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 ShadoWeaver and the combatants to have carried it.
Minor Power
Create Darkness - The holder of this Opal can create a globe of darkness about the
size of a basketball, or use several smaller forms of darkness that
would add up to roughly that amount. For example: The Opal can use
ShadoWeaver's minor power to blind an opponent for a limited time
(roughly a minute to 30 seconds; the larger the amount used the less
time you have). It can also be used to hide various items from view.
Major Power
Confuse - Allows the dueler the ability to create several "Shadow"
forms of themselves that can potentially confuse and misdirect their
opponent. The use of this power is incredibly draining and should be
used with caution as it requires a great deal of the Opal's concentration
to not only perfect and land the move that will score, but to control the
various shadow forms that are seeking to confuse the opponent as well.
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.
Beyond tricks of light and shadow, ShadoWeaver excels in creating beguiling
glamours as well as deceiving the senses and the mind – even that of its holder.
The black Opal enables its holders to blend in with the phantoms it creates,
blurring the line between illusion and reality. Its holder is capable of smooth
deception and remarkable guile through speech or magical illusions, often weaving
them together. Those who dig too deep into ShadoWeaver's abilities or give up too
much of themselves may find their very soul forever corrupted by its essence.
True to her word, Gillette Brooke came back to challenge Myth a second time. Myth was confident in his ability to defend again, Gillette was determined to win her first Opal, and so the two clashed to settle the score by the week’s end. Match one was a close affair, where neither fighter achieved more than one point over the other. Gillette was first on the board, but Myth kept pace, driving the points up after each of the four tied rounds in nine total, including a nail-biter Sudden Death! Gillette found her second lead in the final round, leaping out of Myth’s clutches and securing the first win. Not to be outdone, Myth pulled ahead in the second, finding first blood and breezing past their round 2 tie to secure a two-point lead at 1-3. Gillette avoided his trickery to eat into his lead, but Myth’s direct follow ups were sufficient to soundly win him the second match, forcing a third. Gillette earned her first two unanswered points defensively, then Myth tied it up in as many rounds. Though the fighters traded their grip on the lead over the bulk of the bout, it was Gillette who ultimately cinched the victory. In an inversion of their first series of fights, Gillette won ShadoWeaver. 5-4 in 9, 3-5 in 8, 5-3 in 10
Left vacant when Stitch ascended to Diamond, ShadoWeaver became the coveted prize of the Summer All Ranks Tournament. Of 11 fighters in a double elimination format rife with shadowy interference from the opal, Myth rose from the consolation bracket to defeat the man who put him there, Matt Simon, in two consecutive duels to take ShadoWeaver home.
Gillette Brooke’s no-frills challenge came as Myth’s first since winning the Opal, and less than a week later they squared up in the Outback to determine who would hold ShadoWeaver by the night’s end. Myth came in hot, earning two points before a classic punchinnaface put Gillette on the board in a trade that favored the defender. Gillette was able to land one more point, but Myth denied her the chance to stage a comeback with a bit of deception that secured his decisive victory. Gillette found her footing in the second, maintaining the lead throughout despite Myth’s well-timed hook and trickery befitting the Opal that hung in the balance. With a two point lead, Gillette claimed the second match and forced the tie breaker. Her momentum held well into the third fight in a reversal of the first, but the trade that earned Myth his first point heralded a different outcome. With Gillette one point away from ending his reign, Myth fought his way back up the ladder in five high-stakes rounds to complete the comeback, notching his first defense of ShadoWeaver in three fights. 5-2 in 6, 3-5 in 10, 5-4 in 11.
More than six months had passed before Stitch came looking for the Opal Kruger “The Anvil” Allen won from him. Stitch declared a rematch on the back of a receipt, to which Kruger answered with his number “for a good time”. On the night they met to settle the fate of ShadoWeaver, Stitch took the first two points of the first match with some fancy footwork before Kruger interrupted his groove with two consecutive points—one a punch to the nose—bringing them to a tie by the fourth round. Stitch found another two-point lead, but the Anvil cleaned his clock with an uppercut when he tried to get fancy. The Jackal claimed the first match by taking Kruger’s leg out from under him while he angled for a flashy spin kick. In a repeat of the first, Stitch scored the first two points before Kruger made it on the board with a conversion! He closed the difference with a sweep that had them tied two-all again. The scores inched up, tying a second time at 3-all, but Stitch wasn’t keen to get drop kicked, and got out of dodge, keeping out of the way of the following grapple with a low kick that brought him to victory. In two matches, Stitch was reunited with ShadoWeaver, 5-3 in 8 and 5-3 in 10.
Shortly after ShadoWeaver changed hands, Mira Burke resurfaced with eyes for the Opal the Jackal had previously won and defended from her. She was none too pleased when he reminded her of that, citing ominously that he had unfinished business with ShadoWeaver. Like their previous bouts over the black stone, the challenge went to three matches and came right down to the wire. The first saw Stitch pull out of a round 3 tie to gain a two-point lead that Mira narrowed to 2-3, but wouldn’t be able to catch up to. At 4-2, they traded blows that ended the first. The second bout was a see-saw affair, with neither fighter gaining more than a single point lead before they were tied again, all the way to sudden death. Stitch went on offense, but Mira was keen to stay out of the way, forcing a third match with a victory. Propelled by her win, Mira charged ahead with three unanswered points in three rounds, the largest lead she’d ever accomplished against Stitch. By the eighth round, he clawed his way into the lead only to be matched at sudden death. In a mirror of the last match, it was Stitch who evaded Mira’s final punch, and secured his first defense of his second reign. 5-3 in 9, 4-5 in 11, 5-4 in 11.
In what can only be described as an intoxicated display, Kruger challenged Stitch for ShadoWeaver. There are other details around that but you can read them for yourself. On the night of the challenge there were few formalities offered as they squared up and went at it. What evolved into a contentious challenge started with the Opal holder securing two straight shots to open the match. The challenger showed some of his fighting spirit and rallied back to even up the score before a trade set them at three even. Stitch postured and kicked past an uppercut for match point before Kruger retorted with a sweep. At sudden death it was Stitch who found the fifth point with a flip to claim the first. The second match was the most vigorous of the night and began much like the first. Stitch started strong with a lead before Kruger equalized. The lead fluctuated with Kruger claiming a one point lead before having it tied up, only to occur again leading to sudden death for the second time in the challenge. Unperturbed, both fighters kept on the aggression going not only to a five point tie but then six all. In the thirteenth round Kruger broke free of the third sudden death to claim what would prove to be a pivotal swing in the challenge with a staggering 7 point victory. The third and final match would prove to be a swift affair in comparison with Kruger securing a victory in 5 rounds scoring in each. In three bouts scored 4-5 in 10, 7-6 in 13 and 5-2 in 5 Kruger was victorious in his challenge for ShadoWeaver.
By decree of vandalization on the Outback cork Stitch challenged Mira via spray paint for the rights to claim ShadoWeaver. There seemed to be no ill will between the two heading into the match and the two met on the next Saturday night to settle the affair. The first match saw the challenger and Mira open evenly. Not before long Stitch acquired a steady lead at one point going up 3-1 and then finding match point at 4-2. Mira managed another point and kept the door open to a comeback before Stitch chopped his way to the first match victory. The second match both fighters were incredibly matched tied at 3 points a piece into the 4th round. There Mira caught herself a break away point claiming match point before Stitch fought back bringing it to Sudden Death. Similar to the first match the challenger sought to end this with a Chop but Mira went low to force a third and culminating fight. The third match showed a metered level of parity that the first two had established. Each round saw Mira pull ahead by one before Stitch pulled it back in. The last of the three bouts went the longest in 9 rounds and saw them fighting neck and neck before Stitch eventually claimed victory with a sweep beneath Mira's guard. In three bouts, 5-3 in 8, 5-4 in 7 and 5-4 in 9 Stitch walked away with ShadoWeaver.
In a sweeping revenge tour Mira aimed for a double header in one night taking on Jesse for Dockside and Stitch for ShadoWeaver. An ambitious feat, she succeeded in the former but on the night she came looking for her past opal she was met with a memorable challenge that resembled their first. Reminiscent of the first time these two met for the opal, they were evenly matched out the gate each up 3 a piece by the 5th round. This is where Mira found some leeway and scored with a sweep followed by a Chop to secure her largest point gap win against Stitch in four cumulative fights. The second match would follow suit with both fighters striking evenly up until the 4th round where Stitch found himself a lead with a jumpkick. There was some posturing where he led into a flip and they both collided low seeing the current holder force a 3rd match, a mirror image of the first time these two met. All of the history between these two would soon turn a page into uncharted territory. Ripping off four unanswered points Stitch carved his way to match point in 4 rounds threatening a perfect shutout to cap his first defense. Mira had other plans and scored two back unanswered starting what could potentially be a runback of the most extreme circumstances. Before she could get the gears spinning full steam Stitch caught her with a dodge and secured the final match. In three bouts scored, 5-3 in 7, 5-3 in 7 and 5-2 in 7, Stitch sealed his first opal defense.
Starting on the back of a takeout menu and (d)evolving into a pinned napkin, Droet challenged Stitch for ShadoWeaver under the pretenses of: I want to punch you in the face for a good reason. Stitch had no objections to this and the two met on the 15th to settle the matter. The first bout started with Stitch avoiding the initial strike from Droet. The next round saw the challenger getting even with a kick which would unfortunately be the last they would find in the bout. The next four rounds would see Stitch scoring consecutively before finalizing the first match with a jab, winning 5-1 in 6. The second match on the night would include more posturing between the two but would ultimately end in the same position. The match started with our fighters feeling each other's approach out with Stitch grabbing the first point and Droet swiftly answering in the following round. Paralleling the first match the second would see Stitch firing off another subsequent four points to a blistering finish. In two bouts scored 5-1 in 6 and 5-1 in 8 Stitch found his second defense of ShadoWeaver.
Expressing a desire to "dip my feet into fists challenges", Mira Burke elected to go after ShadoWeaver and challenge Scarlett for possession. Although Scarlett accepted the challenge, she was stripped of the black opal for inactivity prior to fighting Mira. The Duel of Fists staff approached Michelle Montoya, current holder of the Black Diamond, who agreed to stand in for Scarlett and defend the title. Undaunted by the prospect of facing the sport's top titleholder, Mira dispatched Michelle easily in the first duel (5-1 in 6 rounds) and followed that with another quick victory (5-2 in 7 rounds) to win her first DoF title!
Mira hadn't held the Opal for long before receiving her first challenge as Haru Jeong wanted to take the black opal for his very own. Unfortunately, on March 24th, Haru became inactive in the sport and his challenge was voided.
As the apparent result of a conversation between Karma and Scarlett, Scarlett announced her challenge for ShadoWeaver. The two agreed to meet to settle the matter but on the fated night an accident prevented Scarlett's appearance and such the benevolent Karma allowed a rescheduled bout to take place on the 22nd. This time they would both arrive and on the same page, got the fight underway. With an impressive display Scarlett would claim the first lead of the night with a powerful kick. Karma was able to retort with a flip in the following round and that would mark only half of her successes in the first fight as Scarlett bludgeoned her to an eventual scoreline of 5-2. The sequel began on the other foot with Karma claiming an early lead. She showed her prowess as she maintained her lead for 7 rounds in a row claiming match point with a 4-3 score. The idea of a third match was a very real possibility even as Scarlett pushed the bout to sudden death with a swift duck. The next couple of rounds showed the neck and neck tenacity shared between the two fighters as it went to double sudden-death before Scarlett powered through with a low kick to polish off a well-fought night. In two matches scored as 5-2 in 11 and 6-5 in 11 Scarlett succeeded in wrestling ShadoWeaver from Karma to claim her first opal victory.
First come first served; so it was the case with Karma's challenge for ShadoWeaver. Stating her intentions as wishing to "help" Salvador, Karma challenged for his opal and received what some might consider a curt response. The two scheduled it and proceeded with little to no ill will to get it done. The first match saw Karma demonstrating a tactical siege gaining the first two points. Salvador was the first to adapt and feinted the jab to get on the board before the two traded sweeps to burn the rope at both ends. After a minor lull in the action Karma claimed match point with an aggressive jab sending Salvador on his heels. The challenger's aggression proved to be dual sided as it looked like Salvador might find his hooks and start threatening a comeback with an evasion putting him at one point behind. Karma might be many things and cunning is among them; with a deceitful kick she secured the first match in 9 rounds. In an eerie repeat the second bout opened identically to the first with Karma dipping out of the way of Salvador's jab- causing momentum issues again. With the shoe on the other foot it was clever faux kicking out of Karma against Sal's defense that earned her her second unanswered two point lead of the night. Undeterred the opal answered back to tie the match back up. From here Karma rapidly doubled her lead once again to match point in consecutive rounds. It looked as though this might be a repeat of the first only this time Salvador threw caution to the wind. Maybe in an act of hubris, Karma was caught off guard by the unfettered aggression and was soon met with sudden death after a combo by Salvador. After three rounds of posturing and trades, our fighters were still gridlocked, until Karma took the edge with a final kick to claim the night. With two wins, 5-3 in 9 and 6-5 in 14, Karma became the new holder of ShadoWeaver.
Utilizing his Badass Grant Salvador Delahada came knocking for Mart's ShadoWeaver Opal. For seemingly no reason other than random selection Sal challenged and the two soon met to settle the affair. The opening bout saw Mart strike first. Both fighters took their time feeling one another out before Mart managed to secure himself match point with a 4-1 lead. With a trade to come, Mart finished the fight with a trade. Unfortunately for the Opal holder this would mark his only victory on the night. Salvador roared back in the second match scoring four unanswered points before Mart got his first, only to be swiftly disposed of within six rounds. The third bout opened similarly to the second with the challenger claiming the first lead. Even with Mart managing a trade and another point he was unable to maintain Salvador's pace; the challenger ultimately usurped the Opal on the night with scores of 2-5 in 11, 5-1 in 6 and 5-2 in 8.
As winner of the Outback's third All-Ranks Tournament, Mallory had an Opal Grant to give away and Mart was the beneficiary! Former Squire to Matt Simon over at Battlefield Park, Mart wanted to face off against Matt over in the Outback. Matt, who'd waited nearly two decades to get ahold of the black opal, wasn't likely to give it up easily and seemed poised for victory after a solid 5-2 win in the first challenge match. Mart pulled off a 5-3 win in the second match to tie things up and in the deciding duel, found himself on the right end of a 5-2 score to claim his first Opal! Post-challenge, undeterred by warnings from both Matt and Koy, Mart expressed an eagerness to explore ShadoWeaver's powers at the earliest opportunity.
Mart's first defense would signify a night of firsts for him and his challenger, Haru Jeong. The first match opened with Mart striking first and hard. The score wavered with our fighters even in stride in the second, fourth, seventh and an eventual sudden death in round 8. Mart was able to secure the first match shortly after and began the second with as much gusto as the first. Taking a quick lead, Mart looked to be in control of the second match before Haru managed to wrangle back the fight to a tie. This would be his last point on the night as Mart sprinted to his first defense with a match score on the night of 5-4 in 9 and 5-2 in 7.
Matt's challenge for ShadoWeaver would be only the latest of a winding path that brought him to face Jaycy. Jaycy defended the opal from Mart which started up her queue allowing Matt the first shot at her. The first duel began with a short lead gained by Matt. Jaycy tied the match up swiftly and kept Matt within striking range as long as she could before Matt began to snowball his advantages. Taking to the offense, Matt managed to secure the first match with an aerial kick. The second match would prove to be more of a grind than the first. Matt came out with a smothering approach preventing Jaycy from getting on the board for 7 straight rounds. Utilizing his footwork and relying very little on his fists, Matt managed to keep her to just two points in 11 rounds. In mirrored scores Matt won ShadoWeaver in two duels: 5-2 in 8 and 5-2 in 11. This would end his 16 year drought of the Opal.
Someone other than Matt Simon finally challenged Gren, and it was the recently deposed 100th Diamond who did so! Down 2-4 in the first duel, Jaycy came back to win! Down again in the 2nd, Jaycy tied things at 3 apiece before Gren rattled off two straight points to force a 3rd duel. The last fight was the first ever fought in the Outback's newest ring, The Boiler, and Jaycy won it 5-2 to take hold of the newly reformed black opal!
Utilizing her Heavy Hitter grant from the All Ranks Tournament, Karma challenged Jaycy for ShadoWeaver. The challenge would proceed under Slugfest rules which allowed for a special and volatile set of duels. The first duel saw Karma come out to a steady start mounting a 3-1 lead by the fifth round. With a pair of devastating strikes, a punch and a kick, Jaycy managed to swing the match back in her favor by the last round. The second match would take a different tune with the defender opening with a vicious kick. From there the two fighters aimed to exploit any openings with Karma finding her own opening for a brutal punch. Much like the first, Jaycy brought about an end to the challenge with her kicks signing off on her first defense with two victories, 5-4 in 8 and 5-3 in 6.
Jaycy's next challenge would come about from unusual but not unheard of circumstances. Mart Di'luna, Ruby at the time of the challenge, was granted an opal challenge grant from Hope in conjunction with Jaycy waiving her own grace. This would mark the first challenge in line for what would become a challenge queue for ShadoWeaver. The first match between Mart and Jaycy saw both of them come out swinging with a trade. Jaycy was quick to act accumulating a 3-1 lead. To the title holder's surprise and many of our own, Mart returned the favor by scoring 3 unanswered points bringing him to match point.Jaycy managed to tie it up for sudden death which lasted three rounds until she found a well placed kick to end it. The second match was a bit unlike the first; Mart came out swinging and with the exception of one round where the score was tied up at 3-3, he dominated the tune and pushed the challenge to its final match. The third matchup between these two fighters was the most contentious of the three. For 9 rounds Jaycy would establish a single point lead before Mart would equalize back. This remained the trend until the final round where Jaycy secured her second defense for ShadoWeaver. This challenge ran the distance in three duels: 6-5 in 11, 3-5 in 10 and 5-3 in 10.
Having not held ShadoWeaver in his dueling career, Gren Blockman aimed to put an end to KC's lengthy reign. The challenge was spirited with KC taking the first duel 5-2 in 7 rounds. Undaunted, Gren fought hard to even things up after the second duel which saw both fighters heavily rely on defense, a tactic which brought Gren to a 5-3 win after 8 rounds. The third and final duel also lasted 8 rounds, with Gren coming out on top of another 5-3 score to end KC's reign at 926 days - 2nd all time for ShadoWeaver (single reign) and 3rd all time for all opals combined (single reign)!
Matt was the first Outback dueler to challenge Gren for ShadoWeaver, citing that it had been a long time since he'd held the black opal. Even though High Priestess Tara wasn't present to support either dueler, Gren proved the better fighter on the night and after losing the first duel 4-5, he won the next two handily, 5-1 and 5-3.
After Gren seemed to become possessed by the black opal during the 99th Diamond Quest (among other strange opal behaviors transpiring that same night), Matt Simon challenged Gren a second time. Unlike their first match, Gren won this in two straight duels, 5-1 and 5-4.
Matt came calling while Koy went after KC's sister Jenny for IceDancer in a family feud challenge night. The Chaes came out on top and KC defended winning 2 out of 3 with all 3 going to sudden death. 5-4. 4-5. 6-5.
Addie wanted another shot, which went somewhat less well for her than the first. Koy racks up a second bout shutout in this series and ended it 5-0, 5-4.
The dueler recently called Clarice Queen (and now going by Hope) challenged Nayun for the black opal and successfully defeated her in a best of three (3-5 in 9, 5-4 in 10, and 5-3 in 9) to claim ShadoWeaver as her own.
The rapid-fire challenges continue! Five months, five new holders! Claire challenged and took ShadoWeaver away from Bane after 3 very closely foughts duels. (5-3, 3-5, 5-4).
Bane challenged Anubis barely before Anubis could blow the dust off his victory against Kalamere. Settled in two straight bouts (5-4 in 11 and 5-1 in 6), Bane became the new holder of ShadoWeaver.
Seirichi challenged and defeated Jake Thrash, in two straight duels (payback for her loss in the SlugFest event where Jake won it), to claim the Opal from her Beat Down teammate.
After Tass retired, the Opal was put up as a prize in a Slugfest tourney. Two duelists showed up for the event, and Jake defeated Seirichi in two straight duels (of a best of three) to claim the prize. This marks the 3rd Opal Jake has won via Slugfest tourney.
After alleging that the opal was talking to him again, Tass challenged and defeated Dizzy Flores, besting her two duels out of three, and ending her reign on the black opal.
Defended against Ellisa Morgan. Dizzy and Ellisa fought a long first duel, finally settled in Dizzy's favor with a score of 7-6 in 15 rounds, followed by a more solid 5-3 win leaving Dizzy still in control of the opal.
Though this Opal was put up as the second place prize for the 52nd Diamond Quest, it was awarded instead to third place finisher Koyliak VanDuran-Simon on the grounds that the official second place finisher already possessed an Opal of his own.
Vanion won ShadoWeaver by beating Jaycy in two out of three duels. The first duel went to Vanion, 5-3 in 11 rounds. The second went to Jaycy who won 5-1 in 9. And the third duel went to Vanion, 5-1 in 7.
Cas won ShadoWeaver by beating Rakeesh in two out of three duels. The first duel went to Rakeesh, 5-2 in 6 rounds. The second and third duels to Cas, 5-1 in 10 and 5-1 in 8.
At the end of DQ XXV, Tareth retired his claim on ShadoWeaver to take a leave from the Outback. With so many opals long vacant, the Outback staff decided that the three highest finishers of the Diamond Quest should recieve rights to the vacant opal titles. Matthew, taking fourth behind Dustin, Tareth and Daelin, claimed ShadoWeaver.
ShadoWeaver
