Post by The Burning Vengeance on Feb 20, 2013 3:47:34 GMT -5
February 9th, 23 CLE, 2200 hours, after the Grim triumph
You can't stand there forever, you know.
The mage outside his cell didn't respond past a slight grimace.
eventually, one of you is going to slip up.
And me? I can wait.
I have all the time in the world.
The elemental sat hunched in a manner that resembled boredom more than anger or fear. he lifted his head after several moments to speak.
Tell me...
Why do you resist?
This world is steeped in a corruption deeper than you could possibly imagine.
Don't you want to save it?
He looked around at the circle of magi.
You can restore order to this world, save it from the chaos that ravages it's very core...
all you have to do is burn.
The Mages had tuned him out at this point. In their minds, Noxus WAS order; and nothing could convince them otherwise.
Order abounded here.
And although Brand was initially dismissive of the idea that humans could create order, or purge the corruption that ran deep within the core of Valoran, the acts to which he had borne witness were eerily similar to the ways that he himself had become accustomed.
The strong survive.
The strong consume.
The strong grow stronger.
And while this wasn't quite as literal as the consumption and growth of power that took place on his own plane, the origins of the group that had bested him in combat pointed to much the same process.
The strong survive.
The strong recruit.
the strong grow stronger.
There was something... off, about it. as far as he knew, humans didn't possess that level of intelligence: somebody, somewhere, was pulling the strings.
No. Not pulling the strings. It was far more subtle than that. It was a ripple in a pond. A gentle breeze sending a leaf twirling through the air.
Post by The Master Tactician on Feb 20, 2013 23:27:58 GMT -5
2300 hours. Following the Noxian army's homecoming.
Uneven footsteps sounded on the dungeon stairs, punctuated by the click of stone on stone. Step, step, cane, he came (the walking stick's grim bearer), precisely on time, his jaw set in firm resolve behind his shroud. No flicker of torchflame lit the holding-chamber, no light save for the eerie purple glow of the prisoner's bindings. Mages stood stock still in a circle around him, lulled by the quiet hum of their own spellcasting, shutting out his ominous oration.
Red eyes loomed out of the dark, pupil-less, fixed upon the elemental prisoner. "This is what becomes of those who oppose me, Vengeance," came the Grand General's hoarse address. He limped into the luminescence, sinister shadows clinging to the premature wrinkles on his face, deepening the bruised hue of his nose and cheeks. Though his body slightly shook, the look he fixed upon his captive burned with malevolent power: a fury so intense it could have quelled a mortal man.
Swain leant upon his cane, surveying, calculating. At his shoulder, the fiendish black familiar gave a twitter, clucked her beak. The mages chanted on as though entranced. "What will become of you, I wonder."
Post by The Master Tactician on Feb 21, 2013 1:22:39 GMT -5
Crimson eyes narrowed, gleamed in the dark. Their owner issued his imperious bark, "The status of my humanity is of little concern to you, Vengeance." He took another crooked step towards the prison. The Raven at his shoulder gave a shriek and spread her wings, agitated by the elemental's presence--armless and contained though he was.
The general's voice grew dark, inhuman, a guttural growl in which he issued his demand, "Give me one good reason why I should not extinguish you for your impertinence."
Post by The Burning Vengeance on Feb 21, 2013 5:08:29 GMT -5
The elemental simply frowned and narrowed his eyes.
You would "snuff" one who attempts to preserve the universe?
allow me to explain my case.
You know of summoning, do you not?
It is a form of magic that involves tearing tunnels in the fabric of reality. These tunnels may burrow into other planes, through walls that shouldn't be crossed; and when the summoner in question is done with his kidnapping of whatever poor creature he has decided will serve him in his little game, he closes up the holes on either end and goes about his business.
Naturally, they have never figured out exactly how to close the tunnels themselves.
This lead to several great calamities in adjacent universes; such as entire worlds collapsing in on themselves.
Early in this world's history, I was summoned to put an end to this.
You can see why an executioner would be needed. The infection runs deep; the culture of this world reveres the act of summoning as a display of skill and strength.
It must be dealt with.
It will be dealt with.
Lest the dimensional walls collapse.
but I digress.
If you want a reason that is immediately beneficial to you, then I propose a deal.
I will help you achieve whatever goal it is you have in mind for this wretched world; I don't care what you do with it.
There is only one thing I ask in return.
Once this world has been... Properly subjugated. Summoning magics must be banned.
The League must die.
The elemental sat, cross legged, slightly regretful of the fact that his knowledge had reached human ears. He looked up, watching Beatrice squawk and flap her wings.
Your... Bird. seems rather agitated.
Perhaps you should return after considering my offer.
Post by The Master Tactician on Feb 21, 2013 20:49:58 GMT -5
Swain allowed the elemental to finish, eyes shrewdly narrowed, gauging its sincerity, before he moved to speak. His voice, though quiet, carried a darkly authoritative note through the gloom. "We are well aware of this blight. But there is no sense in leveling that which can be re-purposed."[/size][/color] His gaze bored purposefully into Brand's.
"The League will fall, indeed. And my empire will rise from the ashes. Perhaps you've not been paying attention." The general turned in thought and took a few uneven paces, leaning heavily upon his cane. "We will consider your 'deal'."[/color][/size] His piercing gaze snapped back to his captive. "With provisions."[/color][/font]
Post by The Master Tactician on Feb 22, 2013 1:45:23 GMT -5
He tongued the space between his molars, jaw extended, and stood staring Brand down. His withered body trembled slightly in the dark. The bruised circles beneath his eyes, his wasted body, his swollen face, gave him the look of a man long dead. The shadows cast by his deep wrinkles further intensified his sinister aura. At his shoulder, the hellish Raven twittered.
"You will need a new host,"[/color][/font] he growled unblinking, "I will choose it for you. And when this is all said and done, when we have secured this plane, when the dust has settled, when I rule this realm, you will return to yours. And never again will you set foot or flame upon Runeterra."[/size][/color] Hunched over his cane, red eyes blazing through the shadows, the Master Tactician studied his latest acquisition. The purple glow undulated in the chamber lending a dreamlike quality to this meeting of fiends.
Post by The Burning Vengeance on Feb 22, 2013 3:55:20 GMT -5
Brand stood, his eyes shining through the violet prison like a pair of white hot coals; matching the intensity of Swain's own scarlet ones.
I trust the shell in question will be adequate to contain my power.
He paused for a moment, tilting his head so that his eyes locked with the crimson gaze of the bird on his shoulder.
As for this world, you may have it. If the wanton destruction of the fabric of reality is ceased, I see no reason to return to this realm.
This is assuming that these acts never resume.
But I digress.
Consider your terms accepted, Grand General.
Now that this... Alliance, however short the term, has been realized; I believe a proper introduction is in order.
In a single motion, the elemental shed his shell, revealing his true form; a simple ball of flame, that gradually coalesced into a disturbingly tall and spindly humanoid figure. The being of flame opened it's jagged mouth to speak.
I am Brand. High Executor of the realm of flame. I am known among my people as the Worldkiller.
Brand looked down at both Swain and his avian companion, his form flickering back and forth.
I know of you, Grand General Jericho Swain. The soldiers I burned screamed your name with their final breath.
But... Your name...
The elemental locked it's "eyes" upon Beatrice, two blue spots that burned brighter than the rest of it's form.
Post by The Master Tactician on Feb 22, 2013 21:36:36 GMT -5
The general watched as Brand revealed itself, his face impassive, even as he observed the elemental's emergence from what was now only a pile of ash upon the floor. From his shoulder, Beatrice clicked her beak, an avian expression that sounded vaguely reminiscent of a human's scolding, "tut tut tut." Her master narrowed his eyes to slits; his visage twisted, morphed into something strange, inhuman.
When he spoke again, Swain's voice was the low rumble of an earthquake, the stirring of a dragon, the distant roll of thunder: "We have many names, High Executor. The Orchestrator. The Infiltrator. The Instigator. But to you, we are Grand General Jericho Swain, leader of Noxus. Nothing less. Nothing more."[/color][/size]
If the channeling mages noticed the change that came over their chief-of-state, they did not visually react. Or perhaps there was no change. Perhaps his lips had not even parted. Perhaps he stood perfectly still in the semi-darkness, calculating the case of Brand, High Executor of the Realm of Flame, temporary ally and potentially unstoppable force--provided the proper host body. The demonic expression evaporated, replaced by the Machiavellian mask of Noxus' leader. "You will remain here until I've procured your vessel. If you attempt to escape, mark my words, Vengeance, I will kill you.
"Personally."[/size][/color]
The general turned to go, limped away from the prison. Beatrice craned her neck for one final look at the captive and let out a shrill cry--as though to remind him of his tenuous position, of their mutual goals, of their binding words. Her shriek echoed through the dungeon.
Post by The Master Tactician on Mar 10, 2013 1:44:50 GMT -5
More than the clatter of a cane resounded through the dungeon. The clang of metal on stone rang forth; heavy footfalls echoed over the continuous hum of the attending summoners. Closer, closer, closer, they came until, from the shadows, Grand General Jericho Swain emerged, his shrunken body accompanied by another, sharply contrasting form. The vessel.
Seven feet tall, encased in adamantite, an augmented humanoid followed closely behind him. Still-human eyes looked strange upon the fearsome form, darted nervously from the elemental to the summoners, to the four attending Raedsel, to the Grand General. The cyborg's metal plates clanked gently together; he seemed to be trembling in shock or terror. "Vengeance," came the imperious address of The Master Tactician. "The time has come."
With but a purposeful glance and a jerk of his head, Swain issued his personal guard their orders. Two Raedsel stepped out of formation, took the cyborg by either arm and escorted it towards the glowing purple prison in which Brand stood contained. Whether willing, drugged, or simply too terrified to protest, it complied, eyes still darting wildly between all attending parties. The Raedsel released it as it drew nigh the purple bubble. "Allow it to pass," Swain addressed the summoners.
The frequency of the humming dropped to a whisper; the chanting quickened; the violet semi-sphere changed to a silvery hue. And the cyborg stepped over the threshold, stood before Brand as though awaiting approval, its plates still clinking together with its tremor.
"A shell worthy of your power, Executor," Swain declared, lifting his chin to observe his associate's reception of the imposing form he had procured. "As vowed."
Post by The Burning Vengeance on Mar 10, 2013 2:15:25 GMT -5
With a crackle of flame, the elemental rushed into his new shell; the blaze of he current form rushing into its open face grate.
In the blink of an eye, any human expression within the cyborg's face was obliterated, giving way to the burning gaze of vengeful flame. Immediately, the scared posture was lost; giving way to a regal and dignified stance; the mechanical being bursting into life, flame roiling visibly beneath the surface.
Ahhhh...
He released a mechanical hiss, more akin to the release of pressurized air than the sound of a relieved person. Brand clenched the mechanical talons he'd been given, each large enough to hew an ordinary person in twain.
You've earned my trust, Grand General; and judging by your reputation, I couldn't have chosen a better person to follow orders from.
Post by The Master Tactician on Mar 10, 2013 22:00:40 GMT -5
A satisfied smirk twisted The Master Tactician's features. "Release him," he commanded the summoners, who dropped their hands at once. Their chanting ceased. Silence fell over the dungeon. The magical chamber dissipated. The dungeon's only source of light now came from the towering cyborg--and from the eight pairs of glowing red eyes: three avian, five human, one particularly luminous.
The general's burning eyes shot through the gloom, spotlights in astute observation of the form he had conceived. It was flawless, imposing, horrible. And the means to take control of this weapon lay safely inside his robe pocket--not that he presumed he should need to. Even as the prison dropped, even as the barriers fell away and he was left standing face to face with this titan, he squared his shoulders, stood dignified before The Burning Vengeance, scarred hands folded over his cane. "Walk with me," came his bidding.
"The time has not yet come for us to strike. I will share with you the current state of events--and we will consider how to achieve the ultimate goal."[/size][/color]
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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