DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 01/15/2007    Duedate: 01/27/2007

ARDIVENT ARENA

DM-46    TURN-492

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

SPARROW-BLASTER
CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
(46-3900) [12-6-3,124]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

SPARROW-BLASTER                POSITION IS EMPTY
CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)        
(46-3900) [12-6-3,124]         

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

AZGUD                          AZGUD
INFERNAL LORDS (8)             INFERNAL LORDS (8)
(46-3253) [16-16-0,92]         (46-3253) [16-16-0,92]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)     59
2. BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)     14      CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
3. ALAN'S BOZLEEYOTCHS (318)    0      Unchartered Team
4. THE BEARS II (355)           0
5. TUFT-TASTIC! (265)           0      THE PRANCING PONY (334)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1- 1*WAKE 2 (356)               4   0  0  100   1/ 1 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)  10  5 2
 2/ 2 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)  269 151 17 64.0   2/ 6 FANDILS (75)              7  5 0
 3- 3 TUFT-TASTIC! (265)       103  66  2 60.9   3- 4 TUFT-TASTIC! (265)        4  0 0
 4/ 4 FANDILS (75)             817 624 27 56.7   4- 2*THE BEARS II (355)        4  2 0
 5/ 5 INFERNAL LORDS (8)       192 161 10 54.4   5/ 8 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)   3 12 0
 6- 6*THE BEARS II (355)         9   9  0 50.0   6- 3 ALAN'S BOZLEEYOTCH (318)  2  0 0
 7- 7 ALAN'S BOZLEEYOTCH (318)  11  15  0 42.3   7- 7*WAKE 2 (356)              2  0 0
 8/ 8 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)  393 632 13 38.3   8/ 5 INFERNAL LORDS (8)        1  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[ Cities by the Shore #9 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Point:

     The battle was chaotic.
     Eclipse had no awareness of, no time to even wonder about, the course of the
struggle as a whole.  He ended up teamed with the old Adantri, Cho.  The gladiator
hadn't expected...what he got.  Cho was old, and he was some kind of magician.  But
apparently there was a factual basis in the tales of all Adantri learning to use a
sword as soon as they could lift one.
     The pair of them quickly developed a rhythm:  a sweep of the shadow-shield
brought down, temporarily, the mindless horde in front of them.  The both men stepped
forward to disable as many as they could.  Back behind...Eclipse didn't know what,
exactly, Cho was doing, but there was a shield of some kind that gave him time to
prepare for another shadow sweep.
     The shadow business was turning out to be more tiring than Eclipse had expected.
He'd thought at first it was the shield, but he had to put some of his own energy
into it somehow.  He was trying to focus his attention and strength as he did in an
arena fight, but...dammit, there must be a better way!  If, when, they got out of
this alive, he was going to sit down with someone, some magician, who could give him
a few pointers in using this Ace of Shadows stuff.  Unless it all went away.  That
might be a good thing, in the long run.  Just so it didn't go away in the next half
hour!
     It was exhausting.  His shield arm was as tired as his sword arm.  Fights
weren't supposed to go on this long.  He knew how to conserve his endurance in a
duel, but then, the other guy had the same problem.  Here, when one opponent went
down, another stepped forward fresh and ready to go.  He tripped over a body,
staggered, and collided with Cho.
     It was like being hit by lightning.  Eclipse was sure that his hair stood on end
and his eyes popped out on stalks.  Well, maybe not the eyes, although they hurt as
though they'd popped out and snapped back.  Several times.  The shadow-shield was
suddenly a lead weight dragging at his arm.  The shadow it cast was heavier, too,
somehow; it fell on the zombies in front of them like, well, a pillar of lead
toppling.

     Fandil lost track of his companions.  Adie, he knew, was behind him somewhere,
keeping the Pointers aimed at their common enemies from Krael rather than herself,
himself, Cho, and the gladiator Eclipse.  Cho and Eclipse were off to his left, on
the other side of the river of zombies.  Too strong a river to dam with the meager
power currently available from Ghea's depleted Arcanum.  All they could do was hope
so that it could be turned aside or its force blunted before the entire town of Point
was swept away.  Where had all these zombies come from?
     Some, at least half, he could see were Aruaki who had been stripped of their
ability to shape-change, frozen into a half-changed state that made them
formidable...beasts.  Human intelligence had mostly gone with the ability to change.
He could not tell if they might ever be restored to normal.  It seemed wrong to kill
them as the dangerous beasts they now were, but the situation was kill-or-die.  At
least until he could reach the foul sorcerers behind them, who had twisted them,
controlled them and drove them forward.  There were people who deserved to die!
     He shouted spells in a voice of thunder, making them up as he went along,
anything to wring a shred of effect from the power at hand.  Heedless of the cost, he
would be useless for a week, at best, but that was better than being dead.
     A presence at his shoulder, supporting him.  A flood of honey-colored light.
"Fandil!  I don't know what to DO with this!  Can you use it?"
     He dared not risk the time now to look at Lady Protector Stepharoo, vanished
into an amber prison so long ago, but the power she was offering... "Yes!"

     Adie balanced on the low wall, her attention riveted on the action down-slope,
between Point and Krael.  She had gotten the people of Point headed in the right
direction, with the help of Senator Sedalia from Iaye.  But now--  She winced.  The
Pointers were cutting into the vanguard of the Kraelian slaves, but they were taking
losses.
     "This was inevitable, lady," Sedalia murmured beside her.  "As you know."
     "I know," Adie admitted.  "I don't like it."  She reached for the winter
sunlight, gathering it into ball of power, grimaced as she gauged distances and
resistances.  "As matters stand," she said, "I'd do well to reach the first of the
Kraelian sorcerers, and they've got shields up.  I'd end by hitting our own forces.
But there must be something I could...."  She studied the scene, gaze ranging to
either side of the battle.
     There!  To the west, creeping under the bluff that had been Point Headland,
movement where none should be.  And no shields that she could sense.  They were
probably leaving off the shields in order to remain unseen.
     Ha!
     But she'd only get one chance to strike them, and then they WOULD put up
shields.  Have to make it count, then.  She weighed the force vectors one more time
and launched her bolt.

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

So I finally have made it to the top!!  Azgud, thank you for the chance to prove
myself.  Now for the biggest challenge yet to come, keeping the throne.  Da Dr has
been a hindrance to me during my climb up here, I'm hoping to devastate him, time and
time again.  Well, going to do some push-ups, and sit-ups for my up and coming match.
-- Sparrow-Blaster

                                      SPY REPORT

     Welcome ARDIVENT.  I, Olaf Modeen remember this place well.  Many the fights 
have I fought here.  The celebrations, the disappointments...  Ya gotta be quick on 
yer feet!  Keep your elbow off the table!  Thrust!  Block out the pain!  FANDILS is 
now ranked 2nd with a 3-2-0 turn.  What's with GLAVER?  He actually beat FANDILS' 
JUANITA, and walked away with 22 more points from the fight.  Laughs were big at 
CYNICAL DELUSIONS while they watched GLAVER clobber JUANITA.  She lost 19 points and 
got bruised from objects thrown from the stands.  FANDILS' hatred of CYNICAL 
DELUSIONS surfaced again as DR STEINBURGER challenged ARDIVENT's top dog.  DR 
STEINBURGER was reminded on the sands why SPARROW-BLASTER is Duelmaster.  Wouldn't it 
be nice to have live subjects to practice on?  I hear some team is looking into the 
uses of convicted prisoners.   
     If at first you don't succeed, avoid.  That'll get you in the Spyreports.  
ARDIVENT thinks CYNICAL DELUSIONS and their 269-151-17 is too much!  If at first you 
don't succeed, give up...  In my day, no team with a 264-151-17 would scare me off!  
What's the problem, FANDILS?  How well I know the feeling of being the most 
challenged warrior, AZGUD!  Don't make idle boasts, they may come back to haunt you.  
     A fighter's lot is filled with strife, revenge, and killing.  Some fighters 
don't accept this.  The best do.  How long have I been here?  I got people to see, 
places to go...   
     Who knows what the future holds for a warrior.  More fights, there's no doubt.  
Are you as tired of reading this as I am of writing it?  Actually, I guess I'm 
writing it before you read it.  Oh, well.  I don't want to overstay my welcome...-- 
Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SPARROW-BLASTER 3900         12   6  3   124       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MARY CATHERINE 3459          13   5  3   107       FANDILS (75)
 DR STEINBURGER 3442          25   9  0    97       FANDILS (75)
 GALOOT 3907                  16   1  0    96       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
 AZGUD 3253                   16  16  0    92       INFERNAL LORDS (8)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-TEMPTATION 3314               9   5  0    89       INFERNAL LORDS (8)
-JHEZRA STEELBLADE 3017       11   8  0    81       TUFT-TASTIC! (265)
-TERRENCE WYCLIFF 3433         8   2  0    73       TUFT-TASTIC! (265)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-SHTEFFI GRAAF 3388            8   4  0    73       ALAN'S BOZLEEYOTCHS (318)
 DAVY PRIVETTE 3447           17   6  0    67       FANDILS (75)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-LOTHAR LIGHTSWORD 3650        6   4  0    64       TUFT-TASTIC! (265)
-EUROQ 3901                    8   5  0    61       INFERNAL LORDS (8)
-ANNETTE TEVERLY 3651          7   3  1    61       TUFT-TASTIC! (265)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 QUAR-RAL 3898                13   3  0    56       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
 GLAVER 3915                   9   7  0    53       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
 DEBRA CONKLIN 3890            7  22  0    48       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
 EARL 3951                     6   3  0    48       FANDILS (75)
-TUVOLD 3946                   5   0  0    48       TUFT-TASTIC! (265)
-GEIN 3958                     4   0  0    46       WAKE 2 (356)
-IRONWOLF 274                  5   1  0    42       BARBARIAN HORDE (47)
-HAIRY BEAR 3939               2   2  0    36       THE BEARS II (355)
-SERENA WILLIAMS 3963          2   1  0    36       ALAN'S BOZLEEYOTCHS (318)
 JACINTHE 3892                 4  23  0    35       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-BEN 3952                      3   0  0    32       THE BEARS II (355)
 JUANITA 3926                  8   6  0    31       FANDILS (75)
 HAMMER 3962                   4   1  2    29       CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ZELLIT 3948                   5   6  1    22       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
-KIM CLIJSTERS 3965            1   0  0    22       ALAN'S BOZLEEYOTCHS (318)
-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)
-BROQUS 3947                   4   3  0    15       INFERNAL LORDS (8)
-WEASEL 273                    4   2  0    15       BARBARIAN HORDE (47)
 CADDO SCOT 3975               1   1  0    13       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)
-UNBEATABLE 3949               1   0  0     9       THE BEARS II (355)
 BANNIR PARK 3981              1   0  0     8       BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
PELLOZOEN 3961         1  5 0 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 HAMMER 3962           491         
BUNGO PARK 3964        1  2 0 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 HAMMER 3962           490         

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Galoot -- You were a hoot!  Not. -- Davy Privette

Debra -- That hurt.  Be nice to me. -- Earl

Good luck to all at the Face. -- Fandil The Wise

Gein -- Ya ya, I'm in a slump and suffering from old injuries.  Not much I can do
about that, except fight in the initiates or something. -- Glaver

Azgud -- As I have said thanks for the chance to claim the throne, looking forward to
the rematch. -- SB

Davy Privette -- We've done this before, haven't we.  Frustrating TP's. -- Galoot

Jhezra -- I was dreading that match; you just know where to put that dagger, don't
you. -- Quar-Ral

Pellozoen -- Think of it this way, now you know the dark arena would have been a good
spot to start off. -- Hammer

Bluevalley -- You're so hating me now, aren't you!  I don't know what it is but your
warriors keep falling down around me.  I'm just hoping that we can still be friends,
maybe a prodigy is right around the corner. -- Eclipse

Earl -- You're a good boy, and of COURSE I would have given you mercy if you asked
for it.  What kind of person do you think I AM, anyway? -- Debra Conklin
P.S.  Denying mercy, the very idea!  Totally hordemox.

Tuvold -- Hmm, I didn't realize how much those tufts would TICKLE in the clinches.
Note to self: avoid clinches with tufty people. -- Jacinthe
P.S.  Don't you wish they'd get OVER the idea of gladiators not liking hospitals?  We
haven't liked hospitals for YEARS, and every time, the reporters are surprised.

Ben -- Darn bear.  My momma always told me, don't mix it up with a bear.  And for
once, my poppa agreed with her.  And then what do I do?  Match against a bear.  It's
just a total hole in the ground. -- Zellit

Hammer -- So, you weren't a delusion after all.  Okay, I'm rated Very Cool, so I can
handle this.  I can be calm, I can manage that maddening little smile.  I can do
it...CURSE YOU!  Drop dead. -- Ghost of Pellozoen

Unbeatable -- That's a name that's just ASKING for a come-uppance.  Unfortunately,
I'm not the gladiator to give it to you.  Ouch. -- Caddo Scot
P.S.  My brother warned me it would be like this.  I didn't exactly disbelieve him, I
mean, he knew, right?  But I didn't FEEL what he meant.

You know, we need someone besides the Bluvalley Warriors in the Dead listings.  Or
else NO ONE there. -- Leeta, grumbling a little at the need to find yet another
recruit

Eclipse -- I think you'll have to change that description to "Hammer is young,
careless, and deadly"! -- Leeta
P.S.  Deaths happen in the arena.  We live with it, or, as the case may be, not.

Huh!  I heard that!  What if I don't WANT to live with it? -- Ghost of Bungo Park

18 December 2006
Let it be known that Buddy Lee is no longer a member of The Company of Brothers,
T.C.B.  I have resigned as of 10-23-06.  Thank you.

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

DR STEINBURGER was viciously subdued by SPARROW-BLASTER in a 2 minute Challenge fight.
GALOOT outwaited AZGUD in a popular 10 minute gruesome Challenge match.
QUAR-RAL outwaited DEBRA CONKLIN in a slow 8 minute Challenge contest.
MARY CATHERINE overpowered M. CHARDINEE in a 1 minute bloody mismatched match.
DAVY PRIVETTE vanquished JACINTHE in a 2 minute mismatched fight.
JUANITA was overpowered by GLAVER in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
EARL defeated HAPPY PEASANT in a action packed 1 minute melee.
HAMMER won victory over ZELLIT in a 1 minute beginner vs. veteran upset duel.
CADDO SCOT vanquished SHIFTYEYED VOLUNTEER in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
BANNIR PARK beat FRIENDLY CONSTABLE in a 3 minute novice's melee.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|TOTAL PARRY                      5         TOTAL PARRY       29 -   9 -  0      76  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  2         STRIKING ATTACK   19 -   8 -  2      70  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   2         SLASHING ATTACK   15 -   9 -  1      63  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  2         BASHING ATTACK    17 -  14 -  1      55  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         AIMED BLOW         8 -   8 -  1      50  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         LUNGING ATTACK    12 -  13 -  0      48  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         PARRY-STRIKE       3 -   6 -  0      33  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         PARRY-LUNGE        5 -  10 -  0      33  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     0         WALL OF STEEL      4 -  18 -  0      18  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   0         PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -   9 -  0      10  |

Turn 492 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:

STRIKING ATTACK    2 -  0     AIMED BLOW         0 -  1         3  TOTAL PARRY    
BASHING ATTACK     2 -  0     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  1         2  BASHING ATTACK 
TOTAL PARRY        4 -  1     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  0         2  WALL OF STEEL  
SLASHING ATTACK    1 -  1     PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  1         1  SLASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL      1 -  1     LUNGING ATTACK     0 -  0         1  PARRY-LUNGE    
                                                                1  LUNGING ATTACK 
                                                                1  AIMED BLOW     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
SLASHING ATTACK  SPARROW-BLASTER 3900       12   6  3  124 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218)
BASHING ATTACK   MARY CATHERINE 3459        13   5  3  107 FANDILS (75)
TOTAL PARRY      DR STEINBURGER 3442        25   9  0   97 FANDILS (75)
WALL OF STEEL    DAVY PRIVETTE 3447         17   6  0   67 FANDILS (75)
STRIKING ATTACK  EARL 3951                   6   3  0   48 FANDILS (75)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is AZGUD 3253.  The most popular warrior this turn was 
AZGUD 3253.  The ten other most popular fighters were SPARROW-BLASTER 3900, EARL 
3951, HAMMER 3962, MARY CATHERINE 3459, DR STEINBURGER 3442, DAVY PRIVETTE 3447, 
GLAVER 3915, CADDO SCOT 3975, JUANITA 3926, and ZELLIT 3948.

The least popular fighter this week was DEBRA CONKLIN 3890.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were QUAR-RAL 3898, GALOOT 3907, JACINTHE 3892, BANNIR PARK 3981, 
ZELLIT 3948, JUANITA 3926, CADDO SCOT 3975, GLAVER 3915, DAVY PRIVETTE 3447, and DR 
STEINBURGER 3442.

The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:

AZGUD (46-3253) INFERNAL LORDS (8)