DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 07/02/2004    Duedate: 07/29/2004

TROCAR ARENA

DM-54    TURN-183

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

LAWYER
PLAGUES (273)
(54-2595) [10-6-0,107]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

RUBBER BULLET                  POSITION IS EMPTY
USELESS TOOLS (219)            
(54-2503) [18-1-0,120]         

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

SILVERBOLT                     LAWYER
RUNNING AMOK (238)             PLAGUES (273)
(54-2554) [9-7-0,70]           (54-2595) [10-6-0,107]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

USELESS TOOLS (219)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)     34
2. RUNNING AMOK (238)          12      USELESS TOOLS (219)
3. PLAGUES (273)               10      Unchartered Team
4. THE BLACK COMPANY (185)      6
5. THE MUPPETS (20)             0GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS (210)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 3 USELESS TOOLS (219)      164  77  4 68.0   1/ 2 USELESS TOOLS (219)      11  3 1
 2- 4 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)    77  47  4 62.1   2/ 6 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)   8  7 0
 3- 5 THE MUPPETS (20)          76  55  5 58.0   3- 1 THE MUPPETS (20)          6  3 1
 4- 6 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)   86  80  6 51.8   4- 3 THE WHITE COMPANY (201)   5  5 0
 5/ 7 RUNNING AMOK (238)        65  62  7 51.2   5/ 5 THE BLACK COMPANY (185)   5  6 1
 6/ 8 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)  127 127  6 50.0   6/ 4 PLAGUES (273)             5 10 0
 7/ 9 PLAGUES (273)             38  42  0 47.5   7/ 7 RUNNING AMOK (238)        3  0 0
 8/10 THE BLACK COMPANY (185)   88 114  3 43.6   8-10 INDULGENT DRINKS (256)    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

      * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *

                                   HAMMERZ HERALD
             Death Fest Dada Data Edition/Diabolical Delarq Declaration
                                      by Hammer

         Behold, they belch out [insults] with their mouths; swords [of sarcasm,
ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips, for who, they think, hear us? --
Psalms 59:7  Amplified Bible

     Sensational News about Hammer negotiating the Re-Opening of Delarq Tor DM 58 as
a Slow Arena "Prize Package" for the DM 59 Death Fest Illis Iron Stable Award Winners
was spreading all across the Delarq Federation quicker than Dragon Fire!!!!!
     Delarq Tor DM 58 would be Re-Opened as a Slow Arena by the Gladiatorial
Commission as a Special Prize Awarded to the Illis Iron Stable Award Winners on the
following conditions:
     1.  At least 20 of the stables entered in the DM 59 Delarq Death Fest beginning
July 29th Must Complete a Minimum of 67 of a possible 75 fights over the course of 15
rounds
     2.  At least 20 of those Iron Stable Managers Must Enter a New Team Roll Up into
DM 58 Delarq Tor Without Cannibalizing Any of Their Active Stables
     3.  A Minimum of 15 Stables are Required to Remain Active Each Cycle for the
First Six Months to Ensure Exclusive Competition for the Duel Master and Team Awards
[Free Fights!] Without Any Other Stables Being Allowed to Enter the Newly Re-Opened
DM 58 Slow Arena [Until the First Six Months Have Expired in May 2006].
     Hammer was Alerting the entire Delarq Federation Regular and Slow Arenas; as
well as the Andorian and Free Blades Slow Arenas; Extending to Every Manager from
Newbie to Jaded Veteran His Personal Invitation to Compete in the DM 59 Delarq Death
Fest; with the Understanding that Delarq Tor DM 58 would be Re-Opened as a Slow Arena
[If More Than Enough Managers Would Compete for the Opportunity to Re-Open Delarq
Tor!]; Thus Carving a New Chapter in the Alastari Historical Archives; While
Fulfilling Their Own Delarq Dueling Destiny!
     One of the things Hammer enjoyed most about Hosting/Promoting New Contests
Was/Is the Transformation/Enlargement of the Chosen Arena Site; Especially
Anticipating the New Stable Names/Managers Who Answer the Call to Cross Blades and
Match Wits in a Hammer Hosted/Sponsored Contest.
     Offering 25 points to each Death Fest competitor who writes a minimum 15
paragraph Team Spotlight [including their Stable Name and Managerial Alias]; while
Highlighting a Storyline of their own choosing as they Answer the Call to Cross
Blades and Match Wits in a Hammer Sponsored Slow Arena Contest; would be One of
Hammer's Most Anticipated Aspects of Hosting the Delarq Death Fest in DM 59.
     It would be Interesting to see Who was able to Write their Spotlight and Email
it in a Format that would NOT be Cut Off by HAL; plus Who would be able to Submit
their Hand Written [or Typed] Spotlight in Time for the RSI Typist to have Time to
Type It into the DM 59 T-172 Newsletter; Otherwise, those 25 points would be
Forfeited Due to the Fact that Hammer and Other Interested Persons would be Deprived
of the Pleasure of the Potential Entertainment of Reading Countless Team Spotlights
on the Opening Round of the Delarq Death Fest [because of Missing or Partial Team
Spotlights!].
     Hammer also was Interested in Who would have the Foresight to Place Their Stable
on Team Maintenance or Warrior Maintenance to Ensure Their Stable Would NOT Miss a
Death Fest Round; thus Forfeiting Both an Additional 25 points for fighting 67 of a
possible 75 fights over the course of 15 rounds AND the Opportunity to Start a New
Stable in Delarq Tor DM 58 as an Illis Iron Stable Award Winner; Once the Death Fest
Contest Concluded in August 2005 and Qualified Managers were Listed with the
Gladiatorial Commission to Send RSI a New Team Roll Up to Register a New Stable in DM
58 Delarq Tor:
     Thus Qualifying those New Stables to Compete in the Rookies 2005 Fall Mailer
Tourney Before Competing in the Historic First Turn of the Newly Re-Opened Delarq Tor
DM 58 Slow Arena on November 3rd 2005.
     Hammer Had Done His Best to Send Out the Call for the Devious, the Diabolical,
the Dangerous and the Down Challenging to Cross Blades and Match Wits in Competition
for the Top 10 Prize Categories and Illis Iron Stable Award [Where Everyone Wins the
Right to Compete in the Newly Re-Opened Delarq Tor DM 58 Slow Arena on November 3rd
2005] All Sanctioned by the Gladiatorial Commission!
     Delarq Tor DM 58 Awaits Those Who are Brave Enough to Endure the Delarq Death
Fest in DM 59 [Beginning July 29th 2004 T-172; Concluding August 25th 2005 T-186] By
Completing a Minimum of 67 Fights Out of a Possible 75 Fights Over the Course of 15
Rounds of Dastardly Delarq Dog-Fighting!

  ***** Consult the DM 59 T-171 Newsletter Team Spotlight by Hammer for a Complete
                Listing of Death Fest Rules/Prize Allocations! *****

The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definitions:
     Dada:  A movement in art and literature based on deliberate irrationality and
negation of traditional artistic values.
     Data:  Factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for
reasoning, discussion, or calculation.
     Diabolical:  Devilish, Fiendish.
     Declaration:  To make known formally or explicitly.

     "May Your Blades Be Sharp and Your Wits Sharper!" -- Hammer/Death Fest Host/
Vendetta Cartel Captain; WordSmith and High Priest of the Crimson Ascension Family in
DM 28

            + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Out of the Past #7 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
                                   Delarquan Edition

Old Valamantis:

     The group of gladiators moved toward the edge of the risen city as slowly and
carefully as they would have approached a sleeping dragon... that maybe wasn't
sleeping after all.  There was a partial wall separating the buildings from the
countryside around them, but it must be outside the area of effect, because it was
not in good condition.  There were gaps and fallen stones, even trees growing between
them where the ages had trapped dirt.
     Smeds of Mordant patted one of the stones thoughtfully.  "Honest stonework
here," he murmured.
     "And more recent than the ruins," Shamu of Cliffhome agreed.  "Six hundred
years, I'd say."  He glanced at Smeds, and the other Dwarf nodded agreement.
     "Built just before the most recent Chaos War," the Silver Mage said, "to keep
things in the ruins from getting out.  Brought down by that war, at least in part.
But..." he touched several stones lightly and smiled a little, "not completely
useless even now and against this enemy.  Honest stonework, as you say, but there is
a barrier spell bound within the stones, and it remains."
     "If the spell is still working, why are we worrying about the ruins?" Smeds of
Mordant demanded.
     "Because the spell will not keep working much longer."  Tensekai frowned across
the wall into the city.  "It was a good wall and a good spell, but it won't hold
Folstrom forever.  Nothing--"  He stopped and looked uncomfortable.
     "You were going to say that nothing will hold the Folstrom forever?" Sputter of
Dwes Eg asked.
     Tensekai shrugged.  "No absolute statement like that should be trusted, but I
can honestly say that nothing we've found so far, except raw Chaos, will stop them.
We have new spells, of course, but what was there to test them on?  We don't know."
     "Yes, okay, but what are we supposed to be DOING here, then?" Lavender Lance of
Illis asked.
     "You must observe," the Silver Mage answered promptly.  "And I must go with you,
because there are some things ONLY a mage can observe.  If we can find the keystone
of the spell that holds the towers up, we could destroy it, yes, and it might be a
good thing to do so, but the towers are just a symptom.  There are more dangerous
things in Old Valamantis than just the towers."
     "Those things being?" Smeds cut in.
     "The wizards, obviously," Lavender Lance snapped.
     "Again, just a symptom," Tensekai said.  "Dangerous, yes, very dangerous,
but...."
     Ka D'Argo, who had never been described as stupid, even by his enemies, nodded
slightly.  "The wizards in Old Valamantis were resurrected along with the city," he
said slowly.  "You think there might be some way for them to reach other wizards,
other Folstrom, of THIS time, don't you?  That's what we have to prevent."
     Tensekai nodded.
     "How?" Smeds demanded.
     "I'm not sure," the Silver Mage admitted.  "Killing the resurrected wizards
might do it."
     "But you don't think that's enough, do you?" Goblin said.
     "No.  I think we'll have to destroy the old city again," Tensekai answered.
"And that won't be easy with all the blood that's been spilled there.  Not when blood
magic is at its strongest, as now."
     "But it can be done?" Smeds asked.
     "To get rid of bloodstains, soak in cold water and hand-wash," Lavender Lance
muttered.
     Tensekai turned toward her slowly, eyes wide.  "WHAT did you say?"
     The Illisni gladiator backed up a couple of steps in the face of his intensity.
"It's how you get bloodstains out of cloth.  Soak it in cold water--"
     "Yes!"  The mage stared around almost feverishly.  "We'll need a LOT of cold
water...."
     "Ice," Smeds suggested.  "From the mountains above Khalhums.  Dwarves can do
that."  He glanced at Shamu, who nodded.  "We're on it."  The two Dwarves stepped
aside, muttering together about sledges and sawdust.
     "If the wizards now in Old Valamantis realize we're trying to... quench the
blood magic, they'll move to stop us," Ka D'Argo said.  "So securing the arena and a
route of access will be our job."
     "And if any wizards get killed in the process..." Goblin bared his fangs, "too
bad for them."

            + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Out of the Past #8 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
                                   Delarquan Edition

Old Valamantis:

     Smeds of Mordant and Shamu of Cliffhome, both Dwarves, drew off to the side from
the rest of the group.  Harvesting and transporting tons of ice from the peaks above
Khalhums was the kind of technical problem they relished, a true Dwarven sort of
problem.  Let the others worry about fighting resurrected wizards.
     "Can we quarry ice like stone?" Smeds wondered.  "There's always heat associated
with breaking rock, what if it melts the ice?"
     "It'd only melt some," Shamu guessed, "and we could stand that, especially if it
made things go a little faster.  And there are plenty of Dwarves in Khalhums who'd be
glad of a little work these days."
     "Closing the arena didn't close down the town!" Smeds protested.
     "Up to a point," Shamu agreed, squinting into the distance.  With the heat and
humidity over the Feyranse basin, the mountains weren't visible, but any Dwarf could
sense them.  Why, they probably weren't much more than a hundred miles away!  Well,
no more than two hundred, anyway.  "But how are we going to HAUL all that ice down
here before it melts?"
     "Wagons.  One thing that did drop to a trickle in the last couple of years is
trade through the mountains," Smeds answered.  "I've got friends up there, and I've
heard.  There are LOTS of carters eager for a load."
     "Right, and woodcutters in Caer who'd be glad to supply sawdust to pack it in, I
bet." Shamu agreed.  "We can do this!"

     "But I don't know ANYTHING about magic!" Lavender Lance of Illis was protesting,
again.
     "That's all right, I know lots about magic," Tensekai the Silver Mage said.  He
patted her back in what he hoped was a soothing manner.  "You've got something just
as good in a situation like this:  you're a lucky guesser.  Between my knowledge and
your luck, we should do well.  Now..." he glanced around at the other gladiators, Ka
D'Argo, Sputter, and Goblin, "you do all understand the plan?"
     "Kill everybody in Old Valamantis who isn't us," Goblin answered promptly.
     Ka D'Argo suppressed a sigh and glanced sideways at the gladiator from Kaltos.
To Tensekai, he said, "We're to secure the Bloodgames arena and a corridor of
approach, hold it till the ice gets here, keeping the wizards out."
     "It's the part about keeping the wizards out that worries me," Sputter of Dwes
Eg muttered.  "Easy to SAY that, but they're WIZARDS.  How are we supposed to stop
them?"

Xochithlan:

     There were no ruins around Xochithlan to rise up at the wizard's call, because
the modern city was the old city, continuously lived in for longer than most
Alastarian cities had existed.  There was, perhaps, a tendency for certain long-
buried residents to stir in their graves, but if any came out to walk the streets, it
was not immediately obvious.
     What was obvious was the forest.
     There had been a forest around Xochithlan for a long time, but it had been
burned away during the Rirorni War.  Replanting efforts had been ongoing for the last
eight years, but eight years is not long enough to bring back a major forest.  And
what surrounded the city now, pressing in against the walls and disturbing the newer
suburbs, was a major forest.
     Not, however, a forest such as the Xochithlani remembered.
     This was a Forest Primeval.
     This was a forest that might hide...anything.
     And according to the scholars of ancient texts consulted by King Feyen of
Xochithlan, it probably did.

     "But I don't trust gladiators!" King Feyen protested.  "Why should I give them
this important job?"
     "Because no one else will take it," Chancellor Leldys said.  "The merchants will
not set their guards to clearing the road, each one fears that the others will hold
back men and attack those who strip their Houses of defense."
     "The army, then," Feyen said.  "What do I pay them for, anyway?"
     "You pay them to defend Xochithlan and your dynasty, Sire.  We dare not set the
army to the task of clearing the road, thus leaving the palace defenses understrength
now, when your half-brother Ferhis is showing his teeth.  An army could be lost in
that Forest...or could change allegiance to avoid going into it.  No, gladiators are
your best resource for this.  Set them to clearing the Forest back from the road so
that we can resume our regular coming and going with the rest of the Federation--"
     The king scowled and stroked his thin mustache.  "I notice there hasn't been any
problem with THEM getting in contact with us--the Shagair."
     The chancellor shrugged.  "Their methods are not something I would recommend.
To use the old magic so freely...dangerous.  Very dangerous.  And surely you don't
want to see the Shagair as our only contact with the rest of the world!"
     "Well, they ARE our kin."
     "I have kin I wouldn't trust.  And the Shagairn ideas of what constitutes proper
payment for the Rirorni War Debt is not...."
     "Not something we can pay.  I know."  Feyen sighed.  "Oh, all right, we'll ask
the gladiators to clear the road.  Land grants for every ten-mile stretch cleared to
a bow-shot back on each side...."
     The chancellor blanched.  "Land grants?  Sire, you can't go handing out land as
though it was an endless resource!  You--"
     "SMALL landgrants, Leldys.  I am NOT an idiot, you know.  If you're thinking of
the unfortunate incident with the oryx and the lotus tank, I assure you that it was
all Tirisha's doing!"
     "And I believe you, of course," the chancellor murmured.  "But things would be
so much easier, Sire, if you had an heir--"
     "I am NOT going to get married just to make things easier for you," Feyen cut
in.  "There's plenty of time.  Let's think about getting the road cleared first."

            + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Out of the Past #9 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
                                   Delarquan Edition

Old Valamantis and away:

     Smeds and Shamu didn't wait for the others to solve THEIR problems, they set out
for the mountains and Khalhums, by way of Mordant and Caer, hitching a ride on a
wagon full of tanned hides.
     Shamu sprawled on the pile of leather and grimaced as the wagon jolted into and
out of a pothole.  Both Dwarves bounced and rolled.  "This is just about
unacceptable."
     "It could be worse," Smeds offered.  "They could be GREEN hides instead of
tanned ones!"
     "Yuck," the Cliffhomer said absently.  "But that wasn't what I meant--the road.
How can we expect to send dozens, maybe even scores of wagons over a road like this?
They'd be shaken to bits if they hurried, and the ice would melt if they didn't."
     "These are the roads we've got to work with," Smeds answered.  "And they aren't
THAT bad."  An especially deep set of ruts sent them bounding wildly over the back of
the wagon.  "Okay, maybe they ARE that bad, but they're STILL the roads we have to
work with."  He was silent for a moment, then shrugged--and grabbed for the side of
the wagon as it rocked and tilted over more ruts.  "This wouldn't be so bad if we
hadn't had two weeks of rain to make really big muddy ruts, and then a couple of
months dry, you know.  Maybe if it rains again--"
     "Oh, joy, wagons stuck in the mud from Khalhums to Valamantis."  Shamu frowned
at the road and at the forest passing on the left (the Feyranse River was on the
right).  There was nothing like a technical problem to get a Dwarf thinking.  "We
need to corduroy the road.  There are trees enough.  Organize parties to work out of
Mordant in both directions, and the road might be passable by the time the ice wagons
are coming down."
     "A corduroy road won't last," Smeds warned, "not where the ground's as wet as it
is here.  The logs will rot."
     "It'll last all summer, at least, and that's all we need.  If we haven't gotten
enough cold water to Old Valamantis to wash out those bloodstains by then, we're
going to be in too much trouble to worry about the road."
     Smeds sighed and then laughed.  "I can't BELIEVE we're taking Debby Tonte's
advice on this!"
     "Well, nobody else had any suggestions at all."

     Nobody paid attention to them when they entered the resurrected city of Old
Valamantis, but that wasn't reassuring.  There were a lot of people around, more than
they'd expected, and somebody SHOULD be paying attention.
     "It's a trap," Ka D'Argo muttered.  "They know something we don't.  Something
that means we're walking right into the frying pan."
     "So what?" Goblin asked.  "We know something THEY don't, too.  Something that
means anybody who attacks US is in for a really big surprise."  The Kaltosian
gladiator fingered his sword and bared his pointed teeth in a hungry grin.  "I hope
they start something SOON."
     "I don't," Sputter grumbled.  "Better to put off till tomorrow the blows you can
avoid today.  And spells are even worse."
     "They won't attack us until we get near the arena," Tensekai said.  The Silver
Mage squinted at the sky, which was a dome of glaring white haze, and then at the
battered wall of the Bloodgames arena looming over the lesser structures a mile away.
"Okay, they might attack physically before then, but...I think they'd rather have our
blood spilled close to the center of their spell-working."
     "So our blood can feed their spells, too?  Great, just great.  What I always
wanted to do," Lavender Lance said.  She sighed heavily.  "And I'm SURE they won't
appreciate us properly."  She drew herself up into a stance that had made more than
one male gladiator falter at the wrong moment as pearly flesh strained against violet
lace.  "I've heard that wizards are BLIND to the finer nuances."
     Tensekai coughed and wrenched his gaze away, blushing.  "Not all of us," he said
in a strangled voice.  "Not...BLIND, anyway."

     "I really don't think we should be doing this," Alta Chess muttered.  She looked
back over her shoulder at the patchwork wall of modern Valamantis longingly.  "I
don't WANT to be doing this...."
     "Nonsense!  Don't be such a coward, Alta," Chip Enser said.  "This is ADVENTURE.
Things are HAPPENING in Old Valamantis.  Do you want to be nothing more than a
SPECTATOR?"
     "Wizard things," his teammate countered.  "And what do we know about wizard
stuff?  Yeah, I'd lots rather be just a spectator.  Lots rather."
     "There's gladiators involved in this; it isn't ALL wizards.  And not all of them
are Lord Protectors, either."  Chip sighed ostentatiously.  "I suppose I couldn't
expect better from a GIRL.  But we can at least get close enough to WATCH, can't we?"

      * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *

                         ---===DELARQUAN REGIONAL NEWS===---

                                     Duelmasters
                                     -----------
 DM   1 MORDANT (turn 498): JEJUNE of MANNEQUIN'S BEST (Mannequin, mgr.)
 DM   2 NIANIA (turn 383): TOOFLESS of GLORY BOUND TROLLS (DeGotti, mgr.)
 DM   3 OSKSI (turn 503): HARALDUR of AESIR (Buri, mgr.)
 DM   4 JHELUM (turn 499): STANLEY'S CUP of SPORTZ! (Guardian, mgr.)
 DM   5 KALTOS (turn 498): FRIED TWINKIE of MORE NEW TEAMS 2 (The Muffin Man, mgr.)
 DM   6 TRANSEL (turn 502): SERENGETI of BATTLE BEASTS (Sensei Jan, mgr.)
 DM   7 BONSUR (turn 500): TASTY HANGNAIL of WASTELAND II (The Muffin Man, mgr.)
 DM  10 KOLACT (turn 494): LENNY BAXTER of TOWNSVILLAINS (The Narrator, mgr.)
 DM  18 TALCAMA (turn 486): PURPLE FIREFISH of BIG MEAN FISH (Big Wave Dave, mgr.)
 DM  21 SUNSET (turn 485): SYRANO BLOODBANE of THE BLOODBANES (Stik, mgr.)
 DM  36 JHANS (turn 459): PINK BEAR of LITTLE GIRLS LIKE... (Shocking Toad, mgr.)
 DM  38 CLIFFHOME (turn 450): STEVEN SCIMITAR of EAGLES CLAW (Talon Volksie, mgr.)
 DM  39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 196): DUCK TAPE of DUCKS UNLIMITED (Crip, mgr.)
 DM  42 RODEKI (turn 436): GUNSLINGER of KING'S KREW (King Ralph, mgr.)
 DM  51 TRICORUS (turn 385): APPLE of FRUITS (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
 DM  54 TROCAR (turn 182): MOUSETRAP of USELESS TOOLS (Crip, mgr.)
 DM  59 ILLIS (turn 170): HOFFA WITH HAIR of IMPROVED ILLUSION (Phantasm, mgr.)
 DM  62 VALAMANTIS (turn 334): YOU of SRETSAMLEUD (Phat Phat, mgr.)
 DM  72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 148): CANNONBALL of X-POSSE (Savant, mgr.)
ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 378): SLEEPLESS PARANOIA of PARENTHOOD from DWES EG (TUM)

                                      Top Teams
                                      ---------
 DM   1 MORDANT (turn 498): SWEORDMASTERS (Mannequin, mgr.)
 DM   2 NIANIA (turn 384): GLORY BOUND TROLLS (DeGotti, mgr.)
 DM   3 OSKSI (turn 503): AESIR (Buri, mgr.)
 DM   4 JHELUM (turn 499): ORCCON THUGS (DMobster, mgr.)
 DM   5 KALTOS (turn 498): THE TAKEN (Silver Stroke, mgr.)
 DM   6 TRANSEL (turn 502): BATTLE BEASTS (Sensei Jan, mgr.)
 DM   7 BONSUR (turn 500): WASTELAND II (The Muffin Man, mgr.)
 DM  10 KOLACT (turn 494): PRAETORIAN GUARD (Shocking Toad, mgr.)
 DM  18 TALCAMA (turn 486): CENTER FOR OLDS (Suave, mgr.)
 DM  21 SUNSET (turn 485): CARNAGE CANARIES (Carnage Canary, mgr.)
 DM  36 JHANS (turn 459): LITTLE GIRLS LIKE... (Shocking Toad, mgr.)
 DM  38 CLIFFHOME (turn 450): EAGLES CLAW (Talon Volksie, mgr.)
 DM  39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 196): ATMAN PROJECT (Kosmos, mgr.)
 DM  42 RODEKI (turn 436): HIGHER PURPOSE (Angus, mgr.)
 DM  51 TRICORUS (turn 385): ALL-UGLY TEAM (The Sentinel, mgr.)
 DM  54 TROCAR (turn 182): THE MUPPETS (Keldon Blackfang, mgr.)
 DM  59 ILLIS (turn 170): ISLANDERS (Nick, mgr.)
 DM  62 VALAMANTIS (turn 334): SRETSAMLEUD (Phat Phat, mgr.)
 DM  72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 148): X-POSSE (Savant, mgr.)
ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 378): BLACK PRIMERS, etc. (Doc Steele, mgr.)

                                   Recent Graduates
                                  -----------------
 DM   1 MORDANT (turn 497): WISPER of SWEORDMASTERS (Mannequin, mgr.)
 DM   2 NIANIA (turn 384): ONE BROW of GLORY BOUND TROLLS (DeGotti, mgr.)
 DM   4 JHELUM (turn 498): MARCH MADNESS of SPORTZ! (Guardian, mgr.)
 DM   7 BONSUR (turn 499): PTI of WASTELAND II (The Muffin Man, mgr.)
 DM  10 KOLACT (turn 494): LENNY BAXTER of TOWNSVILLAINS (The Narrator, mgr.)
 DM  21 SUNSET (turn 485): SYRANO BLOODBANE of THE BLOODBANES (Stik, mgr.)
 DM  36 JHANS (turn 459): PINK BEAR of LITTLE GIRLS LIKE... (Shocking Toad, mgr.)
 DM  39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 196): MISS CON DUCK of DUCKS UNLIMITED (Crip, mgr.)
 DM  42 RODEKI (turn 436): GUNSLINGER of KING'S KREW (King Ralph, mgr.)
               (turn 435): ANN ARTICHOKE of DELVERS (Nick, mgr.)
                           YANKEE DAN of CLOWNING AROUND (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
 DM  54 TROCAR (turn 182): MERGEN of THE BLACK COMPANY (Woelfe, mgr.)
 DM  72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 147): 2 PHAT of VERMIN (Sultan, mgr.)

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     Do you realize that now that I am back here on the porcelain throne for yet
another turn that three of the current box of useless tools have more than the
minimum required 17 political points to graduate?  May have to try something special
with one big special graduation party for the entire stable.  That is if we can
survive!  Challenge this turn to the graduating Mergen.  Good luck in Crysalis, old
dude.

Mousetrap
Useless Tool

                                      SPY REPORT

     Like the magnificent Sun, rising upon the Dawn and exiling the Night for a Day, 
I, Novgorodny Vir, return once again!  The boys at THE MUPPETS left the arena 
dejected, after being kicked out of the top spot by USELESS TOOLS.  Good show!  
What's a move up by 4 you ask?  (alright, maybe you didn't ask)  Cause for 
celebration, according to TRADERS OF TROCAR.  USELESS TOOLS had cause to celebrate, 
after NO-STICK TAPE got 14 points by beating WARRIOR-MAGE.  A certain someone should 
cut down on the drinking and practice more, after losing 11 points to SILVERBOLT.  
(Discrete enough, KILLER BEE?) Now I can't insult LAWYER, as it has gloriously dueled 
to the top.  Oh great new Duelmaster!!!  (Stop me if I lay it on too thick) So who 
was the warrior seen charging into immovable walls and challenging dead trees?  
Someone's got a basic problem...   
     A Zenmaster once told me, 'Does not the spinning wheel turn?  And do not the 
little birds cry out?'  Any ideas?  Perhaps the warriors of THE MUPPETS should take 
up some hobbies, as they are the most avoided team...  As a woman of good breeding 
scorns the "warriors" of USELESS TOOLS, so did that sorry team shy from THE MUPPETS 
Is it charming personality?  Conversational abilities?  Good oral hygiene?  Whatever 
it is, MERGEN is the most challenged warrior.   
     Ah, the duel!  The roar of the oppenent, the smell of the crowd!  Those who owe 
MERGEN of THE BLACK COMPANY money and had written him off, take note:  he'S BACK FROM 
THE DARK ARENA!!!  AND he'S MAD!!!  Oh hard!  that to strike a flame, the match 
itself must needs be wasting!   
     All good things must come to an end.  As the seasons change, and the creatures 
of the wild change also, so do I feel a yearning to leave this place.  Like a mixed 
metaphor, and an overtaxed simile, I now bid TROCAR farewell-- Novgorodny Vir  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 LAWYER 2595                  10   6  0   107       PLAGUES (273)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RUBBER BULLET 2503           18   1  0   120       USELESS TOOLS (219)
 MICROSOFT 2483               12   5  0   111       USELESS TOOLS (219)
-FOZZY 2398                   16   7  1   101       THE MUPPETS (20)
-THE LIMPER 1844              20  11  0   100       THE WHITE COMPANY (201)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CERISA 2414                  20  31  1    97       TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MOUSETRAP 2521               13   4  1    90       USELESS TOOLS (219)
-COOKIE MONSTER 262           19   7  0    85       THE MUPPETS (20)
-CROAKER 1898                 12  16  0    81       THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
 NO-STICK TAPE 2541           11   3  1    81       USELESS TOOLS (219)
 IN-LAWS 2593                 10   6  0    80       PLAGUES (273)
 A.O. HELL 2523               11   5  0    79       USELESS TOOLS (219)
-RAVEN CLAW 2461               9  11  1    79       RUNNING AMOK (238)
-RALPH 2397                    9  14  1    77       THE MUPPETS (20)
 SILVERBOLT 2554               9   7  0    70       RUNNING AMOK (238)
-JOURNEY 1900                 14  13  0    69       THE BLACK COMPANY (185)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 LOCUST 2594                   6  10  0    56       PLAGUES (273)
-RIZZO 2405                    8   6  1    53       THE MUPPETS (20)
-IRON TALON 2460              12  12  0    52       RUNNING AMOK (238)
 KILLER BEE 2596               6  10  0    51       PLAGUES (273)
 WIMPERETTA 2655               9   3  0    49       TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
-SLOW GIN FIZZ 2556            8   4  0    44       INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
 DAROSHTAN 2602                8   9  0    43       TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-FIREFLASH 2459                6   6  2    32       RUNNING AMOK (238)
 FIREANT 2592                  6  10  0    32       PLAGUES (273)
-RED EYE 2542                  7   5  0    27       INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
-THUNDERBIRD 2555              5   4  0    25       INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
-ANIAKIN 2386                  3   8  0    25       THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
-WHITE RUSSIAN 2652            4   1  0    24       INDULGENT DRINKS (256)
-SAM 2692                      4   1  0    24       THE MUPPETS (20)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-FOXY LOXELY 2717              3   1  0    22       THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
 PALLADIARUM 2710              3   3  0    21       TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
-AJA 2719                      1   2  0    17       THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
 VIRET 2727                    1   0  0    13       TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
-ZOZZY 2725                    1   0  0    11       THE WHITE COMPANY (201)
-TOM-TOM 2718                  0   2  0     6       THE BLACK COMPANY (185)
-BLACK DOUGAL 2726             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?
MAINAKHA-TE ASSASS 22  0  1 0 DARK ARENA 0          MERGEN 1899           183 NONE    
WIMPLES 2640           7  7 0 TRADERS OF TROCAR 252 NO-STICK TAPE 2541    182         

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Silver Stroke -- Give us details.  Being listed in the newsletter but inactive still
permits challenges.  What's worse, being active in another arena and transferring in
also allows challenges, which is a bunch of malarkey.  But without details, you are
blowing in the wind. -- Crip

     Also, if one member of the team is listed in the newsletter, the whole team is
     considered active, apparently. -- Ed.

The Limper -- See my compatriot, the DM of Xochithlan, he is much better at holding
armour together.  Which I guess is why he wears plate, and mine keeps falling apart.
-- No Stick Tape

Mergen -- No need for an armorer, I find an armourer works better. -- Mousetrap

Killer Bee -- Now that's a scouting report -- A.O. Hell

Fozzy -- Remember to make sure you have a full tank of gas next time. -- Mousetrap

Croaker -- Thanks for being so generous, it's been a while since I've fought here and
thought I might crash and burn. -- Microsoft

Ralph -- With a weapon like that, you'll be going to the dogs. -- Rubber Bullet

Wimples -- What were you thinking?  Do you realize you single handedly knocked our
kill rate from 1 in 50 wins to 1 in 40 wins.  That is not easy to do. -- No Stick
Tape

Lawyer -- (crossly)  Lawyers ALWAYS want it all--you got the win, the skills, the
points.... -- Cerisa

Tom-Tom -- I beat you like a drum, eh? -- Palladiarum

No-Stick Tape -- (whimpering)  You didn't LIKE me.  I could TELL. -- Ghost of
Wimples

Shlow Gin Fizzzzz -- You may a been 'dulgent, but I liked you lotsh. -- Darhostan
P.Sh.  Shpecially the fizzzz.  Got bubblesh up my noshe.

Fireant -- I will have NO MERCY on you. -- Wimperetta
P.S.  Go bite someone else so that you're full of blood when I crush you.

A.O. Hell -- Maybe, but I have fun. -- Daroshtan

Ed., Silver Stroke -- My two cents re challenging.  My understanding was that if the
warrior was listed in the rankings, whether active or inactive, he could challenge or
be challenged.  Once prolonged inactivity (three consecutive turns for the team as a
whole) causes the warrior to drop off the listings, THEN he should be unable to
challenge until he has been back on the ranks again for a turn, which is to say:  I
don't think he can issue a challenge on the turn he returns to action from an
extended vacation.  But I, too, could be wrong.  Strange things happen sometimes. --
Nick, Traders of Trocar

16 June 2004
                             Death Fest Begins July 29/DM 59 T-172

     "You drive a hard bargain Hammer," responded Lord Lian Ki Na-Sul, "but the
Gladiatorial Commission has agreed to re-open DM 58 Delarq Tor as a Slow Arena
exclusively for a period of six months to those Death Fest contestants who fight
their stables at least 67 times out of a possible 75 during the 15 rounds of Death
Fest; on the condition that at least 20 stables qualify for the Illis Iron Stable
Award at the conclusion of the Death Fest and those qualifying managers send a New
Stable to DM 58 Delarq Tor without Cannibalizing their participation in the other
arenas where they have active stables!"
     Hammer felt a certain sense of satisfaction as he studied the ghoulish grin
spreading across the face of Lord Lian Ki Na-Sul; proud Arena Master of the once
dying Illis Arena, as the DM 59 Arena Authority signed the Gladiatorial Commission
papers authenticating the arrangement agreed upon by the two parties presiding.
     "You and the Gladiatorial Commission also drive a hard bargain," Hammer replied
as he reflected upon the prospects of Delarq Tor DM 58 being re-opened as a Slow
Arena with at least 20 New Stables by the Managers who fight their stables at least
67 times out of a possible 75 during the 15 rounds of Death Fest. "I also notice the
clause that for Delarq Tor to be open Exclusively for 6 months to the New Stables
managed by the Illis Iron Stable Award Winners that there must be at least 15 stables
Active each cycle. That is a fair bargain for the opportunity to battle for the
Duelmaster Throne each of those six months before Other New Stables are allowed to
enter Delarq Tor."
     This was a Golden Opportunity for both Veteran and Newbie Managers to pave a new
frontier of Delarq history by qualifying their Death Fest stables in DM 59 with 67
fights out of a possible 75; then for the price of running a stable in a Regular
Arena, continuing to be Active in DM 59 and sending a New Team Roll Up to be a part
of "History in the Making" when Delarq Tor would re-open for its First Turn as a Slow
Arena on November 3rd, 2005.
     Death Fest would conclude on T-186 August 25th, 2005 allowing the Illis Iron
Stable Award Winners enough time to be registered with the Gladiatorial Commission;
whereupon they would be able to submit a New Team Roll Up to the GC to start a New
Stable in Delarq Tor; be able to fight those New Gladiators in the Rookies 2005 Fall
Mailer Tourney; then begin competing for the DM 58 Duelmasters Throne in Delarq Tor
right out of the gate with the November 3rd 2005 T-1 Debut Opening Round.
     Hammer of the First Part had also negotiated with Lord Na-Zul of the Second Part
an agreement that All 10 Dark Arena Monsters and 17 NPCs Characters be re-named by
the Top Ten Death Fest Finishers. [See DM 59 T-171 Newsletter Team Spotlight by
Hammer for the complete listing of Dark Arena Monsters/NPCs and the Official Death
Fest Designation for which Top Ten Finishers re-name which characters!]
     Lord Na-Sul could not hide his delight at the prospects of Death being re-
delivered to his once dying arena during the Delarq Death Fest; the DM 59 Arena
Master agreed that these Death Fest Prizes were but a Small Exchange in Comparison to
the Profits to be made by the local Illis business merchants and surrounding
community from the Anticipated Influx into Illis by the Veteran and Newbie
Managers/Gladiators/Stables seeking to make History in the Delarq Death Fest.
     Nor could Hammer conceal his jubilation regarding the Call Across Alistari being
Answered to Cross Blades and Match Wits with the Devious, the Diabolical, the
Dangerous and the Down Challenging who were being drawn to the Delarq Death Fest to
Fulfill their Delarq Dueling Destiny!
     REMEMBER: Death Fest begins July 29th T-172 with 25 points being awarded to
those who write a minimum 15 paragraph Team Spotlight [including Stable Name &
Managerial Alias in the Storyline!] for the DM 59 T-172 Newsletter [So Make Sure HAL
Does Not Eat any Lengthy Sentences that are Emailed without Proper Formatting; and
the RSI Typist has Plenty of Time to Type Any Hand Written Spotlights; Lest Ye
Discover 0 Points Awarded for a Missing or Incomplete T-172 Team Spotlight!]
     "May Your Blades Be Sharp and Your Wits Sharper!"  -- Hammer/Death Fest
Host/Vendetta Cartel Captain; WordSmith and High Priest of the Crimson Ascension
Family in DM 28

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

MERGEN butchered MAINAKHA-TE ASSASSIN in a crowd pleasing 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
A.O. HELL was narrowly defeated by CERISA in a 2 minute Challenge melee.
SILVERBOLT demolished KILLER BEE in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
LOCUST bested DAROSHTAN in a 2 minute gory Challenge contest.
MOUSETRAP was savagely defeated by LAWYER in a 2 minute master's Title match.
MICROSOFT overpowered IN-LAWS in a 1 minute one-sided struggle.
RUBBER BULLET unbelievably bested VENOMOUS CONCUBINE in a 3 minute competition.
NO-STICK TAPE vanquished WARRIOR-MAGE in a 1 minute uneven duel.
WIMPERETTA vanquished FIREANT in a action packed 1 minute uneven fight.
PALLADIARUM overpowered PRETTY LERONA in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
VIRET handily defeated TROLLBAIT in a 1 minute one-sided bout.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK                  6         TOTAL PARRY       49 -  34 -  0      59  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         PARRY-RIPOSTE     11 -   8 -  0      58  |
|AIMED BLOW                       2         PARRY-LUNGE        6 -   5 -  0      55  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    2         AIMED BLOW        13 -  11 -  0      54  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      2         STRIKING ATTACK   43 -  37 -  2      54  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   1         LUNGING ATTACK    10 -   9 -  0      53  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  1         WALL OF STEEL     10 -  11 -  0      48  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         SLASHING ATTACK   16 -  18 -  0      47  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     0         BASHING ATTACK    15 -  25 -  2      38  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   0         PARRY-STRIKE       4 -   7 -  1      36  |

Turn 183 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-LUNGE        0 -  1         4  TOTAL PARRY    
SLASHING ATTACK    1 -  0     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  0         2  WALL OF STEEL  
WALL OF STEEL      2 -  0     BASHING ATTACK     0 -  0         2  STRIKING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK    5 -  1     TOTAL PARRY        0 -  2         1  SLASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW         1 -  1                                       1  LUNGING ATTACK 
PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  1                                       1  BASHING ATTACK 

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
SLASHING ATTACK  LAWYER 2595                10   6  0  107 PLAGUES (273)
WALL OF STEEL    RUBBER BULLET 2503         18   1  0  120 USELESS TOOLS (219)
STRIKING ATTACK  MICROSOFT 2483             12   5  0  111 USELESS TOOLS (219)
TOTAL PARRY      MOUSETRAP 2521             13   4  1   90 USELESS TOOLS (219)
PARRY-LUNGE      A.O. HELL 2523             11   5  0   79 USELESS TOOLS (219)
AIMED BLOW       WIMPERETTA 2655             9   3  0   49 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is SILVERBOLT 2554.  The most popular warrior this turn 
was LAWYER 2595.  The ten other most popular fighters were CERISA 2414, WIMPERETTA 
2655, A.O. HELL 2523, LOCUST 2594, MICROSOFT 2483, SILVERBOLT 2554, DAROSHTAN 2602, 
RUBBER BULLET 2503, PALLADIARUM 2710, and VIRET 2727.

The least popular fighter this week was FIREANT 2592.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were IN-LAWS 2593, KILLER BEE 2596, NO-STICK TAPE 2541, MOUSETRAP 2521, 
VIRET 2727, PALLADIARUM 2710, RUBBER BULLET 2503, DAROSHTAN 2602, SILVERBOLT 2554, 
and MICROSOFT 2483.

The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:

MERGEN (54-1899) THE BLACK COMPANY (185)