjoy some fight experience in ADM after the promised wedding to MAHATSAWD as Hammer's wedding gift. However, the important thing was for LUCKY LADY HAMMER to survive the rigors of Niytyole Island and to do that, she needed to acquire more precious Skill learns and break her way into the Challenger Champions where she could begin collecting those Even More Precious Political Points towards her Graduation. Especially if she and MAHATSAWD were to have a September Wedding [or sooner, if she could claim the Niytyole Island Duelmasters Throne!!!!!] MAHATSAWD was proud of the way his Lady had overcome adversity these many long months as she gained experience upon the DM 33 sands. Now the Lord Protector was training LUCKY LADY HAMMER with a fervor born of the lust for battle glory yet to be won!!! Just a handful of Skills more to learn and LUCKY LADY HAMMER would be on her way to The Isle as a Lord Protector.....married to Lord Protector MAHATSAWD as promised by Hammer!!!!! From SomeWhere beyond the realms of ElseWhere and ElseWhen, the voice of Hammer sailed upon the wind: "Take Heed To The Path Of The Mighty One Of Old...For The Worst Is Behind You... And The Best Is Yet To Come...For The Conflicts And Challenges May Seem Greater...But You Possess The Prowess Of The Inner Strength To Succeed In Your Great Quest...So Follow The Inward Voice In The Heat Of Battle Upon The Sands...For You Are A Warrior Born For Great Glory...No Matter The Opposition...No Matter The Obstacles...You Have Seen What Lies Ahead...And It Is Good!" >)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #79 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(< Near Barikala: The pillar of light over Barikala was not an attack in any obvious way, but Artemisia found no comfort in that. It was probably magical. No, it was definitely magical. No one had been able to explain it in the months, the years since the Invasion, but they'd figured out that early on. Well, what else could it be? And it, or something connected to it, was deadly dangerous, because no ship or single visitor had returned from Barikala after the pillar first appeared. Those ship captains who normally used Zukal's port had long since worked out the limits of safety in the waters around Barikala, and The Golden Moon was well outside that limit. But...the zombies were something new on the chart. A man screamed behind her, along the ship's other rail, and she whirled. There was movement beyond the rail, black on near black, hard to make out. Lanterns lit the ship's deck but cast no significant light beyond it. She could see one of her sailors staggering toward the rail with some kind of dark cable wrapped around the middle of his body, but not what lay beyond and pulled him. She didn't need to see. She crossed to that side of the deck, her cutlass whistling down on the cable. The blade bit, but not deeply, the cable was more rubbery than a normal rope. It wasn't a rope, of course. She saw with disgust rather than fear that it was a tentacle, though what creature would have a tentacle four inches thick at any point was not something she cared to think deeply about. The Lady Protector hacked downward again. There were more cries. Fear, loathing, terror. More tentacles reaching up and over the ship's side. Tentacles on one side of the ship, zombies on the other. Neither group of sailors could abandon their own task to aid the other. Both attacking forces were stronger than Artemisia had expected. She began to wonder if her crew and her ship would survive at all. Niatoli Island: Lord Protector Ghenis walked along the waterfront of the island's only real town and looked over the shipping on hand. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he figured he'd know it when he saw it. Some people might have taken him for a tourist and considered robbing him, or selling him the kind of trash that hustlers always sold to strangers and rubes, but...not here. This town had an arena, and they knew that kind of walk, that assured and dangerous stance. He could be a hick with hay growing out his ears, but as long as he was a Lord Protector, no one would mistreat him so. At least, no one but another Lord Protector. And since he wasn't such a hick.... He smiled, a baring of his teeth that drove human rats out of his path. Ah. There was a man on the street ahead of him, talking to a probably ship captain. A man who, like himself, was unmistakably a Lord Protector. Tall, hard, maybe not quite human, although Ghenis couldn't put his finger firmly on the difference. Something in the way he stood, maybe. Not that it matter. This looked like a man he could work with. When the man turned away from the sailor, Ghenis was there, nodding his head in a move as close to a bow as he ever got. "I'm Ghenis, from Zukal," he said, and raised a questioning eyebrow. The other frowned. Odd, at this close distance, he seemed almost...scaled. "Agro, Lapur," the man said shortly. Ghenis noted that the sailor was moving away, clearly dissociating himself from the two gladiators. "I have control of a ship," Ghenis said, "and I am minded to make a raid on the invaders at Monuntial. You look like a man who might be interested in that." Agro's frown deepened, but he smiled, baring pointed, over-large teeth. "I'm interested," he agreed. Rocanis: Lady Protector Eleven Blade, Leven to her friends, stood on Spirit Ridge and stared southward. What should have been rolling, increasingly arid grasslands to the distant horizon was now a bank of...fog, maybe. Dark, sharp as a wall at its base, the top of it working like porridge boiling in a pot. And no more than fifteen miles away, probably less. Ten. "I've never seen anything like it," she admitted. "Strange weather...if it is weather." "It's partly weather," her companion said slowly, "but not entirely." He was a Lord Protector from Morya, Ghost Dancer by name. "I have been studying it for two months now. It began...I don't know where. Somewhere in the far south. It was a hundred miles south of here when I first saw it." Leven glanced at the man sharply. She didn't really know him, but there was nothing in his face or manner that suggested he was lying. "It's moved ninety miles in two months? At that rate, it could be on Rocanis within a week!" "Its speed is irregular," Ghost Dancer said. "Some days it moved scarcely a mile, other days it raced north like wildfire. But yes, it could be on Rocanis... any time." He was silent for a moment, as though debating whether he should say more. With a faint shrug, he went on, "I have not been able to find an end to the line of it and get around behind. I have no idea what lies behind in the ground it has already covered. But I would not expect to find anything really GOOD where that has passed." Obviously not, Leven agreed silently. The unknown never seemed to be benevolent. It was probably a natural law. "You couldn't get around an end," she said. "Did you try going straight through?" Ghost Dancer paled a little. "Yes," he said very quietly. "I survived, but I didn't get very far into it. Or I would never have come back, I think. It was like being caught in a whirlwind, in part. But I was not the only thing in the grip of the walking storm, and the others were.... Some of them were beasts, mad with terror and striking blindly. Others were," he hesitated, "things. The sort of things a priest of the Mytori might call out of the Darkness." "Do you believe it's a natural phenomenon?" Eleven Blade asked. "No." "Good. If it's unnatural, it was made by men. Or something like men, anyway. And what men can make, they can undo. Let's find out how, and then...undo." + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Out of the Past #4 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Near Fratsfa: Gladiators sailed up the river from Kati-Tei through Andor, Fratsfa, and Zensu to the Isle of the Eye. Some came as tourists, some as newly-graduated warriors, some to attend and participate in the Spring Tourney. This was a steady source of income for boatmen, and many of them made the trip two or three times a month; the river and its shores were well known to them. "I don't remember a castle on that hill," one sailor muttered, squinting at the shore. "And I was along here just last week...." "There was no castle there," Lady Fern, manager of the Flower Girls in Fratsfa confirmed. "And a week is certainly not long enough to build one!" "There was one...eight hundred years ago," a voice murmured behind her. The statuesque manager glanced back at her gladiatress, Nasty Nasturtium. The woman was an Araoi, and elf of the purest blood, and Lady Fern supposed it was possible that Nasturtium actually REMEMBERED a castle there, but she hoped not. The thought of having a warrior that old was unsettling. "You're sure, Nasty?" The elfin blonde nodded firmly. "Yes, my mother told me about it--one of her brothers helped to bring the castle down. The Castle of Storms, that was its name, a place of the darkest arts. It was the stronghold of Prince Illrienherthinil Silverthorn, who was called the Ill Rain." Lady Fern glanced at the sky automatically. It WAS getting cloudy, but that was, must be, coincidence. After all, changeable weather was common at this time of year. "That wasn't on Khaldren's list." The short, stocky man removed his bowler and extended a hand to Lady Fern. "Raoul, Lord Protector In Gerfel We Trust." "Kennelworth has spoken of you," Lady Fern admitted. "But what do you know of this Castle of Storms?" "Not a thing, doll. But I'm wondering if Khaldren's magic isn't raising more ruins than he planned on--anyplace with enough of the wrong kind of magic concentrated in it." "This Khaldren is...?" Nasturtium asked. "A wizard who escaped the sinking of Krael," Raoul explained. "He wants to bring Krael forward in time, or back from the dead, or something. And other places he knows about from that era." "That would take a great magic," Nasturtium protested. "With the Arcanum in the current low state, it should not be possible." "Adie in Aruak City says he could be using blood magic based on the arena deaths, doll. She seems to think that'd do it for him." The elf recoiled. "It would!" she whispered, "and that would call to all sites where dark magic has sunk deep. This must be stopped!" "Well, I'm taking the warning to Lady Sheila--" "She can do nothing, even if she would," Nasturtium snapped. "She dares not touch blood magic, even to fight it, except in the most indirect fashion, and indirection will not serve! Not soon enough, anyway." "Adie will think of some way to fight Khaldren," Raoul said, a little uneasily. He took a deep breath and put his hat back on. "And until he's stopped, we will fight everything he brings up from the past." "If we have to fight the Ill Rain," Nasty Nasturtium predicted, "it won't be easy." Valamantis: Lord Protector Ka D'Argo, on a brief trip to his home on Kolact, had planned to take ship at Valamantis. But the port city was not as he had expected. There was always bustle, but now...it reminded him of a disturbed anthill. And where had those towers on the landward side come from? They weren't something that could have been built in a day, or even a year, and he'd been through here four months ago. "It's Old Valamantis," Arenamistress Sitalva said grimly. "We've had word of some kind of magic afoot aimed at ruined cities, and with all the blood spilled in the recent Bloodgames, it would have been more surprising if something had NOT happened there. But understanding why doesn't help us now. The oldest levels of Old Valamantis," she said grimly, "were Folstrom. NOBODY wants to see the Folstrom loose in the world again." "Bringing the ruins back is one thing," the tall gladiator argued, "but the people...? Surely Ahringol won't release their souls because of a spell and some blood." Sitalva watched the slight wavering of the resurrected towers and shivered, though the day was already warm. "We'll find out, when the city stabilizes. The Silver Mage says sometime in the next week and a half or two weeks. But we can see people moving around in there. And even if they're zombies, it isn't going to be good." Iaye: The fishing boats that had fled Iaye when the earthquakes began crept back one by one as the Trier grew calm again. Most of them followed the coast down toward Point, not because they needed the guidance but to see for themselves if drowned Krael had truly risen from the waves. It had. Lord Protector Goff, assistant manager of the Red Dog Gang, stood on the gently rocking deck of his boat and stared through a spyglass at the rampart of buildings that blocked what had been the strait between Iaye and Point. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but not this. Krael stood above the water, but not as it must once have looked. Many of the taller buildings showed broken tops, and all was slimed with mud and weed. Here and there, decaying wrecks lay in the streets or even on the roofs of houses. The smell of dead fish was obvious even from a mile away. Krael LOOKED like a city that had spent centuries under water. The people who moved among those ruins didn't. There weren't enough of them to represent the entire population of the city at the time of its disaster, he guessed at no more than two hundred. But they looked...normal. Alive. And their activity--they seemed to be trying to clear one section of the city of its mud and debris--were just what you'd expect. And they seemed to take the whole situation for granted. They must KNOW, from the state of Krael now, what had happened, but they just calmly went about cleaning up. That was the most unnerving thing of all. Xochithlan: There were no ruins around Xochithlan to rise up at the wizard's call, because the modern city was the old city, continuously lived in for longer than most Alastarian cities had existed. There was, perhaps, a tendency for certain long- buried residents to stir in their graves, but if any came out to walk the streets, it was not immediately obvious. What was obvious was the forest. There had been a forest around Xochithlan for a long time, but it had been burned away during the Rirorni War. Replanting efforts had been ongoing for the last eight years, but eight years is not long enough to bring back a major forest. And what surrounded the city now, pressing in against the walls and disturbing the newer suburbs, was a major forest. Not, however, a forest such as the Xochithlani remembered. This was a Forest Primeval. This was a forest that might hide...anything. And according to the scholars of ancient texts consulted by King Feyen of Xochithlan, it probably did. Zuwayza: Zuwayza was as old as Xochithlan, and there were as many dark secrets buried under its streets. The foundation of the city, Vekhirn knew, went back to the days before the first humans. There were Folstrom traces, but there was also something older. Maybe more than one something. And they were all stirring. Too much blood had been spilled here, especially in the years since the invasion--during the invasion itself, and in the slow beating back of the Eastern forces. And in other ways, or for other causes, as well. The court wizard had sensed a new feeling in the people of the old city. Harder. Crueler, perhaps. Less patient, less tolerant--and the Glorious Empire had never been noted for tolerance. The woman Jayde, who claimed to be the daughter of Kjarran, her death and her mysterious apotheosis, had that been the start of this dark bitterness that gripped the people? He shrugged that off. Whatever the cause for the change of heart, blood had been spilled. And somewhere, someone had called on spilled blood to raise old evils, and spilled blood everywhere had answered. Aruak City: Adeolar stared into the gilt-framed mirror, frowning and twisting a lock of hair between nervous fingers. Nothing she was Seeing was good. Not that the mirror was the best way to See, but it was the only scrying device she had that was still working. There was a bloody film over the glass that could not be washed off, and that, she suspected, was a sign of just how bad things were. Blood magic, used to excess, tainted everything. There was no doubt that the wizard in Zorpunt was strong and ruthless, but what he had started seemed to be taking on a life of its own. And no one, so far, seemed able to stop him. She would have to take steps herself. + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Out of the Past #5 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Dal Shang: From the top tier of the arena, you could see a long way out to sea, because the arena was built on a cliff above the harbor. So was a lot of the rest of Dal Shang, but except for the governor's palace, it mostly wasn't as high as the arena. Lord Protector Wais, who had come home to Dal Shang in a vague effort to boost that beleaguered arena, was sitting on the top tier brooding. The arena was shrinking faster than a pool of water in the desert. Promising warriors who were looking for a career in the arena were not looking in THIS arena. Fourteen active warriors last time, and two of them had been retiring by way of a Dark Arena appearance. His own team, even, had gone inactive! Something had to be done, but he had no idea what. Even the fans had deserted Dal Shang arena. With a sigh, he turned away from the empty arena to look out to sea. And so he saw the waters of the lake heave as though they were boiling, and a new--or very old--island rise like a black reef no more than five miles off shore. Five miles is too far away to see the details, but there was something disturbingly regular about the broken ridgeline of that island. Like buildings.... A note for the people of the Free Cities and Lirith Kai: Some people say that if you get rid of magic, the world will be much simpler. Some people say that the destabilization of the Arcanum will get rid of magic. Ha! High Magic, the stuff that highly educated wizards do, falters as the Arcanum weakens. But there are other kinds of magic. Older. Cruder. Less vulnerable. There's Blood Magic. Spilling blood releases power. The more blood, the more power. And a very powerful wizard of several centuries ago, Khaldren of Krael, who decided that he didn't want to die when the city around him was dying, has come to the present. He's made a spell to bring Krael back from ruins, and he's tied it to Blood Magic. But there's more blood being spilled around Alastari than he realized, and a lot of Lost Cities that want to live again. If you have some old ruins near your house, and there's an arena where people are bleeding and dying, you've got trouble coming. This is now your story, too. It's all a plot, and probably a dark one. Where is Daylight Savings time when you need it? * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 488): ALEX GRIFFIN of DREAM PARK (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 486): KNOTHEAD of BLOODSUCKERS (Way Cool, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 482): ABRA-HAM! of SACRILEGIOUS MEAT (Klep, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 482): ANTEZEL of WYLDERNESS WYLD (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 480): GHENGIS KHAN of HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 479): BLUE of THE SIERRAS (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 239): PARADOX of SHADOW GATE (Shadowgate, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 471): SCRAPPA of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 237): HUNGRY BONES of UNFIT TO BE ORCS (Slugbait, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 468): LOCKED IN of CALL THE PRIEST (Destitute Noble, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 466): TOMB SCONE of BAD BREAD (Otto X. Frothingslosh) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 459): INANNA of LADY OF BATTLES (Poison Ivy, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 422): FACE BREAKER of WIDOWMAKERS (Soultender, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 214): MING of DYNASTIC (Jack Wolfspider, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 209): HONEY BEAR of THE BEAR'S PAW (Kat, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 196): TOM SMITH DISEASE of STRANGE TUNES (Berylstar, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 347): APPLEMINT of BAD APPLES (Uncle Wolf, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 327): FREDDIE of FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 144): KASENKO of PERFECTION QUEST II (Mannequin, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 372): SETHRA LAVODE of CASTLE BLACK from KYR'TERR (Shadowgate, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 488): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 486): THE CITY (Berylstar, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 482): TRIPLE CROWN (Sultan, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 482): WYLDERNESS WYLD (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 480): HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 479): THE SIERRAS (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 239): IDIOTIC ICCERS (THawk, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 471): CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 237): STORMWATCH (Polar Bear, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 468): SARATOGA GLORY (The Trainer, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 466): CASINO HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 459): STRONGHOLD (Silver Stroke, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 422): THE FAMILY (Don John, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 214): P.A.C. (Coach, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 209): THE BEAR'S PAW (Kat, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 196): TEAM VIRTUE (Boy Scout, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 347): REDHORSE (Mila, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 327): FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 144): MAGIC MAYHEM (Fizban, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 372): MEOW MIX, etc. (Sylvester Frothingslosh, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 488): ALEX GRIFFIN of DREAM PARK (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 482): ABRA-HAM! of SACRILEGIOUS MEAT (Klep, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 481): HIMEI of YAMABUSHI (Doc Miracle, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 480): GHENGIS KHAN of HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 239): POPPY HAMMER of FLOWER HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 471): SCRAPPA of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 237): HUNGRY BONES of UNFIT TO BE ORCS (Slugbait, mgr.) (turn 236): SODOM of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.) PALLADICE of STORMWATCH (Polar Bear, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 422): FACE BREAKER of WIDOWMAKERS (Soultender, mgr.) NHAVARL of THE FAMILY (Don John, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 209): SUGAR CUBE of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.) 101 PROOF!! of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.) (turn 208): UR BRAIN ON EGG of MYSTIC ORC FEAST (Slugbait, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 195): NASSE of DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 346): ELEVEN BLADE of GENERAL SURGERY (Darkfist, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 144): GAI-JIN of RISING SUN (?, mgr.) SPY REPORT Good day, in NIYTYOLE ISLAND a quiet thief gets rich, but a quiet spymaster gets poor. So bring me ale and harken to my tidbits of news. Now keep the taverns open late tonight, for there are sorrows to drown for VEGGIES, whose 0-0-0 this turn dropped them by 6 into 13th. LA JOYEUX COCHON stable has parlayed this turn's 3-2-0 into a 8 space move up the rankings. This brings them up to 5th place. Good work, guys! The JOYS OF BOOZE guild has had a 3-1-0 turn and deserves to be watched in the future. You never know where this kind of thing can lead. And let's see, DA SPINS fought LUCKY LADY HAMMER and gained 17 points and contributed to JOYS OF BOOZE's 3-1-0. LUCKY LADY HAMMER has lost to DA SPINS, falling 13 points, while helping make CASINO HAMMERZ a 1-4-0 turn. Due to his absence and inability to defend the throne, TOMB SCONE has lost the title of Duelmaster. And all eyes were on KEOKOTAH this turn as he ascended to the throne of Duelmaster. NIYTYOLE ISLAND has a new victor! Can someone confirm a rumor for me? I hear the top team makes their losing fighters do dishes at The Don't Drop 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. LA JOYEUX COCHON has cause to stand tall, as they were NIYTYOLE ISLAND's most avoided team. A smart manager knows this is a team to beat. And avoiding LA JOYEUX COCHON more than any other team we find SACKETT'S & CO.. NIYTYOLE ISLAND, are we going to accept, or respect this sort of thing? The most challenged warrior this turn was JOYS OF BOOZE's warrior STUPOR. More fighters challenged him than challenged the Duelmaster! In a brave attempt, JOE FRIDAY from PIG BATTALION challenged up 20 points to fight ASKELIA from the LA JOYEUX COCHON stable. JOE FRIDAY perhaps got his just desserts, seeing as he was defeated by ASKELIA and ended up with 37 recognition points. IRON CHEF of FOOD FIGHT had better have a good reason for challenging down 11 points in a TV challenge which he won. I thought IRON CHEF showed great skill and promise when he defeated STUPOR. All right, so I slept through it! Big deal! A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once. Wise men know this to be true. Is it really true that NIYTYOLE ISLAND has more dishwashers per capita that fighters? Just thought I'd ask... Thought for the day, a new sword shines bright, but the notched sword sings the sweetest. It's been nice chatting with you, until we meet again, keep your swords sharp and your hammers heavy. Until the sun next rises and my pen sets to paper-- Alarond the Scribe DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME KEOKOTAH 6471 17 11 2 147 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -PUT OUT THE CAT 6793 22 9 1 114 PETS ON FIRE (573) -TOMB SCONE 5585 16 5 0 103 BAD BREAD (95) -DARK DUMPLING 4949 20 18 1 100 BAD BREAD (95) CATLOW 6990 13 6 1 95 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -KID REDO 6899 10 7 3 90 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) -DOCTOR LECTER 7097 13 1 0 84 JAILBIRDS (590) LIGHT DA' PYRE 7063 14 9 1 79 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) HEY, ZEUS! 7068 13 10 0 79 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) GRUDGEBRINGER 6999 15 16 0 76 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) DA SPINS 7011 12 10 1 75 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME IRON CHEF 6925 10 4 0 66 FOOD FIGHT (10) LUCKY LADY HAMMER 7043 12 12 1 65 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) -SHAR-PEI FLAMBE 6902 11 2 0 63 PETS ON FIRE (573) -CLINCH 7133 7 2 1 61 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) ASKELIA 6510 8 5 1 59 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME DARTMAN 7161 8 6 1 56 COLGATE DAYS (594) LONIGAN 7022 8 10 1 56 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) STUPOR 7094 10 13 0 51 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) BEER BELLY 7127 5 1 0 43 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) -HAROLD O'DOOM 7176 6 4 1 42 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) JOE FRIDAY 7130 7 8 1 37 PIG BATTALION (226) CLOTHILDE 6702 5 2 0 37 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -REPEAT OFFENDER 7122 6 5 2 33 JAILBIRDS (590) -LIONESS 7222 2 0 0 33 DARK TOADS II (598) STONE FACE HAMMER 7245 3 0 0 32 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) -SLAYBAGEL 7105 4 1 0 31 BAD BREAD (95) KATI ANCHO 6752 3 2 0 28 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) LUFTSCHWEIN 7154 5 7 0 27 PIG BATTALION (226) SUKEENA 6701 3 4 0 27 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) OLD MILLWATER 7173 4 2 0 24 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SNARF! 7227 3 1 0 23 WHEN DOGMA FAILS (566) GORDIE 7231 3 1 0 20 PIG BATTALION (226) -PUMPKIN 6973 3 1 0 20 VEGGIES (435) NINKA 6652 4 5 0 19 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) -TIGRESS 7216 0 1 0 19 DARK TOADS II (598) PIGGY 7175 3 7 0 18 PIG BATTALION (226) COOL HAND HAMMER 7243 2 1 0 17 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) -SEXUAL PREDATOR 7241 2 0 0 17 JAILBIRDS (590) -CAREER CRIMINAL 7169 3 2 0 14 JAILBIRDS (590) SWILL 7187 2 2 0 12 FOOD FIGHT (10) -HOT PEPPER 6984 1 3 0 10 VEGGIES (435) PORKY LR 7232 2 2 0 8 PIG BATTALION (226) -AMORPHOUSBLOB 7042 1 1 0 8 CHAOTICDISORDER (585) -DAVE GAGNON 7158 1 0 0 7 COLGATE DAYS (594) -DEMONICHELLION 7038 0 1 0 7 CHAOTICDISORDER (585) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -MANSLAUGHTER 7228 1 3 0 6 JAILBIRDS (590) -SWEET PEA 7235 1 2 0 5 VEGGIES (435) BLUFFING HAMMER 7244 1 2 0 5 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) MAVERICK HAMMER 7242 1 2 0 5 CASINO HAMMERZ (576) -JAGUAR 7205 0 2 0 2 DARK TOADS II (598) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? CRUMMY 7240 0 2 0 FOOD FIGHT 10 DARK CHAMPION 244 467 NONE CAVE-AGED PIZZA 7238 0 1 0 FOOD FIGHT 10 SHEWISH GIANT 241 467 NONE ABSINTHE OF MALI 7254 0 1 0 FOOD FIGHT 10 STONE GOLEM 246 467 NONE PERSONAL ADS Jorja -- You have articles I have not read because I do not access DM 93 on a regular basis from the Internet overseas. However, your recent articles Rhythm and Blues and Godling Heresy are definitely articles I would like to include. You also had some articles about warriors and one team in particular that I would like to include, it ran sometime in February I think or early March. Anyway, all the articles you could supply me with I could sort through and choose what I will use for the DM Handbook and all is greatly appreciated! -- Hammer/Daryl 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 27 March 2004 This notice is to inform the DM world that CHAOS INC. has added CHEETO to its ranks. He joins APEX, FLAGG, MATRIX, ASSAMITE, and RUDE BUDDHA as the 6th member. May your chaotic wings spread disaster and CHAOS for all your days! Welcome CHEETO!! 27 March 2004 Has anyone seen it in print that the "Goat" is leaving the "Cartel"? There were some diplos to the effect of a special branch of the Cartel being formed, like secret societies, governmental agencies and alliances certain agendas are developed. To obtain the desired effect of any agenda only key personnel can be used. The "Goat" is "Cartel" so until you see it with me announcing that I am not Cartel, remember, "The Agenda of the Core is for you to fight for." I hope this stops the confusion. -- Goat 8 April 2004 CLICK (KLK) - Remember, you asked for it. Chaos is coming.... LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS CRUMMY was butchered by DARK CHAMPION in a crowd pleasing 1 minute Dark Arena fight. CAVE-AGED PIZZA was killed by SHEWISH GIANT in a 2 minute brutal Dark Arena melee. ABSINTHE OF MALICE was savagely slain by STONE GOLEM in a 3 minute Dark Arena duel. IRON CHEF savagely defeated STUPOR in a exciting 3 minute bloody Challenge fight. CATLOW devastated GRUDGEBRINGER in a crowd pleasing 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel. LONIGAN was overpowered by HEY, ZEUS! in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge brawl. JOE FRIDAY was viciously subdued by ASKELIA in a 2 minute Challenge duel. LUFTSCHWEIN defeated COOL HAND HAMMER in a 1 minute expert vs. novice Challenge duel. PIGGY was overpowered by CLOTHILDE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge melee. GORDIE overpowered BLUFFING HAMMER in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge match. SWILL was outwaited by OLD MILLWATER in a unpopular 10 minute Challenge conflict. KEOKOTAH demolished LIGHT DA' PYRE in a 1 minute mismatched Title match. LUCKY LADY HAMMER was narrowly defeated by DA SPINS in a 3 minute master's conflict. BEER BELLY overpowered NINKA in a 1 minute one-sided duel. DARTMAN devastated SUKEENA in a 1 minute uneven duel. KATI ANCHO overpowered MAVERICK HAMMER in a 1 minute bloody mismatched brawl. PORKY LR was overpowered by STONE FACE HAMMER in a 1 minute one-sided bout. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |SLASHING ATTACK 5 WALL OF STEEL 20 - 11 - 1 65 | |LUNGING ATTACK 4 PARRY-RIPOSTE 15 - 12 - 0 56 | |WALL OF STEEL 4 TOTAL PARRY 29 - 24 - 0 55 | |TOTAL PARRY 4 STRIKING ATTACK 13 - 11 - 1 54 | |STRIKING ATTACK 3 SLASHING ATTACK 21 - 18 - 1 54 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 LUNGING ATTACK 37 - 42 - 3 47 | |BASHING ATTACK 3 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 5 - 0 44 | |PARRY-STRIKE 2 BASHING ATTACK 13 - 19 - 3 41 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 PARRY-LUNGE 8 - 13 - 1 38 | |AIMED BLOW 1 AIMED BLOW 2 - 9 - 0 18 | Turn 467 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: LUNGING ATTACK 3 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 3 3 LUNGING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 3 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 2 2 SLASHING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 2 WALL OF STEEL PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 1 TOTAL PARRY 1 - 3 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE AIMED BLOW 0 - 1 1 STRIKING ATTACK PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 2 1 TOTAL PARRY 1 BASHING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME SLASHING ATTACK KEOKOTAH 6471 17 11 2 147 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) LUNGING ATTACK CATLOW 6990 13 6 1 95 SACKETT'S & CO. (552) WALL OF STEEL DA SPINS 7011 12 10 1 75 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) STRIKING ATTACK ASKELIA 6510 8 5 1 59 LA JOYEUX COCHON (560) BASHING ATTACK BEER BELLY 7127 5 1 0 43 JOYS OF BOOZE (556) 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 DARTMAN 7161. The most popular warrior this turn was ABSINTHE OF MALICE 7254. The ten other most popular fighters were IRON CHEF 6925, ASKELIA 6510, CAVE-AGED PIZZA 7238, DA SPINS 7011, HEY, ZEUS! 7068, LUCKY LADY HAMMER 7043, CATLOW 6990, COOL HAND HAMMER 7243, DARTMAN 7161, and KATI ANCHO 6752. The least popular fighter this week was OLD MILLWATER 7173. The other ten least popular fighters were SWILL 7187, PORKY LR 7232, MAVERICK HAMMER 7242, SUKEENA 6701, NINKA 6652, LIGHT DA' PYRE 7063, BLUFFING HAMMER 7244, PIGGY 7175, JOE FRIDAY 7130, and LONIGAN 7022. The following warriors will travel to ADVANCED DUELMASTERS after next turn: KEOKOTAH (33-6471) SACKETT'S & CO. (552) NEW GRADUATES--FROM ALL ARENAS (INCLUDING CLOSED ARENAS) For those of you who keep track of such things, 14 additional warriors graduated from regular DM arenas (including closed arenas) since the last tournament: ABE SIMPSON (9-4453) SPRINGFIELD PB-LEAD (23-4385) ROCK-ETTS IV RATTLESNAKE SHAKE (60-4242) METAL MELTDOWN CHIP (60-4413) RESCUE RANGERS SLAKE (82-12993) WORD OF THE DAY DIS-COMBOBULATE (63-2222) DIS-TEAM RETARD (68-7501) POLITICALLYINCORRECT DARKSIDE (22-2714) LOST SOULS 1 ZHARRA TYL MEDAN (40-2586) SUPERIOR FORCES SMOOGIE (82-2247) STREET PIZZAD III ARATHEA (13-3318) THE ELITE PX (82-14364) SUPERIOR FORCES 1203 MIKE, POWERFUL (82-7051) MIKE THE HUNTER DIS-FUNCTIONAL (63-2223) DIS-TEAM -- Green Eyes