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. Each ring became associated with one of the sevens of RhyDin and, thus, the Baron of the Eighth became known as The Baron of Dragon's Gate.

Reign Summaries

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Elijah Basia-Uhr (2/7/95 - 3/6/95)
This ring was first held by Elijah Basia-Uhr. Elijah held the ring for just under a month before being bested by Midnight Blue.

Midnight Blue (3/6/95 - 8/8/95)
Blue wore the ring for five months before Elijah issued challenge to take it back. A controversy between the two came up and Blue retired her ring rather than face Elijah in the challenge. This had the effect of placing the ring as a prize in the next Warlord Tournament instead of upon Elijah's finger.

Iain MacKenzie (8/30/95 - 3/17/96)
Iain MacKenzie was one of three Warlords to win a Baron's ring in the tournament. He became the third to wear the Eighth Ring and this only nine days after he had surrendered the Fifth Ring to Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez. Iain held this ring for seven and a half months before being defeated in a challenge from Wicked Deth. This made Iain the Baron to have held it the longest until Jeffery Oakenshield broke that record.

Wicked Deth (3/17/96 - 6/4/965)
Wicked Deth held the ring for roughly two and a half months before issuing challenge to Overlord Athlstan. The challenge was unsuccessful and Wicked Deth chose to retire the ring rather than remain a baron under Athlstan.

Ulath Fici (8/13/96 - 11/10/96)
The fifth to wear this ring was Ulath Fici. One of the original nine barons, Ulath returned from a long retirement to fight in a warlord tournament and take this ring as his prize. Ulath, however, was in the tournament for sport and competition, rather than glory or titles. It was his wish to give the ring and title to the Warlady Simini. His wish was denied by Kalamere Ar'Din, Coordinator of the sport.

After two months of holding the ring, Ulath was challenged by the Elven Warlord, Raiyko Hideo. When Ulath failed to answer the challenge it was sent to the Council of Barons to decide the fate of the ring. There was a split in voting among the eight Barons who made up the council. The final vote was cast by Overlord Leto Covington. The decision was that Raiyko would be declared a Baron by warrant of Ulath's forfeit.

Raiyko Hideo (11/10/96 - 12/18/96)
Raiyko's first challenge came from Jonathan Ringo, a little less than a month later. After a strong start by Raiyko, Ringo managed to overcome the two point deficit and claim the victory.

Jonathan Ringo (12/18/96 - 3/22/97)
Ringo became the seventh to wear this ring. After an uneventful reign of just over three months that saw not a single challenge, Jonathan retired the ring.

Tarl Cabot (4/29/97 - 5/25/97)
Over a month after the ring was retired, it was placed as a prize in the Tournament of Warlords. The first place winner of the tournament was Tarl Cabot, who chose to become a Baron, leaving the prize of an Overlord challenge to second place winner Athlstan.

The next challenge to this title came from Condextint "Dexter" Montoya. Dexter overcame the greatest of odds to take the ring. On Tarl's side was the Overlord, Athlstan, who exercised his right of defending the loyal Baron. Undisturbed, Dexter took the Overlord out of the equation by defeating him 5-1. Next up was Tarl, the Baron himself. In a very offensive seven rounds, Dexter secured his victory.

Condextint "Dexter" Montoya (5/25/97 - 9/2/97)
Dexter was the second person to win past an Overlord intercession to take a ring.

What truly separated Dexter from all other holders of this ring was his ability to hold onto it past his first challenge. Walker Boh was the challenger, but the Warlord's blade never left a mark on the Baron. Dexter shut out the challenger in eight rounds in an impressive first defense of both the ring itself and his right to wear it.

Dexter made his second defense against former holder of this ring Raiyko Hideo. Something of an anniversary challenge for Raiyko, though in this challenge he actually got to face his opponent in the ring. A relatively short duel, it ended in eight rounds with Dexter on top, 5-3.

Dexter would not hold the ring past his third defense, however. The challenger was ex-Overlord Daegarth Mithmellon, recently returned after a long absence from the rings. Also a former holder of the Second, Seventh and Ninth Rings, Daegarth added the Eighth to his list of titles after a 5-3 defeat of Dex in thirteen rounds.

Daegarth Mithmellon (9/2/97 - 11/24/97)
Daegarth chose the path of the Renegade and for a time stood alone in that role, calling himself the Baron of Balance; later he would be joined for a short time by Beka Cavish.

Unlike the majority of the Loyal Barons, Daegarth's reign began with a flurry of challenges. The first was put forth by a young samurai named Greg (Swordsboy) but was counted invalid as the peer wins put forth were from a time before the dueler had retired and therefore erased.

The next was to come from veteran Damien Cetran stating, among other reasons, that he wished to depose the only Renegade Baron, but that was not to be. Daegarth defeated Damien in a quick and brutal 5-2 match in only six rounds.

The next was to come from a veteran of challenges, Duke Adonai Uziel who wished to depose the Renegade Baron ... the pattern forming quickly. But as a former Overlord and repeated Baron, Daegarth was not one to buckle under pressure and retained the ring with a 5-3 victory.

Though his reign was barely two months old, the Baron's fourth challenge came in the form of Var Medici, and though the Baron stood prepared to face him in battle, it never came about. The challenger fell in rank before the duel was to occur, invalidating the peer wins and dashing the once-Warlord's hopes of a ring.

On the wings of the invalid challenge came Seamus MacDonnaugh, next in line to try and take this Baron down and bring the Eighth to the alignment of Loyal. This one was a long and arduous victory for the Baron, the match going thirteen rounds before he managed to pull out a 5-4 victory over the Warlord.

Jeffrey Oakenshield (11/24/97 - 7/26/99)
Again, on the wings of his last challenge a new one was set forth for him. This one the well known veteran Jeffrey Oakenshield, who as those before him, wished to bring the ring to the alignment of Loyal. Jeffrey proved what countless other challenges could do for you as he took the ring from Daegarth in a 5-4 sudden death victory, becoming the eleventh holder of the Eighth Ring.

For several months the popular Baron Oakenshield remained unchallenged, a streak finally broken by Warlord K'yorl Jarlaxel. There was some difficulty with the challenge at first, for it was made before all the peer wins had been recorded. Once they were, the Warlord was allowed to reissue and the challenge went forth. The match itself was relatively short, and the Baron led most of the way. In seven rounds he secured his claim to the Eighth Ring with a 5-2 victory.

Rare challenges were apparently to be the norm for the Baron; his one-year anniversary as Bearer of the Eighth was approaching when next he stepped into the challenge ring. The Warlord Jake, one of the rare trolls seen about the rings, issued the challenge, and Jeff met it with the honor, as well as the humor, he is known for. After ten rounds he remained Baron still, defeating the Warlord 5-1.

Warlord Topaz Arakanan (now Datrazanov) did not give Jeff the long rest that had previously marked his possession of the Eighth before challenging. A week past his one-year anniversary, the Baron took to the ring once more to defend his title. This match was close fought and intense, the lead wavering between the two duelers for several rounds, before the Baron finally expanded his lead to take the win in seven rounds, 5 - 2.5.

The fourth challenge to Oakenshield's reign came from Warlord Falablah Dalegate, and actually began with both men lacking the presence of their Seconds. Both the Baron's wife Summer and the Warlord's friend Whatnoaaa were able to arrive before the ninth and final round, when Jeff once more defended his claim to the Eighth Ring with a 5 - 3 victory. Ever the jokester, after his successful defense the Baron made as though to retire the ring, removing it solemnly and tossing it to his wife with sudden laughter.

With equal cheer Jeff accepted his fifth challenge, this from Warlord Martafan Illusion Faxfallen, top-ranking Warlord at the time. An interesting note in this, not only did the Challenger have former Overlord Eros DeBurgo as his second, he fought with Valinor, the same blade Eros had used in his rapid succession of defenses as Overlord. But it is not the mettle of the weapons but that of the duelers that is tested in a Challenge, and this match tested both men to their limits. The Baron gained a swift and large lead, but with patience, skill, and unexpected risks Martafan was able to whittle the lead down to a mere half-point. That was to prove the full extent of his success, however. Jeff's simple, easy parry in the thirteenth round secured him the win and his continuing reign, 5.5 - 4.5.

For the half-dwarf's next challenge he would also fight against the blade Valinor, this time wielded by its owner, Warlord Eros DeBurgo himself. Jeff had declined entry into the looming Baron's Tourney, so he and Eros faced off swiftly for the right to the Eighth. Swift, too, was the match itself. Seven rounds in, with a strong lead from the first, the druid struck the blow which made him Baron with a 5 - 2 win. After the match, at the request of Jeff's wife Summer, Eros agreed readily to compose a song in the honor of the former Baron and his beloved.

Eros DeBurgo (7/26/99 - 8/7/99)
Eros faced only one challenge, from a little-known and less-liked Warlord called Methous. Though the Warlord's often rash actions had made him unpopular around the rings, there was no denying his skill. Neither could Eros's talent with the blade be questioned, and the duel was tied for most of its thirteen rounds. In the end, however, it was the challenger who took the day with a 5.5 - 4 victory.

Methous (8/7/99 - 8/23/99)
Methous was set to challenge for the Overlordship almost immediately, but mere minutes before he could he received challenge of his own, from Warlord Aspen Jerista. What followed on the date of the challenge was one of the worst debacles to ever disgrace the Arena. Not long before the set time of the challenge, Methous sent word to the Warlord he would be unable to duel that night, a notice that the Warlord did not receive until less than five minutes before the challenge itself. Upset by the short timing of the notice, the Warlord chose to declare the Baron in forfeit and turn the matter over to the Council. Things might have ended there well enough, but the Baron himself later arrived and asked if they could go ahead with the challenge. The Warlord refused, and some argument ensued. The Baron, in what could only be considered a tantrum of the most childish sort, removed and destroyed the Eighth Ring.

One and all were appalled at this blatant desecration of the symbol of one of the highest offices in the Duel of Swords. Outcries began immediately for Methous to be stripped of title, banned from the rings, and even killed. The shattered remains of the Eighth were taken by Drakewyn Silvertree, and she and Jonalyn Starfare set to finding the makers of either the original nine or newer four Baron Rings to have the Eighth remade. The Supervisor of the DoS, Goldendust Evermeadow, informed the Council that judgment upon Methous beyond whether or not he kept the title Baron would be handled by the staff heads; namely himself, his Assistant Turienal Castle, and the Standings Keeper Drakewyn.

The Council did strip Methous of the title, and as Aspen had stated publicly he no longer wished to take the Eighth, the Warlord's peer wins were returned and the Eighth placed as a prize in the upcoming Warlord Tourney. The staff then released their judgment upon Methous for the disgrace he had committed. For three months the Warlord would be unable to challenge or to collect peer wins. At the end of that time, he must face a champion chosen by the Barons' Council. Should he defeat said champion, his right to challenge and ability to gain peer wins would be restored. Otherwise he must wait another three months and face another Council-appointed champion.

Cassius Gaius Maximus (9/14/99 - 10/26/99)
Once restored, the Eighth was placed in the upcoming Warlord Tourney. Cassius Gaius Maximus, former Baron of the Sixth ring, entered into the Warlord's Tourney and placed as Second Runner up. He claimed the Eighth ring and declared himself Renegade to the crown. As he reported to Marit Takcouma, Contributing Columnist for the Duely Noted, Cas dedicated his winning of the ring to the great Barons of the Eighth, including such memorables as Ian Mackenzie, Dexter Montoya, Eros DeBurgo, Elijah Eagle Ecore and Jeff Oakenshield. He also dedicated it to Drake Silvertree for her efforts in restoring the ring.

Damien Mortis (10/26/99 - 12/3/99)
Warlord Damien Mortis challenged Cassius Gaius Maximus. Several days had passed before the Baron realized this, but when he did, he stated that the Warlord had crossed the line in offering public insult to his wife and furthermore stated he would answer the challenge in due time. Cassius waited until near the last minute to choose the evening to defend his ring. The match was described as an unusual one as the Overlord stepped in to test the Warlord, wherein Baron Cletus Ganderfald stepped in on Damien's behalf and defeated Avery with a score of 5 - 3 in eight rounds. Hence, the match between Damien Mortis and Cassius occurred wherein the Warlord defeated Cassius, 5 - 4 in eight rounds. The new Baron Damien Mortis chose loyalty to reign his ring; however, Avery denied it and banished him to Renegade. Because of this, Damien then issued challenge to the Overlord, but could not defeat Avery's blade.

Approximately two weeks later, Ariadne Angeles posted her intent to challenge Damien stating she had found his rude behavior unworthy of the Bearer of the Eighth Ring. Equal concern was voiced by other patrons with the claim that she was just as unworthy to hold this ring for other habits.

Upon the night of the scheduled duel Damien was present but Ariadne did not arrive. The officiator announced the challenge to be held in forfeit and handed the matter over to the Baron's Council. They voted a rematch be set for another date. While this matter was being settled, Cassius Maximus posed challenge setting himself in que behind Ariadne. However, upon the evening of the Baron and Warlady's rescheduled match, Ariadne succeeded to defeat Damien in a short seven rounds, 5 - 1. She announced herself loyal to the Overlord Avery Shiv Blade.

Ariadne Angeles (12/3/99 - 12/28/99)
Galin Taelca, former Baron of the Ninth, was first to bring challenge against the new Baroness, naming as his reason her lack of experience in the rings and hoping to at the least season her skills a bit. But the Warlord did far more than that, defeating her in eight rounds with a 5 - 3 score.

Galin Taelca (12/28/99 - 8/22/01)
The first challenge of Galin's reign came over a year after he first won the ring, from the Warlord Strallen Corakshnea. However, since the Warlord had already issued challenge to Karen Wilder during that same cycle, his challenge was invalidated, and Galin's reign continued unperturbed.

Galin would not wait as long for his next challenge as he had for his previous one. Stating he wished to bring the eighth ring to a more active status in the community, former Baron Xeric Mues pressed challenge to the long standing Baron of the Eighth. When the two met, the Russian Xeric would prove the man of the evening and upset Galin in an eleven round duel. Almost immediately the new Baron was spoken out against, and very few doubted that a challenge would be coming quickly.

Xeric Mues (8/22/01 - 10/14/01)
That challenge did come quickly, however it wasn't to Xeric, but from him. Almost immediately after Seamus Mac Donnaugh was crowned as Overlord, Xeric issued a challenge of his own for the mantle. Seamus however would never step into the ring as Xeric was tested by, and defeated by Cassius Gaius Maximius. By virtue of defeating Xeric's champion, as well as Xeric, Cassius had the right to issue immediate challenge right back to Xeric, and he did. The two agreed to fight right then and there.

Xeric opted to make the match a best of three, however four rounds into the match, Xeric mysteriously vanished from the Arena. At the time he was down 3-0. Cassius agreed to give Xeric an extended period of time to return. When Xeric did not return, it was decided that his second, Face Loran, would complete the match on his behalf. Face rallied to bring himself to within one point, however Cassius was able to hold his ground and win the first match, 5-4 in eight rounds. Since Xeric still had not returned, Face again agreed to duel in his stead, and he and Cassius squared off again. Cassius was dominant, and he handed Face a solid 5-1 in eight rounds defeat. By virtue of four straight wins, Cassius was awarded the Eight, nearly two years after he had previously lost it, and declared his loyalty to Seamus.

Cassius Gaius Maximus (10/14/01 - 12/4/01)
On the night of the last Warlord Tournament of '01, Cassius retired his ring and entered the tournament, looking for a challenge. Perhaps though, it was too great of a challenge. After a hard night of fighting, it was not Cassius, but Nova Grey Shadow who came away with the Eighth ring on his finger. Nova chose not to declare his alignment until he had spoken with Overlord Seamus.

Nova Grey Shadow (12/4/01 - 11/13/02)
Nova's first challenge came more than nine months later from the man who held the title of Overlord when Nova won the ring, Seamus MacDonnaugh. The two needed three matches to settle their challenge, and in the end, Nova was still Baron of the Eighth. The first match went to Nova by a score of 5-2.5 in ten rounds. The second match ended in six rounds by a score of 5-3 in favor of the challenger. The final match once more belonged to the Baron, and after ten rounds, he secured his title with a 5-2 victory.

A month and a half after defending his ring from Seamus, Nova was tested again. This time, however, the challenge was issued because the Baron had slighted the challenging Warlord. Aya Hayashibara, a relatively new warlady, challenged Nova out of a promise she made to herself: because Nova made a humorous remark about Aya having a desire for him, Aya vowed she would eventually press challenge. Nova accepted, with the challenge fought in a best of three format.

The first match began with Aya taking a lead, and keeping it throughout the match. In seven swift rounds, she took the first match 5.5-2. Perhaps overwhelmed, Nova showed illness, to the point where his blades faded into stardust. Borrowing another pair of blades, and having some rest, Nova fared much better in the second match. Still, he could not have held off the Warlady completely, and Aya took the second match 5.5-4.5 in 15 long rounds. Aya declared herself renegade to Overlord Blindfold Proxy, declaring it until she learns more about the customs of the Arena.

Aya Hayashibara (11/13/02 - 9/17/03)
Aya's first challenge came from the recently disposed Overlord, Arithon Falessen. No public announcement was made regarding the issuing or acceptance of this challenge. It was scheduled and dueled within a week, thus no announcement was even made on the Standings. The first the public heard of the match was with the posting of the results. Those results were clearly in Aya's favor. In a short six round challenge, Aya shut Arithon out to secure her title.

Next up for Aya was brand new Warlord Max Quinlan Blue. Max had only been a warlord for a mere few weeks before he had gathered up enough peer wins and set his sights on Aya. Early on in the challenge, it looked as if Max's lack of experience would lead him to an early exit. Aya was victorious in the first match, 5-3 in ten rounds. However, with fresh blood comes the ability to bounce back quickly, which Max proved in the second match. After only seven rounds, Max evened up the contest by winning 5-2. But that would be the extent of his rise. Despite an extremely close match, Aya was able to defend the Eighth ring again. She took the last match 5-4 in eight rounds.

Cletus Ganderfald, a much more pronounced veteran of the Arena than her previous challengers, was next to test the Baroness. Aya started off strong, controlling the first duel of a best-of-three match 5-2 in ten rounds, but Cletus answered her in even stride, winning the second 5-2 in seven. The Warlord's new momentum carried him through to a 4-1 lead in the final duel, but Aya managed to steal back two quick points. At 4-3 going into the ninth round both combatants charged one another and collided at center ring, and after the dust settled, Cletus was a Baron once more with a 5-4 score.

Cletus Ganderfald (9/17/03 - 12/4/03)
Cletus first challenge came from fairy Topaz Datrazanov. The two had met previously in a challenge for the Thirteenth. Topaz took the opportunity to send invitations out to members ot the community, which may have explained the unusually large turnout. With nearly thirty in attendance, including both the Warlady and the Baron's sons (who stood as their seconds), Cletus and Topaz resolved the challenge in a single match. As in their previous challenge, the night belonged to Topaz. After 7 rounds, Topaz laid claim on the Eighth with a final score of 5-2. Following the match, Topaz aligned herself Loyal to Overlady Shakira, much to the surprise and shock of many members of the community.

Topaz Datrazanov (12/4/03 - 6/16/05)
When Methous de Amber returned to the Arena from his hiatus, the first thing he did was to seek to have his challenge ban lifted. After petitioning the council for their champion, Methous met and defeated Cassius Gaius Maximius, and in doing so had his right to challenge reinstated. As Methous was only listed as a Swordsman, few were concerned that he would be able to rise through the ranks and gain Warlord status anytime in the near future. However, many most were caught off guard when Overlord Shakira bestowed the Overlord's Grant on Methous. This gave Methous the right to challenge a Baron of his choosing, regardless of his rank.

In his letter to the public, Methous stated that he wanted to correct the wrongs of the past. Methous believe the Eighth ring was wrongfully taken from him after he destroyed it, and he sought to reclaim it. Topaz proved a difficult obstacle to Methous' final goal. In seven bloody rounds, Topaz kept Methous from reclaiming the Eighth ring. The final score was 5-4.

The next to attempt to take the Eighth from Topaz was also a former holder of the ring seeking to reclaim it. Cassius Gaius Maximius was looking for this third claim to the Eighth ring, however Topaz was not about to close the books on her own reign so quickly. Topaz was able to set the tone of the challenge early, squeaking by with a 5-4 victory in eleven rounds. Despite a second match rally by Cassius, which he won 5-1 in seven rounds, Topaz was able to keep her composure and further secure her title with a 5-3 victory in six rounds.

Topaz accepted her next challenger, the legendary Baphelocutis est Lathadoscia, gracefully. The gigantic WarDrac met the diminutive fairy in a single match. Although allowing Baphelocutis to get an advantage in the first round, Topaz burst forth to take a commanding lead which she kept through the entirety of the eight round duel.