DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 12/02/2008    Duedate: 12/15/2008

AMEN-TEI ARENA

DM-63    TURN-440

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

M.T. LANE
WAYFARERS (248)
(63-2720) [19-22-0,83]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

M.T. LANE                      DREADNAUGHT
WAYFARERS (248)                DESTROYERS (317)
(63-2720) [19-22-0,83]         (63-2693) [1-1-0,28]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

CRUZIA GARDETT                 BOBBY BROWN
WAYFARERS (248)                1949 YANKEES (316)
(63-2748) [13-9-0,80]          (63-2771) [5-2-2,66]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

1949 YANKEES (316)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. DESTROYERS (317)            21
2. 1949 YANKEES (316)          20      1949 YANKEES (316)
3. WAYFARERS (248)             -3      Unchartered Team

                                       DESTROYERS (317)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1 1949 YANKEES (316)        78  43 11 64.5   1/ 1 1949 YANKEES (316)        9  3 2
 2/ 0*DESTROYERS (317)           1   1  0 50.0   2/ 2 WAYFARERS (248)           3 12 0
 3/ 2 WAYFARERS (248)          643 699 14 47.9   3/ 0*DESTROYERS (317)          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[ The Andorian Succession #18 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Andor:

     Herlas enjoyed scrying.  True, it wasn't totally reliable as a way to gather
information, but there were compensations.  To be able to direct his vision anywhere
within a range of fifty or a hundred miles, to skim it above the landscape like a
bird, ah!  It was almost as good as flying.  And one thing this government job had
given him was enough money to buy the very best scrying crystals.
     He paused with his hand on the sphere, reminded by the word "crystal" and a sort
of twinge of concern.  Should he keep an eye on Crystal Fireblade?  She was by way of
being his partner in this, and the night was full of dangers, and he had been around
Korneth long enough to have a better idea how his mind worked....  No, the lady would
consider his watching her, however well-intentioned, to be prying.  Best to leave
that for some later discussion, or a certainty of immediate danger.
     He forced thought of the woman out of his mind and placed the crystal ball on
its working stand, polishing it carefully to remove any fingerprints or specks of
dust.  Amazing how much distortion you could get from little things like that.  He
admired the perfect crystal for a moment, then smiled, flexed his fingers, and
muttered the spell to activate it.
     Andor at night, seen from above.  Rings of light around the palace, Korneth
didn't stint on the oil for the watchlights.  A few lamps along the main streets and
in the courtyards of the best inns.  Mostly a carpet of textured darkness threaded
with the silver of moon-reflecting water.  By day or night, the view from above was
always breathtaking.  But personal indulgence was not his concern at the present.
     He muttered an addendum to the spell, altering what he saw and how he saw it.
Concentrations of magic, that's what he was looking for now.  The view shifted to
shades of gray.  A gossamer ring of lavender, barely visible, marked the outer watch-
spell of the palace.  No spark to indicate that the golem-king was active; it must
have been shut down for the night.  That made sense; as long as it was active,
someone had to be providing power to it.  Some golems were self-powered, eating just
as real people did to provide them with energy, but Herlas knew that this one was not
that sophisticated.  Barely good enough to do the job, and no frills at all.  He felt
contempt; he was no specialist in golem construction, but even he could have done a
better one.  Oh, well.
     No magicians other than himself here in Andor.  That always surprised him.
There had used to be other mages here.  But even a magician who wasn't using his
powers would show up at this range, and there was nothing.  Had Korneth ordered them
killed, or driven off in some way?  Wouldn't that have been too obvious?  No, maybe
not, after all, he himself hadn't noticed their absence until he went looking for
them.  He shrugged, uneasy, and widened his search.  There were bound to be other
magicians somewhere, Fratsfa and, if he could see that far, Zensu, and probably
scattered around the countryside.  Of course, any of them who was paying attention
would feel his scry-spell pass, but that shouldn't cause alarm, magicians did this
kind of thing all the time, to keep an eye on the competition.
     He set his viewpoint moving in widening circles like a soaring bird.  His mouth
twitched in amused recollection.  The first time he'd tried this, he had kept the
circles tight and moved too fast; it had made him so dizzy that he'd fallen on his
face.  Well, he'd been young.  He knew better now.
     The landscape opened before him like a shadowy map.  Andor, the river.  Straight
south to start with, to the northern end of the Daggerspine Mountains.  Few people
lived in that rock land, but there were some, and he recalled... had there not been a
Lord Montar, an independent ruler back before the formation of the Andorian League;
rumor said his only son had taken up the study of magic.  And the castle would still
be there.  Somewhere around... there?  A blank spot?  How odd.  He should probe it
more deeply--  No, he should not.  At least, not now.  Thirty or even twenty years
ago, he would have dropped his current survey to pursue that puzzle, but he had
learned a few things since then.  Finish one job before starting another.  He could
come back to that blank spot later.  Maybe it was some kind of old static defense
around Montar's castle, in which case it wouldn't go away.  And if it did disappear,
that would tell him something in itself.
     Sweep through the western arc of his range--these things were generally easier
if done clockwise, for some reason.  Tarrgir, with a faint smudge of magic hanging
over it like smoke.  North, the mouth of the river, Kati-Tei, the bay.  East.  Forest
there, dark but webbed with faint light.  The forest always showed that blue-lavender
web, he had never figured out why.  But there were bright sparks within it.
Magicians or magical creatures of some kind.  He would have to focus on one and dive
his viewpoint as close as possible to work out which, and it didn't matter.  Whatever
he was looking for, it wouldn't be in the Shewish Forest.
     Through the southeast quadrant, across Fratsfa and back toward the mountains.
Ah!  Fratsfa looked like a bed of hot coals under the spell.  This must be where the
magicians of Andor had gone.  He narrowed his focus, trying for more detail.  Many
different power signatures, most of them low in energy or skill but, as he had
learned the hard way, not to be ignored.  When magic was involved, a strong
motivation could make up for a lot.  He adjusted his spell to scan them more closely.
     Hmm.  A typical unsorted population of magicians, this.  Mostly self-absorbed
and not particularly good or evil.  A few, even on this quick examination, made him
uneasy, and when he was younger, he would have dropped everything to challenge--  But
not now.  Now he had work to do.
     A stronger signature, the strongest he could detect in Fratsfa, and one he
recognized:  Fandil of Ardivent.  He'd never actually met the man, in fact, he had
avoided doing so because of their different orientations, but he would not be
mistaken in identifying him.  Odd to find Fandil up here, he usually stayed closer to
Ardivent.  But given the circumstances and Herlas's present intentions, perhaps the
old mage would make a valuable ally.  Perhaps he should contact--
     It was like running at top speed and going head-first into a wall.  The scrying
crystal shattered.  Where had the barricade come from?  Herlas groped for his mental
balance and failed to find it, collapsing among the shards of crystal,

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

                          ---===ANDORIAN REGIONAL NEWS===---

                                     Duelmasters
                                     -----------
 DM   8 ARKERS (turn 303): GOLDENEYE of BONDAGE (Spawn, mgr.)
 DM  11 ARUAK CITY (turn 607): JON FLUTE of KRILL CAVALRY (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  14 TOBIR (turn 607): WHOLE MUTT of THE DOGHOUSE (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  22 SOLVEN (turn 600): HOT EIGHTEEN of KELLUMBO'S KIDS (Detective Kellumbo, mgr.)
 DM  24 ZORPUNT (turn 596): SOLDIER 8 of MEDAL OF HONOR F3 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  25 LYRATILAN (turn 596): TRELLIN XISS of THE MIDDLE WAY 4 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  26 CALEAM (turn 593): SOLDIER 23 of MEDAL OF HONOR F7 (The Anarchist, mgr)
 DM  30 IAYE (turn 589): BROTHER J.J. of LENPROS (Lenpro, mgr.)
 DM  40 ZENSU (turn 558): NORM THE GNOME of GUARDIANS II (Twig, mgr.)
 DM  41 KATI-TEI (turn 549): RAISE THE ABYSS of THE PLAGUE (Reaper, mgr.)
 DM  46 ARDIVENT (turn 540): ISSARIES of THE TASKMASTERS (Blueface, mgr.)
 DM  52 FRATSFA (turn 250): SIZZLING SUNFLOWER of FLOWER GIRLS (Lady Fern, mgr.)
 DM  63 AMEN-TEI (turn 439): CRUZIA GARDETT of WAYFARERS (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  71 KYR'TERR (turn 204): MESSY MONGREL of DOGS OF WAR (Omega, mgr.)
ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 492): SNAKE CHARMER of KELLUMBO'S KIDS (Detective Kellumbo)

                                      Top Teams
                                      ---------
 DM   8 ARKERS (turn 303): GENERALS (?, mgr.)
 DM  11 ARUAK CITY (turn 607): PUBLIC ENEMIES (?, mgr.)
 DM  14 TOBIR (turn 607): ALL THE MUN'S MEN (The Mun, mgr.)
 DM  22 SOLVEN (turn 600): KELLUMBO'S KIDS (Detective Kellumbo, mgr.)
 DM  24 ZORPUNT (turn 596): KRILL CAVALRY (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  25 LYRATILAN (turn 596): THE MIDDLE WAY 4 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  26 CALEAM (turn 593): MEDAL OF HONOR F7 (The Anarchist, mgr)
 DM  30 IAYE (turn 589): RED DOG GANG (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  40 ZENSU (turn 558): GUARDIANS II (Twig, mgr.)
 DM  41 KATI-TEI (turn 549): THE PLAGUE (Reaper, mgr.)
 DM  46 ARDIVENT (turn 540): BLUVALLEY WARRIORS (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  52 FRATSFA (turn 250): ZERO (Ice Man, mgr.)
 DM  63 AMEN-TEI (turn 439): 1949 YANKEES (Papa Bear, mgr.)
 DM  71 KYR'TERR (turn 204): THE ZOO (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 492): KELLUMBO'S KIDS (Detective Kellumbo, mgr.)

                                   Recent Graduates
                                   ----------------
 DM   8 ARKERS (turn 303): ROCK GLAS HUT FUN of ORCISH IDIOMS (Slugbait, mgr.)
               (turn 302): IMBER LACK of MIDDLE WAY 11 (Jorja, mgr.)
                           CRIMSON MIST of BLOOD RITES (Wretch, mgr.)
 DM  11 ARUAK CITY (turn 606): BARK of BULLDOGS (Kennelworth, mgr.)
 DM  25 LYRATILAN (turn 595): X. ROLPH TUPP of THE MIDDLE WAY 4 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  30 IAYE (turn 588): MAD CARMENCITA of RED DOG GANG (Jorja, mgr.)

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     I resented the comment of M. Chardinee last time, about me needing to work.  But
I did what he suggested, even though it snowed, and by the goddessess, it worked!
The Khalhums Dwarf is not an easy opponent, but I defeated him.

                                   Cruzia Gardett

                                      SPY REPORT

     You elder fighters surely remember me.  The younger ones may call me Olaf 
Modeen.  I return to AMEN-TEI once again!  What's with DREADNAUGHT?  She actually 
beat WAYFARERS' YALO TACTSIE, and walked away with 21 more points from the fight.  
AMEN-TEI, set your sights on M. CHARDINEE.  He'll be happy to entertain all requests 
after defeating CRUZIA GARDETT.  M.T. LANE looked pretty Duelmasterlike as he took 
AMEN-TEI's top spot with 83 points.  Now, what will CRUZIA GARDETT do?  Wouldn't it 
be nice to have live subjects to practice on?  I hear some team is looking into the 
uses of convicted prisoners.   
     If at first you don't succeed, avoid.  That'll get you in the Spyreports.   
     A fighter's lot is filled with strife, revenge, and killing.  Some fighters 
don't accept this.  The best do.  Here's some advice:  study your opponent, master 
many skills, fight dirty.   
     Many other cities have retirement homes for aged warriors.  Any plans here?  Are 
you as tired of reading this as I am of writing it?  Actually, I guess I'm writing it 
before you read it.  Oh, well.  I don't want to overstay my welcome...-- Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 M.T. LANE 2720               19  22  0    83       WAYFARERS (248)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CRUZIA GARDETT 2748          13   9  0    80       WAYFARERS (248)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BOBBY BROWN 2771              5   2  2    66       1949 YANKEES (316)
 RASCHI 2772                   5   1  0    62       1949 YANKEES (316)
 TOMMY HENRICH 2759            8   0  1    58       1949 YANKEES (316)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 HYRAM CARTER 2728            11  19  0    52       WAYFARERS (248)
 BILLY JOHNSON 2758            4   0  1    49       1949 YANKEES (316)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 YALO TACTSIE 2750             6  15  0    33       WAYFARERS (248)
 DREADNAUGHT 2693              1   1  0    28       DESTROYERS (317)
 VALNAKORINE 2761              5  10  0    25       WAYFARERS (248)

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Jorja -- Did you really think you could beat the descendants of Murderers row? --
1949 Yankees

M.T. Lane -- Well just you staved off our shot at 4-0.  Scumming is the only way you
can win. -- Bobby Brown

Yalo Tactsie -- You fight like a girl.  Too much associating with Valnakorine, I
guess. -- Tommy Henrich

Wayfarers -- Guys I sent to the Dark Arena are better than your guys.  Maybe you
should throw in the towel. -- 1949 Yankees

Bobby Brown -- I have no idea what kind of training YOU have engaged in, but you need
more.  Being able to catch the eggs thrown by fans and toss them back is a fine
trick, but it does not win fights. -- M.T. Lane

Tommy Heinrich -- The arenamaster said, "Play ball."  I was looking for a ball.  What
the heck? -- Yalo Tactsie

Raschi -- Just hearing your name makes my hair stand on end and my skin chafe, and by
the time I get that under control, damned if you haven't won the fight.  Neat trick.
-- Hyram Carter

Billy Johnson -- I am at a loss for words here. -- Valnakorine

Krego Dehann, Veteran Mercenary -- The style works for me, and what do I care if it
confuses you? -- M.T. Lane

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

CRUZIA GARDETT was bested by M. CHARDINEE in a crowd pleasing 4 minute fight.
M.T. LANE won victory over BOBBY BROWN in a exciting 3 minute uneven Title battle.
HYRAM CARTER was defeated by TOMMY HENRICH in a 2 minute duel.
RASCHI devastated THE HONEST MERCHANT in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
BILLY JOHNSON overpowered VALNAKORINE in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched match.
YALO TACTSIE lost to DREADNAUGHT in a crowd pleasing 2 minute brutal fight.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK                   3         WALL OF STEEL     11 -   5 -  1      69  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  2         STRIKING ATTACK    6 -   3 -  1      67  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      2         LUNGING ATTACK    22 -  13 -  2      63  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      1         TOTAL PARRY        9 -   7 -  0      56  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    1         PARRY-RIPOSTE      3 -   3 -  0      50  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         SLASHING ATTACK    5 -   6 -  0      45  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     0         AIMED BLOW         6 -   9 -  0      40  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    0         PARRY-LUNGE       10 -  16 -  0      38  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  0         PARRY-STRIKE       0 -   0 -  0       0  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   0         BASHING ATTACK     0 -   2 -  0       0  |

Turn 440 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:

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

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
AIMED BLOW       CRUZIA GARDETT 2748        13   9  0   80 WAYFARERS (248)
LUNGING ATTACK   BOBBY BROWN 2771            5   2  2   66 1949 YANKEES (316)
WALL OF STEEL    TOMMY HENRICH 2759          8   0  1   58 1949 YANKEES (316)
STRIKING ATTACK  BILLY JOHNSON 2758          4   0  1   49 1949 YANKEES (316)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is CRUZIA GARDETT 2748.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was BOBBY BROWN 2771.  The ten other most popular fighters were DREADNAUGHT 
2693, CRUZIA GARDETT 2748, HYRAM CARTER 2728, BILLY JOHNSON 2758, M.T. LANE 2720, 
TOMMY HENRICH 2759, RASCHI 2772, VALNAKORINE 2761, YALO TACTSIE 2750, and  0.

The least popular fighter this week was YALO TACTSIE 2750.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were VALNAKORINE 2761, RASCHI 2772, TOMMY HENRICH 2759, M.T. LANE 
2720, BILLY JOHNSON 2758, HYRAM CARTER 2728, CRUZIA GARDETT 2748, DREADNAUGHT 2693, 
BOBBY BROWN 2771, and  0.

                  MAIL-IN TOURNEY XLVI

INITIATES TOURNEY                      W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
TOMMY HENRICH 2759 (6-0-1)             3  3  0         1949 YANKEES         
BILLY JOHNSON 2758 (1-0-0)             0  2  0         1949 YANKEES         

APPRENTICES TOURNEY                    W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
BOBBY BROWN 2771 (4-0-1)               1  3  0         1949 YANKEES         

DEAD CHAMPIONS TOURNEY                 W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
MEAN JOE GREEN 2477 (9-2-0)            0  2  0         COLOURED PEOPLE      

DEAD INITIATES TOURNEY                 W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
RIZZUTO 2708 (4-0-0)                   0  2  0         1949 YANKEES