A/N: This will be the first chapter in which Mordekaiser is introduced!

Chapter 4 – The Chasm of Devastation

Karthus and Hecarim walked out of the necropolis, the Shadow of War taking the lead as Karthus followed closely behind.

"Mordekaiser's dwelling is not far from here," Hecarim was speaking to Karthus. "Do not approach it too quickly, or you will risk falling into the abyss."

Karthus nodded. "May I ask you a question, Lord Hecarim?"

"What is your question?"

"They say in the libraries of Noxus that Lord Mordekaiser was the first undead to ever set foot in these isles. Was it he who transformed the Isles into what they are today?"

Hecarim shook his head. "Your mortal records are inaccurate," he answered. "There are forces far greater and more powerful than Mordekaiser or any creature that walks the isles today, forces that were responsible for the creation of the Shadow Isles. Those forces corrupted these isles with their foul energies, turning them into what you see today. As for Mordekaiser himself, he is far more than just a mere undead. The history of the Shadow Isles, its leaders, and its society are secrets that few mortals will ever bear witness to. You will be granted a rare privilege indeed."

"This land of the dead has already presented me more wonders than the living world could ever produce," Karthus smiled, barely concealing the rising excitement within him. He looked onward and gasped at what he saw.

They had arrived close to the maw of a black pit that, while not very wide, stretched down deep into the darkness. Karthus couldn't see the bottom, but he thought he could see a faint green life in its depths.

"Is this Mordekaiser's great pit?" he asked Hecarim. The ghostly centaur nodded. "Garmadhronk. The Chasm of Devastation. It is here that Mordekaiser resides."

"How do we enter?" Karthus asked. "I cannot see a way for me to enter in a way without falling to my death."

Hecarim raised a hand to silence the mage. "Your passage comes."

As he finished speaking, the fog around the pit seemed to gather and solidify around the mouth of the pit in front of where Karthus was standing. A strange energy suddenly glowed from within it, locking the fog in place and preventing it from moving.

Karthus eyed the fog. "Am I meant to step on that?" he asked dubiously.

Hecarim nodded. "I do not have the power to transport you all the way down into the pit. Do not worry, Mordekaiser's power will not fail."

"Are you not coming with me?" Karthus asked.

"I will meet you at the bottom of the pit by…other means. Now hurry, and do not waste either Mordekaiser's or my time." And with that, Hecarim adopted a fully ghostlike form and charged into the chasm.

Reluctantly, the mage stepped forward onto the fog, half-expecting to fall into the abyss. Much to his surprise, however, it seemed to solidify under him, keeping him from falling. Karthus could feel his makeshift platform slowly descend deep into the chasm. Karthus could see nothing around him, but down below the green light he had witnessed was growing ever brighter. As he observed his progress, he saw to his astonishment that the green light was actually coming from what seemed like a mighty stone palace, carved from the stone walls of the pit.

"Lord Mordekaiser must be very respected and powerful indeed if he has been given autonomy over this entire chasm!" Karthus mused, his excitement rising. As he approached the bottom of the chasm he could see that Hecarim had transformed back into his standard form.

The Shadow of War wasted no time and pointed at the entrance to the structure. "In," he commanded. The mage approached the hall and slowly opened the doors. They opened to a vast hall where he could see vast several ghosts standing in lines in front of a mighty throne. On that throne sat a terrifying warrior, covered in ornate armor and wielding a mighty mace. Even though he was not wearing the spiked armor that he was commonly seen in during his battles in the League of Legends, there could be no doubt; this was Lord Mordekaiser himself in all of his dark glory.

But the Master of Metal did not seem to notice the new arrival in his halls. He was focusing on two souls that were trembling in front of him. Karthus watched as Mordekaiser reached out a hand towards them. Immediately, a black aura seemed to emanate from both figures, an aura of wickedness that made Karthus feel sick.

"A murderer," Mordekaiser growled at one of the souls, before turning his attention to the other soul, "and a traitor. Did you not think that your wickedness would go unpunished? That because you escaped justice for your sins in life that you would continue to do so after death?" He rose from his throne and grabbed both souls by the neck, before throwing them at a small heap of souls cowering at a corner. "Thresh!" Mordekaiser called, "these wretched spirits are yours! Take the scum of humanity to your prison and make them suffer!"

A chilling laughter echoed from the hall, striking terror deep into Karthus' soul. Restraining the urge to flee, he watched with horrified fascination as ghostly chains erupted from the ground and lashed themselves around the damned. The souls wailed and vainly scrabbled at the floor as they were dragged away from their corner and out of one of the side doors. Karthus did not want to think about their fate.

Mordekaiser turned his attention back to the rest of the shades gathered. "My business with you is finished. Begone!" The spirits wasted no time and dispersed towards the entrance to the hall. Some of them looked at Karthus with noted interest but made no comment other than a few indistinct whispers. Once they had all risen from the pit, Karthus looked back at Hecarim.

"Mordekaiser has some very…unique responsibilities that transcend even beyond his duties as a Gurzgoth," Hecarim explained. "One of his most important duties is serving as a Judge of the Dead for newly arrived souls. The vast majority of the dead lived with neither outstanding virtue nor sin, and so are granted an existence here very similar to their former lives until they pass on proper. Souls that have distinguished themselves with valor and virtue are permitted to reach their true afterlives immediately, or are otherwise given special privileges. And those who squandered their lives in wickedness are thrown to the Chain Warden where they shall suffer for eternity."

"The Shadow Isles have a justice system for the dead?" Karthus asked incredulously. "But this is a far cry from the stories that I have heard! All the records of the Shadow Isles speak of them as a wretched place, filled with unspeakable horrors and ruthless leaders who would seek to engulf the rest of the land in an everlasting darkness!"

Contemptuous laughter echoed ominously from behind him. "Your mortal records, while not entirely inaccurate, know nothing of the full truth," a deep voice boomed from behind him. Karthus whirled around to see that Mordekaiser had finally taken notice of him. "So…" Mordekaiser addressed him, "you are the mage who is so curious about the nature of death and the Shadow Isles. I must admit that I am surprised…it has been long since any mortal has willingly come here…the last were those accursed Purifiers," he added with a snarl.

Hecarim laughed coldly. "Those fools brought war here, on what they claimed was a holy crusade. Arrogant mongrels. As if committing violence against others could ever be a holy cause. They are now paying the infinite price for their mistake."

Mordekaiser too emitted a dark laughter, but quickly abandoned the humor. "Enough. You have come to these Isles, Karthus, because you desire to understand the mysteries of death and undeath. To complete this quest, Karthus, you must first travel through the Shadow Isles themselves and learn our most concealed secrets, some of which would drive most mortals insane with terror. Are you willing to proceed?"

Karthus smiled grimly. "I have come this far and have seen much more than I have ever expected to see. I have no interest in turning back now."

"Excellent!" Mordekaiser responded. "You are clearly no coward. Since many parts of the Isles are fatal without proper protection and I do not have any significant duties for the next few days, I will escort you myself. What have you witnessed so far in your quest?"

Karthus gave a full account of his journey. "I saw the Gravedigger, Yorick, on the shores of the Isles. It was he who directed me to a great city of the dead. The Chain Warden was passing on his way, so to make sure that I would not be captured I fled deep into what I later learned was Lord Hecarim's palace. And now I have found my way to Garmadhronk."

Mordekaiser nodded. "It was Yorick who informed in advance of your coming. He sent one of his ghouls to me soon after you arrived." He turned back into the hall and spoke a command in an ancient language. The ground rumbled slightly, and a skeletal servant rose from the ground.

"Escort our guest to his lodgings for tonight. Treat him with the utmost respect and make sure that he is cared for." Mordekaiser commanded.

The servant nodded and beckoned to Karthus. Taking this as a sign to follow, the mage followed the servant into one of the side corridors. Mordekaiser watched as the two disappeared into the distance.

When he was certain Karthus was gone, he turned back towards Hecarim. "Has my spy in Frejlord returned yet?"

Hecarim nodded. "He is approaching your halls right now." As if on cue, a figure wearing the robes of the Frostguard stepped into the Halls of Garmadhronk.

"Pukhl." Mordekaiser commanded in the dark speech.

"Burzum nagraufom ishi Freljord, matumgoth," the figure reported. "Akûl shatraug gewachsen yonk durbûrz. Zabislaw shof asgaja."

Mordekaiser rolled his eyes contemptuously and faced Hecarim. "Glob brusnar idee ob tremab ajob tiimor Frostguard wird thrak aus pafund."

Hecarim gave a snort of agreement. "Wir norkzaukgugsh ishi naakhizubu," he snarled.

Mordekaiser turned back to his spy. "Lat krampbrusbhoghad. Iistashkrut miru ishi gal aarsh."

The figure bowed and left. Mordekaiser turned back to Hecarim. "Should we allow Karthus to learn about this particular secret?"

Hecarim smiled grimly. "Perhaps…if he proves himself worthy."

/

A/N: And that's Chapter 4 for you guys!

I'd like to explain my portrayal of Mordekaiser a little bit more. He's generally described and portrayed as a villain or someone evil. While that may be (and is most likely) true, to me he seems far too regal or noble to simply be "generically evil." This is part of the reason why I assigned him a role as a Judge of the Dead and will give him some other moral standards later on in this fic. If he was completely evil, the entire Shadow Isles would probably be a land of suffering and torment under his will, but they aren't depicted like that either in my fic or in the actual lore. He might freely kill a mage and forcibly interrogate his soul, but he will give the dead their proper afterlife and does not torture souls who do not deserve it.

As for Hecarim, he's less restrained by morality. As we already know, he attacked some villages near Demacia and drove a captain mad with the terror that he brought. However, like Mordekaiser, he does not actively terrorize the souls of the dead in the Shadow Isles and treats the citizens of the necropolis (in Chapter 2) relatively well. Neither Mord nor Hec are as cruel or evil as Thresh, who will try to ravage and torture every soul he can get his hands on.

TL;DR – in terms of morality, Mord is more moral than Hecarim, both of whom are WAY more moral than Thresh

The dark language in the fic is based off of the Black Speech of Mordor.

That's all I have to say for now. Read and review please!