DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER Date : 11/20/2003 Duedate: 12/03/2003 ROCANIS ARENA DM-56 TURN-338 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS WORMY BAD APPLES (187) (56-3706) [12-13-2,77] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader WORMY CAPTAIN CAVEMAN BAD APPLES (187) LAFFALYMPICS (402) (56-3706) [12-13-2,77] (56-3753) [4-0-0,40] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite BROKEN TOE CAPTAIN CAVEMAN REDHORSE (207) LAFFALYMPICS (402) (56-3683) [13-18-1,58] (56-3753) [4-0-0,40] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM BAD APPLES (187) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. BAD APPLES (187) 46 2. REDHORSE (207) 17 REDHORSE (207) 3. LAFFALYMPICS (402) 8 Unchartered Team 4. GENERAL SURGERY (267) 0 5. SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) 0 LAFFALYMPICS (402) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1- 1 SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) 27 13 2 67.5 1/ 1 BAD APPLES (187) 9 5 0 2/ 2*LAFFALYMPICS (402) 5 3 0 62.5 2/ 2 REDHORSE (207) 6 9 0 3/ 4 REDHORSE (207) 324 371 13 46.6 3- 3 GENERAL SURGERY (267) 5 5 0 4/ 5 BAD APPLES (187) 270 371 14 42.1 4/ 4*LAFFALYMPICS (402) 3 3 0 5- 6 GENERAL SURGERY (267) 56 82 1 40.6 5- 5 SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) 2 0 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[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #73 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(< Korga: Fist of Kjarran rather liked being hailed as a hero in Korga. It wasn't something he'd expected, which made it even better. Cadal explained to the people-- several times--that the hunter had not been destroyed, only driven off, and that the road was still dangerous after dark, but the Korgans didn't seem to care. They fussed over Fist, cheered when he assured them that Aghtamar, herself a Korgan, had been invaluable in the effort, and generally made a party out of the whole situation. Later that evening, when all the gladiators were so full of food they could barely move (or didn't want to, at least), Fist drew Cadal aside. "These people act like all their troubles are over!" he worried. "The hunter will still be out there, maybe not right away, but he'll be back." "I know that," Cadal said, "and you know that, and more of the Korgans realize it than you might think. But there isn't anything else we can do about it without help." He smiled faintly. "Even the kind of help you had is not exactly what we need here. It was enough for that night, but it was...." He frowned, groping for the right words, then shrugged. "There was power enough, you understand, and the will to help, but it wasn't really the best tool for the job." "What is the best tool, then? If there is one at all." "I think there is a tool," Cadal said, "and I think the man who knows about it is Lord Malcorn. So in the morning we head for Malcorn, and we ask." Zukal: Ghenis watched the ship _Relentless_ ease out into the channel and brushed his hands together. It was bound for Niatoli to further certain interests of the dark cult. On it was Veleks, and Cousin Og, who would look after the small thief...one way or another. Which freed him to attend to other matters. First of those other matters was a meeting with Pelishtekan, the Ferencian who was currently the 'chief priest' of the cult. Ghenis scowled to hide his grimace of disgust. He didn't like the Ferencian. In fact, he loathed the man. But it wasn't necessary to like him, not really. As long as Pelishtekan did his job, nothing else counted. And right now, the man's job was to explain what manner of creature, monster, or whatever was hunting over the lands just north of Zukal. And how the damned thing could be fought and destroyed. It was in the way of certain plans that he had made for the benefit of the dark cult...and of himself, of course. The dark power did not expect his minions to work for nothing but the joy of it. Ghenis left the waterfront behind and wove his way through the twisted and noisome alleys of one of Zukal's poorest districts. The cult always had its centers among the homes of the poor. They were the ones who had something to gain from it, and nothing to lose, from shaking up the old order, after all. Ghenis smiled just a little. He liked shaking things up. The cult was headquartered in a tall narrow building squeezed between other tall narrow buildings. The cellar, which was dark and always damp and divided into tiny rooms no more than six feet square, was used for...storage. More or less. The ground floor, reached by going down half a dozen steps from street level, was the shrine itself. The level above that was where the main work of the cult was done, the plotting and planning, the gathering of information, the good stuff. Above that, two floors of small rooms where members of the cult lived if they couldn't do better for themselves. And on the top floor, the pigeons that carried messages from points as distant as Zuwayza and Murska in the north, Rocanis, Xochithlan, and even Tricorus in the south. Most people had no idea how far the cult reached. Which was another source of amusement to Ghenis. The authorities here in Zukal, the very heart of the cult, had no idea that it was anything more than a handful of dissatisfied commoners meeting to worship some petty godling. Ha! If Bey Sekahos knew how near he stood to the rim of disaster, how fast he was sliding down the slope into hell--! Even the Bandit Princes, who had a clearer understanding of their city, didn't know that the cult was gaining power daily and would soon be ready to make its move. IF the monster north of the city could be dealt with. Ghenis pushed open the door of the old house and stepped toward Pelishtekan's office, batting away the coil of incense that came up from the shrine below. The incense wasn't necessary, just window-dressing added to the cult worship by Pelishtekan. Ghenis didn't care for it. Damned frills! But it did seem to please the lesser members, and of course it added to their "harmless crackpot" image. The Ferencian was waiting for him in the cult's office, simmering with indignation. As soon as the door was shut, he demanded, "What do you think you're doing?" Ghenis raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly, clearing off the other chair and sitting down. "Doing? The cult's work, of course. What did you think I was doing, Pelish?" "In sending Og and Veleks to Niatoli without consulting me, you were--" "--Doing as we agreed was necessary. Niatoli can't be left out of our plans, and we HAD agreed that we should send someone to lay the ground there." "But--" "And it was necessary to get Veleks out of the city before his fear broke the nerve of other people. Cousin Og will keep an eye on him." "If the thief's nerve is broken--" "He'll be fine on Niatoli. The thing he fears doesn't seem to cross water readily." Ghenis leaned forward. "Put aside your annoyance and listen to me, Pelish. The thing Veleks fears--let me tell you about it." He launched into a description of what he had seen north of Zukal, and of what Veleks had been able to tell him. When Ghenis was through, the other man sat in silence for a long moment. Then he shook his head, seeming almost dazed. "I had believed Alastari free of such beings, unaccountable as that freedom had appeared. I supposed it was the Grey Witch's doing, that she had bound them long ago to keep them from interfering in her plans. Why would she loose them now?" "Who knows what the Witch would do? But you do know what this monster--these monsters--are?" "More or less," the Ferencian said, shrugging. "They're remnants of the races that inhabited Ghea before...whatever, the Old Gods or who knows what, started meddling. The ancient scrolls which I have seen in Ferencia speak of them as being the rulers of the world when humans were still little more than beasts living in caves and there were no elves or dwarves here at all." He shrugged again. "Unsupported myth, of course, but it does suggest that they are a very old race. Frankly, if I'd thought of them at all, I would have supposed them destroyed here in Alastari." "Destroyed in Alastari," Ghenis repeated. "That implies that in other places-- such as Ferencia--they are not destroyed, and perhaps not even bound?" "They're BOUND, of course!" Pelishtekan snapped, scandalized. "Er...more or less. Differently in different places, of course. But we couldn't leave them LOOSE." "I can see that," the gladiator agreed. "So, we have these things loose here, but they CAN be bound. Okay, fine. How do we do it?" The Ferencian blanched. "WE don't do it, that is work for great wizards, high priests, men of power--" "And no one in the cult has that amount of power?" Scowling, Ghenis came to his feet and leaned closer to the Ferencian, his hands braced on the desk between them. He gathered up a fist-full of Pelishtekan's tunic. "Are you telling me that the cult doesn't have that kind of power? That it's just a piddling little two-bit cult?" Pelishtekan paled further. "No! No, the cult has that power, but nobody HERE can wield it! And with the Arcanum so weak--" "The state of the Arcanum doesn't seem to be affecting the monsters," Ghenis interrupted in a hard voice. "Any dark god worth his worship should be able to take care of a few monsters, Ferencian. If I find that this is just a small time operation for a small time demon after all, there will be HELL to pay, man, and I will PERSONALLY see that you pay the first installment." * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 478): SCHIZOPHRENIC of DSM4 (The Sandman, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 476): CUNNING CALICO of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 472): MAN O' WAR of TRIPLE CROWN (Sultan, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 472): CRIMSON of PHOENIX (?, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 470): ASH of DELTA DOOM (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 469): LADY DEATHSTRIKE of QUASI-LEGAL OPS (Necron 99, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 234): TERRIBLE TOTOMAC of IDIOTIC ICCERS (THawk, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 461): BUZZARD of THE TAKEN (Stillgard, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 232): GAELIN BLACKTALON of THE NIGHTHAWKS (Firehawk, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 458): STARBREAKER of CALL THE PRIEST (Destitute Noble, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 456): WILD CARD HAMMER of CASINO HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 449): KING BEAR of THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 412): SILVER BELLE of WENSINWASIN (Youngblood, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 209): BINGE N PURGE of EMETICS (Berylstar, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 204): 101 PROOF!! of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 191): IRIADOR of DRUID'S GROVE (Talon Warsmith, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 337): GAZELLE of REDHORSE (Mila, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 317): MARTINE of FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 139): MONGOL HORDE of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 362): NEMESIS of CHAMPIONS from JHELUM (Shadowgate, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 478): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 476): ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 472): GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 472): BLACKHEART'S AXE (?, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 470): none DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 469): NATURE'S WRATH (?, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 234): KESSEN (Iker, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 461): none DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 232): WORDS TO THE WISE (Wordsmith, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 458): DEVIL ADVOCATES (Dark One, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 456): CASINO HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 449): THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 412): KORGAN CRUSADE (Jack Wolfspider, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 209): MIKES MORGUE (Mike, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 204): COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 191): TEAM VIRTUE (Boy Scout, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 337): BAD APPLES (Uncle Wolf, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 317): FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 139): DHOOMZDEY (Fizban, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 362): MEOW MIX, etc. (Sylvester Frothingslosh, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 478): SCHIZOPHRENIC of DSM4 (The Sandman, mgr.) GWEN RYDER of DREAM PARK (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 476): CUNNING CALICO of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) CAT FANCY of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) FASTER PUSSYCAT of ARENA FELINES II (Garfield, mgr.) PERSONAL BEJEEZUS of ESTIMATED PROPHETS (Chazz Frothingslosh, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 469): INBRED FRED of SPECIAL ED (PTFT, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 233): LUCKY LUCIEN of CANADIAN BACON (Firehawk, mgr.) POLARIS of ASTRONOMY DOMINE (Razorback, mgr.) RAPAX of THE PENTARCHY (The Pentalque, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 231): DELWYNNDWN of THE NIGHTHAWKS (Firehawk, mgr.) GILGAMESH of THE STORMBRINGERS (High Lord Bosk, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 458): LINDEN of FISHERMAN'S WHARF (Jorja, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 456): WILD CARD HAMMER of CASINO HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 449): KING BEAR of THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 411): HEMERA AHKISAR of TERMAGANT VOTARY (Noachian, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 208): IPECAC of EMETICS (Berylstar, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 204): BEAR KEEPER of CARNIVAL (Carny, mgr.) (turn 203): JUMBO MUMBO of SPOONERTIKS (Spawn, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 337): GAZELLE of REDHORSE (Mila, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 139): SUNGLASSES of FOUND IN THE SAND (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.) (turn 138): I.O.U. of ALPHABET SOUP (Crip, mgr.) SPY REPORT Well, what are you looking at, ROCANIS? Ain't you never seen Snide Clemens before? Ah, shaddup and listen to my news. Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see JAVELINO win a fight and gain 14 points, terribly. And if variety is the spice of life, ROCANIS may be getting bland, as GAZELLE stays top dog in the city. I'm not in a very good mood today, but why am I telling you this? You want to know what's new, don't you, ROCANIS? My mother always told me, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, start talking.' I loved that woman. GENERAL SURGERY, I suppose you'll be glad to know you were this turn's most avoided team. Care to know who is the most afraid of you? And it looks like LAFFALYMPICS avoided them the most this turn. What a pack of would be losers, if you ask me. Hmph. JONATHANNIE was challenged more times this turn than the Duelmaster. Now was the DM insulted or feared? Heh, heh. And we have CAPTAIN CAVEMAN in a challenge, going down 13 points for the fight. Guess what? I thought CAPTAIN CAVEMAN showed great skill and promise when he beat HEDGEHOG. All right, so I slept through it! Big deal! Ah, now we come to my favorite part, where we see all the guys who are dead and gone, and get to see if their team cared. Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess what brave team is developing these kinds of weapons? What does the ROCANIS arena have in common with the inns? It's just as comfortable to sleep in either place. Ha ha ha ha! Just wait 'till next time I show up here, I won't be so nice! So nyaaah! I see the crowds are getting restless, I must leave now-- Snide Clemens DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME WORMY 3706 12 13 2 77 BAD APPLES (187) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -ROYCE GRACIE 3686 10 0 0 104 SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -ELEVEN BLADE 3721 11 4 0 85 GENERAL SURGERY (267) -4-0 PROLENE 2570 20 14 0 84 GENERAL SURGERY (267) -TENACULUM 3735 6 5 0 70 GENERAL SURGERY (267) APPLEMINT 3736 9 3 1 69 BAD APPLES (187) DEADFALL 3685 8 22 0 68 BAD APPLES (187) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -DAN SEVERN 3690 6 1 0 59 SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) BROKEN TOE 3683 13 18 1 58 REDHORSE (207) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MOUNTAIN GOAT 3700 13 14 3 56 REDHORSE (207) -PAT MILETICH 3688 6 1 1 56 SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) -MATT HUGHES 3717 5 1 1 49 SADISTS-OCTAGON (397) JAVELINO 3728 8 5 0 48 REDHORSE (207) CAPTAIN CAVEMAN 3753 4 0 0 40 LAFFALYMPICS (402) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME JONATHANNIE 3747 4 4 0 26 BAD APPLES (187) -NURSE ELAINE 2955 4 2 0 24 GENERAL SURGERY (267) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -CHUX 3726 5 8 0 23 GENERAL SURGERY (267) HEDGEHOG 3748 5 3 0 19 REDHORSE (207) BITTER VETCH 3762 1 0 0 13 BAD APPLES (187) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME HONG KONG PHOOEY 3754 1 3 0 10 LAFFALYMPICS (402) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? PERSONAL ADS Gazelle -- Probably heard this before but you're really hard to hit.... -- Tenaculum Javelino -- That's it! I'm wearing more armor from now on! -- Chux Applemint -- Wow, I can't believe I got the jump on you with only an exp Init (and wearing full plate). I was so surprised I almost forgot to pull my back-up weapon and almost lost the fight! That Battle axe sure works for me. -- 4-0 Prolene Hong Kong Phooey -- The side order of noodles was a mistake. -- Jonathannie 4-0 Prolene -- Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we seeing a lot of you? Does this carry the danger of addiction? -- Applemint, slightly worried Broken Toe -- Just helping to break up those kidney stones. -- Wormy Mountain Goat -- (snicker) -- Deadfall P.S. What do you do when the other goats come along to butt heads with you? Surrender at once? 4-0 -- Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of a little orchard down the river a few miles, and maybe a pancake house for travelers. -- Dumpling P.S. Come on by and help me test recipes. 31 October 2003 Come one, come all, to the greatest contest in Alastari! The Third Annual Turf War will be in North Fork (DM 47) starting in about 6-7 turns.... C'mon and get your team some experience, and get declared! More info available in North Fork's newsletter. Bloody Sands. -- Asmo Dius, TCB 13 November 2003 Let it be known far and wide, that the Warrior TUM 18-7380, the Champions Runner-Up for the recent Tournament, is managed by none other than Shocking Toad. I named this fabulous warrior after my friend and mentor, TUM, a.k.a. Don! Sorry TUM didn't get me my first TC; however, a runner-up with all those sandbaggers is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. -- Shocking Toad, The Manager 13 November 2003 All -- This is to announce that I am no longer a member of the Vendetta Cartel Alliance. I have enjoyed my time there, and I've made some great friends. Their company will be missed, but they will endure. I wish them well. -- Apex LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS CAPTAIN CAVEMAN viciously subdued HEDGEHOG in a 4 minute Challenge fight. HONG KONG PHOOEY was demolished by JONATHANNIE in a 1 minute Challenge melee. GAZELLE defeated WORMY in a 2 minute master's Title duel. APPLEMINT devastated MOUNTAIN GOAT in a 1 minute one-sided fight. DEADFALL demolished BROKEN TOE in a 1 minute mismatched competition. JAVELINO vanquished RABID GOPHER in a exciting 1 minute bloody mismatched fight. BITTER VETCH handily defeated TROCARAN DESERTER in a 1 minute uneven fight. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |LUNGING ATTACK 4 AIMED BLOW 6 - 1 - 0 86 | |BASHING ATTACK 2 PARRY-LUNGE 3 - 1 - 1 75 | |TOTAL PARRY 2 SLASHING ATTACK 7 - 4 - 1 64 | |AIMED BLOW 1 TOTAL PARRY 16 - 13 - 0 55 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 8 - 7 - 0 53 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 29 - 26 - 2 53 | |STRIKING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 2 - 0 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 WALL OF STEEL 15 - 17 - 1 47 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 BASHING ATTACK 10 - 12 - 0 45 | |WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 6 - 8 - 1 43 | Turn 338 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: AIMED BLOW 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 3 5 LUNGING ATTACK PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 BASHING ATTACK SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 STRIKING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 1 TOTAL PARRY BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME SLASHING ATTACK APPLEMINT 3736 9 3 1 69 BAD APPLES (187) STRIKING ATTACK JAVELINO 3728 8 5 0 48 REDHORSE (207) LUNGING ATTACK CAPTAIN CAVEMAN 3753 4 0 0 40 LAFFALYMPICS (402) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is BROKEN TOE 3683. The most popular warrior this turn was CAPTAIN CAVEMAN 3753. The ten other most popular fighters were WORMY 3706, JAVELINO 3728, JONATHANNIE 3747, APPLEMINT 3736, BITTER VETCH 3762, DEADFALL 3685, HEDGEHOG 3748, HONG KONG PHOOEY 3754, MOUNTAIN GOAT 3700, and BROKEN TOE 3683. The least popular fighter this week was BROKEN TOE 3683. The other ten least popular fighters were MOUNTAIN GOAT 3700, HONG KONG PHOOEY 3754, HEDGEHOG 3748, DEADFALL 3685, BITTER VETCH 3762, APPLEMINT 3736, JONATHANNIE 3747, JAVELINO 3728, WORMY 3706, and CAPTAIN CAVEMAN 3753. The following warriors have traveled to ADVANCED DUELMASTERS after fighting this turn: GAZELLE (56-3701) REDHORSE (207)