DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 09/28/2016    Duedate: 10/11/2016

SHADOWSPIRE ARENA

DM-81    TURN-251

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

HEATWAVE
WICKED MARTYRS (148)
(81-2542) [15-9-1,146]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

BAD ROLL-UPS                   HALFBUCK
ABOMINATION (146)              WARBOW (170)
(81-2130) [20-14-0,150]        (81-2710) [3-1-0,32]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

RYK THE DRAGON                 JANNA
BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)         PRAY THE GODS (155)
(81-2371) [18-22-2,92]         (81-2581) [8-9-0,33]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

 (-1)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. THE MONSANTIS (112)         50
2. DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)       45      SHANGHAIED (161)
3. SOME KINDA HATE (102)       42      Unchartered Team
4. THE COMMODORES (150)        38
5. MONSTER MANUAL (87)         33      THE OUTLAWS 7 (171)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 0*THE OUTLAWS 7 (171)        2   1  0 66.7   1/ 7 CULT OF BACCHUS (4)      10  5 0
 2/ 1 SHANGHAIED (161)          82  58  2 58.6   2/ 8 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)    10  5 0
 3/ 2 CULT OF BACCHUS (4)      473 361 15 56.7   3/ 4 SOME KINDA HATE (102)    10  5 0
 4/ 3 SOME KINDA HATE (102)    233 186 17 55.6   4/ 3 OTTO'S DINER (96)         9  6 0
 5/ 5 DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)    667 565 18 54.1   5/ 2 SHANGHAIED (161)          9  6 0
 6/ 4 WICKED MARTYRS (148)     191 163 10 54.0   6/15 MONSTER MANUAL (87)       8  5 1
 7/ 7 DARQUE AGES (29)         536 476 20 53.0   7/ 6 PRAY THE GODS (155)       8  7 1
 8/ 8 OTTO'S DINER (96)        482 452 26 51.6   8/ 1 INEBRIATION (27)          7  8 0
 9/ 9 THE COMMODORES (150)     148 160  6 48.1   9/ 9 ABOMINATION (146)         6  8 0
10/10 MONSTER MANUAL (87)      434 521 18 45.4  10/10 THE COMMODORES (150)      6  8 0
11/11 PRAY THE GODS (155)       86 105  6 45.0  11/11 DARQUE AGES (29)          6  9 0
12/ 6*WARBOW (170)               9  11  0 45.0  12/12 THE MONSANTIS (112)       6  9 0
13/13 THE MONSANTIS (112)      101 127  6 44.3  13/ 5 WICKED MARTYRS (148)      6  9 0
14/12 ABOMINATION (146)         76  96  9 44.2  14/13*WARBOW (170)              4  6 0
15/14 BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)   327 434 26 43.0  15/14 SEARCH THE SKY (136)      4 11 0
16/15 SEARCH THE SKY (136)     147 206  7 41.6  16/16 BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)    3 12 1
17/16 INEBRIATION (27)         119 197 10 37.7  17/ 0*THE OUTLAWS 7 (171)       2  1 0

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
    '*'   Unchartered team                       '-'  Team did not fight this turn
   (###)  Avoid teams by their Team Id          ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

                               Setting Up Shop -- Again 

     The Arcane Kid, his hands resting on his hips, sighed and slowly pivoted on his 
heel.  A shimmering mail shirt hung to his knees; golden threads woven into the edges 
of the raised collar and hem added a sense of quality and expense to an otherwise 
utilitarian mesh suit of steel links.  His hair was straight, combed back, and as dark 
as the inside of one's eyelids.  His skin was pale, almost translucent; his eyes gave 
off an eerie pulse of light whenever they snagged a glimpse of early morning sun 
through the canopy of leaves.  Arcane stood in the middle of a large hollow square 
outlined by four dilapidated single-story, rectangular buildings.  In turn, the 
buildings were nestled in the crook of a wooded hill a few kilometers Northwest of 
Shadowspire.  The surrounding tract of forest, old and crammed  with gigantic oaks and 
some beech trees, thickened the damp air with pools of dark shade and a sense of life 
unseen.  A shallow square pit, filled with sand and lined with stone benches and 
equipment lockers, was on one side of the square.  On the other side an area had been 
set apart with reflective ribbons strung between flexible rods.  The weak morning 
sunlight glistened readily off the ribbons, setting off the area as a definite point 
of interest.  
     The Kid gave a soft sigh.  A small placard was fastened to the wires between two 
rods.  It read:  BEWARE.  DANGER ZONE.  Arcane shook his narrow head and chuckled to 
himself.  He walked around the entire perimeter of the area before coming back to a 
gap marked by a white pennant.  A red pennant indicated another gap on the far side of 
that section.  He studied the thick poles set into the ground in an obscure pattern.  
He frowned at the dangling mannequins bearing heavy spiked shields, balanced clubs, 
and exotic swords of various designs, lengths, and sizes.  Nudged by the occasional 
breeze, they swung in lazy arcs from wires attached to thick springs, which were in 
turn fastened to the tops of the poles.  
     The Kid sighed again and stepped past the white pennant.  He contemplated the 
mannequins and their weapons for a few moments before meandering through.  He paused 
now and then to strike a mannequin with his palm or the edge of his hand and watch it 
swing and jiggle about, waving its weapon in wild, dangerous, unpredictable patterns.  
Nonetheless, Arcane slipped through the obstacles without difficulty, dodging or 
parrying as necessary.  
     Once safely out of the 'Danger Zone' he turned to scrutinize the training 
compound from his new vantage point.  The evidence of neglect was patent.  The square 
was choked on all sides with weeds and fast growing thorny bushes.  The weapons were 
rusted; the sand in the pit had not been sifted nor raked in some time.  The Kid 
frowned as he contemplated the empty barracks.  Paint peeled off the porch rails and 
window frames; dirt crusted the (miraculously unbroken) windows.  He shook his head 
and sighed again.  The roof did not look promising, either.  
     Arcane's luminous eyes sparked brighter and his head jerked to attention.  The 
sounds of a whip cracking, and wood and metal and men groaning in disharmony, echoed 
dimly from within the forest.  He moved to stand next to the dirt and gravel trail 
that served the compound.  After a few minutes, the moans and complaints grew louder.  
A long, wide, heavy wagon came into view.  It was filled to overflowing, its sides 
bolstered with iron rods forming a fence to contain the assorted goods piled high.  
Its thick wooden wheels, reinforced with iron strips, made deep ruts in the dirt as 
the wagon navigated slowly around a narrow bend in the track.  A thickset man in a 
dark byrnie sat on the wagon seat and cracked a long rawhide whip above the heads of 
five weary men pulling at their yokes in front.  
     "Whoa there!  Whoa!"  
     The wagon, instantly drained of momentum, came to an immediate stop in front of 
The Kid.  The men pulling the wagon, their faces streaked with grime and sweat, their 
legs trembling with exertion, unceremoniously dropped to their hands and knees.  They 
panted in deep, desperate gasps.  The burly man in the dark byrnie, with a hollow, 
rueful grin and a smooth flourish, made the superfluous gesture of setting the wagon 
brake.  Then he tossed his whip onto the seat and dropped to the ground, as light and 
soundless as an autumn leaf.  
     "Well, whatta ya think, Kid?  We're about ready to get goin' again, right?"  
Arcane frowned and shook his head as he studied the men laying in the dirt.
     "What's wrong with you, Havoc? Are you trying to kill them before they get a 
chance to die in the arena like warriors?  
     "Naaaahh!" Havoc made a rude, dismissive gesture at the men wheezing and gulping 
air.  "It's just a little warm up, to get 'em ready for the REAL training comin' up!"  
The men groaned; Havoc chuckled mirthlessly.  
     "Never mind that," Arcane snapped.  "I trust you brought all the supplies 
necessary to restore our facilities to their former glory?"  
     "Yeah, well-" Havoc shrugged.  "I got what I could."  He scanned the compound, 
ignoring the men, while they in turn eyed him with silent hatred and suspicion.  
     The Kid made a small frown, then he walked around the wagon and began to inspect 
its contents.  "I see you managed to secure an anvil to replace the one we lost.  
Good!  We can at least maintain our weapons ourselves!"  
     "Yeah, yeah.  I got food, weapons, tools, and some extra lumber and shingles for 
the roof and walls.  Winter's comin' sooner or later, and I don't plan on freezing my 
assets." 
     "Good thinking, Havoc," nodded Arcane.  "We also need to work on perimeter 
security, so make sure that concertina wire is looped out and staked down -- and I 
want it done right the first time." 
     "Ya ya Kid-- whatever!" Havoc rubbed his thick hands together and shook his 
blocky head.  "I got a dozen rolls underneath the rest o' this crap," he muttered.  
     "Ya really think the other managers are goin' to be lurkin' around this pathetic 
place?"  
     "Well- maybe Den, maybe Degotti, maybe someone else."  Arcane shrugged his narrow 
shoulders.  "All I know is that we're missing a great deal of gear -- which I believe 
I told YOU to secure before we left!" 
     Havoc scowled as he rested his thick hands on his swordbelt.  "This again?  Kid, 
ya didn't give me much of a warnin' when ya pulled the plug, remember?!" "So you say," 
muttered Arcane as he waved a slender hand in the air.  
     "It doesn't matter; I don't have time to argue with you."  He paused to make a 
point of looking over both his shoulders, one at a time.  "Any new word on Master 
Darque or -- anyone in particular?"
     "Naaaww."  Havoc shook his head.  "Yer still nervous about nothin', Kid." 
     "Maybe," acknowledged Arcane.  "But there have been rumors of headless chickens 
left on doorsteps, black cats gutted and staked out in front of some of the other 
stables-"  
     "Ha!" Havoc snorted.  "With all these teams havin' words like 'gods' and 'cult' 
in 'em, why are you surprised?"  Havoc gestured towards the gladiators panting in the 
dirt in front of the wagon.  "Anyways, forget it, Kid.  We got other fish to fry."
     The Arcane Kid turned his luminous gaze toward the fighters.  They seemed to 
cringe just a bit.  "Yes, you're right of course.  We have more than enough to occupy 
ourselves with besides worrying about 'unknown variables'."  
     Havoc made an empty grin and kicked a small stone against one of the weighty 
wagon wheels.  "Hell of a homecomin', Kid." 
     Arcane shrugged.  "It is what it is.  I still want that concertina wire set out 
and staked down before anyone sleeps tonight."  
     "Wha?" Havoc frowned as a bright purple veil of light enveloped The Arcane Kid, 
accompanied by the high-pitched howl of soprano-like demons.  
     "It's nice to trust our neighbors," smiled Arcane as he disintegrated into tiny 
prisms of fading light, "but I trust our steel even more."  
     "Yeah, yeah," muttered Havoc, rubbing his eyes.  The Kid's trademark vanishing 
act always left him seeing spots.  Still- "When yer right, yer right," Havoc grunted.  
He moved toward the wagon, reaching for the whip where it lay across the wagon seat.  
Best to get the men moving right away.  That concertina wire was an unholy pain in the 
ass to set up correctly, and there was so much of it!
  
***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***

     The stubby, ink-stained fingers flipped through a stack of arena reports.  The 
off-white parchments were produced near North Fork from a plenteous swamp weed, beaten 
with rods to form a usable medium.  The ink looked black, but closer inspection would 
reveal it to be a deep violet hue.  It too was produced from a plant, but one that 
hailed from farmlands near the ancient city of Lapur.  White cigar smoke billowed 
rhythmically from the right corner of the gentleman's mouth.  A chewed cigar remnant 
hung out of the left.  The cigar's end flaring brightly with each deep breathe before 
dying down to a dull reddish-gray ash.
     Phineas slid forward in his chair, removed his thick reading lenses and rubbed 
his eyes.  The wood creaked in unison with the old newsman's bones as he grabbed his 
hips and arched his back.  His broad chest rose to the sound of popping vertebrae.  
Twisting his neck from side to side produced a few more relieving snaps that eased his 
stiffness.  Amid the smell of cigar smoke, parchment, and a lingering aroma of oil 
that crept up the stairwell from the collection of golems and presses in the basement, 
Phineas noted a flowery scent, roses perhaps.
     He opened his eyes and before him in the once empty chair sat a beautiful woman.  
A white silk toque, adorned with sapphires and pearls, rested on her head.  An azure 
wimple framed her face and accentuated her piercing blue eyes.  Pitch black hair 
appeared strategically from under the veil.  Over an azure underskirt that matched her 
wimple, she was dressed in a stringed bodice and skirt of the purest white.  Ornate 
needlework depicted blooming roses on the bodice and even Phineas' poor eyesight could 
see the flecks of gold and silver thread reflecting light in the dimly lit room.  The 
bodice strings were silver and tied symmetrically across the young lady's bosom ending 
with a perfect bow at the bottom of the bodice.
     She had taken a seat silently in an old wooden chair.  Her posture and aloof 
smirk marked her as a member of some aristocratic family in Alastari.  Her legs were 
crossed, left over right, and both hands were placed gracefully on her knee, as if she 
were awaiting Phineas to acknowledge her presence.  Putting his lenses back over his 
eyes and letting out an enormous cloud of smoke, he did just that.
     "Sidara, my dear, good to see you.  Prompt as always," Phineas said as he grabbed 
another stack of parchments and began to skim through them.  She nodded to Phineas 
with a smile, but remained seated with her perfect posture and hands on her knee.  "If 
she truly has noble blood," Phineas thought, "she can hold that pose for hours without 
so much as a blink." 
     Golems plodded into the room from downstairs at undetermined intervals.  Phineas 
paid a small fortune to a shadowy wizard's guild to create the golems.  The golems 
formed the foundation of his information empire, with most spread throughout 
Alastari's major cities collecting information and sending it back to the Yellow Press 
home office in Shadowspire.  After ten minutes of silence, interrupted occasionally by 
rustling papers and plodding golems, Sidara spoke. "He is late again."  Phineas nodded 
in agreement, but did not look up from the parchment he was browsing.  "Eh, Huard is 
Huard, what do you expect?"
     A few more minutes passed and a great commotion could be heard from the streets.  
A gruff voice was yelling and this was followed by a few exasperated neighs from a 
team of horses.  While the crusty voice was unintelligible, save for a few carefully 
annunciated expletives, one could hear a nasal, "Sorry!  Sorry!  I am so sorry!  I had 
no idea!  Please forgive me!"  Falling through the door and continuing to shout 
apologies, Huard turned and acted surprised to see Phineas and Sidara.  He tugged at 
the bottom of his blue tunic in a last minute effort to appear presentable to the 
present company.
     Huard was a dashing young man, but disorderly in his appearance.  A glance at the 
young man told observers he could afford and bought the finer things in life, yet he 
did not care for them.  The blue silk tunic Huard wore was finely crafted and 
beautiful, or at least it once was beautiful.  Stains were prominent on the front of 
the shirt, and as he closed the door, his friends could see stains upon the back.  His 
appearance only garnered a displeased headshake from Sidara, while Phineas only looked 
up momentarily to see who barreled through his front door.  With no impending danger, 
he buried his face back into the arenas reports.
     "Do you want to know why I was late?" Huard asked as he took a seat beside 
Sidara, his head darting back and forth between Phineas and Sidara, waiting for some 
acknowledgement of his question.  He brushed his breeches as he sat down and clouds of 
dust poured from the cloth.  
     Without losing her perfect posture, Sidara gave a disgusted look at the cloud of 
dust and finally turned to look at Huard. "Because you're a calloused jackass with no 
concern for anyone but yourself," Sidara said acerbically while rolling her eyes.  
     Huard looked to the witch with a grin and gave a wink of agreement.  "Yes, there 
is that, but I was going to say..." 
     Phineas cut him off before he finished.  "None of that is important.  We have 
other matters that require our attention.  The most important being Shadowspire's 
250th turn."  Phineas put down the arena reports and studied both of his spy 
reporters.  "We have to search the old records and make sure this edition is not soon 
forgotten.  Pick a stack and get to work, I'll need it by the morning."
     Huard let out an exasperated sigh and his shoulders fell in defeat.  He knew not 
to argue with Phineas, at least not over something this important.  He grunted as he 
stood and again when he tried to lift the large stack of parchment before him.  
     Sidara merely gave a nod of recognition to Phineas that she understood and 
accepted the assignment.  She rose from her chair, poised and never breaking her noble 
posture and headed for the door.
     "Aren't you forgetting something, Sid?" Huard asked with a strained voice and 
crooked smirk.  
     "Ah, yes, you are right," she replied, still heading for the door.  She gingerly 
opened the door which led to the Shadowspire's main thoroughfare.  Before exiting, she 
turned and looked at the stack of reports still sitting on Phineas' desk.  She pointed 
to the heap and let out a short whistle, as one would summon a pet.  To Huard's 
surprise, the stack of parchments arose and followed Sidara out the door.
     "You think I could get her to use that spell on me?" Huard asked no one in 
particular as he walked slowly from the office under his burden.
     

                                      SPY REPORT

     Welcome back to Shadowspire!  Turn 251 is upon as we take the first step beyond 
the halfway point to 500!  We look forward to some great gladiatorial action on the 
sands.  We want to see great rivalries, title defenses, kills, bloodfeuds, and every 
type of action in between!  Enough talk about expectations, let's see how this turn 
played out!

     Heatwave has held the throne the last two turns and he had a number of worthy 
opponents in the Challenger Champions, longing for a shot at the throne.  Not sitting 
idly by, Heatwave posted a challenge to our current Popularity Leader, Ryk the Dragon.  
Is there a more exciting match to watch, our Duelmaster vs. the fan favorite?  When 
the dust settled, Heatwave remains the Duelmaster and Ryk remains the most popular 
warrior in the arena.  Heatwave also received an invitation to the Isle, so 
congratulations are in order!  Heatwave is managed by DMobster, and is the 5th 
graduate from Wicked Martyrs and the first Striker.

     The most avoided team is our Career Top Team, Shanghaied.  They were most avoided 
by Big Lake Outcasts.  The most challenged warrior for the cycle is Brontay from Cult 
of Bacchus.  Does Brontay have any sisters?  Charlotte and Emily?  It also looks like 
no one wants the top spot as we have moved from a 2-way tie to a 3-way tie.  Cult of 
Bacchus, Dragonbane Guild, and Some Kinda Hate have leading records of 10-5-0.  Is 
anyone going to break from the pack?  Otto's Diner and Shanghaied are poised to make 
it an even more interesting bottleneck next turn.  Cult of Bacchus shot up 6 spots to 
join the tie, but the largest gain belongs to Monster Manual, who flew an astounding 9 
places to 6th.  Inebriation fell 7 and out of the first place tie.  The biggest drop 
goes to Wicked Martyrs after falling from 5th to 13th.  We welcome Gunsmith and The 
Outlaws 7 to Shadowspire as well.  Remember, this is a no tourney arena, so running 5 
is the law of the land.

     A few deaths were witnessed on the sands this turn.  Most were in the Dark Arena, 
but two happened in the daylight.  Sadly, Syzygy, whose name we loved to announce, has 
met an end at the hands of Nala.  The fighters were evenly matched on paper, but Nala 
from Pray the Gods showed us the fight report isn't everything.  The other death hit 
the new team, The Outlaws 7, as Emmett Dalton got a 2-for-1 special, fighting his 
first and last fight in Shadowspire.  Sphinx, a most tricky creature if there ever was 
one, is the culprit.  Condolences to those who lost team members this turn!

     'Tis time to draw this all to a close, dear readers.  If all has gone according 
to plan, each manager should have a special edition of the SYP in their possession.  
We hope you enjoy it, but we'd be remiss if we did not give a hearty thank you to the 
Gladiatorial Commission, particularly Green Eyes, for their assistance in its 
publication.  Until next time, stay safe and beware of wooden swords!

                                      -- Phineas Rannulf 
                                         (Belinda in Chimlevtal?  Never heard of him!)

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 HEATWAVE 2542                15   9  1   146       WICKED MARTYRS (148)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BAD ROLL-UPS 2130            20  14  0   150       ABOMINATION (146)
 SUPERWEED 1675               11  11  1   111       THE MONSANTIS (112)
 THE EMPRESS WU 2164          29  16  0   103       DARQUE AGES (29)
 HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2132         18  17  2   101       ABOMINATION (146)
 BLUE DRAGON 2332             19  28  0    97       MONSTER MANUAL (87)
 WARWULF 2580                 13   4  0    93       CULT OF BACCHUS (4)
 RYK THE DRAGON 2371          18  22  2    92       BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)
 BRUTAL GRUNGE 2390           22  14  0    91       DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)
 CURD BURGLAR 2598            11   6  0    91       OTTO'S DINER (96)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 HOLLOWSOUL 2414              16  17  2    90       CULT OF BACCHUS (4)
 WYLD TURKEY 2505             14  13  2    88       INEBRIATION (27)
 CELERY STALKER 2676           7   3  0    88       OTTO'S DINER (96)
 ALCESTE 2355                 22  19  0    85       SOME KINDA HATE (102)
 KOSTAGART 2667                8   3  0    85       SOME KINDA HATE (102)
 WHITE LIGHTNING 2486         15  14  1    84       INEBRIATION (27)
 BLACKJACK JOHNSON 2595       12   6  1    84       SHANGHAIED (161)
 TU DU 1652                   14   9  2    83       THE MONSANTIS (112)
 POLITELKOREKNES 2227         14  11  3    79       ABOMINATION (146)
 SWABBIE SAM 2632             11   3  0    78       SHANGHAIED (161)
 ZATHOG 2399                  17  19  1    71       SOME KINDA HATE (102)
 KROW 2504                    16   9  0    71       CULT OF BACCHUS (4)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 HATEFUL DESIRE 2457          16  16  2    66       BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)
 ECLIPSE 2565                  9   3  0    66       SEARCH THE SKY (136)
 BLOODY MARIA 2536            14  11  1    61       WICKED MARTYRS (148)
 PLAN COLUMBIA 1612           12  13  1    59       THE MONSANTIS (112)
 SCHENDLE 2596                 8   6  2    59       PRAY THE GODS (155)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 LUXLORD BLACK 2608            8   9  1    56       BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)
 CYCLOTRODE X 2673             8   2  1    55       SOME KINDA HATE (102)
 TWO-TON TIMMONS 2578         12   8  0    52       SHANGHAIED (161)
 STORMCLAW 2569               10  10  1    51       DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)
 PYRAT 2615                    6  10  1    43       INEBRIATION (27)
 STRABO 2689                   5   3  0    41       DARQUE AGES (29)
 DRAGON SCARRED 2644           9   3  0    40       DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)
 KYBURN 2668                   7   4  0    40       SOME KINDA HATE (102)
 HORRID 2659                   6   5  0    38       WICKED MARTYRS (148)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 JANNA 2581                    8   9  0    33       PRAY THE GODS (155)
 POWDER MONKEY 2683            5   4  0    33       SHANGHAIED (161)
 BRONTAY 2707                  3   1  0    32       CULT OF BACCHUS (4)
 HALFBUCK 2710                 3   1  0    32       WARBOW (170)
 LOOKOUT LARRY 2656            7   5  0    31       SHANGHAIED (161)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ZIM SALA BIM 2708             2   4  0    31       THE COMMODORES (150)
 FAST HACK 'EM 9 2653          4   8  0    30       THE COMMODORES (150)
 AGLAIA 2609                   6  11  0    29       BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)
 TRISTAN 2669                  5   5  0    29       DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)
 ORLANDO 2688                  4   3  0    29       DRAGONBANE GUILD (13)
 HELLBRAISER 2693              5   3  1    26       OTTO'S DINER (96)
 SHEM 2719                     3   1  0    25       PRAY THE GODS (155)
 STARSMILE 2731                2   0  0    25       WARBOW (170)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MUTANT CAMEL 2678             6   4  0    22       THE COMMODORES (150)
 NALA 2700                     2   3  1    21       PRAY THE GODS (155)
 PHASE-SPIDER 2754             1   0  0    21       MONSTER MANUAL (87)
 ZAYLA 2695                    3   2  0    20       CULT OF BACCHUS (4)
 HROTSVITHA 2730               2   1  0    19       DARQUE AGES (29)
 BARSTOOL BRAD 2706            3   3  0    17       INEBRIATION (27)
 FIREBALL 2705                 4   2  0    16       INEBRIATION (27)
 HILL GIANT 2694               4   4  0    16       MONSTER MANUAL (87)
 LUIPADA 2721                  2   2  1    16       DARQUE AGES (29)
 DARK ACT 2717                 2   2  0    16       THE MONSANTIS (112)
 THYME LORD 2752               1   0  0    13       OTTO'S DINER (96)
 BOB DALTON 2748               1   0  0    13       THE OUTLAWS 7 (171)
 GRAT DALTON 2747              1   0  0    13       THE OUTLAWS 7 (171)
 DESTINY 2703                  3   3  0    12       WICKED MARTYRS (148)
 HYDRA 2753                    1   0  0    11       MONSTER MANUAL (87)
 NEETA 2702                    2   3  0     9       PRAY THE GODS (155)
 SPHINX 2755                   1   0  1     6       MONSTER MANUAL (87)
 NIGHTCLOUD 2732               1   1  0     6       WARBOW (170)
 MAMA LLAMA 2742               1   0  0     6       THE COMMODORES (150)
 KNIFEFIST 2714                1   3  0     6       WARBOW (170)
 MOONSHADOW 2735               1   1  0     4       SEARCH THE SKY (136)
 FLARE 2736                    1   1  0     4       SEARCH THE SKY (136)
 JET-BOOT JACK 2741            1   0  0     4       THE COMMODORES (150)
 STORMGIRL 2712                0   4  0     4       WARBOW (170)
 NASTY PELOSI 2733             0   2  0     2       ABOMINATION (146)
 BAD MATCH-UPS 2743            0   1  0     1       ABOMINATION (146)
 ASPIRE 2B GREAT 2750          0   1  0     1       BIG LAKE OUTCASTS (19)

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
REBEL SERF 2749         0  1 0 DARQUE AGES 29       DARK CHAMPION         251  NONE
DARK MATTER 2639        0  4 0 SEARCH THE SKY 136   WURM KIN              251  NONE
SYZYGY 2633             1  4 0 SEARCH THE SKY 136   NALA 2700             251   
MAX CONTROL 365 2726    0  3 0 THE MONSANTIS 112    DARK CHAMPION         251  NONE
EMMETT DALTON 2744      0  1 0 THE OUTLAWS 7 171    SPHINX 2755           251   
BIGCREEP 2713           1  1 0 WARBOW 170           LUIPADA 2721          248  JUST REVENGED
BLACKSKULL 2711         1  1 0 WARBOW 170           HELLBRAISER 2693      248   
BRENNER 2638            6  4 0 WICKED MARTYRS 148   SUPERWEED 1675        248   
SLAUGHTER APE 2729      0  1 0 WICKED MARTYRS 148   PERFECT SMILE 2704    249  NONE
TENNIN 2751             0  1 0 WICKED MARTYRS 148   DARK CHAMPION         251  NONE

                                     PERSONAL ADS

The Empress Wu -- You might want to execute your royal fight trainer.  He really 
REALLY sucks at his job. -- Bad Roll-Ups

Wyld Turkey -- After that fight I think I'm gonna need a drink. -- Human Centipede

Moonshadow -- Guess that weapon trial is a NO! -- Nasty Pelosi

Schendle -- If there was any pride involved, I would have been DA'd out of the gate.  

As to the FE, look me up in about 38 more or 100 more, assuming you live that long.  
Truth is, you'll still be a plunger, and I'll be a fist-fave AB. -- Lord Protector 
Barbarossa

For those that care about such things:  Barbarossa was 11(1)-16(2)-12-7-17-3-21 AB.  
The Commission says he likes a MO/LO rhythm, FI (my first FI fave AB), Slash tactic, 
Riposte tactic, and learns Defense.  He was a pain in the bottom to run each turn, but 
patience has paid off.  He completes my Round Robin for this arena, as hopefully noted 
in a spotlight.  Now to run his sorry tail for the next 5 years in 107. -- Master 
Darque

Brutal -- Hey Thanks!  That is a great idea! -- Bad Roll-Ups

Nomad -- Glad to be back!  I noticed, in passing through the twisted streets of the 
city, that some of your men are wearing garments with my team's logo embroidered on 
the sleeves.  (Sometimes one of your more enterprising warriors bothered to stencil a 
line through the design.)  I would appreciate it if you would make a quick inventory 
of your gear and return anything that might have become 'misplaced' during our 
absence. -- The Arcane Kid

Degotti -- Thank you for your warm welcome!  Although I appreciate the coupons for 
free 'Specials' at Otto's Diner, I would more rather have the return of our cast iron 
cookware. -- The Arcane Kid

Swabbie Sam --- Aaarrrhhhh!  By thunder!!  I keel-hauled your scurvy carcass!! -- 
Eclipse *with a bit of grog on board...*

Hrotsvitha -- You're a lousy, LUCKY snake in the grass, as your name implies. -- Dark 
Matter

Zim Sala Bim -- Who named you?  The mystic boy, Hadji from 'Jonny Quest'?  Well, now 
you learned a new trick:  playing dead. -- Syzygy

Embezzling Scribe -- I've heard of you, and to be honest, I was a little envious.  
Buddy, between the money you've stolen and the anonymous cash 'donations' you've taken 
over the years, you must be well set-up by now!  But after watching your performance 
on the sands, I have to admit, you deserve every denarius!! -- Flare 

Nasty Pelosi -- Why take pride in poor hygiene?  And see a dentist -- soon! -- 
Moonshadow

Luxlord Black -- That didn't go so well for you! -- Krow

Powder Monkey -- How embarassing! Losing to a warrior with 1/3 your FE! Blackhart, you 
keep running warriors like this I'll have career spot #1 in no time! -- DeGotti

Alceste -- Thanks for making me so popular! -- Warwulf

I'm looking foward to this Shadowspire Yellow Press! -- DeGotti
 

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

MAX CONTROL 365 was dealt death by DARK CHAMPION in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
DARK MATTER was butchered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute Dark Arena duel.
TENNIN was murdered by DARK CHAMPION in a 2 minute brutal Dark Arena melee.
REBEL SERF was assassinated by DARK CHAMPION in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena duel.
KNIFEFIST was devastated by HELLBRAISER in a 1 minute one-sided Bloodfeud fight.
STARSMILE unbelievably bested LUIPADA in a 2 minute gory beginner's Bloodfeud brawl.
HEATWAVE devastated RYK THE DRAGON in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge Title match.
PHO C was handily defeated by BAD ROLL-UPS in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
SUPERWEED vanquished WYLD TURKEY in a popular 1 minute uneven Challenge duel.
TU DU vanquished BLOODY MARIA in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
CURD BURGLAR overpowered ECLIPSE in a 1 minute uneven Challenge match.
CELERY STALKER was outlasted by THE EMPRESS WU in a 10 minute Challenge fight.
BRUTAL GRUNGE bested WHITE LIGHTNING in a 5 minute master's Challenge conflict.
BLUE DRAGON unbelievably bested BLACKJACK JOHNSON in a 1 minute Challenge bout.
WARWULF outwaited POLITELKOREKNES in a crowd pleasing 9 minute Challenge bout.
BRONTAY was vanquished by SCHENDLE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fray.
HORRID bested SHEM in a exciting 1 minute master vs. novice Challenge brawl.
POWDER MONKEY narrowly defeated AGLAIA in a 6 minute brutal Challenge bout.
HALFBUCK was savagely defeated by LUXLORD BLACK in a 1 minute Challenge fight.
DESTINY was defeated by ZAYLA in a 2 minute Challenge duel.
NEETA was demolished by HROTSVITHA in a 1 minute uneven Challenge bout.
NIGHTCLOUD lost to BARSTOOL BRAD in a 3 minute Challenge fray.
NALA delivered the death blow upon SYZYGY in a 1 minute novice's Challenge bout.
HOLLOWSOUL was luckily beaten by HUMAN CENTIPEDE in a 2 minute expert's fight.
ALCESTE beat HATEFUL DESIRE in a popular 3 minute gory expert's fight.
SWABBIE SAM savagely defeated ZATHOG in a exciting 3 minute gruesome melee.
KOSTAGART handily defeated VETERAN MERCENARY in a 1 minute brutal uneven bout.
KROW overcame PLAN COLUMBIA in a popular 4 minute veteran's duel.
JANNA was luckily beaten by KYBURN in a action packed 5 minute gory duel.
PYRAT was luckily beaten by TWO-TON TIMMONS in a popular 3 minute gory match.
DRAGON SCARRED luckily beat FAST HACK 'EM 9 in a popular 2 minute gruesome bout.
STRABO was subdued by STORMCLAW in a action packed 4 minute gory contest.
LOOKOUT LARRY was devastated by CYCLOTRODE X in a 1 minute one-sided battle.
HILL GIANT was devastated by ZIM SALA BIM in a 1 minute uneven bout.
ORLANDO defeated FIREBALL in a 1 minute match.
MUTANT CAMEL was savagely defeated by TRISTAN in a exciting 3 minute conflict.
STORMGIRL was overpowered by THYME LORD in a 1 minute uneven bout.
DARK ACT overpowered MOONSHADOW in a 1 minute bloody one-sided competition.
NASTY PELOSI was vanquished by HYDRA in a 1 minute one-sided match.
FLARE was demolished by PHASE-SPIDER in a 1 minute uneven duel.
BAD MATCH-UPS was unbelievably bested by MAMA LLAMA in a 2 minute amateur's match.
EMMETT DALTON was put to death by SPHINX in a exciting 1 minute amateur's fight.
GRAT DALTON handily defeated CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute mismatched melee.
BOB DALTON demolished CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute one-sided match.
ASPIRE 2B GREAT was savagely defeated by JET-BOOT JACK in a 10 minute fight.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK                  15         WALL OF STEEL     44 -  34 -  2      56  |
|WALL OF STEEL                   10         TOTAL PARRY       37 -  32 -  1      54  |
|TOTAL PARRY                     10         LUNGING ATTACK    67 -  64 -  4      51  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   9         AIMED BLOW        35 -  34 -  0      51  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  9         BASHING ATTACK    36 -  36 -  2      50  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  8         STRIKING ATTACK   43 -  45 -  0      49  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      6         PARRY-RIPOSTE     27 -  34 -  0      44  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    6         SLASHING ATTACK   30 -  40 -  5      43  |
|AIMED BLOW                       5         PARRY-LUNGE       27 -  37 -  1      42  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     5         PARRY-STRIKE      13 -  23 -  0      36  |

Turn 251 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:

WALL OF STEEL      7 -  3     PARRY-STRIKE       2 -  3         2  AIMED BLOW     
AIMED BLOW         3 -  2     STRIKING ATTACK    3 -  5         2  TOTAL PARRY    
LUNGING ATTACK     9 -  6     BASHING ATTACK     3 -  6         2  WALL OF STEEL  
TOTAL PARRY        6 -  4     SLASHING ATTACK    2 -  7         1  STRIKING ATTACK
PARRY-LUNGE        3 -  3                                       1  BASHING ATTACK 
PARRY-RIPOSTE      3 -  3                                       1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
                                                                1  SLASHING ATTACK
                                                                1  PARRY-STRIKE   

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
STRIKING ATTACK  HEATWAVE 2542              15   9  1  146 WICKED MARTYRS (148)
AIMED BLOW       BAD ROLL-UPS 2130          20  14  0  150 ABOMINATION (146)
TOTAL PARRY      THE EMPRESS WU 2164        29  16  0  103 DARQUE AGES (29)
WALL OF STEEL    HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2132       18  17  2  101 ABOMINATION (146)
BASHING ATTACK   WYLD TURKEY 2505           14  13  2   88 INEBRIATION (27)
PARRY-LUNGE      ALCESTE 2355               22  19  0   85 SOME KINDA HATE (102)
LUNGING ATTACK   WHITE LIGHTNING 2486       15  14  1   84 INEBRIATION (27)
PARRY-STRIKE     TU DU 1652                 14   9  2   83 THE MONSANTIS (112)
PARRY-RIPOSTE    KYBURN 2668                 7   4  0   40 SOME KINDA HATE (102)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is RYK THE DRAGON 2371.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was JANNA 2581.  The ten other most popular fighters were WHITE LIGHTNING 2486, 
HATEFUL DESIRE 2457, PYRAT 2615, CELERY STALKER 2676, FAST HACK 'EM 9 2653, TRISTAN 
2669, SWABBIE SAM 2632, KROW 2504, STRABO 2689, and WARWULF 2580.

The least popular fighter this week was ASPIRE 2B GREAT 2750.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were THE EMPRESS WU 2164, JET-BOOT JACK 2741, FLARE 2736, NASTY 
PELOSI 2733, MOONSHADOW 2735, STORMGIRL 2712, MUTANT CAMEL 2678, HILL GIANT 2694, 
NEETA 2702, and DESTINY 2703.

The following warriors will travel to AD after next turn:

HEATWAVE (81-2542) WICKED MARTYRS (148)

The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:

PHO C (81-2444) OTTO'S DINER (96)

                 FACE-TO-FACE TOURNEY LVII

ELIGIBLES TOURNEY                      W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
DEXTER MORGAN 452 (76-65-0)            0  3  0         DEVIATION            

FRESHMEN TOURNEY                       W  L  K         TEAM NAME            
STRAY CAT 242 (23-17-0)                0  3  0         ERRATA               

               NEW GRADUATES--FROM ALL ARENAS (INCLUDING CLOSED ARENAS)

For those of you who keep track of such things, several additional warriors 
graduated from regular DM arenas (including closed arenas) since the last tournament. 

                     SONNY TERRY (30-3912) of DELTA BLUES (374) 
                 BLOOD RED SKIES (32-5430) of CALL THE PRIEST (344) 
                         DINO ORTALANI (69-9537) of OZ (944) 
                   TUESDAY WELD (73-6047) of CALENDAR GIRLS (453) 
                ELEPHANTTRANQUILIZER (82-855) of HARD LIQUOR 3 (140) 
                    FLOYD 101 (82-53144) of ROOKIE PINK 61 (8965) 
                      DOWRY WRAITH (82-50172) of 072507J (8439) 
                       CRIKEY! (82-45396) of SURPRISE! (7631) 
                  COCKROACH (82-47295) of THIRSTY THUGS 705 (7946) 
                  URETHRA FRANKLIN (82-16581) of R-E-S-P-E-E (2518) 
                  SACRED DOOM (82-10660) of HAUNTED CASTLE 3 (1569) 
                      HELPER HAND (84-4344) of DOODS III (848) 
                    QUICKSILVER (84-7055) of MORE Q STUFF (1335) 
                         CRUTCH (84-15431) of OLD ONE (2726) 
              THONG RENAISSANCE (84-14786) of THE ORLANDO MOB 17 (2602) 
                    THE CREATOR (84-32899) of LOITER SQUAD (5769) 
                 THE WHITE WHALE (84-47164) of GOTTA SERVE 2 (5903) 
                     PIMPLED NINNY (84-28547) of 012112H (5057) 
                   SFC 10 (84-23902) of MEDAL OF HONOR 101 (4237) 
                    FLATLINER (84-45870) of BAD NEWS BEERS (7928) 

Congrats to the grads. -- Green Eyes