DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 02/11/2020 Duedate: 02/24/2020
AMEN-TEI ARENA
DM-63 TURN-724
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
JERK
EXCLAMATION! (350)
(63-3426) [22-10-2,92]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
JERK RHO TELESCOPII
EXCLAMATION! (350) TELESCOPIUM (374)
(63-3426) [22-10-2,92] (63-3447) [3-1-0,25]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
JERK HELP
EXCLAMATION! (350) EXCLAMATION! (350)
(63-3426) [22-10-2,92] (63-3470) [0-2-0,2]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
EXCLAMATION! (350)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. EXCLAMATION! (350) 39
2. BAD ATTIFOOD (376) 33 EXCLAMATION! (350)
3. WAYFARERS (248) 18 Unchartered Team
4. SATAN'S SAINTS (377) 11
5. WORLD BLADES (331) -6 BAD ATTIFOOD (376)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0*BAD ATTIFOOD (376) 3 0 0 100 1/ 1 EXCLAMATION! (350) 6 4 0
2/ 1 EXCLAMATION! (350) 261 120 17 68.5 2/ 2 WAYFARERS (248) 6 6 0
3/ 3 WAYFARERS (248) %1071 %1172 23 47.7 3/ 0*BAD ATTIFOOD (376) 3 0 0
4/ 4 WORLD BLADES (331) 9 12 1 42.9 4/ 3*TELESCOPIUM (374) 2 6 0
5/ 2*TELESCOPIUM (374) 3 6 0 33.3 5/ 4 WORLD BLADES (331) 1 1 0
6/ 0*SATAN'S SAINTS (377) 0 1 0 0.0 6/ 0*SATAN'S SAINTS (377) 0 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
Dark Stoicism
The giant sword cut a furrow into the dirt. The night's light reflected from a few
patches on its slowly rusting blade, which rose out through an upturned mouth. The
ricasso head stretched past a crossguard of outstretched hands. The stylized fighter
handle stood on a pommel skull. Two beefy hands grasped the figure's body. The sword
was massive, like the warrior holding it, called Stoic. The sword was sleek and
battle-worn, the warrior was bloated and uncertain. Towering though he was, even under
plates of armor, fat rolls peeked out. One might wonder if the cook decided to go to
war while the soldiers stayed in the kitchen.
Stoic looked back. His manager, memory, had been there just a moment ago, but the tree
line had misted over, obscuring the entrance. He shrugged under the weight of the
armor and looked through his helmet. The moonlight was bright on a clearing in the
forest. All was deadly quiet, night mist roiling. His sollrets clunking through patchy
grass occasionally broke the silence. It would be serene, but he could feel eyes
everywhere and the promise of death. This was not a quiet forest and certainly not the
boisterous and sandy arena he normally fought in. This was the Dark Arena, final
resting spot of the failed gladiator.
* * *
"I can do better. I can! Please!" Stoic pleaded but memory was unmoved. "My decision
is final. You don't have the desire to live a life of war. You have not grown into the
gladiator name I gave you." Stoic was on his knees, begging, searching memory's
unseeing eyes for hope. Memory's mouth tightened as he let out an almost imperceptible
sigh. He pulled the hood of his tight black cloak over his head, turned, and drifted
away.
"Wyvern, please. Surely you can save me?" The trainer put a hand on his shoulder. With
Stoic on his knees, he and the diminutive trainer were eye to eye. An immortal warrior
with many years and many deaths behind her, she did not harbor his fear of the
unknown. "Today's fight is over. Tomorrow we will train for the next." She locked eyes
with him, passing on some of her inner resolve. "Come," she bade, as she led him from
the infirmary back to their training hall.
* * *
A biting pain seared through an exposed flap of skin on his stomach. His mind had
wandered away from the fight. His opponent, a Dark Arena champion, had entered
silently. An elf stood before him, two feet shorter, but standing tall and towering
above Stoic by confidence and bearing if not physical height. He might have been a
glimmering angel, moonbeams dancing on exquisite silver mail. The elf brought his
needle-thin sword up, hilt to face, blade skyward, in honorable warrior salute. He was
sure he had won, and everyone knew it. He had time to honor the walking dead.
* * *
Old Wyvern snaked a short spear under his guard, stopping just short of cutting. She
always used her deadly spear, even in training, such was her skill and control. He had
a greatsword, blunted for training, but massive. "I can barely move it. How can I
train or fight if it's too heavy?" He felt a familiar and painful whack from the blunt
end of Wyvern's spear. "Don't blame the sword. Desire victory and the sword will
move." She struck again and he moved to the side, not moving the sword so much as
standing it in the path of the attack. The parry was unorthodox but successful.
"That'll do. Now strike!"
* * *
Stoic tried to recall his training as the fight continued. It wasn't working. He was
bleeding profusely. He fell back on his reserves of strength and willpower. Slash,
cut, smash... the elf was striking every weak spot in his armor, inflicting damage at
will. Circle, stab, circle, slash, circle, cut. Stoic had been on the ground twice
before struggling to his feet, stumbling and throwing up defenses with little success.
He felt frustrated and clumsy but kept defending. Maybe the attacks were coming more
slowly...
* * *
The arena crowd was restless, only moderately attentive to the morning's rookie
warriors. The sand worked its way between his toes. He was just a boy. His parents did
not love their son so much as an arena bounty. Stoic was scared and slow and the man
in front of him wished him harm. And harm he did. Stoic cowered behind his shield,
without even a weapon. "It's better this way. Rely on your hands. I want to see what
you can do," memory had said. Stoic was bruised and bleeding. His opponent was more
tired than injured, exhausted, really. Under a slowly diminishing rain of blows, Stoic
heard calls from his teammates. "Now strike!" They were yelling frantically. He peered
over his shield to see his opponent, sweating, breathing heavily, grip loosening on
his sword. The attacking gladiator overextended above his head, ready to deliver
another hacking, unopposed blow. Stoic roared upward to his full height, at the same
time sending his shield through the surprised gladiator's face. Blood spattered, he
flipped once and landed face down with a thud, sword flying end over end to land ten
feet away. The crowd gasped for a moment then roared. His team roared. He looked to
see memory, gazing forward blindly as always, but clearly smiling at him.
* * *
Back in the night mist, he was tired and hurt. After a long fight, minutes under this
barrage. It must happen soon. Stoic knew he would die. But he wasn't dead yet. He saw
the elf circling, waiting for another attack. He saw the moonlight and the trees. He
felt the watching eyes. He felt memory and old Wyvern and his team. He knew they could
see. He felt his opponents and all the gladiators in him for this moment. He felt his
parents, who only saw in him a mouth to feed. He saw the high elf, still glistening,
now with sweat -- still looking down on Stoic -- looking down not with haughty
indignation as before, but the desperation of a man trying to chop down a stone tower
and just realizing his error. Stoic saw not confidence but desperation. For the first
time, resignation gave way to fury. "Strike Now," he heard in his mind.
The elf leapt forward, blade flashing. Stoic spun to his right, pulling the massive
blade in his wake. The elf and his blade shot through the spot Stoic had been, then
turned back in disbelief at the unexpected life in his easy quarry. "Strike Now,"
Stoic thought, as he continued his spin, continued his fury, pulling the blade full
circle, letting out a roar that called all the judging eyes to witness.
The blade felt warm in his hand. He struggled to catch his breath. The arc of the
blade had pulled him another half circle away from his opponent. He looked back at the
elf, ready for the next attack. The elf's body stood, head lying on its shoulder, neck
detached entirely where the blade had hewn through. The head's eyes were still open,
judging differently now, askew. Immortal these Dark Arena champions were, and
immortality makes death an odd thing. Stoic fell to his knees, sobbing. The fight was
over. And it might never end.
-- memory
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
What is this?! The Commission keeps giving me these twinkle-toed, pansy Stand-Ins
to fight, and I keep fooling them by giving the poor NPCs a win now and then. Since
attaining this throne, I have beaten Kung-Fu Master and Veteran Mercenary, and have
bowed to a Virgin and a Dwarf. Gotta be careful who you beat nowadays or you get
exposed on social media. I ain't no dummy!
I just hope I can get outta here pretty soon and not have to put up with this
stuff anymore. See? Everybody is some sore of jerk anymore.
-- Jerk, DMIV
SPY REPORT
Hail and well met warriors of AMEN-TEI! Know me for who I am, Zontani Sharp
Eyes, Spymaster extraordinaire of all Alastari. My praise to WAYFARERS for their
3-1-0 week this time out. Indeed, it was a skillfully fought round deserving of
notice! I could not but notice the fine record for BAD ATTIFOOD (3-0-0) after their
first round of combat. May the gods of war favor you in AMEN-TEI! SHUCKS caught the
eye of many in the gladiatorial commission as she skillfully bested RHO TELESCOPII
and was awarded 21 points in recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels,
SHUCKS put down RHO TELESCOPII, causing her to lose 19 points of recognition in the
process. Not for nothing has JERK in the past laid claim to the Duelmaster's throne,
and this week he's proven his combat skill yet again. Heed this! A seer has warned
that if exactly 6 die in duels this week, the whole city shall perish! Just
remember...5 or 7!
Many and various are the arts of battle. In AMEN-TEI "art" is a word that has
long since passed from the language! My inside sources tell me that the team to beat
in AMEN-TEI these days is WAYFARERS. At least, most blades in town are looking to
avoid them. Methinks more than a few here could name the guild it was that spent the
better part of last week avoiding WAYFARERS. Indeed it was EXCLAMATION!. Loose talk
at the arena has reached my ears and it but confirms the knowledge that many fighters
are after SUPERIOR. Watch your back!
What warrior does not hone his years, impatiently waiting for the moment of his
foe's mortality? Fate is a fickle mistress. She showers the miserable with fortune
but sets enemies against the victorious. Remember this!
If it were not for my skills as a spy I would have been mugged three times
already in AMEN-TEI. Nice atmosphere you have here! Sadly warriors, now longer can
I keep thy company nor savor the ale of thy fine city. Depart I must and soon! Till
next we meet remember - the pen is mightier than the sword, but a maul is a different
story!-- Zontani Sharp Eyes
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
JERK 3426 22 10 2 92 EXCLAMATION! (350)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
OOPS 3466 7 0 1 79 EXCLAMATION! (350)
POOR STRANGER 3464 8 4 0 67 WAYFARERS (248)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BARRETT INCH 3455 9 4 0 64 WAYFARERS (248)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SHUCKS 3469 3 3 0 47 EXCLAMATION! (350)
-PSHAW 3451 11 6 0 43 EXCLAMATION! (350)
PICKLES AND ONIONS 3453 6 14 1 39 WAYFARERS (248)
CLOUD SHADOW 3467 7 2 1 38 WAYFARERS (248)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SUPERIOR 3128 2 2 0 27 WORLD BLADES (331)
RHO TELESCOPII 3447 3 1 0 25 TELESCOPIUM (374)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
IT'S NACHO CHEESE 3474 1 0 0 15 BAD ATTIFOOD (376)
JALAPENO BUSINESS 3473 1 0 0 13 BAD ATTIFOOD (376)
JOHN BOSCO 3477 0 1 0 11 SATAN'S SAINTS (377)
KINDA A BIG DILL 3475 1 0 0 5 BAD ATTIFOOD (376)
HELP 3470 0 2 0 2 EXCLAMATION! (350)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
FALLING STAR 4 3450 0 1 0 TELESCOPIUM 374 STONE GOLEM 724 NONE
FALLING STAR 5 3488 0 1 0 TELESCOPIUM 374 HIGH ELF 724 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
I guess The Mean-Ole Commission didn't like the personal ads I sent last time? Oh, I
didn't send any? Maybe it was the time before that, or before that... -- Loudmouth
Hey! Hey! Jerk is Duelmaster. He may keep losing to those overqualified NPCs, but he
IS Duelmaster. Hah! -- Loudmouth
Barrett Inch, oh, pshaw! It seemed like a mile to me. -- Pshaw
Cult Member, har, har, har. What a wimpy cult! -- Shucks
On top, baby! on top! -- Loudmouth
That mercenary picked up a lot of tricks in his career, probably what kept him alive.
At least he taught me a couple. -- Poor Stranger
Pshaw -- To coin a phrase. Thanks for the skills. -- Barrett Inch
Rho Telescopii -- I don't see how anyone could row with a telescope. -- Cloud Shadow
Superior -- Since I'm only marginally effective a different weapon would be good. --
Pickles and Onions
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
FALLING STAR 5 was butchered by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
FALLING STAR 4 was butchered by STONE GOLEM in a 1 minute Dark Arena duel.
JERK demolished M. CHARDINEE in a popular 1 minute one-sided Title melee.
OOPS won victory over BARRETT INCH in a crowd pleasing 1 minute brawl.
POOR STRANGER savagely defeated VISITING ORC in a 2 minute veteran vs. amateur fight.
RHO TELESCOPII was vanquished by SHUCKS in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
CLOUD SHADOW beat HAPPY PEASANT in a 3 minute brawl.
SUPERIOR slimly lost to PICKLES AND ONIONS in a 2 minute fight.
HELP was unbelievably bested by KINDA A BIG DILL in a 8 minute beginner's melee.
JALAPENO BUSINESS overpowered JOHN BOSCO in a 1 minute uneven duel.
IT'S NACHO CHEESE overpowered POLITE BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK 7 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|AIMED BLOW 4 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 BASHING ATTACK 9 - 1 - 1 90 |
|BASHING ATTACK 1 STRIKING ATTACK 25 - 19 - 1 57 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 AIMED BLOW 11 - 9 - 0 55 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 TOTAL PARRY 4 - 4 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 7 - 8 - 1 47 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 0 LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 3 - 0 25 |
|TOTAL PARRY 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 724 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 5 STRIKING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 AIMED BLOW
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 BASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 2 - 2 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 TOTAL PARRY
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
AIMED BLOW JERK 3426 22 10 2 92 EXCLAMATION! (350)
BASHING ATTACK OOPS 3466 7 0 1 79 EXCLAMATION! (350)
STRIKING ATTACK POOR STRANGER 3464 8 4 0 67 WAYFARERS (248)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is JERK 3426. The most popular warrior this turn was
HELP 3470. The ten other most popular fighters were JERK 3426, OOPS 3466, POOR
STRANGER 3464, SUPERIOR 3128, PICKLES AND ONIONS 3453, SHUCKS 3469, CLOUD SHADOW
3467, JALAPENO BUSINESS 3473, BARRETT INCH 3455, and IT'S NACHO CHEESE 3474.
The least popular fighter this week was KINDA A BIG DILL 3475. The other ten least
popular fighters were JOHN BOSCO 3477, RHO TELESCOPII 3447, FALLING STAR 4 3450,
FALLING STAR 5 3488, IT'S NACHO CHEESE 3474, BARRETT INCH 3455, JALAPENO BUSINESS
3473, CLOUD SHADOW 3467, SHUCKS 3469, and PICKLES AND ONIONS 3453.
The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:
ELECTRIC (63-3350) POWER (364)