Prologue - The Darkin
They were not leaders, despite many beliefs. No, their kind did not walk among the line of men; for they were not scholars, not defenders, not warriors.
The Darkin neared that of gods.
At one point in history their kind was of the most defined rulers of the Runeterra, and yet… the most shrouded in mystery. In one night, they alone held the power to annihilate an entire empire, yet inversely could have given strength to that of a growing civilization to protect it from all who wish it destroyed.
This was the power of the Immortal Darkin.
"Archers, aim for their left flank!"
The renowned General, Demetrius of the great empire of Tervana shouted as forces began to pour into the once thought unbreakable fortress he called his home. Fiercely rushing through the crowd of archers and soldiers that lined the terraces; all that was going through his head was how in the hell this could have happened! What could have brought the clans of the flats to rise up in such a manor? Why were they attacking and with such force?
"Reinforce our southern gate!"
None of it mattered now; the great empire of Tervana would soon be brought to an end if he couldn't stop this endless siege. The city walls were almost completely besieged however the general had one more tactic at his disposal. Pushing past body after body and observing all wounded soldiers, Demetrius was aware this situation was dire. He sought but one person, the ancient elder of the 'Gifted Ones'. In this period of Runeterra, the use of magic had very recently been discovered and was immediately branded as a dark art as it gave those who could wield it unimaginable power that none had ever seen before. The use of magic in warfare was most certainly unheard of, that is, until this moment. The empire of Tervana; that which constantly aimed to extend its power would stop at nothing to carry out this goal and this now meant the use of magic in warfare. A secret order had been established by the empire where those who possessed the power of magic were sent within the empires walls to hone their skills for use in such an event as this.
"Out of my way!"
Demetrius had his doubts of the effectiveness of such abilities being useful in war, however it was his only hope—no, it was the empires only hope for victory in this dire situation. After having pushed his way through several crowds of terrified civilians, Demetrius was finally approaching his destination; The Sanctuary. As he laid eyes upon its immense, stained-glass doors, he immediately rushed forward—only to be halted by bewilderment. As he gazed upon the cobblestone path of his city, Demetrius could see the shadow of something horrific soaring overhead and instinctively looked up. Barely believing his own eyes, he could only stare upon what appeared to me a flying man—though this was no ordinary man. His skin was dark and weathered almost grey and he dawned black armor which only added to the lethal persona this character emitted. No sooner did Demetrius make out the features of this character that it suddenly changed its flight path.
Directly at Demetrius.
In all but the blink of an eye the dark character came crashing down in front of Demetrius, leaving a small crater where he had landed in the road blocking any further advance. The demon that now stood before Demetrius slowly stood up, his eyes glowing red with fury, his wings expanding to their largest span, towered over him.
"What is your bidding demon spawn!" The creäture bellowed in a deep and raspy voice.
"It would seem that your meager empire here has become a bit too powerful for its own good would you not agree?" Demetrius stood in both fear and defiance not knowing what to say.
"In that case I'll take your silence as a 'no', but you see, we the Darkin, in order to preserve ourselves; must ensure that empires like yours do not expand larger than what you see around you and I'm afraid your empires time has expired."
Understanding this proclamation all Demetrius knew was that this "Darkin" was his foe and without hesitation unsheathed his blade and charged at the demon, full speed with no intention of backing down.
It was over within 5 seconds as Demetrius' head fell to the ground. With it soon followed the once great empire of Tervana. By dawn there was little more than rubble left to account for what once stood. To this day no one was ever able to provide a logical answer as to why the greatest empire in all of Runeterra disappeared from the face of the earth.
For all their power and influence, the Darkin were known of only by those who were given the rare opportunity to lay eyes one. For some this meant absolute victory, and for others it meant their inevitable death. Residing within their own forbidden structure, the 'Linnoitus Taivaalla' they kept a close watch over Runeterra and its on goings; more specifically its internal strife. Though immortal, their power was drawn from that of bloodshed and warpath, and it is because of this that it was within their best interest to maintain a level of chaos throughout the land; Never allowing any single power to rise up into a position of overwhelming domination. For if all were ruled by one, there would be peace, spelling disaster for the Darkin and their stranglehold grasp on the world. Civil advance was almost suspended in time as empires would be all but annihilated once their technology and knowledge reached that of a certain threshold, leading to the result of almost no recorded history of the Darkin. Of all things however, what they feared most was the discovery of magic by mortals. Unsure of the outcome it would lead to, the first discovery of the art in any nation meant certain destruction, regardless of its influence.
Amongst themselves, the Darkin could be most closely assimilated with that of a council; however they referred to themselves simply as 'The Order'. There were but 9 of them in existence, each in control of his or her own unique 'possesion' which both physically and mentally bound with its owner. Each possession granted its user with power beyond what they could soely achieve whether it be through physical strength, mental ability, or abilities thought to be of the super natural. No Darkin could take anothers possession with the intent of gaining its power, as its assests could only be manipulated by its corresponding owner. Each Darken's identity as well as their possession were known as follows;
Ahrimanes, the Darkins Will. The only of the Darkin to possess the ability of flight and could be viewed as the leader of the group. Although all matters were decided upon in a democratic fashion, Ahrimanes would most often fill the role of liaison among them and had heavy influence on matters involving their strategy and plans in order to preserve their existence.
Aatrox and Jaxton, the Darkins Grandmasters were known as the strongest of fighters amongst the group. Most often they would be sent on assignments together as their combine destructive force could not be matched. The largest of civilizations to be brought down were by their hands. Aatrox's possession was that of a large sword known as the 'Drauger', like a vampire it would consume the blood of those who Aatrox had slain, empowering him beyond his sole potential. Jaxton on the other hand wielded a much less striking staff known as 'Banzan', it was said to act as that of a lightning rod, drawing all of Jaxtons energy and being into a single source while leaving his mind and spirit in peace. Jaxtons perception, awareness, and reflexes were on a level higher than any else of those a part of the Darkin. The combination of such might with wit and utility is what made this pair a force to be reckoned with.
Seth, the Darkins Grasp possessed a much shadier persona than that of the rest. Often apart from the group, Seth maintained a distance and his own solitude from the other Darkin. Most often his whereabouts were unknown to all but Ahrimanes who felt the need to share his knowledge with no one. As shady as he may have seemed, there was no need for suspicion in such a group as they all were reliant upon each other to maintain ultimate control. Seth was known as the Darkens grasp because of his possession the Chain of Aeshma, it radiated a blood red aura when influenced by Seth and could quickly disable and trap an enemy from range, leaving them for Seth to do his bidding.
Moira, the Darkins Vile Executioner possessed skills not so suited for complete destruction but rather the ability to sway, or cripple the masses through the death of their figure heads. She was commonly known as the Grim Reaper among mortals, bearing a large scythe 'Lamia'. Moira's possession was especially unique from the other Darkins as it could communicate with Moira. For Lamia granted Moira her gift on the condition that she would feed her the souls of those who she had slain. As her companion was silent to those around her, Moira could easily be seen as conceded and at other times on edge as she would seemingly talk to herself for extended periods of time. Her assignments would often involve the assassination of public figures in order to send empires into rebellion and despair making them easier to coerce and manipulate into a more volatile state.
Typhon, the Darkins Filth, was the least human in appearance of the Darkin. He wielded the Mace of Bolivar, so great in mass that no Darkin could ever hope to bear it other than him. He was short in tongue and lacked the wits that many of the other darken had, however what he lacked, he made up for in action. It was not just the taking of multiple lives that Typhon was skilled at. Sheer destruction of all around was what Typhon excelled in.
Samael and Uriel, the Darkins Divine. Like Seth, these two often operated on a schedule written on their own accord. However their whereabouts were known at most times and they did not try to disassociate themselves from the Order as Seth often did. Where you found Samael, one could easily find Uriel by his side or not far behind, the two could be viewed as romantics or the closest thing the Darkin had to them. Their operations as conducted on their own account were for the most part smaller skirmishes and political battles among clans that would otherwise go unnoticed. These skirmishes were most mundane in appeal to Ahrimanes and the rest of the order compared to much larger theatres of war, however they were just as essential to the group as a cog in a well wound clock. Uriel and Samaels possessions were one in the same yet different all together. Known as Orpheus and Eurydice, their powere grew exponentially greater the closer they became to one another.
Lastly Akira, the Darkins Ace. Her role could be defined as that of a scout however like all Darkin, she could hold her own on any kind of battlefield. Her appearance was the least decayed of all the Darkin and could be deploued in populated areas, given the proper cercumstances and remain an unknown among the populace. She used a large crossbow known as the Vector to slay her enemies from afar. Aside from her accuracy with her weapon, what defined her from the rest was her shear intelligence in any given scenario and would often consult Ahrimanes on what the Orders strategies should be.
Together, these nine entities knows as the Darken held their power for years as eras passed but the air remained still as no empire could grow beyond that of a century. However there are some powers that even the strongest of magic could not keep contained indefinitely. Such is the power of love that would inevitably lead to one beings internal strife and the eventual downfall of the once great power known as the Order of the Darkin.
