DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER
Date : 08/29/2003 Duedate: 09/11/2003
JURINE ARENA
DM-61 TURN-312
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
THE BUM
FAVORITE GUYS (186)
(61-3178) [9-14-0,73]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
THE BUM MMMMMONKEYS!
FAVORITE GUYS (186) FUZZY WARRIORS (367)
(61-3178) [9-14-0,73] (61-3255) [1-0-1,21]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
THE BUM DARWIN
FAVORITE GUYS (186) FAVORITE GUYS (186)
(61-3178) [9-14-0,73] (61-3219) [8-6-0,48]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
FAVORITE GUYS (186)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. FUZZY WARRIORS (367) 34
2. PISSED AT WORK (360) 17 SADISTS F2F (353)
3. FAVORITE GUYS (186) 16 Unchartered Team
4. SADISTS F2F (353) 7
5. BLACK PEARL (330) 0 FUZZY WARRIORS (367)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0*FUZZY WARRIORS (367) 2 0 1 100 1/ 1 FAVORITE GUYS (186) 10 5 0
2/ 1 SADISTS F2F (353) 13 2 0 86.7 2/ 3 PISSED AT WORK (360) 3 1 0
3/ 2 PISSED AT WORK (360) 23 8 1 74.2 3- 2 BLACK PEARL (330) 3 2 0
4- 3 BLACK PEARL (330) 49 60 5 45.0 4/ 0*FUZZY WARRIORS (367) 2 0 1
5/ 4 FAVORITE GUYS (186) 318 397 7 44.5 5/ 4 SADISTS F2F (353) 2 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
>)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #67 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<
Near Zukal:
After the thing--shadow, demon, whatever it was--left, Ghenis sat and stared
into the night for a long time. He kept the fire up, even though he didn't need it
for heat; fire might be a defense, and the thing might come back. He stayed awake
just in case that happened; this wouldn't be the first night he'd gone without sleep.
Better to be tired in the morning than dead. And he had some serious thinking to do.
He glanced around his campsite quickly. The horse was calm enough now, no need
to worry about it running off. Besides, it would have to get past him to get out of
the enclosure formed by the broken walls. Veleks was asleep, or unconscious, and
just as well. The little thief was a useful tool, but not for thinking.
What was this thing that he'd seen, that had driven Veleks, who feared water, to
risk drowning rather than be caught? He'd been thinking of it as a sort of demon,
but what sort? His defenses here would stop natural predators such as wolves, but
not demons; for that, he should have needed something magical. Could his amulet have
been protection enough? He didn't think so, especially since he hadn't called on the
power behind it. So was this... thing some kind of natural predator? And if so,
where had it come from? Why had it appeared now when there was no indication of such
a creature prowling the area in the past?
And what would it DO to its victims besides drive them into a frenzy of terror?
Was that all it wanted, or would it have killed Veleks if it had caught him?
And most important of all, what use could he and his masters make of this new
thing?
Come morning, and even the gray and rainy light was welcome, though. Ghenis
wanted to get back to Zukal as quickly as possible. With Veleks riding double with
him on his one horse, that wasn't as quickly as he hoped for. He thought of leaving
his henchman at one of the smaller towns outside the city--his cult had contacts in
several of them, and there were hangouts for thieves in general where the man would
have been accepted if not welcomed. But Veleks wouldn't have it. He would stay with
his leader who had rescued him from the monster, and not in some flimsy village inn.
Suggestions that they part company always resulted in the little thief bursting into
tears, which was damned embarrassing.
Veleks was being a nuisance, so much so that Ghenis found himself wishing the
little thief had died yesterday. The man's nerve had been broken, and Ghenis was
beginning to wonder whether the break might be permanent. That would spell trouble
for all involved. There was no place for a broken man among the servants of the dark
cult.
The obvious thing would be to kill the wretch. But the gladiator found it hard
to follow through on that while Veleks was looking at him so gratefully. It would be
like kicking a puppy, and while he was prepared, in theory, to kick puppies if that's
what needed doing, it wasn't an easy thing to contemplate in cold blood. Perhaps he
could send Veleks somewhere far away, to some place where the little thief could be
sure of never meeting one of the monsters again. Hmm, if water provided safety,
perhaps he could send Veleks along with a mission to Niatoli Island that was in
preparation.
Yes, Niatoli Island would be the place for Veleks now. He'd see about getting
the thief onto the next ship headed that way.
Near Malcorn:
Blackie, Lord Malcorn of Malcorn, stood next to the ancient stone and waited for
the moon to rise. It would be full tonight, and he knew, because he knew most of the
natural world around Malcorn, that when it reached a certain height above the
horizon, it would shine through the hole in a more distant rock and strike squarely
onto the face of the rock beside him, revealing carvings that had been old when the
first Lord Malcorn came to this land. The records of his ancestors said that the
Dregur were accustomed to gathering here when the moon was just so.
"I must be insane," Tiljanz muttered behind him.
"Courage and a sense of responsibility often looks like madness," Blackie
agreed, "even to the people exhibiting it. You didn't have to come here tonight, but
you felt it was the right thing to do. I can respect that in a man. A lot."
"Will it do any good?" the young Karnhorn asked curiously. "We've turned the
Dregur loose, and I'd think it hard if not impossible to rein them back in."
"We turned them loose under terms," Blackie said. His voice hardened, becoming
the voice of the Lord of Malcorn. "They have not kept those terms. They were to
attack only those who came here following Inzolas. That a few innocents might get
caught in that net by accident was... almost inevitable. But some of the Dregur have
been actively hunting those not indicated by the terms of their release." He was
silent for a long moment, then shrugged. "I'm not certain that we can put an end to
these... excesses. But I am very certain that if we don't protest, the situation
will become worse. A failure to protest will be seen as an admission of weakness."
Tiljanz shrugged. It sounded like politics as usual, or at least, the politics
of those he dealt with, the lesser lords within the Glorious Empire. Vicious
infighting was the order of the day in those circles. "I trust your judgment in
this, as I must, of course." He glanced at the sky uneasily. "And I should think we
don't have much longer to wait...."
"No." Blackie watched the moonlight appear in the eye of the distant stone and
slant across the clearing, creeping along the face of the stone beside him. It
wouldn't be long now.
The finger of light slid across the surface and touched the worn carvings, which
leaped into sudden clarity. The little clearing, which had been empty except for the
two of them, was suddenly full of shadows. Or something. Tiljanz could feel the
weight of a dozen minds thinking about him--calculating minds, hostile minds, hungry
ones. He held himself still and quiet with difficulty. This was Lord Malcorn's
meeting; he himself was just present as a witness.
Words came out of the darkness, hollow as caves, clear as trumpets. "Why are
you here, Malcorn?"
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Hmmm, the less than adequate Vladimir Taltos returns only to get his backside
handed to him on the sands of Jurine. Here's an idea, maybe you could talk the
commission into letting you and your slasher buddy, Stone Dog, double-team me, if you
can pull him off of the "stand-in bandwagon" long enough, that is.
Doesn't matter, provided Dr. "No" Guts doesn't have his team avoidin' 353, I'll
have a shot at the "Dog", and I'm sure the outcome will remain the same. I'll be
Duelmaster and everyone else will be where they belong...below me.
On My Way -- The Firm
SPY REPORT
So why do I have this bag over my head? Because I am The Unknown Spymaster and
I'm going to give you a spy report!. Hey everybody, watch out for MMMMMONKEYS!, who
flew up 21 points in the rankings after mashing EMBEZZLING SCRIBE like a melon. Keep
your eye on this guy. Ya know, some days it doesn't pay to walk out on the sands.
MARTINE was overcame by SWINGLINED SUE and drops 7 points. Going for the gusto and
coming up with aught but bloody knuckles was FAVORITE GUYS' THE BUM, who was turned
away from the Duelmastership by ON MY WAY. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but
an onion a day keeps T.P.s at bay.
Here is other news that is of note.
Being a spy is great--other people die and you spend the rest of the day
drinking to their memory. Better tanked than dead! Remember: alliances are great,
but try and take your ally in the arena with you and see what happens.
Well, that wasn't too bad; Alarond told me that the people in JURINE have no
sense of humor. Or maybe that they were senseless. 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
THE BUM 3178 9 14 0 73 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-STONE DOG 2894 14 7 0 91 BLACK PEARL (330)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-VLADIMIR TALTOS 2896 12 7 1 83 BLACK PEARL (330)
-ALPHABETIZED AL 3203 7 3 1 75 PISSED AT WORK (360)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SWINGLINED SUE 3196 8 1 0 66 PISSED AT WORK (360)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
FREDDIE 3096 9 6 0 53 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
DARWIN 3219 8 6 0 48 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
MARTINE 3231 6 2 0 43 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
ANOTHER ONE 3192 7 11 0 42 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-AEKIR 3246 2 0 0 28 BLACK PEARL (330)
-BLADEDANCER 3134 3 3 1 25 BLACK PEARL (330)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-MISTREAVER II 3247 2 0 0 21 BLACK PEARL (330)
MMMMMONKEYS! 3255 1 0 1 21 FUZZY WARRIORS (367)
SMACKY THE BEAR 3257 1 0 0 13 FUZZY WARRIORS (367)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
EMBEZZLING SCRIBE 5 0 1 0 1 MMMMMONKEYS! 3255 312 NONE
BACK-ORDERED BER 3197 0 1 0 PISSED AT WORK 360 BANDIT PRINCE 25 312 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
Alphabetized Al -- Hmm, I would expect to be still standing when you're long gone. --
Freddie
Convicted Assassin? Pooh. -- The Bum
Swinglined Sue -- You didn't have to staple me to the wall. *I* didn't do anything.
-- Darwin
Captured Orc, bah. -- Martine
I hope this clears my debt with the Userous Merchant.... -- Another One
1 August 2003
Assurnasirbanipal invites you to Talcama to participate in the third BATTLE
ROYAL contest. It is a Delarquan contest so brutal that even some of Talcama's most
notable managers will refuse to participate. The rules are simpler than any other
contest: You may not avoid any other contest team. There are no silly rules for who
can and can't compete. Any team in Talcama is eligible to compete. The scoring is
also quite simple (+1 for a win, +1 for a kill (+1 for the win), -1 for a loss) and
the first team to reach 25 points is the winner.
Scoring will be live--the results for the turn posted in the newsletter. The
winner will be able to fight their contest team in Talcama for free for 6 months but
more importantly will win a contest against some of the best managers who play the
game in one of the hardest contests in the game.
First turn for BATTLE ROYAL 3 is Talcama Turn 465, which is due August 30.
19 August 2003
Citizens of Ghea (only the ignorant fail to note Lirith Kai is not in Alastari),
no new day is rising, but the sun is setting on just another beautiful evening.
While you were sleeping, an irksome rabble has entered the always fair Aruak City.
Of course they fought alongside our warriors, most not so treasured, as all
gladiators do. They drank with themselves, and slept with themselves. Whether they
had masks, who cares.
Warriors, don't be afraid. For years Aruak has been one of the safest cities in
Ghea, and that custom has been continually cultivated, and will continue to be by
those who have called it home for years and those who live, fight, and die by the
same ethics. There is no contest, nor has there ever needed to be one for many
years. A conflict of personalities has arisen, and the city has been 'invaded' by
pests.
Any rules that are annouced will be purely for the joy of the lemmings' own
little world. Those who are being targeted have no interest in participating except
to defend the integrity of an arena that is different from others. Whether you
choose to come to Aruak, do it for your own reasons, not theirs.
Competing in Aruak City has never been for the faint of heart or the weak willed.
Combat is combat, wherever you go. Blood will flow as always, and now many innocents
will be caught in the middle, but those who defend Aruak's traditions never target
those who bring respect of Aruaki customs with them to our home.
So ignore the private ranting announcement brought by the stuporous
Frothingsloshers. If you choose Aruak City, do not choose it for an unsanctioned and
bogus 'contest', choose it for the tradition. Choose it because Aruak is different.
Defenders of Aruak
25 August 2003
To any that care -- The CDC is back; our current roster is:
Malaquar -- Minion of Guardian
Pip the Troll -- Burly Enforcer Type
mouse -- Official Sneaky Bastard
Papa Bear -- Elder Statesmen
The Sealer says, "Hi, I'm the dealer."
Papa Bear says, "It's not my f****n fault."
Guardian -- Paper Figurehead
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
BACK-ORDERED BERNICE was butchered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
ON MY WAY vanquished THE BUM in a 1 minute uneven Title battle.
MARTINE was demolished by SWINGLINED SUE in a 1 minute uneven fight.
ANOTHER ONE bested FRATSFA SLAVE in a 3 minute veteran vs. novice contest.
FREDDIE demolished FRATSFA SLAVE in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
DARWIN vanquished AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
MMMMMONKEYS! executed EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
SMACKY THE BEAR overpowered CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute uneven melee.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 - 1 100 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 2 PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 0 - 0 100 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 AIMED BLOW 3 - 0 - 1 100 |
|AIMED BLOW 1 PARRY-STRIKE 7 - 3 - 0 70 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 12 - 6 - 0 67 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 1 SLASHING ATTACK 13 - 7 - 0 65 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 WALL OF STEEL 12 - 7 - 0 63 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 STRIKING ATTACK 14 - 9 - 0 61 |
|BASHING ATTACK 0 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 5 - 0 17 |
|TOTAL PARRY 0 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 312 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 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 SLASHING ATTACK
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 2 LUNGING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 3 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 2 STRIKING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE
1 PARRY-LUNGE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
LUNGING ATTACK SWINGLINED SUE 3196 8 1 0 66 PISSED AT WORK (360)
PARRY-STRIKE FREDDIE 3096 9 6 0 53 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
WALL OF STEEL DARWIN 3219 8 6 0 48 FAVORITE GUYS (186)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is THE BUM 3178. The most popular warrior this turn
was DARWIN 3219. The ten other most popular fighters were SWINGLINED SUE 3196,
FREDDIE 3096, MMMMMONKEYS! 3255, SMACKY THE BEAR 3257, BACK-ORDERED BERNICE 3197, THE
BUM 3178, MARTINE 3231, ANOTHER ONE 3192, 0, and 0.
The least popular fighter this week was ANOTHER ONE 3192. The other ten least
popular fighters were MARTINE 3231, THE BUM 3178, BACK-ORDERED BERNICE 3197, SMACKY
THE BEAR 3257, MMMMMONKEYS! 3255, FREDDIE 3096, SWINGLINED SUE 3196, DARWIN 3219, 0,
and 0.
The following warriors have traveled to ADVANCED DUELMASTERS after fighting this turn:
ON MY WAY (61-3154) SADISTS F2F (353)
FACE-TO-FACE XXXII
Our next Winter Face-to-Face will be held on Martin Luther King weekend, Friday
through Sunday, 16-18 January 2004, at the Embassy Suites in Tempe, Arizona (4400 S
Rural Rd). Room rates are $119.00 per night, 1-2 occupancy, which includes breakfast.
The rooms are blocked. The reservations number is 480-897-7444; tell them you're with
the "Reality Simulations Face to Face Convention" block. Our room block will be
released in mid-December, so please make sure you reserve your room before then.
There is a free shuttle to the airport, as well as free parking. The hotel is
located down the freeway in Tempe. All rooms have high speed internet (for an extra
charge). There is a fitness center, jacuzzi, and pool, and of course a bar and
restaurant inside the hotel. And there's Denny's right across the street. Look for
transportation info in the tournament information sheet.
The tournament information sheet/strategy sheet should be out sometime in late
November/early December.
If you haven't been to a Face-to-Face before, you're overdue. If you have,
you'll be back. Don't miss this one, it'll be a blast! See you there!
-- Green Eyes and the RSI Staff