DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 12/05/2005 Duedate: 12/17/2005 ARDIVENT ARENA DM-46 TURN-463 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS GOLDEN FURY CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) (46-3887) [7-0-2,119] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader GOLDEN FURY POSITION IS EMPTY CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) (46-3887) [7-0-2,119] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite BECKER COLLIN BECKER COLLIN BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) (46-3850) [12-10-1,57] (46-3850) [12-10-1,57] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 45 2. BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 7 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 3. RUBY DRAGONS (336) 1 Unchartered Team ZODIAC (86) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 192 119 11 61.7 1/ 1 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 11 1 1 2/ 2 RUBY DRAGONS (336) 100 93 2 51.8 2/ 2 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 6 9 1 3/ 3 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 353 529 11 40.0 3/ 3 RUBY DRAGONS (336) 0 3 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 #9 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Valamantis: "I don't consider the loss of so many ships and men a 'good development', mage," Lord Shanmarrik said. His dark eyes glittered, and his slit of a mouth was set like a blade. Tensekai shrugged and shook his head. "It is not the death and destruction, in itself, that was good, lord. The 'good' part is that the Tower was not able to destroy all the ships. It was not able to strike without a build-up of power. The power is not quite like any I am familiar with, but having observed it once, I shall be able to detect it when it begins again. Soon enough, I hope, to prevent another such destructive discharge. And I think, though I am not certain yet, that I have discovered the fatal flaw in this invasion--for invasion it is." "So you say." Shanmarrik pursed his lips and stared hard at nothing, then he also shrugged. "So it is still in your hands. So be it." He paused, then said, "The invasion...is it...?" The Silver Mage nodded. "Tarot mimes." Arenamistress Sitalva twitched. "Okay, by forces from the Fifteenth Dimension, called by people of Alastari 'tarot mimes', and we don't know what they call themselves." Tensekai turned and squinted out across the bay where the Black Tower had lately been. His expression was almost wistful. "What a chance it would be to study...if we didn't have to fight them for our lives and our sanity. We could learn so much...." "It's in your hands," Shanmarrik said again. The old man fixed him with a hard stare. "I expect results, Tensekai. Soon." Sitalva listened to Shanmarrik stomping down the stairs of the Silver Mage's tower, listened to the door slam, saw the ruler of Valamantis stalk across the narrow strip of grass to his official boat tied up at Tensekai's dock. When the old man was definitely out of earshot, she turned to her friend. "What is this nonsense about 'tarot mimes'?" she demanded. "The Stronghold Academy on the Isle says--" "Says there are no such beings as tarot mimes," Tensekai finished. For a moment, he looked as old as rumor called him, instead of the young, vigorous man that Valamantis knew. "I know, I read the proclamation. I don't know whether they lied or were simply mistaken. They exist. Calling them 'tarot mimes' trivializes the risk they present, though. It is a very great risk." "Granting the danger that Tower represents to shipping, I still wouldn't call it a 'very great risk'," Sitalva objected. "A very great nuisance, but--" "The tarot mimes work by manipulating archetypes," Tensekai said. "In this case, crowned heads falling, citadels and the governments they represent falling. There are a lot of crowned heads in and around Valamantis Bay, and all are at risk. Shanmarrik, for a start. Talissen, since she is the ruler of the alliance to which Valamantis belongs. The rulers of the island kingdoms. Osksi's Council of Rule. The Baron of Ardivent. And what if the tower moves inland?" "Can it?" "I have no idea." The arenamistress was silent for a few minutes, turning over facts and speculations in her mind. It was an unpleasant mess. "What do we do?" Tensekai paced across the rooftop, then back, across and back, frowning. Finally he said, "We could invoke the tarot powers ourselves." Elsewhere: Rossanarth, the Ambitious Guard of Valamantis, stood in knee-deep water and stared at the impossible landscape in front of him. He KNEW Valamantis Bay, and there was no such land anywhere around it. He glanced around at his companion and fellow standby, M. Kargaed Chardinee. "What the HECK is going on here?" The Rirorni came up beside him. "We'd better find out," he said. "Since we seem to have lost the Black Tower, and Valamantis, too--" The throne which floated on the waters of what was not Valamantis Bay drifted closer. Or perhaps it was pushed closer by the dolphins that surrounded it. There was a pause. Finally the blonde queen on the throne dragged her gaze away from the ornate cup she held. Saw the two Alastarians and blinked. Even now, her eyes were dreamy and not quite focused. "Where did you come from?" Rossanarth was stunned, equally by the beauty of her voice and by the fact that her lips had not moved. The Chardinee mastered himself more quickly. "We were drawn here by the Tower," he said. And his voice seemed to his companion as harsh as the squawk of a crow. A faint frown touched her pale forehead and she looked into her cup again. "The Council did not authorize this. Who defies the Council?" "My lady, we do not know," Chardinee said. "It must be discovered." A gesture signaled them forward. "Sit on the step of my throne, so that you may be borne to the Court to give testimony." + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Nightfall #10 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Kaltos: The Golden Ship Inn stood on a headland and overlooked the main harbor on Kaltos. From the turret on top of the inn, Ironhand, the owner, could look across to Lord Lindharrow's castle on the opposite horn of the little bay. He could see all the shipping sheltered within. And he could see the dark tower that had come from nowhere to loom over them all. Ironhand didn't like it. He said as much. His companion, Neshkar, the Dark Arena's Black Orc, shrugged and turned his back on the tower deliberately. "Nothing we can do about it," he said. "And so long as it doesn't do anything to us, why should we? It just stands there looking gloomy. Well, fine. I don't mind." "The Black Tower at Valamantis destroyed a lot of ships." "I heard about that." The Black Orc shrugged again. "They attacked it." "So you think we should leave it alone? Ignore it?" "Yeah, why not?" Ironhand seemed to expand with the force of his annoyance. But he kept his voice level. "Because we're on an island, you blockhead. If the tower should choose to interrupt our shipping, we could starve here. Or get awfully tired of fish." Neshkar twitched his massive shoulders. "It still isn't our business, Ironhand. If something has to be done about it, let Lindharrow figure out what." "He isn't DOING anything, Nesh." The innkeeper shook the steel hook that had replaced his right hand after a bloody engagement between his ship and another ten years ago. "The damned fool isn't DOING anything!" He exhaled through clenched teeth, then turned and slammed open the door to the building's interior. "He's waiting for some gladiator to get a rush of stupidity to the brain and volunteer to 'save' the island from this arcane menace," he snarled over his shoulder. Neshkar followed him down the corkscrew stair. "Gladiators don't do that anymore," he said. "All the ones with delusions of heroism have died or gone away. The current crop is just..." he groped for words, "they're just focused on getting to the Isle, and they don't care about anything else. Why should they save Kaltos? They aren't going to be here." SPY REPORT So why do I have this bag over my head? Because I am The Unknown Spymaster and I'm going to give you a spy report!. Hey everybody, watch out for GOLDEN FURY, who flew up 19 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 HERMY COLLIN, who dropped 5 points after a disappointing (to say the least) bout with RUTHLESS JAYWALKER. Our battling duelmaster ECLIPSE has managed to hold the title, fending off FLINT HILLS' none too subtle advances. Better luck next time, BLUVALLEY WARRIORS. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but an onion a day keeps T.P.s at bay. But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle! Being a spy is great--other people die and you spend the rest of the day drinking to their memory. Better tanked than dead! Well, the arena is no place for slow learners (and hopefully T.P.s) and GOLDEN FURY demonstrated that very violently on DEBRA COLLIN's body. 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. Well, there goes another Spy Report. Good luck in next week's fights. Its been fun, and I'm sure you enjoyed it (boos). Now that I've got you worked up for Snide Clemens, I'll be leaving-- The Unknown Spymaster DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GOLDEN FURY 3887 7 0 2 119 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME VECORDIUS 3870 11 3 0 115 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) SOLARIS 3759 21 33 0 96 RUBY DRAGONS (336) FLINT HILLS 3796 18 38 0 92 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BREAK POINT 2741 15 11 0 84 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BECKER COLLIN 3850 12 10 1 57 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME LORI COLLIN 3888 5 0 0 50 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) -IRONWOLF 274 5 1 0 42 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME HERMY COLLIN 3878 5 4 1 27 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -UG 271 4 2 1 19 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) -KROKUS 272 4 2 0 19 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) -TARAMON 270 3 3 0 18 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) -WEASEL 273 4 2 0 15 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? DEBRA COLLIN 3816 19 25 0 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 GOLDEN FURY 3887 463 PERSONAL ADS Solaris -- You're probably just itching to see me leave this arena finally, so that you can have your crack at the throne. Well, this is your last shot to bring me down. Try hard, try very hard. -- Eclipse Flint Hills -- Have you seen my brother Plint around???? He was supposed to cheer me on during our match. Guess it doesn't matter anyway. -- Vecordius Debra -- I keep getting the whole Collins family mixed up. Nice match, though. I guess we will just have to get to know each other better, on the field that is. -- Golden Fury Well, I'm still taking resumes to fill that open fifth position, and soon to be fourth position as Eclipse goes on to the land of immortality. Any takers? -- Eclipse Vecordius -- I wish you wouldn't do that. It makes me look so useless. -- Flint Hills P.s. I mean, I AM useless, but I don't like it to show. Golden Fury -- Yes, well, I am like totally furious at YOU, too. That was my BEST pair of gloves! -- Debra Collin Ah, an Ambitious Guard. Makes you wonder. -- Becker Collin The Visiting Orc doesn't make me wonder, he just makes me bored. -- Lori Collin And the Fratsfan Noble is SUCH a stuck up pain in the you know what! -- Hermy Collin Lord Protector Eclipse of Cynical Delusions -- I hope you are sufficiently cynical and NOT deluded to realize that no lands will be forthcoming? If you want a grant from the Baron, you must do something FOR the Baron (and don't hold your breath). Becoming an Advanced Gladiator is merely of benefit to the Lady on the Isle. Let HER give you lands. -- Arvendon, Secretary to the Baron and feeling testy today LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS ECLIPSE devastated FLINT HILLS in a 1 minute mismatched fight. GOLDEN FURY slaughtered DEBRA COLLIN in a 1 minute brutal uneven Title battle. SOLARIS was savagely defeated by BREAK POINT in a unpopular 16 minute master's duel. VECORDIUS overpowered NOBLE ASSASSIN in a 1 minute mismatched match. BECKER COLLIN viciously subdued AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 2 minute gory duel. LORI COLLIN bested THE HONEST MERCHANT in a 2 minute bloody match. HERMY COLLIN was handily defeated by RUTHLESS JAYWALKER 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| |STRIKING ATTACK 3 SLASHING ATTACK 5 - 0 - 0 100 | |TOTAL PARRY 2 STRIKING ATTACK 24 - 6 - 2 80 | |PARRY-LUNGE 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 1 - 0 75 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 WALL OF STEEL 5 - 2 - 0 71 | |AIMED BLOW 1 PARRY-LUNGE 6 - 4 - 1 60 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 AIMED BLOW 5 - 4 - 1 56 | |BASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 6 - 0 40 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 BASHING ATTACK 7 - 12 - 0 37 | |LUNGING ATTACK 0 TOTAL PARRY 6 - 12 - 0 33 | |WALL OF STEEL 0 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 2 - 0 0 | Turn 463 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: PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 1 3 STRIKING ATTACK SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 2 TOTAL PARRY STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 2 BASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 PARRY-LUNGE BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME STRIKING ATTACK GOLDEN FURY 3887 7 0 2 119 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) TOTAL PARRY BREAK POINT 2741 15 11 0 84 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) PARRY-LUNGE BECKER COLLIN 3850 12 10 1 57 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) SLASHING ATTACK LORI COLLIN 3888 5 0 0 50 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is BECKER COLLIN 3850. The most popular warrior this turn was BECKER COLLIN 3850. The ten other most popular fighters were LORI COLLIN 3888, GOLDEN FURY 3887, VECORDIUS 3870, HERMY COLLIN 3878, FLINT HILLS 3796, DEBRA COLLIN 3816, SOLARIS 3759, BREAK POINT 2741, 0, and 0. The least popular fighter this week was BREAK POINT 2741. The other ten least popular fighters were SOLARIS 3759, DEBRA COLLIN 3816, FLINT HILLS 3796, HERMY COLLIN 3878, VECORDIUS 3870, GOLDEN FURY 3887, LORI COLLIN 3888, BECKER COLLIN 3850, 0, and 0. The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn: ECLIPSE (46-2740) CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) MAIL-IN TOURNEY XL ADM TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME FLINGLEBITS 2836 (52-18-0) 6 3 0 TUFT-TASTIC! TYNILEAUS SHADOWWOOD 2763 (49-33-1) 6 3 0 TUFT-TASTIC! APPRENTICES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME ANGELIC 3883 (0-2-0) 4 3 0 DEAD INQUISITION SL8 DEAD CHALLENGERS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME TRINKET 1939 (5-6-0) 4 3 0 RIVER WARDENS TROLL TUSK 1760 (18-10-0) 3 3 0 AZURE CLOUDS DEAD ADEPTS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME VILLI 3285 (0-0-0) 1 3 0 SPIT 'EM OUT