DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 04/07/2006 Duedate: 05/04/2006 TROCAR ARENA DM-54 TURN-206 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS CHAOS WARRIOR EYE OF THE STORM (221) (54-2069) [14-13-3,108] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader CHAOS WARRIOR POSITION IS EMPTY EYE OF THE STORM (221) (54-2069) [14-13-3,108] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite VIRET WET NOODLE TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) LEAKY TEEPEE (307) (54-2727) [16-8-0,84] (54-2844) [6-4-0,33] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM MILLENIUM METAL (304) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. HOLD THAT TIGER (300) 30 2. TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) 28 USELESS TOOLS (219) 3. JANIX (298) 26 Unchartered Team 4. GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) 14 5. SPARF! (310) 14 DOG SOLDIERS (263) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1 USELESS TOOLS (219) 183 87 6 67.8 1/ 9 MILLENIUM METAL (304) 10 5 1 2- 2 CARESS OF STEEL (301) 34 23 1 59.6 2/ 1 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) 10 5 0 3/ 3 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) 154 109 11 58.6 3/ 4 JANIX (298) 8 7 2 4/ 4 SPARF! (310) 82 64 3 56.2 4/10 STEEL REIGN (309) 8 7 0 5/ 6 JANIX (298) 39 33 6 54.2 5/ 6 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) 7 7 2 6/ 5 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) 40 35 1 53.3 6/11 SPARF! (310) 6 3 0 7- 7 RUNNING AMOK (238) 73 66 7 52.5 7/ 5 EYE OF THE STORM (221) 6 8 1 8- 8 SEA DOGS (294) 34 31 3 52.3 8/ 2 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) 6 9 0 9/ 9 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) 191 177 8 51.9 9- 3 CARESS OF STEEL (301) 5 3 1 10/10 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) 35 35 0 50.0 10- 7 SEA DOGS (294) 5 5 0 11/12 STEEL REIGN (309) 35 36 4 49.3 11- 8 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) 4 6 0 12/11 EYE OF THE STORM (221) 62 66 6 48.4 12/14 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) 4 11 0 13/13 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) 20 23 1 46.5 13-12 RUNNING AMOK (238) 3 1 0 14-14 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) 22 28 0 44.0 14-13 POMPOUS PALADINS (277) 3 5 0 15/15 MILLENIUM METAL (304) 79 104 5 43.2 15/15 USELESS TOOLS (219) 2 2 0 Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 16-16 POMPOUS PALADINS (277) 27 50 3 35.1 16/16 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) 1 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[ On the Borders of Night #2 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Morya: Lady Protector Amelia of Dodge Bullets froze briefly, then moved to put the wall at her back. She hadn't expected anyone else to be out on this night, but it wasn't impossible. And she had definitely heard something other than the storm. A voice, though how she could hear anyone speak when there was thunder without end she could not imagine. "Have you forgotten Wolf's teaching so quickly?" the voice whispered. Damn! It was close. Really close. But she couldn't see anything. "Death is not the end of everything," the voice reminded her. "Death is just another kind of life." She had heard Uncle Wolf say that more times than she could count, but this was not the old shaman. Apparently it was a ghost or...something like that. She took a deep breath of rain-scented air and let it out slowly. "I have not forgotten," she said, "but neither was I expecting such an encounter. May I see...some form? I find it disconcerting to talk to a disembodied voice." "On some other occasion, I would be glad to oblige," the ghost said, "but at the moment I need all my energies to resist dissolution. There are powerful forces at work in this night--as you know--and not all of them are friendly or even indifferent to the spirits." "Necromancers," Amelia muttered. "There's been a lot of that going around. When people are...alarmed for a long time, they'll try anything." She looked around carefully, peering into shadows and trying to see through the curtain of rain. Nothing that she could see was out of place for here-and-now, so she stepped away from the wall. A name came to her, without any foundation in quotable fact, but she suddenly knew. "It's Nightshadow, isn't it? What are you doing here?" "I might ask the same of you, Lady Protector! This is not the Isle." "The Isle doesn't need my protection. Morya might." "True." When Amelia moved down the alley again, she had the itch between the shoulder blades that meant someone else, someone unseen, was with her. The ghost, she supposed. Maybe even more than one ghost, there had been deaths enough in Morya over the years to fill the night with ghosts. "You didn't answer my question." A long silence, no sounds but the rain beating on cobblestones, and bouts of wracking thunder. Amelia emerged from the alley onto the lakefront. She knew the lake was there only by the smell of so much water, and the way the wind, freed from the confining buildings, shrieked over the open space. Waves roared onto the shore as though from a storm-lashed ocean, drenching her to the knees as soon as she cleared the alley. She grabbed at the wall to resist the tug of the water as it slid back. "I have been sent by the Lords of the Spirit Realms," the ghost said finally. "There have been...problems. Disappearances. Intrusions. Disturbances and inexplicable disruptions." Very unclear and unhelpful, Amelia thought but did not say. Besides, she had no skills that would be of use in the Spirit Realms. That was a job for Uncle Wolf. "I have heard that the Spirit Land has been closed to the living, to travelers and the like," she said. As she spoke, she groped her way along the buildings from handhold to handhold. The guildhouse had never seemed so far away. "That is a symptom of the problems," the ghost concurred. "And the least of them. The Lords are at cross-purposes now. The Spirit Land has been sealed against the living, but some want to seal it even against the newly dead!" "I can see that this would be a bad thing," Amelia muttered, resting in a doorway because the wind and current were getting stronger and harder to fight. "But what can *I* do about it? I'm alive. I am locked out of the Spirit Land, even if I wanted to go there!" "Yes." A pause. "I need a posse of the Dead," the ghost said finally. "Of those dead who are prepared to fight. And a few of the living as well--I have been provided with...passes for a few living warriors who will fight for the rights of the dead." "Amelia, this is insane. An army of the dead? Led by a few living warriors, to...do who knows what in the Spirit Land?" Young Joan shook her head. "It isn't that I doubt you! Or Nightshadow," she added, nodding toward the faint mistiness that marked the ghost's presence. "But this isn't anything *I* know about, or you either! We need Uncle Wolf for this. Or, hmm, Ghost Dancer. Someone with shamanic training." "But we don't have them here, and you know what Wolf always said. If you don't have what you need to do a job, then figure out how to do the job with what you have. There must be someone else in Morya with ideas about this." Amelia shrugged. "Probably, but they might not be on our 'side', you know. "What? How can anybody be against the peace of the dead?" Young Joan demanded. "There are necromancers," her teammate pointed out. "And any magician who makes golems. And the Orphinacs, who want to abolish death entirely. And--" "Enough, I get the point. Okay, whatever I can do to help, I will. But you'd better come up with a plan!" Readers -- I am rerunning the spotlight that started this storyline in order to restart the stalled line. At this point, I am going forward with it regardless of who does or does not volunteer. If you have volunteers, please note that I will not see a diplo sent care of this arena until the arena runs and mails out again. A diplo sent to the Scribe, no or any arena will reach me faster. If you have email, a message to Livia at reality dot com will also reach me quickly. This story will run only in Morya and possibly Trocar. Well, and maybe Rocanis. Just so you know. -- the Scribe + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Black Sword #9 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + On the plains: Catching the horses had not been a problem. Not for a Rirorni who'd grown up with horses, anyway. Shanks Pony caught them, and everybody mounted and rode off down the little valley. Nobody said anything. Shanks hoped they were thinking hard. He was. His companions had said the war-bird had been sent by a mage of some kind, and they should know. They had experience with such things. All HE knew for sure was that they had a powerful enemy who knew where to look for them. He was uncomfortably aware that while he had wanted an adventure, he had not, perhaps, thought it through all the way. He was not a coward, he knew that and his companions knew it: he had fought in the arena for a year, facing the possibility of death every two weeks. But that had been different. A known risk, coming at him from the front, giving him a fair chance at defense. A demonic bird coming out of a clear sky was...different. It was going to take time for him to get used to such stuff. "Does that attack mean we're doing something right?" he asked. "Because someone tried to stop us?" Redfox asked. When Pony nodded, the older man shook his head. "Not necessarily, especially not this early in the adventure. More like...somebody thinks we might, eventually, do something right and doesn't want to have to keep track of us until then." He shrugged. "Which in a way means that going out to look for the sword is a 'right' move." "Would it be one of Volundagh's shamans that sent the bird?" "Not likely," Barudai said. "But not impossible," Ghost Dancer added. "But if I had to guess, I would suspect Bluesnake first. He could have seen us set out, guessed what we were going for, and decided to take steps." The four of them rode in silence for several minutes, each of them turning over that in their minds. Finally Redfox said, "It doesn't matter who sent the bird. Right now, all we know and all we NEED to know is that we have an enemy who knows approximately where we are." "So he could send another war-bird, or something else, after us?" Pony asked. "Isn't there some way we could hide our presence?" "Such as a 'spell' in the way the city people use that word?" Ghost Dancer said. "No. Even if I knew magic of that kind, which I don't, using magic leaves a trail as clear as hoof prints in mud." "But--" "What about hunting charms?" Barudai asked suddenly. "The kind that hide the hunter from his prey. If we are the hunters and our enemy is our prey...?" "It might work," Redfox answered, "but only if we truly did take our enemy as prey and set out on a hunt." "That is true," Ghost Dancer agreed. "A city-mage can make a spell of concealment that is as mindless and neutral as a shield. But a hunting charm to conceal the hunter from his prey is more specific. Our intentions would make it work, or make it fail if they're not a hunter's intentions." "So we'd have to stop looking for the sword and find our enemy--Bluesnake or whoever--first?" Shanks Pony asked. "Do we even dare do that? Bluesnake is a shaman--" He paused, then turned to Ghost Dancer. "No offense, but you said yourself that you're still in training, not a full shaman. Can we fight a fully trained shaman?" "Yes, if we have to. And I think we do have to," Ghost Dancer said. + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Black Sword #10 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + On the plains: A hunting charm was something Shanks Pony was prepared to use without a qualm. He'd used them before, most Rirorni had. They were as natural as using smoke to hide your scent. Any hunter could make one, although some were better than others. Probably all three of his companions could do better ones than he could, because they had more experience, but at least he would be able to understand what they were doing. He was actually looking forward to that. He would learn useful things. A man didn't pursue shamans and magical swords very often, but he could ALWAYS use a good hunting charm. "So we make hunting charms and..." the next part sent a shiver down his spine, "go after Bluesnake?" "It would help if we had some idea where Bluesnake is likely to be," Redfox said. Barudai nodded. "I've never had any luck with a charm if I didn't know something about where to look for the deer to begin with," he agreed. Both of them looked at Ghost Dancer. The young shaman shook his head. "The closest I could get is that he is probably looking for the Black Sword, too." "That isn't much help," Shanks muttered. "What do we...?" "It isn't as bad as it sounds," Redfox added after a moment. "Apparently Bluesnake doesn't know any more about the sword's location than we do: that it was in Taegskel a few years ago. So he has to go there to look for it, same as we were planning on." "He could just send somebody," Barudai suggested. "No." Ghost Dancer was definite about that. "If you want something like the Black Sword for yourself, you don't send someone else to find it." He smiled grimly. "Anyone who would want the Sword for himself is going to have nothing but unreliable henchmen." "Or dupes." Ghost Dancer hesitated, staring at the horizon and frowning, then shook his head. "Sending a dupe after the Sword would be a mistake, too. The poor fool would probably end up as the Sword's dupe, if I understand the nature of the Sword correctly. Shanks Pony straightened in his saddle, pulling his mount to a stop. "Are WE going to be in danger from the Sword when we find it?" "Yes." That was Ghost Dancer and Redfox together. "But--" "Any person who is near a Black Sword is at risk," Ghost Dancer said. "That is the nature of the Sword. After all, it's a gift, if you want to call it that, from Mytori Iron-Hand. What else would you expect?" "But what are we supposed to do when we find it?" the young nomad asked. "Pray to Shierah and watch each other closely," Barudai said. That was not what Shanks wanted to hear. They were the Good Guys, they should have some defense against an Evil Magic Sword. Or in this case, an Evil Holy Sword, he supposed. He reviewed the ballads he'd grown up with, discarding all those with tragic ends. "Uh...maybe we'll be safe from Mytori because our hearts are pure?" Ghost Dancer choked, Barudai snorted derisively, and Redfox shook his head. It was Redfox who put the answer into words: "Nobody's heart is pure. We're all human, and that means mixed motives, hidden sins, shameful desires, you name it. But those of us who are the 'Good Guys' do the best we can instead of the worst we can." That was an indigestible lump that Shanks Pony would have rejected if he could. But it only took a moment's thought to realize that there were things on his conscience which kept it from being 'pure'. Little things, but maybe it didn't make that much difference whether his mistakes had been little or big? That seemed unfair, but as his fellow tribesmen had often pointed out, life was unfair. He looked around the shallow, brush-choked valley and its grassy slopes, hoping for something, anything, that would provide a different answer. And noticed the clumps of willows moving in a way not explained by the light breeze. "Ambush!" * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===DELARQUAN REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 1 MORDANT (turn 541): MESSIAH of MANNEQUIN'S BEST (Mannequin, mgr.) DM 2 NIANIA (turn 425): GOLDEN SHARK of THE GOLDEN FISH (Nick, mgr.) DM 3 OSKSI (turn 549): HEARTS of GAMES LIBRARY (Nick, mgr.) DM 4 JHELUM (turn 545): FORK BALL of F BALLS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 544): SAMANTHA FOX of PARTY ANIMALS (Crip, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 548): JUSTIN of THE LADY'S LIST (A-Sop, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 545): PINK NOSE of WASTELAND II (The Muffin Man, mgr.) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 540): SADIE of SPRINGBORN (Still, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 531): ODDLY SHAPED BOOB of CENTER FOR OLDS (Suave, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 530): SCYTHE of GRIM FANDANGO (Stik, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 504): OLIVE OYL of OLD SCHOOL TOONS (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 494): GROUCHO of U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 219): HOT AIR DUCK of DUCKS UNLIMITED (Crip, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 482): FOUR OF SPADES of COLOR ME SUAVE (Suave, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 430): ZALGEI of DARK HORSEMEN (Nick, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 205): NICKLEBACK of MILLENIUM METAL (Street Legal, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 193): SOUL SCOURGE of VILE REAVERS (Bobby Bigfoot, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 379): DIED of SRETSAMLEUD (Phat Phat, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 170): 2 PHAT 2 of VERMIN (Sultan, mgr.) ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 423): BOB, ETERNAL of SANDS OF TIME from CLIFFHOME (The Muffin Man, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 1 MORDANT (turn 541): SWEORDMASTERS (Mannequin, mgr.) DM 2 NIANIA (turn 425): THE GOLDEN FISH (Nick, mgr.) DM 3 OSKSI (turn 549): GAMES LIBRARY (Nick, mgr.) DM 4 JHELUM (turn 545): DOGS OF WAR (Nick, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 544): SPORTS GREATS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 548): THE LADY'S LIST (A-Sop, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 545): WASTELAND II (The Muffin Man, mgr.) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 540): QUBIT (Sultan, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 531): SHEPHERDS (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 530): D.R.I. (Var, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 504): OLD SCHOOL TOONS (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 494): U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 219): CRIMINAL ELEMENT (Fizban, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 482): COLOR ME SUAVE (Suave, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 430): RONIN (Rosebud, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 205): none DM 59 ILLIS (turn 193): ISLANDERS (Nick, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 379): LEGION OF LEGEND (Seraphim, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 170): MILCHAMAH (Hammer, mgr.) ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 423): BLACK PRIMERS, etc. (Doc Steele, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 4 JHELUM (turn 544): ALL LICKERED UP of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 544): NORLE PARTH of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Nick, mgr.) (turn 543): HOFFA of JOHNS (Dear, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 531): ODDLY SHAPED BOOB of CENTER FOR OLDS (Suave, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 504): OLIVE OYL of OLD SCHOOL TOONS (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 494): GROUCHO of U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) (turn 493): HARANDUR of JINDA-BAN (Nick, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 481): KANGAROO LIFEBOAT of COLOR ME SUAVE (Suave, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 429): SPIDER-MAN of WENSINWASIN M.H. (Youngblood, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 204): SILVERBOLT of RUNNING AMOK (THawk, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 193): SOUL SCOURGE of VILE REAVERS (Bobby Bigfoot, mgr.) WIMPIRA of ISLANDERS (Nick, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (170): MAKKEH KILLER of MILCHAMAH (Hammer, 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. We now have a new top team for all of you guys to dogpile on. MILLENIUM METAL now holds the crown and they are betting they can keep it. A stormcloud is brewing over the OF WOLF AND MAN guildhouse. Rumor says any more weeks like this ones 1-4-0 may send the team to the Dark Arena. Coming up with a solid 4-1-1 outing, MILLENIUM METAL has advanced 8 places in the rankings. Hey everybody, watch out for DANI, who flew up 27 points in the rankings after mashing SOLID GONE like a melon. Keep your eye on this gal. And falling like a basher in the top ten was FACELESS MAN, who dropped 16 points after a disappointing (to say the least) bout with SHARK. In front of all the crowds, CHAOS WARRIOR took the Duelmaster's crown for its own. I give the bum two weeks. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but an onion a day keeps T.P.s at bay. Let's dig a little deeper into what's happening in the TROCAR arena. Death is kind of like a new puppy: he's always around wanting to play. (Ha Zontani, how's that for a wise saying?). The audience likes blood and there was plenty of it covering SOLID GONE as he was driven to an early grave by DANI of the JANIX. On a sad note, SOLID GONE found an early retirement at the hands of DANI this week. I wonder what STEEL REIGN will be doing about it? Here's some advice: warriors with little wit and will may encounter problems on the trail to the Isle. 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. See ya next time I'm on this circuit!-- The Unknown Spymaster DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME CHAOS WARRIOR 2069 14 13 3 108 EYE OF THE STORM (221) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -NO-STICK TAPE 2541 16 4 2 131 USELESS TOOLS (219) -A.O. HELL 2523 16 5 1 130 USELESS TOOLS (219) -RUBBER BULLET 2503 18 1 0 120 USELESS TOOLS (219) VIKING RAIDER 2885 8 2 0 105 SPARF! (310) MOUSETRAP 2521 18 9 1 92 USELESS TOOLS (219) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -THOR RAVENBLADE 2781 7 5 1 89 CARESS OF STEEL (301) NICKLEBACK 2815 15 18 1 87 MILLENIUM METAL (304) WIMPERETTA 2655 20 15 1 86 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) -NYALL BLOODGRIN 2782 10 2 0 85 CARESS OF STEEL (301) VIRET 2727 16 8 0 84 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) WICKED SLICE 2876 9 6 0 84 STEEL REIGN (309) MADAM VENUSIA 2887 15 10 0 81 SPARF! (310) -RAVEN CLAW 2461 9 11 1 79 RUNNING AMOK (238) -IRON TALON 2460 14 15 0 76 RUNNING AMOK (238) NEVILLE 2908 7 4 2 73 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) PHOENIX 2909 8 3 0 70 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) PENELOTHE 2838 8 5 0 68 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -HARPOONER 2747 8 5 1 66 SEA DOGS (294) WRONG WAY 2754 10 5 0 61 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) VENTURIA 2878 10 5 0 58 STEEL REIGN (309) HERMOINE 2855 10 9 0 57 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME DANI 2918 6 2 2 56 JANIX (298) TONY THE 2778 11 3 0 54 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) WOODS 2776 7 7 0 53 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) SHARK 2777 8 6 0 51 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) -BLACK FLAGGER 2746 4 9 0 50 SEA DOGS (294) WASTELANDER 2134 12 9 1 48 EYE OF THE STORM (221) SYSTEM OF A DOWN 2897 10 2 0 47 MILLENIUM METAL (304) -SHELLBACK 2744 8 5 0 47 SEA DOGS (294) XYCO 2899 7 5 1 47 JANIX (298) -MOCHAOMHOG 2616 5 11 1 47 POMPOUS PALADINS (277) SNIR 2784 11 3 0 46 JANIX (298) ENVI 2786 6 8 0 45 JANIX (298) SKORINDELLE 2742 10 6 1 43 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) EVERGREY 2801 10 7 0 43 MILLENIUM METAL (304) -SNOW LEOPARD 2759 6 3 0 43 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 2802 5 12 0 43 MILLENIUM METAL (304) -HAVELOCK THE DANE 2614 4 12 0 42 POMPOUS PALADINS (277) FACELESS MAN 2753 10 5 0 40 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) -RUNNING WATER 2846 5 4 0 40 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) -FUNGI WARRIOR 2848 5 3 1 36 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) -SIR LOIN OF BEEF 2618 9 7 1 35 POMPOUS PALADINS (277) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -OLGERD VLAD 2780 9 3 0 33 CARESS OF STEEL (301) WET NOODLE 2844 6 4 0 33 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) VICTORIAN MANDARIN 2911 5 4 0 33 SPARF! (310) -FIREFLASH 2459 6 6 2 32 RUNNING AMOK (238) DARISTAM 2837 6 7 0 32 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) -CERBERUS 2835 4 5 0 32 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) YAHOO WAHOO 2733 3 3 0 32 USELESS TOOLS (219) -JAWS 2788 6 3 0 31 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) WALLAMALOOS 2912 5 3 0 31 SPARF! (310) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME NEVER DIE 2756 7 8 1 30 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) -SIR CASWALLAWN 2617 6 10 1 30 POMPOUS PALADINS (277) RUNE KNIGHT 2915 6 2 0 30 EYE OF THE STORM (221) KESTUTIAS 2920 5 2 0 29 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) HIGHER 2755 6 9 0 27 OF WOLF AND MAN (296) DISTURBED 2929 2 2 1 27 MILLENIUM METAL (304) WRENN 2877 4 9 0 24 STEEL REIGN (309) BENGAL 2775 3 11 0 24 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -LANDLUBBER 2926 3 1 0 21 SEA DOGS (294) -SLASH 2836 5 5 0 20 CARESS OF STEEL (301) TORC 2919 4 3 3 18 JANIX (298) -WASP 2761 4 5 0 17 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) USURPER 2928 3 1 0 15 STEEL REIGN (309) -WET DOG 2845 3 5 0 14 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) SIRIUS BLACK 2921 3 4 0 13 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) -PIT VIPER 2834 2 7 0 13 BATTLE BEASTS 2 (297) -YELLOW SNOW 2847 1 7 0 12 LEAKY TEEPEE (307) IN YOUR TANK 2925 1 4 0 7 HOLD THAT TIGER (300) PIN YIN 2939 0 1 0 1 SPARF! (310) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? COLD HEARTED 2930 0 1 0 CARESS OF STEEL 301 TORC 2919 203 STORM ANGEL 2916 1 7 0 EYE OF THE STORM 221 CAPTIVE RIRORNI 24 206 NONE HAND OF DOOM 2940 0 1 0 EYE OF THE STORM 221 DISTURBED 2929 206 STEEL NIGHTMARE 2927 1 1 0 EYE OF THE STORM 221 GINNY WEASLEY 2924 204 REVENGED GINNY WEASLEY 2924 2 3 2 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 308 CHAOS WARRIOR 2069 205 FINNIGAN 2615 3 10 0 POMPOUS PALADINS 277 NEVILLE 2908 202 NOT REVE SWASHBUCKLER 2743 7 6 2 SEA DOGS 294 THOR RAVENBLADE 2781 205 LOOPY 2923 0 4 0 SPARF! 310 TORC 2919 204 SOLID GONE 2879 7 8 3 STEEL REIGN 309 DANI 2918 206 SCEPTRE 2917 0 4 0 STEEL REIGN 309 DANI 2918 202 NOT REVE PERSONAL ADS We are so disgusted with our results last round that we are taking a hiatus from excessive personals. -- Hold That Tiger WOODS, SHARK, IN YOUR TANK, Hold That BENGAL, TONY THE Tiger We are sorry to see that the NCAA wimped out and did not place certain local teams on probation. What is this world coming to? -- Vet, Manager, Hold That Tiger 0-5! Consortium Elders, we suggest that getting rid of manager Vet might help. Clearly there can be no problem with the warriors. -- Hold That Tiger WOODS, Hold That Tiger SHARK, Hold That Tiger IN YOUR TANK, Hold That BENGAL Tiger, Hold That TONY THE Tiger You are all wimps! Get with it! Kill Mommy dearest. -- The Con Man Out Of TP -- Thank you for the bloodfeud challenge. It was important to me to get all the easiest matches I could get. Wal-Mart Forever! -- Slash Prices Norman Bates -- Find someone on a team you think you can beat, Bud. Meanwhile, chug one for me! -- College Bash TPing Feline -- That was a totally wrong! And yet another reason as to why all cats should e annihilated. -- Tot Al Parri Maximillian -- Arrgh! I think I'm going to personally blame you for sabotaging our team's attempted appearance last turn and throwing a monkey wrench into Crip's plans for me. He says he mailed in his last turns from your reasonable vicinity on 25 Feb, which should have been in plenty of time to make the deadline, but the friendly neighborhood scribe at RSI tells us the strategy sheets didn't arrive until 15 Mar. Now I'm going to have to fight this turn in order for the team to qualify for the iron manager award, and the boss didn't want that to happen. -- Viking Raider Kat -- And Kat got my tongue too! Although Crip's crap may have missed turns in 28, 59, 7 and 21 because of Maximillian's sabotage, we see that Hal let ads/dm columns go through for the other slow arenas, but let you intercept the ones destined for here. Aargh! -- Madam Venusia Stik -- There's actually at least 3 of my warriors that I'd like to keep fighting outside the contest, and I have no knowledge whatsoever about the replacement for Loopy, so I'm going to hold back on divulging the information. The reason I brought Sparf! here was because I was interested in getting them some experience, and I wasn't going to move them out of Seam without just cause. -- Crip Trocar -- But those that have been on Sparf! during the contest, well that's another story. Loopy -- 17-9-11-17-9-12-9 Poor Endurance, Good Damage Basher, 0-4 here, getting killed by Torc. Mel -- 15-11-6-5-15-21-11 Good Endurance, Normal Damage lunger that went 5-0 here before getting DA'd. Krazy Kangaroo, 8-14-10-21-10-8-13 Poor Endurance, Normal Damage Parry Strike, former DM of Seam that went 0-3 here, getting killed by Wimperretta. The Borg -- 12-15-10-17-7-8-15 Poor Endurance, Normal Damage Parry Rip who was 1-1 getting killed by Solid Gone. -- Crip, mgr. of Sparf! Kat and Janix -- Barring some miracle, you're coming out the winner of this little shindig. Congratulations to you on a well fought year, enjoy the rewards!! -- Stik and Steel Reign Evergrey -- I beat a TP! I can die happy now... -- Solid Gone Disturbed -- Gaaghhh!! Was that YOUR girlfriend?!?? You trying to turn me into a woman or something?!?? -- Usurper Silverbolt -- I would have to run into the outgoing Duelmaster, no doubt trying out his new faves.... -- Wicked Slice All -- As promised, here's my lot as of the 11th cycle, I hope others have heeded the call and submitted their stuff. If not here, you can post it on the D2 site: Solid Gone, LU 13-6(+1)-11-21-15-8-11 norm end/good dam., 25/14/14/9/17/10, 0-2 in tourneys coming in, 7-7-3. Did well early on and was a killer, but despite doing good damage and a LO likely fave, was unable to take down most scum, and STILL hasn't learned a single attack skill. Disappointing for my flagship warrior.... Wicked Slice, SL 12-10(+1)-10-14(+1)-17-6-17, good/good, 15?/7/18/7/16/10, no tourneys, 9-5-0. A nice SL who showed some knack despite being hosed in init and looking mode everywhere else. Was going to burn WT to 15 but he shot up fast and had a lot of fights against higher FE guys, so stuck with skills. I'd like to graduate him some day. Venturia, PS 11-13-11-17-13-4-15, norm/norm, 11/7/8/18/8/13, no tourneys, 9-5-0. Again with surprising knack, he started off 6-0 running hot but then hit a skid, recovering when I switched to a more defensive strat to counter all the strikers. I love pikers, and he did well overall. Wrenn, PL 9-11(+1)-14-15-15-4-17, norm/good, 13/7/17/19/10/4 +1 att +1 par, no tourneys, 3-9-0. One of my downfalls, damn I suck at these! Should've used my DA on him right away but the numbers looked good.... No strat seemed to work well, he couldn't take down scum and got jumped and pummeled by everyone else, couldn't lock on a fave weapon either. Usurper, AB 11-10-8-15-9-10-21, poor/good, 8/9/17?/6/9/9 +? att, no tourneys, 2-1-0. A decent replacement for my dead godling, Sceptre. My two dead: Sceptre, SL 15-3-13-21-15-6-11, norm/great, 14/7/20/1/7/10 +1 att, died at 0-4. Is there anything worse than a pud godling?? I couldn't believe my luck getting this as a replacement for Incline at the time. Three embarrassing scummings and then he gets pasted by Kat's striker. Had no knack to speak of and couldn't hit anything, should've made him a striker with that 3 CN/15 WL. My biggest mistake in this contest aside from trying to salvage my plunger.... Incline, AB 13-13-8-15-7-7-21, norm/norm, 7/7/15/8/11/7, 3 tourney Fe, died at 2-3-1. Not much to say, another decent dead aimer. This was an old existing team I transferred in from Malcorn for the contest. Should have had a good TP and/or striker on board like most everyone else, then I might have stayed in contention. I'm disappointed with my overall performance given the good starting numbers of these guys, but it was an honor to run in the contest, I'm glad I did! Here's to you, Rich. Blades UP!!! All -- It was a great time dueling with you all here this past year. I'd like to stay active but money says not right now, so I return to Sunset. Hope to see you there, everyone! -- Stik Street -- Fine contest, and a fitting tribute. -- Kat Cerebrus -- Be glad I was in such a giving mood. Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like it when I'm angry. -- Torc (JANIX) Storm Angel -- Alas, you don't hit well, but at least you make up for it by not parrying well either. -- Envi (JANIX) Pit Viper -- I went 'ZING', and you were all like, 'CLANG', then I went, 'WHOOSH', and you went all 'ZIP' then 'PRANG', which made me have to pull out a, 'WHACK-WHACK' --and you just couldn't handle it, could ya? -- Dani (JANIX) Never Die -- More like 'Never Quit'. Dang, you're persistent! -- Snir (JANIX) Skorindelle -- You can be my wingman anytime. -- Xyco (JANIX) Dani -- Ahhh...the story of my short life. -- Pit Viper Harpooner -- Well, at least it was action packed. -- Snow Leopard All -- Certainly hope Rillion got the paperwork in to get me brought back to life and entered onto the sands in time for this turn's fights. -- Oliver Wood of Gryffindor House2 All -- This is in case Oliver did not get brought back and we need to make sure we got a personal ad in from an active warrior. -- Hermoine of Gryffindor House2 Nickleback -- You can just TAKE your old nickel and shove it where the sun don't shine! -- Wimperetta, seriously annoyed at having been confronted with a bloodless golem Neville -- You're a half elf? I would NEVER have guessed that. No pointed ears, not even HALF pointed. So (winking), does that mean the OTHER half of you is elvish? -- Viret Shellback -- What's the deal with the backs? Nickleback, shellback, probably others. Backs aren't what count. It's the front where stuff happens, decisions are made, actions taken, all that stuff. -- Penelothe Xyco -- You're saying I should have bought that stock when it was available? You might be right. But that would have been sensible, and I don't do sensible things. I'm a gladiatress, after all. How not-sensible can you get? -- Skorindelle Wasp -- Sorry to get carried away like that, but I've got this "thing" about wasps. -- Daristam P.S. Funny, you always hear about the nasty things lady wasps do, but what about the men? ARE there any male wasps? Other than the ones wearing suits and working in cubicles. Chaos Warrior -- But then chaos tipped in MY favor again. It's all back and forth, no steady advance. Of course, as a cat, I am well able to deal with apparent chaos, using my superior feline ability to see beyond the surface to the reality beneath. -- Viret P.S. If the hatchet works for you, then by all means use it. Blackstorm -- (pause to search back and see what we were talking about) Ah! No, I mean the really bad Bad Guys who rip the helpless souls out of.... Oh! You ARE one of them. Gosh. Well...how does Doomrunner feel about being made into a golem? Lots of people would rather go on to whatever their gods offer as an afterlife, you know, especially when they've earned a Safe Pass to the better neighborhoods. -- Skorindelle P.S. But if Doomrunner's soul was consenting, I guess it's okay. It's the "against their wills" bit that's really bad. Wastelander -- I don't know what the question was, but the answer is: to be bitten! I will be glad to oblige you but a little nip now and then. -- Wimperetta Xyco -- Good! The post office thanks you. -- Skorindelle Wastelander -- Sorry the sight of my opponent's blood just...makes me grin. -- Nyall Bloodgrin Viret -- All the warriors of Caress of Steel were named for famous warriors from our manager's past stables, just another small way to honor my friend Rich. Now, if you hold still a moment I'll give him a 21 bash salute. -- Thor Ravenblade All -- Three or four turns with no personals, running only four warriors the last half of the contest, not really paying attention, equals one lost contest. -- Maximillian Sea Dogs -- A pirate is never as good a fighter on solid ground, Swashbuckler never had a chance. -- Thor Ravenblade Wrenn -- A bad matchup for you, too bad. -- Olgerd Vlad All -- It appears that my hot-headedness has gotten me disqualified. I realized just after I dropped off the envelope. Not that I'm sorry or anything. It's just too bad that it was more of a kill-fest than a friendly tournament, but dat was de rules! I will apologize to our host for the ungracious BF challenge I made to Rillian. At least I got some satisfaction from seeing Ginny cut to pieces. -- Blackstorm Ginny Weasley -- I thought such a remark would come from you. Well now you can have nightmares forever and ever. -- Chaos Warrior Daristam -- (wink) Wasn't personal at all. Cats are nice, but I'm a dog lover myself. Know any were-dogs or maybe a rare were-wolf? -- Storm Angel Street Legal -- Thanx a bunch. I was pretty sure too, but like I said, I'm all o'er the place. Sorry I disqualified myself, but my bloodlust got away from me. -- Blackstorm P.S. I'll not interfere until the end (i.e. challenging). Envi -- Ow, ow, ouch! I see torchlight coming soon. -- Storm Angel Sir Loin of Beef -- Tough meat makes me poot a lot. Nice try. -- Rune Knight Phoenix -- I have to stop using Decise Tactic. Not bad, but I can do better. -- Wastelander Bengal -- Meoow, hiss, hiss, scratch. -- Rune Knight Rillion -- Well sir, one more turn and you will have your own chance. Do you remember your remarks when you killed Battleblade? I still don't understand how you killed him that easily. Same vs. Steel Nightmare. There was no chance your Slasher should have even gotten the jump, let alone kill. You must be one "good" manager. -- Blackstorm Skorindale -- It seems my spirit shall never die, unlike those golem suits. Yes, you can put me in an adventure in any way you wish. I'm retiring. -- Spirit of Doomrunner 24 March 2006 A few notes about e-mailed personals: You may submit personal ads, columns, spotlights, etc. electronically, either via e- mail to ads at reality dot com (which doesn't need any more spam, thank you) or on the web at http://www.reality.com/duel2/modules.php?name=Ads. When you submit something, you should get back a receipt from HAL at RSI. If you do NOT get a receipt, your ads may have gone astray (not all e-mail makes it to its destination any more than all snail mail does). If you DO get a receipt, it should, in the body of the message, tell you what arena your stuff was filed in. Check your receipt to make sure your submission made it to the intended destination. Also check to see that everything you sent made it to the same place. Sometimes HAL, who is rather simple-minded in some ways, will send half your stuff to another arena if the name or number of that arena shows up at the beginning of a line. So if the word Ti appears at the beginning of a line halfway through your ads, all the ads after that may end up in Ti, which is closed and doesn't need ads. As a side note, sometimes things move slowly, so don't wait until the last minute to send your ads and all. If they get held up along the way, they may not show up until next turn. Happy writing! -- Ed. 28 March 2006 We of the Desolate Empire Alliance want to welcome two managers to our fold. Kon of the Empire Rising, and Osiris! May they be blessed with the blood of their enemies, and give no quarter in War! -- Dark Knights of the Desolate Empire LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS STORM ANGEL was viciously butchered by CAPTIVE RIRORNI in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight. NICKLEBACK was vanquished by CHAOS WARRIOR in a 1 minute uneven Title battle. VIKING RAIDER subdued VIRET in a crowd pleasing 1 minute expert's fight. PHOENIX was bested by MADAM VENUSIA in a exciting 3 minute one-sided fight. WICKED SLICE was unbelievably bested by MOUSETRAP in a action packed 5 minute brawl. WIMPERETTA devastated TONY THE in a 1 minute mismatched match. WRONG WAY slimly lost to NEVILLE in a 2 minute gruesome fight. PENELOTHE won victory over WASTELANDER in a 1 minute duel. SYSTEM OF A DOWN unbelievably bested WET NOODLE in a popular 6 minute gruesome duel. SKORINDELLE viciously subdued YAHOO WAHOO in a popular 4 minute brutal fight. FACELESS MAN was overcome by SHARK in a 6 minute bout. RUNE KNIGHT was savagely defeated by ENVI in a 5 minute brutal match. WALLAMALOOS was devastated by WOODS in a 1 minute mismatched conflict. SOLID GONE was murdered by DANI in a 1 minute mismatched match. SNIR was savagely defeated by HERMOINE in a unpopular 17 minute gory conflict. VENTURIA viciously subdued XYCO in a 3 minute bloody bout. EVERGREY viciously subdued HIGHER in a exciting 5 minute bloody fray. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE devastated NEVER DIE in a 1 minute one-sided brawl. VICTORIAN MANDARIN savagely defeated BENGAL in a 2 minute brutal match. DARISTAM beat TORC in a popular 1 minute match. WRENN overcame SIRIUS BLACK in a 3 minute competition. KESTUTIAS devastated IN YOUR TANK in a 2 minute one-sided bout. DISTURBED slaughtered HAND OF DOOM in a 1 minute one-sided match. USURPER handily defeated PIN YIN in a 2 minute uneven duel. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |TOTAL PARRY 12 TOTAL PARRY 71 - 44 - 1 62 | |STRIKING ATTACK 7 PARRY-LUNGE 17 - 13 - 0 57 | |LUNGING ATTACK 6 WALL OF STEEL 44 - 36 - 3 55 | |BASHING ATTACK 5 LUNGING ATTACK 47 - 41 - 4 53 | |AIMED BLOW 4 STRIKING ATTACK 65 - 61 - 8 52 | |WALL OF STEEL 4 AIMED BLOW 30 - 29 - 1 51 | |PARRY-LUNGE 3 SLASHING ATTACK 22 - 29 - 2 43 | |SLASHING ATTACK 3 PARRY-STRIKE 8 - 11 - 0 42 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 16 - 26 - 0 38 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 BASHING ATTACK 33 - 55 - 3 38 | Turn 206 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 4 3 STRIKING ATTACK AIMED BLOW 3 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 2 - 3 1 PARRY-LUNGE PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 4 1 WALL OF STEEL PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 1 SLASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 6 - 6 1 TOTAL PARRY WALL OF STEEL 2 - 2 1 BASHING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 1 AIMED BLOW 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME STRIKING ATTACK CHAOS WARRIOR 2069 14 13 3 108 EYE OF THE STORM (221) SLASHING ATTACK VIKING RAIDER 2885 8 2 0 105 SPARF! (310) TOTAL PARRY MOUSETRAP 2521 18 9 1 92 USELESS TOOLS (219) AIMED BLOW WIMPERETTA 2655 20 15 1 86 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) PARRY-RIPOSTE VIRET 2727 16 8 0 84 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) PARRY-LUNGE MADAM VENUSIA 2887 15 10 0 81 SPARF! (310) BASHING ATTACK NEVILLE 2908 7 4 2 73 GRYFFINDOR HOUSE2 (308) WALL OF STEEL PENELOTHE 2838 8 5 0 68 TRADERS OF TROCAR (252) PARRY-STRIKE VENTURIA 2878 10 5 0 58 STEEL REIGN (309) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is VIRET 2727. The most popular warrior this turn was WET NOODLE 2844. The ten other most popular fighters were WICKED SLICE 2876, SKORINDELLE 2742, EVERGREY 2801, PHOENIX 2909, ENVI 2786, VICTORIAN MANDARIN 2911, IN YOUR TANK 2925, VIKING RAIDER 2885, MADAM VENUSIA 2887, and WRONG WAY 2754. The least popular fighter this week was SNIR 2784. The other ten least popular fighters were HERMOINE 2855, SHARK 2777, PIN YIN 2939, HAND OF DOOM 2940, NEVER DIE 2756, HIGHER 2755, SOLID GONE 2879, WALLAMALOOS 2912, RUNE KNIGHT 2915, and YAHOO WAHOO 2733. The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn: VIKING RAIDER (54-2885) SPARF! (310)