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 MoonBeryl and the combatants to have carried it.
Minor Power
Levitation - The user can levitate small objects. Couches and tables are not small objects
but glasses, coins, etc., are. The user will be able to use this power to
bring items to them instead of having to go over and get what they want.
Major Power
Feathertouch - The user of Moonberyl's power has the ability to "feathertouch."
In essence, things that normally weigh a lot (like the resident orc) will
seem rather light. Flipping people becomes much easier as does the ability
to pick them up without great exertion. However, if the user loses concentration,
they may cause themselves to fall or end up off balance, as things will
seem their normal weight once again.
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.
Perhaps the most cunning of the Opals, MoonBeryl tempts holders into using its
powers with honeyed words. The yellow Opal offers its holders more than just the
ability to manipulate wind and air. Holders can transcend the present and navigate
the wonders of time itself...but is what they’re seeing what truly has happened/will
happen, or is the yellow Opal deceiving them? Delve into the timestream too often
and even the most mentally disciplined holder might find themselves adrift, unable
to return to the here and now.
Jake challenged Salvador for MoonBeryl stating it was nothing personal, but a recent nudge spurred him into action for it. Sal accepted despite not knowing who Jake was at the time and the two agreed to settle it in the ring. The first match pitted an unproven challenger against the Opal and opened with a foreshadowing point in favor of the challenger. Despite what they didn't yet know- Salvador would only allow this solitary point scoring five consecutive unanswered points to follow the opening round and secure match one. When they proceeded on the tides would begin to shift. The puzzle that was Jake began to change from an aggressive barrage to a slower pace. He struck when the opening was there and relied on few but well timed defenses to gain a lead over Salvador. Salvador managed to get over halfway to the finish line but was unable to close the gap that developed by the fourth round. Jake took the second match and forced a third and final. This match would prove to be the other end of the spectrum from how the night began. Opening strong, Jake scored five points in five rounds letting only a trade get Salvador on the board in a stark departure from how the first fight had gone. In three matches scored 1-5 in 6, 5-3 in 8 and 5-1 in 5 Jake defeated Salvador to claim his first opal, MoonBeryl.
When Matt Simon advanced to Diamond, the yellow Opal was left without a holder. Fighters were invited to test their skill over two weeks in the Quest for Moonberyl, wherein the duelist with the most points amassed earned Moonberyl as their prize. Surpassing his strongest competition in Hailey Winters by 17 points, Salvador topped the chart at 144 points and took home Moonberyl.
“Fight me old man.” Fighting words heard in the Outback by one Jaycy Ashleana! Matt Simon gladly obliged, and upped the stakes by challenging for Moonberyl. On the one-year anniversary of Jaycy’s reign they met up to square up. Matt proved he’s still spry and came out swinging, achieving a shut-out in six rounds. He kept on keeping on, but at 0-2, Jaycy said no, no, no! Sudden death was forced into overtime, and it was Jaycy who snatched the win. After that doozy they were both moving a little slower. Jaycy picked up two points with a straight punch and a trade in rounds three and five, but Matt’s eyes were on the prize! In three bouts he left the Outback with Moonberyl in hand: 5-0 in 6, 5-6 in 12, and 5-2 in 7.
Jaycy wrote up her challenge to the current holder of MoonBeryl, Droet, citing no particular reason for her "sudden" challenge. The two agreed to meet up and the challenge soon went underway. The first match had the two fighters taking to the Wheel. Suspended above in the Outback the defender was the first to strike with a kick. It took a trade for the challenger to get on the board before the rhythm of the fight would find its pattern. Droet found leads and Jaycy would tie them up before Jaycy got her first lead of the night finding match point. Droet swiftly tied it up for Sudden Death before Jaycy pushed through Droet's defense to secure the first match 5-4 in 9. The second bout would take place in The Boiler where Jaycy continued the pace. Starting with a lead she didn't turn back even though she surrendered two hits to the defender. With two bouts of 5-4 in 9 and 5-2 in 6 Jaycy successfully won MoonBeryl and achieved Duel of Fists all Title Holder.
Expressing a curiosity in the Opals, Angel challenged Jaycy for MoonBeryl. The two agreed to meet on the evening of the 9th and sought to getting violent with one another. Jaycy was hot out the gates and scored a 3-0 lead in the first three rounds. The fourth saw Angel claiming his first and establishing a point on the board though he would prove to be unable to stop the steamroll that Jaycy was bringing. A brief respite in the action followed as both fighters caught their breath and Jaycy pivoted to a more defensive role securing her final two points in the first match. The second match would reinforce the force that is Jaycy in mirrored scoreline in one less round. In an eerie fashion, Jaycy scored 3 consecutive points in the first three rounds before Angel once again abruptly put a stop to the violence getting a foothold in the fourth. That too would be the last point he scored in the bout, and unfortunately for him the match, as Jaycy took the last two points unopposed. In two fast and furious fights scored 5-1 in 7 and 5-1 in 6, Jaycy defended MoonBeryl.
Nine fighters entered the Outback's Fall All-Ranks Tournament, but only one could leave with MoonBeryl! In a competitive field, Droet remained undefeated until he met ranger Gren for a second time in the finals. After a close loss, Droet punched his way to victory in the rematch and claimed the Yellow Opal as his choice of prize.
Once Gatito knew that Eregor had achieved what he wanted from the Yellow Opal, he challenged again to win it back! While Eregor, Gatito, and caller Karma were the stars of the show, the delicious catering that featured bruschetta and tiramisu eclairs was a close runner-up. In two neck-and-neck duels, Gatito bested Eregor and resumed his reign as MoonBeryl's holder!
Undeterred by the result of his previous challenge, Eregor elected to come after Gatito again. As happened with their prior challenge match, this one lasted three duels, two of which ended after SUDDEN DEATH situations. Eregor claimed victory in the first duel, winning 6-5 in 13 rounds (and the score was tied 4 of those final 6 rounds). Gatito found easier sailing in the second duel, and after falling behind to Eregor in the sixth, scored 4 unanswered points to win 5-2 in 10 rounds. The third and final match went 8 rounds, with Gatito grabbing a 4-2 lead after 5. Eregor tied things up in the seventh and scored his third unanswered point in the eighth to narrowly beat Gatito and finally take hold of the yellow opal!
Ten months since he'd last held this Opal, Matt (politely) sought to wrest it from Eregor. The pair met in the Outback in a challenge officiated by Dris, and started things off in the weeds - or the Fern, anyway! A well-timed fakeout in the first match gave Matt the win and a reprieve from the foliage, but Eregor took the next two bouts in close matches and continued his reign.
Dreams of Summer drew Gatito to Duel of Fists goliath Matt Simon in a quest for his Opal, MoonBeryl. The two fighters met in the Outback and took to one of the lesser favored rings in the Boiler to start the night's action. The challenger opened it up with some aggression to claim the first point of the night soon followed by Matt claiming one back. This trend would continue with the lead alternating between Gatito and stalemated until Matt took his first lead in the seventh round. At match point it seemed likely that experience would trump the first match but Gatito refused to say die. Equalizing and forcing double sudden death he eventually claimed the first of two bouts with a decisive kick. The second bout put the two vastly opposing styles of the fighters at odds; unbridled aggression from a young hungry challenger and technique from a vested veteran. In a grueling nine round affair there was merely one round without a change in the score in either direction. There were seven different changes in who led the duel between the two but ultimately it was Gatito who would come out on top in a relentless scrappy fight two. In two close duels, 6-5 in 10 and 5-4 in 9 Gatito would claim MoonBeryl and be crowned Opal.
Gatito would see his first challenger in the form of one Eregor. Stating that he wished to see if he could claim a title in each sport, Eregor would proceed to press challenge for the yellow Opal, MoonBeryl. Armed with kindness, Gatito accepted Eregor's challenge and wished him luck as the two would set to face off. So they did, on the night of the 23rd the two would turn out the second challenge of the new year with a match just as exhilarating as the one that had come before them. The first several rounds saw Gatito establishing himself a steady lead of two points. Both fighters seemed to be feeling out the other's approach and not before long Eregor would prove himself a worthy challenge by upending the state of the duel and claiming his first lead over halfway through the bout. A trade of punches culminated in match point before Gatito would press the matter in sudden death and would punch it home with a statement jab. The middle match would prove to be much less to script. The first round would open with an exchange of punches before Eregor claimed himself a nigh-immaculate match point at 4-1. Gatito managed to safe a little more face by scoring another point back but it would prove fruitless as Eregor closed it out two rounds later having only surrendered two points in the bout. The third and final match would prove to define the entire challenge in a nutshell. From the first round to the last, it would be nothing short of an utter domination. One round off a perfect score, Gatito recoiled and retorted his previous loss with a bone-crushing 5-0 display. In three bouts scored 5-4 in 12, 2-5 in 9 and 5-0 in 6, Gatito earned a stripe for his first title defense, securing his ownership of MoonBeryl.
Immortal Matt Simon threw down the gauntlet to Salvador stating nothing other than it was time he tried to reclaim the opal MoonBeryl. Salvador, sometimes a man of few words, retorted with what took you so long, and then the rest became history. On the eve of the IceDancer challenge between Koyliak and Karma, these two made it an event with challenge for MoonBeryl being the nailbiter counterpart to IceDancer's affair. Both duels were fiercely contested between the challenger and incumbent and eerily enough both of them ended with identical scores and rounds respectively. With a matching win tally on the night of 5-4 in 8 and 5-4 in 8, Matt secured MoonBeryl for the 5th time in his career.
As the recipient of the Spring Cycle Badass Grant, Ebon Ilnaren came forward to challenge Matt for MoonBeryl. Interestingly, he referred to Matt as Young, which raises many implications about Ebon's own age. The two agreed to meet and hash things out as to who would carry on the tradition of MoonBeryl. Beginning with a forward approach, Ebon swung out and connected to start the challenge in his favor. The two then tangled low in a two-way score, giving Ebon a steady lead. The following rounds showed us how Ebon got his opportunity to begin with, showing off his impressive dexterity in a wild spinkick. Unfortunately it did not connect, but he managed to escape unscathed for that round. His aggression did not let up as he punched once more only this time Matt was aptly prepared with a waiting block. Continuing the cycle the two collided once more in a trade of chops bringing the score evenly at 3-3. Ebon followed up with an evasive maneuver but fell prey to Matt's feint. Securing match point it seemed as though Matt would secure the first victory on the night. Matt moved for what looked like a spinning backfist but Ebon reversed the tide with a feint of his own forcing sudden death. After a grueling nine round affair Ebon braced once more to take the first match. The night would not prove to be a short one as the second match started and Matt grasped a two round lead immediately firing off a jab and landing a follow up kick to spring ahead early. To prove how little parity there was on the night, Ebon fired back with a jab and a kick of his own to score two consecutive points, tying the two yet again. A checked kick earned Matt his next lead as he outwitted a moving Ebon. The nerves that may had led to a volatile first fight seemed to be settling now as the two spent the next several rounds patiently probing each other's stances, finding no real gain or loss between them. Another trade of vicious blows brought Matt back to familiar territory at match point. Ebon's style of relentless aggression found him equalizing once more as he forced sudden death yet again. This would prove to be a pivotal round on the night. The weight of his first Opal hanging overhead may have caused Ebon to go a little gunshy, or maybe it was just the right choice at the wrong time, but Matt came out ahead in the final round as Ebon pulled his punch in the tenth. Experience would prove to be the decider in the final match of the evening. The two opened with an exchange of punches in the opening round and there was no looking back. The copious amounts of challenges Matt has had in his career lent themselves now as he did not look back firing off consecutive scoring rounds ending the last match in just six rounds. With scores of 4-5 in 9, 5-4 in 10 and 5-1 in 6, Matt defends MoonBeryl.
On the night of the first Duel of Fists All Ranks Tournament, fifteen fighters came out to compete for the coveted MoonBeryl Opal as well as the new Fistmelda's Tusk. Of these fifteen only one fighter came out on top dropping only a single duel on the night. Boasting a record of 5-1 on the night including a nailbiter sudden death finish in the grand finals, Salvador chose MoonBeryl as his prize, claiming his first Opal.
Salvador's first challenge came by the means of Jaycy with the intent to secure one of the remaining last two Opals she needs for All Titles in DoF. The first bout started out with both fighters earning modest scores. Jaycy took the first lead but soon found herself on the receiving end of Salvador's brutality in the ring. After securing just two points for herself, Salvador launched his counter and struck Jaycy with consecutive attacks to claim the first bout. Much like the first, Jaycy opened up with a lead, only to find herself caught in limbo with Salvador. In a different pace the fighters measured one another with various defenses. This cold war eventually came to a close however as Salvador yet again pulled away to solidify his defense with a well timed uppercut. The defense came with identical scores, 5-2 in 7 and 5-2 in 10, earning Salvador his first Opal defense.
After a first round bye in the Winds of Winter Tournament, Michelle (recently dubbed the OverTentacle by some, given she was also Overlord and had undergone some physical changes in recent days), scored a 5-0 shutout in the second round against Tass and then came back from a 4+-3+ deficit to defeat Matt Simon in the finals and take hold of MoonBeryl.
With the Opals newly reformed and the Simon family's well documented obsession with the gems, it perhaps wasn't surprising that both Koy and Matt issued challenge within minutes of each other. Koy chose to challenge for MoonBeryl and she found Michelle Montoya well-prepared for the match. Michelle defended the yellow Opal in 2 straight matches that lasted a total of 14 rounds (5-3 in 9; 5-1 in 5) and one half of the double-Simon bid was thus foiled!
In a reciprocal challenge, Jewell challenged Penny for her Outback title. The challenge itself lasted three duels, with Jewell taking the first 5-3 in 6 rounds after building a 3-0 lead. She built a 3-1 lead in the second duel but Penny came back to win 5-3 in 8 before taking a 3-1 lead of her own in the final duel on her way to a 5-2 in 6 victory to defend her status as the yellow opal's holder!
Diamond Quest 92 saw Matt taking the runner up position. Emerging from a field of six, he lost the sudden death bout to Lilith, who had defeated him earlier in the evening. MoonBeryl which had sat vacant for fifty five days fell back into Matt's hands.
Claire was the first to challenge Matt, despite his holding the yellow rock for more than a year. She took him down in straight sets, 5-2 in 6 and 5-4 in 8.
Matt Simon proved too much for Sai to handle and took the opal in three bouts (5-4, 2-5, 5-3) to secure his gods-only-know-how-many'th opal challenge win.
Saieniel didn't waste any time in trying again and in their second dance Hope wasn't quiet up to the task. This one went to the challenger in two bouts; 5-4 and 5-3.
Saieniel challenged Hope, apparently at the behest of Vanalla Dawnblade. Hope got the best of her in three bouts; 5-3, 1-5 and a brutal 6-5 finish to keep the rock.
Koyliak challenged at the turn of the new year as a way of meeting the young opal. Blue once again dropped the first bout (5-2) but came through in the two to follow; 5-1 and 5-4.
Rena Cronin took advantage of Blue's grace waiving and came with the quick challenge. Blue gained his 3rd defense and this time in straight sets; 5-2 and 5-3.
Gren "Brootman" Blockman challenged and defeated Melanie in three matches, winning the first and third (5-1 in 7, 4-5 in 8, 5-4 in 9), to claim the Opal.
Rachael Douglas teamed up with Shadowlord for a joint MoonBeryl & Panther's Claw Tag-Team tourney. Emerging victorious at the end of the night, Rachael claimed the opal as her prize.
A special Tag Team Tournament is held as an Opal tournament. The winning team of two will receive the vacant Opals - PathFinder and MoonBeryl. The unlikely team of Tareth Thorn and Cassius Maxim win the tournament with a 4-0 record. Tareth claims MoonBeryl.
At the end of DQ XXV, the Outback staff decided that the three highest finishers of the Diamond Quest should recieve rights to the vacant opal titles. MoonBeryl had been vacant since Dustin won the DQ a cycle previous, so Casey lay claim to the title by finishing sixth.
After the opal quest was over, Dexter offered a challenge to Tarl, who had fought so keenly for the gem. Accepting, Tarl handily defeated him twice, so Dexter forfietted the opal to his worthy opponent. Tarl proved himself able to defend the title many times over.
When Jeff won the DQ, his opal went vacant. Dexter was there to pick it up in the ensuing opal quest, narrowly defeating Tarl Cabot 5-4 in 14 rounds for the title.
MoonBeryl
