DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 08/29/2005    Duedate: 09/10/2005

ARDIVENT ARENA

DM-46    TURN-456

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

GNEISS GUY
BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
(46-3787) [16-34-0,108]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

ECLIPSE                        ANGELIC
CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)        INQUISITION SL8 (348)
(46-2740) [12-2-0,141]         (46-3883) [0-1-0,5]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

PALANTIRIATHALASA              BECKER COLLIN
RUBY DRAGONS (336)             BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
(46-3808) [21-22-1,100]        (46-3850) [7-8-0,54]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)     20
2. RUBY DRAGONS (336)          14      CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
3. INQUISITION SL8 (348)        5      Unchartered Team
4. BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)      4
                                       INQUISITION SL8 (348)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)  167 113  9 59.6   1/ 1 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)   9  6 0
 2/ 2 RUBY DRAGONS (336)        98  84  2 53.8   2/ 2 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)   7  7 0
 3/ 3 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)  335 513  9 39.5   3/ 3 RUBY DRAGONS (336)        3  3 0
 4/ 0*INQUISITION SL8 (348)      0   1  0  0.0   4/ 0*INQUISITION SL8 (348)     0  1 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[ Nightfall #1 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

     Valamantis harbor was roofed with clouds, dark in the east, dyed red with sunset
in the west.  Dramatic, but ominous, and who needed ominous portents when times were
already so bad?  Arenamistress Sitalva glanced at Tensekai to make a comment and
paused.  The Silver Mage was no longer paying attention to the sunset or his
companion.  His lips formed silent words, his fingers flicked through significant
gestures, and his eyes saw...something invisible to her.
     That it was something magical and invisible didn't stop her from looking around.
They were on the top of Tensekai's tower, on one of the three islands that marked the
outer limit of the harbor, and the view was spectacular in all directions.  To the
east was New Valamantis, a mere five hundred years old, walls and domes and dark
towers at the mouth of the Feyranse.  The broken towers of Old Valamantis rose behind
it, the anchored ships that sailed the Trier rocking on the waves in front.  To the
west, the bay, studded with rocky, tree-clad islands of all sizes.  The castle of the
Duke of Kordos, one of the larger islands near Valamantis, were black against the
sunset to the northwest, as was the tower to the southwest--
     Tower to the southwest?
     That should be open water!  Sitalva squinted at it, trying to make out details,
but the bad lighting defeated her.  All she could see was the black outline of a
tower on a rock rising out of the bay where no rock or tower had been a few minutes
ago.
     Tensekai groaned and began to collapse toward the floor.
     Sitalva grabbed him and thrust him onto a bench.  "Don't fade out on me now,
Ten!"  She grabbed one of the wineglasses--they had wine and snacks on a tray--filled
it, and held it to his mouth.  He drank and coughed and drank more.  When she judged
that he was recovered from whatever he had been doing, she said, "What happened?
Where did that tower come from?"
     He shuddered and took a final swallow of wine.  His face was beaded with sweat.
"Don't know.  I felt it come, tried to see where...tried to block it."  He shook his
head.  "Too strong for me."
     That was a chilling thought.  Though not as strong as Sheila Greywand, Tensekai
was one of the more powerful magicians of Alastari.  "But--"
     "Linked to the old city, I think.  The oldest--"
     Sitalva knew who had built the oldest city on this location, and the blow was as
bad as any she'd received in the arena.  "Folstrom?" she whispered.
     He shrugged and took the bottle from her, pouring himself more wine.  "I don't
know."  He drank more wine.  "It might be, but...I don't know."
     "The oldest level of the Old City--"
     "It could just have been used as...a sort of target by someone searching for a
landing.  The Folstrom weren't, aren't the only people to go traveling among the
dimensions."
     "Whether it's them or not, it's bound to mean trouble," Sitalva said.
     "They could be innocent travelers," the Silver Mage protested.
     "And I could be Santa Clause, but it isn't likely.  Innocent travelers don't
arrive in black towers."  She looked over her shoulder at it.  Even as a featureless
silhouette, the place was sinister.
     "Stereotyping," Tensekai said.  He heaved himself to his feet.  "There are some
things I can try, to find out more about them.  But until they commit a hostile
action, we should assume they're not enemies."
     Sitalva opened her mouth to reply, but before she could form words, a light
blazed from the newly arrived tower.  It swept the water like a searchlight and
focused on a small vessel.  A fishing boat, she thought, going out for the night-
feeding kerrings.  The light, which had been white at first, changed to red.  Someone
on the boat screamed.  It wouldn't carry more than a crew of three, and she could see
two of them on the deck, staggering and struggling.  And evaporating.  In the last of
the illumination before the light winked off, she thought she saw the ship crumbling
into nothing.
     "They're enemies," Sitalva said.

              + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Nightfall #2 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Osksi:

     From the top of the Tower of Rule, Lord Medan, First Lord of Osksi, could see
the harbor city's harbor.  Or he could have seen it, if the fog hadn't been so heavy.
He regretted that, because seeing the harbor gave him a great deal of satisfaction.
Since the treaty with Sunset, Osksi's shipping had been strong.  Very strong.
Stronger than ever, stronger than Mordant's shipping out of Valamantis, or the
Andorian shipping out of Ardivent and Amen-Tei.
     He paused in his thoughts as the foghorn blasted the silence into shards.
Another foghorn bellowed into the echo of the first, setting up strange overtones.
Damn the fog, anyway!  It was--
     Another foghorn?  There was no second--
     The intruding horn blared again, shattering the fog.  Medan actually saw
fragments of cloud whirl away.  In the clear space left behind, he could see a tower
where there had been no tower before, nor any island it could rest on, in a position
to dominate Osksi's harbor.

                                      SPY REPORT

     Thankyouthankyou.  It's great for me, The Unknown Spymaster to be back in 
ARDIVENT.  Hope you enjoy the show.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I already got paid!  Hey 
everybody, watch out for VECORDIUS, who flew up 15 points in the rankings after 
mashing DEBRA COLLIN like a melon.  Keep your eye on this guy.  And falling like a 
basher in the top ten was FLINT HILLS, who dropped 10 points after a disappointing 
(to say the least) bout with PALANTIRIATHALASA.  It's a proud day for the BLUVALLEY 
WARRIORS stable, as their warrior, GNEISS GUY, ascended the Duelmaster's throne.  
Advice to bashers--never force anything, just get a bigger halberd!   
     Let's dig a little deeper into what's happening in the ARDIVENT arena.   
     Remember that an arena is not always a safe place to be, but it is one of the 
most interesting, though!  Ask not the elves for counsel, for they will say both yes 
and no.  Silly buggers, eh?   
     Well, that wasn't too bad; Alarond told me that the people in ARDIVENT have no 
sense of humor.  Or maybe that they were senseless.  C'mon, Leadfoot, let's make some 
tracks.  And remember, you can pick your friends and you can pick your--(loud boos), 
oh, you've heard that one already!-- The Unknown Spymaster  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GNEISS GUY 3787              16  34  0   108       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ECLIPSE 2740                 12   2  0   141       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
 PALANTIRIATHALASA 3808       21  22  1   100       RUBY DRAGONS (336)
 POISED TO KILL 2637          15   9  0    92       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SOLARIS 3759                 21  26  0    89       RUBY DRAGONS (336)
 FLINT HILLS 3796             17  32  0    83       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
 VECORDIUS 3870                6   1  0    77       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
 DEBRA COLLIN 3816            16  21  0    69       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BREAK POINT 2741             12   9  0    61       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BECKER COLLIN 3850            7   8  0    54       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 HERMY COLLIN 3878             2   0  0     9       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
 ANGELIC 3883                  0   1  0     5       INQUISITION SL8 (348)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
NADA E'COVE 3877       0  2 0 CYNICAL DELUSIONS 218 BLACK ORC 20          456 NONE    

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Poised to Kill -- Good moves. -- Gneiss Guy
P.S.  Do you know any gladiator who DOES like hospitals?

M. Chardinee.  Need I say more? -- Flint Hills

I kind of like the Ambitious Guard, when he's not being so pushy. -- Debra Collin
P.S.  Besides, I can beat him.  I like that.

Break Point -- Well, maybe just cracked a little. -- Becker Collin

Nada E'Cove -- You're too tall to be so cynical.  Snap out of it, man! -- Hermy
Collin

Rusted Soul -- No, that's sticking me with the column.  But that's okay.  I survived,
and that's the big issue. -- Gneiss Guy

Poised -- Doubtless good advice, but Leeta never listens.  Not when it means a strat
change.  Talk about lazy, she could give a total parry lessons! -- Flint

Break Point -- This is true.  We've been there for each other for a long time. --
Becker Collin

4 August 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Announcement You Have All Been Waiting For Is Here!!!!!!!!

ZalCon3...The Rebirth!!!!!!! 

The Rules Are Simple, The Prizes Are Awesome, The Competition Fierce!

Where:  Dullens (DM13)  When:  October 8th, 2005

The Rules:
Every Manager Must DA Their Entire Team On The First Turn They Enter The Contest.
All Warriors DA'd In This Manner MUST Be At Zero FE And May Fight In The Contest If
They Live.  The Style Of The Warrior Must Be Present In The Name In A Non Ambiguous
Manner, Standard Abbreviations Accepted.  Scoring Starts On The 3rd Turn Of The
Contest Which Will Also Be The First Turn After The October Mail In.  Dead Warriors
May Be Entered From The Contest To Dead Apprentices ONLY--And With Zero FE!!!!!  All
Living Warriors May Be Entered Into Rookies or Apprentices For The October Mail In.

Scoring:
 1 Point For Each Win.
 1 Point For Each Kill.
-1 Point For Each Loss.
-1 Point For Each Death.

Categories:
Ultimate Style Master:  Warrior Of Any Style With The Most Style Master Points.
Top Team:  Team With The Most Points At The End Of The Contest.
Top Warrior:  Warrior With The Most Points At The End Of The Contest.
MVP Team:  Team With The Most Free Fight Awards At The End Of The Contest.
MVP Warrior:  Warrior With The Most Free Fight Awards At The End Of The Contest.
Style Master:  Warrior With The Most Points Vs. Style In Each Style At The End Of The
               Contest.
Warrior Top 11:  Next 10 Top Point Gaining Warriors At The End Of The Contest.
Iron Manager:  Any Manager With 100 Fights During The Contest (20 Turns Plus 2 Pre
               Turns).
***Special Category*** An Additional Top Team Award Will Be Granted For Each 5 Iron
Manager Awards Starting At 6.

Prizes:
Ultimate Style Master, Top Team, Top Warrior:  +1 To Bonus, Damage Bump, Free Train
                                              Or Learn 2 Skills, Favorites Knowledge.
MVP Team And MVP Warrior:  20 Rollups.
Style Master:  +1 To Bonus.
Warrior Top 11:  Free Train Or Learn 2 Skills. 
Iron Manager:  +1 To Bonus.

Please Contact Zalgor Prigg Via Diplo (Armor & Weapons DM102) or Email
(zalgor@hotmail.com) Should You Have Any Questions Or Wish A Free Team Rollup To Dark
Arena On Turn 1.

Disclaimer:  All Prizes Are To Be Used On Contest Team Only And Are Non Transferable.

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

NADA E'COVE was viciously butchered by BLACK ORC in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
POISED TO KILL lost to GNEISS GUY in a exciting 4 minute expert's Title battle.
ECLIPSE overpowered SOLARIS in a crowd pleasing 3 minute mismatched duel.
FLINT HILLS was overpowered by PALANTIRIATHALASA in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
DEBRA COLLIN was devastated by VECORDIUS in a 1 minute uneven brawl.
BECKER COLLIN was luckily beaten by BREAK POINT in a exciting 5 minute struggle.
HERMY COLLIN bested ANGELIC in a 3 minute gruesome novice's competition.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK                  3         AIMED BLOW         2 -   0 -  0     100  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   2         STRIKING ATTACK   16 -   6 -  0      73  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      2         TOTAL PARRY       14 -   9 -  0      61  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         BASHING ATTACK    18 -  13 -  0      58  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         WALL OF STEEL      5 -   5 -  0      50  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         PARRY-STRIKE       4 -   6 -  0      40  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         PARRY-RIPOSTE      6 -   9 -  0      40  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   1         PARRY-LUNGE        3 -   7 -  0      30  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    1         SLASHING ATTACK    0 -   0 -  0       0  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  0         LUNGING ATTACK     0 -   1 -  0       0  |

Turn 456 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 -  1         2  STRIKING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  0     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  1         2  BASHING ATTACK 
STRIKING ATTACK    2 -  1     LUNGING ATTACK     0 -  1         2  TOTAL PARRY    
BASHING ATTACK     1 -  1     SLASHING ATTACK    0 -  0         1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
TOTAL PARRY        1 -  1     WALL OF STEEL      0 -  1         1  WALL OF STEEL  
                                                                1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                                                                1  PARRY-LUNGE    
                                                                1  AIMED BLOW     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
STRIKING ATTACK  ECLIPSE 2740               12   2  0  141 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
WALL OF STEEL    POISED TO KILL 2637        15   9  0   92 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
TOTAL PARRY      BREAK POINT 2741           12   9  0   61 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is PALANTIRIATHALASA 3808.  The most popular warrior 
this turn was BECKER COLLIN 3850.  The ten other most popular fighters were ECLIPSE 
2740, GNEISS GUY 3787, POISED TO KILL 2637, ANGELIC 3883, VECORDIUS 3870, 
PALANTIRIATHALASA 3808, BREAK POINT 2741, HERMY COLLIN 3878, SOLARIS 3759, and NADA 
E'COVE 3877.

The least popular fighter this week was DEBRA COLLIN 3816.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were FLINT HILLS 3796, NADA E'COVE 3877, SOLARIS 3759, HERMY COLLIN 
3878, BREAK POINT 2741, PALANTIRIATHALASA 3808, VECORDIUS 3870, ANGELIC 3883, POISED 
TO KILL 2637, and GNEISS GUY 3787.

The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:

GNEISS GUY (46-3787) BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)