DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 09/13/2005 Duedate: 09/26/2005 KATI-TEI ARENA DM-41 TURN-468 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS LURLINE GRACE WANDERERS (329) (41-4164) [15-8-0,109] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader LURLINE GRACE THE SHOCKER WANDERERS (329) INQUISITION SL6 (382) (41-4164) [15-8-0,109] (41-4206) [2-1-0,25] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite FLUTTERLEE FLUTTERLEE WANDERERS (329) WANDERERS (329) (41-4153) [17-12-0,92] (41-4153) [17-12-0,92] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM WANDERERS (329) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. WANDERERS (329) 14 2. INQUISITION SL6 (382) 6 WANDERERS (329) 3. 072905R (381) 0 Unchartered Team 4. 3-2-1 BLAST OFF!!! (380) 0 5. OLD SCHOOL (368) 0 INQUISITION SL6 (382) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1- 1*072905R (381) 2 0 0 100 1/ 1 WANDERERS (329) 9 6 0 2- 2*3-2-1 BLAST OFF!!! (380) 2 0 0 100 2- 3*072905R (381) 2 0 0 3/ 4*INQUISITION SL6 (382) 2 1 0 66.7 3/ 5*INQUISITION SL6 (382) 2 1 0 4- 3 OLD SCHOOL (368) 77 74 2 51.0 4- 4*3-2-1 BLAST OFF!!! (380) 1 0 0 5/ 5 WANDERERS (329) 374 431 9 46.5 5- 2 OLD SCHOOL (368) 1 5 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Storm Season #3 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Off the coast of Convincia: "Ships aren't supposed to BURN!" Kurilo Deschan said. "They're on the water. We're on the water--" "Ships burn. They're wood. And this one is definitely burning," Hodag said. He put one hand on the rail, unfastening his armor with the other and jerking off his helmet. "If I was you, I'd get out of that armor and jump over the side before it burns out from under us." "But we may have to fight," the Mercenary protested. "You WILL have to swim, Ziffrin," Hodag assured him. "And for that, armor is contra-indicated. Trust me on this." Ziffrin Sheel glanced over his shoulder at the ship's crew. They were jumping off the far side of the vessel, all except three who were attempting to lower a smaller boat to the water. "We'll burn, too, if we get down into that," he said. Hodag glanced at the black lace on the waves and nodded. "We might, but it's still our best chance." His armor clattered onto the deck, and the Black Orc jumped, twisting in mid-air to turn it into a dive. The two standbys followed him into the water. When they cut through the surface of the lake, the filigree of black foam clung to them like cobwebs, pulling against them like the meshes of a net. It was, Hodag was sure, a trap of some kind, but still better than burning with the ship. He spared a moment to hope the crew had been able to jump free of the ship, too. And then the net of magic and foam tightened against him and dragged him through the depths faster than any orc might swim. As always in a tight place, Hodag's brain worked quickly. (This was how he'd moved from Captured Orc up to Black Orc in the arena system.) Their bodies were being retrieved, presumably by the demon which had destroyed the ship, presumably for no good end. Were their lives being preserved, or would they drown in a minute or two? He managed to turn his head to look at his companions. Ziffrin Sheel was struggling uselessly but strongly. He was, after all, Aruaki: essentially a cat. Being in the water would not be something that appealed to him. But the important thing from Hodag's point of view was that the Veteran was gasping for breath and not sucking in a flood of water in the process. So. Someone wanted them alive. Hodag grimaced. He could make a guess as to why. For use in blood magic. Because of their privileged position in the arena system, frequently dosed with magical healing potions and sometimes resurrected, the standbys, and especially himself, were embued with a low level of magic. This would probably increase their value as blood-magic victims. What to do about it? Nothing for now, but when they were taken out of the water...see what opportunities offered, and seize them with both hands. Amen-Tei: "It's a storm," Maurice Karn said. He had said this before, and he was getting tired of repeating himself. "Gladiators can't do a damned thing against the weather." Being an Ambitious Guard did not mean that he was a patient one. Dame Mingia pressed her lips together. Karn wondered idly what comments she was suppressing and decided he would rather not know. Finally she said, "This is not normal weather, as you are doubtless aware, having lived here for years. The seers in the employ of the High Thane tell us that it is a Sending, born of magical operations somewhere out in the lake to the north and west." Krego Dehann, the Veteran Mercenary, rubbed his nose. "Or...from Skaithvarn, maybe?" Mingia spread her hands and shrugged. "The seers were not exact." Her tone was acid. "They claim that exactness is impossible...under these circumstances. Something in the nature of the spell, or possibly in the decline of the Arcanum, or just POSSIBLY in the inadequacy of their arts prevents them from saying more than 'north and west'. Make of that what you will. Bonner Kay is prepared to make a ship available to 'pursue' the storms to their lair." Karn and Dehann exchanged glances. Bonner Kay was the arena's Honest Merchant this season. And he WAS honest, but he was also not at all careless with his property. So he must be really worried about this weather to risk a ship in it. And he must believe that this expedition had a chance of solving the problem. "I don't think I like having the prosperity of Amen-Tei's shipping resting on my shoulders," Dehann muttered. "It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it," Karn answered. DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. I always knew it was a mistake to spock the huts. It ruins the insulation, and at this time of year, with winter looming ahead and unseasonal storms bearing down on the backs of our necks, we need all the insulation we can get. Further and besides, have you CONSIDERED the havelock that strikes the whole roue when the huts are spocked? Total disaster. And the chameleons hate it. Some of them end up in bed with stripped and striped gears. We must protect our chameleons, they are an endangering species! Therefore, because of these three sound reasons, and I'll think of more if I have to, I strongly urge you to cease and desist that irresponsible spockling of the huts. Nothing good will come of it. Lurline Grace SPY REPORT Welcome KATI-TEI. I, Olaf Modeen remember this place well. Many the fights have I fought here. The celebrations, the disappointments... What's with FLUTTERLEE? She actually beat KATI-TEI's KHALHUMS DWARF, and walked away with 10 more points from the fight. Major screwup at WANDERERS. PARNIAN lost 5 points to KUNG-FU MASTER. Some new strategies, perhaps? Maybe PARNIAN will provide more easy wins... VIRGINAL CONCUBINE was reminded on the sands why LURLINE GRACE is Duelmaster. I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip about your fellow fighters? Tough! Speaking of cowardly avoiders and unfair challenges... What do people see in WHEREFOUR WILLY? His 1-2-0? WANDERERS ain't talkin', but he's got 5 points. I hate going to the effort of writing about the kind of fights that THE SHOCKER gets in. He fights people like WHEREFOUR WILLY, 15 points below. I thought THE SHOCKER showed great skill and promise when he defeated WHEREFOUR WILLY. All right, so I slept through it! Big deal! A fighter's lot is filled with strife, revenge, and killing. Some fighters don't accept this. The best do. Many a warrior has met his fate in a hungover stupor. You young rapscallions, take note! Many other cities have retirement homes for aged warriors. Any plans here? KATI-TEI is a nice place to live, but I don't like to live in nice places. I don't want to overstay my welcome...-- Olaf Modeen DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME LURLINE GRACE 4164 15 8 0 109 WANDERERS (329) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SPOCKA THE HUTT 4137 12 6 0 95 OLD SCHOOL (368) FLUTTERLEE 4153 17 12 0 92 WANDERERS (329) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SATURN 3990 13 37 0 79 WANDERERS (329) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME PARNIAN 4138 12 20 1 65 WANDERERS (329) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -CUDDLY KAHLUA 4139 12 9 0 51 OLD SCHOOL (368) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -5 GOT PICKED 4199 2 0 0 27 072905R (381) -APOLLO XI 4168 2 0 0 26 3-2-1 BLAST OFF!!! (380) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME THE SHOCKER 4206 2 1 0 25 INQUISITION SL6 (382) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME WHEREFOUR WILLY 4207 1 2 0 5 WANDERERS (329) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? PERSONAL ADS "Noble" Assassin -- Not bad, but try it with apples. It's better that way. -- Saturn P.S. And a little cinnamon, if you can get it. Kung-Fu Master -- Chopsticks? Gods, that's awful! Never, ever, expect me to eat soup with chopsticks again. -- Flutterlee Cuddly Kahlua -- Gah! Too much corn syrup, and what was that stuff? Peach essence? It'll take me WEEKS to get the taste out of my mouth. Go back to the mints, they were less offensive. -- Parnian 5 Got Picked -- I dunno, I thought the pickle marinade worked okay. But if you really think grape juice will give a better flavor, I'll try it. -- Wherefour Willy LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS THE SHOCKER devastated WHEREFOUR WILLY in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight. LURLINE GRACE won victory over VIRGINAL CONCUBINE in a 3 minute expert's Title battle. PARNIAN was subdued by KUNG-FU MASTER in a crowd pleasing 1 minute uneven fight. FLUTTERLEE viciously subdued KHALHUMS DWARF in a exciting 4 minute veteran's fight. SATURN outwaited M. CHARDINEE in a crowd pleasing 9 minute brutal one-sided duel. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |AIMED BLOW 1 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 - 0 100 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 11 - 4 - 0 73 | |STRIKING ATTACK 1 AIMED BLOW 5 - 2 - 0 71 | |TOTAL PARRY 1 SLASHING ATTACK 13 - 9 - 0 59 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 TOTAL PARRY 14 - 12 - 0 54 | |WALL OF STEEL 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 5 - 5 - 0 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 WALL OF STEEL 3 - 3 - 0 50 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 LUNGING ATTACK 5 - 6 - 0 45 | |LUNGING ATTACK 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 - 0 0 | |BASHING ATTACK 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 | Turn 468 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 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 SLASHING ATTACK PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 STRIKING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 2 AIMED BLOW BASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE WALL OF STEEL 0 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME PARRY-RIPOSTE LURLINE GRACE 4164 15 8 0 109 WANDERERS (329) STRIKING ATTACK FLUTTERLEE 4153 17 12 0 92 WANDERERS (329) 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 FLUTTERLEE 4153. The most popular warrior this turn was FLUTTERLEE 4153. The ten other most popular fighters were LURLINE GRACE 4164, THE SHOCKER 4206, SATURN 3990, WHEREFOUR WILLY 4207, PARNIAN 4138, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0. The least popular fighter this week was PARNIAN 4138. The other ten least popular fighters were WHEREFOUR WILLY 4207, SATURN 3990, THE SHOCKER 4206, LURLINE GRACE 4164, FLUTTERLEE 4153, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0. The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn: LURLINE GRACE (41-4164) WANDERERS (329)