Duellers

No, we're not done with this yet! When scandals of such extent occur, the concerned citizens that we are cannot just let them slide back into obscurity after a mere few weeks! Verteuil deserves to drag those clanking pots after him for the rest of his life for causing such harm to Lernée's reputation and to our beloved Duelling Arena!   However, the reason we bring this up today is far more practical! As the Classic Championship is about to begin its new season, what can we do to annihilate any cheating risks? And should Verteuil, who's dominated this format for 9 consecutive years, be allowed to compete?   “I say, let him!” declared without fear Olivier, our rising duelling star and the winner of last year's Classic Championship following Verteuil's disqualification. “If he cannot win without potions, his critics will be proven right. But if he can win just as well, then the potions might have been just a one-time terrible mistake, or yeah, maybe there is some truth to it being a setup?”   When asked if he was being too optimistic due to his youth, Olivier laughed. "Or all the other ones are just too afraid to face Verteuil again, and are seizing the first excuse to get rid of him, no matter how unbelievable!”   Meanwhile, Councilman de Fresnoy has refused to offer any verdict on whether he will intervene to ban Verteuil, and all bets are still opened. So what do you think on the subject?

Since duelling culture appeared in its modern form in the past century, reporters and concerned members of the public have been raising the alarm concerning its excesses. For the first time today, we can share exclusive images and accounts of one of the famous duellers' parties: Wild drinking games, incredible quantities of food, both involving far too much vomiting, as well as what can only be called a sexual orgy. And this is only the polite summary (for more details turn on to page 5).   When one might have thought only a few bad individuals were concerned and more acclaimed duellers would not risk their career like this, this is far from the truth. Such parties truly gather all duellers in Lernée, from the youngest newbies to the top of the championships: the Hurdle Maupin herself was caught this morning, in a state of inebriety clearly not fitting a duel day!

Could all that we see in the Duelling Arena truly be nothing more than lies? At least some enmities appear to hold everywhere: not even alcohol and prostitutes can prevent Verteuil and Joinville from insulting each other, and everyone else was at great pain of keeping them far apart all evening to keep it at that. While these two are the most famous enemies, more than a few conflictual relationships generated sparks all evening despite the general good atmosphere of the party.   Still, this report brings many questions to the Duelling Association of Lernée, from fixed fights to duellers destroying all their training efforts for a few nights of wild excesses. The Association must act quickly if it wishes to retain the trust of the public!

If you follow the Arena's gossip closely, you must have heard Joinville's opinion on the taxation of the hovering devices used by those who have been injured. According to him, introducing a high tax would incentivise people not to use such a crutch that would risk their full recovery. A marginal concern for sure, and not one you would expect to ever be picked up by serious politicians.   However, yesterday Joinville was seen having a long consultation with Councilman d'Églantine, and observers even heard several mentions of hovering devices. We can only wonder what will be the impact of this meeting on Milaran politics. Can we expect to see hovering devices be taxed in the near future despite the very limited benefits of such a measure but the very real harm this will bring to legitimate users such as roofers?