Rings of Honor

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Leto Covington's challenge to the Overlady Alais came in the midst of much questioning of Alais's right to hold the Title. The challenge, originally meant to be friendly, turned complex very quickly when the Warlord declared his second would be Loyal Baron and member of Covington Jeffrey Oakenshield. For supporting her opponent, Alais banished Oakenshield to Renegade. The half-dwarf very nearly challenged her himself before finally accepting the reallignment and standing by his King at the challenge.

That challenge resulted in a new Overlord, and a tempestuous time for the kingdom of Covington. The storm cloud threatening was held off for a time, however, as Leto's reign began within the margin of time before a Tourney in which no one may issue challenge to the Overlord. It was the Warlady Simini who won that Tourney and gave Leto his first challenge. Though victorious at the Tourney, Simini's skill could not hold through the challenge as well, and Leto retained his title of Overlord.

Immediately after this came the clashes between Covington and that kingdom's arch-rival, House Llewys-Lathadoscia. Warlord Lupton est Lathadoscia, long-standing challenger to Baron Oakenshield's reign, focused his sights higher now and issued challenge to Leto on behalf of his House. But when the date of challenge came, Lupton was to face Oakenshield once again, as the Overlord chose to test the Warlord. As in so many duels between the two men before, Lupton was unable to overcome the Baron, and Oakenshield successfully defended his king's reign as Overlord.

Next challenge, also from House Llewys-Lathadoscia, was from the Renegade Baron Elijah. This challenge was to prove one of the most shocking and controversial in the history of the Duel of Swords. The Overlord was almost called into default for not responding to the Baron's challenge in a timely manner, but exception was granted when it was known illness was the cause. The evening of the challenge, Jeff, now a Warlord, stepped into the ring on behalf of Leto. Both Warlord Iain MacKenzie and now-Baron (not of Jeff's former ring) Lupton offered to interceed on Elijah's behalf, and Elijah chose Iain, stating that should Iain and himself both win out this eve, Elijah's Baron's ring would go to his champion rather than the deposed Overlord. All settled, the two Warlords set themselves to duel.

Jeff's defeat of Iain was hard-fought and bloody, an unfortunate thing for the Renegade Baron's champion, who was immune to the healing of the Ward of Gondar. Healers and medics worked over him all the rest of that shocking evening, among them a young healer in training from Covington. But little time could be spared for the fallen Warlord by Oakenshield or Elijah; the ring awaited them.

Baron and Warlord fought hard and long, but the half-dwarf's endurance and skill proved the stronger and he denied Elijah's challenge to Leto. Then, as is the right of a Warlord Champion to the Overlord against a Renegade Baron, Jeff issued immediate challenge to the Baron. In an unprecidented display of skill Oakenshield won this third match as well, and was a Baron once more.

A lull was reached then, for a Warlord Tourney loomed and no further challenges could be made to the Overlord. But in the midst of what was thought to be a calm, a final storm broke over Covington. Baron Oakenshield, twice defender of Leto's reign, left the kingdom and declaired himself Renegade to his former king. No one was sure of the reasons behind this stunning change of events, and neither the Baron nor the Overlord were willing to discuss it. For the first time in the history of the swords, every Baron was, by choise, Renegade to the Overlord.

A few weeks later, the Warlord Tourney brought forth a new challenger to the Overlord, Kalamere Ar'Din. What House Llewys-Lathadoscia could not do, Kalamere did, defeating Leto and bringing one of the most contentious reigns ever to a close.