DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER
Date : 03/01/2004 Duedate: 03/13/2004
ARDIVENT ARENA
DM-46 TURN-422
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
PURPLE SASH
HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
(46-3777) [17-4-2,129]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
PURPLE SASH POSITION IS EMPTY
HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
(46-3777) [17-4-2,129]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
DODGER PURPLE SASH
HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325) HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
(46-3772) [19-7-1,104] (46-3777) [17-4-2,129]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 31
2. HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325) 28 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
3. RUBY DRAGONS (336) 25 Unchartered Team
4. DEATHTONGUE (89) 14
5. BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) -1 PSYCHOTIC ENDEAVOR (203)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325) 158 85 7 65.0 1/ 2 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325) 12 3 0
2/ 2 RUBY DRAGONS (336) 52 36 2 59.1 2/ 1 DEATHTONGUE (89) 11 4 0
3/ 3 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 119 86 9 58.0 3/ 4 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 7 8 0
4/ 4 DEATHTONGUE (89) %1017 735 55 58.0 4/ 3 RUBY DRAGONS (336) 6 9 0
5/ 6 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 266 415 9 39.1 5/ 6 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 2 3 1
'*' 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[ Out of the Past #3 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
Valamantis:
Hallie O'Dene did not stay in Valamantis. She hadn't been able to get an
audience with the ruler of the city-state, Garlor Shanmarrik, and the clerk to whom
she had given her warning had been...disbelieving. Had, in fact, threatened her with
imprisonment if she "stirred up unrest." A very proper bureaucrat, he'd been.
Hallie considered slicing off his ears and nailing them to the wall, or possibly
nailing the man's ears to the wall without slicing them off, but such action would
serve no purpose but to express her anger, so she didn't. There really wasn't any
point in that. She gave her warning to Arenamistress Sitalva, who was at least
polite, and then went on her way. Carefully circling wide around the ruins of Old
Valamantis and ghosts of the ancient city that came and went unstably above them.
The people of Valamantis, in the person of the Lord's clerk, had chosen to ignore her
warning, and there were others she had to find and warn, others who might listen.
Arenamistress Sitalva did not exactly believe Hallie's warning about the danger
from the Bloodgames, but she didn't disbelieve, either. She had already seen the
mirage-like ancient towers above the bloody ground. She had seen those ghostly
towers before, after other Bloodgames, had accepted them as a normal illusion there.
Maybe she needed to re-think "normal."
She couldn't imagine anyone resurrecting Old Valamantis for any kind of GOOD
reason.
The oldest levels of the city were Folstrom.
And saturated with dark magic.
Mordant:
Mordant was like a stirred up hive of bees, full of activity, and hostile to any
stranger who had the misfortune to get in the way. She guessed that she wouldn't
have any more luck getting in to see Queen Talissen of Mordant than she had in
Valamantis. Which was frustrating, since it was a serious warning she had to
deliver. Well, she hadn't expected this to be easy....
After a moment's thought, she headed straight for the arena, bypassing the
palace entirely. There would be people who'd listen to her at the arena, because she
was one of them. Kakar was arenamaster in Mordant, she'd met him once. A grim man,
but who wouldn't be if they had to live in Mordant? She avoided looking at the
pitted black stone that most of the city was built of, and the windowless
architecture. The Mordanti were a grim people all around.
The arena was seething with activity and speculation, though it wasn't fight
day. Rumors were flying; before she managed to locate the arenamaster, Hallie heard
seven different versions of "an attack on the Queen!" which had been foiled by a
gladiator, or maybe more than one gladiator, or maybe it had been made by a
gladiator, or only reported by a gladiator, or.... The attack on the Queen, if it
had happened at all, was the main topic, but there was a froth of other rumors in the
background: monsters in various likely or unlikely places, out in the swamp, down in
Valamantis, in the Syrinwald lake, or up in the mountains. A war that might or might
not be happening between two different kingdoms in the south, and even the supposed
participants kept changing--Trocar, Rocanis, Xochithlan, the wild Rirorni. Banditry
around Tricorus; she shrugged that one off. There was always banditry around
Tricorus.
Arenamaster Kakar was closeted with a sober looking man, tall for a Kannar, and
richly dressed. Kakar didn't actually refuse to listen to Hallie, but he made it
clear that he didn't have much time to spare.
Hallie shrugged. The way things had been going since she'd set out to spread
the warning, his attitude was no surprise. She wondered in passing whether Khaldren
could have managed some kind of spell that made people unwilling to listen. Not that
it mattered at the moment. "I bring word of a powerful wizard who has come out of
the past to spread disaster in our time," she began. "He is a wizard from drowned
Krael, and he claims the intention to resurrect Celestinvael and other lost cities
and build a new empire in Alastari."
The tall man leaned forward, suddenly frowning. "Celestinvael is five hundred
years dead," he stated. "How can this be 'resurrected'?" Celestinvael was also,
Hallie knew, the closest of the dangerous ruins to Mordant, unless you counted Old
Valamantis--which Khaldren hadn't mentioned.
"I'm no wizard," she answered. "I don't know. But he stated his intention to
use 'blood magic' to do it, which he believes will work even with the Arcanum in
flux." She shrugged. "I don't know about magic, but he seemed confidant, and I saw
him work spells of great power."
"No doubt we've mages around who can confirm or deny this possibility," the tall
man said. "I will carry the warning to Queen Talissen and set our magicians to
work." Seeing her surprise, he added, "I am Allech Rabo, Her Majesty's Herald. I
have the authority to take these steps."
"Good! You might pass word to Valamantis, too--I couldn't get to see anyone but
a damned clerk. If it's blood magic at work, well, there was a lot of blood spilled
in Old Valamantis just over a month ago--"
"Mordan!" The Herald leaped to his feet. "The Bloodgames! If blood magic
still works, then the danger is extreme! I must go to the Queen at once!"
"And I will speak to the gladiators of this city about the dangers ahead," Kakar
said when the Herald had gone. "Doubtless they will be called upon to take arms
against enemies of Mordant."
Iaye:
The first ground tremors made people uneasy, but no more than that. There had
been small earthquakes for months now, mostly centered on Seam and its underground
disturbances. They posed no threat to the island, except in the case of those boats
who were just coming into the docks when tremor-waves hit. And even that...the
sailors of Iaye were skilled, and they had learned to deal with it.
But the mild tremors didn't stop, they were replaced by serious jolts, and the
ground underfoot shivered like jelly in a bowl. All the sailors who could took their
ships out of the harbor and around the island toward the center of the Trier. No one
wanted to get caught by a bigger wave than usual and shoved onto a rocky shore.
Once the ships were safely away from the land, alarm turned to eager
speculation. Did this herald new geysers for Seam? Would a volcano erupt and
destroy the town entirely? Bets were placed. After all, Seam wasn't THEIR town....
Or maybe this quake would strike a little closer to home, like the one that had
cracked open the Ogre's Tomb in Point. That thought sobered people. There had
been...things in the Tomb, and it had taken all the warriors who could reach Point to
deal with them. What else might be down there, to be released by a fresh earthquake?
They didn't really want to know.
Most of the ships were strung out parallel to the coast north of Point and Iaye.
Far enough apart not to damage each other if something went wrong, close enough to
pass messages along. The message that came up from the southern end of the line near
sunset was unexpected, and more than a little alarming. Everyone knew there were
ruins under the lake between Point and the island of Iaye. But nobody had expected
them to rise.
And none of the half-remembered stories of Krael made people happy about the
great city's reappearance.
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Hah! Purple Sash is finally champion! Much better than Green Sash! Pride of my
race! Solaris, you stinky fighter! Ha! Anastasia good fighter! Ha! I fight next
turn! Until then!
Purple Sash
SPY REPORT
It is I, Novgorodny Vir, Spymaster of Spymasters. Look on my work, ye mighty,
and despair! Nothing is certain in ARDIVENT, with changing loyalties, changing
Duelmasters. Write this down: new top team--HARDTIMESINBABYLON. Practice pays for
POISED TO KILL, who pummelled VALLEY-JO, to pocket 20 points. VALLEY-JO certainly
had a baffled expression on his face, after losing to POISED TO KILL and losing 19
points in the process! SOLARIS found out that ARDIVENT isn't a democracy. You've
gotta be the best to be Duelmaster here! So who's the team that's been walking into
taverns last week and ordering milk? Sounds like a PR stunt to me.
A Zenmaster once told me, 'Does not the spinning wheel turn? And do not the
little birds cry out?' Any ideas?
Is there life after death? Pragmatics (and warriors) know there is death after
life! The audience gave a nice round of rasberries to CROW of RUBY DRAGONS, for
expiring in such an ungraceful fashion. 5-8-0, indeed! Fair play must not be a
credo of CYNICAL DELUSIONS, as SILVER FURY permanently removed CROW of RUBY DRAGONS
from the competition in a mismatched fight. Ask not a spymaster for counsel, for he
will pontificate long after you have fallen into an unconscious stupor.
Do not think spyreporting in ARDIVENT is the highlight of my life. As the
seasons change, and the creatures of the wild change also, so do I feel a yearning to
leave this place. Can anything compare to the pleasure of writing Spyreports for
ARDIVENT? On that giddy note I take my leave-- Novgorodny Vir
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PURPLE SASH 3777 17 4 2 129 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
OLLIE FUNT 3778 17 5 1 124 DEATHTONGUE (89)
ANASTASIA 3760 11 2 0 112 RUBY DRAGONS (336)
DODGER 3772 19 7 1 104 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
SOLARIS 3759 8 5 0 93 RUBY DRAGONS (336)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ZACK 3795 12 3 0 84 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
NA'TOTH 3800 10 3 0 82 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
BERKE 3799 10 4 0 82 DEATHTONGUE (89)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SILVER FURY 2542 10 5 1 66 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
BERNINA COLLIN 3794 9 7 1 61 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
POISED TO KILL 2637 6 2 0 51 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
KHORNE SHADOWSPAWN 3809 6 2 1 48 RUBY DRAGONS (336)
-RUSTED SOUL 2603 6 4 0 40 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
FLINT HILLS 3796 6 9 0 37 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
GNEISS GUY 3787 5 11 0 33 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
VALLEY-JO 3798 6 8 0 31 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
REAGAN 3818 2 1 0 31 DEATHTONGUE (89)
PALANTIRIATHALASA 3808 6 3 1 26 RUBY DRAGONS (336)
BOBBI 3812 4 2 0 26 DEATHTONGUE (89)
BREAK POINT 2741 4 2 0 24 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PAKMARI 3819 2 0 0 23 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
SNORKIE 3820 2 0 0 22 DEATHTONGUE (89)
ECLIPSE 2740 0 1 0 7 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
DEBRA COLLIN 3816 1 2 0 5 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
VANICE 3775 8 14 1 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 FLOYD POTTER 3734 419
DOWN BELOW 3807 6 1 0 HARDTIMESINBABYLO 325 BERNINA COLLIN 3794 419 JUST REV
CROW 3757 5 8 0 RUBY DRAGONS 336 SILVER FURY 2542 422
PERSONAL ADS
Adie -- Many thanks! I've been prodding the Wise one for a while now, but he seems
unmovable. The place just isn't the same.... -- Technogeek
Anastasia -- Ooh, that stung. -- Berke
Flint Hills -- Maybe you'd better head back to them hills, hon. -- Bobbi
Debra -- Hope I didn't SCARE you too much! -- Snorkie
Crow -- I was taught to pluck crows. -- Bernina Collin
P.S. But I never figured out why.
Palantiriathalasa -- Your name's too long. It's like dragging around an albatross.
-- Valley-Jo
Bobbi -- Little lady, you can talk at me any time. -- Flint Hills
Khorne Shadowspawn -- Figures. Nobody good would be spawned in a shadow. -- Gneiss
Guy
Snorkie -- You're cute. -- Debra Collin
Zack -- I don't see why! -- Bernina
Bobbi -- Better watch out, flint chips are very sharp. -- Flint Hills
Reagan -- As if! -- Debra
25 February 2004
Readers, and especially those who volunteered warriors -- My apologies for the sudden
lack of episodes. I've been sick, but expect to be back at the keyboard soon. -- the
Scribe
3 March 2004
MONGO'S MARDI GRAS MADNESS DUELMASTERS AUCTION
Mongo, aka Matt McIntosh and ex-Warden of the Dark Circle, is auctioning off his
entire collection of Duelmasters warriors and stables. Don't miss out on this chance
to own some fantastic warriors! There are ADM warriors available in every class from
Primus to Freshmen, as well as over a dozen Basic stables.
Does a Slasher with +4 attack, +4 decisiveness, +3 initiative and +2 riposte
sound good? How about a Lunger who received the benefit of a TC prize, has TVed
three times after graduating--and still hasn't maxed out his skills!? How about a
Striker in the Freshmen class who has decisiveness for a favorite learn and the MAUL
for a favorite weapon!?
Or perhaps you prefer playing in Basic. Then how does a stable with four Adept
class warriors who have a combined record of 41-19-9 sound? Or maybe a stable with
three 21-Will warriors? Or perhaps a stable with four Initiates and a Rookie who
have a combined record of 23-6-1?
The quality of the lots is excellent. All you need to view and bid on the lots
is go to:
http://members.aol.com/jvmerlino/mardigras.html
If you want to be on the mailing list to receive regular updates on the auction,
just send an e-mail to JVMerlino@aol.com. Merlin, aka John Merlino and also an ex-
Warden of the Dark Circle, will be running this auction for me. I just moved to New
Orleans and am likely currently stumbling around the French Quarter...because it's
Mardi Gras! So I have named my auction in honor of this occasion.
The auction will start on Saturday, March 13th, 2004, and will continue for
several weeks. But you should get your bids in early if you want your best chance at
owning any of these fantastic warriors and stables.
Many thanks to all for your interest and your bids,
Mongo
5 March 2004
Style Masters Symposium
Hosted by Hammer
The years have slipped by and many DM Managers have come and gone since the last
Hammer's Handbook was compiled and printed.
There is now a stirring within me to begin writing and editing yet another
Handbook with a distribution date sometime in 2005.
This Handbook will be made available via Email with a possibility of burning the
info to a CD for distribution.
Special arrangements will be made to provide the information via printed page to
those contributors who are serving sentences behind bars.
The working title of this new Handbook is "Style Masters Symposium Hosted by
Hammer".
Distribution of this Handbook is projected to be MAINLY for those DM Managers
who contribute information/articles to Hammer by June 2004.
Informative and entertaining articles should focus on insights regarding Any or
All 10 Style Masters for both the Basic and ADM arenas as well as Tourney
competition.
Articles focusing on Weapons/Armor are also encouraged for inclusion.
Whether you are a Newbie Manager without a clue or a Jaded Veteran; everyone has
discovered something about this gaming experience that is both Insightful and
Entertaining.
Email Your Articles to HammerDM@fastermail.com or send them via Diplo to either
Flower Hammerz (372) in DM 28 or Casino Hammerz (576) in DM 33.
Length and Content of the Style Masters Symposium Hosted by Hammer will be
Determined by the Quality and Quantity of Contributors Combined with the Literary
Efforts of Hammer who is currently overseas for an indefinite period of time.
Articles Contributed for this Project should be of Sufficient Length and Content
to Warrant being Included to Receive the Finished Document when Hammer has completed
this literary work to His satisfaction.
Managers contributing articles are also requested to include a DM Bio of
Themselves along with any Notable Successes and/or Failures during Their DM Career in
Basic, ADM and/or Tourney Play.
A listing of Active Stables would also be Helpful for Anyone Seeking to Reply to
Contributors via Diplo, Email or Snailmail.
May Your Blades Be Sharp And Your Wits Sharper!
-- Hammer of Flower Hammerz (372) DM 28 and Casino Hammerz (576) DM 33
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
NA'TOTH was devastated by ANASTASIA in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight.
PURPLE SASH won victory over SOLARIS in a action packed 2 minute brutal Title battle.
DODGER overpowered VETERAN MERCENARY in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched duel.
OLLIE FUNT defeated KUNG-FU MASTER in a crowd pleasing 1 minute bloody match.
BERNINA COLLIN was vanquished by ZACK in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
BERKE overpowered NOBLE ASSASSIN in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
SILVER FURY slew CROW in a 2 minute melee.
BOBBI was vanquished by KHORNE SHADOWSPAWN in a 1 minute uneven duel.
VALLEY-JO was vanquished by POISED TO KILL in a 1 minute uneven fight.
FLINT HILLS vanquished BREAK POINT in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
PALANTIRIATHALASA was narrowly defeated by GNEISS GUY in a 3 minute melee.
SNORKIE overpowered ECLIPSE in a exciting 1 minute one-sided fight.
DEBRA COLLIN was devastated by PAKMARI in a exciting 1 minute mismatched conflict.
REAGAN demolished TRUSTWORTHY SCRIBE in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK 7 SLASHING ATTACK 28 - 9 - 1 76 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 3 LUNGING ATTACK 18 - 6 - 0 75 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 STRIKING ATTACK 32 - 14 - 1 70 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 2 WALL OF STEEL 14 - 8 - 1 64 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 AIMED BLOW 14 - 10 - 0 58 |
|BASHING ATTACK 2 TOTAL PARRY 6 - 5 - 0 55 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 2 - 1 50 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 BASHING ATTACK 11 - 12 - 1 48 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 9 - 11 - 0 45 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 5 - 1 29 |
Turn 422 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 2 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 3 SLASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 3 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 LUNGING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 5 - 2 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 2 2 STRIKING ATTACK
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 1 2 WALL OF STEEL
PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 PARRY-STRIKE
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
SLASHING ATTACK PURPLE SASH 3777 17 4 2 129 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
LUNGING ATTACK ANASTASIA 3760 11 2 0 112 RUBY DRAGONS (336)
TOTAL PARRY SOLARIS 3759 8 5 0 93 RUBY DRAGONS (336)
STRIKING ATTACK ZACK 3795 12 3 0 84 HARDTIMESINBABYLON (325)
PARRY-STRIKE SILVER FURY 2542 10 5 1 66 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
WALL OF STEEL BERNINA COLLIN 3794 9 7 1 61 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is DODGER 3772. The most popular warrior this turn was
PURPLE SASH 3777. The ten other most popular fighters were DODGER 3772, CROW 3757,
PAKMARI 3819, OLLIE FUNT 3778, SNORKIE 3820, BERKE 3799, SILVER FURY 2542, KHORNE
SHADOWSPAWN 3809, FLINT HILLS 3796, and PALANTIRIATHALASA 3808.
The least popular fighter this week was DEBRA COLLIN 3816. The other ten least
popular fighters were BREAK POINT 2741, VALLEY-JO 3798, BOBBI 3812, BERNINA COLLIN
3794, ECLIPSE 2740, POISED TO KILL 2637, SOLARIS 3759, NA'TOTH 3800, REAGAN 3818, and
GNEISS GUY 3787.
The following warriors will travel to ADVANCED DUELMASTERS after next turn:
OLLIE FUNT (46-3778) DEATHTONGUE (89)