#who allowed Kayn to be second in command

[shurelyasreverie]

Soulmate au for Varus,Rhaast and Aatrox and kayn who they meet realize that their soulmate could help them recover to who they were and help with their problems (for the soulmate aus you could come up with a plot) to become better people and they never murdered but be respectful to the reader and her personality because she has seen enough death and she is fed up with it and don't want to see it as she lives and she has a rich personality

Since the request is really plot heavy and due to new rules I just did one darkin (I picked Varus since I'm a certified Varus simp lmao). A different soulmate au from the trademark arm writing on this blog, I wanted to explore a soulmate concept that could maybe work with Runeterra lore more~

Varus x Reader: Humanity (Soulmate AU)

How does one warm the cold heart of a darkin? You weren’t sure how, but with the blessing of multiple lives from the spirits above, you were going to keep trying until you succeed.

Word Count: 1293

Warning: Mentions of violence and death

You could always tell where Varus was through your hearing. The sound of silence that told you everything had been slain. Soon you would see the actual bodies that confirmed your thoughts. Again, you continued walking through the lands of Runeterra, until you came across the man you had been searching for.

His back was to you, but his audible growl signalled he knew you were there. It had become a sixth sense of sorts for the two of you, to always know when you were in each other's presence. His bow was already in hand but he didn't turn to face you.

“I told you to leave me alone,” he seethed.

“And you should know by now that I can't even if I wanted to.”

In truth, your mortal life should have ended centuries, if not millennia, ago. But when you were sent to the spirit realm, you were turned away. Celestial beings from the realm beyond stated your duty was not over, even though at that time you were unaware you even had one. They brought you back to the material world, telling you that you must remember this one command.

“Only you can stop the corrupted archer.”

With no other rules to go on, you wandered the land. You caught wind of the ancient legend of the darkin and the Void war, stories that were only passed down by word of mouth and likely distorted by time. Yet that was the only lead you had, you travelled to Ionia after what was likely lifetimes to find the embodiment of the corrupted bow and arrow.

The first time you met him, he instantly slayed you, only giving you the time to catch a glimpse of his face before you were sent back to the spirit realm. Thankfully when you found him in your next lifetime, he was more patient, cautiously cooperating and demanding who you are. Varus likely knew a lot more about you than you did of him, but you knew enough. Enough to know just how important it was to stop him before he ruined all of Runeterra.

In truth, your methods were unorthodox. You were given the command to stop Varus, but how? No experience in fighting would compare to his thousands of years of violence and his sheer ruthlessness. It was only until one quiet night, he did not sleep. Instead, he sat with his eyes alternating between his bow and his glowing chest. His hand of corrupted darkin flesh was a fist over where his heart would be. His eyebrows were furrowed, his face had softened into one of sorrow. Then, you didn't see a darkin, you saw a man. A man conflicted with inner turmoil.

When Varus noticed you were also awake, his sadness was replaced with his typical anger and he scowled at you to leave if you weren't going to sleep. You obeyed, with a plan in mind.

You were going to stop him with his own humanity. Follow him to the edges of Runeterra, acting as the angel on his shoulder as he attempts to devastate the land.

“You are nothing but a hindrance,” he snapped as he picked up his pace, walking away from you. You simply walked in stride. “But I suppose that's your intention...”

“You didn't even protect me the last time I died,” you complained and Varus' scowl deepened at your mocking tone.

“It's not my problem if you get caught in the crossfire,” he replied. “How many times have you died that way?”

You looked away, chuckling sheepishly, stopping when a thought struck you. “It didn't take long for me to find you this time. I would've only died on the other side of that valley. Were you perhaps waiting for me?”

Varus stiffened, his grip on his bow tightening. “Don't test my patience more than you already do.”

“And just sit back as you destroy this land? Kill all I hold dear?” You argued, opting for the confrontation route. Varus blinked, seemingly surprised at your response but you could see his muscles going taut as he tried to restrain his fury.

“You're lucky I even allow you near me and you still push your luck.”

“I'm just curious,” you shrugged as you took a step closer to him. “I want to know how I'm getting away with this. Maybe you aren't the big, bad darkin you want me to believe.”

“You've seen with your own eyes the villages I've devastated,” he replied, a sadistic smirk playing on his lips.

“But is that what you want to truly do?” you asked. “It's been taking a toll on you, I can tell.”

“Do not question me and don't you dare feign worry,” Varus hissed, the smirk gone just as soon as it appeared. “I know your purpose, don't think you can fool me.”

“Then why do you put up with me? Why not try and disappear off the face of Runeterra where I can never find you?”

When you finished speaking, Varus was trembling. Not from fear, but from desperately restraining his anger. A predator cornered, wanting to reassert dominance and attack the supposed prey. Standing right in front of him, you maintained eye contact. His next words were quiet and low but confident. The quiet before the storm.

“I could just kill you right here and now.”

You responded with the same quiet strength, voice barely above a whisper.

“Do it then.”

Varus didn't need to be told twice. In a fit of rage he lunged forward, abandoning his infamous bow. An arm went around your back, holding you in place as a blood red arrow formed in his hand, the tip pointing straight at your heart and digging into the fabric of your clothes. Your face betrayed you for a second, clearly alarmed, the innate fear of death overwhelming you before you hardened your expression again. You narrows your eyes, challenging the darkin silently as he stared at your face. His grip on the arrow tightened, he pressed the arrow further, just for you to feel discomfort but you weren't harmed just yet.

Although you've infuriated Varus almost nonstop, as tempted as he was to kill you to just get rid of one nuisance in his life, a brief respite, there was the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that reminded him it wasn't going to work. This wasn't the first time you challenged him to prove his hatred of you, and he remembered the first time he took the bait, driving an arrow into your heart. He hated the silence that ensued afterwards. He hated the sudden pain in his chest when you fell.

He hated how he sobbed over your limp body.

You were confident. Scarily so. Perhaps it was because you noticed how he hesitated before threatening you with empty words. So vulnerable in his arms yet your eyes held a daunting fire that seemed to slowly warm his cold, aching soul. His one weakness that he couldn't get rid of, he simultaneously wanted you to stay and disappear. His face scrunched for a moment as he growled to himself, pulling you back up to your feet.

“You may accompany me,” he said gruffly, walking away.

You blinked, stunned for a moment before hurriedly catching up with him, a grin growing on your face. “What's this, are we finally getting along?”

Varus didn't reply, only sending a wary look your way. It was soft yet concerned. For you, for him or for the future, you didn't know. All you knew was that it was a look that not a darkin would hold, but a human.

[tigerkirby215]

5e LeBlanc, the Deceiver build (League of Legends)

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

Fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose fuck the Rose...

My Rell main side is screaming “Fuck the Rose” on repeat but someone on r/WhatWouldYouBuild made a thread about LeBlanc and I’m actually pretty proud of the response I gave them. It was a fun build to theorycraft and I want to share my work, even if I have no real interest in LeBlanc as a champion. Though granted while I was writing this build LeBlanc was revealed in Legends of Runeterra, which is interesting in its own right.

But maybe I’m lying to you? Maybe I’m actually a Mastery 7 LeBlanc one-trick who’s going to min-max the shit out of this build? I mean probably not, as I have stated several times that I main both Kayn and Yuumi. But I might be?

GOALS

It's all smoke and mirrors - One midlaner is already one too many. Two midlaners? Now that’s just crazy talk!

Classic misdirection - How can you hit an enemy when you don’t even know where they are? If you’re everywhere at once you can be sure that no one will stop you.

Watch closely - If you pull back the curtain you can make all sorts of magic tricks. Sometimes you can even do them twice!

RACE

Want some innate magic to spy on people and be everywhere at once? Well a good man named Van Richten may have exactly what you need from the land of Ravenloft. There’s plenty of spooky UA going around and the Hexblood can do more than just parlor tricks! As a Hexblood you get a +2 to an ability score of your choice (increase your Charisma to manipulate people) and +1 to another ability score (Dexterity will help you dodge skill shots while wearing fine clothes.) You can also choose your size (you’re a Medium “human” duh) and learn a language of your choice. (Pick your fancy.)

As a Hexblood you get Darkvision of 60 feet and Fey Resilience so the charmer can’t be charmed. You also get both Hex and Disguise Self added to your spell list, and can cast each one of these spells once for free thanks to Hex Magic.

But of course what we’re really here for it the ability to give people a Magic Token to spy on them. As an action you can create a Magic Token (it says you have to take your teeth out but personally I’d reflavor it as giving them a black rose.) If another creature is holding the token you can use an action to send a telepathic message to the creature, as long as you’re on the same plane of existence and are within 10 miles of it. The message can contain up to twenty-five words. (So it’s basically Sending.)

In addition, while you are within 10 miles of the token, you can use an action to enter a trance for 1 minute, during which you can see and hear from the token as if you were located where it is. While you are using your senses at the token’s location, you are blinded and deafened in regard to your own surroundings. Afterward, the token is harmlessly destroyed. You can only make one token per long rest. It’s not clear if the old token disappears when you make a new one so discuss that with your DM.

IF HEXBLOOD ISN’T AN OPTION: A Changeling would also work well for LeBlanc, and give you more trickery and utility with the ability to Disguise Self at will. If all else fails a Variant Human with either the Eldritch Adept (take Mask of Many Faces as your Eldritch Invocation) or Fey Touched feat also works.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - To lie and deceive you need a face that anyone could trust. Perhaps many faces?

14; WISDOM - To know how to manipulate people you need to understand them first. Wouldn’t want anyone lying to you, now.

13; DEXTERITY - Your outfit isn’t exactly heavy armor. (But if you want you can wear Medium armor!)

12; INTELLIGENCE - You’re technically ancient. Knowing how to control a nation in secret takes some tactics.

10; CONSTITUTION - You’re a squishy mid-lane mage.

8; STRENGTH - You’re a squishy mid-lane mage.

Feel free to swap Wisdom and Constitution if you want more health but worse roleplay.

BACKGROUND

Always remember that no power is built without someone pulling the strings. The Courtier background from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide gives you proficiency in Persuasion but since we can get Insight from elsehwere take Deception proficiency instead. You also get proficiency with two languages to deceive anyone you please.

Your background feature Court Functionary makes it easy for your way to weave yourself into the system. The background flat out says “You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in the group are.” Which is pretty much perfect for LeBlanc.

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - FIGHTER 1

Here’s a shocker eh? Put simply Constitution saving throws are nice. So is proficiency in Insight (told you we’d be getting it elsewhere) and Acrobatics.

Fighters of course get a Fighting Style but believe it or not LeBlanc isn’t going to be swinging a sword around much, so grab Defense to be just a little sturdier. While your early levels may be weak you do at least have Second Wind for a bit of lane sustain.

LEVEL 2 - BARD 1

Time for the real meat and potatoes; masters of Charisma it’s time for Bard! Bards get proficiency in a skill of their choice at level 1 and you know what would probably be useful for a mage? Arcana proficiency.

You also get proficiency with a musical instrument to cast your spells: pick your fancy and see if your DM will let you use a staff instead.

You can also help those who are important to you with Bardic Inspiration, letting you give your allies a d6 to add to an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Manipulate important people from the shadows.

But of course the main appeal of the Bard class is access to Spellcasting. For your cantrips Friends is good to make friends you don’t mind losing, and Vicious Mockery will let you whisper dark secrets to weaken your foes. For leveled spells Detect Magic will help you know if there’s any secrets others are keeping from you, Dissonant Whispers will let your enemies know that you know their deepest fears, Sleep will help you get away, and Illusionary Script is a fun non-combat spell I get to recommend since LeBlanc isn’t all about fighting.

LEVEL 3 - BARD 2

Second level Bards get Jack of All Trades, letting them do a little bit of everything. They also get Song of Rest to pretend to help during a Short Rest, giving allies an extra d6 to heal with.

You can also learn another spell from the Bard list like Identify to know what you’re getting into.

LEVEL 4 - BARD 3

Third level Bards get to choose their Bardic College, and there are whispers in Noxus about an organization that’s trying to overthrow the nation from the shadows. That organization forming their very own College of Whispers! As a Whispers Bard you can instill Words of Terror into someone. If you speak to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, you can force them to make a Wisdom saving throw at the end of the conversation. If they fail they’re frightened of you or another creature of your choice for 1 hour, unless it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged. If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it, and you can only use this feature once per short or long rest.

You can also instead form your Bardic Inspiration into Psychic Blades. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack you can spend a Bardic Inspiration die to deal 2d6 extra Psychic Damage. I’d recommend carrying a Rapier around to spike anyone who gets close to you with Psychic Damage.

You also get Expertise in two of your skills, and naturally we’ll become masters of Persuasion and Deception. And to top it of you can learn a second level spell like Mirror Image, which was added to the Bard spell list thanks to Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything!

LEVEL 5 - BARD 4

4th level Bards get the first Ability Score Improvement of the build: Fey Touched will let you increase your Charisma by 1 and also gives you the Misty Step spell and a first level spell from the Enchantment or Divination school. Command will let you further force your foes to do as you please. You can cast each of these spells once for free per Long Rest, and they’re added to your spell list to cast with spell slots!

Speaking of spells you can one more leveled spell, and one more cantrip! Message will let you stick to team chat (and will also let you whisper to those who aren’t your teammates), and Suggestion will let you manipulate foes in the middle of battle!

LEVEL 6 - BARD 5

5th level Bards see their Bardic Inspiration increase to a d8, which also increases your Psychic Blades to 3d6. That’s good because Font of Inspiration makes your Bardic Inspiration come back on a Short Rest, instead of a Long Rest!

You can also learn a third level spell but unfortunately we’re still chained to second level, taking Hold Person for LeBlanc’s like Ethereal Chains.

(Artwork made for Legends of Runeterra by Riot Games.)

LEVEL 7 - FIGHTER 2

Back to Fighterman to get the abilities we actually want: Action Surge will let you Mimic a spell and cast twice in a round. Be sure to talk to your DM if they will allow Action Surge to allow two leveled spells to be cast in a turn with Action Surge.

LEVEL 8 - FIGHTER 3

Third level Fighters get to choose their Martial Archetype and man wouldn’t it be cool if there was a Fighter that could create illusions of themselves and teleport to them? The Echo Knight from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount enables a lot of weird builds, doesn’t it? Regardless there’s a bunch of bullet points to know about your illusions:

Your illusion has AC 14 + your proficiency bonus, 1 hit point, and immunity to all conditions. If it has to make a saving throw, it uses your saving throw bonus for the roll.

On your turn, you can command the illusion to move up to 30 feet in any direction (no action required). If your illusion is ever more than 30 feet from you at the end of your turn, it is destroyed.

As a bonus action, you can teleport, magically swapping places with your illusion at a cost of 15 feet of your movement, regardless of the distance between the two of you.

When you take the Attack action on your turn, any attack you make with that action can originate from your space or the illusion’s space. You make this choice for each attack.

When a creature that you can see within 5 feet of your illusion moves at least 5 feet away from it, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against that creature as if you were in the illusion’s space.

Tl;dr you can swap places with your illusion, and you can use it to bonk but not to cast spells. You can also Unleash Incarnation for an extra attack from your illusion’s position a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, but if you can’t tell we won’t be using that much.

LEVEL 9 - WARLOCK 1

What if I told you there was a secret organization forcing me to put Warlock levels in all my builds? It would be a lie, but I fooled you for a moment didn’t I? Regardless Warlocks are unique because they get to choose their patron at level 1, and man wouldn’t it be weird if the being of manipulation and darkness was influenced by a god? The Celestial patron gets two Bonus Cantrips at level 1: Sacred Flame and Light, just in case you need to pretend that you’re the good guy.

You also get a pool of Healing Light die equal to 1 plus your Warlock Level. You can use a Bonus Action to expend a number of those die equal to your Charisma modifier (which FYI basically means that you can use all the die however you please) on a creature you can see within 60 feet. (FYI: you can see yourself.) Each die is a d6, and the creature gets to heal for whatever you roll on said d6s.

But what we’re really here for is Pact Magic. You learn two cantrips from the Bard list: Booming Blade will let you put a little more thunder into your weapon if you choose to try to make use of Psychic Blades, and Eldritch Blast is Eldritch Blast which will let you blast while you eldritch.

The main reason for the Celestial Patron is Guiding Bolt, which will serve as Sigil of Malice. You can also grab Charm Person to make friends that you want to keep.

LEVEL 10 - WARLOCK 2

Second level Warlocks get Eldritch Invocations and Agonizing Blast will let you agonize your blasts to be extra agonizing. I mean seriously you should’ve expected this. Beyond that Eldritch Mind will help you keep up your rouse in the heat of battle, but feel free to pick any other invocation that you fancy.

You do learn another spell and I mean... Comprehend Languages might be helpful to manipulate Shurimans?

(Artwork by Choe HeonHwa. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 11 - BARD 6

Hey how about we get that ability to be whoever we want? When a humanoid dies within 30 feet of a Whispers Bard they can use Mantle of Whispers to capture their shadow and use it as a disguise. You can use your action to assume the disguise, which lasts for 1 hour. While you’re disguised, you know all information that the humanoid would freely share with a casual acquaintance. You also have a +5 to Deception checks while in the disguise. You can only capture one disguise per short rest, and all your disguises disappear after a long rest.

You can also learn another third level spell like Enemies Abound, instilling paranoia in a target so they can’t tell friend from foe. And when you think everyone’s an enemy, who do you fight?

Oh and you get Countercharm to help those around you against the fear of the Black Rose. Can’t have your puppets distracted.

LEVEL 12 - BARD 7

7th level Bards can learn 4th level spells like Dimension Door to be everywhere and nowhere at once.

LEVEL 13 - BARD 8

8th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement and yeah we already got a half feat, but how about another one? The Actor feat will help you fool anyone who doubts you.

You can also learn another 4th level spell like Confusion, to leave a whole room guessing as to where you’re hiding.

(Artwork by Sangsoo Jeong. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 14 - BARD 9

9th level Bards see their Song of Rest increase to a d8 so they can keep young and beautiful. You can also now learn 5th level spells like Mislead for a double that acts while you’re nowhere to be seen.

LEVEL 15 - BARD 10

10th level Bards see their Bardic Inspiration increase to a d10, which also increases the damage of Psychic Blades to 5d6. They also get Expertise in two skills like Arcana and Insight, to know all about people and the magic they might posses.

But of course the main appeal of the Bard class is their Magical Secrets... shame there honestly aren’t that many I particularly want. Hold Monster will be a good way to chain up any monster champion that Riot might be planning to release, and Destructive Wave can cause quite the distortion in the area you’re at before you teleport away.

You can also learn another cantrip like Prestidigitation, for the more simple magics you’ve been lacking until now.

LEVEL 16 - BARD 11

11th level Bards can learn 6th level spells like Programmed Illusion for a clone that walks like you walk, talks like you talk, and may or may not disintegrate into chalk.

LEVEL 17 - BARD 12

12th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement. Time to max out that Charisma and truly get into people’s heads. Telepathic lets you increase your Charisma by 1 and also speak telepathically, so you can keep in team chat at all times. But most importantly you learn the Detect Thoughts spell, and can cast it once without a spell slot.

You don’t get any Bard spells but feel free to replace Message with something like Mage Hand, seeing as you basically have Message permanently on.

(Artwork by Sperasoft Studios. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 18 - BARD 13

13th level Bards can keep the greatest illusion up: the one that Song of Rest being a d10 somehow makes the ability more useful.

You can at least learn 7th level spells, and to keep the Grand General off your tail Symbol is the perfect trap. The spell has a bunch of deadly effects that you can set up so I recommend reading the full spell over to see what it does.

LEVEL 19 - BARD 14

14th level Whispers Bards know all your secrets. As an action, you whisper a phrase of Shadow Lore that only one creature of your choice within 30 feet of you can hear. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw, though it automatically succeeds if it doesn’t share a language with you or if it can’t hear you. On a successful saving throw, your whisper sounds like unintelligible mumbling and has no effect.

On a failed saving throw however the target is “charmed” by you for the next 8 hours or until you or your allies perform an aggressive action against it. It interprets the whispers as a description of its most mortifying secret; while you gain no knowledge of this secret, the target is convinced you know it. The “charmed” creature obeys your commands for fear that you will reveal its secret. It won’t risk its life for you or fight for you, unless it was already inclined to do so. They will grant you favors and gifts as if you were a close friend.

When the effect ends, the creature has no understanding of why it held you in such fear. You can only use this feature once per Long Rest.

You also get two more Magical Secrets, but honestly I want spells from the Bard list more. So take Etherealness and Forcecage for tricks to keep anyone at bay and enter anywhere you please. But of course feel free to take spells you personally enjoy, as I don’t control you. Yet~

LEVEL 20 - BARD 15

15th level Bards see their Bardic Inspiration increase to their max of a d12, which also means that your Psychic Blades feature increases to 8d6.

You can also learn an 8th level spell, and there’s a lot of great 8th level spells on the Bard list. But Antipathy / Sympathy (thanks Tasha’s!) is a great way to get who you want where you want them. Pick a creature type: if you make them apathetic, they will feel an intense desire to leave if they get close. Alternatively if they’re sympathetic they’ll want to come stay. This effect lasts 10 days, so it can be a great way to get all the right people in the right place 

FINAL BUILD

PROS

For my next trick I'll make their life bar disappear - Even if a good majority of your spells are based off tricks and deception you’re still extremely deadly to face. You have nearly full caster levels which means many deadly tricks to cut through entire armies.

For a moment I thought I'd broken a sweat - So it turns out that a few levels in Fighter go a long way. Medium Armor is more than enough to keep yourself safe, and in combination with the Defense fighting style and a shield you’re actually surprisingly tough to hit. Add in all the mobility provided by both your magic and your echoes and you can be out of sight before they even have a chance to attack you.

Would I lie? - You are a master of getting people to do what you want. +17 to Persuasion and Deception, tons of spells to make lying easier, and of course your Whispers Bard and Hexblood features to turn anyone into a new set of eyes and ears

CONS

Lying is, like, ninety five percent of what I do - A few too many feats means you’ve got pretty much nothing in any stat other than Charisma. A pretty face and Jack of All Trades only gets you so far, and it would probably be good if you could actually back up some of the things that you’re saying.

Patience, summoner - Speaking of stats: dumping Constitution is never good, and while it’s not necessarily “dumped” it’s still rather low. You’ll likely have around 100 health by level 20 which isn’t much for Power Word Kill. Just saying a Zhonya's Hourglass (or preferably an Amulet of Health) would definitely be a good pickup.

Right where I want them - Whispers Bard has some great abilities but the level 3 ability expects you to hit people with a weapon, which you really aren’t good at. I could suggest alternatives like getting the Shillelagh cantrip (either as a Bard Magical Secret or from the Warlock class by taking an extra Warlock level and the Pact of the Tome) but truthfully I’d much rather play LeBlanc as either a Eloquence or Lore Bard. Hell possibly even a Glamour Bard if you swing that way. Whispers Bards are great at the political side of things but if you want a more combative midlaner a different Bard might be better.

But the one pulling the strings should ideally never be in the fight to begin with. Leave your enemies either guessing or dead. Manipulate a nation and prepare them all for the horrors that would destroy them if they knew the truth. At least two of which you caused in some way: look, nobody’s perfect.

(Artwork by Francis Tneh and West Studios. Made for Riot Games.)

[queenraikichi94]

Illidarya the Dreamer, aka Illigosa from the Blue Dragonflight. Daughter of Eneyra, High Priestess of Elune and Naragaos, Great General of Malygos the Spellweaver Here is her story.

More than 10000 years ago, a high priestess of Elune started to suspect that their ruler, Queen Azshara, was plotting against her own people. She shared her worries with Naragos. He was a dragon from the Blue Dragonflight, the flight that watched over the magic and promoved the correct use of it. Naragos was also worried cause he noticed that the Highborn were using the magic of the Well of Eternity in excess. After sharing their worries, both decided to speak with their superiors. Then, the War of the Ancestors started. Eneyra, together with Illidan, Malfurion and Tyrande, lead the resistance against Azshara and the Burning Legion. Naragos, for his side, fought together with his own flight and the others, but when Malygos ordered them to retire after Neltharion’s betrayal and the death of many blue dragons, Naragos decided to stay at the resistance’s side. He made a promise to his secret lover, Eneyra, and he wasn’t going to break it. Malygos was furious. How could his first general be in love with a simple mortal? A mortal whose kind gave a bad use to magic, but Naragos was decided. The blue dragon stayed at his mate’s side and together, they fought and defeated the Burning Legion, but when the Great Sundering was coming to destroy everything, they had to separated; Enerya needed to help her people to escape to a safe place, and Naragos had to do the same with his kind, and then, survive to Malygos’s wrath.

Malygos was furious, and he didn’t doubt when he had to punish Naragos. The punishment was cruel, and Malygos didn’t stop until he saw that the life of his general was in danger. It was when a young Kalecgos and a young Arygos found Naragos at the edge of death, blind, starving...Malygos ordered the young dragons to bring the general to him. The Spellweaver decided to forgive him, but with the punishment of not coming back to the Blue Dragonflight home never again. He was going to watch over the mortals and the correct use of magic...He was going to keep his title...But he would be exiled from the Nexus. He didn’t mind. For Naragos, the Azurewing Repose was his true home. He accepted his fate and he was left in the cold landscape of Northrend. With effort, he adopted his true form and flew back to his homeland, but due his condition, his strenght failed him and he landed badly in Val’sharah. There he was found by the Elune Sisterhood who brought him to Lorlathil. There, Eneyra hurried to help her lover. She couldn’t help him to heal his blind eyes, but thanks to her, he survived. After his recovering, they decided to marry, becoming mates for all their lives.

Many years later, during the Second War, they decided to try to have children. It would be impossible due the fact that she was a night elf and he was a dragon, but thanks to the own magic of Naragos, the power of the Blue Dragonflight and the power of Elune, they concived a child. The leaders of the other Dragonflights gave them their bleesing in order to give them more chances to have a child. The Dragon Aspects were very interested in that child, half kaldorei and hald dragon, and then, in the middle of the Second War, the child was born. In honor of their good friend Illidan, they named their daughter Illigosa, and Senegos gave her the title of Azure Princess. Stellagosa, Illigosa’s grandmother, presented the baby to the Azurewing and the news of that birth were listened but all the flights...And by people who didn’st see with good eyes that one of their priestess had mated a dragon of the flight that was againts mortals who used magic.

When Illigosa was a child, she was attacked but night elves who seeked her death, calling her an abomination, but the quick actions of her parents saved her live. They decided to move to Azsuna, cause in Val’sharah their daughter wasn’t safe, but when Illigosa was a young teenager, her parents decided to move to Kalimdor. They heard about Nordrassil and maybe that could be a good place for them, specially for their daughter, who had started to ehar the Call of the Nature, the sign that indicates that someone is ready to became a druid.

But not the things are good, cause a terrible storm made their ship end in Northrend. There they were attacked by the Scourge and the demons of the Burning Legion. Eneyra died first trying to protect Illigosa, and Naragos got terrible wounded when he tried to avoid his daughter’s kidnap. The servants of the Legion decided to corrupt Illigosa after knowing about her mixbreed in order to get a fel dragon, but her father, with his last strenght, took his daughter away, landing far away of the cultists. In that moment, Illidan, who was checking the land and investigating about the actions of the Legion and the Scourge, arrived and killed the cultists. Before dying, Naragos told Illidan that his daughter lost all of her memories due the ritual, and when he said that they made her forget her own name, he told him to put her a new name and giving her true one when she was ready. Naragos died when Illidan decided to burn Illigosa’s eyes to stop the visions that were going to drive her madness and after taking her on his arms, he brought his friends’ bodies to Azsuna for their burial before taking their daughter with him, calling her Illidarya. 

Years of training made Illidarya be one of the best demon hunters of the Illidari. Together with Wisperdeath, the felsaber given to her by Akama, lead the Illidari in multiple fights againts the demons until Illidan decided to give her the leadership of the Illidari in one last task: recovering the Sargerite Keystone while he confront the fools of the Alliance and Horde who thought that the attacks of the Burning Legion were made by Illidan. They recover the stone, but they got trapped but Maiev Shadowsong when they knew that their master had fallen.

More than 10 years they passed trapped on those crystals until the Burning Legion attacked a third time. Taking the leadership of the Illidari, Illidarya lead her people against the Burning Legion, meeting the leaders of the Alliance and befriended the only one who trated them as equals and not as monsters at they first meeting, KIng Varian Wrynn. She cried his death in the first assault to the Broken Shore and she wouldn’t forget his good friend and his sacrifice. 

During the campaing against the Burning Legion, Illidarya met Folken Stormwrath, a former pirate that was now fighting for the Alliance. They became friends and then, they became mates. Some people would said that an Illidari can’t bring life to the world, but that wasn’t the case of Illidarya, because she got pregnant thanks to the arcane magic inherited from the Blue Dragonflight and Elune’s grace. The child was concived near the end of the campaing, and after the defeat of the Burning Legion and the recovering of her true name thanks to Illidan, they moved to Mount Hyjal in order to do a ritual that would avoid the child to be born with fel. In that same place, with Elune showing her birghtest face, Illidarya gave birth to a baby boy, who was part kaldorei, part human and part dragon. In honor of the former High King of the Alliance, she named him Varian, and gave him also his dragon name, Varegos. But weeks after the birth, servants of the Legion that got trapped in Azeroth attacked Hyjal. Folken, seeing that they were after his mate and child, told Illidarya to take their son and run to a safe place. She didn’t want to leave him, but after sharing a kiss, he promised her that they would be reunited again. With her heart aching with fear, Illidarya took her child and left the place mounted on Whisperdeath. 

She went to the south, meeting Baine Bloodhoof when she arrived to Mulgore. Afraid of being attacked, she showed very protective with her son, ready to give her life in order to protect him, but Baine, seeing that she was starving, decided not to attack her and keeping her under his protection in Thunder Bluff until her recover. The Tauren didn’t show aggresive with her; they were kind and friendly, something that Illidarya wouldn’t forget and would use to teach her son that not all people are like the ones that lead them.

After recovering, she went to the north, avoiding Durotar and the lands controlled by the Horde. She finally arrived to the Darkshore and after taking a ship in Lor’danel, she ended in Darnassus, where she found her relatives from her maternal family. There, Malfurion and Tyrande greeted her, and Malfurion became interested on little Varian. Illidarya wanted to make Darnassus the perfect home for her son, but she couldn’t feel comfortable. Strange gazes and multiple rumors made her to take the choice to travel to the east, maybe Stormwind was the home that she was searching.

After a long trip, she finally arrived to the city and she was guided to the castle to have an audience with King Anduin Wrynn, who allowed her to stay in the big house near the Stormwing Embassy. 

The War of Thorns started and Illidarya took part after leaving her son in Stormwind. When Sylvanas order the Horde to burn Teldrassil, Illidarya couldn’t allow that and she adopted her alternative form, the dragon one (the humanoid form is her true form due her mother was a night elf and not a dragon) and flew to Teldrassil in order to help with the evacuation, but she had to return to her humanoid form cause it was hard for her to keep in the dragon form due her mixbreed and the fel that was inside her.

After the destruction of Teldrassil, she decided not to stay neutral. She ordered her commanders Kayn and Korvas to keep the neutrality in the Illidari ranks, but she would be sided with the Alliance. 

During the war campaing and after many adventures in both Kul Tiras and Zandalar, she finally reunited with her mate. Folken was a prisoner of the Horde and seeing him at the edge of death made her to fly using her demon wings and transforming into a dragon in the air. She destroyed some Horde airships before taking Folken and putting him on the healer’s hands. But the happiness was short, cause he was put on jail. Lady Ashvane had put a bounty on him due his past as a pirate (she was angry because he was always confronting her due her greedy actions) but then, he was released and the bounty was retired when lady katherine Proudmoore saw that there weren’t any reasons to keep that bounty. After one year separated, Illidarya and Folken were reunited. One year that was like an eternity for both of them, and the joy was bigger when Varian called him “daddy”. Illidarya told him stories of his father all the nights in order to make him to remember his father, and for the child, Folken was like a hero.

Now, two years after the defeat of the Burning Legion, Illidarya has to face another danger: Azshara and her horrible nagas, and the Azure Princess will do everything to keep her family safe.

---

OK, here there are some things that we can call “extra”, I guess xD:

-Whisperdeath is under the care of the SI:7 due the wounds that she got when Illidarya and her felsaber were in the middle of the implosion of many azerite bombs. Due her long recovery, Illidarya tamed the rare Lucid Nightmare in order to have a terrenal mount.

-She uses an azure drake as flying mount 

-In Nazjatar, Hunter Akana rewarded her with a female Deepcoral Snapdragon that she names Tideseeker after befriended the snapdragon

-Her son, Varian/varegos, has a snapdragon pet name Kayla. He found her lost on the shores of Stormsong Valley and she couldn’t survive in the wild cause she had one eye blind and she was very little for her age, sho thanks to a friendly Tortolian, he became friend of that little snapdragon

-Naragos was one of Stellagosa’s children; that makes Illidarya be the great-great granddaughter of Senegos. And remember, the Azurewing can still have children, with less results, but they can.

---

I know, I know that it’s impossible the origins of Illidarya but hey A MAGE DID IT. Remember that Garona is the daughter of a draenei and an orc, two different species from different planets who had her thanks to the fel magic that Gul’dan used, so it could be very little possible that two species from the same planet could have a child. Thing with that.

[alittlepieceofwarcraft]

Demon Hunter: A Lore Guide

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History

The First Demon Hunter, Phase One (Year -10,000): Demon hunters, or Illidari, are primarily the followers of Illidan Stormrage, the first demon hunter. Originally a powerful night elf mage, he opposed the Legion in the War of the Ancients, taking a place in the Moon Guard under the command of Lord Kur’talos Ravencrest who is assassinated. Illidan seemingly vanishes and Illysanna Ravencrest, Kur’talos’ daughter, begins to search for him to follow in his footsteps.  Later, he is known to be pretending to side with the Legion during Highborne plots to bring Sargeras into Azeroth through the Well of Eternity. The Dark Titan bestowed a gift upon him for his efforts: his eyes were burned out, replaced with an ability to sense power, and his body was scarred with rune-like tattoos of power. Although eventually he and his night elf brothers and sisters were able to prevent Sargeras entering Azeroth, he was imprisoned for taking water from the Well and creating a new one in Mount Hyjal. As the last Well was used for evil, the night elves were horrified by his actions and called for him to come to justice. A group of night elves are inspired by Illidan’s sacrifices and find a means to turn themselves into demon hunters, including Illysana.

The First Demon Hunter, Phase Two (Year 20-21): Tyrande Whisperwind, lifelong mate of Illidan’s brother Malfurion Stormrage and his own childhood friend, freed him to aid them in the Third War between themselves and the Legion’s Scourge onslaught. Again, success came at a cost as Arthas directed him to the Skull of Gul’dan which he used to gain its power, appearing more demonic with hooves, horns and wings. Rather than imprisoning him yet again, Malfurion decided to banish him from their lands. 

Death to the Lich King (Year 22): Kil’jaeden contacts Illidan. He offered him a deal: end the Lich King - a creation of his he feared was growing beyond his control - and receive untold power. He was approached by Lady Vashj who offered her allegiance and the aid of the naga  He travelled to the Broken Isles to retrieve the Eye of Sargeras to help them gain more power for the task, but it ultimately is interrupted in using the artifact by Maiev Shadowsong and a need to save Tyrande from the Scourge. Kael’thas Sunstrider was being helped by her to escort their caravans after the fall of Quel’thalas but is betrayed by the Alliance General whose bigotry towards elves drives him to imprison him. Vashj frees him and the other blood elves and takes him to Illidan, who has fled to Outland, and promises a new source of power to feed their magical addiction since the loss of the Sunwell. Sometime around here, Kael’thas permitted five blood elves to undergo the demon hunter rituals. Three die during training, one (Leotheras the Blind) goes mad, leaving one successful (Varedis Felsoul).

End the Dreadlord (Year 25):  Loramus Thalipedes inhabited Azshara can be encountered by adventurers and he enlists their help in combating a dreadlord known as Razelikh. He was the only demon hunter outside of Outland at this time.

Illidan’s Downfall (Year 26): Over time, it’s noted Illidan became mad with power. The Alliance and Horde both venture into Outland. Altrius the Sufferer can be found in Nagrand, a demon hunter who has defected from Ilidan due to disagreements with his methods. Both Leotheras and Vashj are slain during Serpentshrine Cavern. Kael’thas betrays Illidan to the Legion and is killed in The Eye wing of Tempest Keep. Illidan leads his illidari into what is known as a “suicide mission” to Mardum, the Shattered Abyss, including Kor’vas Bloodthorn, Kayn Sunfury, Tirathon Saltheril, Allari the Souleater, Cyana Nightglaive and Jace Darkweaver. Upon his return, he falls at the Black Temple: his body taken to the Vault of the Wardens and his demon hunters either imprisoned or forced to commit suicide. Varedis is also slain. Loramus is killed in the Blasted Lands by an ogre, Grol the Destroyer, but is revived by adventurers. Another demon hunter that seems to be an admirer of Illidan, yet not part of the Illidari, is Feronas Sindweller, seen killing disguised demons in Felwood. Kael’thas is ressurected but again defeated at Magister’s Terrace. 

Remember the Slain (Year 26): The last that can be found is Telarius Voidstrider, his ghost found in Darkshore after being slain by Maiev many years before the Cataclysm, but his time of death is unknown. 

Legion (Year 32): With the aid of corrupted Warden Cordana Felsong, Gul’dan gain access to the Vault of the Wardens and severs his soul from his body, causing the ghosts in Black Rock Hold to go mad. Loramus, struggling to control Razelikh, is brought to the Fel Hammer by the Illidari. the Later on in the war, Cyana is captured with other illidari and betrays her people by allowing Cordana to infuse her with fel energy. She is killed by the combined might of an adventurer and the blue drake Stellagosa. Illysanna is similarly tempted by Cordana and slain in Black Rook Hold. Likewise, Tirathon has also been swayed and both he and Cordana are slain in the Vault. Varedis has been revived and has allied himself with the Legion, yet also falls to demon hunter adventurers. Gul’dan is later killed at the Nighthold and Illidan is revived, but opens a rift to Argus, the homeworld of the Legion. The Legion’s efforts are eventually thwarted at Antorus and Illidan volunteers to remain behind to serve as a jailor for Sargeras. 

Qualities

Membership: Demon hunters are mostly either night elves or blood elves, although other races (even murlocs!) have managed to attain their powers. In order to become one, the candidate must endure a series of heavily testing rituals that can kill or drive mad those who are weaker or not ready. Some accounts are hazy and anecdotal: some say the first step is for a prospective member must prove they can effectively track a demon enemy and uncover corruption, as well as identifying a demon’s true name. Others say the ritual begins when a person kills a demon and must ingest its heart and drinking its blood to bond with them, and another version is merely killing a demon and absorbing their soul. The second part is generally agreed upon to either ritualistically bind their eyes to a blindfold by ripping them out, or after bonding with the demon and seeing the horror of the Legion involuntarily ripping them out in uncontrolled horror. Either way, a coma is commonly induced. After wakening, the receive a special sight and markings of arcane magic to counter the fel energy. 

Leadership: Illidan is the Lord of the Illidari, though adventurers become the Slayer during the last invasion of the Legion. A choice can be made between Altruis and Kayn for their second-in-command. 

Ranks: There aren’t many ranks between Illidari forces: from the leading Lord (now Slayer), second-in-command and higher ranking lieutenants, most Illdari are foot soldiers

Sub-groups: It’s important to note that not all demon hunters are Illidari and not all Illidari are demon hunters. Some demon hunters like Feronas are not formerly part of the Illidari, and Illidari merely means a minion or followers of Illidan and itself is a faction, although Illidari is mostly used to describe his elite demon hunter guard. The Servants of Illidan is an umbrella term of forces loyal to him with many other branches, considered to be underlings of the Illiari. Formerly part of this faction were Outland orcs, or the Fel Horde, were considered Illidari after following Magtheridon and the Sunfury (blood elves under Kael’thas) turned to other pursuits such as the Scryers.  The first current sector is Illidan’s Naga: a group of mainly Coilskar tribe naga previously led by Lady Vashj. Their current leader is Lady S'theno. A second branch is that of the Ashtongue Tribe, a group of Broken led by Akama. As well as this is Illidan's Servitors, a force of satyr. Other races within his Illidari include Shivarra, Nathrezim and Drakonin

Abilities: Demon hunters are incredibly agile and fast melee attackers, comparable to the Watchers in their style of combat. Two specialisations exist for them: Havoc and Vengeance. Both are able to use their Spectral Sight to see enemies from behind walls, Throw Glaive to reach out of range enemies and Imprison to freeze demons, as well as being able to heal themselves with the souls of dead enemies. Havoc demon hunters are quick damage dealers that can dodge attacks easily whereas their tank counterpart embraces the demon within to protect their allies.

[highordinal]

An Eye for An Eye

Warning! There are mentions of blood and gore within this drabble. If you are sensitive to those topics please do not read.

This is also 7 pages long on a word document, so be prepared to hunker down for awhile.

It had taken him weeks to relearn all the techniques he had accumulated over the years, for the loss of his left eye had hindered him greatly. Jarvan had prohibited him from taking any missions until he was sure the Ordinal could defend himself without any further mistakes. To the emperor's face, Kayn smiled and thanked him for being so considerate. On the inside he seethed in anger as he sat around and accomplished nothing. After his recovery he sailed back amongst the stars with his crew and continued with his work. It had been a few months since the incident occured, so Jarvan had felt comfortable enough to assign the Ordinal tougher missions. Kayn thanked the gods for this change, as he was growing bored of dealing with paperwork and petty crimes.

For this next mission he and his crew were ordered to meet with a client in Ionan’s capital city. His orders were to accompany and strike a deal with one of the influential families, however, what his crew didn’t know was that one of their own was rumored to be leaking Demaxian information to both Templar and Syndicate factions. His real mission was to find out who within his ranks is the traitor and put an end to it.

Kayn had little to work with. All he knew was that the traitor was a skilled and high ranking soldier that worked under the Ordinals. Judging by the information that was leaked, Jarvan had suspected that he was apart of Kayn’s crew, since Kayn handled most of the empires “sensitive” issues. The Ordinal was rather disappointed to hear that it was one of his own, but that just meant killing them would be all the more sweeter. In an attempt to thin the possible candidates, he decided to hold one-on-one conferences with everyone in his crew on their way to Ionan.

Doing such a thing would alert the traitor, so he disguise them as promotional and congratulatory meetings. He would boost morale with the promise of a raise and higher rank and learn more about his subordinates. Killing two birds with one stone. Once they left port, the meetings began and for days on end he found absolutely nothing. It was aggravating. Kayn sighed, leaning back in his chair. His desk was littered with files, each one consisting the background information on all personnel on board.

He picked up the next folder and flipped it open. The next individual schedules to walk in was a soldier named Yone. From what was in his file, he was a skilled and intelligent fighter hailing from Ionan. But what Kayn didn’t recall was when the man became a part of his crew. He scanned the paper until he found his answer. Apparently Yone had served under a different Ordinal before he was transferred here a few weeks ago for unknown reasons. How interesting.

As he read the file, the familiar voice of his Captain rang over the intercom. “Ordinal, Lieutenant Yone is awaiting your permission to enter.”

“Thank you, Captain.” He responded before looking towards the metal doors that lead into his office. The Ordinal straightened his posture, tucking the files away in a cabinet beside his desk before calling out. “Lieutenant, you may enter.”

Within seconds the doors slid open, revealing this Yone. He was decorated with the standard Demaxian military uniform, sporting a few extra badges upon his chest. He stood tall and could be considered handsome. Jet black hair slicked back into a short ponytail, clean shaven and his presence commanded respect.

“Good evening, Lieutenant. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.” Kayn smiled.

The man smiled in turn and walked forward, taking up the chair placed before Kayn’s desk. “Yes, good evening, Ordinal Kayn. I received a note that you wished to speak with me?”

“I did, yes.” The blue haired man folded his hands. “First and foremost, it is a few weeks late, but I wanted to welcome you aboard my ship.” Kayn waited for Yone to thank him before continuing on, “I’ve looked at your record, and I must say I am quite impressed. In all the years you’ve served, not one mission was a failure. You have a shining resume here, it is no wonder you were transferred into my crew.”

He watched Yone chuckle. “Oh, thank you sir. It’s a great honor to be apart of your crew. I will continue to work hard and bring success to you and the empire.”

The Ordinal hummed in agreement. “It is good to see such a hard working soldier. I know you’ll make us proud, Lieutenant. Now,” Kayn sat back in his chair. “I read that you are from Ionan, correct? If that is the case, I will be relying on you to guide us around.”

“Yes, sir. But if I may ask, I thought you hailed from Ionan as well?”

Kayn raised a brow. “Oh? And where did you hear that?” He watched as the man began to squirm. “No matter. Yes and no. I was born in the Demaxian empire, but I lived in Ionan for many years studying how to fight.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies, sir.”

“No need. I realize that my information is accessible to all because of my status.” Kayn cleared his throat before standing up and walking to the giant window. He glanced out into the darkened space, stars flittering in and out as the ship moved. “The only other thing I needed to inform you about is your raise. It’s self explanatory, so I don’t think we really needed to discuss it.” He looked over his shoulder at the man and smiled once more. “That is all, Lieutenant. You may retire for the night.”

Yone stood up and faced him. He saluted the Ordinal, thanked him, then bid him goodbye. As the metal doors closed behind the figure, Kayn’s eyes remained glued to the door.

“My, my. Does he look down on me that much?” The Ordinal mused. “To think he’d be the one.”

Kayn walked off the ship, head held high as he was greeted by various Ionan generals. They praised him for being so successful, complimented his work ethic, and preached other flattering words to win him over. Little did they know that he had no intention to become buddy-buddy with these untalented pushovers. Yone stood beside him, serious and nonchalant. Kayn was quite serious when he said he would rely on the Lieutenant for guidance around the capital city. But it was also because he wanted to keep a close eye on the soldier.

“Ordinal Kayn!” A deep and gruff voice called out, gaining the Ordinal’s attention. Kayn looked over to see a wealthy looking man, dressed in fine garbs and adorned with golden jewelry, walking towards him. The man's arms were open wide, a bright smile on his face. Beside the man was another, although this one looked less wealthy and more like a bodyguard. White unruly hair tied into a high ponytail that looked unnatural, patchwork armor, a strong physique and facial features similar to Yone’s.

Speaking of Yone, Kayn noticed the soldier react when his eyes landed on the rugged looking man. Curious, Kayn turned to face the two approaching strangers and smiled. “Yes, that is I. Who may I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

They stopped before him, the prominent man holding out his hand. “It is an honor to meet you in person, Ordinal Kayn. I am Reo Sakae, mayor of this fine city.”

Kayn firmly took the mayors hand and shook. “Please, the honor is all mine Mr. Sakae.” His eyes then turned to the white haired man standing behind. “And who is this, your grace?”

“Huh?” The man looked over his shoulder. “Oh this is just a bodyguard I hired to accompany me here.”

The Ordinal glanced to Yone. “Lieutenant.”

“Ah- yes, sir?”

“I couldn’t help but notice your reaction earlier. Do you know this man?” Kayn asked, playing the innocent and curious role.

“Yes, sir. He is my brother.”

Both Kayn and the Mayor’s eyes widened in surprise. Kayn smiled and closed the gap between him and Yone’s brother. He studied the man, looking him up and down which earned an uncomfortable expression from him. “Truly you are related. The two of you look quite similar. What is your name, sir?”

The white haired man looked to Yone then back to the Ordinal. “...Yasuo.” He finally blurted out.

“Well it is nice to meet you, Yasuo. You know your brother has accomplished so much for the empire. He is one of our top soldiers- you should be proud.”

Yasuo hesitantly nodded. “I am.”

“You look like you can handle yourself well. Why not join the military? Demaxia is always looking for skilled warriors such as yourself to join.” Kayn waited and he watched the Ionan’s facial expressions. There was a hint of disgust and rejection in his eyes. His stance was defensive and closed off.

“Sorry, but no. I rather sell my services to a more deserving people.”

Everyone around them froze, and who could blame them? It wasn’t everyday that someone so casually brushes off one of the highest ranking individuals within the Demaxian empire. This man- what nerve he had. Kayn only chuckled though, earning concerned looks from all around.

“I understand, Yasuo. Everyone has their own opinions about the empire, I know full well that not all are positive. You are allowed to live your life how you want- that’s the future we are fighting for.” Kayn turned around back towards the ship. “But if you ever change your mind, I’m sure your brother can tell you what to do. Yone, you may have some free time as the crew settles in. I’m sure you’d like to spend some time with your family.”

As the Ordinal walked away, he heard the hushed whispers of the brothers as they bickered back and forth. Good. He had his target, and now, he had someone to take the blame for whatever ‘accident’ befalls him. This was all going so swimmingly.

“Sir? What are we doing here?”

Kayn stopped in his tracks, a sly smirk crossing his lips as he looked around. A back alley neighborhood with no one around, claiming to be a shortcut to their initial destination. The wind blew softly, picking up a few strands of his hair as it passed. “Ah, it seems we’ve gotten lost. I did tell you that you needed to lead the way, did I not?”

Yone looked confused. “I-”

“Not another word, Yone.” Kayn snapped. “Or should I say traitor?” He turned to face the man and what he saw confirmed all his suspicions. Yone was pale, and his hand was hovering closer to his weapon.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

The Ordinal laughed. “Oh? Did you think I wouldn’t notice how you continually left your room at the dead of night, avoiding all cameras to the communication room?”

Yone’s eyes went wide. “Wha-?”

“I see everything, Yone. I know everything. Your first mistake was thinking you could get away with this.” He turned around fully and unsheathed his sword. “I don’t give second chances. I had high hopes for you, Yone. But you’ve disappointed me. Now, before I gut you, would you at least enlighten me as to why you decided to betray us?”

He watched the Ionan bit his lip and take a step back. His stance was lowering as if he thought he could run away or make the first blow. “I..” He said roughly, his voice becoming dark. “I know what Demaxia is trying to do. Taking all the ora for yourselves, preaching peace but then subjecting every planet to your tyrannical rule- You won’t get away with this.”

Kayn couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Is that so? Oh, my dear Yone, I can get away with anything. You on the other hand..”

The Ordinal sprinted forward, catching the other man off guard. As Yone went to pull back, Kayn closed the gap between them. He was nearly centimeters away- but then vanished. Yone stood there, panting as if he’d seen a ghost. His eyes darted around for any sign of the blue haired man, but all he saw was the sun fading beneath the city. All he heard was the soft billowing of the wind.

Yone took this chance and ran. He sprinted past corners, looking over his shoulder for the ordinal but never seeing a thing. He was breathing hard, sweat running down his brow as he followed the narrow streets. He kept running, but everywhere he turned led to another road. He cursed himself as he realized that no headway was being made. Finally he saw one final street, with hope welling up inside him he pushed forward. Closer. Closer. And when he turned the final corner, he felt his heart stop.

A dead end.

A harrowing laughter echoed throughout the corridor behind him. Yone spun around, but again, saw nothing but the darkened sky. The man backed up until he was against the wall, blade out and ready for when the Ordinal showed his face. The ominous laughter faded and the wind resumed its soothing melody. Yone caught his breath and sighed. The soldier was about to take a step when the wind suddenly ceased.

“Argh!” He cried out in pain, a piercing pain riveting through his body. He looked over his shoulder, body shaking, as he saw half the Ordinals body emerging from the stone behind them.

“Hush…” Kayn whispered. “I promise your death will be slow and painful.”

In a swift movement, Yone blindly swung his sword up. He heard a scream of pain from the Ordinal. “You insolent fool!”

Yone felt another sting but his cry was replaced with him hacking up a handful of blood. His vision was beginning to fade, the sanguine dripping down his chin. Slowly he looked down and saw the Ordinal’s blade protruding from his abdomen.

Kayn left the wall entirely, his left arm falling limp to his side. The sword had embedded itself deep within his shoulder. Without him applying any pressure to the wound, he could see how the flesh separated further from his body. By the looks of it, it might not be salvageable. But he decided to push that thought to the back of his mind, for he had a job to do.

He placed his foot on the others back and yanked the sword out before kicking the man onto the ground. “All those years. Those many years you spent in the military. All those people you deceived into thinking you were fighting for the empire. All your plans- everything- I have just taken from you.” He walked around Yone’s body, squatting in front of him. “Oh look at you, you poor unfortunate soul.”

His smile faded and he glared. He grabbed the man’s shoulder and forcefully rolled him onto his back. Yone was coughing up more blood, choking and shrieking in anguish. Kayn didn’t care in the slightest. “You disgusting swine. You decrepit and unloyal peon.” Kayn grit his teeth. “A shame you need to die. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure your brother knows just how much your suffered. I’ll make that very clear.”

The Ordinal raised his blade and plunged it down into Yone’s stomach. The mans mouth burst open, but nothing came out. Kayn reared back and slashed again, and again, and again. After the fourth time he stopped. He glared down at his massacre and lowered his weapon. He had done enough. He shook his blade in one motion, splattering the excess blood onto the pavement before sheathing it. Feeling dizzy he slammed into the stone wall. With his free hand he gripped his sagging shoulder. His breathing turned to heavy pants and he felt the adrenaline settling down, filling his body with agonizing pain.

It was then that he heard footsteps. Good. He was here. Kayn steadied himself before wobbling to the wall and activating his shadow step. As he passed through the cement, he looked back once more just in time to see Yasuo turn the corner.

Kayn sat at his desk, hands folded in his lap as he gazed out into the stars. A single file rested on the desks surface with the name: Yone printed on it. After admiring the beauty of the stars for a few more moments, Kayn glanced down to the file. He slowly reached out and picked it up, reading the name once more before tossing it in the garbage can near him.

News of a gruesome murder spread through the city and into the ears of the Demaxian Military. A young man who had murdered his brother, a stellar Demaxian soldier, in cold blood. This man, Yasuo, was being hunted by the military and was last seen fleeing the planet.

Oh, and Ordinal Sheida Kayn was injured due to a training accident aboard his ship.

Kayn touched his prosthetic arm. He smiled.

Mission completed.

[the-glorious-evolution-fanart]

Odyssey: Blueprints

"One day – one bloody day on this stinking station do I spend, and what do I get? Kidnapped! That’s what happens to fantastic engineers who get neglected-!“ Viktor grumbled, struggling in vain against his electrified binds. They weren’t budging.

“Ziggs! You no good scandal of an engineer, what are you up to? I know of your transgressions!“

“I suggest you keep it down, if you don’t wanna end up like your robot buddy back there“, Ziggs flashed all of his teeth at Viktor in the back seat, and Viktor took one glance at his smashed third arm and Malphite’s clenching fists before settling on waiting out this journey in a trashy space-car, leaving the trashy space-station BR5, going into unknown. Probably towards some trashy spaceship.

The Morningstar greeted him in her full glory, as the car flew out of the nearby giant’s shade.

“That… That’s my ship! My…“ Viktor was left speechless, as he finally saw again what was stolen from him some time ago, causing him to lose his reputation in the Demaxian empire, forcing him to live on second-grade engineering stop space-stations in backwater star systems.

“Yea, I guess you can say you’re kidnapped… like your ship”, Ziggs chuckled as he jumped out of the steaming small vehicle once they entered Morningstar’s hull.

Malphite plucked Viktor’s hands free, and the disgruntled engineer started spying around, rubbing pain away from his organic right arm with an artificial left. The rest of the “crew” came to greet him, and he wondered if they were the ones who stole Morningstar or just bought it from the thieves. On second thought, they probably were the original thieves. One of the crewmembers’ messy white hair could speak miles of their lifestyle. His view settled on Jinx.

“YOU!”

Everyone was now staring at her in silence and Jinx snorted, making an annoyed face but not saying anything.

“Is there any other info we should know of, Jinx? Other than the fact you knew exactly where to find this dude”, captain Yasuo addressed her with a humourous tone.

“So that’s how you found me.” Viktor turned towards Yasuo, guessing he was in command. “She’s my former apprentice, and the reason for my misfortune!”, he growled, extending his artificial arm. “Her carelessness…”, he stopped, noticing her own left arm. “.. Karma?”, he inquired, smirking.

“Nah, I wanted to try your style Vikkie!”, Jinx’s attitude took a 180 degree spin, and she jumped to put her arm on his shoulder. “I did this to myself.”

“Now now – I know our pilot can be excitable at times, but she’s a good kid”, Yasuo said to Viktor. “How about you take a look at our problem…”

~~~

A blue hologram floated above Viktor’s left arm, and he allowed himself a short respite in reveling in the ship’s beauty. “Of course. You took no care of her, and now you need me to fix it.” He snapped his arm down and the hologram disappeared, darkening the room. “Why should I?” His tone was icy.

“Look buddy…”, Ziggs started spinning what looked like a glowing bomb in his hand.

“Hah!”, Viktor didn’t seem phased.

“We’re being chased by an Ordinal”, Yasuo began. He’s after something we have, and if he finds it… well, let’s just say the entire universe won’t have a nice time.”

The look on Viktor’s face showed he was no stranger to a few Ordinals’ shady activities, but he still wasn’t convinced.

This time, the strange mystic that usually stayed in the background, approached Viktor and placed her calm hand on his forehead. By his behavior afterwards, it was clear the visions she showed him succeeded in changing his mind. Her golden glow was still visible in his eyes. “Where’s the damage?”

~~~

“What is this?” Viktor was desperately pointing at massive canisters feeding into the ship’s engines.

“What are those”, he extended his arms towards some pipes with dubious purpose, going through the hull. And many more things.

“I may have… done some modifications”, Jinx beamed.

“What-! What does it do?! How do you expect me to fix it when my own blueprints are only half-valid now?”

Please, Sona spoke to his mind, Even if you have to re-learn the blueprints; we have to escape.

Viktor lowered his head. He had been informed of the situation, where the crew flew Morningstar into the gas giant’s gravity well in a last desperate attempt to hide from Ordinal Kayn’s fleet for a little longer.

“Don’t make me regret pulling Morningstar towards your space-station, engineer”, came a warning from Yasuo. “I could have picked a better hiding spot.”

Viktor shot him a grim stare. “No need for that. Call Jinx.”

“Uhhh captain? Kayn’s fleet is on our radar. We don’t have much time left”, Ziggs gulped.

Once the engines were fixed, all they needed to do was turn on the hyper-drive and escape. Sadly, for some reason, it refused to work. Fiddling with the ship’s architecture, it was revealed that many of its systems were interlocked, and the job now was to figure out which did what. Turning off the lights in the bathroom apparently lowered the ship’s shields. “You flew around sometimes with shields up, sometimes down?! Through asteroid fields?!”, Viktor was appalled.

Setting the artificial mist machine in the party room on 3, made the ship’s antimatter guns operational. Morningstar’s positioning lights worked only under the condition the fan in the storage room was set to ‘Mild’.

“Find the damn hyper-drive, Kayn’s almost spotted us!”, Yasuo yelled.

“AHA! Jinx snapped her fingers. “I remember! Hey big guy! Unplug the electric grill!”

Malphite let out a sad sigh.

“Promise I’ll buy you an extra-big pack of candy once we’re done with this!”

Reluctantly, Malphite pulled the plug out of the socket, and instantly, the ship’s engines started thundering.

~~~

“There they are! NO!”, Kayn managed only to smash his fist on the control panel in front of him, before the dot on his holographic display vanished into hyperspace.

[darkined-assassin]

Blood Moon AU Info

My Blood Moon version of Kayn and Rhaast are, as expected, bound together by blood and fate as a Host and Blood Demon, respectably. However, that’s where the similarities between them and their “normal” counterparts end.

(Reference image by miirup)

Kayn was at first merely a shy initiate of the Blood Moon Order, until he met Rhaast, who was originally just a mid-ranking Blood Demon summoned by Blood Moon Jhin to aide him during a fight. Rhaast was injured during the fight, and his form began to destabilize. Calling out to his summoner for assistance, he would receive no more aid than a bullet in his attacker’s skull. Kayn on the other hand saw that Rhaast had been gravely injured, and despite the risk, tried to stabilize his form by giving the demon his own blood. While this action wound up saving Rhaast and giving him enough strength to fight again, it also created a contract between Rhaast and Kayn--something Jhin did not like, as it meant he couldn’t directly command Rhaast anymore. Despite this, Jhin agreed to let the transgression slide, so long as Kayn would agree to have Rhaast sealed inside his own body. Kayn, having no ability to reject this proposal due to his low rank, was forced to agree.

Kayn and Rhaast were forcibly merged together using one of the Cult’s Mysterious rituals...though Rhaast did not completely overtake Kayn. Instead, the two now shared a body. When questioned about this, Rhaast replied through Kayn’s Lips: Since Kayn was technically his master, he couldn’t betray him by completely destroying him, and as Kayn had saved his life, it was only fair for Rhaast to save his. Jhin relented and sulked off, angry to have lost control over one of his Blood Moon Demons permanently.

Kayn and Rhaast slowly grew used to having a shared body, and quickly learned there were some massive benefits of having two minds inside one head. For instance, if one of them went to sleep, the other could take over. Rhaast’s presence increased Kayn’s confidence, and Kayn softened Rhaast’s temper. Eventually, the two reached a point where they could react to threats the other wasn’t focusing on in combat, causing each fight they engaged in to be that much harder for their enemies. All of these benefits quickly added to their notoriety within the cult, and they climbed the ranks quicker than anyone else had.

There was still one glaring issue between the two: Both felt strange twinges of an emotion towards one another, an emotion that Kayn had suppressed many times, and one that was completely foreign to Rhaast: Love. The two tried to ignore it, coming to a silent mutual agreement that it would only hopelessly complicate matters between them, and should be ignored at all cost...

Peace was not to last, however. The Blood Moon Cult’s Temple was attacked by a rival cult, and though the Blood Moon Champions fought valiantly, the enemy had employed demon-banishing spellcasters, who were quick to whittle down the Blood Moon’s forces. Kayn and Rhaast nevertheless leaped into action, cutting down swathes of enemies. Just as the Blood Moon seemed to be getting the upper hand, a wave of energy washed over the battlefield that had once been the temple courtyard...the lesser demons were banished instantly, others destabilized and were forced to retreat. Rhaast felt his connection to Kayn starting to slip away...though it wasn’t a fear of his own probable death that was so frightening to him, it was that Kayn may die without him. Rhaast semi-forcibly took over his and Kayn’s shared body, heading to where the wave had emanated from.  

Rhaast found the source of the disruption, a powerful Lich who had long been a thorn in the Blood Moon’s side. Figuring the vile thing was in charge of the assault, Rhaast charged in, snatching the Scythe from the Lich’s hands. Both Kayn and Rhaast knew that the Lich had to have a contingency plan for if he was destroyed, but Rhaast didn’t care. He had to at least save Kayn. Slamming the scythe down into the undead spellcaster’s head like a giant Pickaxe, the resulting explosion of anti-demon energy nearly caused Rhaast’s Demonic Soul to vaporize instantly, giving him only a tiny amount of time to mind-whisper his confession of love to Kayn, seeing as he would get no other chance. The lich was destroyed, his army of undead cultists crumbling to dust.

Kayn was devastated. He was truly alone in his own mind for the first time in years. He called Rhaast’s name mentally...then aloud....with no reply. His tears fell fast and freely as he was taken into the medical area to be treated for his otherwise minor injuries, the scythe still clutched in a death grip. 

Kayn had been confined to the infirmary for over a week, despite his physical injuries being fairly minor. He felt broken, lost, and most of all, completely alone. Shortly after moonrise on a full moon, however, he saw the moon grow completely red...and a slight tinge of a familiar presence re-emerge... Kayn initially didn’t believe it, thinking it to be a trick--until Rhaast explained.

Rhaast, much to his surprise, reawoke in a black void of red stars--the plane of the chosen warriors of the Blood Moon. Not entirely sure of what happened, he called out Kayn’s name, only to be met with a reply from the Blood Moon itself. He had been chosen for his valiant actions in defending the Blood Moon’s followers to get a second chance at life. He could choose to be reborn in a new, stronger body, or go back and continue being bound to Kayn, allowing the full might of the Blood Moon to be channeled into their body. While a younger, untempered, not-hopelessly-in-love Rhaast would have chosen the former in a heartbeat, the more mature Rhaast had chosen the second with even less hesitation. The only catch was that if Kayn or Rhaast chose to channel the power, the one who chose to be the focus for the channeling would be the primary controller of their more empowered form until the next full moon.

Though the two are still not entirely sure of how to handle a proper relationship, they quickly resolved to live their shared lives to the fullest together, romantically.

-( ☾ )-

[ur-mom-kayn]

Loyalty Chapter 8: The Good Bye

Zed Pov

In the last few weeks, Zed took a detailed look at the league system. It was really what Shen had described. He did not like the idea that he had to confine himself to 4 attacks. The actual damage is scaled by the league. He would be weaker in principle than in real life. That pissed him off a bit, but what applies for him was also the same for Shen and his friends. The system tries to create fair conditions for all. Should be right with him. He would still take them all down. In that sense, his summoner had something on it.

Zed had not only focused on the league but also increased his private hours with Kayn. The boy's words hurt him a lot, but in the end, he was right. His desire to kill Shen was greater than giving up money and staying with his disciples. It was not right for him to let Kayn down. That's why he also tried to devote every free minute to him. He gave so much for him that the topic 'league' did not stand between them. They made good use of their time, so Kayn was able to develop his own strong 'Umbral Trespass' technique. He jumped into the body of another and injured him from the inside out. Zed used to pretend to be a training partner, but only on the condition that he let the part hurting him. There were other victims for that.

Over time, Kayn was 15 years old and a bit bigger. He certainly trusted him to be able to lead the Order, but he did not want to untangle that burden all by himself. He also lacked the certain maturity and the leadership qualities. A few of his other men would be far more suitable for this job. But how was he supposed to let Kayn know he was not mature enough? His arrogance exceeded a new level each time. Criticism just bounced off him like a sign. Insight was a foreign word for him. That could still be cheerful.

At dinner, Zed finally decided to tell his men about joining the league. That would be the final blow in Kayn's face. He hated himself for hurting the boy, but he knew it was best for everyone involved. As usual, everyone sat in their seats and waited for Zed's release. But this time he would give a speech before. When everyone had something under their nose, Zed stood up and asked for attention. "I'm sorry, but the food has to wait. I want to announce something important to you. Maybe one or the other has already seen something of the league of legends on his missions. This is a place where the best fighters from all over Runeterra compete against each other in teams. After many considerations, I have decided to join as a representative of the Order of Shadow. My accession will bring us a lot of prestige and, above all, a lot of money. Unfortunately, the catch of the whole thing will be that I will not be there for a long time. During my absence, therefore, I will leave the leadership over the order of my elite. I trust you. Please take care of my students." Especially on Kayn., The latter he kept better for himself, but his men understood him even without words.

Most of his students sought eye contact with Kayn, but he just dodged. At least Zed's decision surprised him. He had apparently been mentally prepared for it already. At least that's how he looked. His face showed no signs of emotion. After Zed's speech could finally be eaten. Of course, there was only one topic at the table - the league and the future of the Order. "Ehm Master, how should we actually divide your tasks among us?" Satoshi asked in the round. Zed immediately pulled his mask down behind the cabin to answer his question. He preferred to speak with an echoing voice.

"You can make that out among you. I do not care who does what. As long as you can agree with you. Lead the Order as if it makes no difference if I'm there or not." "Okay, and what will Kayn play for a role? Is not he something like your right hand?" Did the boy really have to kick his ass so much? Kayn had not even spoken the whole evening. It was strange when the jester of the table did not speak a word. He really did not want to transfer it. "Kayn will do what he thinks is right. Cooperate with him and involve him in important decisions. He can best represent my opinion. Yet issues related to finance are better left to the elders of you." Hopefully, Kayn did not feel overly aggrieved, but his math and accountability skills were not up to scratch.

"Good, I understand, Master. And you Kayn? You are so quiet all evening. Do not you have anything to say?" Immediately you heard the clink of a falling spoon. Kayn looked a little tense. His body was almost convulsive. "I ... I've already added my mustard to this topic some time ago. Master Zed knows my opinion and I have nothing left to add ... Master? May I leave the table prematurely for once?" Though he tried to stay cool, Zed recognized the storm that was raging in his eyes. Without thinking much about it, he allowed him to leave the table. Still, Kayn's passive-aggressive stance hurt him. His men were also completely silent after Kayn left the dining room.

When dinner was over, Zed first went to Kayn's room. He was very worried about him. Maybe the future responsibility might be too big for him. Or maybe he just mourned for his master. No matter what it was, it had to be quickly removed from the world. Zed certainly did not intend to leave him in this mode. He could not shake the feeling that something was still left unsaid between them. And that very thought drove him crazy.

Arrived in front of his room, he carefully knocked on the massive wood. "Kayn, may I come in?" "Yes Master," he answered as always. Being allowed to enter the question was relatively unnecessary with them. Nevertheless, they always asked each other for safety's sake. Zed pushed the door aside and entered. Behind him, he closed the door again. In the room, he found Kayn cuddled in his bed. Involuntarily, he just stared at the wall, as if he had been lying there for minutes and thinking. Zed felt miserable because he knew he was responsible. If only Shen had not told him about the league.

Carefully he moved to the bed and lay down on the other side. Then he took off the annoying mask and put it on the bedside table. Kayn still did not move. How should he do that? "Hey Kayn, are you alright? Forget it. Stupid question. Is there anything I can do for you so that parting will not be so hard for you?" "Yes. Do not go.", He answered immediately. Zed already expected an answer in the direction. "Okay, and now seriously. You know very well that you can not change my mind. Say ... Are you mad at me or something? "

Finally, Kayn turned around and looked into Zed's face. His eyes were relatively expressionless and meaningless. Where was the lively child, please? "Okay. So you're mad at me. I've understood." "No. You did not understand anything. I can not be mad at you Master. Not even angry or disappointed. It is your life. You can do whatever you want. I was selfish that I wanted to have you all to myself. And I did not even waste a second on that if you want the same thing. Apparently not, but it's okay with me. Nobody wants to be tied to a child at the age of 25. I can do it. I can grow up on my own. Please do not worry about me."

"And how I make myself some. You are and will remain my son. Of course, I want to take care of you. Please do not think anything wrong about me. However, I have to say that your words sounded very mature. I think you are already grown up. What I do not understand is why you sound so emotionless? Even to your comrades. Why?" Kayn shrugged his shoulders and then approached his master. Before answering, he put his head down on Zed's chest. "It's so easier for me. If I turn off my feelings, then I can not grieve for you. I'm sorry. I try to behave again." Zed believed that such an impulsive person as Kayn would never be able to switch off his feelings. But then he had been wrong about the boy again. He understood his motivations. He also preferred to switch off his feelings in such situations. But it felt wrong this time. Kayn could not just be forgotten.

"Are you trying to avoid pain?" Zed asked after a slightly longer conversation break. Kayn clenched his fingers in Zed's shirt. Slowly his mask seemed to crumble. "I ... eh ... Master, I can not do that. I do not want pain. I'm so happy by your side. What do I do when you are no longer there? Who will scold me if I go to bed late, or forget to brush my teeth? Who will make me learn for the 'school'? Where is my motivation? You can not control me from such a great distance and commands from another mouth, I'm interested in a shit. What should I do?" Zed was the least concerned about such things. It was absurd things for which a father was responsible. Kayn was not worried about his training, just annoying stuff.

"Are you serious?! Please do not be ridiculous. I expect you to be disciplined around the clock. It does not matter if I watch you or not. If you're crapping on such things, make sure that you are at least plagued by a guilty conscience. Remember, I would be disappointed with you if you do not behave yourself. That's all I can do for you. Just keep my strictly eyes in mind." Kayn smiled a little. Finally a sign of emotion. "What's so funny?" "'Strictly.", The boy mocked the term. "You've never really got me hooked." "Because you're normally a very obedient boy. Wait, until you do shit. Then your ass will go down on you " "It will never come to that" Kayn answered as arrogantly as ever. He should not be too sure. Everybody makes mistakes and it was only a matter of time until the perfect Kayn finally builds shit. Of course, Zed wished that it never came to that, but he knew that day would come.

...

The next morning came too fast. Zed spent his last evening with Kayn. He somehow owed him that. Nevertheless, the farewell was not easy. Minutes passed in which Kayn just held his master around his waist and buried his face in his chest. In the long run, it was a bit uncomfortable for the older one, because his whole order was gathered around him. But pushing him away was not possible either. Everyone knew that they had a special relationship with each other, but how far they went was supposed to be hidden. "Kayn ... do you want to let go?" "One more minute please, Master." Zed sighed but let it go.

As promised, Kayn let go after another minute. "Thanks, master. Please take care of yourself and please make us proud. Everyone in this world should be frightened by the name 'Order of Shadow'." "I'll see to that, boy. And you make sure that we live up to our reputation." "Yes, Master! ", All his students answered in unison. Now it was really time to say goodbye. Zed waved to everyone again until he finally turned around and finally disappeared.

...

After a much too long boat trip and a ride through the Ironspike Trail, Zed finally arrived at the Institute of War. A huge castle waited for him. From the outside, everything was decorated magnificently and decorated to the smallest detail. At the entrance, employees were already waiting for his arrival. "Master Zed, may I take you to your quarters?" A man in a long robe asked him. He had not much left but to follow the man. The 'quarters' were divided into their regions. For outcasts and others, there was an extra department. Zed, on the other hand, was a door-to-door neighbor with Shen and co. He counted as a complete Ionian and he was glad about that, only he would have liked to have more distance to Shen.

Each room has a name on the door. Passing by, Zed recognized his brother's room. From there he always counted. To his disappointment, his room was only 2 doors away. Between Shen and Zed lived only knowing the hamster. Arriving at his room, he got his key from the employee. Zed did not hesitate any longer and opened the door. He showed a large spacious room with a large bathroom. But otherwise, nothing spectacular was available. Actually, he would have expected something more. Before Zed could complain, the man behind him spoke up. "Since we do not know your taste, we have for the time being only the most necessary furnished. At your bedside table, you will find a catalog of furniture and decorative items. Just let us know and we will set up your room to your liking."Zed liked that earlier. His room was far too bright. Black curtains were more appropriate than white ones. The birds could have come to that, too. As if the Master of Shadow would like the light.

"What about the kitchen and the rest?" "Of course we have a communal kitchen where everyone can cook their favorite dishes or they can be cooked to order. In addition, we have various lounges with various activities. Occasionally parties are thrown so the champions get to know each other better ... " "Enough. I understood. Can I be alone now?" "Of course. Please be in the gap in 3 hours so that our team can detect your attacks. In addition, in 5 hours, a photo session and ... " "Can you just not write down the shit for me? I do not feel like memorizing everything." "Yeah ... " The man quickly reached for a pen and paper and wrote down his appointments for Zed. Then he quickly searched the distance and left Zed alone.

He threw himself in his small single bed and leafed through the catalog. Here, new furniture had to be produced as quickly as possible. Shit if he had to build everything himself, this bald cave definitely needed a new coat of paint. As he went through the catalog and tagged his favorites, there was a knock at his door. "What's up?" He practically yelled at the door. "May I come in, brother?" It's just not the idiot. Zed was already in a bad mood about the move anyway. Shen did not promote his mood. "Do something you can not do." Shen opened the door and entered the room. Zed did not care about his guest. He did not care about him in principle.

As if nothing had happened between them, Shen simply threw himself on his back at the end of the bed. "Shall we let the masquerade be, Zed?" Without replying, Zed took off his mask. He really did not need to hide from Kayn and Shen. One took him as he was and the other was responsible for his appearance. Shen did not get away with it either. His face was decorated with slight scars. Nevertheless, the suggestion came from him and he also took off his mask. It was a very strange situation. You do not usually lie down in the bed of the man who murdered your father, but Shen seemed to be in great control. He had to. The contract clearly stated that you can not kill champions outside the divide. He hopes he did not give him any reason to break this rule.

"What are you doing here Shen? And why?" "I was a little surprised to find you here. Did not think that you want to settle for the many rules here. Most of all, I thought you wanted to take care of your 'son." The boy was only here to put him on the bag. Kayn was a very critical topic that he was reluctant to talk about. Even if he could talk about him for hours. "Kayn is mature enough. He does not need me anymore." " Although I have to admit that he is incredibly strong. Be honest, he can use the forbidden technique, right?" "No technique is forbidden brother. But yes. You're right. He is incredibly strong. He will one day become a great assassin."

Shen straightened to a seated position and smiled at Zed. "You have changed Zed. Apart from that, you are very out of balance. Your compassion for others has risen sharply." "Oh shut up Shen. I am exactly the same cold bastard as before. Kayn is an exception. He deserves my attention. You have no idea what's in it. I will not make the same mistake as Kusho. I will recognize and promote his talent. If necessary, I will also give him some paternal love. I prefer falling out of my role as being tipped off the back. "

"Maybe you are right, brother. And I believe that Kayn is dangerous. Just tell me, what makes him so special? You must have had a reason to teach him the forbidden technique." "Sure, I even had several. The boy is incredibly well in control. I could definitely trust him with the training. But that was not what fascinated me from the beginning. Kayn is able to lead any weapon at the highest level. He controls every fighting position and depending on the situation, he can adapt accordingly very quickly. "

"Hm ... I should not underestimate him when he's old enough to fight me. Anyway, I'm leaving now. Was nice with you. If you need someone to chat, or if you have general questions, I'm only two doors away from you." "Tch. Certainly.", He spat mockingly at him in farewell. Zed had no interest in improving his relationship with Shen. He was here to kill him every day over and over again. Nice chats were rather counterproductive.

[raiko-exe]

Equinox [Part 2/End]

Summary: Shadows cannot exist without light, and if not for her he would have been consumed. [Vignette Collection] Characters: Kayn/Irelia Rating: T Tags: Friendship, Romance Tumblr: 1 2 FFN: 1 2 3 AO3: 1 2 3 

viii.

"This is unnecessary," Kayn mutters. He's dressed akin to how he was in Pallas, only this time he attempts to hide his visage under a hat. "I could have easily slipped through and slaughtered them all by now."

"We're trying to attract as little attention as possible," Irelia remarks beside him in her normal garb, but with her hair tied up. "Do try to be patient."

But despite the collected voice she presents with, there's aggression in her stride that hints she wants a fight.

He sighs and rolls his shoulders under the uncomfortable layers as they continue to walk through the orchard behind the manor. It appears to be maintained, but might not remain that way with the new Brotherhood having taken control of her old home as their command center.

Just like the Noxians, she thinks to herself with quiet fury. Only this time, she knows it's personal. They wouldn't have selected this location otherwise.

They stop when the outer walls come into view.

"I need you to circle the grounds and count the guards," she reminds Kayn as she remains hidden among the trees. "Return with the head count and we'll divide between east and west."

"I remember," he says, passing through the wall with ease. Quiet moments pass until his return, feet landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"Twelve on each side. Most are moving through the grounds, but three are posted in the watchtowers," Kayn reports after his short observations. "The courtyard will be harder. but there should be enough cover to manage."

"Take the west, then." she instructs him. "There should be a few things I can take advantage of in the east."

They approach the wall together now and Irelia gives him a sidelong glace. The twitch in his fingers suggests he's overeager, and she knows that might cost them.

"Kayn?" she stops him suddenly.

"What?" He raises a brow, wondering if she harbors any hesitation.

"Be careful," she tells him, though its not that part that concerns her. "And quiet."

ix.

By the time Irelia reaches the courtyard, the grounds are still and there are no guards left in sight.

"About time you showed up," Kayn mentions, revealing himself from one of the pillars. "I had so much time I even cleared your share."

"I was trying to be thorough," she responds, but she cannot argue against his effectiveness. She scans the courtyard for any sings of movement and deems they are safe to push past the front gates. The entryway stands before them, and she takes a moment to compose herself before pushing past its old woodwork.

A small army of rebels greets them as if their arrival had been predicted, and Irelia's eye twitches.

"You clearly missed one," she remarks flatly.

"I would never be so sloppy," Kayn insists, looking almost offended.

"Did you hide the bodies?"

Kayn says nothing and she resists the urge to roll her eyes.

Ignoring the small misstep, Irelia looks to the hoard in front of them. The manor was adequately sized to house troops, and most of them look to be gathered here with more coming from the upper levels.

"Please, stand aside," Irelia urges them as a last offer of mercy. "I only wish to speak to your leader."

"We will not allow you to pass," A voice from the front answers her. The man looks resentful, even if she does not recognize his face, "Should you have chosen to fight with us instead, things might have been different."

Angry voices rise along with him, and it does not take her long to realize that negotiation is futile.

Kayn has appeared bored at the exchange until he feels her hand on his back and sees her eyes harden.

"Carve a path," she says simply and watches the grin form on his lips.

He lunges and forward to sweep a wide arc before them. Unable to react, a handful of soldiers fall to the ground with their innards spilling from their torsos. The rebels flood the hall in an attempt to surround them but Kayn continues his assault, cutting them down far too easily with Irelia pinning those out of his blade's reach.

A few minutes brings their fight to the bottom of the stairway. The boardroom is on the upper level, and Irelia's gut instinct tells her that's where she needs to be.

"I leave the rest to you," she tells Kayn before bounding up the steps. She thinks she hears something from him but cannot be sure through the sounds of agonizing screams and metal on metal.

x.

"Shinn!" Irelia calls as she flings the boardroom doors open with fury. Her former second in command sits at the head of the meeting table – the place meant for her father – with two guards at his sides

"Irelia," the man addresses her, unmoving from his chair. "I figured you would come."

"Why are you doing this? Taking by force is no better than what the invaders sought to do." Her eyes narrow and her blades ready themselves, "And to take my home, you have some nerve."

"I am doing what this country needs," he corrects her, unfazed. "And what you were too weak to do."

"Ionia should not be ruled under an iron fist!" she exclaims. "Destroying the diversity of the land – This is not what we worked to achieve for so many years."

"And that's exactly the problem, Irelia." Shinn says, folding his arms in agitation. "You regard the Brotherhood as something that is still yours when you relinquished it, too weak to take advantage of an opportunity. Which that brings us here."

"Some of the leaders do not acknowledge me as they did you, Hero of the Placidium," he continues, rising to pace across the head of the boardroom. "I knew in order to draw you out I had to get under your skin."

The smile he wears mocks her futility, "And when I kill you, all of Ionia will be forced to recognize me as not only the leader of the Brotherhood, but the one who will unite them all."

"You believe your warriors can defeat me?" she questions, seeing only an empty threat. While leading the resistance fighters no one had been able to oppose her, and from the fighting outside that had not changed.

"They won't have to," he says with calm malice. It has Irelia on alert, but not even she is fast enough to stop him from pressing the buttons on the device that had been hidden in his pocket.

A burst of heat, smoke, and splinters hits her all at once, and though her blades are able to protect her from some of the damage, they cannot save her from the fall when the floor collapses under her feet. Her fall is broken by something hard that splits down the middle on contact, and when Irelia opens her eyes the entirety of her body hurts and is pinned down by the wreckage of the floor.

Through the haze she can make out the distinct sound of Shinn's laughter and sees his unharmed silhouette leering at her demise.

"You coward!" Irelia cries, only to feel a stabbing pain coming from her chest. The flames flickering around her grow larger by the second, and though she tries she cannot find the strength to free herself.

"Rest with your ancestors now, Xan Irelia," he tells her before disappearing towards the servant's corridors to escape.

xi.

The explosions catch Kayn by surprise as the second floor and the staircase buckle, dooming those who had been underneath. The note of panic in the air changes completely as the men now brush past him to withdraw. But he can only think of what has happened to Irelia as flames begin to spit from the direction she had gone.

The mission was supposed to be for fun on his part, but Kayn is now indignant. He slays the few that remain around him and advances towards the destruction.

"What are you're doing?" Rhaast protests in his mind. "The woman is probably dead."

"I won't believe it until I see it," Kayn says determined; he knows Irelia will not die so easily and tries peeling the crumbled panels aside.

"I will not allow such foolishness!" the Darkin demands. The weapon glows with rage, harnessing the power to become wholly sentient and leave his wielders grasp.

"I have been waiting for the moment where you might be so distracted." Rhaast speaks in a sinister tone before attempting to strike. "And with the souls reaped on this night, I have enough power to take your body as my own."

Kayn is barely able to evade the attack, finding a stray glaive to deflect the subsequent blows. But with no man behind the rival blade, he is unable to predict the opponent's movements.

"Stop this, Rhaast!" Kayn insists, but only has the glaive knocked out of his hands, staggering until his back hits a wall.

"Looks like this is the end for you, human," Rhaast declares, readying a decisive blow. Kayn has known all along that this day would come, but never imagined being the one to fall against the Darkin entity.

A familiar feeling comes over him in the face of death – The same feeling he experienced on the banks of the river as a child.

He sees his master alongside Syndra and his fellow brothers of the order.

He sees Irelia, cheeks full of tang yuan and an annoying smile on her face.

He needs to live.

The scythe swings forward to pierce him, but Kayn catches it with one hand on the grip and the other around the curve of the blade. His arms shake as he anchors his feet to hold the pointed edge away from him.

"No, Rhaast," he declares through gritted teeth. Darkness enshrouds them like a thick mist as Kayn channels his own energy into the weapon. "You will heed to me!"

The cloud dissipates with a burst of energy and Kayn finds the scythe silent in his hands, examining the blade with caution. The demonic eye at its center no longer pulses with life, and the Darkin skin on his arm is no more.

Rhaast has been expelled. It's something he's wanted for a long time, but he cannot dote on the thought now; he still needs to find Irelia.

Kayn turns back to the collapsed stairwell and ghosts through the rubble. His senses have become sharper, it seems, as he can hear voices from afar. He hastily proceeds towards them, but he only finds three men after emerging from the walls, and one fits the description of Irelia's target like a glove.

"Oh good, you survived," Shinn says, mistaking Kayn for one of his own spldiers. "I've finished her off, now we can–"

His sentence remains unfinished as Kayn severs all three in a single swoop.

xii.

After calling her name until his voice runs hoarse, Kayn spots a sash of magenta under destroyed slabs of ceiling. The flames have not touched her yet and he rushes to her, desperation coursing through his veins helping to heave away the debris. When he can finally see her, he is relieved to find that she's still breathing.

"Kayn," she manages shakily. She is barely able to see him as he gathers her in his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Me?" He can hardly believe the words she speaks to him, "You should be worrying more about yourself."

He examines her quickly – She's certainly wounded, but it's hard to tell where as they are both been plenty stained with red.

"Shinn, he–"

"I killed him," he informs her briskly. "Now stop talking, you'll only strain yourself."

She gives a weak nod and rests her head on his shoulder, exhausted but content with the fact for now. Kayn hurriedly makes for the back exit he'd passed earlier. When they reach the outside, it's as if half the city has surrounded the manor after seeing the smoke.

"A medic," Kayn demands, scanning the citizens for such an individual. "She needs one. Now."

But instead of aid, the people avert their gazes.

"She is one of your own!" he exclaims in disbelief as Irelia continues to sag against him.

"We never asked to be liberated!" an older man yells from somewhere near the gates. "That girl has been nothing but trouble every time the city has fallen."

Irate voices resonate with him, but Kayn cannot stand for the farce. It's no wonder Irelia wanted to leave this part of her past behind her. He senses her urge to speak before he lashes out himself.

"So you are all too stupid to think for yourselves and would rather be overrun?" he glowers, but the angry cries only grow stronger until a woman pushes her way through the masses.

"I will take her," she says, ushering Kayn away from the crowd and ignoring the burdens wished upon her. "Come with me."

The woman tells him she has always supported the daughter of Xan and her ideals, even if the majority thought otherwise. She also proclaims herself a studied healer though Kayn has little objection at this point, following her into a nearby neighborhood where the houses are packed together.

The doorway of her home is narrow, and as soon as he lays Irelia down he is surrounded by children who buzz about him like flies.

"I'm sorry the house is so small," she apologizes and urges them away. "It would be best if you stayed elsewhere. I can send word when she has healed."

"Very well," Kayn says, unable to argue even if he wanted to make sure of Irelia's recovery himself. They relay the directions to the nearest inn, and he is leaving through the screen door when her voice reaches his ears.

"Don't go."

The words are so quietly he can't be sure if she'd said anything at all, but for her sake he knows he cannot stay, and the door slides shut.

xiii.

Kayn hates staying in one place for too long, and after three days of waiting for Irelia's recovery, he was reaching his limit. The people in this part of Navori were too accommodating, and it was making him antsy.

So when the healer's daughter appears and tells him that Irelia has awoken and is recovering well, he considers his options only for a moment before deciding he should leave altogether. He packs his belongings and pays the inkeeper, heading straight for the city gates. But his footsteps feel sluggish and heavy like he's forgetting something, only he knows full well what he's forgotten.

It's better this way, he keeps telling himself to quiet the small urge there is to see her. Even with those against her, the people need her now more than ever and Kayn does not belong here like she does.

The restless feeling remains after passing the city's borders. The main road ascends upwards into a small grove, and Kayn stops for a moment to view the city over his shoulder.

"Leaving so soon?" a voice from nearby calls to him, and the semblance of it is enough to have him on alert. But before he can pinpoint the source, Irelia has already appeared from behind one of the trees.

"Are you even well enough to be up?" Is the first thing he says to her, seeing the cuts and bruising on her cheeks. The robes she wears allow for more comfortable movement, and the lining is a similar color to the clumps of leaves alongside the road.

"I have been," she informs him with a keen look in her eye hinting she'd predicted his means of departure. "I was in a meeting with the elders before sending Miya to you."

Kayn remembers the adversity they had been met with. "They were responsive?"

"They are working towards a provisional government after the fall of the Brotherhood," she confirms.

He is surprised at the developments, but is more surprised that she's actually here.

"You've learned to control it," she says suddenly after noticing the lack of Darkin limb and the unfamiliar appearance of the scythe.

He nods, "It happened during the fighting." The ashy remnants of the manor can be seen from here, and now it bears importance to them both.

"Does he still speak to you?"

"No," he responds. He realizes it's the closest thing he's ever felt to grief, "It's very...quiet now."

She cannot fully understand but the look in her eyes softens anyhow, and only now does Kayn realize how blue they are. They're not like the sky, but like the ocean, where one could become lost.

"I always believed in you," Irelia says with reverence, and that alone puts him more at ease.

She steps closer and takes his changed hand into her own to study. The pads of her fingers gingerly graze over his palm, then move to the thinner skin over the veins just above. The sensitivity to her touch is unlike the dulled sensation of the Darkin; it deems human.

She wraps her fingers around his wrist and examines his face. He does not flinch, but there is something in her gaze that he can't quite place and he finds himself anxious for completely different reasons.

It dawns on him suddenly that it looks like she's about to kiss him.

And after a moment, she is kissing him after rising onto her toes and it feels nice.

Despite her injuries, Irelia's lips are soft and sweet and Kayn is eager to respond. He clasps the hand that guides him, only to find her pulling away as quickly as she'd started.

"What was that for?" he asks her, slightly winded. His hold has not released, but it is not demanding.

"A thank you for saving my life," she responds in practicality, but the way he arches his brow expresses his doubts.

She takes a breath.

"And because I've grown fond of you, Shieda Kayn," she says with honesty now, and admitting the thought is freeing.

A smile forms on her features, and it's not only because of the sheepish look he has adopted.

"I want to help the cities that were under the Brotherhood's control," she tells him, for her job is far from finished. "Will you join me?"

There is a brief period of contemplation.

"Alright," he concedes, even if he had no real qualms to begin with. "Up until the monastery."

Her smile grows as she attempts to lead him, but Kayn's grip is firm.

This time, he's the one who pulls her in.

[akaishisou]

Very, very interesting. More precise that what I had in mind, but it’s good to know this sort of things. Now tell me what the Navori Brotherhood is rito I need it for fic

[tigerkirby215]

5e Pyke the Bloodharbor Ripper build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

You look familiar... You. You were on my blog, looking at my builds.

Well here’s yet another League build, and yet another edgelord champion. I don’t know if it’s a problem with me or a problem with League but I seem to be drawn to characters with edgy personas... at least lore-wise. In game I spam Sona and Yuumi like an eGirl thot.

And Kayn. And Warwick. Alright I might just be an edgelord.

Regardless Pyke is always a character I’ve enjoyed more for his lore than his actual gameplay. Back in my DOTA days I used to main Bounty Hunter (and I might branch out to DOTA builds someday; who knows?) and while Pyke captures that gameplay to some extent he’s never really been my cup of tea. Gondar was considerably more light-hearted than Pyke and focused a lot more on information gathering than the raw killing that Pyke does. Even so I think Pyke was a great addition to the lore of Bilgewater with the rest of the region seemingly existing only as an excuse to put pirates into League of Legends. (Ironically enough I actually think the other character that displays Bilgewater’s lore the best is Tahm Kench, and considering that most people see him as a meme that’s really saying something.)

But regardless: you’re here for the build, not to read me ramble about why I made it. I can definitely say that if you genuinely want to play Pyke you’re certainly one for the roleplay, though try not to be overly edgy.

GOALS

Harpooner - Armed with an iconic Bone Skewer it’ll find its way stabbed into the stomachs or thrown into the backs of many victims.

Until it all sinks... - Pyke swims in the shadows before surfacing to pounce his prey. He did also swim in the water once.

Did I “support” right? - While we won’t have any healing Pyke has plenty of utility in his own right.

RACE

Officially Pyke is some sort of drowned revenant, and while I know there is a Revenant race in the Gothic Heroes UA it’s rather unbalanced and unfortunately doesn’t really work for what we’re trying to do here. The Gothic Heroes Revenant has a goal, but Pyke’s mind is warped so he thinks his goal is never done. While the health regen is in character for Pyke’s Gift of the Drowned Ones the other features don’t really help us or retain the aquatic theme of Pyke.

With that in mind I had a few ideas: Water Genasi was my first idea to have a character infused with the strength of the sea but unfortunately it’s focused far too much on magic as well as Constitution, both of which Pyke doesn’t have. My next thought was for a Kalashtar to have the spirit of the drowned one infused into you, but they’re tied deeply into their dream lore and less-so into the two-minds aspect.

But then I realized there’s a race that gets infused with parts from the ocean, and even starts out human just like Pyke! This is going to sound mad but you’re going to want a Simic Hybrid from Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica. While in-lore they receive their gifts from the deep from science we can reflavor it as gifts from the ocean itself. Anyways Simic Hybrids see their Constitution increase by 2 and a stat of their choice increase by 1: choose Dexterity for a better chance fighting the beasts below before your line is cut. You also get Darkvision up to 60 feet and Animal Enhancements. Since Animal Enhancement is tied to level I’ll be addressing it in the build instead of in the race section because this is getting long enough as is. And for your language of choice I’d opt for Elvish, mainly because it’s unlikely you’ll meet any Vedalken this side of the sea.

ABILITY SCORES

15; DEXTERITY - Fighting the monsters of Bilgewater in their own territory takes a great degree of nimbleness to avoid getting your line cut.

14; CHARISMA - All sea captains fear the Bloodharbor Ripper, and Charisma is a requirement to multiclass.

13; INTELLIGENCE - You need to be smart to hunt any prey, be it a monstrous fish or... more dangerous game...

12; CONSTITUTION - While not in-character for Pyke to be tanky we sadly can’t convert our health into damage in this build.

10; WISDOM - Even if you have to do it to survive jumping into monster-infested waters is not the best lifestyle choice.

8; STRENGTH - While perhaps in-character to drop Wisdom instead we simply don’t need Strength in this build.

BACKGROUND

There are several backgrounds for a man lost at sea but Pirate is the best for one who came back with a vengeance. You get the Athletics and Perception skills to scout out your prey and wrestle with it in deep tide, as well as proficiency with Water Vehicles and Navigator’s Tools to command your own ship someday. But the main feature we’re here for is Bad Reputation so everyone knows that you’re the Bloodharbor Ripper. If you’re in a civilized settlement people will be afraid of being put on your list, and will let you get away with minor crimes. Murder isn’t a minor crime though, so pull someone into an alley if they do end up showing up on your list.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ROGUE 1

Starting off as a Rogue for the extra proficiencies: take Intimidation, Stealth, Investigation, and Acrobatics as your skills of choice. You also get Expertise in two of those skills and you’re going to want Investigation to find your quarry and Stealth to sneak up on them.

But of course the main reason for the expertise in Stealth is so we can Sneak Attack. Once per turn you can do an extra d6 damage with an attack if an enemy is within 5 feet of your ADC or if you have Advantage on the attack by jumping out of water. You must be using a finesse weapon such as your Bone Skewer, which for now would likely just be a Short Sword since you haven’t received your gifts from the deep yet.

But your time in Bilgewater did allow you to learn Thieves’ Cant, a mix of words and phrases that are actually a code among criminals. They may be speaking about the latest big catch but you know what they’re really talking about is cutting your line.

But while you were under the undertow you did receive some Animal Enhancement. As a Simic Hybrid you can choose between three Enhancement options at level 1: Manta Glide lets you fall slowly and glide as you do so, Nimble Climber gives you a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, but Underwater Adaptation is the obvious choice for the drowned man. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed and can breath underwater. You drowned once but it won’t happen again.

NOTE: If you’re playing outside of an aquatic campaign Nimble Climber would be your next best bet to remaining in character. You can also opt to just play a Variant Human instead of a Simic Hybrid if you don’t mind the lack of swimming speed however, since Simic Hybrid was mainly picked for the aquatic implications.

LEVEL 2 - ROGUE 2

Second level Rogues get Cunning Action, allowing you to use your quick wit to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a bonus action. A Bilgewater Harpooner needs to be quick on their feat and always trust their crew. But when that trust is lost...

LEVEL 3 - WARLOCK 1

As you’re lost to The Drowned Ones you receive their blessing to become a Warlock. The Drowned Ones could be seen as The Undying in many senses, as they keep you from death to serve them.

WHY NOT LURKER IN THE DEEP? - Lurker in the deep focuses a lot more on using the strength of those below more directly. Pike meanwhile merely serves them as an assassin. Not only that but Lurker in the Deep has far more of a focus on tentacles than knives, which is more of Illaoi’s thing.

Undying Warlocks are considered Among the Dead. They get the Spare the Dying cantrip and have Advantage against diseases, and undead enemies may not attack you as they see you as one of their own. If an undead attacks you they have to make a Wisdom save against your Warlock spell DC or choose a new target, losing the attack if there is no one else to hit. If you succeed on the save or you hit them they’re immune to this effect for 24 hours, so perhaps don’t pick fights with Sion.

But along with Spare the Dying you also get access to more Spellcasting. You learn 2 cantrips from the Warlock spell list: Lighting Lure will let you throw your Bone Skewer out at an enemy within 15 feet. They must make a Strength saving throw or be pulled 10 feet towards you, taking a d8 of Lightning damage if they’re pulled into melee range. Eldritch Blast lets you throw your Bone Skewer further down range - make a ranged spell attack against a target you can see and on a hit they take a d10 force damage.

You also learn 2 first level spells from the Warlock list: False Life comes from The Undying patron list and lets you “regenerate” some health in the darkness. You gain a d4 + 4 temporary hitpoints when you cast this spell. That temp HP lasts for an hour or until it’s cut off of you.

Illusory Script meanwhile is the perfect spell to write your list. You can cast this spell while writing with lead-based ink worth at least 10 gold to imbue the words with powerful illusion magic for 10 days. Creatures you designate can read the message normally but any other creature won’t be able to read it, or will see a completely different message as long as it’s written in a language you know. If the spell is dispelled the message is dispelled, so no one will know that your list is truly unending... unless they have truesight, as they’ll be able to read it under the light of a pink ward.

LEVEL 4 - WARLOCK 2

2nd level Warlocks get Eldritch Invocations and the only one we really need is Grasp of Hadar. Every time you hit an enemy with your Eldritch Blast you can pull them 10 feet closer, so you can drag ‘em under and get your hands dirty. You other choice of invocation really doesn’t matter: Armor of Shadows can be a good boost to your AC but I personally like Mask of Many Faces to hide behind your facemask before finding your prey.

You also get another spell and Hex will let you mark your prey as a gift to the Drowned Ones. Whenever you hit a target that’s Hexed you do an extra d6 Necrotic damage, and the target has disadvantage on a type of ability check of your choosing. I’d personally choose Strength so that they can’t swim up when you pull them down to drown.

LEVEL 5 - ROGUE 3

3rd level Rogues get access to their Roguish Archetype and the Soul Knife subclass from the Psionics UA will make sure you always have a Bone Skewer. The Soul Knife gets a Psionic Enhancement: you can either have a 30 foot Telepathy, some extra health and Toughness equal to your Intelligence modifier plus your Rogue level, or 5 feet of extra Walking Speed. These all have their uses but while it’s perhaps not in-flavor Toughness is probably your most consistently useful enhancement.

WHY NOT REVIVED? - Revived focuses far more on the manipulation of death, and has a heavier skill focus than the Soul Knife. But put in simple terms Soul Knife has nearly all the abilities I’d want from Pyke without having to multiclass too much. Undying Warlock is already more than enough undeath for Pyke, and it also helps give him some Deep One patrons.

I should also mention I made this build before the latest Psionics Options Revisited UA. This build uses old features so discuss with your DM if you want to use the newer version.

But of course the main reason to go for the Soul Knife is your Psychic Blade. You can create a bone skewer in your hand, or two bone skewers if you’re feeling particularly vicious. You can’t hold anything in the hand you hold the blade but you can choose to dispel them without using an action.

The blade has the finesse and light properties so you can dual wield them and use your Dexterity as your attack modifier. It deals 1d6 psychic damage on a hit and you can throw it 30 feet normally or 60 feet with disadvantage. Regardless of if you throw your knife or stab with it you can proc your Sneak Attack, which now deals 2d6 damage. If you throw the blade as part of an attack it vanishes immediately after it hits or misses, and the blade(s) disappear the instant it leaves your hand or if you’re incapacitated.

You also get another Animal Enhancement as a Simic Hybrid so you may as well get more AC from the Carapace enhancement, which increases your AC by 1 as long as you’re not wearing Heavy Armor. The only other enhancement I’d maybe suggest is Nimble Climber, which you could’ve taken at level 1. But simply put more AC is more useful, and was limited to us for a reason. You can consider the extra AC as the salt soaked into your skin, and your lust for vengeance allowing you to shrug off attacks.

(Artwork by FMM CAT)

LEVEL 6 - ROGUE 4

4th level Rogues get an Ability Score Improvement: increase your Dexterity for deadlier strikes with your Bone Skewer.

LEVEL 7 - ROGUE 5

At 5th level Rogues get Uncanny Dodge, letting them reduce the damage of an attack by half as a reaction. Is a female bounty hunter shooting you? Dive in the ghostly waters and set yourself up for the kill, especially since your Sneak Attack is also increased to 3d6 at this level.

LEVEL 8 - ROGUE 6

6th level Rogues get Expertise in two more skills: I’d choose Intimidation and Athletics. A frightened target won’t be able to lie to you, and Athletics Expertise will compensate for your low Strength score.

LEVEL 9 - ROGUE 7

7th level Rogues get Evasion: if you’re targeted with a Dexterity-based skill shot you can dash out of the way and take no damage on a successful saving throw, or only half damage if you fail. Pyke is far more evasive than the average support, and can get up and personal to do 4d6 with Sneak Attack.

LEVEL 10 - ROGUE 8

8th level Rogues get another Ability Score Improvement and we’ll max out our Dexterity for even deadlier strikes with your Bone Skewer.

LEVEL 11 - ROGUE 9

At 9th level you get the Terrifying Blade Soul Knife feature. When you damage a creature with your Psychic Blade you can force them to make a Wisdom saving throw based on your Intelligence modifier. If they fail the creature is frightened of you until the start of your next turn, but on a successful save they become immune to this feature for 24 hours. Traitors run from their past, or face them head on. Regardless you’ll kill them all, especially with a 5d6 Sneak Attack.

LEVEL 12 - ROGUE 10

10th level Rogues get another Ability Score Improvement, and you may have noticed our uneven Intelligence score? The Observant Feat will let us see when traitors talk about their coin. You can increase one of your mental stats by 1 (we’ll improve Intelligence) and you can read a creature’s lips to understand what they’re saying as long as you share a language. Your passive Perception and Investigation also increase by 5, so you can be aware of any backstabbers trying to slip away.

LEVEL 13 - ROGUE 11

11th level Rogues get Reliable Talent, meaning that any roll below a 10 in a skill you’re proficient in is treated as a 10. This means that your lowest possible roll with the skills your proficient in is:

25 on Stealth

22 on Intimidation or Investigation

20 on Acrobatics

19 on Athletics

15 on Perception

Your Sneak Attack also increases to 6d6.

LEVEL 14 - ROGUE 12

12th level Rogues get another Ability Score Improvement and we’ll want more Intelligence to know how to truly terrify our foes.

LEVEL 15 - ROGUE 13

13th level Soul Knife Rogues can dive into spectral waters with Psychic Veil. As an action you become invisible for 10 minutes. This invisibility ends if you make an attack or if you force a creature to make a saving throw. You can become invisible a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Your Sneak Attack also increases to 7d6 now, and just so you know attacking out of Invisibility counts as a Sneak Attack.

(Pyke concept art by Riot Games)

LEVEL 16 - ROGUE 14

14th level Rogues borrow some techniques from the monk in the jungle and get a 10 foot radius Blindsense to chase your prey.

LEVEL 17 - ROGUE 15

15th level Rogues get Slippery Mind for proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. It’s not much but considering that you have a +0 to Wisdom it certainly helps. Your Sneak Attack also increases to 8d6 now.

LEVEL 18 - ROGUE 16

16th level Rogues get another Ability Score Improvement and more Intelligence will lead to more Ghostwater Dives and better Terrifying Blades.

LEVEL 19 - ROGUE 17

17th level Soul Knife Rogues can Rend Mind for a powerful Phantom Undertow. If you have a Psychic Blade manifested you can force a creature you can see within 30 feet of you to make an Intelligence saving throw. The target takes 12d6 psychic damage and is stunned until the start of your next turn on a failed save, but only takes half as much on a successful save and isn’t stunned. If you are hidden from the target it has disadvantage on the save, and one of your Psychic Blades vanishes after using this feature.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. Pro tip: attacks against Stunned enemies automatically have Advantage so you can use your 9d6 Sneak Attack damage.

LEVEL 20 - ROGUE 18

Our final level is the 18th level in Rogue for Elusive so that no attack can have Advantage against you. "Death keeps spitting me right back out."

FINAL BUILD

PROS

I smell panic - Soul Knife on its own is a very powerful subclass. Having an unlimited supply of weapons that are viable at both melee and range, the ability to turn invisible, and tons of crowd control with both fears and stuns makes for an incredible damage dealer who can provide a lot of utility to the party.

Big Beast - It wasn’t my intention when making this build but for a Rogue you’re remarkably tanky. You have an above-average constitution and Psionic Enhancement buffing your health to a respectable level, and the Carapace Animal Enhancement turns what would be a +5 to AC (from your Dexterity) to a +6. This means that you have 17 AC with Leather Armor, 18 with Studded, and a 19 AC with Armor of Shadows! As a Rogue, meaning you have Uncanny Dodge and Evasion to further increase your survivability! Not to mention you have two Warlock slots to cast False Life is the fight starts to go south.

Crews share the wealth - Expertise in Intimidation and Investigation are helpful, and having Spare the Dying means that your Cleric can focus on stronger cantrips instead. But having 10 minutes of invisibility is insanely helpful for infiltration.

CONS

Every kill makes the voices louder - The two levels in Warlock are done almost entirely for flavor, and while we do get some useful features it does still mean you lose out on Stroke of Luck. If you have a DM who likes roleplay you can take the Magic Initiate feat for Wizards to get Lightning Lure along with potentially Ray of Frost to simulate a long-ranged “pull” and be a Warlock without actually being a Warlock. But the honest truth is that Soul Knife on its own is strong enough and the ability to pull people closer to you is largely redundant.

My list just got longer - Soul Knife uses their Bonus Action a lot more than other Rogues, meaning that you can’t use your Cunning Action to hide as often. Yes you can make two knives at a time but this still means that you’ll have to spend another bonus action to “reload” after throwing two hooks. And if both your hands are full you can’t hold your list!

Swim or Sink - Unfortunately you don’t get to max out your Intelligence modifier, which is needed for a lot of your class features. However the far bigger issue is your saving throws: proficiency in Wisdom saves help but your Charisma and Constitution are stuck at +2 and your Strength is forever at a pitiful -1. While you can compensate for strength checks with Expertise in Athletics your saving throws are less than desirable.

But problems only come for those without a plan. Make your list, check it twice, find out who’s naughty or nice before gutting them. Make sure your crew’s got your back and that they aren’t going to cut your line too. You’ve died before, but it doesn’t hurt not to do it again.

(Artwork by Riot Games)