Rings of Honor

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Jewell wasted no time in issuing challenge to Claire once she'd claimed her second title. The blue haired Empress had tried before, falling victim more recently to Matt Simon's blade, but determined to stake her claim as Empress Overlady she set out to take down the Overlord she had once upon a time been squire too. Of course, that squireship was long in the past, forgotten back when Claire had challenged to take away her first barony. She'd defended Dockside then and had her sights set on Overlord Isle now. There was some speculation that Claire might employ a champion for a Test of Worthiness, with Lord Bile stalking the sidelines before things kicked off, but in the end declared that she would take to the ring herself and fight the challenge in single duel format. The Overlady led with a thrust, but Jewell was quick to evade. The challenger took the lead and quickly put things out of reach, taking a dominant 5-1 victory in 9 rounds. Jewell claimed her first Overlordship and became the 110th in the line. (Details)

Claire's Team Dirty teammate and the baroness of New Haven, Hope Naharis, issued challenge to Jewell immediately after her new title became official. The two had been seen becoming more social in the weeks prior, but Hope's first loyalty was to Team Dirty and Jewell's quick challenge to Claire had been taken as a slight. Jewell felt no less slighted herself, however, at Hope's renunciation of their nascent friendship and pressing challenge. This would not be just another friendly fight for the mantle. Sabine Gabrielle officiated the challenge and declared the Empress Overlady to be fighting in honor of recently returned baroness of Old Market, Lissa, while naming Kalamere Ar'Din her second. Hope's honors were announced as her husband, Davien Naharis, along with Claire and Terry, her Team Dirty mates. She also stated Kalamere as Hope's second, which given Jewell and Kal's long standing relationship, was obviously a joke and pretty amusing... right up until it wasn't.

The Overlady called forth Rand alTan as her champion to face Hope in a Test of Worthiness, placing Kal in a position of having to choose between her and his long standing stance against using the test against barons. There was no small amount of surprise in the arena when he turned and offered his daggers to Hope in the fight against Rand and maybe more so when she took him up on it. Long time friends, Kal and Rand met to fight the Right to Challenge duel, a fight that would easily have gone Rand's way had Jewell's frosty glare been capable of assisting him. On this night, however, it was the half-elf to come out on top, winning 5-2.5 to nullify the test.

The main event began without delay. Hope had skipped past the Test of Worthiness and looked to right a perceived injustice, while also continuing to pursue the supreme swords title that had thus far eluded her. For the Overlord's part, well as the saying goes, hell hath no fury... Jewell took to the ring, regal and cold, a measure of cruelty in her grey eyes that might have been directed at Kal, but it was Hope with whom she took the ring. It was a brutal duel, neither pulling punches as they marched through the rounds. Violent strikes landing from cuts and counter strikes, neither would walk easily from the ring when it was over. In the 11th round, Jewell parried a thrust from Hope and then struck out at her knee, sending her to the sands with the winning blow and sealing the 5-4 victory. Jewell remained the Empress Overlady, though there was likely still a bit of drama left to unfold.(Details)

The second challenge to Jewell came as payback. The Overlady had her eye on PathFinder in the Outback and issued challenge to Andrea Anderson to take the green rock from her. Apple wasn't about to let it go at just that though and issued her own counter challenge for the crown. The first event they met up for was in the Outback, the sport that Apple is somewhat better known for having twice held the Diamond, and the red headed opal defended her title in a pair of 5-2 wins. Two nights later they met in the Arena to decide the fate of the Overlordship. The challenger flew no colors, seconded by Rayvinn and honoring Lilith while Jewell's standard was a field of gradient blues with Kalamere as both her second and lord of honor. The duel was a close one, never more than a point separating them. The Overlady would go up a point several times, only to have Apple tie things up in the following round, as was the case in the 10th when she parried Jewell's low cut and brought the score to 4's. A null round in the 11th, Andrea thrust in the 12th and landed on the Overlady's waiting defense. In the end, neither title switched hands and Jewell defended 5-4. (Details)

Drama in the titled ranks brought about challenge #3. The Empress Overlady and Lirssa, Baroness of Old Market, seemed to have a bit of falling out. Baron of Old Temple, Aric Delevingne, also the beau of the Baroness in question, took the Overlady aside for a bit of a chat. Historians can't report back on exactly what was said, but apparently it didn't go well, because later that night Aric found himself banished to Renegade. Unsurprisingly, Old Market followed and Lirssa declared herself Renegade as well. As was the right of the banished baron, Aric immediately issued challenge for the mantle.

Jewell was indignant at the challenge coming from a baron who had not yet established his credentials as a warlord, and called on the Baroness of Seaside, Vaeluthil Whitevale, to perform the Test of Worthiness. Yet another title holder, Sabine Gabrielle, the Baroness of Battlefield Park, got involved at this point and took to the ring against Vael as Aric's champion in the Right to Challenge fight. Surprises all around and Sr. Baroness Vael might also have found herself shocked as Sabine controlled the duel. Unable to land a single clean strike, Vael's only point came in an exchange of thrust in the third. Sabine won 5-1 in 6 rounds to secure's duel with the Overlad.

Aric got his chance, but wasn't able to make much of it. He managed a nice counter in the 2nd round to land an attack and even the score at one a piece, but beyond that he'd fair no better here than Vael had against Sabine. Jewell landed a thrust in the 3rd to retake the lead and never allowed Aric to get in range again. A high cut in the 8th round overcame Aric's desperate down parry and sealed the 5-1 victory along with Jewell's 3rd defense and right to maintain the mantle. (Details)

Challenge #4 came from multi-time and often renegade baroness, Sabine Gabrielle. The face of Baroness Beauty, Sabine was a 4th time baron having held such a title for nearly two years combined, but had never before issued challenge for the mantle. She felt it was finally time. There was significantly less drama in these proceedings and negotiations to meet went smoothly. Not even a test from the Empress Overlady this time around, she instead elected to fight Sabine in a best of three. The baroness fought below a black and crimson banner, calling Sal Delahada as her second and for the honors of Josiah and Hope. The Overlady fought without second, honors, colors, or, well, clothes. Covered only in a gold and bronze body paint so we'll call those her colors for the night. The match was quick, perhaps the baroness somewhat distracted by the Overlady's choice of attire, Duel one was claimed by Jewell 5-2 with an exchange of cuts in the 6th round. Duel two went mildly better for the challenger as she ducked a parry and tied the score at 4 each in the 7th. In the 8th though it was Jewell slipping away from Sabine's thrust to score the final point of the 5-4 win and mark another successful defense. (Details)

Long time warlord Ekthbjlgke Smith became Jewell's fifth challenger. Shortly after defending the barony of Dockside, the renegade baron came looking for the mantle. Some had expected this a while before when he defended the barony against the Overlord's squire, Hajime Aki, and during the proceedings refered to himself as the future Overlord. It took a some time, but he was finally seeking to make good on that claim.

The challenge was otherwise drama free and the pair met not too long after Beltane. As per his custom, Ekthbjlgke had no second or honors while he fought below the FIGHT E FIGHT banner. The Empress Overlady May Queen also appeared without honors or even a banner on this occassion and declared the contest would be a best of three duels. The first of the fights was a close one, the challenger having the lead half way through, but Jewell came back and broke the 4-4 tie with a winning parry in the 9th. In the second duel of the challenge Jewell took over and led from start to finish. An onslaught of all cuts and thrusts, she sealed by striking low in the 5th to win 5-3. (Details)