This area of darkened plants and dimmed grasses surround the entirety of Noxus, stretching south to the Great Barrier mountain range, and north to the Ironspike Mountains. This area is characterized by darkened soil, a lack of dense vegetation, and is filled with some of the heartiest beasts to roam Valoran. These beasts are not usually hostile, though will attack mercilessly if provoked. The wildlife here is stronger and more hearty than their cousins to the west, primarily because of the fierce competition for food and survival, and due to the toxins leached into the ground from Noxus' moat.
Even the land seems to believe in the strongest winning out for survival. Days are very warm, nights are frigid, and water is supplied by only a few streams running from the Great Barrier to the Guardian's Sea. From almost anywhere on these plains, Noxus is visible in the distance, rising from the flat plains to press against the darkened skies above it.
Countless wars were fought on these plains when Noxus and Demacia clashed again and again. Unmarked graves can sometimes be found, as well as abandoned weapons or machinery of war. They stand as reminders of the city's, and the land's, dark and troubled past. With the advent of the League these lands have been allowed to rest and recover from the devastation, but will such a solace remain? Or, will history repeat itself once more? Only time itself, and perhaps a single Chronomancer, knows for certain...
Riven shivered and pulled herself closer to her fire. After a few days of relaxation, she had made her way farther east, sticking near the foothills of the Great Barrier mountain range. In the distance, Noxus loomed, a black splotch against the horizon, and a reminder of what she had once called home. She still called Noxus her home, even if seeing it reminded her of just how unsure of her capabilities she was. Her people, in many ways, still detested her. They thought her a traitor to the Noxian way, and labeled her an Exile, even if she had initially given herself that title.
The air was chilled by the breeze coming down the mountains and flowing onto the plains. She'd searched all day and only managed to kill a single small fish, and a rabbit. Both were cooking over her fire pit. She'd made camp near a large boulder that stuck out of the ground like an angry blade, and placed her bedroll against it to keep her sheltered from the worst of the wind, and reflect the heat of her fire back upon her. The rest of her day had been spent gathering firewood to keep it going through the night.
She stared into the flames, simply watching them dance across the fuel she'd given it to consume. She'd had quite a long day, and it was good to finally be at rest. Tomorrow, she would continue her eastward march, and perhaps even hit the sea.
Post by Astrid De Rosier on Jan 13, 2013 22:38:45 GMT -5
Astrid De Rosier had spent the last few months playing guard for a low born noble on the outskirts of the Noxian city-state, and once his enemy had been finally killed, her contract had ended.
She had been paid her fee, and left the estate soon after. But with no thought of where to go, she had instead traveled in the direction the wind blew. She found herself traveling the plains below the Great Barrier, unsure as to why the winds blew toward them instead of away as they normally came from on from above.
Ice blue eyes peered up into the darkening sky, and the half-Noxian mercenary frowned to herself. “I should find shelter…” She spoke to herself softly, as she looked around for a suitable spot… but instead notice the soft glow of a perhaps weak fire far from where she stood.
‘Is someone else here…?’ She thought to herself as she gripped her poleax and turned toward the direction of the glow, intent on seeing who made camp in this… sometimes hostile wilderness.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
Riven was busy tending to her fire and food. She took a small razor knife from her pack and cut into the flesh of the rabbit and the fish. They were not quite done, but getting there. That was good. She stomach gurgled in protest of the long wait to cook the meal. She sighed a put another piece of wood on the fire to hopefully speed the process.
Post by Astrid De Rosier on Jan 13, 2013 22:58:53 GMT -5
As Astrid neared the glow that she was positive was a small camp ire now, the smell of roasting meat caught her attention. ‘Food.’ She thought instantly and her pace quickened a tad.
After a few moments, she came upon the small area that was occupied by someone who was unfortunately facing away from her. Astrid watched the woman – as she could tell by the size of her body – for a moment, deciding on what to do. She had two options allowed to her at this point, approach the other person peacefully, requesting the use of their fire and perhaps the sharing of food, or leap in and attack the occupant and attempt to take what was not hers.
The Noxian part of her screamed for the latter, the other woman looked like she would be weaker, and the Freljordian part somewhat agreed. But her mind won in the debate, and she stepped form the shadows toward the fire slowly.
“I do not mean to bother you, but may I may use of your fire?” She spoke out as soon as the light from the flames touched at her pale skin. The dark blue of her armor seemed to absorb the light of the fire as the white and gray wolfs fur fluttered lightly in the soft, yet very chilled breeze.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
“I do not mean to bother you, but may I make use of your fire?”
Riven turned to regard the voice of the person she had heard approaching her camp. This time is wasn't someone wearing heavy armor. They sounded lighter, yet still carried themselves as if they wore weapons. As the woman would near, she would be able to see that Riven had her sword in her hand, sharpening it using a whetstone in the firelight. Her amber eyes met the cold icy blue of the woman's and she spoke.
"Normally I would refuse, being so close to Noxus, but these plains are death at night without warmth or shelter." She turned back to face the fire and returned to her sharpening. "My fire is yours as well, my meal, however, is not..."
"My fire is yours as well, my meal, however, is not..."
"My thanks for extending the warmth of your fire..." Astrid began to say, but as she stepped around the woman, she would noticed the broken rune-blade in the woman's hand, and then the amber colored eyes and white hair. She paused.
"You're Riven... the Exile of our homeland, are you not?" She inquired, amazed she would meet someone like this out in the wild plains.
Astrid moved to sit down opposite of Riven and crossed her legs, laying the poleax across her thighs as she studied the woman.
"Apologies. My name is Astrid De Rosier..." She gave her name, as was the customary and polite thing to do when meeting someone for the first time, especially when that person showed generosity toward her.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
"My thanks for extending the warmth of your fire..."
"You're Riven... the Exile of our homeland, are you not?"
"Apologies. My name is Astrid De Rosier..."
"I know what it's like to try to sleep in the cold without a fire. Don't think anything of it..." Riven looked to the woman as she moved to sit down, before returning to sharpening her blade more. She paused again, however, as the woman spoke again.
"...I am." Her hand clenched tighter on the handle of her weapon out of instinct and preparation training. She didn't want to leave herself open to attack if this woman had been sent to hunt her down or track her. The woman introduced herself, and Riven's mind instantly ran through every list of names of high-ranking Noxian soldiers, mercenaries, and assassins that she'd ever known. The woman's name was on none of them. Then again, years had passed, and her knowledge may have been out of date.
"Well, Astrid, you're welcome to share the heat of my fire. But, as I said, my meal is my own." Riven placed her blade at her side, within arms reach if she needed to grasp it quickly in the case this little meeting turned hostile. "So, what brings you to the Deadlands?"
Post by Astrid De Rosier on Jan 13, 2013 23:45:46 GMT -5
Astrid watched Riven and mentally chuckled at the exile's apprehension, but did not fault her for it.
"Worry not... Riven. I am not here for you or your head. I was...." She paused for a moment, looking up into the night's sky and the stars above. "I was following the wind. Why it brought me here, I do not know for sure." She admitted finally, knowing most folk thought it weird for one to say such.
"I only know of you and your deeds during the Ionian war and your convictions now." Her blue eyes peered into the flames of the campfire. The flicker of the fire reflected in her eyes.
"But perhaps the wind was meant to guide me here, as it blew toward the mountains instead of away. At least, that is what the shaman would tell me if i was to inquire them..." She spoke normally, indicating the shamen of Freljord without realizing she had done so.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
"The wind, hmm?" Riven shook her head and shrugged. "Not too unlike what brought me here. I've been wandering wherever seemed like a good direction. I'd heard rumors of something supposedly happening in Icathia, though other than that, I can't say anything has specifically driven me to where I am now." She looked to her blade. "As for my convictions, there are many that know of them, but few who agree within Noxus."
Her eyes turned to the woman sitting opposite her as she mentioned shamans. Noxus had no such thing. He armor was strange as well, covered in furs and dark blue metals. She carried herself like a Noxian, but her mannerisms and armor, even her appearance were off. "You're not a full-blooded Noxian, are you?"
"...No. No I am not." Astrid lowered her eyes to the ground and went silent for a moment, then sighed. "I am half-Freljordian." She admitted to the woman before her. Why she had, she had no clue. "My mother was abducted by Noxian soldiers many moons ago. She was made wife to their captain, and thus I came to be."
"But tell me, what is going on in Icathia...? What could be going on there?" She inquired, the news was somewhat disturbing as she had heard strange tales of the place from passing explorers.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
"I see..." Riven listened and shook her head. She'd heard of such things happening. Noxian soldiers reaping what they saw as the 'spoils of war' for themselves. Not everyone in Noxus was a pure-blooded Noxian, and those that were not were often looked down upon, unless they could somehow prove themselves worthy of respect. The woman before Riven seemed to be one such individual. She carried herself like a true soldier, so she had clearly experienced combat.
"I don't know what's going on. Rumors say many things. But, from what I have heard, they speak of the possibility of an incursion from the Void. Such a thing would be very distressing if true..." Riven shook her head, turning her attention to her meal, which looked to be done. She slid the fish and the rabbit off of the spit upon which she was cooking them, before she set them beside her and began to pick them apart.
Post by Astrid De Rosier on Jan 14, 2013 0:45:12 GMT -5
Astrid's brows knit together as she looked at riven further. "I have not heard of such a thing but... if what you say is true, then... it is very disturbing indeed." She looked off to the side and frowned.
"The breeze... did you feel it shift?" She asked, "it feels wrong, somehow."
Shaking her head, Astrid placed her hands upon the shaft of her poleax once more. "The void is something in which all of Runeterra should be wary..."
Her eyes moved to look at the rabbit and frog which Riven picked away at and her stomach growled. She had not eaten for two days, but she would not ask or beg. "If you seek to travel to Icathia... may I ask to join you? I'm sure the journey to the cursed city would be better if you were not alone... and I promise to pull my own weight."
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
Riven raised an eyebrow. She hadn't felt the wind shift, but now that her attention had been drawn to it, it did seem to be coming from a different direction. Curious, she though. She also heard the woman's stomach gurgle. She looked to her fish, and then to her rabbit. She then offered the fish to the woman.
"If you're going to accompany me to Icathia, you'll need your strength." She placed the fish down on a rock near Astrid. "I'm sure, if things go poorly, that they will need all the strong warriors they can get their hands on."
Post by Astrid De Rosier on Jan 14, 2013 0:56:29 GMT -5
Astrid looked down at the fish, tilting her head just a bit. "Just how far would you say travel to Icathia would be?" She asked, reaching for the fish hesitantly. The woman had never been one to accept charity, but if she would become Riven's traveling partner for now, then perhaps it would be polite to accept it. After all, Riven didn't seem like the type to do something without thinking, and not to go back upon her actions.
"I thank you for the fish... but are you certain you are willing to part with it...?" She had to ask to be sure. "I will help you hunt for more later."
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."
Welcome to Maelstrom, Original Characters, Summoners and Champions alike. We are a divergent setting roleplay forum for the ever-popular MOBA by Riot, League of Legends. This means we are based in Riot canon, but your characters' actions can have a real, lasting impact on the world. Together, the Maelstrom community endeavors to bring the League of Legends setting and characters to life through collaborative storytelling and meaningful development. We welcome you along for the ride.
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