Rings of Honor

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After her champion, Anubis Karos, was shut out in the Right to Challenge match by Jaycynda Ashleana, Shakira's chances of securing the crown seemed slim. Slowly, the odds of her winning began to increase as she valiantly fought off Jaycynda in a hard fought fourteen round match. With a very close 5-4 victory, Shakira was able to clear the path for her challenge to Max Blue to proceed.

When the duel began, Max was under the impression that Shakira still had possession of his girlfriend, Paige Ramirez. Midway through the match, Paige walked into the Arena, however it was unknown if Max had noticed her at that point or not. Regardless, Max seemed intent on causing Shakira pain, resorting to attacks in more than two-thirds of the match. It alsmost appeared as if Shakira baited him into it. She was more than ready to either match his attack with one of her own, or block it with stellar defense. When the dust had settled, Shakira was the new Queen of the Hill with a 5-2 in seven round victory.

After Max was defeated, Ticallion Carter, a member of the Wrecking Crew, resumed his quest for the crown. He had previously issued challenge to Max Blue, however withdrew it once he had learned Shakira kidnapped Paige Ramirez. When the challenge between Shakira and Max had been resolved, Ticallion issued his challenge once more.

Before the match could begin, Arithon Falessan stepped forward and asked to test the Baron on behalf of the Overlord. Shakira agreed to this, and immediatly after, Max Blue asked Ticallion for permission to fight on his behalf. Max had promised to remain a thorn in Shakira's side after his defeat for the crown, and proved good to his word on this night. In a short eight rounds, Max soundly defeated Arithon, 5-2, to clear Ticallion's way.

Although the match stretched a long eleven rounds, Ticallion was never able to find his footing. Shakira remained in complete control from the opening round, and eventually ended Ticallion's attempt with a 5.5-1 victory.

The winner of the final Warlord Tournament of 2003 was a man unfamiliar with winning a Warlord Tournament, Cletus Ganderfald. Although it was only his first Warlord Tournament victory, it was not the first time he had challenge for the mantle. Undaunted by his past successes, Shakira met the former Overlord in a single duel to determine the fate of the crown. Although the match was short, it remained close until the end when Shakira was able to rely on her defense to separate herself from Cletus. When the dust settled, Shakira had her second defense with a 5-3 victory in eight rounds.

The next challenge to Shakira also came by means of a Warlord. Karen Wilder stepped forward as the second Warlord in one cycle to challenge Shakira. In her previous defense, Shakira was forced to meet the Warlord face to face. This time, she opted to issue a Test of Worthiness. Shakira selected Senior Baron of the 13th, Drachen, to perform this service. But once again, Max Blue was there to be a thorn in Shakira's side. In a very close ten round match, Max was able to dispatch of the Senior Baron and pave the way for Karen to meet Shakira. The final score was 5-4.

Shakira and Karen met in a seesaw match that saw leads upset multiple times. Going into the 11th round, the duel was knotted at 4-4. It was then that Shakira showed her determination, relying on a very gusty slash to defeat Karen's parry and seal a third Overlord defense for Shakira.

The second member of the Wrecking Crew to challenge Shakira was Warlord Bode Bojangles. As the winner of the first Warlord Tournament of 2004, Bode was awarded the intercession free challenge against Shakira. As with the last Warlord Tournament winner she faced, Shakira once more opted to settle the challenge in a single duel. At the end of the eighth round, the score was tied at four all. Three rounds later, Shakira was able to lunge over the Warlords lower swing to defend her title for a fourth time.

Soon after the defense over Bode, Baron Max Blue made good on his promise to challenge Shakira for the title she took from him. Anubis Karos, Baron of the Third, was quick to step forward to defend Shakira's title. Anubis wanted to perform the Test of Worthiness in part because of an attack Max had committed on Anubis' wife, Dawn Shadowmane. Warlord Cletus Ganderfald stepped forward on behalf of Max.

In a quick nine round match, Cletus was victorious over Anubis with a score of 5-3 in nine rounds.

Shakira certainly felt the match was a personal matter as she attacked the Baron continuously. In eight rounds, she was able to get through Max's defense nearly every round for the 5-3 victory. But, she was not finished there. Immediately after the match ended, Shakira began to pummel Max viciously. It was only through the intervention of Xenograg, Nick Tyme, and many others that Shakira could be pulled away. Following the melee, Anubis and Max dueled each other with their rings on the line, however neither Baron retired their rings as a direct result of the outcome.

Rumors of underhanded dealings were always present during Shakira's reign as Overlord, however in June, tensions finally boiled over to the point of no return. Jenia Aeodroud's murder in the Duel of Swords rings at the hands of Shakira was later blamed for another failure of the Ward of Gondar similar to that experienced during the Blindfold Proxy's reign. This coupled with the rapid increase in violence around the Rhydin area of Badside caused many to rise up in arms against Shakira. The underground violence culminated in a bloody battle that occurred during an historic event in the Annex. The Sorcerer, and former Overlord, Xenograg kathu-Darelir, developed a plan to heal the dysfunctional Ward by binding the powers normally held by the Guardian of the Ward to the thirteen Baronial rings. This plan was designed to strengthen the Ward and to heal the rift that had emerged after Jenia's murder. When Shakira heard rumor of the ceremony, she and her cat demons moved against Xenograg and his allies.

The final battle between these two longtime enemies ended with Shakira's death at the hands of Xenograg. Only after her defeat was Xeno able to complete the ceremony, thus binding the Baronial rings to the Ward for eternity. The after effects of the battle left the Annex in a state of disrepair for weeks. The binding ceremony also left a lasting impression on the Ward in the form of a permanent rift between the Arena and a distant world. The only solution to stabilize the rift was to carry Baronial rings across to the other side to balance the power of the Ward. Ironically, only those in possession of a Baronial ring were able to pass through the rift.