Rings of Honor

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A breakdown in the Ward caused by the actions of Overlord Shakira caused a rift to open, allowing dangerous wraiths to escape into the Arena. Her actions also caused the healing effects of the Ward to dampen, causing injury to many duelists. After defeating Shakira in a devastating battle in the Arena's Annex, Warlord Xenograg along with a group of legendary duelists studied the problem and informed the Supervisor that several of the rings must be sent to the other points that the rift connected in order to seal the damage.

A tribal spirit guide, El'an, stumbled through the rift during a wraith attack and was given the Sixth Baronial ring to help her pass back through the rift. The Sixth Ring is now carefully protected by the Fe'Ral, a warrior clan with psychic powers and the ability to contact their dead ancestors.

Reign Summaries

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Torquillian Aspendale (2/7/95 - 5/15/95)
This ring was first held by Torquillian Aspendale. Aspendale held his ring for three months without challenge. He finally retired during Siera Redwin's reign as Overlord. Aspendale was vehemently opposed to Siera's kinship with Feadur Feamegil, the Dark Elf Baron. He retired his ring rather than continue serving as a baron with his racial enemy.

Percival (5/29/95 - 7/18/95)
After a two week vacancy, the ring was taken by Percival in a Warlord's tournament. For close to two months Percival held the ring without challenge. In his first defense, he was bested by Adeena Maeax.

Adeena Maeax (7/18/95 - 1/19/97)
Adeena, sometimes known as Red Zealot, was the third to wear the ring. Her reign was over one and a half years - the longest holder of not only this ring, but any ring at the time.

Adeena managed to defend her right to wear this ring four times, a record at the time. The challengers were; Tukros, Lady Alais 'd Nitesong Sidhe, ZanDura Barbados and Ranger Blue.

The fifth challenge would have been from Sau Bau, but Sau was ruled to have forfeit the match.

Adeena's reign was finally brought to an end by Nova Shadow. The duel may have been overshadowed by the political scandal of a particular Overlord match that occured at the same time, but history should see this as the more significant of the two. Adeena held onto the 6th ring for a year and a half, longer than any other baron had ever held a single ring. With her loss, Adeena appears to have retired from the rings, but she will long be remembered for her contributions to the sport.

Nova Grey Shadow (1/19/97 - 7/15/97)
Nova was only the fourth baron to hold this ring and took his first step towards continuing it's grand history when he met Jo Kicklen ElbinKnyght. Nova started off slow, losing the first two points,but dominated the rest of the duel by taking a point in every other round.

The next to challenge was David Strosnider. One of the strangest Baronial challenge matches fought, Challenger and Baron mirrored each other eight times in fifteen rounds. Dave became the first, and would be the only, to claim a Baronial victory without scoring a full five points. He led 4.5-2.5 after fifteen rounds and that was enough for the victory. A Rules Discussion would later decide that all challenge matches must go to 5 full points.

David Strosnider (7/15/97 - 8/11/97)
Once the match was over, Nova wrote a letter to the woman from whom he had won the title, Adeena Maeax. Feeling that his performance was less than exemplary, Nova apologized to Adeena for failing to protect their ring. Though Adeena told Nova that he had indeed done his best, the letter and the turn over of the ring to David, was enough to bring the Red Zealot back into the Baronial race. Roughly one month after winning the title, Dave was to face Adeena in his first defense.. the woman who had made a legacy of this ring.

The match went eight rounds, during which Adeena proved why she has always refered to this ring as hers. The 5-2 victory of Adeena Maeax showed the Arena that she was back... and hadn't lost a step.

Adeena Maeax (8/11/97 - 6/18/98)
Adeena continuted her matchless reign as Baroness of the Sixth Ring, but this time without ever stepping foot into a ring. Several Warlords challenged for the right to wear the coveted Sixth Ring, but fate seemed to conspire against them. Kayne Rune had been the first, but due to the whims of fortune the challenge was rescinded. Shortly afterwards, Ecore stepped forward for the right to fight for the coveted prize, but died in a separate battle before he could battle the Baroness, thus negating the match. Duke Uziel put forth his bid to challenge the elusive Adeena, but having challenged once already that cycle had to withdraw the challenge.

Kayne challenged again, and this time it was the Overlord that decided to take fate into his ownhands and stepped in as an obstacle to the Warlord's quest. Beka Cavish, a current Renegade Baroness at the time, stepped in for the Warlord, but was defeated in a close battle. Kayne then stepped forward to make good his challenge, but Dalamar protected his loyal Baroness' hold on her ring with by defeating Kayne 5-3 in nine rounds.

Next up to challenge the Baroness, a former Overgnome, Gnimish Gnimoi. Adeena took a bit of offense to being challenged by a gnome she once stood by as a loyal Baroness and so it was amongst some harsh feelings that the match proceeded.

After his pattern, the Overlord stepped forward to intercede, but the Renegade Baron Huma Dragonbane stepped in for the Warlord and defeated Dalamar. That gave Gnimish his opportunity to step in the ring with the Baroness... and lose 5-3 in eight short rounds.

A long period followed with no further challenges, so the Baroness made a public request for a challenger to step forth. Gloria Blaze filled Adeena's request, and the match proved long and arduous for both women. But after fourteen rounds, and despite a less than promising start, Adeena defeated her challenger 5.5 - 4.5, placing her one duel away from matching her personal record of defenses, established wearing this same ring.

That record was not to be matched. A new dueler by the name of Avery Shiv Blade rose swiftly through the ranks to Warlord, and offered challenge to the Baronness not long after. Five weeks from the time he first stepped into a ring, Avery defeated one of the greatest warriors to evergrace the Arena and became the seventh bearer of the Sixth Ring.

Avery Shiv Blade (6/18/98 - 9/22/98)
Baron Avery went unchallenged many months, an unusual occurence when a relatively new dueler takes a title. His chance to defend finally came from a former Baron of the Third, Sartan. For twelve long rounds the two warriors fought a hard, tight match, neither giving the other any chance to overpower. There was no obvious winner until a single quick thrust took the win and the Barony for Sartan. The newest Holder of the Sixth quickly declared himself Loyal to Overlord Dalamar.

Sartan (9/22/98 - 2/19/99)
Sartan's first challenge came over a month later, from Warlord Daegarth Mithmellon. When the challenge came, Overlord Dalamar stepped forth in defense of his Loyal Baron, and was answered by Renegade of the Thirteenth, Magnus Eques, interceeding for the challenger. They fought through ten rounds before the Overlord surpassed the lead taken by the Baron and won 5 - 4.

Dalamar's match against Daegarth was close-fought throughout, but at the end of 10 bloody rounds, the challenger retained his right to challenge with a 5 - 4 victory. His fight with Sartan was not to go so well, as the Baron defended his title with a perfect 5 - 0 shutout in five rounds, a rare sight in the rings.

Three months after taking up the Sixth Ring, the Baron stepped into the ring to face his second challenger, the Warlord Jake. This defense proved harder for the Baron, with Jake taking the early lead, but with a series of skillful defenses Sartan kept his own, and cuts traded in the ninth round secured his place as Baron of the Sixth once more.

The Baron's third challenge came at the hands of Warlord Cassius Gaius Maximius, and proved a harsh match for both men. Throughout the entire nine rounds their scores were tied or nearly so, and the match came down to a single choice, the slightest edge against an opponent to prove the victor. That edge belonged to the challenger, as Cassius made a skillful defense to thwart Sartan's thrust and become the ninth Bearer of the Sixth Ring.

Cassius Gaius Maximus (2/19/99 - 5/28/99)
A Warlord by the name of Lord Gunthar was Cassius's first challenge. Originally Gunthar had challenged the Bearer of the First, Cristian de Oro, but further consideration convinced him he had no real issue with the First and he withdrew his challenge. To the Sixth he had no such qualms, claiming insult public and private from the Baron as his reason for challenge. Cassius, though galled by Gunthar's stated reasons, accepted the challenge with respect for the honor shown by the Warlord.

On the day of the match, it was Overlord Eros who stepped into the ring, interceeding on behalf of his Loyal Baron. Neutral Baron Cletus Ganderfald stood to defend the Warlord's right to challenge. A full fifteen rounds were fought by the two men, caution slowing the scoring while giving ample examples of both men's skill. It was the Overlord's skill that won out, a 5.5 - 2 victory guaranteeing that the challenger would face him first.

In the early rounds Gunthar took the lead, a sign perhaps of the toll taken on the Overlord by the previous duel. But Eros was far from spent, and a combination of swift strikes and exquisite footwork in defense gave the Overlord the victory, 5 - 3 in nine rounds. The Sixth ring remained with Cassius.

When the next challenger came forth, Eros was no longer Overlord and the man who defeated him had also been defeated. Cas still served as a Loyal Baron, however, and as a Baron was open to challenge. Warlord Aphazel Lueitus had no great political reasons or personal insults to avenge, simply a desire for a test of his skill and a chance at a Ring. The test was a difficult one,as he trailed behind the Baron in the early rounds. Though he was able to make up much of the distance as the duel progressed, he was never able to edge into the lead, and dual thrusts brought the duel to a painful end in nine rounds, 5 - 4 in Cas's favor.

When yet another new Overlord took the crown, Cas alligned himself Renegade. Unaware that Lupton est Dracoern had issued challenge in private, Daegarth Mithmellon made a public challenge to the Baron, and was placed in que. Cas opted, should it fit both challengers' schedules, to face each the same night. The arrangements were acceptable by all, and the three met to decide the fate of the Sixth Ring.

Whether Lupton was in exceptionally fine form, or Cassius in unusually poor, the first challenge was to be the only. For six swift rounds Lupton dominated the Baron, in the end denying him the defense and the waiting Daegarth his challenge with a stunning 5 - 1 victory. Immediately upon taking the Ring, Lupton declared himself Renegade.

Lupton est Dracoern (5/28/99 - 6/29/99)
The risk of Renegade alignment is multiple challenges, and Lupton had two waiting within a month. He chose to face both Warlords, Drey D'erest Sanchez Starke and Percival Marchand deClermont, on the same night. Drey was the first to step into the ring, and gained the lead quickly. Though Lupton was able to close the gap significantly in the later rounds, the duel and the ring went to the first challenger, with a 5 - 3 victory in eight rounds.

Drey D'erest Sanchez Starke (6/29/99 - 7/10/99)
Almost immediately upon taking the title, Baron Drey faced challenge from Warlady Simini. Their match was a test of nerve throughout, for the challenger kept the scores close or even through every round. In the end her nerve proved the stronger, as she pulled ahead of Drey to become Baroness of the Sixth, 5 - 3 in nine rounds.

Simini (7/10/99 - 12/2/99)
Two full months passed before Simini entered the ring to defend her hard-won title, against the Warlord Aspen Jerista. The early part of the match belonged entirely to the Baroness, but a series of careful defenses by the Warlord closed the gap. As the duel pushed towards eleven rounds, both duelers gave up the defensive mindset of the middle game and the match turned aggressive. But Aspen would have been better to stay with the protective maneuvers that had taken him so far, for the hits favored the Baroness. Her 5 - 4 victory kept Aspen from the sought title, and marked Simini's first defense with a fine showing.

After a second long rest, Simini took to the ring once more. This time her opponent was a relative newcomer, Warlord Daryl Kyle. The early lead in this instance went to the Warlord, and though she gave it a valiant effort, Simini was never able to close the gap. Eleven rounds into the match, a new Baron was named with a 5 - 2 win. Baron Daryl then declared the Sixth to be Loyal to the Overlord.

Daryl Kyle (12/2/99 - 3/5/00)
Four months later, Warlord Damien Mortis issued challenge, and began a brief, but rather odd, Barons' Council debate. Once the peer wins were verified, the Baron wrote to his Challenger, as required, to accept the challenge and request a date for the match. The date was settled between them via mental communication, and the Baron sent notice to the Barons' Council, the DoS Officials, and posted to the message board the chosen date of the challenge and his intent to have the challenger Tested. But he did not include the Challenger on this official notice. Damien claimed that because he had never received a letter verifying the official time and place of the duel, the Baron had failed to answer the challenge as specified in the rules, and demanded Daryl be called in forfeit. There was a great deal of confusion as to who had and had not been informed and when. In the end it was determined that the two separate letters, the first to Damien only and the second to everyone but Damien, did consitute official acceptance of the challenge. But for failing to officially notify the Challenger of the time of the match, whatever private arraingements had been made, the Baron would not be allowed to request the Overlord's intercession on the match. This decision actually came from the Supervisor of the DoS, and came within hours of the match itself.

For most of the match this seemed to be of no consequence. Daryl held the lead, if not by a wide margin, at least by a firmly defended one. But in the ninth round the tables were reversed. Damien prevented the Baron from taking any further points while making careful scores of his own. By the end of the twelfth round, a new Baron was in possession of the Sixth with a 5 - 3 victory: Renegade Damien Mortis.

Damien Mortis (3/5/00 - 5/4/00)
The first challenge came from the Baron rather than to him, an attempt to oust Overlord Avery Shiv Blade. Damien could not defeat the Overlord's champion, however, and was never able to face Avery in the ring.

At the next month, Damien faced off against Baron of the Fourth Jesse Troyan, along with Baron of the Fifth Gunthar O'Dwyer, in an unofficial match. Attached to this match, however, was a bet that the losers must retire their rings. An unsavory proposition from most any angle, and the results were that the Fourth was the only Ring still held by a dueler. A lesson for all, perhaps, on the folly of risking things of honor and worth on private games for fun.

Jeffrey Oakenshield (5/30/00 - 4/14/01)
As second-place winner of the Second Quarter Warlord Tourney, Jeff Oakenshield took as his prize the abandoned Sixth Ring. He declared himself, oddly enough, Loyal to the former Overlord Avery Shiv Blade, until such a time as a new Overlord should be officially named.

The next Warlord Tourney loomed before Jeff faced his first challenge. Though the Baron and his challenger, Warlord Daryl Kyle, were able to come to an agreement concerning the time and date of the challenge, issue arose over the place. Having only discovered the chosen location of the match was the Battlefield a few hours before, the selected Caller, Turienal Lodrelhai Castle, informed both men that the hillside which the Battlefield topped was unstable, and the site therefore unusable. Though she offered to call the match elsewhere, the Baron refused to do more than move the match away from the edge of the hilltop. The caller offered to request an extention for the duel until such a time as the hillside was reinforced if both men were in agreement. Daryl, however, was not in agreement, insisting the match be moved to another location and fought at the chosen day and time. When the Baron refused again, the Warlord requested he be called in forfeit. Turienal did so, reluctantly, on technical grounds, and the matter was turned over to the Barons' Council.

The Council was less than pleased to have such a matter brought to them over such petty details. There was very little debate or dissenting opinion when they ruled that the match should be rescheduled as soon as possible, Battlefield or no. And there would be no Battlefield; the hillside collapsed a little more than a week after the original scheduling of the match.

Problems seemed to plague this challenge. On the night agreed for the rescheduling the chosencaller, Altara d'Poison, was unable to perform her duties and no other could be found. Three days later they were finally able to meet and settle the matter, with Drakewyn Silvertree officiating. Daryl took an early and strong lead, which Jeff worked hard to tie up. For the remainder of the match the two men were close-scoring, and only after twelve rounds was Jeff able to successfully defend his title with a 5.5 - 4 score.

The next to step forward and challenge the dwarf was the elf-fairy, Evan Rush Rynth. Prior to issuing the challenge, Evan had long been absent from the rings, which may have caused him fatigue during the match. Evan's initial flurry of attacks caught Jeff off guard and gave him a quick 3-1 lead. However, Jeff once again proved why he among the greatest fighters in the Duel of Sword's history. In the next five rounds, Jeff would shut Evan out and go on to score four points himself to claim the match in eight rounds.

Little did anyone know at the time, but Jeff's match with Evan would be the final challenge in Jeff's illustrious career. Admiral Ramsus Llegron issued a challenge to Jeff that would never be answered by the Baron. After waiting the full week allowed with no word from the Baron, a Baron's council was convenyed. Despite worry as to Jeff's whereabouts, the council voted to strip the great fighter of his ring, and appoint Baron of the Eleventh, Verceterix Favre to defend it. This came only after many council members switched their votes to keep former Baron of the Sixth, Cassius Maximius, who was at the time in the hospital, from defending the ring.

When Ramsus and Rix met, it would be Rix in need of a hospital after leaving the ring. In a rare perfect shut out, Ramsus bested Rix and claimed the Sixth as his own.

Ramsus Llegron (5/5/01 - 6/20/01)
Warlords had a way of coming out of the woodwork, or down from the hills, when a person least expected it. Thus, Ramsus' first and only challenge came as a surprise. Writing in a language only a pure bred hick could understand and using peer wins that were years old, Jacob Dandy called Baron Ramsus out to defend his ring. Ramsus answered the call and the two set a date to meet. On that date however, the Baron failed to show and the fate of the Sixth Ring was once again turned over to the Baron's council.

As the council had done with Jeff, so too did they do with Ramsus. Although this time, since Cassius was no longer bed ridden, he was elected to champion the ring he had previously held. When the night the two were slated to meet rolled around, the strange pattern continued. Jacob waited for nearly an hour, after which there was still no sign of Cassius. The Warlord opted to allow the Baron one more chance to reschedule rather than be granted the ring by forfeit. At the second match, Cassius did indeed show up, and the two fought an extremely close battle. In the end, Cassius emerged victorious with a 5.5-4 victory in fourteen rounds.

Ramsus Llegron (9/4/01 - 10/23/01)
Ramsus Llegron would not be separated from the Sixth for long, however. Perhaps pulling a page from Leonardo De Lorenzo's book, Ramsus battled his way through the third quarter Warlord Tournament of '01 to reclaim the ring he was the last to hold. From the beginning of the tournament, Ramsus stated that he sought to win the ring he claimed he was cheated out of. Ramsus did just that, becoming the second to have consecutive reigns with the same ring, that is, with no others holding it before he won it back.

It wasn't long before Ramsus stepped into the ring to defend his Barony. Strallen Corackshnea was the challenging Warlord. The two met in a best of three, and Strallen only needed two matches to close it out. Those matches were close however, with only one point separating the two at the end of each match. A 5-4 and a 6-5 victory secured the Sixth ring for Strallen.

Strallen Corackshnea (10/23/01 - 12/26/01)
Not even two weeks after taking the ring, Strallen was called upon to defend it. Face Loran issued a very low key and quiet challenge, one the community was not aware of until it was almost time to be fought. In front of a sparse crowd, the Baron and Warlord put on a show. The battle lasted a full three matches, with two of them going into overtime. The only match that did not go into overtime was won by Face, 5-3 in eight rounds. The other two however were won by the Baron. Two 6-5 victories, one in ten rounds and the other in eleven, prevented Strallen from having the shortest reign (those who retired excluded) of the Sixth ring.

A little over a month later, word was sent to the Standings Keeper, Charlie Jericho, that the Baron Strallen had been killed. The note stating this was included in a box with the Baron's severed finger and the Sixth ring. The ring was handed over to Duel of Swords officials until the next Warlord Tournament.

Xeric Mues (3/4/02 - 6/19/02)
Winner of that Warlord Tournament was former Baron, Xeric Mues. Xeric was only defeated once in the final two rounds to claim the Sixth ring for himself. He also declared himself loyal to Dalamar.

Xeric would never step into the ring to defend his title, however. Months after placing in the Warlord's tournament, Ramsus Llegron, twice holder of the Sixth, challenged for the ring once again, a challenge that Xeric never responded to. After Xeric's week was up, the matter was handed over to the Baron's Council, and they promptly stripped Xeric of the Sixth. Former holder of the Sixth, Nova Grey Shadow, was appointed to defend the ring from Ramsus' challenge.

The first time Nova attempted to defend the ring, he lost a match where the victor did not score a full five points (this situation led to a change in the challenge rules). Nova wished to defend the Sixth again for this very reason, and at the beginning of the match, Nova proved to be a man on a mission, opening up a solid 4-1 lead. Ramsus however, was not to be denied. In a series of quick moves, Ramsus tied the score up at 4.5 in the twelfth, and one round later, struck a blow over Nova's low parry to secure the win, and the Sixth ring. He aligned himself Renegade to Overlord Dalamar.

Ramsus Llegron (6/25/02 - 5/23/04)
After a long hiatus, Ramsus finally set to the ring to defend the Sixth from Warlord Manni Cohai. Quite a few were in attendance in the Annex to watch a rare one-duel challenge. After a long eleven rounds, Ramsus was able to defend the ring by a score of 6-5.

Next up for the Admiral was the venomous snake, Saryna. Once again the Baron chose a one-duel format, however this match was not nearly as close as his previous challenge. Ramsus quickly built a 4-0 lead after four rounds. Two rounds later, Ramsus again defended the Sixth ring with a final score of 5-1.

Ramsus' third challenge came from recently returned, and former Baron, Topaz Eludes. Topaz challenged claiming Ramsus' lack of activity in the rings as a personal insult to her. If Ramsus had been absent during regular dueling hours, it did not show in his performance. After a quick eight rounds, Ramsus defended the Sixth once again with a score of 5-3.

The next to challenge Ramsus for the Sixth ring was Grayson MacLeod, however he withdrew his challenge shortly after issuing it.

In another challenge fated never to occur, Xavior Eric Mues disappeared from the realm shortly after challenging Ramsus.

On the morning of May 23rd, Ramsus Llegeron was stripped of the Sixth ring by DoS officials for failure to remain active over the course of the previous six months. Ramsus was only one month short of a two-year anniversary.