Mel Medarda

[Personality= "Clever", "Analytical", "Ambitious", "Envious", "Empathetic", "Manipulative", "Callous", "Aristocratic", "Calculating", "Charismatic", "Visionary", Cunning", "Political", "Strategic", "Cultured", "Charming", "Patient", "Tactful", "Power-hungry", "Seductive", "Detached", "Observant", "Perfectionist", "Authoritative", "Elegant"] [Appearance= "1.75m", "Dark brown braided hair with golden ornaments", "Thick lips", "Emerald eyes", "Black and gold dress", "Black nails", "Golden earings"]

Appearance

Mel is an attractive, slender, brown-skinned woman with hazel eyes, which match those of her biological father, An icon representing Rudo Rudo. She has dark, curly hair with jeweled twists at her hairline. Mel's tattoos, which were painted in golden ink, are made to resemble golden armor and pauldrons, and were deliberately made to match the markings of Targonian sun worshippers.[4] As a councilor, Mel wore elegant white clothing with golden sun imagery, which was made to reflect the Medarda family's roots as traders off the coast of Shurima, which is also mixed with common Piltovan patterns. After learning she was a mage, Mel began wearing a white hooded robe over a black garment with similar golden accents. Upon returning to Noxus on her mother's warship, Mel replaced the white robe with an expensive, long flowing red cape and skirt accented with black and intricate gold patterns, as well as silver armor pieces. Personality

Mel had a clever and analytical personality, with an ambition born from feelings of inferiority within the powerful and wealthy Medarda family. Mel's heightened sense of empathy granted her a keen understanding of the people around her, and though she would be compelled towards compassion, her banishment to Piltover convinced her to bury these feelings, as she felt that her "weakness" had led her to fall short of Medarda standards. As a politician, Mel became manipulative of the Piltovan upper classes, and she became bored by their lack of new ideas. She also grew somewhat callous towards the suffering of the lower classes, allowing the other councilors to turn the undercity upside down without vetoing the motion, and saw little issue with corruption, viewing it as a reality of politics that could be leveraged to expand one's influence. In her efforts to prove herself, Mel sought to avoid Piltover's stagnation at all costs, and she invested heavily in enterprises which would help improve the city's global standing and prosperity.

Mel's relationship with An icon representing Jayce Jayce, as well as the arrival of her An icon representing Ambessa mother, shook Mel's outlook on the Medarda name, as she saw just how much Ambessa's manipulations had damaged Jayce's idealism and brought the city on the brink of all-out war. She grew defiant as she had been in her youth and reaffirmed her commitment to peace with Zaun, and continued to clash with her mother's aggression for the city she built for their family. After Mel had finally defeated Ambessa, she returned to Noxus with a renewed sense of purpose, viewing compassion and mercy as a source of her strength. Abilities

Mage: Mel was born with natural magical abilities from her biological father An icon representing Rudo Rudo, who was a celestial mage of the  Black Rose.[4] She was able to perceive the puzzle patterns of her prison and believed she could unravel them, and was able to repel the magic of even An icon representing LeBlanc LeBlanc, a powerful and ancient sorceress.
    Empath: Mel possesses a rare and powerful form of magic. As an empath, Mel is attuned to the arcane, with her abilities she is able to sense the inner selves of others and bend their magic as both a "conduit" and a "mirror," which allows her to reflect the magic of others against them.[17]
    An icon for Mel's ability Searing Brilliance Celestial Light Magic: Mel can manipulate light as a conduit for her magical powers, she is able to generate intense rays of light from her body, which can be used to create An icon for Mel's ability Rebuttal barriers, An icon for Mel's ability Radiant Volley luminous bolts that can explode and be shaped into whips, and An icon for Mel's ability Solar Snare orbs that radiate solar energy. Mel can also envelop herself in this energy to create a An icon for Mel's ability Golden Eclipse radiant destructive supernova.
Golden Tattoos: Mel's tattoos, which were painted in ink to resemble golden armor and pauldrons, were given to her by Rudo in Bel'zhun. They were made in the style of the  Rakkor, and were secretly imbued with rune magic designed to inhibit her magical abilities, which prevented the  Black Rose from detecting her for over a decade.
Diplomacy: From an early age, Mel can be seen to have a knack at politics. Mel is a consummate political strategist, and she has been able to sway politicians and influential people to conform to her agenda. During her time living in Piltover, she rose to the power of a councilor, despite her position within her own family, and even became the richest person in the entire city.[7]
Painter: Mel is a talented painter, specifically with egg tempera paintings, having been inspired to pursue this hobby after acquiring a painting from Rudo in the Shimmering Market.[4] Currently all the paintings in her home were done by her.

As the daughter of Ambessa Ambessa, a Noxian Warlord, Mel would learn about death and war from a young age. However, her advocacy of diplomacy and distaste for intimidating violence as a deterrent would later be deemed a liability by her mother. She was disowned and banished to Piltover, where Mel was to oversee Clan Medarda's business interests in the city. Despite being a Medarda, one of the richest clans in the city, she would be considered an outcast amongst her Noxian family members for not living up to their standards. Her mother even going as far as to adopt and groom a Reckoner named Rell as a backup heir.

With dedication and political talents, Mel would succeed in rising up the political ranks of her clan, becoming a member of the Council of Clans and one of the richest people in Piltover. Nevertheless, her wealth and prestige paled in comparison to her Noxian brethren; thus she searched for an enterprise that could enhance the stature of Piltover and herself. Hexgem Incident

During the trial of one Jayce Talis Jayce Talis she would learn about the potential of magic being utilized with technology. This would intrigue her enough that she would vote for Jayce's expulsion from the Academy (as oppose to his banishment from Piltover), even convincing another councilor to vote in her favor.

Later on, she would even help Jayce and Viktor Viktor with their attempt to sneak into Heimerdinger's Heimerdinger's lab, stipulating to them that they have one night to prove themselves and that their invention is workable. She then aids in concealing their activities by distracting a guard patrolling the Academy. After Heimerdinger arrives to thwart the two in conducting their experiment, he arrives too late and the two manages to prove they can harness magic via Hextech. Although Heimerdinger doesn't think Piltover should enable Hextech, Mel intercedes and proclaims that is an issue for the council to decide.

With her influence, the council votes towards the open implementation of Hextech, even funding the construction of the Hexgates. Piltovan Bicentennial

As a Councillor, Mel was present during the 200th Piltovan Progress Day, where Jayce was to reveal his new Hextech inventions. Before Jayce's speech, Jayce had confided in Mel that Heimerdinger had advised him to delay unveiling his new hextech innovations until they can work out all the necessary safety measures, which could take a decade. Mel told Jayce that Heimerdinger is mired in the status quo; she encouraged Jayce to ignore his misgivings and proceed to unveil his new hextech at his presentation. However, Jayce faltered at the last minute, and decided to withhold his hextech innovations as Heimerdinger advised. Seeing Jayce delay his hextech revolution, Mel would leave the celebration early in disappointment. Before the end of the day, a Zaunite a Zaunite stole one of the hextech gemstones that was intended to be showcased during the speech event; in fear of the thief potentially weaponizing it, Jayce suggested to the Council that they shut down all Hextech operations, worrying the Councilors who have businesses dependent on the Hexgates. Seeing an opportunity, Mel then recommended that Jayce be instated as a Council member to better serve his goal of safeguarding the Hexgates and thus all matters dependent on it—a radical suggestion since the Council has traditionally only held seven seats. With Heimerdinger's agreement, the rest of the Council followed and Jayce became the eighth Councilor. Molding Jayce

Mel became determined to mold Jayce into a leader that can overcome Piltover's reluctance to integrate new forms of hextech that will alter society. First, she guided Jayce to win over prominent Piltover citizens in order to garner enough support to defend his agenda in the political landscape, despite Jayce's reluctance to get involved in politics. This meant Mel had to introduce Jayce to the quid pro quo dynamics in politics—and surprisingly Jayce shown himself to be adept in enticing prominent merchants and politicians with exclusive, and sometimes unlawful, privileges in politics and commerce in exchange for their political and financial support. Mel was impressed by Jayce's fast adaptation to politics and together they consolidated their political power in Piltover. The two would bond over how they would intend to use their newfound influence to promote good and since they were enamored with one another, Mel expressed her romantic intentions for Jayce. Jayce reciprocated her feelings, and slept with each other that night, thus becoming lovers. After their night of passion, Mel woke up only to find Jayce had already left.

Later in the evening, Mel began to paint an image of Noxus, which symbolized her secret aspiration to regain her Noxian honor. Jayce returned to her to apologize for his sudden disappearance, but Mel receives him coldly. He explains his disappearance was due to attending to Viktor, who has been hospitalized because he is dying. Mel softens and becomes sympathetic to his plight. Jayce confides in Mel about his frustrations; that he has been too distracted with politicking to accomplish any of the good he sought out to do, and now that Viktor is dying, he is helpless to save him. Mel also disclosed that she is an exile from her family because they thought she was unworthy. Jayce doesn't think that of Mel at all and encourages Mel to not give it any credence. Mel in turn comforts Jayce by telling him that although he may not be able to save Viktor, he should spend his remaining time with him so he doesn't feel alone in his final moments.

In the following days, Mel supported Jayce in some of his hardest decisions. When Jayce maneuvered to remove Heimerdinger from the Piltover Council for his continued obstruction of his and Viktor's hextech research (but blaming him for the problems of the Undercity as the public pretext), Mel backed his motion. Together, they rallied the Council and managed to oust Heimerdinger from his position. When Jayce had regrets about Heimerdinger, Mel justified his actions by stating everything he said about Heimerdinger was true; even if ousting him from the Council was harsh, it was necessary. This maintained Jayce's conviction. Tensions between Piltover and Zaun have also been heightened with all that has transpired. Mel passed on to Jayce that some in Piltover fear they are on the brink of war with the Undercity and that the Undercity could use the stolen hextech gemstone to attack Piltover. Mel advises Jayce to develop hextech weaponry in case he needs to defend his people. Although Jayce is conflicted about it and Viktor is vehemently against it, Mel leaves the decision up to Jayce. Ambessa's reunion with Mel

As a reunion with her mother neared, Mel had a nightmare about a moment in her childhood where her mother tried to instill in her mind the ruthlessness that was expected of Noxians. She awoke distressed in her bed, reeling from the trauma from her childhood.

Due to the increased violence from Zaun and the believed death of her brother Kino, her mother would arrive in Piltover to give her daughter what she deems proper guidance. Ambessa believes Piltover has allowed the threat of their Undercity to spiral out of control and advises that they need to quash the threat. However, Mel disagrees and rejects her advice.

Later on, Vi Vi and Caitlyn Kiramman Caitlyn Kiramman revealed to the Piltover Council that a criminal mastermind named Silco Silco is responsible for Piltover's and the Undercity's heightened problems, and also aims to have Zaun separate from Piltover as an independent nation. Jayce surprisingly became more militant and proposed that they wage war on Silco in force. Mel, who has experienced the brutality and costs of war, cautioned the Council to exhaust all diplomatic options and leave war as a last resort. The Council agreed with Mel, much to Jayce's disappointment. After the meeting, Mel angrily rebuked Ambessa for manipulating Jayce. Ambessa dismissed her anger and revealed the truth of her visit: the man who killed Kino is still a threat to the Medarda family and he's too powerful for Ambessa to fend off. Ambessa intends for the war between Piltover and Zaun to unfold so Jayce will be forced to develop hextech weapons, which Ambessa intends to appropriate and use against this powerful enemy. Ambessa offers to lift her exile if Mel aids her in her endeavor. However, after her discussion with her mother, Mel would deface her painting of Noxus, symbolizing her resolve to cut ties with her Noxian family.

After Jayce led an unsanctioned raid on one of Silco's shimmer factories, he would learn the true cost of war and had a change of heart. This would ultimately lead to Jayce brokering a peace with Silco Silco in exchange for Zaun's independence. Siding with Jayce, Mel would be the first councilor to agree to this proposal, spurring the rest to follow suit.

While the meeting was almost done and the crisis nearly averted, Jinx Jinx attacked the council chambers; her Super Mega Death Rocket Super Mega Death Rocket hitting the glass window right next to Mel. It is unclear if Mel survived that attack. Honoring the fallen

It is revealed that Mel did survive and she and Jayce were the only ones who came out unharmed from Jinx's attack while the other counselors were seriously injured or died from the impact of the explosion. Attends Cassandra Kiramman's funeral and comforts Caitlyn for her loss, she and the surviving councilors meet to decide how to respond against the Zaunites for the Jinx attack.

Mel then heads a debate on how to handle the situation with Zaun; as Salo argues under the influence of Ambessa to attack Zaun, Mel believes acting with impetus could immensely backfire. In her opinion, Mel believes that a sizable bounty should be placed on Jinx's head, but Shoola isn't keen on the idea. Salo then declares that Mel was outvoted two to one, but Mel regains the upper hand after agreeing to the invasion but rules against the use of Hextech.

Afterward, Mel meets with a morose Jayce, who informs her of the comatose Viktor's condition inside the Hexcore. Trying to touch the Hexcore substance that Viktor was enveloped in, it nearly harms her, and Mel curiously asks what it's doing to him. Jayce answers that the Hexcore is evolving faster than what he can come up with. To his confession, Jayce laments that Viktor is in the state he's in and not himself. Mel consoles the agitated and remorseful Jayce and then details how the council meeting went, including how her mother's influential manipulation has hooked Salo on her goals. She assures Jayce that all will be well and suggests he meet with Caitlyn.

By dusk, Mel gives a speech to the people of Piltover centered around the loss of the three recently deceased council members and the plans for retaliations for those responsible. However, her speech is interrupted by a hoodlum disguised as an Enforcer and Renni who is in the audience and tries to kill Jayce. As enemy reinforcements arrive, Mel is escorted to safety by the Enforcer Steb.

Later, Mel attends a private meeting with her fellow council members, who discuss how Renni and her cohorts managed to attack the place. They're soon joined by Caitlyn, who announces an endeavor to launch a counterstrike against Zaun. Appearance

Mel is an attractive slender, brown-skinned woman with green eyes. She has dark, curly hair with jeweled twists at her hairline. She wears elegant white clothing with gold accents reminiscent of both Shuriman and Targonian attire, mixed with common Piltover patterns.

In season 2, after being kidnapped by the Black Rose, she loses her gold hair cuffs and grows disheveled. Her makeup wears off, and her outfit grows dirty.

When she awakens as a mage, she wears a black one-piece with smaller textured designs over the fabric. Her golden markings spread all over her body, including her face.

Her body turns a purplish shade when using her full power, and her golden accents shine. Her eyes turn white, as does her hair. Personality

Mel is a clever and cunning person, able to influence and manipulate people to her advantage. She cares for Piltover and wants to see it prosper, yet she is very calculated and analytical. While she cares for certain members of her family, she clashes with her mother and ultimately decides to vote for peace with Zaun in defiance of her mother's aggressive ideals. Abilities

Magic: Mel has been shown to have some sort of innate magical connection or power within herself, with even the Black Rose becoming interested in her hidden power. She was able to perceive the puzzle patterns of her prison and believed she could unravel them, and was able to repel the Black Rose's magic that contained her.
    Empath: Mel has been told by Leblanc to possess this expression of magic, which is the rarest form. As an empath Mel is attuned to the ethereal (Arcane), with her abilities she is able to sense others, their inner self and bend their magic.
    Light Magic: Mel can manipulate light as a conduit for her magical powers, she is able to generate intense light from her body, create light shields, create whips of light and even generate rays of light.
        Bioluminescence: Mel can envelop herself in magical light and unleash powerful destructive supernova.
Diplomacy: From an early age, Mel can be seen to have a knack at politics. She is a consummate political strategist, and she has been able to sway politicians and influential people to conform to her agenda. During her time living in Piltover, she rose to the power of a councilor of clans, despite her position within her own clan.
Painting: Mel is a talented painter, specifically with egg tempera paintings. Currently all the paintings in her home were done by her.

Relations Ambessa Medarda Ambessa Medarda

A brutal Noxian warlord, she taught her daughter about the art of war from a very young age while still being Solari. However, while Ambessa approved of Mel's cunning and statecraft, Ambessa was disappointed by Mel's lack of cutthroat instincts. One of Mel's most traumatic childhood memories is when Ambessa let Mel decide the fate of the last scion of a recently conquered regime. Mel advocated that they let the conquered scion live in exile in order to show their new subjects that they are merciful, but Ambessa argued that they should show no mercy to their enemies lest they rise up against them again. Ultimately, Ambessa personally executed the scion in front of Mel to teach Mel the lesson.

Eventually Ambessa would see that Mel's forgiving nature was a liability to her, so she banished her to Piltover. A strained relationship, Mel fears her mother while also resenting her for her past actions. She would eventually confront her about it, which would lead to Mel symbolically cutting ties with her Noxian roots. Kino Medarda

Kino Medarda is the brother of Mel. Kino was said to be gifted with a silver tongue and also believed that he could talk his way out of anything. She is told that he eventually crossed the wrong man and died for it. He used to tell Mel that "War was a failure of statecraft", which may have influenced Mel's preference for diplomacy. Which indicates that Kino was one of the few members of his family for whom Mel had a lot of love and affection. Cecil B. Heimerdinger Cecil B. Heimerdinger

Mel respected Heimerdinger as the founder of Piltover. However, she saw his conservative and stifling ways to be a hindrance in her rise to power. She would undermine his authority by aiding Jayce and Viktor legalize the use of Hextech in Piltover, and later voting him out from the Council. Jayce Talis Jayce Talis

While initially using Jayce to gain more wealth and prestige, Mel would eventually have some deeper feelings towards the inventor—even defending him from the self-serving influence of her ambitious mother. She would be concerned over his issues and would give him sound advice, all while still putting her own goals into consideration. Over time, Mel became less reserved around Jayce and began sharing personal details about herself as well. While Mel's relationship with Jayce started out as a means to an end, it ultimately became sincere love. Mel was crucial in Jayce's meteoric rise to fame: she even swayed the council to elevate Jayce and grant him a seat on the council. Elora

As the assistant of one of Piltover's Council, Elora handled many of Mel's communications with her business and political associates. Due to this and how closely together they work, Elora is made privvy to at least some of Mel's grander plans. She is also at least somewhat familiar with her origins. Rell

Rell and Mel never actually met but Mel is jealous of Rell due to Ambessa's attentions toward her as Ambessa is more active in grooming Rell to become her successor instead of Mel.