DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER

Date   : 10/25/1999    Duedate: 11/06/1999

CALEAM ARENA

DM-26    TURN-360

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

BLISTER
THE TAKEN (390)
(26-3832) [30-5-0,161]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

BLISTER                        POSITION IS EMPTY
THE TAKEN (390)                
(26-3832) [30-5-0,161]         

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

SCREAM                         SCREAM
SUN STRIDERS (83)              SUN STRIDERS (83)
(26-3336) [10-12-0,66]         (26-3336) [10-12-0,66]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

UPCHUCKABLE (417)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. SUN STRIDERS (83)           43
2. THE TAKEN (390)             29      WARCKERS (362)
3. UNHOLY ALLIANCE (257)       17      Unchartered Team
4. VENOM (176)                 15
5. WARCKERS (362)              13      KELLY'S HEROS (216)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1- 1*HERE TO PHOENIX (415)      2   1  0 66.7   1/ 4 UPCHUCKABLE (417)         8  5 0
 2/ 2 WARCKERS (362)           367 229 15 61.6   2/ 7 SUN STRIDERS (83)         8  7 1
 3/ 3 UPCHUCKABLE (417)         19  14  0 57.6   3/ 1 WARCKERS (362)            8  7 0
 4- 4 STORM CRAG (146)         309 251 23 55.2   4/ 2 GOLDEN CANYON (290)       7  8 0
 5- 5 HISTORY! (391)            34  28  3 54.8   5/ 5 THE TAKEN (390)           6  6 0
 6/ 6 UNHOLY ALLIANCE (257)    334 277 30 54.7   6/ 6 VENOM (176)               6  8 0
 7/ 7 VENOM (176)              408 385 22 51.5   7/ 3 UNHOLY ALLIANCE (257)     5  3 0
 8/ 8 SUN STRIDERS (83)        160 168 10 48.8   8/ 8 SOULS OF BLACK (303)      3  4 1
 9/ 9 GOLDEN CANYON (290)      151 176  3 46.2   9- 9 HISTORY! (391)            1  1 0
10/10 THE TAKEN (390)          136 172 12 44.2  10-10*HERE TO PHOENIX (415)     1  1 0
11/11 SOULS OF BLACK (303)     169 219 12 43.6  11-12 STORM CRAG (146)          0  1 0
12-12*STONE CIRCLE (416)         4  11  1 26.7  12-11*STONE CIRCLE (416)        0  1 0

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

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

         + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Aruaki Clanhold #43 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Aruak City:

     Shania Silverstar, noted for the evenness of her temper, resisted the urge to 
take Kennelworth's vile vial and fling it across the room.  It had been centuries 
since anything had so firmly resisted her ability to know.  She had studied it, probed 
and analyzed it, with the most subtle spells she knew, and there were none who could 
match her in such study, and still it held most of its secrets against her.
     Taking a careful breath, she unclenched her slender hands and backed away from 
the worktable.  For some reason she couldn't have explained, she didn't want to turn 
her back on the little bottle.  There was an undertone of darkness in its emanations 
which disturbed her.  There was also, even more disturbingly, a faint air of... 
familiarity.  Most of the physical components had yielded to her inquiry; they were 
unusual, but known, one of them a modified and apparently inactive form of a plague 
germ.  But two....  They were definitely not Ghean, and yet she felt she should 
recognize--by all the gods!  One, at least, had a flavor of her long-destroyed 
homeland!
     Aeliria, that had been its name--but aeliria had been an herb of healing.  Of 
restoring.  How could it have been so perverted?  She pressed her lips into a thin 
line as memory grew clearer.  There had been a wizard of dark soul, a youth compared 
to those he served, Murthes by name.  His specialty had been taking the natural bounty 
of life and twisting it to the darkest possible shape.  But that had been years ago, 
and in another world; it could not be Murthes himself at work here.  Someone like him, 
though.
     Restoration...twisted.  Could it be that the potion, or the spell behind it, 
regarded an Aruaki's feline form as the `real' form, and attempted to `restore' the 
hapless shape-changer to that condition?  If so, that would go far to explaining the 
action of the...curse, or disease, or whatever it was on the affected persons.  Of 
course!  And the plague germs acted as the carrier, spreading the affect to any who 
came into contact with one already afflicted!
     Her increasing understanding did nothing to ease the elf maiden's tension, 
however, for she had only identified the problem, not found a cure.  How fast and far 
would it spread?  How long would it last in any given victim?  Would it affect only 
those Aruaki who could normally change shape, or all who had some Aruaki blood, 
however thin?  Could those who were not Aruaki--such as herself--act as carriers even 
when themselves unaffected?
     Kennelworth must be told at once, and King Jorian, and the High Priest of Demnat 
as well.  Every mage and physician must set to work to seek a cure.

Not in the Hurinwood:

     They let themselves out the back gate of the inn yard, closing it carefully 
behind themselves, and tried to indicate by signs to the creature--it was hard to 
remember that it was really a man who had been transformed by a wizard--that their 
intentions were friendly.
     He must have been--must be, Mist corrected himself--very intelligent, because he 
caught on immediately.  By vigorous gestures and expressive grimaces, he indicated 
that he was innocent and had been wrongly accused and punished.
     Malo Muggsie, for all his eagerness to find an ally, wasn't about to take 
anything for granted, and mimed doubt.
     There was a fast exchange of gestures, increasingly more vehement, which didn't 
clarify anything.  Apparently whatever had caused the creature--the man's punishment 
was not something that could be expressed by so limited a medium.
     "It was politics," Chrome said finally.  "That's what Tolrimor said, remember?  
This guy got crossways of the king, and the top wizard zapped him."
     "I guess that's the best we can hope for," the Tokori Rogue grumbled.  "I wish we 
could really talk to these people."
     "Don't we all," Mist muttered.  "Now what, though?  Our primary goal, remember, 
is to get back to our own time--"
     "For which we need a wizard, and not some tin-pot hedge wizard, either," Malo 
Muggsie said briskly.  "This joker knows where to find the strongest wizard going, and 
he wants to find him, too.  All we gotta do is follow this guy--"
     "Arriving in his company," Wolf-a-Mit pointed out quietly, "will not be likely to 
make us popular and win us favors."
     "We'll ford that stream when we come to it."

Celestinvael, then and now:

     Boyington took out the last of the shadowy things with a corkscrew stroke that he 
planned on trying in the arena if he lived through this, then glanced around at his 
companion.  Naevan was still on his feet, but just barely.  "We're almost there," he 
said encouragingly.  He got one arm around the half-Orc (the other one still held his 
sword at the ready) and headed for what was obviously the door to the treasure room.
     It was one of those double doors designed to impress, wider and higher than even 
a Shew would need and lavishly ornamented with gold and jewels.  The wizard's pencil-
like wand fitted into a small hole, where it acted as a key in a lock, and one half of 
the door moved a little.
     Boyington immediately leaned his weight against it and shoved it open far enough 
to admit himself and Naevan.  They were in a room lined with shelves, the shelves 
loaded down with chests and boxes of all sizes.  How were they supposed to find--?
     "You want the small ebony chest with the gold and ivory inlay."  It was the 
wizard Hanvol's voice, speaking out of the air.  "Events press upon us.  Seize the 
chest, hold it firmly.  Do not bother about opening it now!  There is no ti--"
     There was a soundless flash of light that flickered through all the colors of the 
rainbow and touched on others that Boyington had never seen before and could not have 
named or described now.  A wrench, as though some giant fist had gripped him and 
shoved him through a hole too small.  A gut-twisting feeling of falling endlessly down 
a long spiral.
     Cold stone under him, thick with dust, and the edges of the ebony chest digging 
into his ribs.
     Boyington sat up and looked around.  Several of the shelves were broken, all of 
them were empty save for the dust.  The door hung drunkenly from a broken hinge.  
Naevan lay on the floor beside him.
     "I made it back," Naevan said weakly.  "I'm...glad.  Gonna cash...my chips...now.  
Take care...."
                       ***     *****     ***     *****     ***
     Explicit Sex, Numbya, and the catman slid through the ruins as silently (they 
hoped) as shadows.  They were moving their camp again, because the Kjarran-worshippers 
had started searching the ruins systematically.
     "Bunch of spoilsports," Explicit muttered, scrambling over a broken wall.
     "They're gonna catch us any way they can," Numbya agreed.  "But I know why 
they've gotten so mean and sneaky--did you see who was leading that last party?  A 
woman!"
     Explicit whirled on him, fist cocked.  "That wasn't very funny," she began.
     "We must not fight among ourselves," the catman broke in.  "That would be to do 
their work for them.  Besides, it is reasonable, for have not the greatest sages 
declared that the female is the more deadly sex?  It is so among my people, and I see 
no reason why it should not be so among yours."
     "She's probably a witch," Numbya went on.  "That's what she looks like to me: a 
witch."  He turned sideways to follow his companions through a narrow gap between a 
tree and a piece of stone wall.
     "A wicked witch, if she's hanging out with these Kjarran-worshippers," Explicit 
added.
     "They are attempting to drive us into the open against the river!" the catman 
said suddenly.  "But I think we may be able to climb this wall--"  He reached up, 
found a hold, and raised himself to the top of the wall, which was in much better 
condition than most here, then turned and caught Explicit's hands as Numbya tossed her 
up.
     "Wow!  Big place, wasn't it?" Explicit commented, staring over the wilderness 
that must once have been a large formal garden.  She settled astride the top of the 
wall to wait while the catman helped Numbya up.  "Looks like a palace--  There's 
someone there!"  She pointed.
     A man in dusty, blood-spattered clothing, clutching a small black box against 
himself, was picking his way through the tangled growth.
     "He has the Key of Sea!" the catman exclaimed.

         + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Andorian League #26 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

                               Report from the Academy

     "And to what do I owe this honor?" Deadpool said through clenched teeth.  He was 
voicing a question but it sounded more like an accusation.  He slipped silently down 
form the ledge, and landed between the woman and the hidden door behind Kyrican's 
large bookshelf.  He still held his dagger at the ready, but worried over having left 
his sword at home.  The woman was wearing her warhammer easily on her belt, and he'd 
heard horror stories about how well she wielded it.
     "You're working Kyrican?" she replied evenly.  Her accent was smoothly 
Convincian, though Deadpool had known her to sound Elvish or Delarquan when needed.  
She was a master of disguise, though he had no idea what she really looked like.  Her 
only truly identifying feature was the intricately woven raven that appeared somewhere 
in all her clothing.  His trained eye had spotted it immediately, even in the dimness 
of the secret halls of the Academy.
     Deadpool shifted uneasily under her careful scrutiny, unsure if he was supposed 
to answer.  One raised eyebrow from the woman known only as Raven was indication 
enough for him.  "Ever since the Crow went back to work directly out of the Guild, 
I've been here," he answered.
     Raven smiled at him, a warm smile designed to set aside his defenses and lower 
his guard.  It didn't work, but he made it look as if it had, sheathing his dagger and 
leaning casually against the wall.  He kept his legs ready to spring away if 
necessary.  He hoped it wouldn't be.
     "I'm here to relieve you of that duty," she said with the same smile, her 
expression not changing in the slightest.  "You are being reassigned on escort duty.  
There is a letter to be taken to a courier south of here.  I want you escorting the 
courier from Tarrgir to the meeting place, and then you are to tail the second courier 
once he has the dispatch.  I want you to make sure he meets a gruesome end just 
outside Aruak City.  Very public, but do not be seen.  The note must arrive at the 
Gates, but the courier must be killed to set an example of our intentions."
     Deadpool looked at Raven in silence.  It occurred to him that perhaps she was 
setting him up, and he didn't like that feeling.  He'd been a member of the AAG since 
well before he became a gladiator, and without exception he'd always been able to 
trust his superiors.  For the first time in his career, he did not trust a superior; 
he was, in fact, afraid of a superior.  That bothered him more than he realized.  "Why 
me?" he dared to ask.
     Raven continued smiling, as it had been obvious to her that she'd brought doubt 
into Deadpool's mind.  Deadpool shifted uncomfortably beneath her scrutiny, moving 
from one foot to the other, obviously nervous about this new assignment.  "Because you 
are here, and so is the letter in question," she said easily.  "The warrior called 
Bullwhip will be the courier.  He's bright enough, and a former instructor at the 
Academy, so he makes the perfect Pigeon.  That's his code name, by the way."
     "Real subtle," Deadpool said dryly.  "I suppose you want him to take the blame, 
as well then...the Fall Pigeon, as it were...."
     Raven's smile didn't change, which unnerved Deadpool further.  Not even a 
brightening in the eyes at his lighthearted banter.  "Keep him alive at all costs, 
until the deed is done.  The courier in Seam is officially sanctioned by the Guild.  
You have you orders, fulfill them and you shall be rewarded beyond your wildest 
dreams."
     Deadpool was once again taken aback by her words; Guild members were paid, but on 
salary, not bonuses and certainly not commissions.  Their work was for the Crown 
alone, and not for hire.  He bowed to hide the confusion he was sure stood plainly 
evident upon his face.  "I live only to serve Ahringol and my King, milady, and you as 
his majesty's agent," he replied smoothly.
     When he rose from his bow, Raven was gone.  A single black feather floated gently 
to the floor, but Deadpool himself was gone by the time it touched down.  He had a lot 
to think about before he found Bullwhip the Pigeon and set out for Seam.
     Too many things were changing to quickly for his liking.

         + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Andorian League #27 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +

Near Tronsha, halfway between Andor and Fratsfa:

     Minutes trickled by, slow as fate.  Crouched in the leafy ditch, Mickeal began to 
get angry.  Really angry.  There should be people around--farmers, travelers, his 
escort.  This was not a howling wilderness!  Khazakh he was not worried about; the 
gladiator's loyalty and competence were not in doubt.  But the prolonged absence of 
the escort that should have been with him and had still not appeared was suspicious.  
More than suspicious--
     A crackling of leaves behind him made him turn.  Standing above him on the far 
bank of the ditch was Traal Saru, head of Palace Security in Andor, and he was flanked 
by two members of the Royal Guard.
     "Behold the Warrior King," Saru said in a voice of savage mockery, "hiding in a 
ditch!"
     Now that the waiting had passed and the time for action arrived, Mickeal's anger 
dropped from him.  He stood, genuinely calm now, and brushed leaves from his clothing.  
"So you are the traitor," he said conversationally.  "How brave of you to come after 
me with only two men to back you up."
     Saru paled.  "You think I don't dare face you?" he demanded.  With a sweep of his 
arms, he drove the two Guardsmen back, then drew his sword.  "I fear no hothouse 
flower!"
     "A fool as well as a traitor, I see," Mickeal said calmly.  He moved toward the 
edge of the ditch to climb up to Saru's level.
                       ***     *****     ***     *****     ***
     Khazakh crouched beside a thin bush.  He had heard Mickeal's challenge with 
approval and turned his attention to the two soldiers.  If they attempted to intervene 
beside their treacherous leader, he would kill them.  But in Mickeal's challenge he 
saw a man worthy of respect, and in a duel between Mickeal and Saru, an evenly matched 
pair of men, he would be merely an observer.  He would not insult the king by 
intruding...unless Saru attempted further treachery--
     As Mickeal reached for an exposed root to hoist himself to ground level, while 
his head was still even with Saru's knees, the traitor suddenly lunged forward, his 
sword sweeping out.  Khazakh half rose, his own blade springing into his grip.  But 
Mickeal might have been expecting the move, so quickly did he respond.  He ducked 
under the whistling blade and grabbed Saru's sword wrist, pulling the man--already off 
balance with his lunge--down into the ditch.
     "Treacherous in one thing, treacherous in all," Mickeal said with satisfaction as 
Saru scrambled to his feet and backed away.  "You do your side no service by exposing 
your cowardice and lack of honor."
     A glance at the two soldiers, who looked surprised and disapproving, assured 
Khazakh that this was so.  It seemed unlikely that they would now even think of 
cutting in to aid Saru, unless they were traitors themselves...and he didn't believe 
they were.  Misled by a plausible man in authority over them, more likely.
     Mickeal had drawn his sword now and was advancing along the ditch bottom toward 
Saru.  The gladiator's eyebrows rose.  This was not the same sword Mickeal had carried 
in Andor, though the scabbard was the same and the hilts nearly identical.  Adantri 
work, he thought: at least, the blade was of dark metal inlaid with symbols in silver, 
after the Adantri style.  There was a shimmer like starshine on the steel.  As well if 
it should be a magic blade, the minotaur realized, frowning, for Saru's blade, too, 
had an abnormal aspect.  It looked oily, with rainbow gleams running up and down the 
flat and a strange glitter along the edges.

Skaithvarn:

     "Well, then, what do we do?" the S'varni woman asked.  She indicated the barred 
gates that turned the stalls into cells.  "How do we get out?  And when we're out, 
what then?  Vasvo may sound like a ranting fool, but he's a Ventan.  Magic is his 
natural element, and he will have spells to stop us, or track us, or--"
     "Vasvo may be a magician," Senator Dole said.  "I don't argue that, but he's a 
man first.  And men...can be defeated."  He smiled blandly and glanced at Bonner 
Springs.
     She flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.  "Oh, no!  Really, Senator, I 
couldn't--!"
     "You will need to do nothing at all," he assured her.  "The whole thing will 
happen in Vasvo's mind, my dear."
                       ***     *****     ***     *****     ***
     Not too far from the abandoned farm, a flying carpet, wobbling out of control, 
dumped its three passengers into a field overgrown with brambles.  Freed of its 
burden, the carpet flapped a couple of times in mid air, then collapsed.
     "What the hell?" demanded a Shew as he picked himself up out of the thorny canes.
     "The twists of Fate are beyond human comprehension," a woman observed 
breathlessly, picking leaves out of her hair.
     "Our carpet was following the wrong wizard's signal," Tynileaus Shadowwood 
stated.  He looked around and spotted the carpet draped over a clump of brambles.  
"Shall we try it agi--"
     "No," the Shew, Dillan the Dog said firmly.  "I begin to understand why Zathrus 
wanted nothing further to do with it.  Let's try walking for a while; it's safer."
     "It might be interesting to explore the immediate vicinity," Tynileaus agreed.  
"I would like to know what the carpet homed in on.  There must be a wizard, or 
something strongly magical, in the immediate vicinity."

Somewhere in the Karnhorn Empire:

     Tankesh crawled farther under the bush, then turned to look out at the rain-
dripping day.  He could no longer hear the patrol they were evading--or hoped they 
were evading--but he had no doubt the Karnhorns were out there somewhere.  He glanced 
around, hoping to spot the High Priestess of Serimna, but couldn't see her.  Probably 
she was under another bush.  If he'd realized that being the Champion of Serimna was 
going to mean spending so much time on his belly in the mud under one or another 
bush--it felt as though he'd been under every bush in the Karnhorn Empire--he might 
have....  No, he wouldn't have refused the job.  Any job that Tankesh Dushanbe 
couldn't handle was beyond mortal ability by a long shot.
     It would be interesting, in an academic sort of way, to know where he was right 
now.  Somewhere north of the road connecting Murska with Zuwayza, he was pretty sure, 
but beyond that....  He just hoped the guides which the High Prietess kept finding 
knew where they were!  And where they wanted to go.

Somewhere in the Aruaki Clanhold:

     The inn was called The Dancing Mare, and it was, to put it mildly, low.  Llud and 
Belana found themselves in the company of as fine a collection of thieves and 
cutthroats as the Aruaki Clanhold could offer.  The two gladiators had settled in 
without difficulty, unless you counted a few trifling incidents such as when Llud 
caught a man going through their possessions and threw him out the second story window 
of their room--without opening the window first, or when Belana beat up two men who 
thought she was a light woman, killing one (she broke his neck) and maiming the other.  
But the company at The Dancing Mare took these incidents in stride and welcomed Llud 
and Belana as worthy companions.
     The most important of the outlaws was a man called Galpur, and after the last 
incident (which involved Llud hanging the innkeeper by his heels over the stair 
railing while Belana went through the man's pockets, due to a disagreement as to the 
price of a room in the Mare), Galpur invited the two to join him at his private table 
for a drink and a meal.
     "My treat," Galpur said expansively, and smiled, showing several gold teeth.  
"Now, you're a fine pair, you are.  Coming here and fitting right in, as they say.  
You might be just the pair I need.  I," he added, with some pride, "am what you might 
call the King of the Thieves hereabouts."
     "King of Thieves in Harn?" Llud asked sarcastically.  Harn was the name of the 
village where the Mare was located, with a population of some six hundred people; it 
was about ten miles east of Aruak City.  "There's an honor!"
     Galpur flushed but kept his smile, now rather fixed and fierce.  "The director 
always stands back from the action," he said.  "Maybe you're too young to know that 
yet.  I have a job I think you two can handle--a little matter of a man who's outlived 
his life, as you might say--"
     "What about the Assassins' Guild?" Belana asked.  "I've heard they don't like 
free-lancers."
     "This is a sanctioned kill," Galpur said coldly.  "You'll take the job, and 
you'll do it right.  See that man over by the fireplace?"  He gestured slightly, and 
one of the loungers near the fireplace sketched a half-bow.  "He'll be your conductor 
--you can call him Shurry.  He'll supply you with whatever you need in the way of 
information or tools--"
     "What if we don't take the job?" Llud asked.
     "Then he'll kill you."

                                      SPY REPORT

     It is I, Novgorodny Vir, Spymaster of Spymasters.  Look on my work, ye mighty, 
and despair!  The boys at WARCKERS left the arena dejected, after being kicked out of 
the top spot by UPCHUCKABLE.  Good show!  He who laughs last didn't get the joke.  
Speaking of laughing at jokes, observe UNHOLY ALLIANCE.  Last week they got 1-1-0 to 
drop by 4!  What's a move up by 5 you ask?  (alright, maybe you didn't ask)  Cause 
for celebration, according to SUN STRIDERS.  Practice pays for NIGHTCRAWLER, who 
pummelled SNOT, to pocket 25 points.  A certain someone should cut down on the 
drinking and practice more, after losing 19 points to NIGHTCRAWLER.  (Discrete 
enough, SNOT?) The arena was more crowded than usual this time, as TAIPAN faced 
CALEAM's Duelmaster.  BLISTER successfully staved off a grab for the roses by TAIPAN 
of VENOM.  Does CALEAM have no one talented enough to dethrone her?  Word has it one 
team in CALEAM is taking speech lessons to try to bore their opponent to death.  I'll 
bet it works.   
     And how sociable are CALEAM's warriors?  Come, let us see.  Perhaps the warriors 
of WARCKERS should take up some hobbies, as they are the most avoided team...  Like a 
pup with its tail between its legs, UPCHUCKABLE scurried away from WARCKERS.  Oh, the 
shame!  Everyone is famous for fifteen minutes, and LEFTOVERS is it right now.  Most 
challenged warrior.  Isn't UPCHUCKABLE proud!   
     Ah, the duel!  The roar of the oppenent, the smell of the crowd!  Q:  What's a 
record like 10-6-0 get you?  A:  A free trip to the Dark Arena!  This week's winner:  
WHIRLWIND of WARCKERS!  You've heard about MOONBITER of THE TAKEN.  Death plays no 
favorites, and neither do I.  What was a 15-23-1 doing on the fields in the first 
place?  Death in the arena!  In a cheap quest for a cheap victory, REBECCA faced 
MOONBITER in an uneven fight.  THE TAKEN, we expect bloody revenge!  Questions are 
being raised about the disposing of severed body parts in the arena.  A certain 
tavern in CALEAM would I avoid!   
     All good things must come to an end.  As if buffeted by forces of nature beyond 
my control, I must take my leave of this place.  Like a mixed metaphor, and an 
overtaxed simile, I now bid CALEAM farewell-- Novgorodny Vir  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BLISTER 3832                 30   5  0   161       THE TAKEN (390)

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 REBECCA 3202                 20  22  2   108       SUN STRIDERS (83)
 STAFF 3272                   16  17  0   108       SUN STRIDERS (83)
 PHOENIX 3271                 19  14  2   106       SUN STRIDERS (83)
 TAIPAN 3907                  13   4  0    98       VENOM (176)

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ALISANDE 3050                23  21  0    90       SOULS OF BLACK (303)
-RICHARD M NIXON 3585         12   6  0    81       HISTORY! (391)
 KLAUS DIETER 3856            11  12  5    80       THE TAKEN (390)
 CLEMENDA 3933                11   6  0    73       GOLDEN CANYON (290)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-ROCKY 3763                    7   1  2    67       HISTORY! (391)

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 SCREAM 3336                  10  12  0    66       SUN STRIDERS (83)
 NIGHTCRAWLER 3903            10  11  0    63       THE TAKEN (390)
 EVEN STEVEN 3973              5   5  0    60       WARCKERS (362)
 MAN O' WAR 3967               6   6  0    57       VENOM (176)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-HERCULES 3692                 8   7  1    50       HISTORY! (391)
 GINAFAE 3936                  8   6  0    50       UNHOLY ALLIANCE (257)
 SKELOS 3897                  12  10  0    46       GOLDEN CANYON (290)
 SHARPTOOTH 3922               8  11  0    45       SOULS OF BLACK (303)
 RAW EGG 3960                  3   2  0    43       UPCHUCKABLE (417)
 LEFTOVERS 3964                4   5  0    40       UPCHUCKABLE (417)
 TRODAT 3941                  10   6  1    37       WARCKERS (362)
 SNOT 3962                     8   1  0    34       UPCHUCKABLE (417)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 FAST ORANGE 3968              6   6  1    33       WARCKERS (362)
-WAHOO 3916                    2   1  0    33       HERE TO PHOENIX (415)
-M.S. FORTUNE 2394             9   5  0    32       STORM CRAG (146)
 SACNOTH 3912                  5  14  0    29       GOLDEN CANYON (290)
-M.Y.HERO 2380                 6   9  0    27       STORM CRAG (146)
-M.R. REE 2501                 6   2  0    27       STORM CRAG (146)
 MINOR MINER 3972              6   5  0    26       GOLDEN CANYON (290)
 BIT-YAKIN 3938                4   7  0    26       UNHOLY ALLIANCE (257)
 LIVER 3969                    3   1  0    25       UPCHUCKABLE (417)
-HITLER 3775                   3   2  0    24       HISTORY! (391)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 VISSER 4003                   1   2  0    20       SUN STRIDERS (83)
 WILKINSON 4002                3   1  0    19       GOLDEN CANYON (290)
 CURDLED MILK 3961             1   4  0    19       UPCHUCKABLE (417)
 SCORPION 3985                 3   4  0    17       VENOM (176)
-CAMULUS 3981                  1   0  0    17       STONE CIRCLE (416)
-MAGOG 3946                    1   1  0    15       STONE CIRCLE (416)
 BLACK WIDOW 3988              2   5  0    11       VENOM (176)
 MUSKYDINE 4001                1   1  0    10       VENOM (176)
 PRONTO PONGO 3999             2   2  0     8       WARCKERS (362)
-NUADA 3943                    1   1  0     8       STONE CIRCLE (416)
-MORRIGAN 3974                 0   1  0     7       STONE CIRCLE (416)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
MOONBITER 3835        15 23 1 THE TAKEN 390         REBECCA 3202          360         
WHIRLWIND 3934        10  7 0 WARCKERS 362          ARENAMASTER TOHRE 419 360 NONE    

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Curdled Milk -- Hey, cottage cheese.  My favorite. -- Wilkinson

Hercules -- You hate to USE those muscles, big boy! -- Clemenda

Even Steven -- False advertising!  How could it be even, if you got five skills and I 
didn't even get ONE? -- Skelos

Fast Orange -- Slow down already. -- Sacnoth

Black Widow -- Awww....  Should I kiss it and make it well?  Dare I kiss it to make it 
well...? -- Minor Miner

Of course I was Most Challenged!  Wilkinson Steel is the BEST!

Clemenda -- A little bit o' who knows whatall.  Ugh!  Looks like maggerts ta me!  
Whew! -- Mr. Timov (holdin' his nose)

Nightcrawler -- With all that experience?  I think I'd throw up. -- Leftovers, 
Upchuckables

Whirlwind -- A little stuffed up, are you? -- Snot

Ginatae -- Too much for me!  Salute! -- Liver

     Salik -- Well, the warrior census form has many aspects.  First, if you fill out 
     the favorite sayings at the bottom of the front page, your warrior will actually 
     sometimes utter them in battle!  Second, the various descriptive things, well, 
     yes, the IDEA is to use them in storytelling, provided the storyteller has the 
     manager's permission to use the warrior at all.  The personality attributes, 
     though, the numbers at the bottom of the back--no, they do NOT affect the 
     fights.  They are intended to work with a secondary system which is still in the 
     early development stage (so, okay, we were a little over-eager in implementing 
     the easier parts of it....).  You may, if you wish, fill out all the census 
     form, part of the census form, or none of the census form without having any 
     effect on your warrior's performance.  Regardless of whether or not you have 
     filled out the census form, you may state in the personals or by email that your 
     warriors are available or not available for inclusion in stories written by a) a 
     staff writer, b) another player, or c) both of the above.  I hope this helps? -- 
     the Scribe (Livia@reality.com)

11 October 1999
All -- Talon Volksie has finally entered the 90's on the verge of the millenium.  I 
have e-mail.  You may email me at TalonVolksie@aol.com. -- Talon V.

     Everyone now knows that DM-33 is one of the "Fiercest & Best Free Blades Arena" 
around.  The Hammer and others have done wonderful things for that arena.  With 50 or 
so teams, DM-33 is fun, challenging and a joy to play in.  However, I am not here to 
talk about DM-33.  I want to talk to you about DM-43, Veastian.
     DM-43 is not a large arena, we have only 8 teams here right now.  It is small, 
and not the greatest arena around...yet.  We need YOU to help make this a great 
arena.  Since it's so small, this is your chance to get in on the ground floor and 
become a cornerstone of this arena.  Not many have this chance.  DM-33 is great, but 
it is crowded.  Here in DM-43 you will not be one of the many, you will be one of the 
best.  For all of you Noblish Island managers, this is your chance to transfer your 
team to an arena where you will have an immediate impact on the game.  This is an 
arena where you can continue to hone your skills and be a contender for the 
Duelmastership.  Veteran managers...do you want to make Duelmasters the best it can 
be?  Help newbies and make an arena of your own?
     This is a wonderful chance for everyone.  For the newer players to make a 
serious impact on an arena and veteran players to be a "founder" of an arena.  
Managers like Don John, Mutt Lange, The Rake and myself want you to help make DM-43 
the best arena out there.  We don't want just "anyone" to come here, we want managers 
who want to play hard and have fun.  If that is you, then come to DM-43, Veastian.
     If anyone has any questions at all, please diplo me and I will reply as soon as 
possible.  Now is your chance, now is the time.  DM-43. -- Apollo Maximillious, mgr. 
Cult of the Dragon (339), DM-43

All -- By Seefe's name, am I tired of looking at such team names as Inyo Eye and 
Eggnog Warriors.  Please, in the name of all that is decent on the face of Ghea, give 
your teams and fighters APPROPRIATE names!!  I know it can be challenging and 
demanding to make up TRULY GOOD names like Boneshredders and Aerie Fire, but please, 
don't call your guys something that causes me to dirge in disgust!!  It really hurts 
your (and my) gaming experience when my warriors have to stand against someone named 
"Underwear Gnomes".  After all, I can come up with ten names like Bust-a-Plumber and 
Chococroc in a single minute, but why don't I do it? -- Shadowfire, mgr. of 
Dragonslayers (636) in Solven (DM 22)

16 October 1999
To anyone starting a new team -- No good sales pitch or gimmicks (yet).  If you're 
adding a team, please put it in Jurine, DM-61.  We only have one unchartered team and 
eight teams total.  So why come to Jurine?  Simply put; WE ARE BEGGING YOU!!! -- 
Wardancer, mgr. War Party

23 October 1999
All -- Noblish Island (93) has a number of new teams who are looking to graduate to 
other arenas in the next few turns.  Now is the time to sing your arena's praises, 
number of teams, quality of competition, and whether Debbie T. frequently visits 
(wink) are the questions most asked by our managers.  We hope to hear from you. -- The 
Shadowlord, Sacco's Shadows (93)

Hi everyone, this is Shadow.  I hope this finds you all well.  I have missed most of 
you. <smile>  I don't know if or when, if ever, I will come back to the game but RSI 
has notified me (by negative account balance) that all the teams and warriors I sold 
were not paid for or payments were not correctly made to my account.  I would like to 
settle these matter please.  For those that did pay I would like to buy back any and 
all the teams and warriors I sold and compensate accordingly.  Thanks so much, my 
address is:
                James Vance
                907 Greenleaf Dr
                Copperas Cove, Tx 76522
                phone 254-547-8603

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

WHIRLWIND was butchered by ARENAMASTER TOHREHN in a 3 minute Dark Arena fight.
TAIPAN was subdued by BLISTER in a 4 minute veteran's Challenge Title melee.
LEFTOVERS was overpowered by EVEN STEVEN in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge duel.
RAW EGG devastated WILKINSON in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
CURDLED MILK demolished PRONTO PONGO in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge competition.
FAST ORANGE won victory over SACNOTH in a crowd pleasing 2 minute Challenge fight.
PHOENIX overpowered KLAUS DIETER in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
REBECCA assassinated MOONBITER in a 2 minute uneven melee.
STAFF viciously subdued CLEMENDA in a 2 minute gory uneven duel.
ALISANDE won victory over SCREAM in a popular 6 minute veteran's duel.
SKELOS was overpowered by MAN O' WAR in a 1 minute one-sided melee.
NIGHTCRAWLER overpowered SNOT in a crowd pleasing 7 minute bloody one-sided match.
SHARPTOOTH bested BIT-YAKIN in a 1 minute battle.
TRODAT was subdued by GINAFAE in a 3 minute brawl.
SCORPION was overpowered by VISSER in a popular 1 minute mismatched conflict.
BLACK WIDOW lost to LIVER in a crowd pleasing 3 minute bout.
MINOR MINER won victory over MUSKYDINE in a 1 minute veteran vs. amateur fray.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK                   8         TOTAL PARRY       33 -  17 -   1     66  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      5         WALL OF STEEL     23 -  17 -   1     58  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  4         BASHING ATTACK    31 -  28 -   2     53  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   4         LUNGING ATTACK    42 -  44 -   3     49  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  4         PARRY-RIPOSTE     17 -  18 -   0     49  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    3         PARRY-LUNGE        6 -   8 -   0     43  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    3         AIMED BLOW         8 -  11 -   1     42  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         SLASHING ATTACK   17 -  25 -   0     40  |
|AIMED BLOW                       1         PARRY-STRIKE       2 -   3 -   0     40  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     0         STRIKING ATTACK   11 -  19 -   1     37  |

Turn 360 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-LUNGE        1 -  0     PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  2         3  TOTAL PARRY    
TOTAL PARRY        4 -  1     STRIKING ATTACK    1 -  3         2  LUNGING ATTACK 
LUNGING ATTACK     5 -  3     AIMED BLOW         0 -  1         2  BASHING ATTACK 
SLASHING ATTACK    2 -  2     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  0         2  PARRY-RIPOSTE  
BASHING ATTACK     2 -  2     WALL OF STEEL      0 -  3         1  AIMED BLOW     
                                                                1  STRIKING ATTACK

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
TOTAL PARRY      BLISTER 3832               30   5  0  161 THE TAKEN (390)
BASHING ATTACK   PHOENIX 3271               19  14  2  106 SUN STRIDERS (83)
PARRY-RIPOSTE    TAIPAN 3907                13   4  0   98 VENOM (176)
AIMED BLOW       CLEMENDA 3933              11   6  0   73 GOLDEN CANYON (290)
LUNGING ATTACK   SKELOS 3897                12  10  0   46 GOLDEN CANYON (290)
WALL OF STEEL    TRODAT 3941                10   6  1   37 WARCKERS (362)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is SCREAM 3336.  The most popular warrior this turn was 
SCREAM 3336.  The ten other most popular fighters were FAST ORANGE 3968, LIVER 3969, 
NIGHTCRAWLER 3903, SACNOTH 3912, REBECCA 3202, STAFF 3272, RAW EGG 3960, MAN O' WAR 
3967, VISSER 4003, and MINOR MINER 3972.

The least popular fighter this week was SNOT 3962.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were BIT-YAKIN 3938, SKELOS 3897, CLEMENDA 3933, KLAUS DIETER 3856, PRONTO 
PONGO 3999, WILKINSON 4002, LEFTOVERS 3964, BLISTER 3832, MUSKYDINE 4001, and BLACK 
WIDOW 3988.

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