DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 08/08/2012 Duedate: 08/21/2012 SHADOWSPIRE ARENA DM-81 TURN-146 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS GIGI DIVINE CULT OF BACCHUS (4) (81-613) [31-15-1,114] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader ROSA KLEBB BLUE NOVA BOND-AGE (133) SEARCH THE SKY (136) (81-1765) [13-8-0,124] (81-1898) [1-0-0,22] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite BALTAIRE BALTAIRE CULT OF BACCHUS (4) CULT OF BACCHUS (4) (81-833) [14-13-0,105] (81-833) [14-13-0,105] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM BOND-AGE (133) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. SEARCH THE SKY (136) 40 2. CULT OF BACCHUS (4) 29 BOND-AGE (133) 3. DARQUE AGES (29) 27 Unchartered Team 4. THE WILLBURYS II (127) 27 5. LA PENTARCHIE (11) 25 SEARCH THE SKY (136) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1 BOND-AGE (133) 66 44 2 60.0 1/ 4 BOND-AGE (133) 11 4 1 2/ 2 LA PENTARCHIE (11) 421 300 18 58.4 2/ 3 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) 10 4 0 3/ 4 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) 189 154 7 55.1 3/ 6 MONSTER MANUAL (87) 9 5 1 4/ 5 SUMMERBORN (104) 187 157 18 54.4 4/ 2 LA PENTARCHIE (11) 9 5 0 5/ 6 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13) 394 331 12 54.3 5/ 5 THE WILLBURYS II (127) 8 4 0 6/ 7 DARQUE AGES (29) 325 288 16 53.0 6/ 1 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13) 8 6 0 7/ 8 OTTO'S DINER (96) 217 198 5 52.3 7/ 0 SAVAGE HORDE (134) 8 7 0 8/ 3 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) 27 25 3 51.9 8/17 FURRY FURY (25) 6 3 0 9/ 9 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) 372 354 16 51.2 9/16 DARQUE AGES (29) 6 9 1 10/10 WARMASTERS (15) 364 354 29 50.7 10/ 9 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) 6 9 0 11/13 THE WILLBURYS II (127) 44 49 3 47.3 11/15 LITERATE LOONS (40) 5 7 0 12/11 LITERATE LOONS (40) 339 384 14 46.9 12/ 8 FOOD (130) 5 7 0 13/12 FURRY FURY (25) 223 256 14 46.6 13/11 SUMMERBORN (104) 4 5 0 14/14 MONSTER MANUAL (87) 195 249 8 43.9 14/13 OTTO'S DINER (96) 4 11 0 15/15 FOOD (130) 50 68 3 42.4 15/10 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) 3 7 0 16/ 0*SEARCH THE SKY (136) 2 3 0 40.0 16/ 0*SEARCH THE SKY (136) 2 3 0 Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 17/ 0 SAVAGE HORDE (134) 22 37 2 37.3 17/12 WARMASTERS (15) 1 14 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT It's Time to See The Squid A burly man, wearing black chainmail and a grim expression, paced back and forth across the flagstone floor. His thick neck made crackling and popping sounds when he periodically flexed his shoulders or rolled his head in large circles as he strode to and fro. The room rang hollowly with the echoes from his heavy tread. A spear of light from an upper arrow-port fell against the door, which was shut and barred. A large desk, shaped like a giant arrowhead, was fitted neatly into a corner. Two chairs of substantial size, each with thick arms and generously cushioned, stood ready against one wall near a small, round table. The center of the room was cleared of everything save for the relentless pacing of its occupant. Suddenly, the man stood still and cocked his head. He turned to face the door just as a light rapping came from the other side. He measured the angle of the light against the door with a glance and frowned. Moving smoothly and silently now, the man glided to the door and lifted the iron bar that held it firmly in place. He secured it to the doorframe and, taking a deep breath, opened the door. A short, dark-complexioned man stood in the doorway. He was wearing a simple, unadorned linen tunic that hung to his knees; a wide leather belt and a pair of sturdy sandals completed his outfit. He was a heavy-set man, with more fat and bone than muscle. However, his face was sharply chiseled in strong lines, with arching cheekbones hinting at some Shadowspire nobility in his blood. His mouth formed a small bow; his eyes were large and dark. Generous black curls of hair spilled down across his ears and neck, but they were cut and styled so that his features were unobscured. It was the face of a mysterious cupid. He carried a small, flat, rectangular wooden box in one hand. The other hand was draped nonchalantly across the wide hilt of a heavy, broad-bladed knife sheathed in its scabbard at his waist. The man wearing chainmail took all this in with a sweeping glance as he opened the door. The knife, with the hand lying across it, caused a shadow of a smile to flit across his otherwise dour appearance. The short man was motioned inside and waved to a chair. As he stepped across the threshold he cleared his throat and looked around the small room with undisguised interest. "Well, uh... this is a little awkward," muttered the short man, easing his wide bottom into the cushy depths of a chair as his host closed the door and barred it again. "You're Havoc, right?" "Yeah," growled his host. "You're The Squid, right?" "Uh, well," the short man moved uncomfortably, "It's La'Quidd, actually. It means: 'Great Scholar', or 'One of Great Learning', or---" "Never mind!" grunted Havoc as he grabbed a heavy chair and effortlessly pulled it to face his guest. "Squiddo, I gotta few friends in the arena biz that tell me ya make yer livin' as a talent scout." Havoc stared intently into La'Quidd's wide, innocent eyes. "I do go to the games a lot," he admitted with a small smile and a half-hearted shrug. "So that's why you called me here?" Havoc tilted his wide head and grimaced as if in pain. "Let's not waste each other's time here, buddy. I called ya here 'cause I know ya worked with The Kid on a few things." Havoc sighed as if fighting to control an impulse. "And?" "So I heard ya see things." Havoc glowered into his guest's puzzled expression of injured innocence. "Yeah. I see things." The Squid's eyes were as empty and honest as a clean shot-glass sitting on a shelf, Havoc noted. "Ya do, ya sure do!" He nodded to himself and tapped on the armrest of his chair with a thick finger. "The Kid's been payin' ya for over a year, right?" "Well, uh, yeah, he used to do that, I guess." The Squid looked uncomfortable, Havoc decided. It seemed like he was either trying to figure out a complex chess problem or have an agonizing bowel movement. "But that was over a year ago." "So ya haven't been workin' with The Kid?" Havoc squinted. "Well... let's just say I haven't seen Arcane around for a while," came the cautious response from The Squid. "Besides, we didn't usually meet face to face... and when we did, he usually provided refreshments." La'Quidd blinked and smiled and cast a small shrug towards the empty table against the wall. "Yeah, yeah, I know." Havoc leaned back, glanced up at the rough-hewn timbers in the ceiling, and slapped his palms against the armrests of his chair, causing a thunderous clap to reverberate in the small room. The Squid didn't flinch or change expression. Havoc met his wide-eyed stare and let a small smile trickle across his broad face. "The Kid ain't runnin' things with this new team we're puttin' together," Havoc grunted, briefly clenching the armrests. "I'm the guy in charge," he growled. "Congratulations," nodded The Squid, offering a semi-sincere smile that could mean anything. "And you need me for..." "I need ya to do what ya do!" frowned Havoc hunching up in his chair. "I gotta handful of rookies straight outta yer worst nightmare!" Havoc declared. "I need ya to play 'em up, let the arena geeks think I'm bringin' in a host straight from hell!" La'Quidd shrugged again; his face wore an angelic expression of polite ignorance. Havoc looked to the ceiling and sighed again as he forced down the urge to slap that expression off of The Squid's face. It took a moment. "I need ya to scout my team to the competition," Havoc growled softly. He hunched forward and pushed his face closer to The Squid's. "I need ya to make 'em SOUND better than I know they are, 'kay?! It'll help with the challenges and avoids I KNOW we'll be gettin'. Might help a little with the side bets, too. Think ya can handle it?!" "Um, certainly... I suppose that's within my - um - talents," replied La'Quidd. He fidgeted briefly in his chair, and then opened the rectangular box in his hand. A pair of wax tablets was tightly secreted within the bottom and lid of the box. A small ivory stylus materialized in his soft, plump hand. It poised above one of the tablets. "I just need a few quick facts," replied La'Quidd crisply. Havoc noted that The Squid's tone and manner had changed; now he was more business-like. Havoc leaned back and relaxed slightly. He clasped his fingers together in his lap. "Wadda ya need?" Havoc asked. "First, what's the name of this new team?" "It's called: Search the Sky." "Uummm," La'Quidd hummed as his stylus flew across the wax. "Why that name?" "Uh, well," Havoc scratched his bristly scalp and scowled. "It's sorta a tribute to another team I used to work with in Osksi-" "Okay, okay," nodded La'Quidd. "Now, what about the fighters?" "What about 'em?" "Names, styles, particular idiosyncrasies, that sort of thing." "Huh!" Havoc twisted his mouth as he thought. It looked as if he were chewing on a sour candy. "First, I gotta give it to Blue Nova. She's the pick o' the litter so far." "Style?" "Well, she's a striker," nodded Havoc glumly. "But she's fast!" "Really?" asked The Squid in a bored tone. He wrote quickly and deftly, scratching clear, deep lines into the wax. "Yeah, REALLY!" Havoc insisted. He up sat straight. "She's so fast she can blow out a candle and get into bed before it gets dark!" "Hhhmmmm," nodded The Squid with another polite smile. "Then there's Gravity Vortex. He's kinda an experiment... but I think he's gotta lot of potential." "Style?" asked The Squid in a monotone, let's-hurry-this-up-so-I-can-get-out-of- here voice. "He's a WASTE," Havoc growled. He shot a suspicious look at La'Quidd, which the other ignored. "Look, ya know yer getting' paid for this, right?" La'Quidd looked up slowly from his writing and made the first sincere expression Havoc had seen. It was a brief, condescending smile. "Oh, I know, I know." Havoc closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he held it for a few moments before expelling it with a fierce grunt of effort. "All right, Squiddo, that's enough for today." Havoc pushed himself out of his chair and picked it up. He tossed the heavy chair back into its place against the wall. La'Quidd froze. This time, the crash of the chair caused him to flinch ever so slightly. Havoc's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "What about the rest of the team? And my --- commission?" "Never mind about the rest of the team," muttered Havoc as he turned towards the door. He unbarred it and cast it back. "Ya can see 'em in the practice yards. Make yer own opinion, just make SURE it's a good one, savvy?!" Havoc gestured to the open doorway. La'Quidd quickly closed the box holding the wax tablets; it shut with a sharp click. He pushed himself out of the thick cushions with effort and straightened his tunic as he stood. Havoc noted that his hand strayed towards the knife at his belt. "I'll pay ya when I see what ya write. I seen the boys ya got hustlin' the crowd with yer 'cheat sheet'." "It's a living," murmured La'Quidd with a half-hearted bow. "Yeah, well, we'll see, won't we?" Havoc replied in a gravelly whisper. He stepped away from the doorway. The Squid tilted his head and offered another small, insincere smile as he sailed through the doorway. Havoc stepped to the door immediately after La'Quidd left and slammed it closed. The sound was like a thunderclap; Havoc hoped it caused The Squid's panties to get a little damp. He threw himself into the chair La'Quidd had vacated and wrestled with his anger. The Kid had always dealt with the little weasels like The Squid. Well, The Kid was part weasel himself, mused Havoc with a fleeting smile. His face twisted into its usual, stern expression. Maybe, he thought as he ground his teeth, maybe this 'full-time manager' thing was a little more than he bargained for. Before, all he had to do was train the fighters and bitch to The Kid about their poor quality. Now he was getting a taste of the other side of management, and it sucked rocks! First off, the Gladiatorial Commission controlled the quality of the fighters, and they weren't near as choosy as Havoc. Then there was the haggling over weapons, armor, and food... and now, dealing with the likes of The Squid. "Aaarrrgghhh!" Havoc roared into the air beat and beat his palms against the sturdy armrests. "I hate ya, Kid! I really hate ya!" * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * 6 Months Ago -- The Eastern Deserts The battlefield was shrouded in darkness, save for the torches carried by a number of the soldiers and several magical orbs of light, which circled above lazily at the command of the wizards. The engagement had been a short one, as three huge, lumbering Phase Dragons burst from the nearby caverns and ran straight into the fully prepared army. The archers took a savage toll on the beasts before the elite gladiators charged in to finish the fray. As the soldiers cleared the massive bodies from the cavern mouth a small group of hooded men gathered a short distance away. "There is no question about it. These are creatures from the Kaikwok Gate." said Rillion, thoughtfully stroking his short beard. "I just don't understand how they are accessing our world again despite the gate being completely sealed." Alongside the mage, the manager known as The Greek Guy sharpened a gleaming battle axe. "The Dark One said something about a rift or tear. I'm not really up on Gate Metaphysics, Rill. All I know is they're here and they shouldn't be." "Managerr said they wouldn't be gone long." Added Rascally Rabbit, looking far more sinister than his manager name implied, "and that we needed to hold this area until they got back. So that's what we need to do." One of the scouts shouted a brief warning and the soldiers assumed battle formation once more. The three arena managers stepped back behind a shield thrown up by Rillion and prepared for a second engagement. Within a moment, a snarling wave of Jaguar warriors erupted from the cavern, pouring out toward the soldiers. The Greek Guy took the point and motioned to the troops. "Move to engage! Form up! Initiate Shield Wall! Archers, volley fire!" A cloud of enchanted arrows hissed into the night, and then descended to shower death upon the charging Jaguar warriors. Scores of the beast men went down under the fire but it was just a small fraction of their overall numbers. Within a moment the first ranks of the jaguars leapt upon the prepared troops, tearing and rending with their razor sharp talons and fangs. Despite the massive numbers, the shield wall held, and the gate beasts seemed to be taking the worst of the exchange. After a moment, however, the Jaguar Warriors found some holes in the ranks and burst through, creating havoc amongst the defenders. "Second line-- advance! First line-- fall back!" The first defensive line fell back in an organized retreat, while a second wave of defenders moved up. Within a moment, they formed up to from a second defensive line, while those formerly in the front line moved back to regroup. At the same time, another wave of arrows showered from the sky and cut down the confused Jaguar Warriors. "We learned a lot from the first Gate incursion." Rillion commented to RR. "The Jaguar Warriors can be a terror one on one, but they don't fight well in organized battles. Those enchanted arrows help a lot, too. One shot, one kill." Despite the confident words, the Jaguars were inflicting a savage toll on the soldiers. It was true, that the majority of the troops were gladiators and former gladiators who were now protected by immortality magic, but still if they were consumed by the Gate monsters, there would be no return. As the battle raged, it became clear that there were too many Jaguar warriors for the small army to defeat. Rillion flicked his staff and sent a fireball into the Jaguar's flank. It erupted into a flaming explosion of heat and pressure, sending scores of the beast men flying. As he did so, the Rabbit gathered a nearby troop and rushed to cut off a Jaguar offensive. The Greek Guy motioned for the trumpeters to sound the retreat. "Back up the hill! Form defensive units. Skirmishers forward to slow the advance." "This is not going well." Rillion commented as he blasted away a row of Jaguars with a bolt of lightning. As he prepared a second bolt, he noticed a large vortex opening nearby. A travelling Gate was being opened. Which meant either more Jaguars, or...? A second small army of heavily armored gladiator-soldiers appeared. At their head rode Managerr, on a white stallion, and the Dark One, on his black gelding. They motioned and their warriors charged into the Jaguar Warriors flank. The numbers now more even, the first army charged down the hill. Within minutes the Jaguar forces were destroyed. Only a handful survived to flee back into the cavern. "Good timing." Rascally Rabbit chuckled, his eyebrow arched, "You couldn't have arrived just a touch sooner?" "It took us a while to scout out the ruins of our old training grounds on the other side of the Kaikwok Gate." Managerr responded, "We stopped by to gather the second division, as we thought we might need the manpower. Apparently we were right. The other side of the old Gate is completely empty. They are all gone." "Gone? There were millions of beings on that world. You're telling me that they're all gone?" The Dark One waved his staff and a vision of the Kaikwok Gate world appeared. It was decimated. Forests burned and blasted, temples shattered, riverbeds and lakes dried up and shriveled. "As he said. All gone. We detected residual magic. Gate magic. I am not certain if it was left from an invader that came, exterminated that world and enslaved what was left of the population or possibly the denizens of that world developed Gate travel on its own and departed a dying world. We have no way of knowing which is the case." The Greek Guy received a message from one of the army runners, read it quickly and motioned to his fellows. "The engineers are ready." He motioned to a figure high up on the cliffside above the cave. In a moment, a thunderous explosion shook the ground. Instantly a shower of boulders, shards of stone and dirt rained down, burying the cavern opening under half the mountainside. Rillion nodded. "That will do for this Gate access, but I expect there will be more." Three Months Ago -- The Dark Citadel -- Isle of of the Eye The Brotherhood of the Blade sat around the titanic obsidian table where they often planned and plotted together. This occasion was more serious, however, than their usual debates over gladiatorial tactics and battle plans. They were instead embroiled in a lengthy discourse regarding the ongoing Gate incursions that had been detected. "Sheila and her mage council can't figure out how to stop it." Managerr noted. "Sheila?" The Greek Guy chuckled, "First name basis now, are we?" Managerr smirked at him. "They can close the Gate opening when they find it, but then another one opens somewhere else within a few days. At some point they are going to get access in a remote area and we won't find it in time. If they can move in a large force, it will be next to impossible to beat them back and close the access. It will be a mess." "And we still have no idea who is behind this and what's going on." Rillion added. "What we do know is that we don't have enough days in the week to keep running around closing gates and fighting battles. We're shorthanded. Zalgor's missing in action and Caesar is off-world fighting wars of his own. Without their forces it's even worse." Rascally Rabbit shuffled through his roster. "I've lost 15% of my personal troops and I know you all have suffered losses as well." Managerr agreed. "We're definitely short on members. Mad Max and Tig Toad are retired. With Zalgor inactive and Caesar battling Picts or whatnot, we are at five members. Just barely enough in normal times and way short in these times." "We need to recruit some new members." The Greek Guy stated. "We have a tournament coming up and can talk to some managers there. We need to find those who are like-minded and who would get along with the rest of us, which is not always easy." "Agreed." said the Dark One from beneath his cowl, "We can then announce our new members. We need more men and more troops. I think we all have some candidates in mind. First, they must have no other allegiances. Second, they must have the martial knowledge we expect from our members. And, the Greek Guy mentioned, they have to be able to deal with us." Present Day -- the Isle of the Eye One of the arena scribes rushed into the GC headquarters. "We need 100 runners to travel to every city in the land. We're being paid 1,000 gold sovereigns to get the news out!" "What news?" "The Brotherhood of the Blade is expanding!! Here is the announcement!" ***** ***** ***** Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Brotherhood of the Blade has chosen to add the following new members to our ranks. Effective immediately, the following managers have been offered and have accepted membership to the Brotherhood: Bubbaganoosh Grimm Khisanth May their successes be great and their victories many under our banner! Officially -- Managerr -- Grand High Moose of the Brotrotherhood of the Blade DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. Hiya, Shadowspire <Giggle> I have returned as promised. <Giggle> I must say that Glabrio had more stamina than I thought he would have! So that is why it took so long, Snide Clemens! <Shaa> I was also fighting Glabrio and a massive hangover at the same time. Why don't you try that sometime, Snide? In other news, looks like Grimm high-tailed it out of the arena! Was this do to Vanek or did Grimm go to one of those Furry conventions and get sidetracked by one of those crazy costume orgies? One of my other regular "patrons," while I was dancing, Hombre, took out one of Vanek's guys last round... will there be retribution? Who could ever get mad at a guy named Hombre, that's like getting made at someone named Amigo or Ami! I guess only time will tell! Well, the throne room is back to looking immaculate again, I had fun looking at all the stuff other Duelmasters and Duelmistresses left behind and what they wrote in that book thingie! I feel like this place should be my permanent residence, DeGotti says it will be if I keep failing my stat trains... oops! <Giggle> Why are people getting on about Word Thief's name? The guy is a lyrical plagiarist, and the best one out there! He's a blast when he has some wine, the stories never stop, of course you have to weed through what are his thoughts and those of others! Okay, all! I have to go and train some and make sure my breastplate is nice and shiny for another round with Glabrio! Ta Ta for now! SPY REPORT Greetings warriors! It is I, Zontani Sharp Eyes, here to bring report of the clash and bustle of the weekly SHADOWSPIRE games. Former top team DRAGONBANE GUILD was unseated this week as BOND-AGE moved up from 4th ranking to take the top spot with a 4-1-0 record for the round. Fortune did not smile upon DRAGONBANE GUILD this time out who this turn suffered a fall into 6th position in the wake of a 2-2-0 round. Warriors--remember that glory waits always around the corner! Witness how this week FURRY FURY went 3-2-0 to move up 9 in the rankings. Did only my eyes note the 4-1-1 record which DARQUE AGES managed to post this round? I don't doubt that such a record will draw challengers! DROW caught the eye of many in the gladiatorial commission as he skillfully bested CAZADOR and was awarded 23 points in recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels, BLUE NOVA put down LONGFANGS, causing him to lose 15 points of recognition in the process. Unwilling to wait upon the will of others, Duelmaster GIGI DIVINE Bloodfeuded GLABRIO last week in a match to decide the fate of the throne. Although GLABRIO made a valiant effort, it did not suffice to topple the reign of victorious GIGI DIVINE. Informants "close" to the city champion have told me that he never fights without pantyhose on beneath his armor. Watch out! But come now, let us look deeper into the maze of contention and crossed blades that is city SHADOWSPIRE. I saw one fighter that warriors avoided when this week's challenge seeking began. CULT OF BACCHUS is feared. This much I can say. Methinks more than a few here could name the guild it was that spent the better part of last week avoiding CULT OF BACCHUS. Indeed it was BOND-AGE. Loose talk at the arena has reached my ears and it but confirms the knowledge that many fighters are after JAKLAK. Watch your back! ODDJOB must really be harboring a grudge against the SUMMERBORN guild! Merciless, 19 challenged down LITTLE DARLING points this week to duel with he. Few would not have guessed the outcome of the bout as LITTLE DARLING was overcame by ODDJOB. Is this what passes for courage in SHADOWSPIRE? I can not but mention with disdain the name of KRONSTEEN who this week posted a challenge to a warrior a full 11 points below in the rankings. I thought KRONSTEEN showed great skill and promise when he beat FEOHR. All right, so I slept through it! Big deal! What warrior does not hone his years, impatiently waiting for the moment of his foe's mortality? I must report the passing of TUKWILLA, veteran of many duels. 9-12-2 final record Its was not illustrious--but death plays no favorites. 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 SHADOWSPIRE. 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 we meet again, remember: a turtle walks slow, hides head in a shell, and harms no one; a lion runs to slay its prey.-- Zontani Sharp Eyes DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GIGI DIVINE 613 31 15 1 114 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME ROSA KLEBB 1765 13 8 0 124 BOND-AGE (133) ODDJOB 1766 13 8 0 123 BOND-AGE (133) FISH TACO 1687 17 10 1 121 FOOD (130) BALTAIRE 833 14 13 0 105 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) GREMLIN STEW 1710 21 6 0 104 OTTO'S DINER (96) MEDA 854 18 7 0 101 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) JAKLAK 1430 26 22 0 100 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) TAMERLANE 1764 12 10 1 96 DARQUE AGES (29) KRONSTEEN 1748 14 8 0 92 BOND-AGE (133) NICK NACK 1750 11 11 2 92 BOND-AGE (133) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME JULIETTE 1630 21 12 0 88 SUMMERBORN (104) LITTLE DARLING 1700 15 13 0 87 SUMMERBORN (104) MARTILN 1742 15 8 0 86 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) SUMNER 1624 12 9 0 85 THE WILLBURYS II (127) DROW 1774 13 9 0 83 MONSTER MANUAL (87) KNUT SUNDERHELM 1569 16 21 3 78 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13) CAZADOR 1578 20 16 0 76 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13) BRUSSEL SPROUTS 1688 13 14 2 73 FOOD (130) JOSEPH MITCHELL 1746 10 14 1 73 LITERATE LOONS (40) CLERLEON 1796 11 7 1 71 LA PENTARCHIE (11) IRONHEAD 1722 18 8 0 69 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13) JULIAN OF NORWICH 1783 10 10 1 68 DARQUE AGES (29) FEOHR 1737 13 12 1 67 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME RENTON 1623 10 11 1 66 THE WILLBURYS II (127) PURPLE WORM 1775 11 11 1 64 MONSTER MANUAL (87) HARE BINGER 1790 10 8 1 60 FURRY FURY (25) SORRY 1891 6 5 0 59 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) ZADIE SMITH 1701 15 13 0 58 LITERATE LOONS (40) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GLABRIO 1800 8 9 1 56 WARMASTERS (15) PASTA ALL DENTY 1837 6 6 0 55 OTTO'S DINER (96) -MIDSUMMER WREATH 1793 8 5 1 52 SUMMERBORN (104) HOMONCULOUS 1851 6 2 0 51 MONSTER MANUAL (87) HONEY BEE 1860 3 3 1 51 FURRY FURY (25) LADY GODIVA 1782 13 7 0 50 DARQUE AGES (29) ONION RINGS 1684 11 16 0 49 FOOD (130) REDDIG 1838 9 3 0 46 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) TRUTTS 1889 6 5 0 45 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) IRWEHN 1785 10 10 0 43 CLAN LONGBEARD (39) AGORIX 1842 7 4 2 43 WARMASTERS (15) TROLL HAND 1825 6 6 1 43 SAVAGE HORDE (134) TURDUCKEN 1784 8 12 0 42 OTTO'S DINER (96) KALAM 1888 6 1 1 41 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) TOSSED SALAD 1686 6 21 0 39 FOOD (130) FAILED DOG TRICK 1798 7 9 0 38 FURRY FURY (25) THE BLACK PRINCE 1841 6 5 0 36 DARQUE AGES (29) INGRAT 1805 6 10 0 35 LA PENTARCHIE (11) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME STORM GIANT 1819 7 7 0 28 MONSTER MANUAL (87) EDNA MILLAY 1834 7 6 0 27 LITERATE LOONS (40) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME ORTING 1815 7 5 0 27 THE WILLBURYS II (127) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME WORD THIEF 1849 3 4 0 23 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) AL ZHEIMER 1886 2 0 0 23 LA PENTARCHIE (11) STORMY 1892 5 6 1 22 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) THE DRONE 1862 4 3 1 22 LA PENTARCHIE (11) SYFTAR TRAFF 1876 2 2 0 22 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13) BLUE NOVA 1898 1 0 0 22 SEARCH THE SKY (136) KAMAL KHAN 1883 2 1 0 21 BOND-AGE (133) SKULLCLEAVER 1877 2 2 0 20 SAVAGE HORDE (134) PICKER 1890 4 6 1 19 BRIDGE BURNERS (135) EURYMEDON 1865 4 2 0 18 LA PENTARCHIE (11) COMET BOY 1899 1 0 0 15 SEARCH THE SKY (136) CAT N TONIC 1870 1 3 0 13 FURRY FURY (25) HENRY MILLER 1846 1 9 0 12 LITERATE LOONS (40) CAEDMON 1873 2 3 0 9 DARQUE AGES (29) REAVER 1879 2 2 0 8 SAVAGE HORDE (134) LONGFANGS 1881 2 1 0 7 SAVAGE HORDE (134) BAD BORSCHT 1894 1 1 0 7 OTTO'S DINER (96) RATHELM 1893 1 1 0 7 SAVAGE HORDE (134) HITTIUS 1880 1 1 0 6 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) SCIPIO 1900 0 1 0 1 WARMASTERS (15) 1ST NULL ZONE 1896 0 1 0 1 SEARCH THE SKY (136) GRAVITY VORTEX 1895 0 1 0 1 SEARCH THE SKY (136) 2ND NULL ZONE 1897 0 1 0 1 SEARCH THE SKY (136) -SUMMER BAY SHOT 1884 0 1 0 1 SUMMERBORN (104) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? JAX LE BLUE 946 8 9 0 CULT OF BACCHUS 4 GLABRIO 1800 143 JUST REVENGED BORO BLOODHUNTER 1854 5 2 0 DRAGONBANE GUILD 13 PURPLE WORM 1775 145 JUNK A 1885 0 1 0 FURRY FURY 25 BANDIT PRINCE 146 NONE GET BENTO 1863 1 5 0 OTTO'S DINER 96 HIGH ELF 146 NONE BONESNAPPER 1826 2 6 0 SAVAGE HORDE 134 TIBERIUS 1853 143 REVENGED GROND 1852 2 2 0 SAVAGE HORDE 134 AGORIX 1842 142 NOT REVENGED WELLAWELLAWELLUH 1843 4 4 0 SUMMERBORN 104 AGORIX 1842 143 REVENGED TUKWILLA 1627 9 12 2 THE WILLBURYS II 127 TAMERLANE 1764 146 EBORIUS 1799 10 6 0 WARMASTERS 15 NICK NACK 1750 145 KOPITAR 1871 1 4 0 WARMASTERS 15 MOUNTAIN TROLL 146 NONE TIBERIUS 1853 2 6 1 WARMASTERS 15 BLACK ORC 146 NONE PERSONAL ADS Bad Borscht -- I may have got a bit lucky there. My manager keeps telling me not to plan on being around for a long time. Not sure what that means... -- Fearsome RatHelm Kamal Kahn -- One and out. You pack a mean punch. -- Skullcleaver Hitius -- Longfangs missed his train for the 2nd straight turn. More beatings for him! I mean, increased workout program designed to improve endurance as approved by Shadowspire Manager Federation of course. -- Hawk Al Zheimer -- They tell me I lost. For some reason I don't remember a thing. -- Reaver Vanek -- I consider our BF over. -- Hawk I'm deeply entangled in holidays, so I could miss this turn... would be horrible and the first one... ack! -- LP Thanks to Gigi for her splendid column. She deserves a long stand upstairs! -- LP Yup, beautiful Godiva, I guess I'm one more lucky slasher in this team... and I will always enjoy a few minutes with you anywhere... -- Clerleon Bridge Burners -- Welcome to Shadowspire! Fight hard and quick and you shall be successful! -- DeGotti Promises, promises. Thanks to the spy commission for sending us a real spy report! I would love to see it more often! -- DeGotti Odd-numbered turns. The Drone -- That was a pleasant battle! It was a blind challenge so a win and some nice learns are always a nice return! -- DeGotti LP & Visionist -- Keep the PAs coming! -- DeGotti There sure was a bunch of number crunching and percentages thrown out last turn! HAL -- Big night drinking before the last newsletter was published? Seemed like a lot of errors in my long post last turn. Indentations and paragraphs were all wrong and you even managed to misplace a set of quotes that slightly changed the meaning of my post. The overall meaning of the post was there, but I was disappointed to see it look so sloppy. -- Vanek, Manager of Warmasters No more disappointed than I was to find the whole thing embedded in some kind of formatting code that hal doesn't recognize and so garbles further. If you could manage to send your material in plain text (dot txt), no fancy fonts, no colors, no underlines, no curly quotes, five spaces instead of a tab, etc, I can see what you intended and keep it so. I suggested to the Commission staff that I send samples of incompatible formatting to the Face to Face as a teaching tool, but that was vetoed. As an alternative, you could send your material directly to me (jputney at zianet dot com) and I can use the clear-formatting command in my mail client to render them readable. Otherwise, I have to guess, because hal doesn't understand "clear formatting." -- the Editor Bond-Age -- What's the old saying? Don't get mad, get even? I may not be able to retaliate for Eborius' death now, but I do have a long memory (ask Grimm) and I will make it a point to even the score sometime in the future. -- Vanek Troll Hand -- Congrats on the Bloodfeud victory. Unfortunately, your bloodfeud is about to be cut short. Tiberius hasn't lived up to expectations and will be fighting with a torch in hand this round. Sorry. -- Vanek Bridge Burners -- Welcome to Shadowspire. We hope you enjoy your stay! -- Vanek Grimm -- Did you need a tissue, buddy? You seemed to be doing a lot of whining on the forums about big bad managers like me actually challenging your warriors when you had them on maintenance (as if we had any way of knowing). Maybe you should grow "a pair," ya big sissy. Jeez, you have more excuses for your pathetic record than anybody I know. Threatening me with other managers coming after you comments was also a nice touch. That really emphasised what a coward you truely are to send your "minions" after me rather than maning up and dealing with me yourself. You, sir, are pathetic! -- Vanek Kid Arcane -- "If I have any complaints at all, it's with the use of the forums for EVERYTHING. Sure, it's convenient and faster than the mail, but much of the dialogue (not all of it (cough, Vanek, cough, Grimm) should find its way into the newsletters." I took your quote above from the forums and used it as inspiration to make sure I called out Grimm for the pathetic loser he is in the personal ads just for you! Just trying to keep things entertaining around here. :) -- Vanek All -- After a brief stopover tour over in Noblish Island, the Bridge Burners have landed at Shadowspire. We may be new to these shores but we are used to overcoming seemingly overwhelming opponents. However, we are still humble enough to understand there is much we don't know and are still looking to learn and improve. -- WJ LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS GET BENTO was viciously butchered by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight. TIBERIUS was slaughtered by BLACK ORC in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena battle. KOPITAR was murdered by MOUNTAIN TROLL in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight. JUNK A was slaughtered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena brawl. GIGI DIVINE devastated GLABRIO in a 11 minute one-sided Bloodfeud Title fight. NICK NACK was devastated by FISH TACO in a 1 minute uneven Challenge brawl. ODDJOB overpowered LITTLE DARLING in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge struggle. KRONSTEEN devastated FEOHR in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge competition. BALTAIRE viciously subdued JAKLAK in a popular 9 minute expert's Challenge duel. SORRY was unbelievably bested by KNUT SUNDERHELM in a 2 minute Challenge fight. PASTA ALL DENTY was luckily beaten by IRONHEAD in a tiring 13 minute Challenge melee. KALAM was outlasted by LADY GODIVA in a crowd pleasing 7 minute Challenge match. HARE BINGER viciously subdued AGORIX in a 2 minute brutal Challenge contest. TURDUCKEN was demolished by JULIAN OF NORWICH in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge brawl. TRUTTS slimly won victory over TOSSED SALAD in a popular 3 minute Challenge conflict. WORD THIEF was defeated by THE BLACK PRINCE in a 1 minute Challenge struggle. TROLL HAND viciously subdued STORM GIANT in a exciting 8 minute bloody Challenge fray. STORMY slimly lost to ORTING in a tiring 11 minute Challenge brawl. PICKER was savagely defeated by EDNA MILLAY in a exciting 6 minute Challenge match. RATHELM was beaten by KAMAL KHAN in a 2 minute amateur's Challenge fight. REAVER was bested by EURYMEDON in a popular 5 minute gory Challenge contest. CAT N TONIC was vanquished by INGRAT in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge match. SKULLCLEAVER vanquished CAEDMON in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fray. GREMLIN STEW luckily beat JULIETTE in a popular 6 minute gruesome veteran's match. ROSA KLEBB beat BRUSSEL SPROUTS in a 1 minute expert's fight. MEDA overpowered CLERLEON in a 1 minute one-sided bout. CAZADOR was vanquished by DROW in a 1 minute uneven bout. PURPLE WORM was handily defeated by SUMNER in a 2 minute uneven bout. TAMERLANE savagely slew TUKWILLA in a 2 minute brutal expert's competition. MARTILN overpowered VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute uneven fight. ZADIE SMITH was viciously subdued by RENTON in a exciting 3 minute veteran's fight. JOSEPH MITCHELL overpowered IRWEHN in a popular 1 minute one-sided bout. ONION RINGS was handily defeated by HONEY BEE in a 1 minute mismatched match. REDDIG vanquished SYFTAR TRAFF in a 1 minute mismatched fight. HOMONCULOUS demolished THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 1 minute brutal mismatched match. FAILED DOG TRICK handily defeated HENRY MILLER in a 1 minute one-sided fight. THE DRONE demolished OSKSI NOBLE in a 1 minute one-sided conflict. LONGFANGS was vanquished by BLUE NOVA in a 1 minute one-sided bout. AL ZHEIMER vanquished GRAVITY VORTEX in a 1 minute mismatched bout. HITTIUS luckily beat SCIPIO in a 2 minute brutal beginner's competition. BAD BORSCHT savagely defeated 1ST NULL ZONE in a 2 minute gruesome beginner's battle. 2ND NULL ZONE was devastated by EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute mismatched match. COMET BOY overpowered PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided brawl. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |STRIKING ATTACK 16 SLASHING ATTACK 33 - 24 - 1 58 | |BASHING ATTACK 10 TOTAL PARRY 46 - 34 - 2 58 | |WALL OF STEEL 9 PARRY-RIPOSTE 13 - 10 - 0 57 | |SLASHING ATTACK 8 STRIKING ATTACK 92 - 83 - 2 53 | |TOTAL PARRY 8 PARRY-STRIKE 45 - 48 - 3 48 | |PARRY-STRIKE 8 AIMED BLOW 23 - 25 - 1 48 | |LUNGING ATTACK 7 BASHING ATTACK 38 - 45 - 5 46 | |AIMED BLOW 6 LUNGING ATTACK 28 - 35 - 0 44 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 WALL OF STEEL 32 - 41 - 5 44 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 PARRY-LUNGE 7 - 19 - 0 27 | Turn 146 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 12 - 4 BASHING ATTACK 4 - 6 4 STRIKING ATTACK PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 3 - 6 3 TOTAL PARRY SLASHING ATTACK 5 - 3 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 5 1 PARRY-STRIKE TOTAL PARRY 5 - 3 PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 7 1 SLASHING ATTACK AIMED BLOW 3 - 3 1 BASHING ATTACK PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME TOTAL PARRY GIGI DIVINE 613 31 15 1 114 CULT OF BACCHUS (4) PARRY-STRIKE ROSA KLEBB 1765 13 8 0 124 BOND-AGE (133) SLASHING ATTACK ODDJOB 1766 13 8 0 123 BOND-AGE (133) STRIKING ATTACK FISH TACO 1687 17 10 1 121 FOOD (130) BASHING ATTACK KRONSTEEN 1748 14 8 0 92 BOND-AGE (133) LUNGING ATTACK JULIETTE 1630 21 12 0 88 SUMMERBORN (104) WALL OF STEEL LITTLE DARLING 1700 15 13 0 87 SUMMERBORN (104) AIMED BLOW DROW 1774 13 9 0 83 MONSTER MANUAL (87) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is BALTAIRE 833. The most popular warrior this turn was BALTAIRE 833. The ten other most popular fighters were TROLL HAND 1825, KALAM 1888, JULIETTE 1630, TOSSED SALAD 1686, PICKER 1890, GLABRIO 1800, RENTON 1623, TRUTTS 1889, REAVER 1879, and HARE BINGER 1790. The least popular fighter this week was STORMY 1892. The other ten least popular fighters were ORTING 1815, IRONHEAD 1722, PASTA ALL DENTY 1837, GIGI DIVINE 613, STORM GIANT 1819, 2ND NULL ZONE 1897, 1ST NULL ZONE 1896, GRAVITY VORTEX 1895, HENRY MILLER 1846, and SYFTAR TRAFF 1876.