While I would never discourage fighters from taking meaningless polls on who the best

professions of all time were, I would like to add a new angle to the discussion.

The relativity of talent in a world like Avalon is always bound by evolving skills in flux.

Those that were deemed skillful in the past are not necessary of the same skill in the future.

For example, after speaking with many players and some deities who lived through the times of

the fighters you all voted for as being the best of all time, it revealed that most of those

fighters were good at experimenting coupled with a flair for programming. Indeed, is it not

the good programmer who experiments first?

My point is that as fun as an oversimplified poll for best fighter is, it was started with

one intention -- to belittle the rest of us. I find Threap's poll beyond patronization.

Babidi was good at abusing skills and stripping folks because he practiced at it a lot, but

health also hid in stockrooms almost 100% of the time when there was even a chance of death from

more skilled players. How can you call someone like this the best in their profession? Best

at what exactly? Finding all the loopholes, both technical and ethical to the point where

those profession's skills had to be changed?

The other folks that were mentioned such as Loric, Nafai, Culinane and the rest were all from

the past and have no relevance in an argument about today's great fighters. It is perhaps

the greatest of players to be able to adapt to new situations quickly, or at least persist

until they have adapted effectively. How can one possibly include these characters then if

they are gone for good?

Lastly, folks like Orinoko, Ender, Threap, Kodiak and even Narissa are talented in their own

rights and ways, but is there nothing else to Avalon except exhaustive player killing?

For these reasons, I renounce participation. And no, I'm not a Sore Loser since I haven't

been around long enough to make a name for myself (though others were saying I far exceeded

Camaris in fighting talent even with only ultimate Songs and Dramatics).

My point is that there are plenty of new upcoming talents, but anyone that has the courage to

even attempt fighting in this land deserves a bit of credit.

It is with this thought that I open up a yearlong contest involving ALL aspects of Avalon.

The Influential, as I shall call the contest will involve the following judged characteristics:

1) Roleplaying Finesse

2) Most Original Contributions to Team Battles

3) Best in Refraining from Teaming

4) Most Contributing Shouts

5) Most Improved in Fighting

6) Most Selfless Fighter

Those are the categories thusfar. Explanations are in the next post...

Written by my hand on the 21st of Mournsend, in the year 1144.