Now introducing our January 2018 Dueler of the Month
FantasyRC!
Pictured here in his younger years at the Arena*
It is our pleasure to welcome RC back to the Arena!
With over 25 years of dueling, RC has a long history of laying waste to his enemies. He is now one of the longest-running Warlords currently active on the standings! With a record of 30-2, RC re-introduced himself to the dueling community with a close win over fellow-Warlord Rachael Douglas! We look forward to seeing what else he can do, especially with the announcement of the 2018 Madness tournament!
Eden had a chance to run some questions by RC so that we can get to know him better!
What brings you back to Rhy’din?
As to what brings me back to Rhy'Din, is longing for home. I stopped dueling a long while back as other adventures awaited exploration. While I was away, my heart always stayed and missed the thrill of the duels.
Are you a Rhy'din native, or do you hail from other distant lands or galaxies or something?
I am an adventurer. I had two homes long ago, one in the basement of the Red Dragon Inn where I kept myself in shape, picked up a blade, and dueled with friends, acquaintances, and new comers.
Do you remember the moment you first hit Warlord rank?
I cannot remember the exact date but I can remember how it came about. I remember it was a Friday, I walked into the basement of the Red Dragon Inn hearing the sounds of sword clashes and the excitement of the people below. When I arrived, I observed several rings of people dueling with a referee calling each match. The Referee, I learned, was called RDI Doctor. I asked him privately between matches how does one learn to duel in such a sport. He turned and handed me some information he called "Duel of Swords in a nutshell". I went and sat down to learn the sport while people were dueling. After I believe I understood the rules, I asked how did I go about getting my first duels. RDI Doctor said just to ask aloud, which I did. I entered into match after match that night until close. I returned the next two nights, and finished the weekend of dueling with excitement running through my veins. The following Friday, I showed up again and checked the postings for how the prior weekend duels progressed, and RDI Doctor wrote a note that I will never forget. His note stated, "FantasyRC has become the fastest ranked Warlord, learning how to duel and ending his first weekend with a record of 16-1-0."
I stayed a Warlord most of my time dueling. As I progressed and had met many others, I opened the first of the Warlord schools teaching those of fame like Xenograg and Siera Red. Others went on to graduate from me and open their own schools and achieved skills equal to or better than their teacher. I hold pride in all my students accomplishments.
What was your most memorable duel?
I had many memorable duels, but instead of one duel my most memorable opponent was Falon. He and I would clash every weekend, sometimes several times a night. I still miss those nights.
Do you have a special or favorite weapon? Does it have a name?
As for a favorite weapon, that comes into play from my second place I call home. When I was not dueling, I was in a place called the Arena. That is where I first learn my combat skills and was a renown Paladin. When I retired from the Arena, I was and believe am still the highest ranked combatant that was. I visited several years after I retired and no one had been able to pass my standing in combat. In combat there, I use a Halberd. The Halberd had several special abilities, and was named Halbert II. My trusted Halberd hangs proudly in a case at home, long retired from combat as I am no longer the young man capable of wielding such a fine weapon.
What is one thing you want everyone to know about you?
As for something I would like people to know about me is I am old, but friendly. I love to share tales and lore of old, at least as best as I can remember them. Also, I do not know the other sports when people fight bare handed or cast spells. Those came about when I was getting ready to go adventure, so I never studied them. I truly would love to get to know all the new duelists and friends that visit the Dueling Ring.
Now introducing our February 2018 Dueler of the Month
Andu Kirost!
It is our pleasure to honor the Keeper of the Tower of Water!
Andu has been holding court in the Tower of Water since last summer when he won his very first challenge! Since then he has been hammering away at the duels, hitting Wizard rank at the beginning of the month! A long-time supporter of Twilight Isle, Andu offered a generous bounty for magic duels in the month of February, paying out a total bounty of 12,000 silver crowns! We can't wait to see what he does next! Edited to add that Andu has just become the latest winner of the All-Ranks Tournament on Twilight Isle!
Eden had a chance to ask Andu some questions so that we can get to know him better!
Are you a Rhy'din native, or do you hail from other distant lands or galaxies or something?
Nope, not a native of Rhy'din. I was born in another universe far away in both time and space, and took the long road to get here.
How do you like being Keeper of the Tower of Water? Is it fun? What kind of nifty things do you get to do?
I love it! Gaia is currenlty helping me design an over-the-top, epic, WTF!! style water slide. Oh, and I really like being able to indulge my surfing habit, especially being able to live out the Jimmy Buffett song.
What was your most memorable duel?
Oh, I have had many memorable duels since I started getting some what serious with the Magic thing. What I find most memorable isn't who wins or loses, or the point spread. It is the creativeness that is put into the spells cast.
Do you have a favorite weapon or spell?
My favorite weapon would be a toss up between Frost Bite, my first magical weapon, and the Naginata custom made for me by Izumi.
What do you do for fun? Or to relax?
For fun? I admit to being an adrenalin junky, so.... sky dive, off-road racing, anything to get that thrill sense going.
To relax? A good book, a cup of coffee, and some good music.
What is your favorite nickname?
Unca Andu. Given to me by some of my Nieces and Nephews.
What is your favorite pizza topping?
MEAT, of course.
Do you have a fight or hype song?
I don't have one song in particular, but I do have a couple of playlists to help me get into the "Zone".
If you could be the face of a local product what would it be and why?
Uncle Andu's Pizza. ::chuckles.:: Seriously, I ain't interested in all that "Fame" stuff. I do what I do either because it's fun, or because it needs to be done.
What is one thing you want everyone to know about you?
I'm a "live and let live" sort of guy.... As long as you don't cross certain lines.
Now introducing our March/April 2018 Dueler of the Month
Ekthbjlgke Smith!
It is our pleasure to honor the Overlord himself!
Over the years, E has been a familiar reliable face around the dueling venues. But the last two months have seen him hit a meteoric stride solidifying his place among the best of the best that the duels have to offer. After hitting the rank of Emerald in February, E grabbed the FireStar opal fighting side by side with his mentee Misery Postu in the FireStar/Panther's Claw tournament. But his accomplishments in the Outback were quickly outstripped by his work in the Arena where he defeated Terry King for the Overlord mantle, and then demonstrated his dominance by defeating Myria Graziano to become Madness Tournament Champion! For two months straight, the venues have been lit up with the FIGHT E FIGHT banner, and we are here for it!
Eden had a chance to ask E some questions so we can get to know him better!
How long have you been battling at the duels?
I started dueling 22 years ago. I've only been active for about half of that, though.
Are you a Rhy'din native, or do you hail from other distant lands or galaxies or something?
No, I'm from right here in Rhy'Din. I went to Rhy'Din University and everything. I've spent a lot of time traveling, though.
What is your favorite thing about being Overlord?
I really like the feeling that I've reached the top. Being counted among the best of all time. Winning Madness while being Overlord really helps cement that feeling.
What was your most memorable duel?
Beating Magnus for my first Baronial ring after getting the Overlord Grant from Karen was a huge moment for me. It was my first title, and it came about because the Overlord had faith I could perform. Winning my first Warlord Tournament would be a close second.
Do you have a favorite weapon?
It's getting pretty beat-up, but my trusty iron longsword Justasword has never let me down. If you mean type of weapon, straightforward double-bladed swords like longswords and broadswords are simple, versatile, and dependable.
How did you get your catch-phrase, "Fight E Fight!"?
Well, for those who have been dueling for ten years or fewer it might be hard to imagine, but I started dueling in the days when you could be in the Arena all night and only get one or two duels because the queue was so full it'd be an hour before your name got called. Back then, you tried to get as many duels as you could in a given night. And I basically just never stopped doing that, so I frequently get in four or five duels in a single night. So, you know...Fight E Fight.
What do you do for fun? Or to relax?
Dueling is fun! As far as relaxation goes, I read a lot, try to go to plays and concerts when I can. And, of course, it's important to just veg out around the house sometimes.
Badsider Ale or Silver Mark Lager (or Broot rootbeer?)
I actually don't drink alcohol. I'm a big fruit juice guy. I've come up with all kinds of weird juice combinations over the years. Most of them are terrible.
What is your favorite pizza topping?
It used to be pepperoni, but my tastes have changed a little bit as I've gotten older, so now it's sausage. Buffalo Chicken pizzas can be good, too, but it's hard to find a place that does them well.
Do you have a fight or hype song?
This is going to sound REALLY dumb, but whenever I hear the song "I Need A Hero," it gets me pumped up, because I basically think of that song as an employment ad. Like: "Wanted, One Man. Gotta be Strong. Gotta Be Fast. Gotta Be Fresh From The Fight." It's probably a weird song to have in my workout playlist, but there you go.
What's your training routine? How do you keep in Fight E Fight shape?
Oh, man. My workout is kinda crazy. Now that I'm really active in Fists, I try and spend time on a punching bag, a wooden man training dummy, and a throwing dummy. And all of that is on top of my normal Swords training, which involves a big custom-made sword-swinging machine I keep to train with. Also, I work with the Town Watch, training them in armed and unarmed combat, so I get some in-person sparring done, as well. And if that sounds like a lot, well, I'm in my 40's, now. It's harder to stay in shape, and if I ever fell out of dueling shape, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to get back into it. So this is what I do.
What is one thing you want everyone to know about you?
I've been here for a long time. I've seen and fought against many of the greats. Now, I'm one of them. And I would love a chance to prove that against anyone who wants to test me.
