DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 02/16/2018    Duedate: 03/01/2018

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM-93    TURN-498

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

GERONIMO
FOLKLORE (1738)
(93-10146) [5-2-0,66]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

BRAVO                          GERONIMO
RED AVENGERS (1736)            FOLKLORE (1738)
(93-10156) [5-2-1,54]          (93-10146) [5-2-0,66]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

SWAMP FOX                      MOLLY PITCHER
FOLKLORE (1738)                FOLKLORE (1738)
(93-10149) [7-0-2,58]          (93-10145) [4-3-2,31]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

BB HALLOWEEN (1739)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. BB HALLOWEEN (1739)         48
2. CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)        33      RED AVENGERS (1736)
3. CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)       19      Unchartered Team
4. RED AVENGERS (1736)         14
5. BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)       0      FOLKLORE (1738)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 1*FOLKLORE (1738)           24  11  4 68.6   1/ 2*BB HALLOWEEN (1739)      10  5 0
 2/ 2*BB HALLOWEEN (1739)       23  12  0 65.7   2/ 1*FOLKLORE (1738)           8  7 2
 3- 3*BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)    20  18  0 52.6   3/ 5*CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)     5  5 1
 4/ 4*CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)      8  12  1 40.0   4/ 4 RED AVENGERS (1736)       5  8 0
 5/ 0*CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)       2   3  0 40.0   5- 3*BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)    3  2 0
 6/ 5 RED AVENGERS (1736)       16  29  1 35.6   6/ 0*CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)      2  3 0
 7- 6*THIEF TAKERS (1730)        1   9  0 10.0   7- 6*THIEF TAKERS (1730)       1  4 0

    '*'   Unchartered team                       '-'  Team did not fight this turn
   (###)  Avoid teams by their Team Id          ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

Let's see if I can answer last turn's terrific questions by making a bunch of 
statements, and turning this article into a spotlight. This should be good.
-- Johnny Appleseed

The next tournament is in April 2018 and will be a Mailer. (FTFs in summer/winter, 
mailers in spring/fall)

In tournaments, the skill learn rate, the stat raise possibility, and the chance of 
dying are all halved.

A manager is allowed to fight 10 rounds in Noblish (93) before needing to transfer the 
team to a regular arena. Not all warriors need to have fought 10 turns to do so. 
Around the 9th round, RSI will send you a form advising you of the move and asking 
where you want to move the team.

Andorian arenas are known for an environment of no downchallenging, a lack of 
intentional killing, and  a general desire to encourage new managers. Darkholm arenas 
are known for a cutthroat environment. Free Blades arenas can be similar to either or 
neither. (In general) Andorian (and related) arenas (s means slow) are 8s, 11, 22, 24, 
25, 26, 30, 41, 46, 52s, 60, 63, 65, 74, 75, 78. Arenas 8, 11, 30, and 46 are great 
places to interact with Consortium folk, who write personal ads and live the Andorian 
style. Arena 11, Aruak City, bills itself as The Heart And Soul Of Andoria. To other 
reasonably friendly, and large arenas, albeit slow, I recommend are 45 and 47. those 
arenas sponsor "events" regularly.

Gateway is a part of Advanced DM, related to Primus. Getting warriors graduated , then 
through ADM to Primus is a great target/goal, but yet a long way off.

Warrior statements (on the profile) are derivatives of stats and skills, and not 
something that a warrior is "born with". (The warrior is born with style, stats, and 
the roll of the die.)

Assur writes a wonderful article about hybrid designs. Catch earlier DM93 newsletters 
for it, and there is some likelihood it will be republished soon.

Managers can start a new team anytime. You can run many teams at the same time. All 
you need is to fill out the newly acquired ($5) DUEL2 ROLL UPS sheet. Near the bottom 
of said sheet is the place to state what arena you want to place the new team in. 

***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***

ASSUR'S BEGINNER GUIDE TO THE AIMED BLOW STYLE

When a review was done on the design articles from the past, it was discovered that 
these articles were not helping players.  Many of them were not terrible, but the 
players in the game have taken warrior design far beyond the understanding that 
existed when most of these articles were written.  So to better serve new players, The 
Consortium and Assurnasirbanipal took to giving more current design articles for each 
style.  While even our articles are biased and opinionated, we believe they better 
represent today's game than others that exist.  This article seeks to remove some 
confusion about the Aimed Blow style. Aimed Blows are THE strongest style at high 
development levels.  They are also one of the strongest styles with no development.  
In between, it is much more difficult for most of them.  While they are naturally a 
hybrid style, I'll explain why at the top they could be called pure  defensives and 
because of their sustained attack capabilities, they make fine pure offensives as 
well.

Aimed Blows have several characteristics that do not exist with any other style.  A) 
Attack skill bonus for high deftness.  B) Dodge advantages with no weapons.  C) 
Ability to ignore armor.  D) Ability to analyze an opponent's defenses. (I don't 
believe anyone understands what this does other than it is supposed to help)

There are so many ways to make Aimed Blows that it is almost impossible to give a set 
of guidelines for stats.  When you first start experimenting with Aimed Blows, I 
highly recommend only using setups that can make 17 or 21 deftness on them.  21 is 
preferred, but 17 is just fine.  Even after you have experience, I don't recommend 
going below 15.  The reason is because of item A) above.  You are permanently reducing 
your AB's potential attack by lowering the deftness.  It used to be said that: "Any 
warrior that makes a good aimed blow makes a better something else." When you lower 
the deftness too much, that statement starts to ring very, very true.  But at 21 
deftness, they have the second highest natural attack in the game (below lungers by 1 
attack skill) -- and without lungers high endurance burn.

Now with 1/4 of your points on deftness, that doesn't leave as much as you'd like for 
everything else.  Fortunately, 21 deftness is almost magical.  Aimed Blows can succeed 
with little damage.  Aimed Blows can succeed with little endurance (not recommended: 
little damage AND little endurance).  Aimed Blows can succeed frail.  Aimed Blows can 
scum to victory.  Aimed Blows with 21 deftness and completely balanced remaining stats 
can win.

Weapons: SC, LO, FI, EP, and DA are the staple weapons that I use. Most people leave 
QS alone until after they know it is their Aimed Blow's favorite weapon (and people 
have TC'd with QS).  SH, SS, and LS work  fine, but I leave those until last.  The 5 I 
mentioned meet all my needs. Armor: It depends on how you're trying to win.  The Jalon 
type AB wears APA/F.  Fist/Dodge AB's wear light or no armor.  Speed AB's wear nothing 
or ALE/L.  Hybrids wear what they can depending on their carry & design. 

Strategy: x-10 is my 'standard' strat.  'x' is typically 4 or higher. Some hybrids 
(generally wearing more armor, though a parry learner might also do this) will not use 
10 Activity Level.  As always, you need to tailor your strategy with your endurance.  
Going 6-10 for 3 minutes is going to tire just about everyone out.  Yes, most fights 
are over in 1 minute.  But when they go longer, you need to start to conserve a bit. 
AB's can use most tactics.  I'm sure there are others that have a more refined way to 
write the numbers, but I like the simplicity (and effectiveness of the strategy I 
use).  Note that the super frail guys I typically run 10-10 and the high str/con guys 
I'll sometimes run slower with more armor.

Examples:
I've chosen to list my own designs that have TC'd and TV'd (and naturally created -- I 
have some prize warriors that I don't include here).

17-5-3-5-21-12-21 AB (TC'd Rookies & Freshmen, TV'd ADM)
5-12-6-21-7-12-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
10-3-12-17-9-12-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
10-6-16-21-5-5-21 AB (TV'd Rookies & Freshmen)
10-13-6-13-17-4-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
5-5-10-17-21-9-17 AB (TV'd Rookies)
7-13-7-17-15-4-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
13-7-5-17-7-14-21 AB (TV'd Apprentices)
9-10-12-11-9-12-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
4-12-7-21-15-4-21 AB (TC'd Apprentices)
5-8-8-17-17-8-21 AB (TV'd Apprentices)
7-10-5-11-21-9-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
3-3-11-21-15-14-17 AB (TV'd Dead Apprentices)
9-11-8-11-21-7-17 AB (TV'd Rookies)
11-8-8-21-7-8-21 AB (TC'd Rookies)
11-14-5-13-15-5-21 AB (TV'd Rookies)
9-5-11-11-9-18-21 AB (TV'd Apprentices)
9-3-9-21-9-12-21 AB (TV'd Eligibles)

You'll notice a pattern.  I have zero TV's listed in Initiates, Adepts, or Champions.  
That is because I have no natural aimed blows that have TV'd in those classes, which 
are not good ones for AB's.  I also don't have a Challenger TV, but this isn't because 
AB's do poorly there.

There is one other example that is worth mentioning.  This design does not exist in 
the rollup pools, but there are guys that can use this design as a model.  It is a 
very common design for DYO prizes and in Bloodgames. These monsters have TC'd many 
times (almost always in Freshman or higher). The design is named after the first one 
that was successful. Jalon:

                                 17-16-3-3-21-3-21 AB

Advantages: At the very top of the game, their ability to dodge with no weapons makes 
them virtually unhittable.  So in a sense, at this point, AB's become pure defensives.  
Because they also have low endurance burn, they can go a long time (you regularly see 
AB vs AB fights go hundreds of minutes at the very top).  The bonus is not as great at 
lower development levels, but it is still there.  Running x-10 (with or without the 
dodge tactic) and no weapons is a viable strategy and useful strategy to use at times.  
Their high attack, ability to ignore armor, and low endurance burn make them very hard 
to beat in long fights.  With exceptions for some designs, there isn't a favorite 
learn that will make you roll your eyes in disgust. AB's can overcome the dreaded 
little damage.  AB's can be made from setups that otherwise would be considered 'bad.'  
AB's may be the only style that can regularly succeed with very low strength.

Disadvantages: Initiative is a mess for Aimed Blows.  They regularly give up the 
initiative for no reason.  When you give 17 or 21 points on deftness, it limits your 
ability to get points where you want elsewhere.  Most importantly, having high wit 
tends to even make your AB even more deficient than they otherwise are.  This is why 
they tend to be so bad in Initiates, Adepts, and Champions, where 21 wit is much more 
common and important.  Those classes are full of 21 wit strikers and lungers, also.

Best Matchups:
Scum, Scum, and more Scum.  Any defensive warrior (especially scum). Remember that 
sustained high attack offensive ability?!?  Scum never want to see AB's.  Lots of scum 
run bizarre strategies to try and beat AB's who would otherwise destroy them.  This is 
another reason why AB's thrive in Rookies, where there are lots of scum running 
around.  After scum, any defensive warrior is a good matchup.

Worst Matchups:
Lungers, Bashers, Slashers.  These warriors have a combination of high attack/high 
init/high decise skill base.  They will attack and hit your aimed blow before it gets 
a chance to attack back.  Strikers also can fall into this category, because they 
learn so much attack (and often have 21 wit, too).

                                      SPY REPORT

     It's me, The Unknown Spymaster here with my bag to give you the news on last 
week's fights.  We now have a new top team for all of you guys to dogpile on.  BB 
HALLOWEEN now holds the crown and they are betting they can keep it.  Advancing in 
the rankings was BB HALLOWEEN who went from last turn's 18-12-0, to this week's 
record of 23-12-0.  Hey everybody, watch out for BRAVO, who flew up 20 points in the 
rankings after mashing PECOS BILL like a melon.  Keep your eye on this guy.  Ya know, 
some days it doesn't pay to walk out on the sands.  PECOS BILL lost to BRAVO and 
drops 16 points.  Well, everybody's pal GERONIMO moved his record to 5-2-0 by 
defeating M. CHARDINEE in the Duelmaster's Title Bout and gaining 12 recognition 
points.  Advice to bashers--never force anything, just get a bigger halberd!   
     But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle!  
Did you hear that BB HALLOWEEN was most avoided team this week?  Well, knowing the 
personal hygiene of BB HALLOWEEN's warriors, I'm not surprised!  Okay, so I may not 
be funny, but catch RED AVENGERS' act in the arena.  Those acrobats seem to be fairly 
deft at running from BB HALLOWEEN.  Well dang howdy, but if challenges were votes, 
RAUNCHY COSTUME would be president.  Although it may be a contest he doesn't want to 
win.   
     Remember that an arena is not always a safe place to be, but it is one of the 
most interesting, though!  Knowing when to use the right tactics at the proper time 
is a very important step on the road to Duelmaster.   
     I think I had better cut this one short.  It's been nice chatting to those of 
you whom I have not offended yet.  C'mon, Leadfoot, let's make some tracks.  Its been 
real, and its been fun, but it hasn't been real fun...-- The Unknown Spymaster  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GERONIMO 10146                5   2  0    66       FOLKLORE (1738)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SWAMP FOX 10149               7   0  2    58       FOLKLORE (1738)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BRAVO 10156                   5   2  1    54       RED AVENGERS (1736)
 TOO MUCH CANDY 10154          6   1  0    44       BB HALLOWEEN (1739)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 PECOS BILL 10148              6   1  0    32       FOLKLORE (1738)
 RAUNCHY COSTUME 10153         6   1  0    32       BB HALLOWEEN (1739)
 MOLLY PITCHER 10145           4   3  2    31       FOLKLORE (1738)
 EGGED 10151                   5   2  0    29       BB HALLOWEEN (1739)
 IGGIE THE SCUM 10141          2   2  0    25       CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)
-OTTOBOTT 10161                3   2  0    24       BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-PEACEMAKER 10162              4   0  0    23       BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)
 BULLY 10150                   4   3  0    20       BB HALLOWEEN (1739)
 LONE RANGER 10147             2   5  0    20       FOLKLORE (1738)
-ZEPHYR 10160                  2   3  0    20       BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)
 JOE JIGGA 10139               5   4  0    19       RED AVENGERS (1736)
-ZENTRADI 10159                3   2  0    19       BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)
 SNEAKY PETE 10136             2   7  0    18       RED AVENGERS (1736)
 DRUNK TEENS 10171             2   1  0    18       BB HALLOWEEN (1739)
-D. SCEPTIKON 10163            3   1  0    14       BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)
 LADY DEATH 10176              1   0  0    14       CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)
 DEE THE BLADE 10137           2   7  0    13       RED AVENGERS (1736)
-AUTUMNBE 9643                 3   2  0    12       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
 AQUA-KNOT 10144               3   1  0    12       CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)
-LUCKY 10107                   1   1  0    12       THIEF TAKERS (1730)
 SOCCER-PANTS 10140            2   2  1     9       CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)
 DEADLY 10169                  1   3  0     8       RED AVENGERS (1736)
 VICKI VALKYRIE 10172          1   0  0     8       CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)
-DRAXXUS 9644                  1   4  0     7       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
 RIVERSIDE SHAKEPERE 10142     1   3  0     7       CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)
-SEARRUS 9645                  0   4  0     4       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
 HASSAN 10143                  0   4  0     4       CLOAK WARRIORS (1737)
-PERSEPHONE 9642               0   4  0     4       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-AGRISEL 9646                  0   4  0     4       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-TURTLE 10105                  0   2  0     2       THIEF TAKERS (1730)
-HENUP-ETH 10170               0   1  0     1       THIEF TAKERS (1730)
 VENOM 10174                   0   1  0     1       CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)
 BLACK WIDOW 10175             0   1  0     1       CROM'S CHOSEN (1741)

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
THE USEROUS MERC        0  0 0                      SWAMP FOX 10149       498  NONE
PUMPKIN MESS 10152      0  4 0 BB HALLOWEEN 1739    BRAVO 10156           495   
TROLL 10173             0  1 0 CROM'S CHOSEN 1741   SHEWISH GIANT         498  NONE
SWEET P 10155           1  2 0 RED AVENGERS 1736    SWAMP FOX 10149       494  NOT REVENGED
BROC 10104              0  2 0 THIEF TAKERS 1730    MOLLY PITCHER 10145   496   
ONE EYE 10103           0  2 0 THIEF TAKERS 1730    SOCCER-PANTS 10140    496   

                                     PERSONAL ADS

I like the Consortium motto... especially the Health part. -- Mr Misfit, CEO 
Blackthorn, Inc

How does popularity -- gains/losses work?  I had one fight in which I came back and 
won, yet my fallen opponent was chosen "Most Popular" in that particular turn, also in 
that fight I recieve a "marginal increase" yet my fallen opponent had more total 
fights and wins.  Is there a format? -- Mr Misfit, CEO Blackthorn, Inc

Are there any listings (online or elsewhere) for the arenas?  Name, number, style 
(killer, newbies, godlings only) and any other info. -- Mr Misfit

Are Free Blades arenas "killer arenas"?

Consortium -- Have you ever run either of your 'perfect' TP stats in Bloodgames? How 
do they do? -- Assur
P.S. Great article on the Total Parry!  I'm so glad you wrote that one!

Mr Misfit -- Some great questions...
1) There is another tournament sometime in April.  It hasn't been announced, but it 
will be a mail in tournament.

2) That is a weird question.  I'm sure the commission would let you leave Noblish 
early.  Just contact them.  (And a later question -- you definitely can start other 
teams in whatever arena you like).

3) Hopefully Johnny Appleseed (The Consortium rep) answers this one.  I run in mostly 
slow arenas.  For slow arenas, I'd say that 39, 50, and 59 all meet the "no death" 
requirement, but all are also very small.  DM 72 is a transfer arena, but the three 
managers that run lots of teams there are all kind. I don't recommend DM 72, though, 
as it has too many tourney warriors. Arenas to avoid: DM 18 (tourney prepping arena), 
DM 33 (great arena, but 10 KD and vitals is the norm, encouraged, and expected-also 
juvenile which can be a positive or a negative depending on your point of view), and 
DM 21 (not as bloodthirsty at the moment, but historically the arena of death). DM 8 
is Andorian, but two managers running three teams there are spoiling the Andorian way 
of life right now.

4) Gateway was an arena higher than Primus.  It closed a long time ago and all 
warriors were moved back to Primus.

5) All statements mean something about your warrior's skills or attributes. You can 
often determine from these statements whether your warrior is blessed, cursed, or 
neither from these messages.  An example:

          Quickness of Foot Msg      Defense Skill Starts
          is VERY SLOW on his feet         = 7
          is VERY SLOW on his feet         <= -5
          is SLOW on his feet              -3 to -4
          is QUICK on his feet             3 to 4
          is VERY QUICK on his feet        5 to 6
          is INCREDIBLY QUICK and          >= 7
              ELUSIVE on his feet

The skill charts give you an 'expected value' for your starting defense. The messages 
tells you the 'actual range' for your starting defense.

Regarding Offensive/Defensive/Hybrid styles, I'd categorize styles naturally as:

                       CLEAR              MAYBE
     Pure Offensive:   ST/BA/SL           LU/PS/AB
     Hybrid:           PR/LU/AB/WS/PL/PS  TP/BA
     Pure Defensive:   TP/WS/PS/PR/PL     AB/LU

Hybrid does not always mean 'finesse' to me
Tank Bashers are mostly damage soakers (and their defense is lovingly called Face 
Parrying)

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

TROLL was dealt death by SHEWISH GIANT in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
LONE RANGER was devastated by TOO MUCH CANDY in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
SOCCER-PANTS was handily defeated by RAUNCHY COSTUME in a 1 minute Challenge match.
GERONIMO won victory over M. CHARDINEE in a 2 minute Title brawl.
BRAVO devastated PECOS BILL in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
MOLLY PITCHER was luckily beaten by FRATSFA SLAVE in a 3 minute bloody competition.
SWAMP FOX slaughtered THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
EGGED overpowered DEADLY in a popular 1 minute mismatched brawl.
BULLY handily defeated HASSAN in a 1 minute gruesome uneven melee.
JOE JIGGA was vanquished by IGGIE THE SCUM in a 2 minute uneven fight.
DEE THE BLADE was unbelievably bested by AQUA-KNOT in a slow 9 minute brutal fight.
SNEAKY PETE overcame RIVERSIDE SHAKEPERE in a 2 minute bout.
DRUNK TEENS overpowered BLACK WIDOW in a 1 minute one-sided match.
VICKI VALKYRIE bested MORDANT DESERTER in a 1 minute amateur's conflict.
VENOM was subdued by MORDANT DESERTER in a 2 minute amateur's match.
LADY DEATH narrowly defeated EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 7 minute amateur's conflict.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW                       5         BASHING ATTACK    36 -  22 -  0      62  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   5         SLASHING ATTACK    8 -   5 -  0      62  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  5         LUNGING ATTACK    17 -  13 -  2      57  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   3         AIMED BLOW        17 -  15 -  0      53  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     3         PARRY-RIPOSTE      8 -   8 -  0      50  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      2         WALL OF STEEL      4 -   4 -  0      50  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         STRIKING ATTACK   27 -  28 -  3      49  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      1         PARRY-STRIKE      12 -  15 -  1      44  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  0         TOTAL PARRY        3 -   4 -  0      43  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    0         PARRY-LUNGE        3 -   6 -  1      33  |

Turn 498 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-RIPOSTE      1 -  0     STRIKING ATTACK    2 -  3         2  BASHING ATTACK 
TOTAL PARRY        1 -  0     PARRY-STRIKE       1 -  2         2  STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK     2 -  1     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  2         2  AIMED BLOW     
AIMED BLOW         3 -  2     SLASHING ATTACK    0 -  0         2  LUNGING ATTACK 
BASHING ATTACK     3 -  2     WALL OF STEEL      0 -  0         1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                                                                1  WALL OF STEEL  
                                                                1  PARRY-RIPOSTE  

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
BASHING ATTACK   GERONIMO 10146              5   2  0   66 FOLKLORE (1738)
STRIKING ATTACK  SWAMP FOX 10149             7   0  2   58 FOLKLORE (1738)
PARRY-STRIKE     BRAVO 10156                 5   2  1   54 RED AVENGERS (1736)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is SWAMP FOX 10149.  The most popular warrior this turn 
was MOLLY PITCHER 10145.  The ten other most popular fighters were IGGIE THE SCUM 
10141, GERONIMO 10146, EGGED 10151, TOO MUCH CANDY 10154, SNEAKY PETE 10136, DRUNK 
TEENS 10171, TROLL 10173, RAUNCHY COSTUME 10153, BRAVO 10156, and BULLY 10150.

The least popular fighter this week was AQUA-KNOT 10144.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were LADY DEATH 10176, BLACK WIDOW 10175, DEE THE BLADE 10137, PECOS BILL 
10148, SOCCER-PANTS 10140, LONE RANGER 10147, VENOM 10174, RIVERSIDE SHAKEPERE 10142, 
HASSAN 10143, and DEADLY 10169.

                      SUMMER FACE-TO-FACE IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

We have planned our summer FTF for July 13-15, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia, only 7 
miles on a quick Metro ride from Washington, D.C.!.  It will be held at the Holiday 
Inn Arlington at Ballston.  Room rates are $79 per night on 7/12 and 7/15 and $129 on 
7/13 and 7/14, 1-2 occupancy.  There's free wireless throughout the property as well 
as a fitness center, outdoor pool, and business center, as well as a resturant and bar 
inside the hotel.  There is no airport shuttle and parking is $7/day.  The rooms are 
blocked -- ask for the Reality Simulations block.  Reservations must be made by 6/12.  
(As always if you have issues making reservations, please let us know!)  

                       Hotel site:  http://www.hiarlington.com 

Look for the tournament info sheet and minioverviews some time in June.  We hope 
you're all looking forward to it and that we will see you there!

                                          -- RSI

                                The Defensive Lunger

  Perfect   Minimums     Actual Characters
ST   13        11             11   13
CN    7         3              3   11
SZ    4         4             10    6
WT   21        17             17   17
WL   17        13             17   19
SP    5         5              9    5
DF   17        13             17   13

     The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive 
fighter.  Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn 
endurance.  They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will 
allow them to dodge most attacks.  The most important part is their initiative.  When 
they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack.  I haven't been 
fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0.  Don't fight 
defensively against other lungers as they will usually win.

     The strategy I use is:
Min  1    2    3    4    5    6   Desp
Off  4 ------------------------->  9         Weapon:  Any lunging
Act  6    4 -------------------->  9         No armor if low con
KD   4 ------------------------->  9         APL/H if average con
O.T. --------------------------->  L
D.T. -------------------------------->

     You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body.  The 
third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative.  The 
last character had an expert in attack.

The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams.

                                  WARRIOR ENDURANCE

     Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone!  I hope you have had pleasant dueling.  
This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing 
your warriors.  Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may 
have.  This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all 
the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a 
warrior should have.

The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL

With the result of that number use the chart below.

000-180 = Very Poor
181-240 = Poor
235-390 = Normal
391-509 = Good
510-639 = Great
640-699 = Tremendous
770+    = Awesome

Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings:

1) Slasher      ST  5  CN  7  WL 15     (5+7)15   = 180	 Poor
2) Striker	ST  7  CN 13  WL  9	(7+13)9   = 180	 Poor
3) Parry-Rip	ST  7  CN 10  WL 11	(7+10)11  = 187	 Poor
4) Basher	ST 13  CN  9  WL  9	(13+9)9   = 198	 Very Poor
5) Striker	ST 13  CN  9  WL  9	(13+9)9   = 198	 Poor
6) Aimed-Blow	ST  9  CN 15  WL  9	(9+15)9   = 216	 Normal
7) Striker	ST 10  CN  5  WL 15	(10+5)15  = 225	 Normal
8) Slasher	ST 13  CN 10  WL 10     (13+10)10 = 230	 Normal
9) Wall/Steel	ST 13  CN 12  WL 17     (13+12)17 = 425	 Great

     There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is 
some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance.  In any case the RSI 
LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average.  These are 
just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless.
     Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of 
steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating.
     Every action your warrior does consumes endurance.  Attacking seems to use more 
endurance than any other action.  Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make 
an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest 
or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll.  When a warrior 
stops to rest, he gets back some endurance.  When he gets enough endurance back, he 
will start attacking again.  This is just a theory that I have developed from 
observations.  It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder.
     That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere.  If you would 
like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com 
or visit my DM website at 
http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm 
     You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the 
Joker's Wilds scattered about.

                                                       Cheerio,
                                                       Sir Jessie Jest
                                                       Member of the Ivory League

                     Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)...

                            THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS
                                by The Ghost of Eldrid

                                 Character Generation

     Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly 
effects how well your team may do in the future.  Some managers will not take this 
important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their 
records will suffer for it.  I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched 
through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this 
article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named 
managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all 
agree on the validity of my arguments.  The results of my research are both startling 
and magnificent.  THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!!  Whether it was programmed in 
or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not.  IT EXISTS!!!  And I plan to share 
some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation.
     Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats.  
NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which, 
obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his 
description in the fight.  Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd?  I should 
hope not!!  But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER 
STATS EVEN!!  Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to 
the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari.
     Always start adding points to wit and will first.  Either make them 13, 17, or 
21.  Why?  Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you.  A 13 
understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21 
is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get.  Why 
not 15 or 19?   Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky?  The only President 
of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?).  Lincoln was 
shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May.  If 
these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will.  
19 is an evil number.  It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but 
actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know 
that a zero is nothing.  So what do we get for our extra eight points?  In effect, 
something smaller than nothing.
     Next, make every other stat odd.  Add the other points to make the style you 
want.  Deftness is the key to character generation.
     Deftness (min)
          5 to make a basher (ST 13+)
          7 for a lunger
          9 for a striker
          11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+)
          13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total 
                    parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck.
          17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+)
          21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings)

     The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't 
know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd 
ID characters.  Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph, 
Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max, 
Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam 
Spade.  All have even-numbered IDs.  Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have 
odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!"  Yes, but they are AIMED 
BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd 
numbers.  So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday, 
Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows.  
Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way.

                                        -- The Ghost of Eldrid,
                                             retired

                           PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE

     There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the 
best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style.  Well, I feel that parry-
strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style.
     First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK".  The 
book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their 
actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.)  The book 
says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who 
have no brains would disagree with that.)
     Let's get to business.  First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive, 
making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive 
fighter.  Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent.  I had a parry-
striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died.  To prepare and run a 
parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as 
possible.  Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style:

     ST:  11-15, I'll explain later.
     CN:  who cares.
     SZ:  10-14, don't go over 14.
     WT:  13-17, 17 is the best.
     WL:  13-17, to get good endurance.
     SP:  not important.
     DF:  11-15, I'll explain later.

     Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker:  11,7,10,17,17,7,15; 
15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11.  Now, if you have a decent 
wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness.  For 
example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage 
to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to 
their opponent.  If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight 
offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in.  If they don't 
have a decent wit, you're on your own.  I can't help you on that.  Remember this style 
of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well 
as bein a little more aggressive.  I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take 
away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck.  You 
don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance.  SZ; you 
don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your 
attributes.  WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster 
and deadlier they become.  Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then 
don't worry about it again until ADM.  WL; this is where you get your endurance.  13 
is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic.  SP; it 
is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude.  
Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever.  
DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer.  Now to 
running a PSer.  If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the 
fight, even in desperation.  If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd 
10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp.  
Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go 
defensive the first minute.  By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on 
the offensive, but experiment.  6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she 
will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.)  The best thing you could do for 
your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than 
offensive, run the def., or change weapons.  That is the best advice I can give you 
about PSers.  About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment.  I know 
that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you 
some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager, 
playing for just over a year.  No matter who writes a style article, it is just 
advice, not the bible.  Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn 
law.
     This is a very fun fighting style, try it out.  I have written this in answer to 
Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8.  I challenge any Primus Manager to 
correct my writing of PSers.  It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any 
other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!)  If there are 
any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The 
Crucifiers DM-46.

                            THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE

     When you think "attack" what style comes to mind?  Bashing?  Definitely lunging?  
Of course.  Parry-Lunging?  Excuse me?  Yes, the parry-lunger!  Few people realize the 
fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born.  All it takes is the right 
warrior and lots of guts.  This warrior is not for the weak of heart.  We'll begin 
with stats.

     Range               Perfect
     ST  9-11                  11
     CN  5-9                    5
     SZ  6-11                   8
     WT 17or21                 21
     WL 17or21                 17
     SP  5-8                    5
     DF 15-17                  17

     Why?
     ST(11):  This is your optimum PL strength.  It puts your warrior in the normal to 
good damage range.  Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO!
     CN(5):  Yes, his life expectancy is low.  What'd I tell you?  Guts, right?  He 
gets his endurance from WL.  If you want to make trains, make them here.
     SZ(8):  Our most flexible stat.  A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on 
Str (9).
     WT(21):  If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts 
on.  His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the 
chocks.
     WL(17):  End/Att are dependent on this one being high.  Keeps you on your feet 
when you should drop from exhaustion.
     SP(5):  Not a big requirement.  Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF).  
This is not a lunger mimic.
     DF(17):  Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack.  
Pinpoint accuracy is the byword.  Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit 
immeasurably.  At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can 
put to devastating use.

     Strategy (General, but effective in most cases)
          2    9    9    7    6    5    10
          6    9    9    7    6    5    10
          2    7    7    7    5    5    10
          HE ---------------------------->
          HE   BD ----------------------->
          -    -    -    -    -    -    -
          P    -    -    -    -    -    -

     Minute 1:  This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go 
defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless.  This PL's counterattack will be 
amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL.  Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert 
parry is gained.
     Minutes 2 and 3:  These two will end most of his fights.  When he starts landing 
precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly.  Keep the kill 
desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking.
     Minutes 4 through 6:  If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL 
to carry you until you finish the job.  He'll probably top out at the five min. mark.  
But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense.
     Desp:  If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1 
defense.  Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so.  
If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping 
the super-offense will put him over the edge.  After all, it's better to burn out than 
fade away.
     Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows.  If it tickles your 
fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed.  
Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part.  My offensives aim 
head so I assume everyone else's do too.  After min. 1, we forget defense.
     Weapons and armor are simple.  APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real 
heavy-hitter).  I prefer swords for armament.  My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH, 
SC/DA etc.  Against heavy armor go with LO/SH.  Always aim for the head.
     Philosophy:  This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of 
the spectre of death.  In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers.  
Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage.  Prey on strikers, PS, PR 
and slashers.  As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the 
tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and 
lungers.
     A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70 
def.  Decise and riposte will be slightly lower.  Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from 
35-50 depending on how lucky you get.  Train skills exclusively from fight one and on.  
Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con).
     Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on.  By ten fights he'll be 
sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle 
those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him.  Feel free to write or diplo me 
with comments/criticisms/or questions.

                                             Fight the Good Fight,
     or:                                          Agath
          CPL Michael Dockus                      Lunatic Fringe (23)
          H Co BLT 2/8                            Circle of Five (51)
          24 MEU (Det F)                          Slaves of Power (52)
          FPO NY NY 09502-8531

                             Mission to the Twisted Lands

                                     Episode One

     Old Brown could run pretty fast if properly motivated, but mostly he walked with 
a long-legged, distance-devouring stride.  He was a huge horse, a half-giant's 
warhorse, shaggy and self-assured, with muscles like half-buried boulders in his 
shoulders and hips.  Lounging in the saddle was the motivating force, the half-giant, 
Keel Woodhaven.  Although in his mind he was slouching and half-asleep, he sat up 
straight in the saddle since that is more comfortable for riding.
     It was twilight, stars coming out above and lights in farmhouse windows below.  
They traveled through vineyards, brown and fallow now in the winter, descending gently 
toward the tree-crowded coast.  The distant trees, not just pines, were green.  They 
stayed green because the marsh that surrounded the city-state of Bonsur had hot 
springs in it.
     Keel Woodhaven had always liked Bonsur.  It had a relaxed feel about it, the 
women seemed prettier, the music was great, everyone thought about having fun.  And 
the booze was excellent, of course.  He passed the arena at the edge of town, and 
paused to read the current statistics, posted on the gate and lit by a lantern.  So, 
an elven cobbler was the Duelmaster?  Why would a shoemaker take up such a painful 
profession?  Then he noticed the team name:  Shewish Picnic.  He snorted.  That 
explained it, all right.  As a half-Shew, he was kind of bothered by that team theme, 
which was present in Home Guard as well.  It was sort of funny though.  He saw that 
Elf Cobbler was headed for the Isle.  Probably not bound for Home Guard just yet, 
though.
     They passed a small chicken ranch.  A rooster uttered an untimely crow.  At about 
that time, Old Brown took exception to something and bolted.  Cussing, Keel hauled on 
the reins, to little effect since the horse was stronger than him and apparently 
frightened.  He didn't see the masked men coming out of their hiding places behind 
him, looking frustrated.  At least not until a crossbow bolt thunked into the backside 
of his leather cuirass. His horse screamed and ran faster.
     Hauling Old Brown to the left as they passed a set of big open gates into a well-
lighted courtyard, Keel got them behind the shelter of the high stone wall, and patted 
the horse's sweaty neck.  "You're okay now, friend.  I'll go take care of those 
bozos."
     As he dismounted, he noticed he was becoming surrounded by uniformed men, some 
with swords and some with halberds.
     "Howdy?" he said, hoping they were friendly.
     "Your horse has been shot," said someone, pointing at a bolt sticking out of Old 
Brown's butt.
     "Well damn!"  Keel laid a comforting hand on the horse's flank, which quivered.
     "So have you," the guard continued.
     "Yeah, thought so.  Doesn't feel like it got through the armor though."  Keel 
tried to look over his shoulder, but could only see the feathered end of the bolt.  
"Who are you guys?"
     "We are the Queen's Guard."
     "What?  Queen Gemra?  Okay, please take care of Old Brown here, and I'll go find 
the ***holes that shot him."
     "Sir, you are mistaken.  You will be taken to a doctor.  We will arrest the 
assailants."
     "Hey!  I'm on a mission from Sheila Greywand.  Anyway, they shot my horse.  My 
HORSE!  I'm gonna get 'em."  Unslinging his huge sword, Keel strode toward the gate.
     Four Guardsmen came with him, flanking him like the trailing ends of a flock of 
geese.  They might have intended a different formation, but he had the longest legs 
and walked the fastest.  The one who'd spoken to him before said, "I'm Corporal Brat 
Langerman.  And you are?"
     "Keel Woodhaven."
     "I've heard of you!  The Queen will want to meet you."
     "That's fine.  Let's stick to the sides of these buildings.  If they're still 
around, we'll be targets in the middle of the street."
     They weren't quiet, exactly, since the guards wore highly polished chain mail 
which jingled.  However, Bonsur had a lively night life.  Music and laughter came from 
bars and nightclubs on adjacent streets, people lingered on corners chatting and 
sometimes playing instruments, and children hawked newssheets, shoeshines, flowers, a 
selection of rouges, and offered to carry packages.  So the sounds the guards made 
weren't too noticeable.
     Keel led the way back to the chicken ranch.  He was thinking that the bad guys 
wouldn't have waited around to be hunted.  They might have left clues, though.  
Perhaps even a discarded, crumpled note offering a cash reward for his head, and 
signed by a notorious crimelord.  Or distinctive cigar stubs, monogrammed hankies... 
personalized masks.  Tracks of boots made by elven cobblers.  Anything.  Witnesses, 
even.
     There were no people on the street near the chicken ranch.  It was full night 
now, a bit chilly although there was a warm and slightly funky breeze from the marsh.
     Corporal Brat Langerman said quietly, "Is this where it happened?"
     "Yup."
     "Well, I don't think they're here anymore."
     Keel was about to agree, when a crossbow bolt appeared in the Corporal's arm.  
The young man hissed, "Everybody down!"
     The guardsmen hunkered against the wall of a hardware store, which didn't offer 
anything resembling good cover except that they were in shadow there.  Keel crouched a 
little, but he knew he was a pretty big target, plus his sword gave off a faint 
greenish glow.  He looked around, searching the darkness for signs of their foes.
     A shadow on top of a shaded walkway across the street shifted a little.  Keel 
pulled a weighted dart out of his pocket and hurled it.  He was good at tavern darts, 
but it was dark, the distance was too great, and he just wasn't lucky.  The little 
missile clattered against the shingles of the porch roof.  There was a startled twitch 
from the half-seen form.  At that instant, Keel lunged across the street.  His long 
legs carried him across to the opposite shadows in three bounds.  More bolts came out 
of the darkness, one lodging in his calf, the others missing him altogether.
     Now the Guardsmen had a good idea where their foes were, and it takes a while to 
reload a crossbow.  The four men charged, yelling wildly.  Tucking his sword under his 
arm, Keel grabbed one of the posts holding up the porch roof, strained, and dislodged 
it.  After a moment he yanked it out of the structure entirely.  The roof sagged, 
there was a yelp of surprise, and someone's foot appeared off the edge of it.  Keel 
grabbed him by the ankle and hauled him the rest of the way down.
     There were brief sounds of fighting, then footsteps that rapidly receded down an 
alley.  Three Guardsmen raced off in pursuit.  Keel's prisoner started to try to get 
away, so the half-Shew tossed him up, grabbed him by the arms and bashed him against 
the wall.
     "Are you okay?" asked Brat, sheathing his sword.
     "Took one in the leg, but it's not too bad I think," Keel said, shifting his 
unconscious prisoner to one hand and bending to pick up his sword.
     "I'll help you tie that one up," Brat said.  "There's a dead one here.  I think 
there were two more."  He grunted slightly, trying to reach something with his injured 
arm.  "Got some ties in my right-hand belt pouch.  If you could get them for me?"
     They bound the prisoner, then bandaged each other.
     "What did they want?" asked the Corporal.
     Keel shrugged.  "No clue.  Let's get him somewhere safe and we can ask him..."  
He listened.  "Your guys are coming back."
     "Yeah."
     The Guardsmen hadn't been able to track their assailants in the darkness, but at 
least there were no further injuries.  The group of them returned warily to the 
courtyard of the Guard House, where a woman was smearing some kind of ointment on Old 
Brown's wound.  After the horse was bedded down in the stable, the Guardsmen led Keel 
into their office, where there was a welcome scent of fresh coffee.  The medic set 
about binding Keel's wound and that of the Corporal, who turned out to be an extremely 
handsome man.  Keel remembered hearing that Queen Gemra required her Guardsmen to be 
good looking.  That didn't mean they weren't competent, though.  Brat had done pretty 
well.
     The medic roused their prisoner with smelling salts.  They all sat in the main 
office, Corporal Langerman facing the miscreant, who was seated in a cushioned chair, 
looking reasonably comfortable except for his bandaged head.  "All right," said Brat.  
"Now I want you to tell me that you're going to turn Queen's Evidence."
     "Not on your life, pretty boy!"  The man had, perhaps, some excuse for hard 
feelings since he was more homely than not, with a crooked nose and eyes set too close 
together.  He and Keel looked shabby and ill-favored amongst all these gleamingly 
handsome Guardsmen.
     Keel leaned forward.  "You guys shot my horse."
     "Oh.  Sorry, didn't mean to do that.  We were just shooting at you."
     "Why?"
     "Glowing sword."
     "What?"
     "Duh, it's a magic sword!  We saw it when you drew it in Delarq Tor, and figured 
we could sell it so we followed you."
     The half-Shew snorted.  "The Dentless isn't magic.  It was in a Chaos Gate for 
five hundred years and it picked up some energy, that's all.  All it does, is glow.  
And cut things."
     The bandit looked chagrined.  "But... it's got to be magic."
     "Ain't.  Sorry kid."
     After that, Keel was taken to enjoy a sumptuous dinner at the Palace.  Queen 
Gemra was a definite babe, with long, silken black hair, a delicate pouty face, and 
luscious curves.  She asked him about his mission, which was to go to the Twisted 
Lands and shut down a leaking Chaos Gate.  He entertained her with the story of his 
adventure on the Two-Shew Express, and she gave him a brown velvet cloak to show her 
appreciation.  She did not invite him to her bed, which was fine because his heart 
belonged to another, always and forever.
     
                                      * * * * * 

                           This is a continuing adventure.  
         Watch for future chapters in the Bonsur and Home Guard newsletters!