DARKHOLM SPORTING JOURNAL Date : 12/31/2011 Duedate: 01/13/2012 DARKHOLM ARENA DM 104 TURN 574 RANK TEAMS W L K % RANK TEAMS W L K % 1 PUNCHLINES 82/1115 2165 1729 23 55.6 LEGION OF LEGEND 62/1305 STREET PIZZA 18/114 4 ILLFANG PACT 1/281 474 653 8 42.1 HANNAH'S PALS 82/1270 UP TO NO GOOD 37/316 DYSLEXICS UNTIE! II 82/1258 5 DARK AT HEA 21/1336 102 149 0 40.6 2 TACKLE BOX 6/1332 321 303 3 51.4 6 APOCALYPSE 38/712 69 101 2 40.6 TACKLE BOX 37/788 7-THE WILLBUR 59/1333 4 6 0 40.0 THE FUNNY FARM 2/881 8 JOHNS 5/927 1169 2128 20 35.5 3 STEEL LEGION 1/1304 10 12 0 45.5 AUTHORS 21/749 BRUTAL LEGION 7/1335 JUST BECAUSE 38/1151 WINGED LEGION 6/1277 THE LADY'S LIST 6/917 BLOODY LEGION 96/1276 9 THE MIDDLE W 5/1325 524 982 7 34.8 WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===DELARQUAN REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 1 MORDANT (turn 691): ALLEY OOP of ONE HIT WONDERS (Buri, mgr.) DM 2 NIANIA (turn 574): SKIDMARK BUG of 042909A (The Muffin Man, mgr.) DM 3 OSKSI (turn 696): HERMOD of AESIR (Buri, mgr.) DM 4 JHELUM (turn 668): BRAVE 2 of TRIBAL COUNCIL (Chief Illiniwek, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 692): 8 BALL of POOL PARTY (Buri, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 687): KAIARI of SOUL STRIPPERS II (Savory Jack, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 296): NIKKI NAILS of TOOL SHED (Leprechaun, mgr.) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 680): CENSORSHIP of ABOMINATIONS (Chase, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 682): LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 681): LEVEL OF MALEVOLENCE of DEVIATION (Marma Duke, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 647): RHAKARAS of TEMPLE OF STEEL (Frenzy, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 636): WHAT'S A VOLKSIE? Of TEAM FLOYD (Floyd, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 294): THE FALLEN ONE of DARQUE ANGELS (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 629): SRV of SHREDDERS (Buri, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 580): HANK of VENTURE BROS. (Buri, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 275): WERE BEAR of FERAL LEGION (Seraphim, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 268): HARVEY of IMPROVED ILLUSION (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 525): GILBERN JUSS of MIDDLE WAY 10 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 245): NAEFAN ORDH of MIDDLE WAY 9 (Jorja, mgr.) ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 573): RUGEN THE JELLYFISH of HANNAH'S PALS (The Upright Man) Top Teams --------- DM 1 MORDANT (turn 691): RUN DMC (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.) DM 2 NIANIA (turn 574): HAMOI TONG (Froot E. Bowl, mgr.) DM 3 OSKSI (turn 696): AESIR (Buri, mgr.) DM 4 JHELUM (turn 668): SAVAGE HORDE (Frenzy, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 692): THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 687): SOUL STRIPPERS II (Savory Jack, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 296): TOOL SHED (Leprechaun, mgr.) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 680): THE CLUB (Buri, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 682): RYAN'S HENCHMEN (Leprechaun, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 681): DEVIATION (Marma Duke, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 647): MIDDLE WAY 17 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 636): HOLMES ON THE RANGE (Sherlock, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 294): DARQUE ANGELS (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 629): SHREDDERS (Buri, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 580): VENTURE BROS. (Buri, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 275): FERAL LEGION (Seraphim, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 268): IMPROVED ILLUSION (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 525): MIDDLE WAY 10 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 245): MIDDLE WAY 9 (Jorja, mgr.) ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 573) PUNCHILINES et al (The Upright Man, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 3 OSKSI (turn 696): LOABAL DOMINATION OF STATE OF MIND (Marma Duke, mgr.) DM 4 JHELUM (turn 667): CUSSTER of DOGS OF WAR (Jorja, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 687): KAIARI of SOUL STRIPPERS II (Savory Jack, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 681): BEDDER of CENTER FOR OLDS (Suave, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 681): BLAKSKUL of GRIM FANDANGO (Stik, mgr.) (turn 680): FATHOM JUMPER of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 646): IRINA JINZ of MIDDLE WAY 17 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 294): THE FALLEN ONE of DARQUE ANGELS (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 580): WHAT of QUESTIONS (Sherlock, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 267): UNCLE FESTER of TALL TALES (A-Sop, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 525): GILFMET IVERS of MIDDLE WAY 10 (Jorja, mgr.) REPORT FROM WITHIN THE TOWER Aha! There you are! Malic here. I was away in Talcama for the holidays, but I'm back, and delighted to be here! So, here we go. There were four challenges posted this turn, one of them by one of Buri's men and the rest by Preacher's fighters. That's something, when we get not one but two managers allowing their fighters to challenge. Well done! Thunder Bug has taken the Runeblade. THUNDER BUG (37-3734) (30-19-0,213) of TACKLE BOX challenged RUGEN THE JELLYFISH (82-12478) (74-25-0,253) of HANNAH'S PALS. THUNDER BUG devastated RUGEN THE JELLYFISH in a 2 minute Challenge Title fight. That's Buri versus the Upright Man, and a Basher defeating a Lunger. *whistles* Nicely done! HOLOCAUST (38-3010) (43-39-2,188) of APOCALYPSE challenged MEN WORKING (38-4189) (61-213-1,190) of JUST BECAUSE. HOLOCAUST slimly won victory over MEN WORKING in a popular 4 minute Challenge match. Preacher vs. A-Sop. SAMUEL (38-3352) (33-26-5,165) of APOCALYPSE challenged MARK (5-4088) (53-124- 3,196) of JOHNS. SAMUEL won victory over MARK in a crowd pleasing 4 minute gory Challenge brawl. Striker vs. Parry-Lunger, and Preacher vs. A-Sop. And a pretty bold challenge, I think. GIDEON (38-3370) (21-16-1,56) of APOCALYPSE challenged HOFFA (5-4622) (31-47- 0,93) of JOHNS. GIDEON savagely defeated HOFFA in a crowd pleasing 1 minute bloody Challenge match. Preacher vs. A-Sop, again. Is there a patern here? Has Preacher got something against A-Sop, or is it just that A-Sop's men are (or were) the men to beat? Anyway, this looks to me like a pretty good turn for Preacher. Well done, sir! It's getting to be my naptime, so I'd better step up the pace here. Our Overall Popularity Leader is still ??Radar??, and the Upright Man must be proud. ??RADAR?? (82-20310) (84-98-1,199) of DYSLEXICS UNTIE! II fought ZAKAU (5-4623) (39-39-0,180) of JOHNS. ??RADAR?? handily defeated ZAKAU in an action packed 1 minute uneven fight. And that's TUM vs. A-Sop, who apparently had a bad day. This turn's favorite was Cobalt, who managed to last through a four-minute fight. KATIRONA MURH (5-4929) (40-29-2,62) of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 fought COBALT (1- 7784) (17-8-1,64) of STEEL LEGION. KATIRONA MURH was savagely defeated by COBALT in an exciting 4 minute brutal bout. That's Seraphim vs. Jorja, and Cobalt certainly showed some talent. One Hoffa earned the distiction of being this turn's least favorite, and the other one also made the unpopularity list. I find these two interesting because they have the same name and are from the same team in the same arena. They are not, however, identical twins. Fraternal twins perhaps? The second one fought Gideon, as noted above. The other one (the least popular)... PENDRU ROST (5-4956) (24-65-0,58) of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 fought HOFFA (5-4348) (12-120-0,40) of JOHNS. PENDRU ROST bested HOFFA in a crowd pleasing 1 minute brawl. *groans* Jorja vs. A-Sop. A-Sop, I am sorry. Although it appears to me that you may not expect a great deal from this fighter. And congratulations to Pendru Rost, who can certainly use the win. There were no avoids. Too bad! I quite like to report avoids. I'm a seasoned avoider, myself. Very light on my feet. I run like a startled deer. Aimed Blows are scary, aren't they? Let's see what our top Aimed Blow did. ALOYICIUS (6-5045) (19-25-2,46) of THE LADY'S LIST fought ASSASSIN (96-1802) (10-7- 4,41) of BLOODY LEGION. ALOYICIUS was devastated by ASSASSIN in an exciting 1 minute uneven duel. Assassin is our top Aimer. That's A-Sop vs. Seraphim. Nice to see A- Sop get a win, eh? Another interesting style is the refined and elegant Parry-Riposte. Our top P- Ripper is Jammy Larke, one of Jorja's men. JAMMY LARKE (5-4926) (34-29-0,78) of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 fought HAWK (6-5764) (18-8-0,77) of WINGED LEGION. JAMMY LARKE was beaten by HAWK in a popular 1 minute match. That would be Jorja vs. Seraphim. Isn't Seraphim plural? I thought Seraph was the singular of that word. Oh well, I could be wrong. Or maybe the team is managed by a committee of seraphim. Anyway... it is definitely naptime. I'm off to snooze on the couch. See you all in fourteen! Malic of Talcama KEEPER OF THE RUNEBLADE W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY THUNDER BUG 37-3734 31 19 251 TACKLE BOX (788) SIBIKHAS GRAND CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY STASSIA 37-1523 98 109 4 229 UP TO NO GOOD (316) SIBIKHAS GRAND CHAMPIONS W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY ??RADAR?? 82-20310 85 98 1 207 DYSLEXICS UNTIE! II (1258) DWES EG HOLOCAUST 38-3010 44 39 2 197 APOCALYPSE (712) CLIFFHOME RUGEN THE JELLYFISH 82-12478 74 26 194 HANNAH'S PALS (1270) DWES EG SMELL CAREFULLY 18-8889 67 113 2 191 STREET PIZZA (114) TALCAMA -RASCALLY RABBIT 59-1338 37 32 189 THE WILLBURYS 1 (1333) ILLIS SAMUEL 38-3352 34 26 5 189 APOCALYPSE (712) CLIFFHOME MEN WORKING 38-4189 61 214 1 188 JUST BECAUSE (1151) CLIFFHOME ZANE GREY 21-4810 31 55 2 182 AUTHORS (749) SUNSET GRAND CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY MARK 5-4088 53 125 3 180 JOHNS (927) KALTOS CRYSOPRASE 1-3266 106 130 2 176 ILLFANG PACT (281) MORDANT ZAKAU 5-4623 39 40 176 JOHNS (927) KALTOS DESPAIR 38-2287 42 56 2 164 APOCALYPSE (712) CLIFFHOME HAIR LIP! 82-3261 18 19 1 161 PUNCHLINES (1115) DWES EG GRAND ADEPTS W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY LENNON 5-4087 29 18 1 138 JOHNS (927) KALTOS MIKEL 6-6190 25 20 2 115 THE LADY'S LIST (917) TRANSEL SPUTTERBUZZ 6-5810 22 12 113 TACKLE BOX (1332) TRANSEL JUSTIN 6-6179 21 27 3 111 THE LADY'S LIST (917) TRANSEL HELENE JUSTE 5-4875 25 32 1 110 THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (1325) KALTOS GRAND INITIATES W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY HAWK 6-5764 19 8 87 WINGED LEGION (1277) TRANSEL GIDEON 38-3370 22 16 1 83 APOCALYPSE (712) CLIFFHOME ZEUS 62-4010 18 5 83 LEGION OF LEGEND (1305) VALAMANTIS GRAND INITIATES W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY CLIVE 6-5215 31 32 5 79 THE LADY'S LIST (917) TRANSEL COBALT 1-7784 18 8 1 77 STEEL LEGION (1304) MORDANT JAMMY LARKE 5-4926 34 30 75 THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (1325) KALTOS -DRED 21-6970 18 17 3 74 DARK AT HEART (1336) SUNSET HOFFA 5-4622 31 48 71 JOHNS (927) KALTOS I. M. WEASEL 2-4474 22 3 3 66 THE FUNNY FARM (881) NIANIA KATIRONA MURH 5-4929 40 30 2 62 THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (1325) KALTOS JERI LOUGH 5-4840 26 50 62 THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (1325) KALTOS -FATALITY 7-5820 17 4 61 BRUTAL LEGION (1335) BONSUR PENDRU ROST 5-4956 25 65 60 THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (1325) KALTOS ASSASSIN 96-1802 11 7 4 55 BLOODY LEGION (1276) OLD VALAMANTIS SATCHEL 6-6215 25 26 1 48 THE LADY'S LIST (917) TRANSEL HOFFA 5-4348 12 121 40 JOHNS (927) KALTOS 2 + 2 = 4 38-4190 40 135 39 JUST BECAUSE (1151) CLIFFHOME ALOYICIUS 6-5045 19 26 2 35 THE LADY'S LIST (917) TRANSEL HOFFA 5-4299 15 53 23 JOHNS (927) KALTOS BIG BIRD 2-5703 14 9 2 19 THE FUNNY FARM (881) NIANIA '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE It's late, we're tired (big party over on the mainland), and we don't feel like writing personals. Jorja says we have to. So they're going to be SHORT. -- the Middle Way Lennon -- That's the last time I'll listen to YOU. You said you wanted to "give peace a chance," and then you HIT me. -- Helene Juste Justin -- You're on my list, too, and you probably know which one, you thug! -- Katirona Murh Hawk -- Heck. -- Pendru Rost Satchel -- And remember that! If I get any more lip from you, I'll put you on a stagecoach and LEAVE YOU THERE. -- Jeri Lough Cobalt -- Oh, hey, that felt kinda good. How about if I buy you a beer to celebrate it? -- Jammy Larke Zakau -- Hmm. I almost feel bad about that. And I forgot to remind my manager to change my train. Damn. -- Stassia Smell Carefully -- Kidneys and groin. You don't play nice. -- Crysoprase LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS THUNDER BUG devastated RUGEN THE JELLYFISH in a 2 minute Challenge Title fight. HOLOCAUST slimly won victory over MEN WORKING in a popular 4 minute Challenge match. SAMUEL won victory over MARK in a crowd pleasing 4 minute gory Challenge brawl. GIDEON savagely defeated HOFFA in a crowd pleasing 1 minute bloody Challenge match. STASSIA vanquished SMELL CAREFULLY in a exciting 1 minute bloody mismatched fight. ??RADAR?? handily defeated ZAKAU in a action packed 1 minute uneven fight. CRYSOPRASE vanquished HELENE JUSTE in a popular 1 minute uneven duel. ZANE GREY vanquished HAIR LIP! in a popular 1 minute one-sided duel. DESPAIR overpowered JUSTIN in a popular 1 minute brutal one-sided melee. LENNON demolished SPUTTERBUZZ in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched competition. MIKEL was demolished by M. CHARDINEE in a crowd pleasing 1 minute one-sided brawl. CLIVE overpowered COCKY SPECTATOR in a 1 minute one-sided duel. ALOYICIUS was devastated by ASSASSIN in a exciting 1 minute uneven duel. PENDRU ROST bested HOFFA in a crowd pleasing 1 minute brawl. KATIRONA MURH was savagely defeated by COBALT in a exciting 4 minute brutal bout. JAMMY LARKE was beaten by HAWK in a popular 1 minute match. JERI LOUGH handily defeated BIG BIRD in a 1 minute mismatched competition. ZEUS narrowly defeated I. M. WEASEL in a 2 minute gruesome fight. HOFFA was demolished by INKEEPER'S SON in a 1 minute uneven bout. 2 + 2 = 4 won victory over DEBBY TONTE in a 3 minute fray. SATCHEL devastated INKEEPER'S SON in a 1 minute one-sided bout. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |SLASHING ATTACK 9 AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 - 0 67 | |WALL OF STEEL 7 LUNGING ATTACK 33 - 19 - 0 63 | |LUNGING ATTACK 6 PARRY-RIPOSTE 10 - 6 - 0 63 | |TOTAL PARRY 4 SLASHING ATTACK 44 - 28 - 2 61 | |STRIKING ATTACK 3 PARRY-STRIKE 6 - 4 - 0 60 | |BASHING ATTACK 3 WALL OF STEEL 28 - 34 - 1 45 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 BASHING ATTACK 12 - 16 - 0 43 | |AIMED BLOW 1 TOTAL PARRY 14 - 22 - 0 39 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 12 - 21 - 0 36 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 7 - 17 - 0 29 | Turn 574 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: AIMED BLOW 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 4 3 WALL OF STEEL PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 3 STRIKING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 2 BASHING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 4 - 3 2 LUNGING ATTACK SLASHING ATTACK 5 - 4 1 PARRY-LUNGE PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 TOTAL PARRY 2 - 2 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME BASHING ATTACK THUNDER BUG 37-3734 31 19 0 251 TACKLE BOX (788) WALL OF STEEL STASSIA 37-1523 98 109 4 229 UP TO NO GOOD (316) LUNGING ATTACK RUGEN THE JELLYF 82-12478 74 26 0 194 HANNAH'S PALS (1270) STRIKING ATTACK SAMUEL 38-3352 34 26 5 189 APOCALYPSE (712) PARRY-LUNGE MARK 5-4088 53 125 3 180 JOHNS (927) PARRY-STRIKE CRYSOPRASE 1-3266 106 130 2 176 ILLFANG PACT (281) TOTAL PARRY DESPAIR 38-2287 42 56 2 164 APOCALYPSE (712) SLASHING ATTACK HAIR LIP! 82-3261 18 19 1 161 PUNCHLINES (1115) PARRY-RIPOSTE JAMMY LARKE 5-4926 34 30 0 75 THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (1325) AIMED BLOW ASSASSIN 96-1802 11 7 4 55 BLOODY LEGION (1276) The overall popularity leader is ??RADAR?? 82-20310. The most popular warrior this turn was COBALT 1-7784. The ten other most popular fighters were MEN WORKING 38-4189, SAMUEL 38-3352, THUNDER BUG 37-3734, HOLOCAUST 38-3010, MARK 5-4088, GIDEON 38-3370, STASSIA 37-1523, ??RADAR?? 82-20310, RUGEN THE JELLYFISH 82-12478, and KATIRONA MURH 5-4929. The least popular fighter this week was HOFFA 5-4299. The other ten least popular fighters were BIG BIRD 2-5703, HOFFA 5-4348, JAMMY LARKE 5-4926, MIKEL 6-6190, SPUTTERBUZZ 6-5810, JUSTIN 6-6179, HAIR LIP! 82-3261, HELENE JUSTE 5-4875, HOFFA 5-4622, and SATCHEL 6-6215. Arena (Number) W L K Arena (Number) W L K Arena (Number) W L K MORDANT(1) 2 0 0 TALCAMA(18) 0 1 0 VALAMANTIS(62) 1 0 0 NIANIA(2) 0 2 0 SUNSET(21) 1 0 0 DWES EG(82) 1 2 0 KALTOS(5) 3 8 0 SIBIKHAS(37) 2 0 0 OLD VALAMANTIS(96) 1 0 0 TRANSEL(6) 3 4 0 CLIFFHOME(38) 5 1 0 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH ARENA W L K PNTS TEAM NAME CITY CRYSOPRASE 1-3266 106 130 2 176 ILLFANG PACT (281) MORDANT I. M. WEASEL 2-4474 22 3 3 66 THE FUNNY FARM (881) NIANIA MARK 5-4088 53 125 3 180 JOHNS (927) KALTOS MIKEL 6-6190 25 20 2 115 THE LADY'S LIST (917) TRANSEL SMELL CAREFULLY 18-8889 67 113 2 191 STREET PIZZA (114) TALCAMA ZANE GREY 21-4810 31 55 2 182 AUTHORS (749) SUNSET THUNDER BUG 37-3734 31 19 0 251 TACKLE BOX (788) SIBIKHAS HOLOCAUST 38-3010 44 39 2 197 APOCALYPSE (712) CLIFFHOME ZEUS 62-4010 18 5 0 83 LEGION OF LEGEND (1305) VALAMANTIS ??RADAR?? 82-20310 85 98 1 207 DYSLEXICS UNTIE! II (1258) DWES EG ASSASSIN 96-1802 11 7 4 55 BLOODY LEGION (1276) OLD VALAMANTIS NAME CHANGE-O-RAMA The crowd was surprisingly orderly, but it was still a crowd, and the Commission clerk, Algernon, looked at it uneasily. Whenever this many people came together to petition for something, it meant trouble. For him, anyway. Records to be altered. Altering records was Bad. It made Extra Work. His assistant clerk leaned close and whispered, "If it weren't for gladiators, we wouldn't have jobs. Smile at them and ask what they want." Algernon closed his eyes briefly. Looking at this crowd made him dizzy. They were all wearing black and white stripes. Like a herd of zebras, except that zebras didn't carry swords. Then he took a deep breath and managed a smile. "What... ah, what can I do for you?" "We want new names," the first gladiator said. There was a number on the front of his shirt: 0381. He thumped the number with his thumb. "This here isn't a name--" "We want REAL names!" That voice came from farther back in the crowd. "Yeah! We've paid our dues," another shouted, "and we've EARNED real names!" One from the very back yelled, "I want to be called Tom." All the others turned to look at him. Algernon couldn't see him, but apparently those looks were accusing. Well, he could understand that, "Tom" was such a... common name. "My mom called me Tom," the voice in the back protested. "It's a good name." "It isn't the name you put on the petition," 0381 said. "We talked about this. We got our manager's agreement. You get the name on the petition." "But--!" Algernon didn't really want to keep staring at all these stripes while they argued. He picked up the petition. "These names are the ones you want?" 0381 turned back. "Yes." "It's a lot of trouble, and when other people see that YOU are getting name changes, THEY are going to want them--" Seeing the gladiators beginning to frown... and finger their weapons, he went on quickly, "So I figure we might as well make it a complete deal. A Name-Change-O-Rama. Everyone who wants a name change can petition for it. Get it all over with at once." He glanced at the petition, shuddered slightly, and passed it to his clerk. "We'll announce it, proclaim it, even, and you will get the names on this petition. And others will get the names THEY think they should have had, too." He paused. "And I think I'll get a new name, I'm tired of being an Algernon...." * * * * * Warrior and team name changes will be accepted during the month of February. If you have names you want to change, please contact Customer Service. -- RSI "DARK ARENA" -- The Novel For centuries, the Shagornan Elves have been forced to live underground. Human invaders, the Delarquans, burned their forests, sparking a war of elven annihilation. The elders told tales that when the Delarquans marched to war against the elves, the land itself bled as they passed. Since the war, the elves have dwindled with every passing year, while the humans multiply like rodents across the land of Alastari. Now, the Delarquans have disappeared. Some say they departed, others indicate it.s a ruse, but there have been whispered rumors of another greater threat looming in the region. Khyron of the Shagornan Elves has been tasked to determine the cause, realizing that failure is probable and at the end of the road death could be the only reward. Khyron has known only the safety of the caves, but now he must journey to the world above...the World with No Ceiling. Throughout the years, many fine writers have played Duelmasters/Duel II and have contributed greatly to the history and background of the world of Alastari. One very intense period, during the early '90's, was during the Rocanis War, when authors from both the Delarquan and Free Blades arenas collaborated on writing the history of the invasion of the arena-city of Rocanis. Mark Manley (aka Grimwood) is a long-time manager in Rocanis, and was one of the writers who contributed so much to this history. Over the subsequent years, he has worked to bring his novelization to life and make the story of the War and the preceding events which led to it available to the greater public. Many Rocanis legends appear in the book: Itoz Trollbane, Sandstorm, and others. The novel is a treat to read--even more so if you are familiar with the game! If you're interested in purchasing a copy of the book, here are links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Arena-Mark-G- Manley/dp/1936127598/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319631863&sr=1-2 Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-arena-mark- manley/1105609584?ean=2940011494659&itm=2&usri=dark%2barena Treble Heart Books: http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/WDManley.html Mark Manley is planning to attend the upcoming Winter Face-to-Face in Tempe, and has offered a special prize to the winner of the Rookies and Primus tournaments: An autographed copy of Dark Arena, autographed by the author, the artist, and the RSI staff! In addition, as a special prize, the top up-and-coming tournament manager will also receive an autographed copy! Mark will have copies of Dark Arena available at the tournament, and as a special bonus, each copy of Dark Arena sold at the FTF will include one new team rollup! We hope that many of you can venture to Tempe to participate in the Face-to-Face, compete in the tournament, and congratulate Mark in person on his achievement!