Rings of Honor

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On June 16th, 2005, the Baronial rings of the Duel of Swords were renamed due to the decreased number which resulted from the rift in the Ward of Gondar. After June 16th, the Baron of the Tenth was known as The Baron of Seaside.

Reign Summaries

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Duke Leto Covington (5/26/98 - 6/20/98)
This ring was one of four added to the Baron ranks after a long and difficult Rules Congress, and was first taken by Leto Covington as a prize in the Second-Quarter Warlord Tourney. Leto was the third-place winner at said tourney, and the second Baron to place himself in the newly created Neutral alignment; the first being a former Loyal who changed the moment the new alignment came into effect.

Warlord Var Medici-Giovanni issued challenge not long after the tourney, seeking to face an opponent who might respond with the honor many challenges and responses of the past year had lacked. Baron Leto answered the Warlord with as much honor and respect as could be desired, and the two met in the Arena, going back to a very old practice of fighting the challenge where and when regular duels were taking place. The duel was brief and bloody, and after seven rounds Var Medici-Giovanni was the new Baron of the Tenth Ring.

Var Medici-Giovanni (6/20/98 - 8/13/98)
Var held the ring nearly two months before facing challenge, this from Warlord Agrenish Preescott. For most of the battle the opponents were evenly matched, and only in the last three rounds did Agrenish burst forth to take the lead and win, 5 - 3 in nine rounds. Immediately following his victory, the new Baron was requested to state his alignment as per the challenge regulations. He refused, stating he did not want to worry about it at the time and would send missive later with his alignment. That, however, is not a Baron's option. The matter was turned over to the Overlord, who aligned Agrenish Neutral. The Baron himself later changed to Renegade.

Agrenish Preescot (8/13/98 - 9/10/98)
The new Baron was not a man known for civility, and the result of this was his first challenge. As a Grand Master, the Warlord Unagi Miyamoto had requested a duel from Agrenish, and was refused on the basis of being "below his station" and "not worthy." Now Unagi made a request the Baron could not refuse, a challenge for the Tenth ring. Whatever the Baron might lack in manners, his fighting skill lacked nothing, and at the end of the match he remained a Baron still.

The Baron's next challenge came from the same man he had taken the ring from less than a month before. Citing his blatantly rude and confrontational behavior as unfitting a Baron, Var sought to take back the ring which had been his and restore to it a sense of honor. They met in the Outback, unusual for a Duel of Swords event. The Warlord was carried by the strength of his convictions, defeating Agrenish 5 - 3 in eight rounds and declaring himself Loyal to the Overlord.

Var Medici-Giovanni (9/10/98 - 1/26/99)
A month later that loyalty came to a hard test. The Overlord failed to appear in defense of his title, and the Baron's Council was convened. Debate over the circumstances raged both within the Council and in the community at large, and the final judgment of the Council did little to ease that debate. Var was one of several Barons who felt they could no longer pledge unequivocal loyalty to Dalamar, and realigned himself Renegade.

The Yuletide was looming when Var received his first challenge, again from Agrenish Preescott who, oddly enough, phrased his challenge in almost identical words as Var did his challenge to Agrenish three months prior. As in the duel when Agrenish took the Tenth Ring from Var, the two men were evenly matched for most of the duel. It was a now rare tri-cut which gave Var the win and secured his reign as Baron of the Tenth.

A notice of intent to Challenge was given to the Baron by Drakewyn Alabaster, but as notice of intent is not binding, it was Lupton est Dracoern who gave official challenge next. Question arose as to who had the right to chose the official for the match, delaying the actual meeting of the challenge for quite some time. When the challenge was met though, it was fought with surprising swiftness. In five short rounds the challenging Warlord was only able to strike a single blow, and Baron Var kept his title with a 5 - 1 victory.

After the birth of her daughter, Drakewyn issued official challenge to Var, as she had promised in her letter of intent. The reason for her challenge was the Baron's failure to offer any explanation to an issue she had asked about privately several times. When he accepted her challenge, Var promised that at the end of the challenge he would give the explanation requested. The Baron lead by a narrow margin for most of the long and cautiously fought duel, but the Warlady was able to overcome the difference to take the Barony, 5 - 4 in eleven rounds.

Drakewyn Anastasia Alabaster Silvertree (1/26/99 - 3/2/99)
It was not long before Var issued challenge in return, intent on reclaiming the ring he had worn twice before. The Baroness asked and was granted a brief extension before the challenge, as she had urgent business outside the realm. She met the warlord as agreed upon returning, and the match was hard-fought on both sides. Var at first took a strong lead, ahead by three full points halfway through the match. But in the later half of the duel Drakewyn was able to make several points, and the duel came down to a single move to decide the winner. It was Var whose advanced ducking maneuver outscored Drakewyn's high cut and gave him the Barony of the Tenth once more, with a 5 - 4 victory in eight rounds.

Var Medici-Giovanni (3/2/99 - 5/31/99)
Nearly three months after this victory the Baron received challenge from Warlord Morn'lythe shena Jor'ethan. Through some original difficulties in setting the date for the challenge, the two nonetheless met relatively quickly for the honor of bearing the Tenth. That honor went to Morn, whose stunning 5 - 1 victory in five rounds made a new Baron for the Tenth.

Morn'lythe shena Jor'ethan (5/31/99 - 6/25/99)
Almost a month later Morn stepped into the ring to defend his title against the man from whom he'd taken it. The first point went to the Baron, but it proved to be the only point he would score. In seven rounds, Var took the Tenth by the same score Morn had from him, and became the first Baron ever to hold the same ring four times.

Var Medici-Giovanni (6/25/99 - 8/22/00)
A mix of consternation and excitement hit the rings when the newly crowned Overlord, Agrenish Preescott, retired from the crown and the Duel of Swords days after taking the title. In the arrangements for the Baron's Tourney to select the new Overlord, Baron Var chose not to participate. He felt he was not suited to be the Supreme Dueler of the DoS, and so eliminated himself from the running rather than have the crown fall into unworthy hands, even his own.

Almost a year later and still unchallenged, Var was faced once more with Loyalty to an Overlord who had not appeared for a challenge. This time no one knew what circumstances prevented Avery Shiv Blade from defending his crown; by the time he did return to the Duel of Swords the Overlordship had passed on. As with Dalamar before, Var found himself unable to remain Loyal to a missing man. When Avery was stripped of his title, Var again chose not to participate in the Baron's Tourney to select the new Overlord.

One year and two months is an incredibly long time for a Baron to go unchallenged. Considering that to be too long for any man to sit on a title, Warlord Damien Mortis decided to let Var prove his worthiness to hold a Barony and challenged. Particulars were arrainged swiftly, and almost as swiftly the Baron took a solid lead. For only two rounds was the Warlord able to surpass his score. Unfortunately for Var, those rounds were the last two. A timely parry blocked the Baron's attack and gave the Challenger the small advantage he needed to win the match, 5 - 4 in seventeen rounds.

Damien Mortis (8/22/00 - 8/26/00)
Damien's next actions, while of questionable ethics, were in no way unexpected by the Duel of Swords community. He declared Loyalty to the Overlady Taylara, and only two -days later insulted her publicly and without reason. This led to both the Baron and the Overlady being decried by the masses; him for baiting a banishment so he would gain the instant right to challenge, and her for refusing to banish a defiantly disloyal Baron. Taylara held firm to her decision not to be baited into action, and two days later Damien retired the Tenth.

Var Medici-Giovanni (8/29/00 - 11/5/00)
Three Rings in total were open on the day of the Warlord Tourney. Var Medici-Giovanni placed third in that Tourney, and took as his prize the Tenth Ring. As Bearer of the Tenth for five out of the ten reigns recorded, Var had once again proven his nickname of "The Boomerang Baron."

The first to come after Var's fifth reign was the Roman, Cassius Gaius Maximius. From the start, the challenge was ugly on both sides as the two men had not only a deep dislike for each other, but they also had really sharp swords to back up their dislikes. When the two met, Var seemed to have the slight advantage. He constantly pulled ahead of the Warlord, but he could never extend the lead any higher than one point. Cassius tied the match on three seperate occasions before finally taking the lead and holding it till the end. By a score of 5-3 in eleven rounds, Cassius claimed the Tenth ring and declared his alignment as Loyal.

Cassius Gaius Maximius (11/5/00 - 8/31/01)
Cassius' first challenge would come in the hot month of August at the hand of Sergeant Lorance Sneggle. This was a challenge that the Sarge had promised for many months, as well as one that Cassius publically made a call for. However, by the time it was issued, most of the community forgot what it was over. Most were even quite surprised that it had actually come to pass.

The match itself was almost as long as the wait Cassius had before the challenge was issued. The two warriors dueled a in a best of three contest, and the first match lasted a grueling nineteen rounds. Lorance held the lead for the majority of the match, but Cassius battled back to eventually win it, 6.5 - 5.5. The second match, though shorter in length, was just as taxing on both men. Cassius proved the stronger by defending the Tenth with a 5-3 victory in eleven rounds.

It took longer than most expected, however after almost nine months, "The Boomerang Baron" came back to reclaim the Tenth ring. Var proved himself to be a man on a mission, and when the dust settled, he remained undefeated when challenging for the Tenth ring. Cassius opted for the best of three, and Var dominated the match. After only thirteen total rounds of dueling, which included a perfect shut out and a 5 - 3 win, Var claimed the Tenth ring for the sixth time in his career. After the match was over, and before the ring could change hands, Cassius Maximius announced his retirement from the Duels, seeking to devote his time to being a father and husband.

Var Medici-Giovanni (8/31/01 - 7/15/02)
After a little over ten months, Var stepped into the ring to meet his first challenger. Lord Arithon issued a respectful challenge to the holder of the Tenth. And in turn, Var showed the challenger equal respect, both in and out of the ring. Thought not required to do so by the rules, Var offered the Best of Three format to Arithon, stating that if Arithon did not wish the match to be fought in that fashion, it would not be. Arithon however did, and the two met in that manner. After the first four rounds of dueling, the two men stood tied at two apiece. In the next three rounds, Arithon scored three straight, unanswered points to take the first match. Arithon opened up a quick 3-2 lead in the second match, but couldn't hold off a late rally by Var. After ten rounds, Var tied the series at one apiece with a 5-3.5 win.

The third match was equally as close as the first two, with the two duelers beginning the match with yet another 2-2 tie. But in the end, Arithon proved to be a tad quicker, shutting Var out in the final four rounds to take the match, and the Tenth, with a 5-2 victory in eight rounds. Following the match, Var expressed gratitude that the Tenth was in honorable hands, and said he did not know when "The Boomerang Baron" would be back to challenge for it once more.

Arithon Falessan (7/15/02 - 9/17/02)
"The Boomerang Baron" was back two months later to once again challenge for the Tenth. Var Medici-Giovanni was 5-0 when challenging for the Tenth before this match, and 6-0 after. Arithon started the best of three series strong, defeating Var 5-3.5 in nine rounds. However after, Var clearly had control. He swiftly dispatched Arithon in the second match 5-1 in six rounds, and in the third match by a score of 5-1 in nine rounds. "The Boomerang Baron" had control of the Tenth once more.

Var Medici-Giovanni (9/17/02 - 11/05/04)
Max Quinlan Blue would be the first to challenge Var nearly a year into his reign, but as Max did so a mere days before his winning the Warlord Tournament, Max rescinded his challenge in order to utilize his intercession-free shot against Overlord Chris Graziano.

The first challenge to Var's reign came more than a year into it. Cletus Ganderfald was the challenging Warlord and cited this lack of challenges as his main reason for issuing. The two met in a single match to determine the fate of the Tenth. Var took the early lead three rounds into the match, and never looked back as he coasted to a 5-3 victory in eleven rounds.

The last time Max Quinlan Blue challenge Var for the Tenth, he withdrew it shortly after to challenge for, and claim the title of Overlord. However the second time, Max intended to see the match through to the end. And that end was a grueling one. Only after thirty-five rounds of hard dueling did Var emerge victorious again. His two victories in the final two matches once again prevented Max from claiming the Tenth ring. Despite allowing Max to claim the first duel 5-3.5 in 11 rounds, Var won the final two duels 6-4.5 and 5.5-2, both in twelve rounds to continue his reign.

Warlord Max Blue again issued challenge to Baron Var Medici-Giovanni in late Fall. This time, however, the Baron failed to answer the challenge and was found to be in forfeit. The issue of the Baron of the Tenth was sent to the council and Max Blue had his peer wins returned at his request by the Duel of Swords Supervisor, Chris Graziano. Several of the Barons stated their disagreement with the Supervisor's decision as they believed that the fate of Max Blue's peer wins should be up to the Council. The Baron Var Medici-Giovanni was declared in forfeit and stripped of his title.

Grayson MacLeod (11/30/04 - 6/16/05)
With quite a few prizes on the line, Grayson MacLeod fought his way through the loser's bracket of the Warlord Tournament to lay claim to second place. With first place winner, Gork, choosing the Overlord Challenge, Grayson followed up by laying claim to the Tenth.

Soon after winning the ring, Grayson declared to the community his desire to have the warlords of the community force him to defend it often. He did not have to wait long. Farek responded to his public statement with an immediate challenge. Grayson controlled the match, only allowing Farek to lead briefly, and defended the ring with a final score of 5-2.5 in ten rounds.

Grayson was not happy with this sole defense. He pushed the community again for another challenger. His friend, G'nort Dragoon-Talanador came forward in response. The Warlord immediately began an aggressive onslaught against Grayson and even jokingly lectured Grayson when his slash failed to connect. The Baron, however, regained his composure and lunged forward with a thrust to gain the final point. Thus, Grayson secured his second defense of the Tenth Ring.