DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 12/26/2005    Duedate: 01/07/2006

VALAMANTIS ARENA

DM-62    TURN-373

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

DIO
MIDGETS (356)
(62-3336) [12-8-0,106]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

DIO                            POSITION IS EMPTY
MIDGETS (356)                  
(62-3336) [12-8-0,106]         

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

RELENTLESS                     RELENTLESS
THE BEARS (268)                THE BEARS (268)
(62-4148) [14-8-3,80]          (62-4148) [14-8-3,80]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

THE BEARS (268)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. MIDGETS (356)               24
2. THE BEARS (268)             15      THE BEARS (268)
3. MIKE'S INK (380)             0      Unchartered Team
4. MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)        -28
                                       THE FUDRUCKERS (237)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 2 THE BEARS (268)          314 264 25 54.3   1/ 2 THE BEARS (268)           5  1 1
 2- 1 MIKE'S INK (380)          33  28  1 54.1   2/ 1 MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)       5 10 0
 3/ 3 MIDGETS (356)             60  57  2 51.3   3/ 3 MIDGETS (356)             4  1 0
 4/ 4 MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)      117 136  4 46.2   4- 4 MIKE'S INK (380)          1  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[ + ---:--- + ]H[ Nightfall #11 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

On the south coast of the Ardivent Peninsula:

     Weeks had passed.  The Black Tower had come and gone and come again, sometimes
interfering with shipping, other times ignoring it.  No one ever appeared on the roof
of the tower to demand toll or make any explanation.  No ship was searched, no cargo
seized.  But some ships disappeared, and some were destroyed despite all efforts to
protect them physically or magically.
     "Magic," Ternas d'Aleen said bitterly.  "I hate cases where magic is an
important factor.  There is so very little that an ordinary person can do against
it."
     "Very little?"  Harbad Kore stared at his companion.  "I thought there was
NOTHING we could do.  Except get caught by it ourselves," he added.  "And I still
don't see why WE have to be the ones watching for the tower."
     The assassin shrugged.  "We didn't get out of sight fast enough when the Baron
asked for volunteers."  He looked at the manor house they'd used as an observation
post before and grimaced.  "We're going to put that...chunk of amber out of sight
this time."
     The Ambitious Guard nodded agreement.  The Lady Protector preserved in amber
gave him the creeps.  He couldn't regard her as being truly alive, but neither did
she seem to be completely dead, and anyway, it was indecent.  Not just because she
was nude, either, it was...an insult to HER that she should be displayed like that.
He wondered uneasily what magician she had offended, and how, to have drawn such a
fate.
     More to change the subject than for information, d'Aleen said, "What's the news
around the court about the Black Tower?  Any word from the other Bay Ports?"
     "How should I know?"
     "You're a guard in the Baron's palace.  You must hear things."
     "I'm not supposed to repeat what I hear," Harbad Kore said primly.
     "Bull."
     "Well...I guess this is a 'need to know' situation, isn't it?"  The Guard
glanced over his shoulder.  There was no one behind them, nothing but the forest and
the lane, both drifted deeply with fallen leaves.  "Everyone denies having anything
to do with it.  Transel, too.  Word is that some magician in Valamantis thinks he's
got a clue but can't make it work.  Figures.  Magicians!"
     "So," the assassin mused, "no information and no plan.  Not good."
     Kore shrugged and pulled the heavy wrought-iron key to the old manor from his
pocket.  He scanned up the front wall.  "This place was built to last," he said, "but
it won't, not unless it gets a tenant who cares about it.  A Lady in Amber can't keep
it in good condition."
     D'Aleen shrugged again.  "So long as it doesn't fall down while we're in it, I
don't care," he said indifferently.  "It's just a building."
     "Listen, this is a classic of the Early Medjal era," Kore said.  "It's
HISTORIC."  He slipped the key into the lock and turned it, not without difficulty
and a lot of noise.
     "It's just a building," the assassin said.  He helped his companion push open
the door.  The hinges squealed, and the door scraped heavily on the stone floor of
the hall.  "Where's that light coming from?"  His hand flashed to the dagger at his
waist.
     "Gods!  The amber--it's cracking!"
     "I researched her," D'Aleen whispered.  The assassin was keeping his distance,
circling as far away from the amber as he could and still get around it.  "Everybody
said she was a good person.  Friendly."
     "Then why are you acting like you're scared of her?"  Kore was edging away from
the amber in the other direction.
     "Because it's weird.  The whole thing is weird, and I don't like weird things.
They're unpredictable, and that makes them dangerous."
     The guard opened his mouth to reply, but anything he might have said was drowned
out by the crack and crash of amber shattering.
     D'Aleen stumbled back, cursing.  Kore froze.
     What emerged from the rough block of amber was not the naked woman they'd seen
but an armored woman warrior.  Armored in amber, armed with a sword of amber, bearing
a shield that shone with its own golden light.
     "Tarot mimes!" the assassin whispered.
     "She doesn't look like--"
     "Ace of Lamps in the oldest Wizard's Deck."  He spread his hands wide to show
they were empty.  "Don't even THINK about touching a weapon."
     The amber warrior stood poised, helmet turning back and forth, sword moving
gently.
     "What does she want?" Kore asked.
     "How should I--"
     "Hello?"  A fist beat on the half-open door, and the cheerful hail was repeated.
"Hello?  Anybody here?  I've come to help!"  A gladiator stepped into the manor, and
his shadow, improbably long and dark, swept down the length of the hall and fell
blackly across the amber light.  Both standbys recognized him, Eclipse, recently
graduated from Ardivent arena.

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     Well, well, M. Chardinee for an opponent, and Duel2Dude for me as a result.  Of
course, with only seven active warriors, this comes as no surprise.  I suppose we're
by way of fading out again.  May the new year be better for Valamantis arena.

                                     Eb Gollu

                                      SPY REPORT

     Greetings, warriors of VALAMANTIS!  Once again I've been called out of 
retirement for my abilities and insights into Spyreporting.  Woof!  MIDDLE WAY 10 
were a bunch of dogs after THE BEARS got through with 'em!  2nd ain't so sweet as 
1st!  What's with TYRION?  He actually beat MIDDLE WAY 10's BALI DARRAS, and walked 
away with 16 more points from the fight.  Laughs were big at MIDGETS while they 
watched TYRION clobber BALI DARRAS.  She lost 15 points and got bruised from objects 
thrown from the stands.  Apparently VALAMANTIS isn't filled with as many gutless 
wonders as I thought.  The Dreaded Duelmaster got 2 challenges this turn!  MIDGETS' 
hatred of MIDDLE WAY 10 surfaced again as DIO challenged VALAMANTIS' top dog.  I can 
barely restrain my enthusiam for MIDGETS' outstanding member, Duelmaster DIO.  
Wouldn't it be nice to have live subjects to practice on?  I hear some team is 
looking into the uses of convicted prisoners.   
     No matter the time or place, men will always duel.  The most avoided team was 
MIDDLE WAY 10.  The bums at MIDGETS couldn't face the challenges from MIDDLE WAY 10!  
No excuse for that!   
     There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit.  Do you want the fighters 
to walk away, or not?  Who will dare fight RELENTLESS, after she returned from the 
Dark Arena?  (For the record 14-8-3 is 80, and has she points) Yeah, yeah, KHALHUMS 
DWARF killed BILBO, who was "too young to die."  Well, he was a fighter, and that's 
what you have to face.  How long have I been here?  I got people to see, places to 
go...   
     Who knows what the future holds for a warrior.  More fights, there's no doubt.  
All work and no play makes Olaf a dull fighter.  Work and play no fighter dull Olaf.  
Olaffighterwork and no play.  Time for my medication, so I'll leave now.  Practice, 
practice, practice!-- Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 DIO 3336                     12   8  0   106       MIDGETS (356)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-BLUE BUTTERFLY 3642           5   0  0   108       MIKE'S INK (380)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RELENTLESS 4148              14   8  3    80       THE BEARS (268)
 EB GOLLU 4138                14  37  0    79       MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)
-JOE C 3331                   12  10  0    74       MIDGETS (356)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GOOD BEAR 4200                6   1  0    52       THE BEARS (268)
 TYRION 3764                   3   0  0    47       MIDGETS (356)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-TATTOO 3334                   9  11  1    39       MIDGETS (356)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RUNAWAY 4229                  3   0  0    32       THE BEARS (268)
 BALI DARRAS 4221              4   5  0    28       MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)
 DANA FRISS 4230               2   1  0    24       MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ERFIN GORAM 4220              3   6  0    23       MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)
 CHIA EDEL 4219                5   4  0    19       MIDDLE WAY 10 (420)
-COOPER 3850                   1   2  0     5       MIKE'S INK (380)

'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
BANDIT PRINCE 25       0  1 0 DARK ARENA 0          RELENTLESS 4148       373 NONE    
BILBO 3763             6  1 0 MIDGETS 356           KHALHUMS DWARF 16     373 NONE    

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Bilbo -- You wretch!  How can you be a midget at more than a foot taller than me? --
Bali Darras
P.S.  Of course, it wouldn't have surprised me if the Commission had taken it into
its empty head to call you a dwarf, seeing that you're more than six feet tall.

Tyrion -- And a spry little fellow you are, too. -- Chia Edel

Cult Member?  Since when?  What cult?  LEAVE him in the sand, I buried him there
because he deserved it.  Talk about RUDE. -- Erfin Goram

Let this be a lesson to you all that embezzlement does not pay. -- Dana Friss

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

RELENTLESS viciously butchered BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
DIO demolished EB GOLLU in a 1 minute gory one-sided Challenge Title melee.
TYRION vanquished BALI DARRAS in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge brawl.
BILBO was narrowly killed by KHALHUMS DWARF in a exciting 2 minute bloody fight.
GOOD BEAR devastated ERFIN GORAM in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
RUNAWAY bested CHIA EDEL in a 1 minute bloody match.
DANA FRISS was handily defeated by AMBITIOUS GUARD 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|
|SLASHING ATTACK                  3         LUNGING ATTACK    12 -   2 -  3      86  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  3         SLASHING ATTACK   12 -   3 -  0      80  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   1         AIMED BLOW         5 -   4 -  0      56  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         WALL OF STEEL      5 -   6 -  0      45  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         TOTAL PARRY        4 -   5 -  0      44  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   1         PARRY-RIPOSTE      4 -   5 -  0      44  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    1         STRIKING ATTACK    6 -   8 -  0      43  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      0         BASHING ATTACK     3 -   8 -  0      27  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     0         PARRY-STRIKE       0 -   0 -  0       0  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      0         PARRY-LUNGE        0 -   1 -  0       0  |

Turn 373 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     STRIKING ATTACK    1 -  2         4  SLASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK    3 -  0     AIMED BLOW         0 -  1         2  LUNGING ATTACK 
                              PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  0         1  BASHING ATTACK 
                              PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  0         1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                              PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  1         1  STRIKING ATTACK
                              BASHING ATTACK     0 -  1         1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
                              TOTAL PARRY        0 -  0         1  WALL OF STEEL  
                              WALL OF STEEL      0 -  1     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
SLASHING ATTACK  DIO 3336                   12   8  0  106 MIDGETS (356)
LUNGING ATTACK   RELENTLESS 4148            14   8  3   80 THE BEARS (268)
STRIKING ATTACK  TYRION 3764                 3   0  0   47 MIDGETS (356)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is RELENTLESS 4148.  The most popular warrior this turn 
was BILBO 3763.  The ten other most popular fighters were RELENTLESS 4148, DIO 3336, 
RUNAWAY 4229, TYRION 3764, GOOD BEAR 4200, EB GOLLU 4138, BALI DARRAS 4221, ERFIN 
GORAM 4220, CHIA EDEL 4219, and DANA FRISS 4230.

The least popular fighter this week was DANA FRISS 4230.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were CHIA EDEL 4219, ERFIN GORAM 4220, BALI DARRAS 4221, EB GOLLU 4138, GOOD 
BEAR 4200, TYRION 3764, RUNAWAY 4229, DIO 3336, RELENTLESS 4148, and BILBO 3763.

The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:

RELENTLESS (62-4148) THE BEARS (268)