DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER

Date   : 08/27/2003    Duedate: 09/09/2003

MURSKA ARENA

DM-35    TURN-444

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

KING BEAR
THE BEARS (253)
(35-3629) [11-4-1,127]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

KING BEAR                      TRUXTON
THE BEARS (253)                TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)
(35-3629) [11-4-1,127]         (35-3764) [3-0-1,32]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

BRAN AP CADAL                  BASE POLTROON
CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)         TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)
(35-3713) [18-9-1,81]          (35-3765) [1-2-0,15]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

THE BEARS (253)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)   40
2. THE BEARS (253)             23      THE BEARS (253)
3. COMIC MAYHEM (350)           0      Unchartered Team
4. CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)      -5
TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1- 1*COMIC MAYHEM (350)        15   5  0 75.0   1- 1*COMIC MAYHEM (350)        9  1 0
 2/ 4*TENN. CLOVER BOTTO (351)   9   6  3 60.0   2/ 3 THE BEARS (253)           6  3 1
 3/ 2 THE BEARS (253)          294 225 18 56.6   3/ 4*TENN. CLOVER BOTTO (351)  6  4 2
 4/ 3 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)   402 599 16 40.2   4/ 2 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)    4  7 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[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #67 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<

Near Zukal:

     After the thing--shadow, demon, whatever it was--left, Ghenis sat and stared
into the night for a long time.  He kept the fire up, even though he didn't need it
for heat; fire might be a defense, and the thing might come back.  He stayed awake
just in case that happened; this wouldn't be the first night he'd gone without sleep.
Better to be tired in the morning than dead.  And he had some serious thinking to do.
     He glanced around his campsite quickly.  The horse was calm enough now, no need
to worry about it running off.  Besides, it would have to get past him to get out of
the enclosure formed by the broken walls.  Veleks was asleep, or unconscious, and
just as well.  The little thief was a useful tool, but not for thinking.
     What was this thing that he'd seen, that had driven Veleks, who feared water, to
risk drowning rather than be caught?  He'd been thinking of it as a sort of demon,
but what sort?  His defenses here would stop natural predators such as wolves, but
not demons; for that, he should have needed something magical.  Could his amulet have
been protection enough?  He didn't think so, especially since he hadn't called on the
power behind it.  So was this... thing some kind of natural predator?  And if so,
where had it come from?  Why had it appeared now when there was no indication of such
a creature prowling the area in the past?
     And what would it DO to its victims besides drive them into a frenzy of terror?
Was that all it wanted, or would it have killed Veleks if it had caught him?
     And most important of all, what use could he and his masters make of this new
thing?
     Come morning, and even the gray and rainy light was welcome, though.  Ghenis
wanted to get back to Zukal as quickly as possible.  With Veleks riding double with
him on his one horse, that wasn't as quickly as he hoped for.  He thought of leaving
his henchman at one of the smaller towns outside the city--his cult had contacts in
several of them, and there were hangouts for thieves in general where the man would
have been accepted if not welcomed.  But Veleks wouldn't have it.  He would stay with
his leader who had rescued him from the monster, and not in some flimsy village inn.
Suggestions that they part company always resulted in the little thief bursting into
tears, which was damned embarrassing.
     Veleks was being a nuisance, so much so that Ghenis found himself wishing the
little thief had died yesterday.  The man's nerve had been broken, and Ghenis was
beginning to wonder whether the break might be permanent.  That would spell trouble
for all involved.  There was no place for a broken man among the servants of the dark
cult.
     The obvious thing would be to kill the wretch.  But the gladiator found it hard
to follow through on that while Veleks was looking at him so gratefully.  It would be
like kicking a puppy, and while he was prepared, in theory, to kick puppies if that's
what needed doing, it wasn't an easy thing to contemplate in cold blood.  Perhaps he
could send Veleks somewhere far away, to some place where the little thief could be
sure of never meeting one of the monsters again.  Hmm, if water provided safety,
perhaps he could send Veleks along with a mission to Niatoli Island that was in
preparation.
     Yes, Niatoli Island would be the place for Veleks now.  He'd see about getting
the thief onto the next ship headed that way.

Near Malcorn:

     Blackie, Lord Malcorn of Malcorn, stood next to the ancient stone and waited for
the moon to rise.  It would be full tonight, and he knew, because he knew most of the
natural world around Malcorn, that when it reached a certain height above the
horizon, it would shine through the hole in a more distant rock and strike squarely
onto the face of the rock beside him, revealing carvings that had been old when the
first Lord Malcorn came to this land.  The records of his ancestors said that the
Dregur were accustomed to gathering here when the moon was just so.
     "I must be insane," Tiljanz muttered behind him.
     "Courage and a sense of responsibility often looks like madness," Blackie
agreed, "even to the people exhibiting it.  You didn't have to come here tonight, but
you felt it was the right thing to do.  I can respect that in a man.  A lot."
     "Will it do any good?" the young Karnhorn asked curiously.  "We've turned the
Dregur loose, and I'd think it hard if not impossible to rein them back in."
     "We turned them loose under terms," Blackie said.  His voice hardened, becoming
the voice of the Lord of Malcorn.  "They have not kept those terms.  They were to
attack only those who came here following Inzolas.  That a few innocents might get
caught in that net by accident was... almost inevitable.  But some of the Dregur have
been actively hunting those not indicated by the terms of their release."  He was
silent for a long moment, then shrugged.  "I'm not certain that we can put an end to
these... excesses.  But I am very certain that if we don't protest, the situation
will become worse.  A failure to protest will be seen as an admission of weakness."
     Tiljanz shrugged.  It sounded like politics as usual, or at least, the politics
of those he dealt with, the lesser lords within the Glorious Empire.  Vicious
infighting was the order of the day in those circles.  "I trust your judgment in
this, as I must, of course."  He glanced at the sky uneasily.  "And I should think we
don't have much longer to wait...."
     "No."  Blackie watched the moonlight appear in the eye of the distant stone and
slant across the clearing, creeping along the face of the stone beside him.  It
wouldn't be long now.
     The finger of light slid across the surface and touched the worn carvings, which
leaped into sudden clarity.  The little clearing, which had been empty except for the
two of them, was suddenly full of shadows.  Or something.  Tiljanz could feel the
weight of a dozen minds thinking about him--calculating minds, hostile minds, hungry
ones.  He held himself still and quiet with difficulty.  This was Lord Malcorn's
meeting; he himself was just present as a witness.
     Words came out of the darkness, hollow as caves, clear as trumpets.  "Why are
you here, Malcorn?"

                                      SPY REPORT

     You elder fighters surely remember me.  The younger ones may call me Olaf 
Modeen.  I return to MURSKA once again!  Woof!  COMIC MAYHEM were a bunch of dogs 
after THE BEARS got through with 'em!  1st ain't so sweet as 2nd!  TENN. CLOVER 
BOTTOM showed MURSKA what they were made of as they fought with a vengeance to walk 
off with 5-0-2.  What's with DINGO?  He actually beat CHILDREN OF LLYR's GWALCHMAI, 
and walked away with 12 more points from the fight.  Major screwup at CHILDREN OF 
LLYR.  GWALCHMAI lost 7 points to DINGO.  Some new strategies, perhaps?  Maybe 
GWALCHMAI will provide more easy wins...  BRAN AP CADAL was reminded on the sands why 
KING BEAR is Duelmaster.  I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip 
about your fellow fighters?  Tough!   
     No matter the time or place, men will always duel.  MURSKA thinks CHILDREN OF 
LLYR and their 402-599-16 is too much!  If at first you don't succeed, give up...  
The bums at THE BEARS couldn't face the challenges from CHILDREN OF LLYR!  No excuse 
for that!   
     Warriors of MURSKA unite.  You have only your games to lose!  How long have I 
been here?  I got people to see, places to go...   
     Well, I'm pretty much through.  You guys need to get back practicing.  MURSKA is 
a nice place to live, but I don't like to live in nice places.  Time for my 
medication, so I'll leave now.  Practice, practice, practice!-- Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 KING BEAR 3629               11   4  1   127       THE BEARS (253)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BRAN AP CADAL 3713           18   9  1    81       CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)
 DINGO 3716                    9   6  0    73       THE BEARS (253)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GWALCHMAI 3749                8   3  1    47       CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 TRUXTON 3764                  3   0  1    32       TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)
-SOLOMON GRUNDY 3757           4   0  0    24       COMIC MAYHEM (350)
-PLASTIC MAN 3761              4   0  0    24       COMIC MAYHEM (350)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-TEMP WARRIOR 3780             3   0  0    22       COMIC MAYHEM (350)
-RAI 3778                      3   0  0    21       COMIC MAYHEM (350)
 JACKSON 3766                  2   1  1    15       TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 WARM SESSION 3763             2   1  0    15       TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)
 BASE POLTROON 3765            1   2  0    15       TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)
 PLOUGHBOY 3762                1   2  1    14       TENN. CLOVER BOTTOM (351)
-CORNERED 3751                 1   1  1    12       THE BEARS (253)
-SINESTRO 3784                 1   0  0    10       COMIC MAYHEM (350)
-SWIFTY 3781                   0   1  0     1       THE BEARS (253)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
EMBEZZLING SCRIBE 5    0  1 0   1                   TRUXTON 3764          444 NONE    
GRYFF 3783             0  2 0 CHILDREN OF LLYR 141  PLOUGHBOY 3762        444         
MAGNUS 3782            0  1 0 COMIC MAYHEM 350      CORNERED 3751         442 REVENGED

                                     PERSONAL ADS

King Bear -- Good thing I wasn't burning to be Duelmaster, eh? -- Bran ap Cadal

Dingo -- Excellent!  My thanks. -- Brigit

Userous Merchants should be strung up by the cashboxes. -- Gwalchmai
P.S.  Upside down, so the money falls out, of course.

Solomon Grundy -- Pushy, aren't you?  Ouch. -- Gryff

It's certainly SIMPLE and QUICK to do personals if nobody else is talking, but I'd
rather have actual conversation and take a little longer. -- Jorja

     It's good to have dreams.... -- Ed., feeling pessimistic

29 July 2003
           *     *     *     *The Third Annual Turf War*     *     *     *
     Yes, it's time again for alliances to go to war!  TW3 will be held in DM 47
(North Fork) at a date to be  specified later--right after Crip's Incomprehensible
Contest is over...but I'm sure everyone wants to get their teams there soon!  Here
are the rules:

1.  Each alliance must have a leader declare the arrival of his alliance.  The leader
    will be responsible for verifying any and all teams/managers who declare to the
    alliance he/she is leading.
2.  Each manager, team declaring for the contest must have approval of the leader,
    donate one Roll-up Certificate ($5) to the prize pot (send it to me by diplo, by
    snail, or a note to customer service), and declare his/her team by diplo, p-ad or
    snail.
3.  Each team may declare one warrior as champion.  All points scored by a champ are
    double!
4.  Prizes are as follows (mostly...there WILL be some things added as the prize pot
    grows with entry donations--this list is not final!)
    *  Highest scoring alliance -- Rename Arena 47 for a period of 6 months, one half
       of the total prize pot donated; roll-up certs.
    *  The Alliance with the most returns from the DA will get to re-name the DA
       monsters for a period of 6 months.
    *  The alliance with the most warriors listed as style masters will get to pick
       the Alastari city/arena to host the next Grand Tournament.
    *  The warrior with the most front page honors/awards will have the Arenamaster
       named after him for a period of 6 months.
    *  The Alliance with the most front page Honors/Awards will have the honor of
        picking the *slow* arena to host the Fifth Annual Turf War.
    *  The team with the most listings as Style Master will find out the favorites of
       one of their warriors.
    *  The warrior with the most listings as Style Master will fight at my expense
       for five turns (I will transfer to the manager's account).
    *  The Alliance with the most kills will be able to re-name the stand-in warriors
       for a period of 6 months.
    *  The warrior that scores the most total points will fight at my expense for 5
       turns (I will transfer $7.50 to the manager's account).
    *  The team that scores the most total points will receive an extra share of
       roll-up certs from the prize pot.
     There may be more categories to come, and the prize pot still has to be
divided...I'm open to category/prize ideas--and further donations to the prize pot.
     The contest will run for *TEN* turns; prizes will be awarded at the end of the
11th turn.
     Scoring will be as follows:
* 5 points per fight, doubled for each of the following conditions met:
     -- Two Alliance     -- Champion
     -- Challenge        -- Two Champions
     -- Bloodfeud        -- Challenger losing
     -- Kill
     (Note:  DA losses are exempt, but DA wins will be *tripled*!!!  Ex:  Happy
Slasher goes to the DA and dies, no points are lost.  If he wins, his team scores 60
points!  If he was a champ, he scores 120 points!)
     Use the following chart to calculate scores:
Conditions Met:       0     1     2     3     4     5     6     7
Points Per Fight:     5    10    20    40    80   160   320   640
* Awards/Honors and Style Masters will each be awarded points also.  Find the total
number of each (do note add Awards and Style Masters together) and consult the graph
below.  Champs that score an award or style master count as two.
     1 --   5      7 --  320
     2 --  10      8 --  640
     3 --  20      9 -- 1280
     4 --  40     10 -- 2560
     5 --  80     11 -- 5280
     6 -- 100     (x2 for each extra)
Note -- These categories *count as "triple"*--they will be figured for each team,
*AND* again for each alliance *as well as* for each warrior!
*  Each and every mention in the Spy Report is worth 5 points...period.
*  TVs will be scored on the same scale as Awards/Style Masters, but the total points
will be x10.  TC's will be scored as TV's, but x10 more.
Number of TV/TC's          Points Scored (TV/TC)
     1      50/ 500
     2     100/1000
     3     200/2000
     4     400/4000
     +     x2/ x2 (for each extra)
     Each alliance will start with 5000 points, scores for *fights* will be added to
the winner's total *AND* deducted from the losers.
     Come  one and all, defend your turf and the honor of your alliance...or your
own!
                    Asmo Dius, TCB
                    Arenas, DM 47, DM 73

1 August 2003
     Assurnasirbanipal invites you to Talcama to participate in the third BATTLE
ROYAL contest.  It is a Delarquan contest so brutal that even some of Talcama's most
notable managers will refuse to participate.  The rules are simpler than any other
contest:  You may not avoid any other contest team.  There are no silly rules for who
can and can't compete.  Any team in Talcama is eligible to compete.  The scoring is
also quite simple (+1 for a win, +1 for a kill (+1 for the win), -1 for a loss) and
the first team to reach 25 points is the winner.
     Scoring will be live--the results for the turn posted in the newsletter.  The
winner will be able to fight their contest team in Talcama for free for 6 months but
more importantly will win a contest against some of the best managers who play the
game in one of the hardest contests in the game.
     First turn for BATTLE ROYAL 3 is Talcama Turn 465, which is due August 30.

19 August 2003
     Citizens of Ghea (only the ignorant fail to note Lirith Kai is not in Alastari),
no new day is rising, but the sun is setting on just another beautiful evening.
While you were sleeping, an irksome rabble has entered the always fair Aruak City.
Of course they fought alongside our warriors, most not so treasured, as all
gladiators do.  They drank with themselves, and slept with themselves.  Whether they
had masks, who cares.
     Warriors, don't be afraid.  For years Aruak has been one of the safest cities in
Ghea, and that custom has been continually cultivated, and will continue to be by
those who have called it home for years and those who live, fight, and die by the
same ethics.  There is no contest, nor has there ever needed to be one for many
years.  A conflict of personalities has arisen, and the city has been 'invaded' by
pests.
     Any rules that are annouced will be purely for the joy of the lemmings' own
little world.  Those who are being targeted have no interest in participating except
to defend the integrity of an arena that is different from others.  Whether you
choose to come to Aruak, do it for your own reasons, not theirs.
    Competing in Aruak City has never been for the faint of heart or the weak willed.
Combat is combat, wherever you go.  Blood will flow as always, and now many innocents
will be caught in the middle, but those who defend Aruak's traditions never target
those who bring respect of Aruaki customs with them to our home.
    So ignore the private ranting announcement brought by the stuporous
Frothingsloshers.  If you choose Aruak City, do not choose it for an unsanctioned and
bogus 'contest', choose it for the tradition.  Choose it because Aruak is different.

Defenders of Aruak

25 August 2003
To any that care -- The CDC is back; our current roster is:
     Malaquar -- Minion of Guardian
     Pip the Troll -- Burly Enforcer Type
     mouse -- Official Sneaky Bastard
     Papa Bear -- Elder Statesmen
                     The Sealer says, "Hi, I'm the dealer."
                     Papa Bear says, "It's not my f****n fault."
Guardian -- Paper Figurehead

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

KING BEAR devastated BRAN AP CADAL in a 1 minute mismatched Title fight.
BRIGIT vanquished CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a exciting 1 minute uneven battle.
DINGO overpowered GWALCHMAI in a 2 minute bloody mismatched duel.
WARM SESSION defeated MORDANT DESERTER in a 2 minute fight.
TRUXTON murdered EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
PLOUGHBOY slaughtered GRYFF in a 1 minute brutal mismatched fight.
BASE POLTROON bested PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a 4 minute novice's competition.
JACKSON won victory over CONVICTED THIEF in a 2 minute beginner's duel.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|PARRY-STRIKE                     5         TOTAL PARRY        7 -   0 -  0     100  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   3         WALL OF STEEL     16 -   6 -  1      73  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         LUNGING ATTACK    23 -  15 -  1      61  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         PARRY-STRIKE       9 -   7 -  3      56  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      0         AIMED BLOW         6 -   5 -  0      55  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    0         STRIKING ATTACK    5 -  10 -  0      33  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  0         PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -   0 -  0       0  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  0         PARRY-LUNGE        0 -   1 -  0       0  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   0         SLASHING ATTACK    0 -   2 -  0       0  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      0         BASHING ATTACK     0 -   1 -  0       0  |

Turn 444 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:

AIMED BLOW         1 -  0     LUNGING ATTACK     1 -  2         3  LUNGING ATTACK 
PARRY-STRIKE       5 -  0     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  0         3  WALL OF STEEL  
WALL OF STEEL      1 -  1     PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  0         3  PARRY-STRIKE   
                              SLASHING ATTACK    0 -  0         2  TOTAL PARRY    
                              STRIKING ATTACK    0 -  0     
                              BASHING ATTACK     0 -  0     
                              TOTAL PARRY        0 -  0     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
LUNGING ATTACK   KING BEAR 3629             11   4  1  127 THE BEARS (253)
WALL OF STEEL    DINGO 3716                  9   6  0   73 THE BEARS (253)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is BRAN AP CADAL 3713.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was BASE POLTROON 3765.  The ten other most popular fighters were DINGO 3716, 
KING BEAR 3629, TRUXTON 3764, PLOUGHBOY 3762, GWALCHMAI 3749, WARM SESSION 3763, 
GRYFF 3783, JACKSON 3766, BRAN AP CADAL 3713, and  0.

The least popular fighter this week was BRAN AP CADAL 3713.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were JACKSON 3766, GRYFF 3783, WARM SESSION 3763, GWALCHMAI 3749, 
PLOUGHBOY 3762, TRUXTON 3764, KING BEAR 3629, DINGO 3716, BASE POLTROON 3765, and  0.

The following warriors have traveled to ADVANCED DUELMASTERS after fighting this turn:

BRIGIT (35-3718) CHILDREN OF LLYR (141)

                                FACE-TO-FACE XXXII

     Our next Winter Face-to-Face will be held on Martin Luther King weekend, Friday 
through Sunday, 16-18 January 2004, at the Embassy Suites in Tempe, Arizona (4400 S 
Rural Rd).  Room rates are $119.00 per night, 1-2 occupancy, which includes breakfast.  
The rooms are blocked.  The reservations number is 480-897-7444; tell them you're with 
the "Reality Simulations Face to Face Convention" block.  Our room block will be 
released in mid-December, so please make sure you reserve your room before then.
     There is a free shuttle to the airport, as well as free parking.  The hotel is 
located down the freeway in Tempe.  All rooms have high speed internet (for an extra 
charge).  There is a fitness center, jacuzzi, and pool, and of course a bar and 
restaurant inside the hotel.  And there's Denny's right across the street.  Look for 
transportation info in the tournament information sheet.
     The tournament information sheet/strategy sheet should be out sometime in late 
November/early December. 
     If you haven't been to a Face-to-Face before, you're overdue.  If you have, 
you'll be back.  Don't miss this one, it'll be a blast!  See you there! 

                                          -- Green Eyes and the RSI Staff