Athlstan: G'nort Dragoon Talanador(1) vs. Soerl Lute(16)

[Cassius Gaius Maximius]

G'nort Dragoon Talanador


Gender: Male. However, there is a rare caveat in this category; "G"(as he is popularly known) was transformed into a woman by unknown means for a period in 1998. G'nort vehemently denies to this very day that this ever happened, but there are multiple eyewitnesses.

Race: Human; G'nort Dragoon Talanador is one of a very few "elite" duelists who can claim to be entirely human, even without otherworldly trappings such as a "natural" immortality or an immunity to magics. It speaks all the better of his abilities in the ring when one realizes that he has accrued the career that he has without superhuman strength, stamina, or reflexes, and without a barrier to the physical effects of time. Is married to the delicious Kaja Adair, who, while technically an active Warlady as of this writing, has made her appearances in the Arena over the last couple of years sporadic at best. Given the reputation of her husband, one wonders if this is a prudent policy...

Point of Origin: Trigole, a city located in the county of Urnst, which is itself located on the Earth-like planet of Oerth(Yes, this technically makes G an alien). Based on reports and on observations of G'nort's manner of dress, occasional speech patterns, and preferred technology..it appears that Urnst is at a societal and technological level that is a mix between that of Western Europe and North America in the late 17th/18th centuries, and that of the same regions on Earth in the 21st century. There is strong evidence(including the general arc of G'nort's life) that the county's economy is maritime-based. Presently resides in the Golden Ivy Tavern in Rhydin: This cherished institution was the catalyst for a major rivalry in the mid 2000s, when Arane Nausikaa Ganderfald, longtime Arena patron and wife of Cletus Ganderfald, burned down the GIT. In retaliation, G'nort undertook an aerial bombing on Arane's property and employed longtime friend and ally Tareth Thorn to inflict a psychological assault on Arane. Both Arane's lands and the Golden Ivy are said to be repaired, but G'nort and Cletus(who never cared for one another to begin with) have loathed each other ever since.

Occupation: Initially a sailor, holding a position as a mate on the flagship of Ellisa Morgan(incidentially, the 11th seed in this very division): It was through Ellisa that G became acquainted with the duels. However, his entrepenuer's spirit and nose for business was a snug fit with the chaotic milieu of Rhydin, a land which provides opportunity as well as danger: He became involved in multiple business ventures, and founded the Golden Ivy Tavern, one of the few eating and drinking establishments in the realm that can be said to rival the Red Dragon Inn itself. By 1998, G was wealthy enough to buy his own ship, the Spelljammer. Today, he is one of the richest men in Rhydin and an accomplished privateer, often going to sea for long spells of time that are rather conspicuous in a timeline of his dueling career. He is the appointed ruler of his homeland of Urnst(probably issuing his own letters of marque as a privateer in that capacity) and has served as Supervisor of the Arena since 2008.

Preferred Weapon: G'nort has used a variety of weapons in the dueling rings over his long career; it is a hallmark of his abilities to have achieved a high level of competence with various weapons and the dueling styles which come with them. Started his career off with a double-bladed, cutting-and-slashing strategy, for which he employed a sabre and a scimitar: These weapons were soon discarded after a major slump, and it is probably his experience at this time which lead to his strident opposition to slashing. By his second year, he was wielding a weapon with a style that was a polar opposite: A rapier named Pen-Pen. Maritime commitments and a disillusion with the Duel of Swords led to a hiatus for most of 1999, but he returned with a third weapon: A bludgeon. This was a war hammer with the eccentric name of Skuld the DeBugger, and G'nort utilizes it to this day...although in recent years, he has added a longsword of elven make named Minx, which seems to have slowly replaced Skuld as his primary dueling weapon. G'nort is also famous for a unique variation of the circular parry called the "Plinko!"; he seems to be capable of using this maneauver with all manners of weapons. In addition, he is known to use a flintlock pistol out of the rings when he feels that he or a friend is threatened.

TDL Career: 83-60, over eleven seasons...in other words, every season of TDL's existence, and every one was a full season. G'nort is the quintessential TDL duelist; for years, he rivaled long-time Atreblan Mathias deWinter for the most duels in TDL history: Given that DeWinter's last season was 523, he probably won this competition. G'nort is the founder and perennial team captain(except for one single season) of the Company of the Dragon, which started out as House Dragoon Talanador--like most original TDL teams, an extension of an Arena faction that he led---before splitting into CDR and the Jade Gryphons(the Gryphons later became Mercenarii). Former TDL Champion, Season 519. Best season was 10-2 in Season 519...but as one would expect from such a long TDL career, G's performance as a duelist was all over the map. In general, however...he was more feared and respected in TDL as a captain and duelmaker than as a duelist.

DoS Titles Held: Former Baron of the 1st(2 defenses), former Baron the 3rd/Dockside(1 defense), 2-time former Baron of the 4th, former Baron of the 5th(1 defense), two-time former Baron of the 9th, former Baron of the 11th/Old Market(1 defense). G held the 1st Ring for 2 years, the 11th/Old Market Ring for a year, and the 3rd/Dockside Ring for nearly a year.

Challenge Victories: Daelin Dragonsblade(Baronial Challenge-1st, 2-0 B03), Damien Cetran(Baronial Challenge-4th), Skyler Jackson Chamberland(Baronial Challenge-5th), Lupton est Dracoern--twice(Baronial Challenge-9th, Baronial Defense-5th(intercession), Galin Taelca(Baronial Challenge-9th), Cletus Ganderfald(Baronial Defense-1st), Grayson MacLeod(Baronial Defense-1st), Ticallion Carter(Baronial Defense-3rd/Dockside, shutout), Bran Bale(Baronial Defense, 11th/Old Market, 2-1 B03), Evan Faline(Baronial Defense-4th; Council's Champion).

Notable Tournament Wins/Placings: Fall 2001 WLT Winner(def. Taree Fae in the finals, won the vacant 4th Ring as a prize), 2007 DoS Madness Tournament Winner(def. Tarl Cabot in the finals, won the vacant 11th/Old Market Ring as a prize, see DoS Madness History), 2006 King of the Ring Winner(won the vacant 3rd Ring/Dockside as a prize; as an interesting sidenote, eliminated his wife Kaja Adair to win).

DoS Madness History: 2007: Seeded 1st in the Xenograg Division; def. Mug in first round, def. Lorance Sneggle in secound round, def. Rakeesh Sah Tarna in div. semis, def. Maria Graziano in div. finals, def. Horatio Benvolio MacBeth by forfiet in Final Four*, def. Tarl Cabot in Championship Finals. Winner; won the vacant 11th/Old Market Ring as a prize. 2008: Seeded 1st in the Xenograg Division; def. Marissa Noelle Shadowstar in first round, def. Myria Graziano in second round, lost to Rakeesh Sah Tarna in div. semis.

*--MacBeth was injured in his Elite Eight duel and unable to continue in the 2007 DoS Madness Tournament. Ironically...Alyxz Taliesien, MacBeth's defeated opponent in the Athlstan Division finals, was primarily known in the duels as a veteran duelist for the Company of the Dragon.


vs.



Soerl Lute


Gender: Male

Race: Human at the beginning of his dueling career, but has since been transformed into a lycanthrope(i.e, werewolf). Although he has already displayed strong potential in his Arena career, one has to suspect that the tremendously heightened strength, agility, reflexes, and senses of a lycanthrope will aid his progress by leaps and bounds.

Point of Origin: Unknown. Said to reside at Minstrel Manor.

Occupation: Minstrel. While this may seem like hardly the type of career to prepare one for the duels, he has been rumored to operate as a thief as well.

Preferred Weapon: A longsword.

TDL History: N/A. Here, Soerl is the exact opposite of his All-Time Madness first round opponent, and it's a comparison which really highlights the vast differential in experience. Soerl's dueling career began as a casual affair at the time of TDL's final season, and by the time he became more earnest about his dueling, the League had closed. However, should TDL ever return(which some dueling insiders are increasingly whispering about), he is likely to be a strong hand for a team, with a bright future...and on his side, he could only benefit from TDL: Both in the rings, and at the bank!!

DoS Titles Held: N/A. To date, Soerl has only made one challenge in his career: An unsuccessful challenge to Xenograg kathu-Darelir at the beginning of this calender year for the 11th/Old Market Ring. The challenge was very hard-fought...but in the end, he did lose. However, he is young, and will likely win a ring at some point should he elect to resume his career in earnest.

Challenge Victories: N/A.

Notable Tournament Wins/Placings: N/A.

DoS Madness History: 2008: Seeded 13th in the Dalamar Division, lost to Tasslehofl Momus in the first round. Presently a Warlord, Soerl held the rank of Commoner at the time.



Head to Head: A final note about G'nort Dragoon Talanador: He has over 100 WoL, and presently has 200 WoL as a current career goal. In this matter, he has a bet with fellow 100 WoL Club member and longtime friend Cassius Maximius: This has been going on for nearly two years(mainly thanks to the lethargic dueling schedules of both men), but G presently has the lead. However, a look at the present DoS Standings and at G's recent increase in dueling frequency makes it seem fairly clear that he should breach the 200 WoL mark by the end of the present cycle.


This is one of those matchups where I feel guilty. I have someone that I have known for years against someone I barely know anything about, so there's going to be a large gap in the amount of info that each man gets for his writeup. Still, I feel guilty when it seems like one guy gets short-changed. I also have to be honest: While "Anyone can win any duel at any given time" is a maxim that every new duelist should learn, and I want to be fair, and Soerl is pretty good and can only get better(again, if he ever duels on a serious basis again, that is), I won't lie: I think that out of ten duels, G would win at least eight.