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