At the end of Diamond Quest XI, a new rank came into being in the Outback. The six that placed highest among the seventeen competitors took home gems that night, only one of them was the coveted diamond.
There has been speculation far and wide about what the opals actually are, or what purpose or power they serve. All we know for sure is that it is a highly competitive title among those in the Duel of Fists, obtained only by those willing to pit their skills against the best of the best. Each of the rocks conveys certain small powers to the fighters who hold them, what follows are the details
of IceDancer and the combatants to have carried it.
Minor Power
(De)Hydrate - This power can control small amounts of water (no more then five
gallons) and cause it either to appear or disappear at will. Water
could be used for drinking, a distraction, or to be dumped on someone's head
Major Power
Ice Form - The user of Icedancer's major power has the ability to control the structure
of their own body so it becomes as hard as ice. Useful for either offensive or
defensive attacks. Use of this power also has the drawback of greatly reducing
the speed of the user, leaving them open for possible counterattack.
Extended Powers
The opals were shattered during the 100th Diamond Quest and brought back together
during the 101st. With the reforging, the opals are more powerful than ever, though
no longer keen to lend their gifts to just anyone unless doing so fits with their
schemes. Quite often, they demand an exchange for what they share and leave their mark upon the user in
return.
Methodical and resourceful, IceDancer has always been able to harness the
properties of water to shield its holder, slow down an opponent, or even turn
their offense against them. The blue Opal can now take this even further and
manipulate any type of liquid, including that which is present in all living things.
Additionally, holders can delve into the memories of water, constructing images and
recreating past events. Beware though...these reflections of the past can drive a holder
to obsession.
Part of a Double Simon Challenge, the Fashionista Koyliak came after a favored chilly opal, IceDancer and its current holder, Droet the Bold! Eager to get black and blue in the rings, Koyliak and Droet met up and in the first match of the best of three challenge where the opal holder Droet pulled off an impressive perfect shut out against the Lady of the Outback, Koyliak! The following match, where they were sent to the precarious ring, The Wheel, the pair opened with a trade that would make Jake proud! The score stayed tight with Droet taking a couple of single point leads, but with Koy quick to tie things up. With a flash of her perfect heels, Koy took the bout with a snapkick and a final score of 5 to 4 in 10 rounds. With each holding a win for the night, they took it to a third and final match where Koy kept Droet from scoring for the first two rounds. After Droet made a steady climb up the scoreboard to tie things up, Koy was taking a defensive route which would eventually end up in her favor and victory in the ring with a final score of 5 to 2 in 10 rounds. Once again Koyliak picks up the chilly Opal for the Simon household!
Koyliak's first opposition for IceDancer came from one Yuzuki "Tallest Hair" Kuwabara. The Fashionista met the challenge with an apt response of "cool" and the two met on the fourth to duke it out. In the first match the two kept an aggressive posture firing off and reciprocating likeness back. Yuzuki claimed the initial lead only to have Koy fire back and even it out. After scoring a lead for herself, Yuzuki clawed it back marking the match at 3 a piece. Koy secured match point with a kick and finished out the first match 5-3 in 11. The second match would be far more one-sided as Koy seemed to have fully warmed up and delivered a statement perfect shutout in the second match. The display could not have been any more complete and it marked Koyliak's first defense in her reign with IceDancer. In two matches, 5-3 in 11 and 5-0 in 5, Koyliak defended.
Koyliak didn’t have to wait long for her next challenger, Salvador Delahada. Koy started the first match out with a bang, headbutting Sal to claim the first point, but he was quick to match it in the second round. The fighters exchanged blows and posturing, tying again at 2-2 in round five. Koy saw her first two-point lead in round seven, and though Sal managed another point, Koy never relinquished her lead. In a reversal of the last, Sal got first blood, with the Fashionista matching him in round 2 with a dazzling show of heels. Koy quickly pulled ahead, allowing the challenger only one more point before she cinched her victory, achieving a second defense of the cool blue Opal in two consecutive fights. 5-3 in 9 and 5-2 in 6.
Everyone loves a bloodbath, er, rematch. Salvador Delahada came looking for more bruises and a second chance to hold IceDancer for the first time. On an aptly themed night of Crystals and Carnage, the two went at it again. Koyliak was first on the board, but like past bouts, they were tied in the second round. Neither fighter was able to gain more than a single point lead before the other matched it, tying the score again in the 6th 9th and 12th rounds, bringing the score to sudden death. Koy went big in the 13th and claimed her first victory in style with a spin kick that cut through Sal’s defense. True to form, while Sal picked up the first point in the second fight of the night, they were tied again right after. Koy blazed ahead with three more unanswered points, bringing the score to 4-1 before Sal found his footing for a comeback. He narrowed the score to 4-3, but in a trade of blows, the Masochistic Fashionista notched her third defense of IceDancer in two fights: 5-4 in 13 and 5-4 in 9.
Kruger set out to deliver Koy's next challenge with a very on-brand need to settle once and for all which of them would win a footwear face-off. Dazzling at night the two met and embarked on what would turn out to be an exciting challenge match. The first fight opened with Koy showing off her footwork earning the first point of the eve. Kruger fired back and from the second round on maintained control in the match suffering only one setback before an eventual trade of kicks in the the seventh round to claim the first. The second match would serve to be a stark reminder that in this sport coming out hot isn't enough. Koy put a bitter halt to Kruger's blazing opener and flipped the script in the second match surrendering only one point in a trade. In this match it was the challenger bringing the heat and Koy putting up a stoic defense freezing the momentum and winning it in eight rounds. The final fight was for all the marbles, and the one that mattered most to them. Koy struck first as she had in the prior two matches going low. An unorthodox trade ensued with her showing off her skills hooking Kruger. The challenger tied it up shortly after and claimed himself a lead before the see-saw tilted back to another tie. The stalemate would prolong for another round before Koy evaded a grapple attempt to match point and the two made good on their footwork and exchanged to end the challenge in a climactic trade. In three bouts, 3-5 in 7, 5-1 in 8 and 5-4 in 9 Koyliak secured her fourth defense of IceDancer!
A few months after Tass came calling, Droet issued challenge for the blue opal. Those who attended were treated to three intense matches, all of which resulted in SUDDEN DEATH scenarios. The first duel was 11 rounds of back-and-forth lead changes before Jaycy notched the 5th point. The second fight was nearly a repeat of the first, with lead changes and another 4-4 tie, but this time Droet took the fifth point in the 10th round. In the final duel, Jaycy launched herself to a 4-1 lead after only four rounds, but Droet clawed his way back to a 4-4 tie at the end of 7 rounds before scoring his fourth unanswered point in the 8th to take the home match and IceDancer. His victory ended Jaycy's reign at 231 days, good for 10th place on the Longest Single Reign leaderboard.
Under the pretense that her lover Hope claimed she wouldn't, Jaycy proceeded to challenge Morgan LaFey for his opal IceDancer. Both agreed that proving Hope wrong would be an excellent sport and decided to meet on the evening of the 18th to settle the fate of the blue opal. The first of two fights on the night would prove to be a statement with the challenger rampaging in an opening bout. Jaycy opened the match scoring and with the exception of one nulled round where both fighters opted into a defense, she scored on every round to dispatch the incumbent with a blistering 5-1 in 6, surrendering a single point to a trade in the second round. The second match would prove to be far more competitive between the fighters. Out the gate Morgan claimed the first point in a mirroring of the previous match. Jaycy was swift to equalize only for Morgan to claim another lead. For the first seven rounds it would appear that the defender would not give up control finding match point at a closely contested 4-3. Jaycy was not willing to back down and found the tying strike in round 8 before two more rounds of sudden death. Going high, she would kick over Morgan LaFey to claim IceDancer in two bouts, 5-1 in 6 and 6-5 in 11.
"Weird dreams make me do weird things", so spoke Morgan LaFey as he challenged Jaycy for IceDancer. The two would schedule their rematch for the night of December 21st, along with the enigmatic response of "My brain is beans" from the challenger for the Duel of Fists community to ponder on, forever. In an eventful night called by the iconic Skid, the two combatants who were no stranger to one another nor the IceDancer opal would engage in a gauntlet that would span 3 very close duels to determine who would walk away with the crux of their previous conflict as well as this one. Match one would begin with Jaycy feinting her way into a lead before the challenger Morgan struck back with a fast jab. Consecutive defences would come next from Jaycy as she maneuvered to a two point lead going into the fifth round. Akin to a counterweight Morgan struck back earning himself two mirrored points once again stalemating our fighters at the sixth round. Yet at the behest of Morgan's attempts Jaycy would find the better of the challenger in two consecutive rounds once more to seal the first bout. In an eerie twist of fate Morgan would be the one to strike first in the second chapter; in the first three rounds he would find himself in a comfortable 3-1 score lead having traded for the lone point Jaycy held. In an inverse of the first match, with some posturing Jaycy would have her turn to fight back a deficit and even the playing field heading into eighth round where a trade of sweeps would put our fighters at sudden death. Fortune would favor the bold as Morgan flipped Jaycy's jab to earn himself a final fight in the ninth round. The finale of the challenge would prove to be the most tightly knit of the three with our fighters no more than one point apart for the entirety of the nine rounds. Jaycy would claim an early lead and as she exchanged blows with Morgan pound for pound she was able to secure match point in the sixth with a trade low. Only to throw a wrench in her night Morgan successfully faked her out to push the third sudden death of the night. Once more they moved into a stalemate before Jaycy would find her mark with an evasion of the same move that stung her in the middle match. In three bouts, 5-3 in 8, 4-5 in 9 and 5-4 in 9 Jaycy would successfully defend IceDancer.
A very lengthy friendship didn't stop Tass from challenging Jaycy for IceDancer. The pair had a dinner date prior to the challenge, where Jaycy was vying for her 2nd defense and Tass was making his 2nd career attempt for the blue opal. As Ettyn watched, Jaycy successfully defended her title in two straight duels, taking the first 5-3 in seven rounds & the second 5-2 in seven rounds.
Everyone likes a good sequel. Seeking another chance at the IceDancer Opal, Morgan LaFey came in search of a rematch with Koyliak for the prized blue rock. Our two fighters met on the first of the seventh month to settle this newest installment and it began with a punch from the challenger. Claiming a 2-0 lead rapidly Morgan seemed determined to finish what he started in the first challenge. Koyliak had to answer back and managed to tie the score with an apt kick followed by a leap. The two fighters exchanged blows in a trade only to set the stage for Morgan taking match point with a takedown on the fashionista. Foreshadowing the night's affairs the fight took a dramatic turn as Koyliak defended against another kick bringing the bout to sudden death. Unlike the first time these two met Morgan managed to secure the first fight with a defense bringing him halfway to the finish line. Starting the second match in stride, Koyliak opened with a swift evasion. Morgan equalized only to have Koyliak retain the lead after another few exchanges. Akin to the first match of the night after a swift takedown by Morgan our fighters exchanged blows to reach sudden death yet again. A momentary lapse in the action was the only respite offered before Morgan sealed the evening's affairs with a flip to the fashionista. In two victories, 5-4 in 9 and 5-4 in 10, Morgan LaFey won his first Opal and claimed Aqua Master.
Newly minted Aqua Master Morgan LaFey needn't wait long for his first challenge to find him. Jaycy, by virtue of "needing the Opal for a bit", approached Morgan with the challenge ready. The two settled the date over lunch and with that, fate ran its course. On the night of the challenge the two began with Morgan opening with a calculated decisive strike; a foretelling of how the night would end. Jaycy dipped into the strike only to retaliate with a kick evening up the score. She followed up with a takedown and as she moved to keep her momentum, Morgan feinted and showed us his prowess wasn't exclusive to only the rings on the Isle. His follow up came with a throw before Jaycy overcame his kick with her own, equalizing at three a piece. Once more they collided low accelerating our first match to a dramatic sudden death. One brief respite came, a missed opportunity by the challenger and then a punctuating punch sealed it for Morgan. Not green in the business of fights, Jaycy opened the next match by taking down Morgan with a quick rebound from the close defeat she had just experienced. Sometimes experience is calculated risk, others a brief flash of hubris, Jaycy wound up a fantastical kick only to surrender her lead as quickly as she had gotten it. This would serve as merely a setback as Jaycy then continued pushing with a jab, doubling up in retort. Her aggression was yet to wane; a combo came out that now Morgan was prepared for with an adept evasion, equalizing to two a piece. Once more our challenger vaulted an offense and quickly did an about-face, to secure a swift match point in two consecutive rounds. Morgan got one back with an abrasive jab only to receive the slip in the next round promising this challenge would go the distance. Ready to grasp victory both fighters struck for an opening salvo in the final match. Morgan doubled up with impressive legwork but Jaycy quickly recovered, not allowing him to run away early in the match. Once more they went low in a mirror of the opening round, but that would be the last our challenger saw of a scoring round. Morgan answered Jaycy's aggression with a well timed maneuver and said no to her mirrored attempt. In three bouts, 5-4 in 9, 3-5 in 8 and 5-3 in 6, Morgan claimed his first defense as the holder of IceDancer!
Challenges are all the rage- at least that's what Koyliak believed when she proclaimed her challenge to Karma for IceDancer(it was fashionable). Eager for a test Karma accepted and these two fashionable ladies sought to duke it out on the first and so they did. In what can only be described as a one-sided affair, Koyliak took the first match of the night in a lightning round dropping only a single point in 7 rounds. The second match saw Karma finding more ground and tripling her points from the first yet it was Koyliak who came out on top in a pair of victories on the night, 5-1 in 7 and 5-3 in 8 to secure her first reign of IceDancer.
Koyliak would rest for about a month before her first challenger came knocking in the form of Morgan LaFey. The newly minted Emerald gave few reasons other than a desire to dance with the Opal for his motives and Koyliak took no exception. The two met on the third to settle the score. In the first match Koyliak bulldozed her way to an unobstructed 4-0 lead. It seemed as though Koy would find herself an easy first match only to have Morgan scrape back three points consecutively threatening a comeback to sudden death. This was felled short as Koyliak swept him off his feet for the first victory. The second match was a much closer affair; it was Morgan's turn to burn out the gate claiming an early 3-1 lead. Koy managed to wrestle back the score to 3-3 before Morgan claimed match point. Koy offered a decisive blow to lead to sudden death before Morgan found his winning salvo with some fancy footwork of his own. The third and final match to rest the fate of IceDancer opened with our challenger accruing an early lead of 2-0. Unfortunately this would be the most Morgan would take off the fashionista as she returned fire for an unanswered 5-2 victory. With a full three bouts of 5-3 in 11, 4-5 in 10 and 5-2 in 8 Koyliak defends IceDancer.
Not content with the results of his previous attempt, Eregor set out once more to wrangle IceDancer from Gren's hands. The first match started out with a slight favor to Gren in the opener. Over the next eleven grueling rounds the lead was exchanged several times yet never passed the threshold of a single point lead. After three consecutive sudden death rounds, Eregor managed to secure the first duel with a well time toss. The second bout saw a bit of a different curve. Early on the fighters were evenly matched until Eregor began to mount what looked like a steady pace to finalizing his first Opal. Gren wasn't content with the pace and managed to rally back to sudden death from a 4-2 deficit. Much like the first challenge and duel of this one, it took sudden death for the win- Eregor claimed IceDancer with a planted kick, winning in two duels 5-4 in 12 and 5-4 in 11.
Eregor's first challenge would come by the hands of John Doe, aka The Unburied. Having won the first DoF All Ranks Tournament John utilized the Fistmelda's Tusk challenge grant to challenge Eregor stating only his cryptic intention as, "I wonder what you taste like." The first of three bouts started with the title holder opening strong with a punch in the Pond(Eregor's ring of choice). His lead was short lived as John Doe dominated four straight points away and ended up securing the bout with a punch of his own. The second bout took place on Styx(Unburied's selection) and in a mirror image of the first John opened up with a lead only for Eregor to wrestle it back to match point. In 10 grueling rounds, John Doe brought it to sudden death before Eregor was able to catch himself his first bout victory of the night. The third and final match took place in the Pit(Eregor's second choice) and was the most exhausting of the three. Both fighters kept the duel within reach as Eregor found himself at match point. John was not content and brought the night to it's second sudden death before Eregor ultimately solidified his first defense of the IceDancer Opal. He did so with the scores of 1-5 in 7, 5-4 in 10 and 5-4 in 14.
Upon losing hold over the Tower of Water on Twilight Isle, Eregor decided to retire his claim over IceDancer. The Opal was to become a prize in the upcoming Diamond Quest.
Gren set out to contest Matt for IceDancer stating it to be his last hurdle before he would attain the prestigious achievement of All-Title Holder in the Duel of Fists. The first of two fights snowballed in Gren's favor culminating in a shutout, 5-0 in 7 rounds. The second started out in Gren's favor as well as he rattled off to a 3-1 lead. Matt pulled it back to a tie at 3-3 before Gren ultimately sealed the challenge with a score of 5-3 in 11. With this win Gren joined the elite echelon that bear the title, Heir of Stormfist.
Using his challenge grant Eregor would be the first test to Gren's reign as holder of IceDancer. The first duel between the two would amount to a staggering 12 round slugfest with half the rounds teetering on sudden death. Gren ultimately claimed the victory with a well timed jab. The second duel was a quicker affair yet just as evenly contested. Gren lead by a point for most of the duel before it too went to sudden death, where Gren sealed the deal with his stalwart defense. Gren won the night with two wins, 5-4 in 12 and 5-4 in 7 respectively earning his first defense.
With the Opals newly reformed and the Simon family's well documented obsession with the gems, it perhaps wasn't surprising that both Matt and Koy issued challenge within minutes of each other. Matt chose to challenge for IceDancer, the Opal with which he'd set longest-reign and consecutive defense records in the past. Although Hope won the first duel in a much easier fashion than the score suggests (5-3 in 8), she found Matt taking a lead she couldn't come back from in the second (5-3 in 7). Hope jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the final duel but couldn't secure the final point (5-4 in 10) leaving Matt to reclaim IceDancer!
Once Eden Parker won Diamond Quest XCVIII in mid July, Hope was free to come after IceDancer again, and she did, taking Dizzy down in short order with 5-3 in 11 and 5-3 in 9 victories. With the loss, Dizzy fell one day short of Jin's reign-length and settles into 3rd place for longest single IceDancer reign at 586 days.
Citing personal reasons for doing so, Koyliak VanDuran-Simon challenged Hope for the blue opal. Though it took all 3 duels (Hope 5-2 in 7; Koy 5-4 in 9; Hope 5-2 in 8), Hope notched another defense and kept hold of IceDancer!
Dizzy fought hard to claim IceDancer, losing the first bout (5-4 in 13). She came on strong in the second with a dominating performance (5-1 in 5). She had trouble with Jin Chae in the final bout, by the sixth round they were tied at 3, but Dizzy took the next two rounds to win the opal, (5-3 in 8).
Looking for a workout, Hope Naharis challenged Diz for IceDancer on April 3rd and the match was scheduled for the 13th. On April 12th, though, Hope won Diamond Quest XCVII (her third career Diamond title) and the challenge to Dizzy did not proceed.
In a double Simon on Chae challenge night (KC also defending ShadoWeaver from Matt), Jenny dominated Koy and defended the opal in 2 bouts, 5-2 and 5-3.
IceDancer and FireStar became prizes in the Ice & Fire Spectacular tournament. Apple took first place in the duel points portion of the contest and selected the blue rock.
Lilly, recipient of a challenge grant for winning the "Tournament of Challengers", challenged and defeated Melanie to claim the Blue Opal. (6-5 in 11, 3-5 in 8, and 5-3 in 11)
Melanie offered a challenged to Nayun, if Nayun was willing to waive grace. Nayun waived grace, and the two duelers fought the same evening. Melanie walked away with the opal after two straight wins. (5-3 in 8, 5-4 in 8)
After being abandoned by Harris D'Artainian, this Opal was put up as a prize in the 2008 Tag Team Tournament. Erasmus emerged victorious to claim this Opal as his own.
Anubis Karos offered an open challenge to anyone interested in trying to take IceDancer from him. Grayson MacLeod stepped forward as the first challenger and succeeded in defeating Anubis (5-3 in 11, and 5-4 in 10) to become the new holder of IceDancer.
Gork holds an "open challenge night" and invites anyone eligible to challenge for Icedancer. Dizzy Flores is the first to take up the challenge - and the last. She wins in three duels.
Grayson MacLeod immediately challenged Gork on the grounds that the opal holder hit an unarmed lady. However, he would fail to champion this cause and lose to Gork in three duels.
Harris instituted an open challenge night, where any eligible emerald could come and take a crack at his title. Three tried tried before one finally succeeded. Xerzes Maureen was the first.
Tareth issued a challenge to all the emeralds to come and try to take his opal. He wouldn't be taking advantage of the 30 day grace period between challenges. He defended it sucessfully against three emeralds before someone finally beat him; First up was Magnus Highborn
Once more there was a quest for the infamous opal after Bane left the rank to become the diamond. This time the soldier Dizzy laid claim to it, also going undefeated.
Once the opal had been recovered, very few sought the tainted reputation that came with it. Bane claimed it in an opal quest, going undefeated in hopes of once more bringing honor to the title of the blue opal holder.
IceDancer
