Kassadin

Cutting a burning swath through the darkest places of the world, Kassadin knows his days are numbered. A widely traveled Shuriman guide and adventurer, he had chosen to raise a family among the peaceful southern tribes—until the day his village was consumed by the Void. He vowed vengeance, combining a number of arcane artifacts and forbidden technologies for the struggle ahead. Finally, Kassadin set out for the wastelands of Icathia, ready to face any monstrous Void-construct in his search for their self-proclaimed prophet, Malzahar.

Real name: Kassaiadyn Alias(es): The Void Walker Species: Human (Void Touched) Age: 41-51 years old Place of origin: Sai, Shurima Current residence: Unknown (No Fixed Abode)

Kassadin started life as a lowly offcast, walking the harsh sands of the Great Sai alongside merchant caravans to draw predators away from their more valuable goods. He survived many of these treks across the desert, and began to serve less as bait, and more as a guide.

The foreign tongues that sought his talents, “Kas sai a dyn?” or “whom does the desert know?” often slurred their Shuriman, and so he became fondly known as Kassadin in the back alleys and markets of Bel’zhun. He spent many years exploring the ancient ruins of his homeland, making his employers exceedingly wealthy, but it wasn’t until a dig near Zirima that he found a treasure of his own—he fell in love with a woman from one of the desert tribes.

With his wife and newborn daughter, Kassadin settled in a small village in the rocky canyons to the south. He was on the road often, his work sometimes requiring him to accompany particularly valuable relics to some faraway sponsor. But, no matter where his travels took him, Kassadin would always return with exciting tales from the world beyond.

Journeying home from distant Piltover, Kassadin and his fellow caravaneers were watering their beasts at an oasis when they encountered the first terrified survivors stumbling out of the desert. They spoke of the disaster that had claimed their homes, as if the maw of the underworld itself had opened up to devour them. They had barely escaped with their lives.

Fearing for his own family’s safety, Kassadin left the others behind, riding hard, driving his mount almost to exhaustion. When he finally reached the place where his village had once stood, he found only shifting sand and rubble. He clawed at the debris until his hands bled, screaming out his wife and daughter’s names, though no answer came. Days later, Kassadin’s companions caught up to him, now just a broken and empty man weeping beneath the scorching sun.

They dragged him back to Zirima, but Kassadin would go no further. For years, he tried to drown his grief, reduced to little more than a vagrant… until word reached town of “the Prophet.”

Whispers of unspeakable horrors that dwelt beneath the earth, and of sacrifices made in their name, chilled Kassadin to the bone. He knew well the legends of old Icathia, and the fate that befell that accursed place—if the Void had been deliberately drawn toward Shurima once more, then it had likely been the death of his entire village, and countless more besides. He also knew there were few, if any, who could stand against it.

In that moment, Kassadin swore that he would avenge his wife and daughter, by destroying this insidious Prophet, and the source of his abyssal power. He was a man who had made his living by finding safe paths through the most dangerous places, and resolved to arm himself with the most arcane and esoteric weapons ever known in Valoran, fused with Zaunite ingenuity, and blessed by Ionian spirit-healers. He called in every favor he could, from scholars of antiquities to common smugglers, for their help in… acquiring what he sought. Many called him a madman, believing this the last time they would ever see their old friend alive—Kassadin merely thanked them for their concern, and bid them farewell. He would face the Void alone.

Last of all, he stole the infamous Nether Blade of Horok, the sword that had slain a thousand deceivers in the latter days of the empire. He could feel the cold pull of oblivion in its edge, but no longer had any regard for his own mortality, and nothing of his old life left to lose.

Disguised in the robes of a pilgrim, more than a decade since he had last set foot anywhere near that desolate land, Kassadin made his way into Icathia. He would go where no man was ever meant to walk.

He would have his vengeance, even if it killed him.

Appearance: Kassadin's body has been heavily modified . His skin has turned a sickly shade of blue, if that even is his skin anymore. On his head he wears a Zaunite helmet made in a deep metal with purple embellishments and with two large metal horns on either side. The helmet itself resembes a gas mask with two metal tubes that go from the helmet to Kassadin's back. He wears two large spiked shoulder pads in the same metal and with the same embellishments as his helmet, he also wears two metal gauntlets in the same style. Other than that he is shirtless, exposing his blue skin. And to cover his lower body he wears a dark purple skirt which reaches down and covers his feet. On his right arm he wields the Nether Blade of Horok.

Personality: Kassadin has become a cold and nihilistic man. He is fixated on delivering justice, but equally wishes for the monsters of the void to strike him down so he may join his wife and child. Either way, he will defy the Void until the very end.

Passive: Void Stone - Kassadin takes reduced magic damage and is able to briefly phase through people.

Abilities: Null Sphere - Kassadin fires an orb of void energy at a target. The excess energy forms around himself, granting a temporary shield that absorbs magic damage. Nether Blade - Kassadin's blade turns fiery red and his next blade strike deals significant bonus magic damage and restores his Mana. Force Pulse - Kassadin draws energy from spells cast in his vicinity. Upon charging up, Kassadin can use Force Pulse to damage and slow enemies in front of him.

Ultimate Ability: Riftwalk - Kassadin teleports to a nearby location dealing damage to nearby enemies. Multiple Riftwalks in a short period of time cost additional Mana but also deal additional damage.

Runeterra (meaning magic earth) is a plane of existence composed of the physical realm: an oblate spheroid planet and the Spirit Realm. The currently known continents the planet comprises are Valoran, Shurima and the Camavoran Continent. It also boasts several large bodies of water, such as the currently known 18 Seas (like the Conqueror's Sea and the Guardian's Sea), and 2 Oceans with several archipelagos and islands around them (like Ionia, the Serpent Isles, and the Shadow Isles). The planet orbits around a G-type star while a natural satellite moon orbits around the planet. Runeterra's sun and moon also even mirrored equivalents in the spirit realm. Composed of both the material and spirit realms, Runeterra is all that separates the celestial powers of creation from the abyssal threat of all undoing. This is a magical world unlike any other--inhabited by peoples both fierce and wondrous.

Centuries ago, magical artifacts called the 'World Runes' were rediscovered. Over the following decades, knowledge of the Runes began to spread as more were unearthed. The world's brightest minds studied the ancient glyphs, attempting to determine the powers they possessed. Few could even begin to understand the importance of their origins, or the sheer power held within them. Some surmised that the Runes were integral to the creation of Runeterra itself. The first use of these mysterious artifacts proved catastrophic, as they reshaped the landscape of entire nations. Mistrust quickly grew as those who knew of the Runes imagined such “Makers' Might” being used as a weapon. Conflicts related to these magical artifacts began to occur, known as the Rune Wars.

Open warfare raged across Runeterra. The first horrors of the Rune Wars sparked fear and aggression among those who now realized the power at their command. Ryze and his master, Tyrus, had sought out to lock away every World Rune beyond the reach of man for the protection of Runeterra. Some complied with their pleas, others dismissed them due to their new found powers and influence. After an incident with Tyrus, Ryze later on continued his journey alone in gathering all Runic artifacts so as to prevent another Rune War from starting and possibly destroying the world.

Runeterra has a large number of sapient species. These sapient species can range from being able to use primitive tools to one's advantage to god-like feats like forging literal stars. Some sentient species are monster-like and aggressive while others less aggressive or tame. While most sentient species are animals, there are instances of plant based sentient species. Most known instances of non-sentient species are found with plants. As rich and diverse as Runeterra is, not all species are well documented. From the Shuriman Jungles to the magic wilds of the Ionian Archipelago, known only by names or by visuals, these numerous species are an enigma.

The empire of Shurima was once a thriving civilization that spanned an entire continent. Forged in a bygone age by the mighty god-warriors of the Ascended Host, it united all the disparate peoples of the south, and enforced a lasting peace between them.

Few dared to rebel. Those that did, like the accursed nation of Icathia, were crushed without mercy.

However, after several thousand years of growth and prosperity, the failed Ascension of Shurima’s last emperor left the capital in ruins, and tales of the empire’s former glory became little more than myth. Now, most of the nomadic inhabitants of Shurima’s deserts eke out a meager existence from the unforgiving land. Some have built small outposts to defend the few oases, while others delve into long lost catacombs in search of the untold riches that must surely lay buried there. There are also those who live as mercenaries, taking coin for their service before disappearing back into the lawless wastelands.

Still, a handful dare to dream of a return to the old ways. Indeed, more recently the tribes have been stirred by whispers from the heart of the desert—that their emperor Azir has returned, to lead them into a new, wondrous age.