DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 06/30/2004 Duedate: 07/13/2004 MURSKA ARENA DM-35 TURN-466 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS TOM THUMB THE BEARS (253) (35-3791) [12-1-1,113] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader TOM THUMB BARRISTER THE BEARS (253) BLITZKRIEG (357) (35-3791) [12-1-1,113] (35-3817) [6-2-1,76] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite GWALCHMAI BLUE EYES CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) THE BEARS (253) (35-3749) [17-16-3,74] (35-3845) [4-0-0,38] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM THE BEARS (253) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. BLITZKRIEG (357) 18 2. B.I.B. (255) 9 THE BEARS (253) 3. CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) 8 Unchartered Team 4. THE BEARS (253) 6 BLITZKRIEG (357) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*BLITZKRIEG (357) 23 10 4 69.7 1/ 1 THE BEARS (253) 8 3 0 2/ 2 THE BEARS (253) 331 238 22 58.2 2/ 2*BLITZKRIEG (357) 7 2 0 3/ 4 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) 434 670 18 39.3 3/ 3 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) 6 8 0 4/ 5 B.I.B. (255) 19 33 2 36.5 4/ 5 B.I.B. (255) 1 2 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT >)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #81 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(< Near Barikala: The heavy bell-tone sounded again, and this time the wave-front came with a light that was brighter than sunlight and sharper than needles. Artemisia felt that she was being raked over with a curry-comb. It didn't feel bad, exactly, but if it had been a little more forceful.... The tentacle holding her did not fare so well: its flesh was ripped by the comb-teeth of sound and light. A dark fluid that must have been its blood splattered on the deck. The tilting deck. There are just so many assaults of sound-light that any wooden ship could take, and _The Golden Moon_ had taken them. Artemisia rolled free of the tentacle that had been pinning her down and looked around, assessing options. The tentacles seemed to be out of the fight, at least for now. The zombies, too--the bell's attack had shattered their flimsy bodies. The ship was coming apart around her. But what about her crew? The few men she could see were dead. They couldn't all have died but her, could they? It certainly looked like that was what had happened. Maybe it was the Isle spells that had accompanied her oath to the Greywand that had preserved her. Which didn't answer the immediate question: What to do? If she stayed with the ship, no spell of physical toughness would preserve her from the possibility of being crushed by a falling mast or the like. And if she dived overboard...was the tentacle thing killed or just injured? But gladiators didn't make it to the Isle through being indecisive. She sheathed her cutlass, gathered her limbs under her, and dived, cutting the water cleanly and stroking away from the ship and toward the dark hump of Barikala island. They said that no one ever came back from Barikala these days, but she would deal with that problem later. She could feel turbulence in the water below her and guessed that it might be more tentacles, and whatever it was they sprouted from. Well, nothing she could do about it right this minute, but she vowed that if she survived this, she would encourage the eating of giant octopus. Or squid, as the case might be. Her fingers grazed rock and something grasped her wrist. She looked up, gasping for breath and already twisting to reach her cutlass. There was a man kneeling on the rock and pulling her upwards. An ordinary man. The most beautiful sight she'd seen in hours. She allowed him to help her onto the rock, which she saw was part of the shoreline of the island. "I'm surprised you survived," the man said. "And glad, of course, we see so few new faces here! My name's Eddystone, by the way--graduated from the arena here and didn't get off-island fast enough." Artemisia gave up trying to wring water out of her hair and clothes. "I'm a Lady Protector myself," she admitted. "What's going on here? The zombies, the tentacles, the bell...?" "Ah, well, it's a longish story," Eddystone muttered. He squinted out across the water. "But I guess you're the only survivor on my section of the coast, so we might as well head back to the Hall." "And you can tell me this long story on the way," Artemisia suggested firmly. "Start with the short version, and we can go into detail later." "Yes, well...hmm. I guess it began with the Invasion, or around the same time-- I don't know if they were connected. But the Duke says that's when the Light-Keepers started having trouble with-- Er, you HAVE heard of the TRUE Barikala Light, haven't you?" Artemisia glanced inland toward the pillar of light that was visible over the island every night and on cloudy days. "Even if I hadn't heard of it then, I have since." "Well, the Light-Keepers started having trouble with the, uh, controls on it, I guess you'd say. Most of us didn't know a thing about it then, of course, but we've all--everyone on Barikala--become, uh, well-informed, I guess you could say, since then. The Light got loose. At least to the extent you see now. Don't even ask what happened to the Keepers on duty when that happened! The Light isn't, well, Evil or anything like that, but when it's loose, it strains things. The fabric of the Multiverse and so on. Like having a lot of little temporary Gates around the place. Well, the Duke's no fool, you know. There were procedures. Close off the island to local traffic. The power of the Light can be tapped, and it was used to set up a Barrier. Things can get in, but not out. Because all these little Gates were leaking...monsters. Like the one you fought, we've had several of that type. They come from a place called, uh, Miskatonia or something like that. Not always inside the Barrier, but since the monsters are all drawn to the power of the Light, they all come in, sooner or later. And we kill them as fast as we can." Eddystone grimaced. "It isn't easy! We kill monsters, but there are always more coming, and OUR population is dropping, because since the Barrier went up and people realized that no one was LEAVING Barikala, we haven't gotten people to replace the ones that die." "Sounds like what you need to do is close the Gates," Artemisia said. "That's easy to SAY," Eddystone agreed, "and we do when we can, although we're running out of magicians. But for every Gate we close, it seems like two more open. It's the Light that makes all these Gates POSSIBLE, so what we NEED to do is get the Light back under control. And that isn't something anyone seems to know how to do." "Then we'd better find out," Artemisia said. * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 494): INSOMNIAC of DSM4 (The Sandman, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 492): RIFT of SPIRITUAL GIFT (Sultan, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 488): RUTHLESS of TRIPLE CROWN (Sultan, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 489): SLOTHIS of MINOTAURS (?, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 487): KARO LEE of MIDDLE WAY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 486): ADARA AL ZAHRA of JAGUAR WARRIORS (Noachian, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 242): CIARAN POWER of 50TH MILK RAS (Dr. Mabuse, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 478): COOKIE of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 240): VILI of LORDS OF VALHALLA (High Lord Bosk, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 474): STYLISH of SARATOGA GLORY (The Trainer, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 472): LUCKY LADY HAMMER of CASINO HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 465): TOM THUMB of THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 429): MISERY of HELL'S PAWNS (Harbinger, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 218): MARILYN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 212): HONEY BEAR of THE BEAR'S PAW (Kat, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 199): MAEGOLOS of DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 353): CAPTAIN CAVEMAN of LAFFALYMPICS (The Dark One, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 333): HENRY DEARE of FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 147): VANISH of THE INANIMATES (Mannequin, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 379): WOUNDWORT of DARKMOON from RIZTAB (Bobby Bigfoot) Top Teams --------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 494): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 492): HIGH JINKS (Jondeaux, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 488): GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 489): LUST MUPPETS (Ebenezer Frothingslosh, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 487): THE HORDE (?, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 486): CURTAIN CALL (?, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 242): THE PENTARCHY (The Pentalque, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 478): SHREW CAN IT BE NOW (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 240): OVERLORDS (The Icelord, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 474): SARATOGA GLORY (The Trainer, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 472): FOOD FIGHT (Ebenezer Frothingslosh, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 465): THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 429): WIDOWMAKERS (Soultender, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 218): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 212): ROYAL FLUSH (Crip, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 199): DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 353): GENERAL SURGERY (Darkfist, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 333): FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 147): MAGIC MAYHEM (Fizban, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 379): DARKENED PRIDE, etc. ( Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 491): JOSTLING JAGUAR of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) TILLOUISA of SWEET MAGIC (Jorja, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 242): TERRIBLE TOTOMAC of IDIOTIC ICCERS (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 240): LAPHROAIG of SINGLE MALTS (Berylstar, mgr.) TIGBASA of STORMWATCH (Polar Bear, mgr.) SIR PELLEAS of WILLBENDERS (Abraxis, mgr.) STIGMA OF STUPID of UNFIT TO BE ORCS (Slugbait, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 429): MISERY of HELL'S PAWNS (Harbinger, mgr.) PREDNIZONE of MEDS (Berylstar, mgr.) (turn 428): PENICILLEN of MEDS (Berylstar, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 218): SUNFLASH of NORTHERN LIGHTS (Jorja, mgr.) (turn 217): SCORPIUS of KNIGHT BREED (The Omnimancer, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 212): HONEY BEAR of THE BEAR'S PAW (Kat, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 199): MAEGOLOS of DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 146): KASENKO of PERFECTION QUEST II (Mannequin, mgr.) SPY REPORT Good day, friends and fiends, welcome to your friendly neighborhood spyreport. I doubt MURSKA will ever be the same. The BLITZKRIEG guild has had a 3-0-0 turn and deserves to be watched in the future. You never know where this kind of thing can lead. And let's see, MORPETH fought PERSISTENT BEGGAR and gained 15 points and contributed to CHILDREN OF LLYR's 1-4-0. UNLEASHED has lost to CULT MEMBER, falling 9 points, while helping make THE BEARS a 2-2-0 turn. The attempts to dethrone the Duelmaster have failed, and TOM THUMB remains MURSKA's top warrior for another turn. Can someone confirm a rumor for me? I hear the top team makes their losing fighters do dishes at The Fire Dragon 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. I also notice that the CHILDREN OF LLYR stable was the most avoided team this turn. Come on MURSKA, what are you afraid of? And avoiding CHILDREN OF LLYR more than any other team we find THE BEARS. MURSKA, are we going to accept, or respect this sort of thing? Well, sports fans, take notice that OISAN from CHILDREN OF LLYR was MURSKA's most challenged warrior this turn. O'MALLEY of BLITZKRIEG had better have a good reason for challenging down 12 points in a challenge which he won. I thought O'MALLEY showed great skill and promise when he beat OISAN. 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. Congratulations go out to BLITZKRIEG, with BARRISTER revenging a bloodfeud against PADRE of THE BEARS. We'd like to remind certain teams not to rob the graves of their enemies. You know who you are; and it's considered rude. Thought for the day, a new sword shines bright, but the notched sword sings the sweetest. Always good to rest in MURSKA, but never good to wear out my welcome. Look for me in future turns. Until the sun next rises and my pen sets to paper-- Alarond the Scribe DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME TOM THUMB 3791 12 1 1 113 THE BEARS (253) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SPELLSINGER 2597 9 9 1 81 B.I.B. (255) BARRISTER 3817 6 2 1 76 BLITZKRIEG (357) GWALCHMAI 3749 17 16 3 74 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) O'MALLEY 3816 6 2 1 73 BLITZKRIEG (357) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME OISAN 3794 7 15 0 47 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) -DARLING NIKKI 3842 4 0 1 40 BLITZKRIEG (357) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BLUE EYES 3845 4 0 0 38 THE BEARS (253) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BRANGWYN 3793 4 18 0 30 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME PADRE 3844 2 2 2 23 THE BEARS (253) UNLEASHED 3860 2 1 0 19 THE BEARS (253) MORPETH 3862 1 1 0 16 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) KAMA KAZI 3859 2 0 0 14 BLITZKRIEG (357) CU-CADAL 3848 2 6 0 12 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? BADDA BADDA 3815 2 3 0 BLITZKRIEG 357 PADRE 3844 463 JUST REV LYN SAIN 3849 2 2 0 CHILDREN OF LLYR 141 PADRE 3844 462 REVENGED PERSONAL ADS Tom Thumb -- I had hoped for the match up with you. I guess the old saying is true about being careful about what I wish for! -- Barrister Gwalchmai -- Hmmm...that wasn't what was supposed to happen. -- O'Malley Padre -- I think you need a vacation. On an island somewhere. I think you should go TODAY. Before the crowds, you know? -- Brangwyn Blue Eyes -- It's the eyes. I'm not used to seeing a bear with blue eyes. It throws me off my stroke. -- Cu-Cadal O'Malley -- Ah, thanks! I needed that boost in points. -- Gwalchmai P.S. You've still got some tinkering to do there, my friend. Captured Orc? I've captured more dangerous creatures than that. -- Oisan Kama Kazi -- Darn, there's more to this than I thought. Such as, nobody told me my target would be dodging and hitting me back! -- Morpeth P.S. I DO understand about "one of us has to lose," I just don't understand why it had to be ME. O'Malley -- You ever tried LIVING on a teacher's pay? -- Oisan 16 June 2004 Death Fest Begins July 29/DM 59 T-172 "You drive a hard bargain Hammer," responded Lord Lian Ki Na-Sul, "but the Gladiatorial Commission has agreed to re-open DM 58 Delarq Tor as a Slow Arena exclusively for a period of six months to those Death Fest contestants who fight their stables at least 67 times out of a possible 75 during the 15 rounds of Death Fest; on the condition that at least 20 stables qualify for the Illis Iron Stable Award at the conclusion of the Death Fest and those qualifying managers send a New Stable to DM 58 Delarq Tor without Cannibalizing their participation in the other arenas where they have active stables!" Hammer felt a certain sense of satisfaction as he studied the ghoulish grin spreading across the face of Lord Lian Ki Na-Sul; proud Arena Master of the once dying Illis Arena, as the DM 59 Arena Authority signed the Gladiatorial Commission papers authenticating the arrangement agreed upon by the two parties presiding. "You and the Gladiatorial Commission also drive a hard bargain," Hammer replied as he reflected upon the prospects of Delarq Tor DM 58 being re-opened as a Slow Arena with at least 20 New Stables by the Managers who fight their stables at least 67 times out of a possible 75 during the 15 rounds of Death Fest. "I also notice the clause that for Delarq Tor to be open Exclusively for 6 months to the New Stables managed by the Illis Iron Stable Award Winners that there must be at least 15 stables Active each cycle. That is a fair bargain for the opportunity to battle for the Duelmaster Throne each of those six months before Other New Stables are allowed to enter Delarq Tor." This was a Golden Opportunity for both Veteran and Newbie Managers to pave a new frontier of Delarq history by qualifying their Death Fest stables in DM 59 with 67 fights out of a possible 75; then for the price of running a stable in a Regular Arena, continuing to be Active in DM 59 and sending a New Team Roll Up to be a part of "History in the Making" when Delarq Tor would re-open for its First Turn as a Slow Arena on November 3rd, 2005. Death Fest would conclude on T-186 August 25th, 2005 allowing the Illis Iron Stable Award Winners enough time to be registered with the Gladiatorial Commission; whereupon they would be able to submit a New Team Roll Up to the GC to start a New Stable in Delarq Tor; be able to fight those New Gladiators in the Rookies 2005 Fall Mailer Tourney; then begin competing for the DM 58 Duelmasters Throne in Delarq Tor right out of the gate with the November 3rd 2005 T-1 Debut Opening Round. Hammer of the First Part had also negotiated with Lord Na-Zul of the Second Part an agreement that All 10 Dark Arena Monsters and 17 NPCs Characters be re-named by the Top Ten Death Fest Finishers. [See DM 59 T-171 Newsletter Team Spotlight by Hammer for the complete listing of Dark Arena Monsters/NPCs and the Official Death Fest Designation for which Top Ten Finishers re-name which characters!] Lord Na-Sul could not hide his delight at the prospects of Death being re- delivered to his once dying arena during the Delarq Death Fest; the DM 59 Arena Master agreed that these Death Fest Prizes were but a Small Exchange in Comparison to the Profits to be made by the local Illis business merchants and surrounding community from the Anticipated Influx into Illis by the Veteran and Newbie Managers/Gladiators/Stables seeking to make History in the Delarq Death Fest. Nor could Hammer conceal his jubilation regarding the Call Across Alistari being Answered to Cross Blades and Match Wits with the Devious, the Diabolical, the Dangerous and the Down Challenging who were being drawn to the Delarq Death Fest to Fulfill their Delarq Dueling Destiny! REMEMBER: Death Fest begins July 29th T-172 with 25 points being awarded to those who write a minimum 15 paragraph Team Spotlight [including Stable Name & Managerial Alias in the Storyline!] for the DM 59 T-172 Newsletter [So Make Sure HAL Does Not Eat any Lengthy Sentences that are Emailed without Proper Formatting; and the RSI Typist has Plenty of Time to Type Any Hand Written Spotlights; Lest Ye Discover 0 Points Awarded for a Missing or Incomplete T-172 Team Spotlight!] "May Your Blades Be Sharp and Your Wits Sharper!" -- Hammer/Death Fest Host/Vendetta Cartel Captain; WordSmith and High Priest of the Crimson Ascension Family in DM 28 LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS BARRISTER devastated PADRE in a 1 minute mismatched Bloodfeud fight. O'MALLEY vanquished OISAN in a exciting 1 minute uneven Challenge battle. TOM THUMB overpowered GWALCHMAI in a 1 minute bloody mismatched Title duel. SPELLSINGER overpowered CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a 1 minute one-sided fight. UNLEASHED was bested by CULT MEMBER in a 2 minute gruesome brawl. BRANGWYN was defeated by BLUE EYES in a 2 minute struggle. CU-CADAL was beaten by KAMA KAZI in a 4 minute brawl. MORPETH handily defeated PERSISTENT BEGGAR in a 1 minute uneven fight. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |LUNGING ATTACK 5 TOTAL PARRY 9 - 1 - 0 90 | |WALL OF STEEL 3 LUNGING ATTACK 35 - 16 - 5 69 | |AIMED BLOW 1 AIMED BLOW 7 - 5 - 0 58 | |PARRY-LUNGE 1 SLASHING ATTACK 7 - 5 - 0 58 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 4 - 1 56 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 3 - 0 50 | |BASHING ATTACK 1 STRIKING ATTACK 4 - 6 - 1 40 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 WALL OF STEEL 15 - 27 - 1 36 | |STRIKING ATTACK 0 BASHING ATTACK 7 - 17 - 0 29 | |TOTAL PARRY 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 9 - 0 25 | Turn 466 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 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 2 5 LUNGING ATTACK PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW LUNGING ATTACK 4 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 1 PARRY-LUNGE SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 BASHING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 SLASHING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME AIMED BLOW TOM THUMB 3791 12 1 1 113 THE BEARS (253) LUNGING ATTACK BARRISTER 3817 6 2 1 76 BLITZKRIEG (357) WALL OF STEEL GWALCHMAI 3749 17 16 3 74 CHILDREN OF LLYR (141) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is GWALCHMAI 3749. The most popular warrior this turn was BLUE EYES 3845. The ten other most popular fighters were O'MALLEY 3816, TOM THUMB 3791, BARRISTER 3817, SPELLSINGER 2597, UNLEASHED 3860, CU-CADAL 3848, MORPETH 3862, OISAN 3794, BRANGWYN 3793, and KAMA KAZI 3859. The least popular fighter this week was GWALCHMAI 3749. The other ten least popular fighters were PADRE 3844, KAMA KAZI 3859, BRANGWYN 3793, OISAN 3794, MORPETH 3862, CU-CADAL 3848, UNLEASHED 3860, SPELLSINGER 2597, BARRISTER 3817, and TOM THUMB 3791.