DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 02/12/2007 Duedate: 02/24/2007 ARDIVENT ARENA DM-46 TURN-494 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS MARY CATHERINE FANDILS (75) (46-3459) [15-5-3,119] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader MARY CATHERINE HAIRY BEAR FANDILS (75) THE BEARS II (355) (46-3459) [15-5-3,119] (46-3939) [4-2-0,54] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite MARY CATHERINE LOTHAR LIGHTSWORD FANDILS (75) TUFT-TASTIC! (265) (46-3459) [15-5-3,119] (46-3650) [7-5-0,73] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM FANDILS (75) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. FANDILS (75) 34 2. ERRATA (357) 22 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) 3. THE BEARS II (355) 20 Unchartered Team 4. BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 15 5. WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) 9 ERRATA (357) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 0*ERRATA (357) 2 0 0 100 1/ 3 FANDILS (75) 10 4 0 2- 2 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 269 151 17 64.0 2/ 4*THE BEARS II (355) 6 1 3 3/ 3 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) 107 69 2 60.8 3- 1 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 5 0 0 4/ 5*THE BEARS II (355) 15 10 3 60.0 4/ 5 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 5 10 0 5/ 4 FANDILS (75) 824 626 27 56.8 5/ 2 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) 4 3 0 6- 6 INFERNAL LORDS (8) 193 162 11 54.4 6/ 0*ERRATA (357) 2 0 0 7/ 7 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) 396 639 13 38.3 7/ 8*WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) 2 8 0 8/ 8*WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) 2 8 0 20.0 8- 7 INFERNAL LORDS (8) 1 2 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[ Cities by the Shore #11 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Point: Adie sat on a hilltop from which she could look out across Point...and Krael. It had been two days since she, Fandil, and Cho had escaped from the once-drowned city, the battle, the earthquake, the fire. At the moment, things were quiet. "The situation in Point is back under control," Fandil said. "Fires out, injured treated and resting...dead buried." "Back under control in Krael, too," Adie growled. "Yes." The old man paused and stared down at the ruined city. "But we could not have followed up before they re-established themselves. We had exhausted our resources as much as they had, and there was the fire and all the rest to deal with in Point." "I know." Adie frowned, fingers twisting a lock of her hair automatically. "I know we had to take care of Point first. I just wish..." she sighed. She shook herself. "The last the Aruaki slave-zombies that we recovered died this morning," she said. It was Fandil's turn to sigh. "I had hoped we might be able to...'fix' them, but I'm not surprised that we couldn't. The werecat template is complex, saturated in magic--which is why the Kraelians were using them--and too rigid to rebound or recover after such a major distortion." He paused, contemplating the essence of the Aruaki in silence for several minutes. "Those still free, mostly free, are at risk, also." Adie nodded. "I know. I've been thinking about them, about what we could do to protect them from-- It isn't just capture and, um, 'zombie-fication' that they have to fear. That blood-magic tap, the spells by which Khaldren manipulates the arena crowds to draw power as well as drawing from injuries and deaths in the arena, that will fall more heavily on the Aruaki than on normal humans, won't it?" "I'm not sure," Fandil answered, "but it seems likely, because of the degree to which they are magical creatures to begin with." Adie nodded and released the twisted tuft of fiery hair. "And while destroying Krael once and for all is important, that would still leave Khaldren alive. That... fiend! He would find other power sources, of which the Aruaki would be one, and maybe a major one. So stopping Khaldren, and shielding the Aruaki, is even more important than Krael." Fandil hesitated, weighing factors known, half-guessed-at, unknown. He nodded. "Yes, I think so." "Right." Adie stood, brushing dust and ash off her skirt. "So this is where we split up, I think. Someone to Aruak City to, well, to save the Aruaki! Me, I think. Someone to stay here and work on destroying Krael. Someone else to go to Zorpunt and tackle Khaldren directly?" Fandil stood, also, but shook his head. "Khaldren is strong, really strong. Don't forget that he's been building his strength for centuries, since the destruction of Krael. Since before the destruction, we don't know how old he was then! And he has power sources--the blood magic from the arena, perhaps others--that we won't tap--" "Cho will," Adie said. She frowned down at Point as though she could see the old Adantri from here. "He doesn't seem to care where he gets his power." "No," Fandil fell into step beside her as she started back down the hill, "I have known him longer than you have, and better, I think. He cares, but he is, perhaps...more pragmatic." The old magician made a vexed sound. "That isn't the right word, I don't know what is, exactly, but he is a very ethical man, I promise you." Adie responded with an ambiguous, "Mmm. Well, you think it would be a mistake for any one of us to tackle Khaldren alone, then?" She twitched a shoulder. "Well, I am going to Aruak City to see what can be done to protect the Aruaki. Are you going to come with me, or stay here and figure out how to destroy Krael, or what?" "I will go where and do what will serve our purposes the best," Fandil said. "Where and what that is I do not yet know. Perhaps Aruak City. But I don't see this tangle clear yet, so...I'm not sure." And he wanted to consult Cho, but he didn't think Adie wanted to hear that right now. The old arena building was serving as the headquarters and defensive citadel of Point these days. The Infirmary was busy, and there were tents pitched on the arena sands, huts cobbled together in the stands. Cho had pre-empted one of the smaller offices, and Old Doc Circ and Senator Sedalia had their double map of Krael spread out on the desk. "You see the pattern here," Circ said, tapping the map with one acid-stained finger. "The whole of the ancient city was designed to serve as a focus for power." "And is serving as such still," Cho agreed. And for other magical purposes as well, perhaps, though he didn't say that. Only speculation, at this point. "And these lines," Sedalia indicated the other set that wound across the power diagram, "represent the tunnels the dwarves used to access the different points when they helped with the construction. The dwarf we consulted claims that most of the tunnels should still be usable, giving US access to some of the power points in Krael." The senator fixed Cho with his most commanding stare. "We hope that the access granted by these tunnels will allow the destruction of Krael." "At the least," Old Doc Circ said, "the destruction of Krael's ability to focus power for Khaldren." "This is possible," Cho said, picking his words with care, "but it is also possible that a careless move in the dance will destroy the entire Point Peninsula. A node taken down out of sequence, a line cut without grounding, a misjudgment of the force needed and released...." He shrugged. "Will you help us do it?" Sedalia demanded. "Yes." "But there are other pressing problems," Circ said, "which can't be just ignored. The Aruaki could be completely destroyed as a race--" "I will undertake to defend the Aruaki," Adie said, stepping into the room. Cho glanced at her, then at Fandil behind her. He made a gesture so faint that perhaps Fandil was the only one who caught it. "I think I will be best employed assisting Adie," the old Ardiventi said. "And we had all best begin at once." DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. Wow! I made it! I never thought I would. Duelmistress! Recognition Leader! Popularity Leader! My, my. I am so excited and so surprised! I will do my best to be worthy of these titles. I will. But I must admit it will be hard because there are many here just as worthy as me. I wish I had some words of great wisdom to offer. Work hard. Work harder. In the words of our manager, Fandil The Wise.... Health. Humility. Honor. Mary Catherine SPY REPORT You elder fighters surely remember me. The younger ones may call me Olaf Modeen. I return to ARDIVENT once again! Woof! CYNICAL DELUSIONS were a bunch of dogs after FANDILS got through with 'em! 3rd ain't so sweet as 1st! What's with UP FROM THE SEA? She actually beat ARDIVENT's TRUSTWORTHY SCRIBE, and walked away with 15 more points from the fight. Major screwup at WOE TO WHITECHAPEL. BONE MILL lost 9 points to BANNIR PARK. Some new strategies, perhaps? Maybe BONE MILL will provide more easy wins... Try as she might, JHEZRA STEELBLADE wasn't good enough at persuading MARY CATHERINE to step down from the Duelmaster's throne... I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip about your fellow fighters? Tough! No matter the time or place, men will always duel. How well I know the feeling of being in the most avoided team! Don't fall out of practive, CYNICAL DELUSIONS! The bums at FANDILS couldn't face the challenges from CYNICAL DELUSIONS! No excuse for that! How well I know the feeling of being the most challenged warrior, DEBRA CONKLIN! Don't make idle boasts, they may come back to haunt you. There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit. Do you want the fighters to walk away, or not? Is it my imagination, or are fighters getting younger every day? To die so young, so gloriously! 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. Remember--a good fighter needs both good skills and good luck. Until next time,-- Olaf Modeen DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MARY CATHERINE 3459 15 5 3 119 FANDILS (75) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SPARROW-BLASTER 3900 12 6 3 124 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) DR STEINBURGER 3442 27 9 0 102 FANDILS (75) -GALOOT 3907 16 1 0 96 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -TEMPTATION 3314 9 5 0 89 INFERNAL LORDS (8) DAVY PRIVETTE 3447 18 7 0 81 FANDILS (75) JHEZRA STEELBLADE 3017 11 10 0 77 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) -TERRENCE WYCLIFF 3433 8 2 0 73 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) LOTHAR LIGHTSWORD 3650 7 5 0 73 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -ANNETTE TEVERLY 3651 8 3 1 65 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) -EUROQ 3901 8 5 0 61 INFERNAL LORDS (8) TUVOLD 3946 7 0 0 58 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -QUAR-RAL 3898 13 3 0 56 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) -EARL 3951 7 3 0 56 FANDILS (75) HAIRY BEAR 3939 4 2 0 54 THE BEARS II (355) -GLAVER 3915 9 7 0 53 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) JUANITA 3926 9 7 0 45 FANDILS (75) DEBRA CONKLIN 3890 7 24 0 45 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) -IRONWOLF 274 5 1 0 42 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) JACINTHE 3892 4 25 0 37 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -UNBEATABLE 3949 2 0 1 33 THE BEARS II (355) -BROQUS 3947 5 3 1 31 INFERNAL LORDS (8) -HAMMER 3962 4 1 2 29 CYNICAL DELUSIONS (218) 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) FUZZY 3967 2 0 1 19 THE BEARS II (355) -TARAMON 270 3 3 0 18 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) CADDO SCOT 3975 3 1 0 17 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) UP FROM THE SEA 3979 1 1 0 16 WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) -WEASEL 273 4 2 0 15 BARBARIAN HORDE (47) BANNIR PARK 3981 2 1 0 15 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (74) -GODZILLA 3969 1 0 1 12 THE BEARS II (355) ANCHORMAN 3971 1 0 0 11 ERRATA (357) BAXTER 3970 1 0 0 11 ERRATA (357) BONE MILL 3977 1 1 0 4 WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) FEAR VECTOR 3978 0 2 0 2 WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) PERCHED THING 3976 0 2 0 2 WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) WISP IN DARKNESS 3984 0 1 0 1 WOE TO WHITECHAPEL (358) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? KITTY PARKIN 3985 0 1 0 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 FUZZY 3967 494 THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? ZELLIT 3948 5 7 1 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 BROQUS 3947 493 PELLOZOEN 3961 1 5 0 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 HAMMER 3962 491 BUNGO PARK 3964 1 2 0 BLUVALLEY WARRIORS 74 HAMMER 3962 490 NOT REVE NEVER SLEEP 3980 0 1 0 WOE TO WHITECHAPE 358 GODZILLA 3969 493 PERSONAL ADS Well, nothing to much to say this turn, because my warriors decided to party it up the night before, and stay in bed during the Ardventian gladiator duels. I'm just wondering if I even submitted my roster. Maybe it's me that should stay away from the taverns. Now that I think of it I did see Fandil there, he was quite close to my boys' drinks, hmmmm, am I being paranoid? I will have to miss out the next round of fights, as well so good luck to all the warriors of Ardivent and see you soon again on the Red Sands. -- Eclipse DeGotti -- Well, pay more attention. You cannot allow a Spanish Senorita to belittle your time spent in Ardivent, Arena of the Red Sands. Get your priorities straight! -- Fandil The Wise Lothar -- That didn't count! -- Davey Privette Jhezra Steelblade -- Hey, a tuft! We are celebrating heavily at the Fandil Abode. -- Mary Catherine Azgud -- Wish you could have stayed around. I enjoyed that resultant. (Like pulling teeth!) -- Dr Steinburger Hairy Bear -- It was all that hair! Next time, tie it up in bows. -- Juanita Health. Humility. Honor -- Fandil The Wise Mary Catherine -- Congratulations! A clean victory over Jhezra. She wasn't happy about it, but she knows you were better suited to that match. Well done. -- Adie Congratulations to Azgud for reaching the isle. -- Adie DeGotti -- Condolences on the loss of Rhythm Wizard. Good luck with your new recruit. -- Adie Fandil -- Looks like a couple of our gladiators traded tufts last round. -- Adie Davy Privette -- I'm still working on finding that perfect weapon.... -- Lothar Debra Conklin -- Wow, I sure had to work for that one. It's going to get rough up here in the higher ranks, and me so inexperienced! -- Tuvold Mary Catherine -- Yeah yeah, congrats. That outcome was expected, so please don't brag. -- Jhezra Jacinthe -- I'm getting better at this gladiator thing. Maybe you and I could practice together? -- Annette All -- I am sorry to miss this turn but it seems my replacement warriors got lost on the way to Ardivent. -- DeGotti Dr S. -- Thanks for making my last fight a loss. What a send off. -- Azgud All -- It looks like I have two very solid warriors coming in here. Try not to kill them. It's taken a very long time to get something here that was worth running. -- DeGotti Tuvold -- You are, like, just a kid, you know? And that record isn't good for you. Losses are important. They build character. Everyone tells me that, so it must be true. -- Debra Conklin P.S. Because people wouldn't LIE to me, would they? Broqus -- You know, I could have gone DAYS without this happening and been PERFECTLY HAPPY. You're a very nasty golem. -- Ghost of Zellit Annette Teverly -- That's an elf, all right. Waltz in, cut up a decent human who never did you any harm, kiss your hand to the crowds, who naturally went wild over you, and zip away. You elves just make me SOOO mad. -- Jacinthe Up From the Sea -- Ah...lovely, just lovely. Venus on the half-shell. Quite the prettiest little thing to come my way in a month of month-days or, um, something like that. Allow me to escort you to some secure and comfortable hostelry and ply you with choice viands, and some good food as well. Not to mention a libation or two. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about. -- Caddo Scot Fuzzy -- (sneezing several times) Allergies. All by life. Blanket fuzz, you doe. -- Bannir Park Quar-Ral -- Of course not. Men who, you know, drink lots are just no fun! Dinner, now, that could be more interesting. I've heard of this place that does great spaghetti, if you happen to like it? It's Valamantin style, and that's always the best. -- Debra Conklin Eclipse -- Generally not experimental, but this is a house team. I run everything and issue maybe two challenges a year at most. -- Leeta, not offended Eclipse -- Re Hammer, yes, there's unfortunately a lot of that going around! -- Leeta Mary Catherine and Earl -- Yes, a fine product of our Day Shop. Come by for further examples of our fine product, quite reasonably priced. -- M. Kingfisher Chardinee and Joe Pie, Happy Pheasant 24 January 2007 The Council of Lords would like to propose a rule change in ADM and Primus. We propose that Lord Protectors ranked "Grand Champions" and below (ADM) and "The Tower Guard" and below (Primus) be allowed to fight in the Dark Arena. This would not impact the top rankings or title match. Any managers who never got his fill or shot at fighting Gateway monsters would have it as an option. We believe it might spark some interest in the ADM/Primus realm for some managers. If interested, speak up in the newsletters or on forums under the "rules changes" thread and let RSI know. This could even be something to try for 12 months and then be re-evaluated. What say you, managers of Ghea? -- The Icelord sends.... 29 January 2007 HDFA Mission Statement "Show me the money!" This is the battle cry of a newly formed collection of like-minded individuals: The High Dolla' Free Agent$. We are not a tough guy alliance: No...we offer no battle without reward. We search for victory and the prizes and accolades that follow. We are motivated by winning and will freely use whatever means necessary to obtain our currency. No stuffy rules, no mandates, no constitutions, no leaders, only a few objectives: 1) Win as often as possible 2) Celebrate freely and revel in your victories; the more meaningless the victory the more we celebrate. Highsiding and chest thumping are encouraged. Ostentatious endzone celebrations with prop usage are encouraged, regardless of fines, penalties, suspensions or arrest by local authorities. It is important to let your opponent know how great you are; more importantly, you must let your own alliance mates know how great you are. This is a 1-up alliance, let the performance of your fellow Free Agent$ motivate you. If a Free Agent wins a TV, win 2; if a Free agent wins a contest, win a more prestigious one. Current members of the HDFA include: CFH and Abraxis. Inquires can be directed to: CFH/Rat Salad DM 47 LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS DAVY PRIVETTE slimly won victory over LOTHAR LIGHTSWORD in a 3 minute Challenge fight. HAIRY BEAR devastated DEBRA CONKLIN in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel. FEAR VECTOR was overcome by CADDO SCOT in a 5 minute novice's Challenge match. MARY CATHERINE vanquished JHEZRA STEELBLADE in a 1 minute mismatched Title brawl. DR STEINBURGER outlasted NOBLE ASSASSIN in a unpopular 14 minute one-sided fight. TUVOLD won victory over THE HONEST MERCHANT in a 1 minute fight. JACINTHE was devastated by JUANITA in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched match. FUZZY assassinated KITTY PARKIN in a 1 minute gruesome uneven melee. UP FROM THE SEA won victory over TRUSTWORTHY SCRIBE in a 3 minute novice's duel. PERCHED THING was vanquished by BAXTER in a 1 minute one-sided duel. BONE MILL was luckily beaten by BANNIR PARK in a 3 minute beginner's match. ANCHORMAN overpowered WISP IN DARKNESS in a 1 minute one-sided fight. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |BASHING ATTACK 4 STRIKING ATTACK 19 - 6 - 2 76 | |WALL OF STEEL 4 TOTAL PARRY 27 - 9 - 1 75 | |TOTAL PARRY 3 LUNGING ATTACK 12 - 7 - 0 63 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 BASHING ATTACK 18 - 11 - 3 62 | |STRIKING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 14 - 9 - 2 61 | |SLASHING ATTACK 2 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 5 - 0 38 | |AIMED BLOW 2 AIMED BLOW 5 - 11 - 1 31 | |LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-LUNGE 4 - 9 - 0 31 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 18 - 0 25 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 12 - 0 14 | Turn 494 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 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 2 2 BASHING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 0 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 3 2 TOTAL PARRY TOTAL PARRY 3 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 2 LUNGING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 3 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 1 SLASHING ATTACK 1 AIMED BLOW 1 STRIKING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME BASHING ATTACK MARY CATHERINE 3459 15 5 3 119 FANDILS (75) TOTAL PARRY DR STEINBURGER 3442 27 9 0 102 FANDILS (75) WALL OF STEEL DAVY PRIVETTE 3447 18 7 0 81 FANDILS (75) AIMED BLOW JHEZRA STEELBLADE 3017 11 10 0 77 TUFT-TASTIC! (265) LUNGING ATTACK HAIRY BEAR 3939 4 2 0 54 THE BEARS II (355) SLASHING ATTACK JUANITA 3926 9 7 0 45 FANDILS (75) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is MARY CATHERINE 3459. The most popular warrior this turn was LOTHAR LIGHTSWORD 3650. The ten other most popular fighters were JUANITA 3926, TUVOLD 3946, BONE MILL 3977, ANCHORMAN 3971, DAVY PRIVETTE 3447, HAIRY BEAR 3939, MARY CATHERINE 3459, FUZZY 3967, UP FROM THE SEA 3979, and BAXTER 3970. The least popular fighter this week was DR STEINBURGER 3442. The other ten least popular fighters were WISP IN DARKNESS 3984, PERCHED THING 3976, KITTY PARKIN 3985, JACINTHE 3892, JHEZRA STEELBLADE 3017, CADDO SCOT 3975, FEAR VECTOR 3978, DEBRA CONKLIN 3890, BANNIR PARK 3981, and BAXTER 3970.