Retirement of the 5th

[DoS Archive]

From: dueier@aol.com (DueIer)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 01:22:01 EDT

DoS patrons,

After a reign of 4 months, after defending my title only from the previous holder, I have decided to retire as the 5th Baron of the Duel of Swords, and from the Duel of Swords completely.

There is certainly not one thing that spurred me to do it, and I have been thinking about it for almost the past month. My time in the arena has shrunk to my pre-Warlord level: one or two a week, if I get lucky. I no longer wish to hold this ring tightly, but give it up to another Warlord who hopefully can become more active in the arena. Should the Warlord who wins my ring in the tournament not live up to that, I will try my best to relieve them
of their title myself.

To get back to the reasons behind my retirement, with the return of Mr J Ringo, another Baron who retired from the rings, I was reminded of the possibility. I decided to wait until now for a couple of reasons: First, retiring on this day makes my reign exactly four months, through the entirety of April, May, June, and July. Second, I had hoped that with Seraph's challenge to the Overlord, a bit more excitement would be put back into the upper ranks
should he win. Now that Dalamar defended successfully, I feel that everything is continually the same: No challenges in my mailbox, along with the same Overlord. The changes in the Baronies around me have only created different Barons with seemingly similar views. How much truth there is in that statement I am not sure of, but it is enough for me that it seems so (reminds me almost of Hamlet).

I bid farewell to the arena for now. Whether someday I shall return is uncertain. The only problem I fear would be claiming who I am. Hopefully I can work something out with the officials on this matter.

~The Nameless Dueler~
~Former 5th Baron of the DoS~

[DoS Archive]

From: drakewyni@aol.com (Drakewyn I)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 01:28:09 EDT

Fie...

If you wanted a challenge, you should've given someone a reason to challenge you.
For someone who wanted excitement, you were certainly quiet about it.

::Leaving the post unsigned.::

[DoS Archive]

From: baphelocl@aol.com (Bapheloc L)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 02:16:18 EDT

::just sighs and walks away from the corkboard shaking his head::

(m) everyone's too afraid.....

or too bored...

[DoS Archive]

From: ionloon@aol.com (Ion Loon)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 02:25:55 EDT

" ring ", the raving lunatic snickered. The poor soul still hadn't regained enough of back to speak a sentence. He spazzed again, his eyes growing wider as a jolt of minor eletricity flowed through his bones, blood, and body. "Eeehaaahh", he cried, blinking with the sudden surge of energy. He lashed out at the boards, grating his long finger nails down the cork of the board. Finally settling down a bit, he
withdrew his pen, stolen from a locker in the RDI's room. He quickly wrote his mind;

Ring,

Saw u las nite in home slave two de Bayronz dont bee sad Ion will save u all

With that, he grinned wildly, moving off to stand guard over the arena's door... unable to sleep. Occasionally barking at a passer by or late night patron.

[DoS Archive]

From: taylara@aol.com (Taylara)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 02:58:56 EDT

::Watches as another duelist bids farewell::

Farewell Baron, may ya find wha' ya seek...
Taylara Tyree~Koei
Taylara LockLorn Tyree~Koei

[DoS Archive]

From: jonalyn@aol.com (Jonalyn)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 04:09:30 EDT

Steps gingerly past the barking lunatic, snags the quill, pens a note, tacking it to the ancient corkboard.

Nameless One, Former Holder of the Fifth Baron's Ring.

To me mind, until this day, thou didst honor to thine title, thine ring and to the duels.

A rare one be thou, for thou hast chosen a path nae many have followed; the return of a Baron's Ring and retirement from the lists. The histories shall mark the passing, on this, the eve of Overlord Dalamar ArD'aumon's successful defense of the mantle.

Thine choice to retire for the reasons thou hast stated are thine own, yet the reason thee enumerated, to whit: "Second, I had hoped with Seraph's challenge to the Overlord, a bit more excitement would be put back into the upper ranks should he win.", mayhap speaks more to the heart of thy decision. Each ring bears a burden, some bear the burden lightly, upon others it weighs heavily.

If, in honor, thou could not chose to challenge the Overlord, nor could, in honor, offer thine blade in intercession against the Overlord's chosen champion, nor accept that thou were not challenged for perhaps the reason that thou wert thought to stand as an exemplary Baron, then in all honor, the choice thou hast made must be accepted, for it shall be the choice thou must carry with thee in thine travels and within thine heart. One can but hope
that the warlord who strives and earns the privilege of holding the Fifth Ring shall show it and the duels the honor deserved.

May thee garner within thine heart, solace and peace, Nameless One, and may the path thee follow rise gently beneath thine feet.

Jona,
Common as they come.

The commoner turns, glancing toward the south banner wall, her gaze pausing on the banners of the holders of the Fifth Ring. Her gaze lingers on each, Kalamere Ar'Din, Xenograg thu-Darelir, Iain MacKenzie, Juan Sanchez Villalobos Ramirez, Leto Covington, Elijah Basia-Uhr, Kaprielle d'Argent, Raiyko Hideo, Billy Ray Karnafexx, Draven Altruis II, Jeffrey Oakenshield, Skyler Jackson Chamberland, G'nort Espelande G'neesmacher Dragoon Talanador,
Errol Faline, Lucian, then the last, that of the Nameless Dueler.

She lifts her hand in silent salute, then vanishes.

[DoS Archive]

From: waikrboh@aol.com (WaIkrBoh)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 15:02:55 EDT

<<If you wanted a challenge, you should've given someone a reason to challenge you.>>

Whoever wrote this, perhaps you are not reading the same post I am. The first reason the ex-Baron lists is that he hasn't been able to come to the duels enough, and wants to pass it on to someone who will, and never said that he wanted a challenge, just that he didn't get one.

<<For someone who wanted excitement, you were certainly quiet about it.>>

Perhaps he was a coward and didn't want the excitement of challenges to himself, but wanted more to change around himself, since he wrote, "The changes in the Baronies around me have only created different Barons with seemingly similar views." Since the majority of Barons are still Loyal, and none Renegade by choice, I can see why the ex-Baron felt that way.

But why am I defending him? He was just another dueler that never dueled much that just happened to be able to beat someone for their ring. Nothing else. I myself am glad to see someone retire from such a position and leave the ring open for those that actually come and duel.

One among the many of Masters-at-Arms,

-Walker Boh

[DoS Archive]

From: krollon@aol.com (Krollon)
Date: 31 Jul 1998 22:46:39 EDT

:::mumbles as he reads the post of another dueler's leave-taking:::: And now there are two.

[DoS Archive]

From: rdihelix@aol.com (RDI Helix)
Date: 01 Aug 1998 11:09:01 EDT


::walking up the cork board to check the latest, finds Ion standing there *with her pen* and snatches it deftly from his grasp::

::mutters:: Gimme *that* ye little thief...

Nothin' is sacred.

[DoS Archive]

From: pkardinal@aol.com (PKardinal)
Date: 01 Aug 1998 12:49:09 EDT

Just you, Helix... Just you. ::winks::

[DoS Archive]

From: rdicollie@aol.com (RDI Collie)
Date: 01 Aug 1998 22:31:46 EDT

Collie reads the notice of the retirement of the fifth ring and sighs softly as fond memories pass through her mind of a former holder.




RDI Collie
Duel Of Swords Queuekeeper