On the evening of Sunday, December 5, an impressive crowd of eighteen duelists gathered for the Fall Talon of Redwin Tournament -- a lower ranked, single-elimination tournament. The tournament honors the legacy of Siera Redwin, a legendary Overlord and Baron. The winner recieves a dirk carrying Siera Redwin's crest that had been awarded by Siera to her men in a similar tournament and the title of the Duel of Swords' Talon of Redwin for the cycle. The tournament has been held three times and in each a female emerged as its winner. For the Fall Talon of Redwin Tournament, six women showed with hopes of becoming the fourth woman and twelve men attempted to break the stronghold that women hold over the title.
The competitors were seated according to the order in which their entries were received. The First Talon of Redwin, PJ Ramirez, faced off against the "Nameless One". The Nameless One kept it close through the first six rounds but Ramirez broke free in the seventh to emerge with a strong 5.5-1.5 victory. Arrisian Caltarr had little trouble eliminating his friend, Sylus Kurgen, in the Ring of Blood. The women's luck in the Talon Tournament does not hold up for Rena Cronin who gets taken out early by Alex MacLaine. The troublesome kender, Eukee, dropped to 4.5-2 to Rayne Blackhart before beginning to battle back. Eukee refused to give up and came back to take a 5.5-4.5 win. Troy Costello quietly dominated in Right Left-Right and successfully knocked Hylaenus from the tournament. CeeCee Rinaldi slowly built up a lead and finished Bobo off with a low slice. Aenlyn Hollow fell to the Graziano "charm" as Tony Graziano advanced to the second round. Newcomer Pirm Coperinicus took ten rounds to dispatch Richard "Joker" Harker from the tournament while Harker's girlfriend, Rhiannon Brock, had much better luck over Kai.
As Ramirez's entry was the first recieved, she was the top seed and was given the bye in the second round. Again, CeeCee Rinaldi started off with a slow start. Alex MacLaine had no more luck than Bobo had. Once Rinaldi hit her groove, she dominated the match.Caltarr and Costello remained neck-in-neck in Ring Break but Caltarr took an unwise risk which Costello stepped around for the advantage and win. In the Center ring, the kender faced off against Pirm Coperinicus. Coperinicus was not lucky enough to maintain the domination he had displayed in the first round. He fell 5-3 to Eukee. Tony Graziano found himself facing another woman. Rhiannon Brock did not fall as easily as Hollow had. In five short rounds, Graziano found himself out of the tournament.
As the earliest entry left in the competition that hadn't recieved a bye yet, Eukee automatically advanced to the fourth round. PJ Ramirez was not as lucky. She started off strong against Troy Costello, putting him down 2.5-0 by the third round. Unfortunately, he battled back and was able to take the win in the eleventh round by a final score of 6.5-5.5. Rinaldi's domination continued as Rhiannon Brock was the next to fall to her after a short 5-1 victory.
CeeCee Rinaldi took an easy ride into the final match by getting the bye. Troy Costello and Eukee had to face off for the final spot. Costello jumped out to an early lead and denied the late charge by Eukee to steal that ticket into the final round with a score of 5-3.
The rest seemed to give CeeCee Rinaldi an advantage. Troy Costello approached the final round appearing tired by dueling a series of four tough duels. The Talon of Redwin Tournament is becoming known for its quick paced atmosphere. Not only must one be a great dueler but must have the endurance that a quick single-elimination tournament requires. Rinaldi again dominated her opponent, eliminating the final competitor with a 5-2 score. Rinaldi continues the death grip that women have had on the title.
Therefore, it is my privilege to annouce that CeeCee Rinaldi is the Duel of Swords' fourth Talon of Redwin.
As witnessed by:
Lorelai Laurent
First Round PJ Ramirez .def. Nameless One, 5.5-1.5 in 9 rounds. Arrisian Caltarr .def. Sylus Kurgen, 5-2 in 7 rounds. Alex Maclaine .def. Rena A Cronin 5.5-2, in 8 rounds. EukeeGriffonmane .def. Rayne Blackhart 5.5-4.5, in 15 rounds. TroyCstello .def. Hylaenus 5.5-2.5, in 10 rounds CeeCee Rinaldi .def. Bobothhobo, 5.5-2.5 in 12 rounds. TonyGraziano13 .def. AenlynHollow, 5.5-2 in 9 rounds. PirmCoperinicus .def. Richard D Harker, 5.5-3.5 in 11 rounds. Rhiannon D Brock .def. Goldj33, 5-2.5 in 8 rounds. Second Round PJ Ramirez - Bye CeeCee Rinaldi .def. Alex MacLaine, 5-1 in 10 rounds. TroyCstello .def. ArrisianCaltarr, 5-4 in 8 rounds. EukeeGriffonmane .def. PirmCoperinicus, 5-3 in 8 rounds. Rhiannon D Brock .def. TonyGraziano13, 5-2 in 5 rounds. Third Round EukeeGriffonmane - Bye TroyCstello .def. PJ Ramirez, 6.5-5.5 in 11 rounds. CeeCee Rindaldi .def. Rhiannon D Brock, 5-1 in 7 rounds. Fourth Round CeeCee Rinaldi - Bye TroyCstello .def. EukeeGriffonmane, 5-3 in 13 rounds. Fifth Round CeeCee Rinaldi .def. TroyCstello, 5-2 in 9 rounds.