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B BRACKET

Match 1 - Aaron Bartholomew
Batgirl vs. Balrog

Batgirl scanned the cavern for the source of the sooty red glow. Hidden behind a stalactite, she dared not move for fear of the source of that glow seeing her. Minutes earlier she had appeared in these caves, in what appeared to have once been a beautiful hall, only to be confronted by a fiery creature, a maned man shaped, but formed of fire wreathed in shadow. A tongue of fire in one hand, and a many thonged whip in the other, sooty glow radiated from its body, and was the only light in these caverns. She had dodged the first slashes of its sword, only to be tangled when the whip snapped around her legs. A few quick strokes with a bat-a-rang, and she was free before it was upon her. Then she had run. Ran from the fire, ran from the terror the fiend projected. And hid, as she had never hidden from any of the terrors of Gotham. Yet she could still not see the creature, only it's glow.
Batgirl half-moaned from the fear, the absolute fear of that creature. And she could feel it, feeding off her fear. Suddenly she felt the thongs of the dreaded whip close about her, from behind. The Balrog drew her in, her terror making her helpless with fear. The fiery demon swung it's sword of flame, and Batgirl screamed once, as fire engulfed her.

Winner: Balrog

Match 2 - Mark Ailshie
Yonder vs. Gorgon

Two flashes of light in the endless darkness of Moria reveal a stout dwarf carrying a long pike, and a tall, raven-haired woman with a silver circlet on her brow. The two spot each other, and are about to attack, when suddenly the flash fades away, and they are left in darkness.
The woman, known to her associates as Gorgon, looks quickly around, and scowls. Her eyes can't seem to adjust to the lack of light. She dodges away, so her adversary won't be able to find her, but she knows he has probably done the same. If she can only find him, she knows she can launch a psychic bolt that will incapacitate him. If she could just find him. Meanwhile, Yonder is having significantly less trouble. He is not a silver dwarf, not a gold dwarf, so his trade has been more about trade than mining. Still, his race sees better in the dark than most. After a moment, he has found his adversary, and is sizing her up. She seems harmless enough, even if her scowl would frighten bears. Only a small belt knife, no armor. Hardly fair, and certainly not honorable. Not when he could see and she could not. A wandering orc comes around a corner in the tunnel, and looks curiously at the pair. Yonder looked him up and down, and thought, "Looks like a goblin!
But what would a goblin be doing in a cave?" The orc spots him, though, and hisses, drawing a long knife.
"Khazad-dum is ours, son of Durin! It belongs to us, and to Ghash!" With a cry, the orc charges at Yonder, who has no idea what he just said, but recognizes a challenge, as feeble as it is.
Gorgon still can't see, but she hears the orc. Thinking it might be Yonder, she strikes out with her mind. A psychic bolt crashes into the orc, and it falls limp -- paralyzed from the neck down. Gorgon rushes to the fallen orc, whipping out her knife. The defenseless creature's neck is cut in seconds, and only then does Gorgon realize it is the wrong target. She curses under her breath, and whirls, desperately searching the darkness for some sign of Yonder. Now, Yonder recognizes Gorgon's dangerous nature. He won't strike at her while she can't see him � that would be dishonorable -- but he would not underestimate her. Hefting his pike, Yonder calls light. The dwarf-paladin begins to glow with a blinding white light. The sudden brightness causes Gorgon to shield her eyes, but she lashes out with a psychic attack. Yonder's light holds it off long enough for him to hurl his pike at Gorgon. The bolt strikes Yonder, and his light snaps off as he goes limp, but the pike strikes Gorgon through the chest, pinning her to the wall. Yonder murmurs a prayer, and his patron Immacula frees him from Gorgon's paralysis, as the evil woman's life ebbs away. Yonder shakes his head. Such a waste. This woman's anger could have been turned to good with enough time and patient prayer. Yonder grits his teeth. If he could only survive long enough to face Gasponac, he swore he would avenge the murder of Morak, his old friend and teacher.

Winner: Yonder

Match 3 - Robert Newell
Achilles vs. L

Achilles was totally lost. He had been searching these lightless caves for many hours with no luck. His opponent was known to him only by name, or actually by letter: 'L'. He had lost all patience after his fruitless search and began to scream loudly for 'L' to show himself. L had been following Achilles for a while. She thought his name was quite pretentious, but that was no matter. The she heard Achilles cry out in a language that she had not heard in some time, ancient Greek. She knew every dialect ever spoken on Earth and was fluent in ancient Greek, though she never expected to need to use it. Why was this man speaking such an old language? Then it occurred to her that Achilles might not be a wannabe demigod. He might actually be the real Achilles. From his shout she also knew that he was expecting his opponent to be a man; big mistake for him. L switched into speaking the ancient Greek dialect that Achilles was using. She cried out for help saying that a man called 'L' was assaulting her.
Achilles ran toward the voice hoping to catch his opponent and gain a new concubine in the damsel that was in distress. As he found L he asked her where 'L' had gone. She said she did not know, but she was grateful that he had been run off and that she needed comfort from such a strong warrior. She beckoned him into her embrace. As he approached her she put on her sunglasses and used her "flashie thingie", as her partner J called it. Achilles was confused, how did she light up the cavern momentarily? Oh well, she was his now. L was even more shocked her memory eraser did not affect Achilles, his demigod physiology must have somehow interfered. As Achilles drew closer, L pulled out her biggest energy weapon and fired. It bounced harmlessly off of Achilles chest.
"Who are you?" Achilles demanded. He had not been hurt, but the blast had stung him. "Are you a sorceress or a demon or a goddess or what?" Achilles drew his sword and charged the "monster". L mentally chided herself for being stupid as she remembered Achilles heel. How could she have forgotten? L shot Achilles' heel as he had almost reached her. He fell to the ground screaming.    He was gushing out of his ruined leg. L tried to staunch the flow, but Achilles' body was not used to having to repair itself.
Achilles bled to death on the cold cave floor. All L could think of was trying to determine which alien species that had time travel ability was behind this little game.

Winner: L

Match 4 - Mark Ailshie
Gasponac vs. Princess Leia

Again, two flashes of light are seen in the dark recesses of Moria. Gasponac smiled at his surroundings; Similar to his castle in Shontung where he used to live, before the slave rebellion drove him out. Darker, of course, but that was easily solved. He called Fire, and shot a lance into a nearby wall.
It began to glow with heat, lighting the small room dimly. He turned and regarded his opponent across the room. A woman, wearing a long flowing dress. How ironic. He smiled wickedly.
Leia pursed her lips. Anything that could manipulate fire like that would be difficult to defeat. She drew her blaster, and began circling him, looking for an opening.
Gasponac sneered. It seemed this human had some access to Dwarvish weaponry. At least it looked like a dwarven sling in her hand. Such a weapon could be useful for him. Casually, he shot a lance of flame at her arm, forcing her to drop her weapon, and forcing her to retreat away from it. There would be plenty of time to examine the weapon later. He closed on the slim girl, and began spinning a ball of Fire.
Leia hesitated. She could try to call her blaster back to her hand -- She thought Luke had taught her enough to handle that. But what was to stop Gasponac from doing it again? Instead, she fell back on a more tried and true tactic.
"No, Please! Please stay away!" she whimpered. Gasponac's smile grew. He enjoyed torture. Especially when the subject had a high pitched voice, and nowhere to run. He came closer. The girl held up her left hand as if to ward off a blow.
VROOOM! SLASH! Gasponac's jaw fell open. A sword made out of light! He looked down at his stomach where the woman had cut him cleanly in two. His last thought before dissipating was that he should have learned from when he underestimated those slaves.
Leia let out her captive breath, but suddenly the man exploded, as if she had stuffed her thermal detonator down his throat! She felt her head slam backwards into the wall, and stars danced in her eyes. She shook her head to clear it. No body. Strange. She switched off her lightsaber and retrieved her blaster.

Winner: Princess Leia

Match 5 - Mark Ailshie
Duncan Macleod vs. Murtaugh

Murtaugh faced his opponent across a long narrow bridge. The man wore a long black leather coat, and carried a samurai sword. Murtaugh didn't like the idea of facing that sword up close, and drew his pistol and opened fire. Duncan went down from a direct hit in the chest.
"Wow," thought Murtaugh. "That was easy." He crossed the bridge to examine the body, and to make a killing head shot if necessary. But, as he reached Duncan, he knew he would have to be dead--from the volume of blood on the ground, he must have got him in the heart.
But suddenly, Duncan leaped to his feet. Murtaugh's mouth hung open for a second, and Duncan took a wild head swing. Murtaugh felt a sharp stab in his throat, but jumped back to the bridge and ran away. Duncan stood there watching him. Murtaugh raised his gun and did the little neck-twist-move that he does at the end of every �Lethal Weapon movie, right before he blows the bad guy away. Except that this time, halfway through the neck twist, his head fell off. It seems Duncan hadn't missed after all.

Winner: Duncan Macleod, the Highlander

Match 6 - Brian Ailshie
Ethan Hunt vs Ice-Man

The dark was complete. Ethan Hunt couldn't see a thing. Digging in his pack, he pulled out a pair of nightvision goggles and strapped them on. The place was only somewhat illumined as most everything, in this chamber anyway, was rather cold. Digging in his pack again, he pulled out a flare and ignited it. A bright glow illumined most of the large chamber. This cave was HUGE. The closest wall was fairly well lit now, and showed obvious craftsmanship. This place was man made. Ethan wondered where it was.
Ice-Man felt his way up a staircase. His mutant ice-power could put a little light in the crystal he held in his hand, but not really enough to see too well with. Suddenly he felt the wall go away to his left and Ice-Man realized he had stepped into another chamber. He also realized that his light was no longer needed. The guy he was supposed to fight was standing on the far side of the room with a flare in his hand that lit up most of the room, and made a perfect target for him. Lifting his hand Ice-Man sprayed out a blast of freezing ice at his opponent. The blast hit the guy in the back, and encased him nearly instantly.
Ethan felt the chill only milliseconds before it hit him. Frantically, he tried to twist the flare in his hand to melt the ice enveloping him. It didn't work a small blob melted and splashed into the flare in Ethan's clumsy, half-frozen hands, dousing it. All went black, then even the night-vision faded.

Winner: Ice-Man

Match 7 - Brian Ailshie
Mara Jade vs. Mr. T

The dark was complete. "Hey sucka turn the lights back on!" Mr. T shouted. Fumbling in his pocket he dug out a lighter and struck it. The small light reflected off the many gold necklaces, rings and assorted jewelry and lit up a much larger area than a lighter should. "When I find the light switch, you are a dead fool!" T shouted into the emptiness. There was no answer.
Reaching out with the force Mara Jade could sense her opponent before he lit his mini-lightsaber. The shouting certainly didn't sound very Jedi like, and the short yellow blade looked quite different than a Jedi blade too. Perhaps it wasn't a saber after all. He held it like it was though. Closing her eyes she reached out with the force as Luke had taught her.
She couldn't sense any power in the force in her opponent either. Still, better to be cautious, Mara thought. Unclipping the lightsaber from her belt she crept toward him. Stealth wasn't hard the guy was making such a racket about the lights, with more 'fool' and 'sucka' words thrown in, that a herd of Gammoreans could probably have snuck up on him. Once she was close enough she swung her lightsaber at his neck, igniting the blue white blade as it came arcing down.
However, Mara was astonished when the blade actually refracted from the gold plating around his neck. Some sort of Mandalorian armor? Unbelievable! All these thoughts came as quick as the dark skinned man's fist that crashed into her jaw sending her sprawling on the floor.
"What you sneakin' up on me fo' fool?" Mr. T shouted as he kicked the girl in the ribs. "You are really gonna get a beatin' now sucka!" With that T jumped on her chest and began pummeling her face. Except, the lighter was lost on the floor somewhere so he couldn�t see very well. And he never saw the lightsaber fly back into Jade's hand until it ignited. Once again, his necklaces refracted the beam, unfortunately the blade refracted up and out the back of his skull. That will leave a scar!
Kicking the corpse off of herself, Mara stood up and felt the bruises on her face. She was pretty sure her nose was broken too. Nothing a good med kit wouldn't fix though; if she had one.

Winner: Mara Jade

Match 8 - Aaron Bartholomew
Eowyn vs. Chani

Announced by: Vincent Price
Camera zooms in on an old white haired man in a room filled with odds and ends . . . books, a human skull, and other jetsam is placed on tables, and used as bookends. As the camera focuses on him, Vincent Price speaks. And as he speaks, the camera slowly moves towards a wide, shallow bowl, filled with some dark liquid.
"Greetings, and welcome to another round of these matches, I'll be with you, watching and enjoying this dark and gloomy spectacle today. Pleasant isn't it".
Waving hands appear over the bowl, and after a final pass, the liquid slowly appears more translucent, until a grey chamber is visible within the liquid. The chamber holds a pit, and some windows on one side look out towards the mountainside in the night... and the voice continues.
"Within the bowels of Moria, dark dwarvish mine of old, an eldritch flash illuminates the cold stone walls, lasting but for a brief moment. Ahhh, but what is this? A strange warrior, garbed in some sort of bulky covering drops from the source of light, and lands on the floor, crouching, hand on knife.
Distantly down a far corridor, a brief glimpse may be caught of another flash of light. Then all fades to darkness, for there is no moon on Middle-Earth tonight. Ahh, but we of the night, we can see in the night. However, it appears that neither of these warriors can. Interesting, it appears that Chani, this oddly clothed warrior caught a glimpse of that brief light as well.
Let's see if she can avoid the pit in the middle of this room.... ah, barely, she unknowingly walked by it. "The view in the bowl shifts, following Chani down a corridor, into another room, which lacks even the illumination of the stars, for it has no windows. In this room another warrior can be seen, Eowyn, sister-daughter of the King of Rohan, clothed in chain-mail, with helm, the warrior also known as Dernhelm, Nazgul-bane, who has explored as much of the room as possible in the darkness.
"How intriguing, it seems the warriors approach in the darkness. But no, look, it seems fate has a little game to play, see! Orcs approach, torches in hand. The warrior-maidens look startled to see each other, but more surprised to see orcs. Taking the orcs' charge, with mighty blows they hew the beasts down. What's this? Chani wounded... ahh, fickle is fate� but it is water not blood that runs from the cut in her armor. As the last orc goes down, the fallen orcs' torches flicker dimly on the ground. A pity, it is not, that we cannot hear these warriors' words... it seems they feel the compulsion to fight one another after all, will they, will they. See, they circle.. Chani's weapon is the shorter, though the Fremen-woman is the more ferocious, chain-clad Eowyn is a mighty warrior as well. But as matched as they appear, one alone shall live. Ahh, even as she lunges, Chani's crysknife is turned by Eowyn's mail, and the bright steel of Rohan glitters as it streaks towards Chani's back. My, these warriors are agile, even after lunging, Chani was able to roll, and almost block the blow, however the flat seems to have caught her a vicious blow to the head. And they continue... ever more quickly.. Eowyn's blade nicking Chani's arm, Chani striking Eowyn's knee. But look, Chani seems to be slowing. Indeed, there can be no doubt; it seems Eowyn's armor has protected her from several blows, while Chani, though quicker, is tiring. Ahh, there, the Rohan steel found an unprotected spot in the Fremen armor. Chani falls, bleeding. Eowyn seems to be muttering a few words, then thrusting her sword through the still-suit, puts Chani beyond the powers of mortal pain."
The bowl gradually dims, leaving only an after image of the scene. The camera slowly pans out to Vincent Price, sitting on a chair, gazing at the bowl, a raven on his shoulder. The raven glances at the camera, flaps it's wings, and flies out a nearby window... the camera follows it, going to the window, and when it looks out into the dark outside, the transmission fades and goes black.

Winner: Eowyn

ROUND 2

Match 1 - Mark Ailshie
The Balrog vs. Yonder Stonbar

Yonder trekked through the dark passages, but his heart was no longer in this battle. Gasponac had been defeated. He held no ill will toward the brave young woman who had dispersed him--on the contrary, he was very pleased to learn that the evil shehap would gain no glory at all from this tournament. But there is something to be said for vengeance, even in the heart of a paladin.
Yonder had really wanted to be the one to bring peace to the soul of his old teacher. None of the other creatures he had fought were worth his energy. Dull creatures, more pitiful than evil. It would be a paladin's task to deliver them, but not to destroy them.
Suddenly, Yonder felt a dark presence behind the next corner. A huge force, and Yonder could tell without seeing it that it was evil. He turned the corner and found himself in a huge cavern with a long thin bridge spanning a deep chasm. Across the pit stood the Balrog. Yonder was immediately reminded of Gasponac--here was a creature that was also like darkness and fire combined. A haughty, malignant, and immortal foe. And he sensed immediately that this was the force that terrified the rock-dwelling-goblins he had fought. This was an enemy worthy of a paladin.
Yonder strode fearlessly onto the bridge, holding his spear upright like a pike. The Balrog roared and flew to meet him. Yonder felt his first attack like a wave of fear. Instantly, he called light, and the fear fled away.
"You cannot pass!" called the paladin, brandishing his spear. "I am a servant of the Shining One, and a dwarf reborn. I forbid you passage! Go back to the fire from which you were spawned!" The Balrog roared in rage and cracked his whip at the lone dwarf on the bridge. Yonder's aura turned the fiery thongs, but the creature leaped to attack. His blazing sword slashed at him, but Yonder blocked the swing with the haft of his spear. The wood should have split under that swing, or caught fire, but this spear had been blessed by Mian, the Lady of the Lamp, and rare was the force that could cause it to fail. The Balrog came, roaring and beating its wings.
Yonder suddenly shouted a challenge, and charged to attack! The Balrog was taken aback. He was used to having his enemies flee from him, or at the least, stand and await his coming. Never could he remember someone so small and alone daring to engage him. But Yonder was filled with the courage of his faith, and he flinched at no challenge. He had taken down Malissant himself, and no longer had any terror in his heart for any nameless demon. He struck with his spear, and the Balrog was pushed back across the narrow bridge. With a howl of frustration, the evil Maia surged to attack. With one final thrust, Yonder's spear found the Balrog's heart! The howl of frustration became a yelp of pain and confusion. How could such a thing be?
In grim vengeance, the Balrog leaped out with it's last strength and tackled this irksome little fly, casting them both from the narrow perch of the bridge. It was a long fall down. On the way, as the Balrog's body drove him swiftly toward the inevitable bottom, Yonder reflected that his acts in the tournament had been wholly appropriate to his role. He had not killed unnecessarily, but had rid the world of a great evil, and spent his life well. Mian and Morak would be proud. That was his thoughts as he hit the ground.

Winner: Bye

Match 2 - Cindy Witmer
Princess Leia vs 'L'

Princess Leia Organa walked through a lightless corridor of Moria. A tingling sensation at the back of her neck told her someone was nearby, perhaps her next foe. She unhooked her lightsaber from her belt but did not ignite it, knowing the sound and light would alert the enemy. She held the handle tightly, prepared to use the weapon when necessary, waiting for the foe to appear.
L adjusted her sunglasses, in spite of the fact that they were useless in the darkness. She might come upon this princess thing any moment now, and it was better to be prepared. She had decided that before assessing the opponent's powers or trying to attack, she would use the neuralizer. Any powers that the enemy had would be completely useless without a memory of how to use them. She held the unit in her right hand and listened closely for the sound of footsteps. There! Her enemy was just a few feet away, and completely unaware of her presence.
Princess Leia waited. She could sense L nearby and was probing her emotions, trying to determine her method of attack. At the same moment that she felt the enemy's triumph at detecting her, Leia sensed a motion of preparation coming from the right hand. There was some sort of weapon there, she reasoned, and tried to decide how to block the attack. Her Force senses seemed to be telling her something about protecting her head, which was apparently where the weapon was pointed, and she instantly obeyed, wrapping her mind with a protective shield. An instant later, the flash of the neuralizer pierced the darkness, blinding after walking in darkness for so long. It had no effect on Leia's brain, however, and the moment of light was enough for her to detect where the enemy was. She ignited her lightsaber and cut down L in a matter of seconds.
Leaving the blade humming, she used its light to examine her fallen foe. She was surprised to see that it was a female human. Not what she had been expecting, but still a lucky victory. The Force must have guided her lightsaber slash; it had cut her victim straight in the chest. Leia hoped her death had been painless. Now, what about that flashy thing?
Curiously, Leia retrieved the neuralizer from L's lifeless hand, careful not to activate it. Whatever its purpose, she was not going to try it out on herself. It might come in handy later, though.

Winner: Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan

Match 3 � Brian Ailshie
Duncan McLeod vs. Ice-Man

Ice-Man stopped as he came to another cross corridor. Looking on the floor he could see that he had made a great loop. Along the floor of the passage ahead of him was a thin stream of ice that came to the crossing and went down the corridor to his left. That meant that somehow he had doubled around. Well, nothing for it but to go right, what had been his left the first time he came to this crossing. Pointing his hand back at the ground he started off again spraying a stream of ice to mark his way.
Only moments later, the cross corridor is lit by a soft glow once again. Duncan enters from the corridor opposite the one Ice-Man just came from. He carries a small torch captured from some unfortunate orcs who Duncan destroyed. He too is following the trail of ice. For he knows that he is to fight Ice-Man, and figures that following an ice trail is the best way to find him. "The trail loops around," Duncan mutters to himself. "This flow goes to the right, and that one comes in from straight ahead. So if I follow this one to the left I will cut some time off my chase!" Smiling at his logic, Duncan turns left and trots off a little faster. He wants to catch his foe and end this game of chase.
Meanwhile, Ice-Man enters a huge cavern-room. Two beams of light stream down from the sunlight sky through windows in the ceiling. Taking a moment to adjust to the light, Ice-Man looks around the room slowly. His eyes are just about re-adjusted, when he hears footsteps hurrying up behind him. Thinking quickly, he steps away from the door and turns around. Lifting both hands up, Ice-Man blasts out what he hopes will be a great trap for his pursuer. Hopefully it will be this 'Duncan MacLeod' that he must fight.
Duncan slows his chase when he hears a soft whistling sound. Turning another corner in the passage, he sees a huge ramping staircase of ice. This could easily be a trap. However, there really is no other way to go unless he turned around. And who know how many hours could go by before he might catch up to Ice-Man's trail again. The ice-stair is solid enough that Duncan can't see through it, nor can he see around it, as there are walls on either side of the staircase. "May as well climb it," mutters Duncan. Katana held forward, the immortal Highlander starts up the staircase. As he neared the top of the arch, Duncan saw a shaft of light coming down from the ceiling. $
"Must be daytime outside. However as he approached the opening, and looked up, he could see that the light was the only part of the outside-day he would enjoy. The shaft rose at least 60 feet straight up.
Suddenly the arch of ice gave way below him, sending Duncan hurtling to the ground below. Ice-Man watched his opponent fall from the thinned out top of the arch. His plan had worked beautifully. The sun had melted the ice at the top of the arch where he had left it thinner. The moron had even helped the plan by waiting at the trap spot. Ice-Man walked over to the man's corpse. It had to be a corpse, no one could fall that far and live. Leaning over the man, Ice-Man was so stunned that he moved that he couldn't react till the katana swiped off his head. Obviously, an immortal can fall that far and live to keep fighting.

Winner: Duncan McLeod

Match 4 � Mark Ailshie
Mara Jade vs. Eowyn

By the light of her lightsaber, Mara Jade examined her face in an old dwarvish mirror. It certainly felt broken. She was having some trouble breathing. She tried to use the force to heal herself, but she had never been very good at healing. She could breathe, but it sure didn't look much better.
Meanwhile, Eowyn was also tending the wounds she had sustained in her battle with Chani. Luckily, her armor had turned most of the woman's attacks. But Eowyn didn't take too much time to tend herself. She had guessed where she was, and it was not wise to stay still for long in Khazad-dum. She searched the orc bodies, and found a few torches. She lit one and began searching for this "Mara" warrior.
Jade stretched out with her feelings to try to locate Eowyn in the sprawling caverns below her. There were too many intelligent beings to sort them all out. She located Leia almost immediately--Not only because she was force-sensitive, but also because they knew each other--and then she found Eowyn. A few halls away, and coming toward her. Mara lit her saber and headed toward her.
Eowyn saw her coming some distance away, wielding an unusually bright torch. Eowyn set her torch in a wall hook, and raised her sword and shield. Jade attacked. She was quite a bit faster than the shield maiden, but the maiden proved to be stronger. And Mara's breathing was still impaired. Jade swung her saber, and Eowyn raised her sword to counter it. Of course, the saber cut right through it, but it turned the blade enough to prevent Mara's head shot. Eowyn kicked her hard and rolled away. Eowyn frantically searched for something else to use as a weapon. It was plain her shield would be no good. The woman with the lightning sword approached her, certain of her victory. Eowyn backed away from her until she hit the wall, searching frantically through her pockets. All she could find was the orcish torches. In despair, she grabbed one and threw it at her opponent.   Jade blocked the torch with her saber, slicing it neatly in two. It also, however, ignited both ends, and one flaming brand struck her long red hair, and caught in it! Surprised, Mara beat against the flaming torch, but it struck her skin several times.
Eowyn, seeing her distracted, lashed out with her shield, striking Mara's still shining sword by the hilt. It flew from her grasp, and went out! Eowyn brought her shield crashing down on Mara's head, and the young Jedi was knocked cold. Mara breathed deeply a few times. She retrieved her sword to finish off her opponent, but saw quickly that it was no fit weapon any longer.
Curiously, she retrieved the hilt of the lightning sword, and examined it. She touched a big dark button, and it sprang to life. Eowyn was entranced. The blade had no weight at all! It would take practice to master such a blade. But she could still manage a death strike on an unconscious enemy. She put the blade gently against her throat, intending to slit her throat. What was her surprise when Mara's head was sliced off by such a gentle touch. She would have to be careful with this blade, or else find another orcish blade to replace it.

Winner: Eowyn the Shield Maiden

ROUND 3

Match 1
Princess Leia takes the Bye from Match 1, Round 2.

Match 2 � Mark Ailshie
Duncan McLeod vs. Eowyn

Eowyn practiced with the torch-blade she had retrieved from Mara Jade. An amazing weapon! All she had to do was swing the hilt, and it cut through leather, armor, even the stone walls of the dwarf realm. She almost wished to test its power against one of the Cave Trolls that were supposed to inhabit this place. However, the light made her an easy target for the Highlander. Duncan drew his broadsword, ducked into a dark corner and waited for her to come a bit closer. Soon, her head would fall at his feet. A shame, really. She was a very pretty girl.
Eowyn kept the lightsaber activated. She knew the light was dangerous, but she feared that if she extinguished the blade, she would not know how to relight it. Besides, it was smart to keep a sword ready. She heard the scraping of boots on gravel behind her, and ducked and whirled. A long sword swept over her head, and she heard a curse in the dwarvish accent. She didn't recognize her attacker, but she recognized a threat. Duncan pushed her back against the wall. She tried to parry with the saber, but Duncan slapped his hilt against it, shutting it off and knocking it against the wall. She gave ground deflecting each blow on her shield, but now she had no offensive weapon. She scrambled in the dim light for something to defend herself with. Duncan advanced. It seemed a pity to kill a defenseless girl, but he knew he had to do so if he wanted to advance.
But Eowyn was not a defenseless girl. When Duncan pulled back to telegraph his death blow, she launched herself against him, tackling him around the middle. Duncan was so unprepared for this sort of an attack, that he got the wind knocked out of him hitting the floor. She was very strong for a woman! She kneed him hard in the crotch and bit his hand. In agony, he dropped his sword, and suddenly the woman was off of him. He rolled to his feet, and this time he was the one unarmed.
Eowyn smiled. This sword was of a more familiar weight. She sliced into the highlander's bicep, taking off his right arm. She quickly followed with a deathblow across the throat. The man groaned once and fell over dead. Eowyn retrieved the lightsaber and attached it to her belt. She preferred the broadsword, but it was always useful to have a back up weapon. She had just refastened her sword when suddenly Duncan lurched to his feet again!
He was unsteady, but still alive, having not lost his head. Eowyn was astonished, but held her sword at the ready. Duncan moved into a fighting stance, but with only one arm and no weapon, he was no match for a fully armed Rohirrim warrior. Eowyn bashed him in the face with her shield, and then made a mighty swing to take his head off his body. Now Eowyn knew he was dead, if he was not a wraith. She knelt to clean the sword, when suddenly she noticed the light in the room. It was coming from the Highlander's decapitated body! Lightning suddenly struck her all over. She howled in pain. But she endured. And she lived. And when she came to, she realized that she now possessed a measure of the highlander's skills and powers. How it had happened, she had no idea. And she also knew the name of her next opponent. Princess Leia.

Winner: Eowyn Shieldmaiden

ROUND 4

Match � Mark Ailshie
Princess Leia vs. Eowyn

Princess Leia. Another Princess like herself. But Eowyn knew nothing else about her. She must also be a warrior, or she wouldn't still be alive. Not in Moria, anyway. But where would she find her? Only one place to go: Dwarrow Delf.
Leia opened her eyes and awoke from the Jedi Trance Luke had taught her. She felt the demand to kill again. A princess? Eowyn. Well, she would do what had to be done. She stood and strode off in the direction she was pretty sure her senses were indicating her enemy was in. Both princesses met orcs along the way, and swept them aside with ease. Eowyn was a bit surprised by this. Something about the lightning she had absorbed made her more capable with her sword. She even thought she could handle the lightsaber now, if she had to.
Finally, the princesses entered the long hall of Dwarrow Delf, and stood looking at each other. Each recognized in the other a kindred spirit. An ally. Even, maybe, a friend. "I hate this tournament. We should be fighting together, not against each other."
"I feel the same, Blondie. But what choice do we have?"
"Let's get it over with." Eowyn struck an attack stance and approached her warily. Leia stretched out with her feelings. Leia saw by her stance that Eowyn was a better trained swordfighter than she. Luckily, she didn't need to rely on her sword skill. She drew her blaster and fired. Eowyn caught one blast on her shield, which erupted into cinders, and then leaped behind a pillar. How was she to fight this? Maybe she could use the torch-blade to launch a similar weapon at Leia. She ignited the blade, and examined the controls. Nothing she could understand.
Leia recognized the lightsaber immediately. "How on earth did she get that?" she wondered. No matter. A lightsaber might be less random and messy than a blaster, but it also had less range. And with all this space between them, it was relatively useless. It was just a matter of time.
BOOM!
What the heck was that? Leia spun and looked back the way she had come.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Eowyn turned pale. She had heard stories of this. The drums in the deep. She had to get out of here quick! She looked around the pillar, and saw Leia distracted by the drums. She breathed deeply, crossed her fingers, and charged! Leia sensed her coming, of course, but she also sensed a REAL LOT of other things coming too. She turned on Eowyn, and shot twice. Eowyn dodged once, but the second shot caught her torch-blade near the grip Her mouth hung open as the blast shot back toward Leia. Leia dodged aside with incredible speed. Now she had something that could defend against the blaster bolts. But then the goblins charged into the room. They were everywhere, like vermin scampering across the floor, up from the holes in the floor, down from the ceiling "We've got to get out of here!"
Shrieked Leia. "The only way out of here for you is through me," shouted Eowyn, advancing closer.
"So be it!" Leia ignited her lightsaber, and the two crashed into melee. Around them, goblins squealed and jumped in between them every so often. Arrows screached by them, or clattered against the cobblestones. Leia fought bravely against Eowyn and the goblins at the same time, and Eowyn fought equally well against her. Eowyn was clearly the better swordsman, but the lightsaber was still uncomfortable for her. Not that Leia had known much what to do either. The goblins were really annoying her. Her meager danger sense was overloaded with threats, and she fought on sheer instinct, letting the force tell her when to parry, when to dodge, when to jump in the air to avoid a goblin's tackle.
How Eowyn was managing without the force as her ally was a complete mystery to her. Eowyn wasn't quite sure herself. And she didn't have the time or the will to question. She was having enough trouble fighting off the goblins. When she got a chance, she swung at Leia, but the princess was more than adequate to parry or block. Eowyn began using the Goblin's distractions to her advantage, circling around Leia, forcing her to put her back toward a particularly eager looking orc. But Leia always blocked or dodged the monster's wild thrust.
Finally, Leia scored with her saber in Eowyn's leg. The Rohirrim princess screamed and stumbled, and the goblins were on her! Leia threw them aside. Eowyn would not die like that, alone, covered with filthy creatures. As she threw the orcs aside, one of them punched her in the hip. Leia felt something fall from her pocket. Not her thermal detonator! No. It was the neuralizer she had taken from L. As it hit the ground, it went off. The goblins that weren't directly in it's path shrieked and ran off. That was more light then they wanted to deal with after an eternity in the dark.   But the Goblins around the princesses just stood there stupidly. And so did Eowyn. Leia was fine. At the last second, the force had told her to close her eyes. Eowyn didn't seem to know where she was, or what was going on. The goblins were completely baffled. "Where am I? What is this place?" Eowyn was bewildered. "Sorry about this, kid." Leia called her saber to her hand, and ignited it. The goblin's wailed in terror at the sudden light.
Eowyn's mouth hung open. One quick slash, and B bracket was completed. Leia called Eowyn's saber to her, and tried to call the neuralizer, but instead vanished in a flash of light, as the goblins fled screaming into the darkness.

Winner of Bracket B: Princess Leia