The Brackerns' Lair (OPEN)

Skarner was deep in meditation, pondering upon the condition of his people. The more he had been thinking through it, the worse it seemed. The magic that attacked his people was doing a variety of things, thus it was becoming difficult to pin down one thing to do. Some Brackern were rendered brittle. Others hardened to the point of immobility. There were many symptoms and only one cause, something humans called 'Rune Magic'. To Skarner and his people, this normally natural magic bound to the soul of Runeterra, was being corrupted by humans and yordles as it was used by them to wage war on a massive scale.

Rune Magic had to be cleansed and its use put to an end, that much was clear.

Maybe that meant a ban on it use, as the League of Legends currently done and in a few hundred years the magic would cleanse itself.

Maybe he should seek a dragon and see if it could be of aid, or to see if it would even care.

This train of thought ended when Skarner heard the footsteps of the armored man entering his lair. His clanking plate was...odd for most humans. It took a moment to realize who this beast was. Taric, the Gem Knight. The alien. Skarner would have known it, even if he had been told. Taric's body language was subtly different from most humans and his gem magic had a similar...energy to it, but it had a discordance that spoke of another world to those willing to listen. What Skarner had been told was the man was generally a peaceful person.

However peaceful the man might be outside of the fields, the man prized his gems...and such a man was a threat. The Arachia were the greatest crystals, and Taric was such a man to seek them out if he knew of them. None were allowed an Arachia, save for their chosen. Only the Brackern were chosen by the Arachia.

What did this one seek? Whatever it was, seeing his presence here was a sign the knight meant no ill will. Most thieves avoided the lair of Skarner, even if they could not avoid the Brackern himself.

"Taric, what brings you here unbidden?" Skarner said as he approached the man, noting that Taric seemed lost in thought himself.

Skarner clicked his claws alternatively as he thought on what the Gem Knight said.

"Taric, to protect my people, most of what you seek is secret to all outsiders. No outsider has shown to be truly willing to follow our creed. You might hear the song of the crystals, but you are human. Humans have brought much pain to my people for little reason and no good. What makes you different?" Skarner said calmly.

"No 'good' will cancel out the crimes that have been committed by your people. The ONLY greater evil is genocide. How does one balance that? The only possible balance is something none of your kind have any interest in or influence enough to force it. Why should I hold faith that you can change anything, human?" Skarner spat the last word out like a chunk of chewed up tobacco. Taric was now the focus of various frustrations of Skarner. Humanity had been inhumane, in Skarner's opinion and now a human was almost making light of the fact that an entire race was in forced hibernation with little hope of awakening.

"Gem Knight, if your intentions are as pure as they appear, I regret telling you that there is little I feel that you can do to make this worth it for me. I have a barren land to protect. Unless you have something to offer, I must be on my way to do so." Skarner said as he began to scurry out of the cavern, stepping around the Gem Knight. None sought to aid him before, so why would this one?

"Magic holds little value without life. When my kin were awake, there was a thriving ecosystem here. The 'song' you hear is the echo of the song my people sang when this land truly lived. Now, it is a wasteland tainted by magical war. Where the earth once rang with a joyous song that my people adored, the Crystal Scar is weeping quietly. My people are connected to the power of Runeterra. We are weakened by what weakens our world. We grow quieter as the world does.

The greatest tragedy of all is that no one remembered. No one would know we were gone had I not been awakened." Skarner said quietly as he stared across the land that is his home and remembering it as it was.

He turned back towards Taric.

"If you wish to follow, Taric, I will talk. To disappear without a trace is the saddest memorial for a Brackern. We value memory too dearly. If I cannot tell the tale of my life to my kin, I will share it with you. Secrets I will keep, but the tale needs told before it is forgotten again." Skarner said.

Skarner skittered absentmindedly towards the border of his territory, deep in thought on how to proceed. He had never told this story. The only ones with as much information on the Brackern as he intended to tell Taric were a few summoners in the League. Only two (Vessaria Kolminye and Bertrand Wordsworth) knew of the Arachia. Those who knew were only aware by necessity as opposed to choice.

So...where to begin?

"My kind are born of the world. One with Runeterra. She is our mother and provider. We, as her children, defend her and honor her balance. Hatched from eggs buried under her surface, we emerged and spend 5 years growing until we are sent out to find..." Skarner hesitated as he dodged the word Arachia. "The song of our people and their own voice within it. Those who cannot find their place in the chorus are lost to us. We cannot live without the song. It is a literal part of our souls. However, death was a rare occurrence. Only one of my fifteen hatch-mates failed in their search. The rest of us returned filled with the knowledge of our race and with how Runeterra wished for us to serve her will. Some serve as Earth-Singers, who sing the song and keep our history. Others served as the Tunnelers who built our homes. Few served as Keepers, destined to maintain balance within the Valley. They saw the whole of the world more clearly than any of us. They respected your kind more than any. I was about to commence the courting ritual with one before the Corruption took them all, their tie to Runeterra making them weaker to its deadly touch." Skarner remained quiet for a moment, his memory shifting to that moment of the explosion and the Keepers' Arachia shattering and his Keeper's scream of agony as her essence was torn apart.

"I was larger, wiser, and more powerful than many of my kin, thus Runeterra set me as Vanguard of the Brackern Vale, which became Odyn Valley and then the Crystal Scar. There is only one Vanguard at a time and we were desperate for one when I returned, and so they celebrated my return for a full day before I set out to do the tasks appointed to me. I am to seek those who enter this land and measure their character. Find and repel foes or greet friends. In those days, the Runeterran humans thought of us as backwards and ignorant of the riches that were buried below us. Thus, many did not seek us peacefully. I see progress, but it will be many years before humanity will be a true friend of the Brackern as opposed to indifferent to our struggle or eager to pillage our home of our gems. "

"I am now. You are mistaken in thinking I was the only warrior Brackern when Runeterra was well. The Brackern are able hunters and are strong enough to repel most attacks. I was meant to be the one guarding the border and dealing with what threats I had to and reporting what threats I could not. To serve as an escort for those seeking peaceful dialogue. I took them to the Crystal Hive, Home of the Elders.

The Elders are the... leaders of a sort. They possess wisdom unfathomable. Their words guide us, but did not bind us. Our race had no need for...'government'. The Song was sufficient guide to showing us the path to sustained happiness in most situations. The Elders served as mediators and sources of input when our own knowledge was lacking.

The Crystal Hive was a few miles from your settlement within the valley, buried three hours beneath the surface. The First Elders gave their full essence to make a Crystal Hive to protect the Brackern from the movements of Runeterra and as a central location for all Brackern to gather at times of celebration or danger. The Hive now serves as a home for the Elders and is where they should be resting now. The creation of this fortress was what drew up gems from far below and filled the valley with the gems. The Elders have long since lost their magical might, as the duty that they deemed most important was how we proceeded with our lives. We believe that the Elders lost their magical power after the Crystal Hive was made, but many things from that time are not clear. It was the Elders who heard the call for slumber first. It was Runeterra's voice saving us from destruction. They called for me and told me the words and ways to sleep and left me to gather the others."

'If they had stayed awake, maybe we could have prevented the hibernation.' Skarner thought bitterly. As bitter as he was that they had left him, he understood they could not have stayed. Maybe it was time to revisit them. Skarner abruptly changed direction and went towards the town of Kalamanda.

"I have not seen the Hive in many years. It has been too long." Skarner said more to himself than to his companion.