DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER
Date : 02/13/2004 Duedate: 03/11/2004
TROCAR ARENA
DM-54 TURN-179
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
MERGEN
THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
(54-1899) [14-12-1,98]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
MERGEN SOUR GRAPES
THE BLACK COMPANY (185) CLICHES (287)
(54-1899) [14-12-1,98] (54-2688) [4-0-0,44]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
CERISA LOCUST
TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) PLAGUES (273)
(54-2414) [19-28-1,86] (54-2594) [3-9-0,32]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
(-1)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. DREIHDENWALD (279) 35
2. PLAGUES (273) 22 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
3. TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) 22 Unchartered Team
4. INDULGENT DRINKS (256) 8
5. CLICHES (287) 7 CHAOS INC. (289)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0*CHAOS INC. (289) 1 0 0 100 1/ 2 PLAGUES (273) 9 6 0
2/ 1*CLICHES (287) 9 4 0 69.2 2/ 4 DREIHDENWALD (279) 9 6 0
3- 2 USELESS TOOLS (219) 153 74 3 67.4 3/ 3 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) 7 8 0
4/ 3 INDULGENT DRINKS (256) 77 45 4 63.1 4- 1 USELESS TOOLS (219) 6 1 0
5/ 4 DREIHDENWALD (279) 32 22 0 59.3 5- 6 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276) 6 4 0
6- 6 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276) 30 25 0 54.5 6/ 5*CLICHES (287) 6 4 0
7/ 7 THE WHITE COMPANY (201) 78 73 6 51.7 7/ 8 THE WHITE COMPANY (201) 4 10 1
8/ 8 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) 119 115 6 50.9 8/ 7 THE BLACK COMPANY (185) 4 11 0
9- 9 RUNNING AMOK (238) 62 62 7 50.0 9/ 0*CHAOS INC. (289) 1 0 0
10/10 PLAGUES (273) 28 32 0 46.7 10/11 INDULGENT DRINKS (256) 1 1 0
11/11 THE BLACK COMPANY (185) 82 105 2 43.9 11- 9 RUNNING AMOK (238) 0 2 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[ Out of the Past #2 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
Zorpunt:
If anyone was aware of a difference in the air of the city, or in the texture of
life and death in the arena, they did not mention it. Of course, with a stranger
holding a wizard's staff and guarded by...some kind of monsters sitting in the
arenamaster's box, who was going to mention things, even if they DID notice?
And who, dying messily in the Dark Arena, would mention strange lights and
unexplained whistling noises? If Arenamaster Kai saw fit to lay down pentagrams and
other designs of colored sand on the arena floor before each fight...well, he WAS the
arenamaster. No doubt he knew what he was doing.
It was known that a few managers intended to protest that they had not ordered
the actual, literal death of their warriors, but only formal dismissal from the
gladiatorial system. But when they came back from the arenamaster's office, they
looked pale and shaken, and they had nothing to tell anyone about the situation. And
one or two of them didn't come back at all.
*** ***** *** ***** ***
"There IS something going on," Penok muttered to Jessie June as they waited in
the ready area for their fight to be called. "Something bad. I can feel it in my
bones. I don't care what the Rau says." She jerked her head sideways slightly,
indicating Tijiss Rau, the arena steward waiting in the archway just ahead of them.
"You know Rau," Jessie June muttered back. "'All for the best in the best of
all possible worlds', that's Rau. He wouldn't know 'something bad' if he ate it for
dinner and got sick right after." She eyed the crystals set into the wall of the
arena. About a third of them were black, the rest were blood red. They reminded her
of the eyes of spiders. "If those are purely ornamental, I'll eat 'em."
"Magic," Cane Toad said flatly, coming up behind the two women. "Blood magic.
You can smell it in the air. At least, I can. There's a lot of it down south where
I come from, and I'd know that smell anywhere."
"I thought all magic was screwed up because of the Chaos and the Arcanum and
all!" Penok protested.
The poisonous Toad shook his head firmly. "Not blood magic. You spill enough
blood, nothing else matters."
"And there's always a lot of blood spilled in the arena," Jessie June whispered,
horrified at the possibilities.
"And the arena's been bloodier since those crystals went up," Cane Toad said.
"There's something bad going down here."
Valamantis:
Hallie O'Dene went overland from Andoria to the Delarquan Federation. It might
have been faster to sail--if she could have found a ship going where she needed to
go, or hired one. But she found herself distrusting the Trier. The mage Khaldren
had come out of the Trier, after all. He might have some power over it. And he was
bound to notice that she and Raoul hadn't come back from the errand he'd commanded.
But these were all logical reasons that she had arrived at to explain her decision to
herself. In fact, she simply hadn't trusted the Trier at an instinctive level. She
made her way on foot along the coast to Gelafan, then hired horses as needed for a
fast ride south. Well...fast! She might have laughed if she hadn't been so worried.
Six days to Valamantis. What horrors might the mad wizard have accomplished in six
days?
Her plan was to take a riverboat up the Feyranse past Mordant to Sibikhas, and
then go by horse again to Delarq Tor.
But there were towers behind Valamantis, where no towers had been for hundreds
of years. They had none of the dream-like unreality of the vision towers that
Khaldren had raised over Zorpunt, and that was alarming. Valamantis was much older
than Zorpunt. There had once BEEN towers--it was called Old Valamantis now, and it
was in ruins except for the arena where the Bloodgames were held. On that thought,
Hallie froze briefly, horrified by the realization that there had been Bloodgames
recently, lakes of blood spilled on that ancient soil. What might Khaldren have
conjured out of that? She didn't think she wanted to know.
Aruak City:
The return of a wizard from drowned Krael was news that should reach Andor as
quickly as possible. It took Raoul two days to reach Aruak City from Zorpunt, longer
than he would have liked, but faster than he had feared. The Aruaki countryside had
suffered badly during the civil war and from the Chaos contamination just before
that. People were getting it back into shape now, but there were no horses to be
rented or bought. Or stolen, come to that. Walking was faster than riding a plow
horse would've been, even if he could've gotten hold of one of the plowhorses.
But he was damned glad to see the towers (most of the towers, some were nothing
but stumps) of Aruak city ahead. He compared their slightly battered appearance with
the towers of Khaldren's Zorpunt and found this much better. This was REAL. Maybe
not perfect, maybe not as beautiful as a dream, but real. He'd take this over the
perfect illusion any day.
His first goal in the city was the Bulldog Inn. He needed news, he needed to
contact his manager, and he wanted to alert Adie, the manager of the Tuft Tuggers, to
the danger. Adie was a magician of some kind--he'd never bothered with the details--
and she could be an important part of the opposition to the Kraelian. EARLY
opposition, too, before the man got entrenched in Zorpunt. That might make a
difference.
The Inn was jammed. Odd, that. Aruak City had always had a vigorous dueling
community, but...this many gladiators? He could barely SEE across the common room,
much less move quickly. But there was a table of managers in an alcove at the back.
He'd find news there, if he could reach it.
The Lord Protector took a last look at the crowd, shook his head, and plunged in
under the elbow of a Shew. The man was too tall for most managers, but there were
always one or two who would give a large gladiator a chance. From the looks of the
scars, this man had been at it a while, but he was nobody Raoul recognized. Well,
he'd been away for a long time. Quite a long time, actually.
"Raoul!"
He paused and looked toward the woman whose hand was on his sleeve. Hair like a
sunrise and wide violet eyes. "Lady Adeolar! You're one of the people I wanted to
find. There--"
"Not here in the middle of the floor, Raoul." She drew him to one side and
through an inconspicuous door. "Jhordeal will be glad to know you are well, but
that's not what you came for, is it?"
"Glad to know I'm...?" When had he been in Aruak City last? Mantor, it was
years ago! Before the civil war, and he had died.... He took off his hat, looked at
the rounded, dusty crown, ran a hand over his head, and put the hat back on. No time
to go into that now. "No, doll, that's not why I came this way. There's magical
trouble. Serious magical trouble, I think."
"You came from Zorpunt?" She twisted a lock of hair between nervous fingers.
"I have felt something happening there--something dark--"
He nodded briefly. "I saw it start, and it's going to be damned dark," he
muttered. Quickly, he sketched in what he and Hallie had learned of the wizard
Khaldren and his intentions. "I don't know how he's doing that much magic," he
finished, "because everyone says the Arcanum is in decline and spells aren't working,
but--"
"He's using blood magic." The woman's beautiful face hardened. "It is the
oldest magic and the most primitive. Almost always used for darkness and
destruction," she muttered, frowning, "even though it doesn't have to be.... It's
the least dependent on the Arcanum, unfortunately, the easiest to pervert, and the
hardest to control once it gets started." She frowned, twisting the lock of hair
harder. "In the hands of a powerful wizard with no scruples...."
"That's what me and Hallie figured," Raoul said, nodding. "I'm headed for
Andor--the king has to be warned. And Hallie's taking the warning to Delarq Tor."
"Yes, of course. Definitely the right thing to do. But you need to see your
manager before you leave town, Raoul. He's been worried about you." She patted his
arm absently, still frowning. "I will gather as much information about this wizard
and his spells as I can.... I wish Shania were here, she is so good at that. Well,
I must work with what I have." She patted his arm one last time and opened the door
to the inn's main room. "Off with you, and tell the other managers that...tell them
I have things to do, and I'll add to your news later."
+ ]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.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===DELARQUAN REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 1 MORDANT (turn 490): FACELESS of THE BLACK COMPANY (Darkfist, mgr.)
DM 2 NIANIA (turn 376): TOOFLESS of GLORY BOUND TROLLS (DeGotti, mgr.)
DM 3 OSKSI (turn 495): WHIP SCORPION of SIMPLY DESSERTS (Sweet Tooth, mgr.)
DM 4 JHELUM (turn 491): MARCH MADNESS of SPORTZ! (Guardian, mgr.)
DM 5 KALTOS (turn 490): DERBIE FOYLE of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Nick, mgr.)
DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 494): MEDUSA of BATTLE BEASTS (Sensei Jan, mgr.)
DM 7 BONSUR (turn 491): DIGGER WASP of FLAGG'S CHAMPIONS (Flagg, mgr.)
DM 10 KOLACT (turn 486): BLING BLING of TERRAPIN STATION (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 478): WONDER BRA of THE GUARDIANS II (Guardian, mgr.)
DM 21 SUNSET (turn 476): GLIMMOR of GRIM FANDANGO (Stik, mgr.)
DM 36 JHANS (turn 450): TARGEN of IRON TIGERS (Jinx, mgr.)
DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 441): NUTCRACKER of ALL FINESSE (Mannequin, mgr.)
DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 192): TAMMY FAYE of WITLESS WONDERS (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 42 RODEKI (turn 428): STERLING of FLAGG'S FIVE (Flagg, mgr.)
DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 376): ORANGE of FRUITS (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 54 TROCAR (turn 178): RUBBER BULLET of USELESS TOOLS (Crip, mgr.)
DM 59 ILLIS (turn 166): DUFF of ISLANDERS (Nick, mgr.)
DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 326): AKLAR of MITHRAL HALO (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 143): 2 PHAT TOO of VERMIN (Sultan, mgr.)
ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 369): LARGE SPINNY GUY of DIABLO TOO from TI (The Muffin Man)
Top Teams
---------
DM 1 MORDANT (turn 490): THE BLACK COMPANY (Darkfist, mgr.)
DM 2 NIANIA (turn 376): GLORY BOUND TROLLS (DeGotti, mgr.)
DM 3 OSKSI (turn 495): SIMPLY DESSERTS (Sweet Tooth, mgr.)
DM 4 JHELUM (turn 491): DIFFERENT HATS (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 5 KALTOS (turn 490): THE TAKEN (Silver Stroke, mgr.)
DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 494): DARK PANTHEON (Doc Steele, mgr.)
DM 7 BONSUR (turn 491): THE BEARS II (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 10 KOLACT (turn 486): THOROUGHBREDS (DRF, mgr.)
DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 478): PENTARCHIE-18 (The Pentalque, mgr.)
DM 21 SUNSET (turn 476): COSMIC FREAK OUT (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 36 JHANS (turn 450): BLITZKRIEG (Polarius, mgr.)
DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 441): ALL FINESSE (Mannequin, mgr.)
DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 192): CHEAP SHOTS (?, mgr.)
DM 42 RODEKI (turn 428): FLAGG'S FIVE (Flagg, mgr.)
DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 376): DARK HORSEMEN (Nick, mgr.)
DM 54 TROCAR (turn 178): USELESS TOOLS (Crip, mgr.)
DM 59 ILLIS (turn 166): THE EXPLORERS (Kellog, mgr.)
DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 326): THE DEN OF SWORDS (TMoney, mgr.)
DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 143): EPOCHOLYPSE (Brewmaster, mgr.)
ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 369): DARK PANTHEON, etc. (Doc Steele, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 5 KALTOS (turn 490): DERBIE FOYLE of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Nick, mgr.)
DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 493): DELAPP of NIGHT TRAIN (BPR, mgr.)
DM 7 BONSUR (turn 491): ADAM of MORGAN'S BOYS (A-Sop, mgr.)
(turn 490): RED NO. 40 of WASTELAND II (The Muffin Man, mgr.)
DM 10 KOLACT (turn 485): AERYN SUN of FARSCAPE (Keldon Blackfang, mgr.)
DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 478): WONDER BRA of THE GUARDIANS II (Guardian, mgr.)
BOOTER of BURN N' PILLAGE (Jolly, mgr.)
(turn 477): RAZOR HAWK of BEAST MASTERS (The Druid, mgr.)
DM 21 SUNSET (turn 475): JADE of I MAGI (Street Legal, mgr.)
DM 36 JHANS (turn 450): TARGEN of IRON TIGERS (Jinx, mgr.)
DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 191): ZOOLANDER of WITLESS WONDERS (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 42 RODEKI (turn 428): STERLING of FLAGG'S FIVE (Flagg, mgr.)
(turn 427): PROBLEMATIC of FLAGG'S FIVE (Flagg, mgr.)
DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 375): TSOMEGH of DARK HORSEMEN (Nick, mgr.)
DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 142): MISSY MAYHAM of ANGELS OF CHAOS (Lord Chaos, mgr.)
SPY REPORT
It's me, The Unknown Spymaster, back to give you this week's Spy Report. Sit
back in your seats and we'll have more fun than a barrel of Zontanis. Hey everybody,
watch out for LORD HALIFAX, who flew up 20 points in the rankings after mashing
JOURNEY like a melon. Keep your eye on this guy. Ya know, some days it doesn't pay
to walk out on the sands. CROAKER was overcame by WARRIOR-MAGE and drops 14 points.
Try as hard as the USELESS TOOLS stable might, they were unable to find their warrior
(and ex-Duelmaster) RUBBER BULLET before this week's fights. It's a proud day for
the THE BLACK COMPANY stable, as their warrior, MERGEN, ascended the Duelmaster's
throne. Can you believe they are paying me 10 gold to deliver this stuff?
Here is other news that is of note. And hey, kiddies, those of you who didn't
avoid THE BLACK COMPANY, please raise you hand. Wow. Does TROCAR really have that
many liars? And you guys like to boo me? Well, unsling your rasberries, cause
PLAGUES beats feet every time THE BLACK COMPANY smiles at them. Try farming, eh?
And who is this SLOW GIN FIZZ you ask, with 47 points and a 8-2-0 record. Ooh, the
tales I could tell!
Death is kind of like a new puppy: he's always around wanting to play. (Ha
Zontani, how's that for a wise saying?). Big deal, so SCUM III got mashed in the
Dark Arena. With its face it was more at home with the trolls than with us. (Waka
waka). SCUM III says to its dog--'Who should I fight this week?'. Dog says
'CONJURED DEMON'. So the beast dies. Moral? Put lying dogs to sleep. Ask not the
elves for counsel, for they will say both yes and no. Silly buggers, eh?
Well, there's the manager of the TROCAR giving me the 'cut' sign (or is that
'They're going to strangle you in the alley?). Okay, so I may not be the world's
best comedian, but then you guys aren't the world's best warriors. Hasta la bye-bye.
(Loud choruses of 'Beat it, ya bum!')-- The Unknown Spymaster
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MERGEN 1899 14 12 1 98 THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-RUBBER BULLET 2503 15 1 0 114 USELESS TOOLS (219)
-MOUSETRAP 2521 11 3 1 98 USELESS TOOLS (219)
IN-LAWS 2593 9 3 0 93 PLAGUES (273)
-MICROSOFT 2483 10 5 0 91 USELESS TOOLS (219)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CERISA 2414 19 28 1 86 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
THE LIMPER 1844 18 10 0 79 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
CROAKER 1898 11 14 0 79 THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
-RAVEN CLAW 2461 9 11 1 79 RUNNING AMOK (238)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
KILLER BEE 2596 5 7 0 65 PLAGUES (273)
JOURNEY 1900 13 11 0 64 THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
-NO-STICK TAPE 2541 9 2 0 64 USELESS TOOLS (219)
LORD HALIFAX 2625 10 1 0 61 DREIHDENWALD (279)
-YVES CORMINBEUF 2654 5 3 0 58 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276)
-URS BOLLINGER 2609 9 2 0 57 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-A.O. HELL 2523 9 4 0 55 USELESS TOOLS (219)
-IRON TALON 2460 12 12 0 52 RUNNING AMOK (238)
SLOW GIN FIZZ 2556 8 2 0 47 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
CASS 2629 8 3 0 46 DREIHDENWALD (279)
-SILVERBOLT 2554 6 7 0 45 RUNNING AMOK (238)
SOUR GRAPES 2688 4 0 0 44 CLICHES (287)
LAWYER 2595 6 6 0 39 PLAGUES (273)
-BALZ WEBER 2611 6 5 0 39 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276)
WIMPERETTA 2655 7 1 0 38 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
WIMPLES 2640 6 5 0 36 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MOLLY 2681 4 1 0 33 DREIHDENWALD (279)
-FIREFLASH 2459 6 6 2 32 RUNNING AMOK (238)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LOCUST 2594 3 9 0 32 PLAGUES (273)
DAROSHTAN 2602 7 6 0 27 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
-RED EYE 2542 7 5 0 27 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
FIREANT 2592 5 7 0 26 PLAGUES (273)
TALION 2626 5 6 0 25 DREIHDENWALD (279)
-THUNDERBIRD 2555 5 4 0 25 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
-WHITE RUSSIAN 2652 4 1 0 24 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-SVEN DUMUSC 2612 4 7 0 19 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276)
ODDMAN 2693 3 2 0 18 DREIHDENWALD (279)
-MARK SCHUPPLI 2653 4 4 0 17 BUTZBERG 'CROSS (276)
-PET PEEVE 2684 2 1 0 17 CLICHES (287)
ANIAKIN 2386 2 6 0 16 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
PALLADIARUM 2710 1 1 0 16 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
NAKED TRUTH 2687 2 2 0 10 CLICHES (287)
CLEAR AS MUD 2686 1 1 0 8 CLICHES (287)
DOZER 2697 1 2 1 6 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
BACKSTAB 2707 1 0 0 5 CHAOS INC. (289)
ARIEN GLEND 2716 0 1 0 1 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
FOXY LOXELY 2717 0 1 0 1 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
SCUM III 2034 9 4 0 THE BLACK COMPANY 185 CONJURED DEMON 26 179 NONE
SAHARA 2387 1 5 0 THE BLACK COMPANY 185 GRALL ONE-EAR 27 179 NONE
JOKAROF TROCAR 2682 1 3 0 TRADERS OF TROCAR 252 DOZER 2697 177
PERSONAL ADS
Rubber Bullet -- A salute to the D.M. Well done! Great record! Looking forward to
editing a DM Column. -- The Editor of Cliches
First you steal my name, now you're going after my job! *sob* -- Ed.
Woelfe -- We're speaking; we're speaking. -- Us Cliches
Foul Demon!? Foul!? Being a respectable vampire is like saying one is a
satisfactory two-headed, three-tailed eel. A lovely demon is a thing of beauty and
grace indeed. -- Pandora of The Pretty Legs, Demon Extraordinaire
Black Company -- I suspect that just have been an embarrassment for your team, and an
indication of the management ability? Your highly experienced plated parry persona @
9-2-0, 29 down challenging my rookie (near rookie) 2-0-0, 22 Sour Grapes--only to be
tagged with a silly loss. There are some groups who would fire the management for
such incompetence. I will merely send you my heartfelt sour grapes, and thanks for
the win. -- The Editor of Cliches
Wimperella -- Well, you were merely too much babe for me! Salute. -- Pet Peeve
Molly -- Well now you know The Naked Truth. I loved the way you used that pointy
thing. Such satisfaction! While I may have ended up on the bottom, I had fun, and
girls just wanna have fun. (wink) -- Naked Truth
Dozer -- I feel much, much better about things now. That train really helped, and
eking out a victory over you enhanced my confidence. After all, you are quite a
formidable looking Werecat and that 1-0-1 record was quite frightening! -- Clear As
Mud (or thereabouts)
Mr. Crip -- Are you ready for some SCOMSS? -- The Editor
Rubber Bullett -- That's it bub, I'm calling you out! I'm gonna cleave you like a
ripe melon...bring it on!! -- Croaker
Rubber Bullet -- Good fight, again. <sigh> I wasn't anticipating your challenge
though. You just like to keep me guessing! <grin> -- Mergen
Silver Stroke -- Sheeeesh...who would have thought little orphan Annie would have
fought so hard. As agreed, Sahara is meeting her fate with the reaper. For the love
of Alastari, I'll never figure out what makes a slasher tick. -- Woelfe
The Limper -- Don't you have someone else to go and scum?? Don't make me scum you
back!! -- Journey
In-Laws -- Yes, a plague beyond all doubt. -- Cerisa
Pet Peeve -- (curled lip of scorn) -- Wimperetta
No-Stick Tape -- There's a lot of that around. I think it's what my armor was mended
with. -- Daroshtan
Urs Bollinger -- Oh, you are so tall and masterful! Oh! (fluttering eyelashes) --
Wimples
Oddman -- I wish you were OUT. -- Palladiarum
Pandora -- You are mistaken. Nobody proxied me. I do not go to tourneys. And no
self-respecting vampiress would have anything to do with a demon. -- Wimperetta
Ed. -- You must have been listening to the spreaders of vile slander. There are
certainly enough of them around. -- Wimperetta
No, I only listen to the spreaders of pleasant slander. -- Ed.
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
SCUM III was butchered by CONJURED DEMON in a unpopular 3 minute Dark Arena fight.
SAHARA was slaughtered by GRALL ONE-EAR in a 1 minute Dark Arena battle.
IN-LAWS handily defeated CERISA in a 3 minute one-sided Challenge match.
KILLER BEE was outwaited by THE LIMPER in a unpopular 8 minute Challenge brawl.
SLOW GIN FIZZ defeated LAWYER in a 2 minute Challenge fight.
FIREANT was savagely defeated by WIMPLES in a 6 minute bloody Challenge competition.
DOZER lost to ODDMAN in a exciting 1 minute amateur's Challenge fight.
CLEAR AS MUD was devastated by LOCUST in a 4 minute one-sided Challenge competition.
CROAKER lost to WARRIOR-MAGE in a 1 minute duel.
MERGEN vanquished VENOMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute uneven Title fight.
JOURNEY was viciously subdued by LORD HALIFAX in a 9 minute gory fight.
CASS overpowered DAROSHTAN in a 2 minute one-sided melee.
WIMPERETTA overpowered CULT MEMBER in a 2 minute bloody one-sided match.
SOUR GRAPES handily defeated TALION in a exciting 1 minute one-sided contest.
MOLLY devastated ANIAKIN in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched bout.
NAKED TRUTH defeated FOXY LOXELY in a 2 minute novice's duel.
PALLADIARUM devastated PRETTY LERONA in a 1 minute uneven duel.
BACKSTAB beat ARIEN GLEND in a 2 minute amateur's brawl.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|TOTAL PARRY 9 TOTAL PARRY 64 - 31 - 0 67 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 6 AIMED BLOW 20 - 10 - 0 67 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 5 LUNGING ATTACK 23 - 19 - 2 55 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 13 - 11 - 0 54 |
|BASHING ATTACK 3 STRIKING ATTACK 61 - 63 - 2 49 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 PARRY-STRIKE 12 - 14 - 0 46 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 WALL OF STEEL 11 - 17 - 1 39 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 8 - 0 38 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 BASHING ATTACK 21 - 37 - 3 36 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 SLASHING ATTACK 18 - 36 - 2 33 |
Turn 179 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 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 4 4 TOTAL PARRY
STRIKING ATTACK 5 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 STRIKING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL
TOTAL PARRY 5 - 4 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 3 2 BASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK MERGEN 1899 14 12 1 98 THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
TOTAL PARRY IN-LAWS 2593 9 3 0 93 PLAGUES (273)
PARRY-RIPOSTE CASS 2629 8 3 0 46 DREIHDENWALD (279)
AIMED BLOW WIMPERETTA 2655 7 1 0 38 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is CERISA 2414. The most popular warrior this turn was
LOCUST 2594. The ten other most popular fighters were CERISA 2414, LAWYER 2595,
ODDMAN 2693, IN-LAWS 2593, WIMPERETTA 2655, SOUR GRAPES 2688, MOLLY 2681, NAKED TRUTH
2687, MERGEN 1899, and WIMPLES 2640.
The least popular fighter this week was SCUM III 2034. The other ten least popular
fighters were JOURNEY 1900, THE LIMPER 1844, KILLER BEE 2596, FOXY LOXELY 2717,
ANIAKIN 2386, CLEAR AS MUD 2686, DOZER 2697, FIREANT 2592, SAHARA 2387, and ARIEN
GLEND 2716.