Chapter 3 – Vision of Empire

The Noxian Grand General, Jericho Swain stood on the balcony overseeing the city of Noxus. Swain was getting old. His hair was completely white and was beginning to wrinkle. He wore a black overcoat and a grey undercoat. It was because of his garments that one could tell he was a leader. Swain frequently went to that very spot and stood looking outwards like an astronomer watching the cosmos. The sun shone on Swain's right side and a black raven flew down and sat on the railing next to him. Swain had the best view of the heart of the glorious Noxian Empire. From the position his two feet were, all buildings in Southern Noxus were all his to be observed. However, Swain's vision extended far beyond his naked eye. Swain had the ability to see that which others could not. Peering into the distance, he could acutely visualise an area of Runeterra from miles away. It was an indescribable ability of his, but he had attempted to explain it as though he had a demonic eye, separate from his bodily pair, that could be cast anywhere he so pleased. As the pupils opened at the location he sent his demonic eye, everything in its sightline from all around would be seen and processed by Swain's mind. By extension, he could also look into the future and perceive events that had yet to happen.

His clairvoyance was not perfect by any means however. The eye's circumference was no bigger than a small basilisk, and Swain did not have the ability to preconceive exactly what he hoped to find when opening his demonic eye in a particular place. Any time he opened his eye, it was a literal shot in the dark. Imagine having a blindfold on and a bow & arrow in your hands: you know that there is a target, but you don't know how far away and in which direction. Getting exactly what you want – the target – is very much about chance.
Swain's memory also played no role in determining exactly where he opened his demonic eye. Anywhere beyond the horizon was a guess. Even though he knew where Ionia was and had travelled there himself, this stored knowledge could not aid him in the precision of his distal sightings.


Swain was contemplating the Noxian Empire and his role in it. He was born into an aristocratic family and had maintained his sophisticated mannerisms throughout his rather long life. Right from the beginning, Swain was destined for greatness. Patriotism was sewn into his blood and veins, but as he grew older he realised, along with others of similar minds, that this passionate love of Noxus was the adoration of the nation and empire itself – not its current ruler. Swain's predecessor, Boram Darkwill was a gluttonous, power-hungry individual that sought out new territory only for himself.

Swain, who had a lead a regiment into Ionia, took it upon himself to seize the title and role as leader of Noxus. In spite of being crippled, losing his left hand at the Battle of Placidium and being demoted to nothing more than a crippled "failure", Swain emerged stronger than ever, with a new way of ruling Noxus that no longer put emphasis on the man in charge. Swain was pragmatic and realised that victory was not always guaranteed in battle. Some nations were not worth conquering if the price to pay was too high or the rewards were too low: a major oversight of Darkwill. His forces faltered in the invasion of Ionia and as they retreated, he was subsequently executed after Swain fought for power.

From the outside, Noxus seemed like a harsh, imperialistic nation, and whilst that was true, anyone from the inside would have said with hand on their heart that it was very inclusive and accepting of everyone, so long as you showed the determination to play your part in society. A street sweeper was just as valuable as Swain himself, because everyone did their best to make Noxus the greatest nation in all of Runeterra. All authority should be monitored and challenged. If Noxus was a living being, it would be the sole ruler. Noxians bowed to Noxus and not to Swain, and the Grand Noxian General agreed wholeheartedly with this ideology. He knew that the Black Rose organisation was plotting against him, but Swain welcomed the challenge, for if he was defeated he knew that he would not be worthy to rule Noxus. The nation used the motto of "Trifarix", which consisted of vision, might and guile: the three core principles of strength. Each one was integral for Noxus to be as influential and strong as it was. The Trifarix encompassed everyone in Noxus and its non-contiguous territories. If one principle fell, the other two could hold it accountable. No one in Noxus with potential was overlooked.

Yet in spite of all this, Swain was still a human. He was afraid that he might suddenly lose his life to a rebellious group or assassin. The moralistic side of him also gnawed as his aching hips and asked if the very imperial fundamentals of Noxus were wrong. He had deceived people cunningly and even ruthlessly. He distinctly remembered sending the old headsman – Urgot – to the region of Zaun, knowing full well that an ambush was set up. He had heard nothing from Urgot ever since and presumed he was dead.
It didn't matter in the end though. Swain was old and he was content living out his final years as General of Noxus.

Swain stared at the narrow streets of Noxus and smiled as he saw tradesman and healthy citizens going about their normal daily lives. Piltover may have been known as the "City of Progress", but Noxus was a thriving, ever-growing nation.


He felt something. Swain closed his eyes as a visceral sensation of frantic motion coursed through his body. It was an inward feeling, but it didn't belong to him and he almost fell over. This was definitely an outer body experience that his demonic eye could sense. He looked to the east and focused…

Swain called for a meeting in the audience chamber, near the Immortal Bastion. There was a large cumbersome throne in the room that technically belonged to Swain. It had an obsidian colour scheme and definitely looked regal, but the General never used it. Even being crippled, Swain refused to sit on a throne that was once a symbol of the power of the rulers and how they had been the focal point of Noxus. Having the right to sit on a throne doesn't make you a leader. It merely means that you have a bottom.
A few select individuals were brought to the meeting and they sat around an ebony wooden table.

The first of these was Darius, the "Hand of Noxus". He was the embodiment of might. Darius was a tall, incredibly muscular warrior, who was lethal with an axe and could intimidate bears just by glaring at them. There was no better person to command the stronger Noxian infantries than him. Even without any armour on, he was still imposing. Despite having a short temper and zero tolerance for cowardice, Darius possessed an impenetrable loyalty to Noxus. He was so influential in helping Noxus to conquer more land on the front lines that many associated Darius more with leadership and charisma than Swain.

The second person was at the table was Alyssa Roshka Gloriana val-Lokan; a lady that had been born into an old Noxian nobility of the Delverhold. Her father had been obsequious to Darkwill but no one else. After his execution, Governor val-Lokan demanded to be extricated from his allegiance to Swain and Noxus. Alyssa's brother, Oram was the impetus for this demand. Alyssa on the other hand put her duties before her family. She killed Oram with her own hands and her father was executed soon after. Now she served as the Governor of Delverhold and was on very good terms with Swain after her display of pride in Noxus over her own blood and kin.

The third was a cloaked hooded figure. The person's body figure and anatomy suggested that it was a woman under the black robes, but no one knew for sure and no one had demanded that she unveil herself.

Between Swain, Darius and the hooded figure, the three of them symbolised vision, might and guile respectively.


'You summoned for us General?' Alyssa asked.

'I have.' confirmed Swain. 'I had… a vision…'

'A vision Sir?'

'Yes.'

'What kind of vision?' Alyssa prompted

'I saw something in the east that's never been seen before.'

'Please, elaborate.' said the hooded figure.

'I was standing on the balcony and just looking at the city when I felt a sensation, like an earthly tremor. It felt distant but I still almost lost my balance. Then I closed my eye and opened it eastwards. It was there that I saw a new place. I don't know where it was, but I would have speculated that it didn't seem like anywhere on Runeterra.'

'Did you see anyone there?' asked Alyssa.

'Yes. They were very casually dressed. Some of them had artificially coloured hair and carried metallic handheld devices in their hands. They seemed very futuristic.'

'That does sound an awful lot like Piltover, if you ask me.' said the hooded figure.

'I'm very sure that I sent my eye much further than Piltover. I sent it far oversees. The gadgets some of these people were wielding were technologically impressive, but the architecture and hot climate didn't imply that this was Piltover I saw. It looked like some of it had recently fallen down too.'

'Based on what you saw, what region do you think your vision corresponds with the most?' Alyssa suggested.

Swain lowered his head. 'No state that I can think of.'

'Did you see any signs, or anything with writing on it?'

'Hmm… yes, actually. There was one reoccurring word I saw: "Vacuo". Does this word mean anything to anyone in here?' The three other individuals shook their heads.

'No one's travelled the around the whole world. Not even the captains of Bilgewater dare venture too far out. Maybe you've managed to uncover an island we've never even heard of before.'

'Do you think it's worth conquering?' said Darius, speaking for the first time that meeting in a gruff mumble. He was throwing and catching a caltrop in his right hand. 'New land's new potential for Noxus to grow – especially if it's beyond water.'

'Land isn't always worth fighting for.' said Swain with a frown he directed at the floor. He pulled out his left hand from his robe. It was a glowing red diabolic hand that had been severed during the Noxian invasion of Ionia. Only after discovering, for himself, what lay inside the Immortal Bastion did the "demon" help him recover physically enough to grant him a new demonic hand. This hand had proved to be useful so far, but he still felt depressed on occasions at having lost his old one in the first place.

'I don't think I've ever asked. Who did that to you?' Alyssa asked, eying Swain's left hand.

'I don't know exactly who it was, but I know that she was a young girl, wielding levitating blades.'

'Do you reckon you'll ever see her again?'

'Maybe… if Noxus ever goes to Ionia or if she comes here. She's probably an impetuous girl with no restraints. I don't care if we never cross paths a second time, but I'll just strangle her if she has the misfortune to encounter me again.'


'So are we going to try and take this land?' Darius questioned.

'Only if we can find a reason to.' said Swain.

'There's no reason to not consider it though.' Darius insisted. 'If they're recently suffered damage, as your vision implies, then they're probably very easy to take down.'

'We don't even know where it is though. There's no telling how far away it is and whether or not our navy can make it all the way there and back. Invading Ionia was a mistake because Darkwill underestimated how powerful the Ionians were. We know nothing about Vacuo – assuming that's the name of the place – so we might get completely overwhelmed if they know how to handle invasions. They may have the capability of seeing us from miles away and then prepare themselves for our arrival.'

'Based on what you saw though, do you think that's the case? Looking at our proud army and knowing what we're capable of, would you say that it's a possibility?'

'Darius, if you're trying to insinuate that I'm weak or uninterested in taking Noxus forward, then that is not the case. I just believe we need to know more about this place. Where exactly it is; how big it is, what weapons and resources they have. We also must be able to get to Vacuo, trounce it and then establish our own colony there. Planning comes before action.' said Swain pompously. 'For now nothing more needs to be said. If you so wish Darius, you can go and talk to your men about the possibility of preparing for battle and for conquering a nation. Make sure you foreground that it's a prospect at not a certainty though.'

'Very well Swain. I hope that you go through with this. It's about time that Noxus starts using red paint again.'

'Meeting adjourned.' Swain concluded. He went down the stairs to the ground. The fresh air brought him odd satisfaction after being in the audience chamber, even if only for a bit. Looking up to the sky he saw more ravens flying low. With a smile after seeing these oddly attractive black birds, he then turned his head towards the east again and glimpsed the sun with squinted eyes.

It should have been closer to the west, but was instead in almost the exact same position he had seen it when he was up on the balcony. Swain tucked in his lips. He knew something foreboding was going to happen.

Darius stood by a water fountain that stood around two hundred metres away from his common room. As he sipped the water from the cup, an ear-splitting scream erupted. Darius spluttered as he choked on the water in his throat and dropped the cup. He growled and gritted his teeth as he turned towards the direction the disturbance had come from.


'Land! What Land!' A raucous voice yelled amongst the higher ranked soldiers. 'I hear talk about property. If ya can walk on it, then its permit belongs to me and me alone!'
Outside the common room for the Noxian military leaders was a yordle named Kled: the "Cantankerous Cavalier". Yordles grew no taller than a human's kneecap and were indigenous to Bandle City, but Kled was an exceptional case. No one knew how he had made it all the way across Valoran to Noxus. He was rumoured to be older than Swain and had lost all his sensibilities and sanity with age. Hearsay details Kled to have fought in every major Noxian campaign. He has supposedly never backed down from any fight he was involved in and was also believed to have acquired every single military title in Noxus. These included, but were not limited to: "Lord Colonel Major Centurion", "Lieutenant Sergeant Commodore" and even "High Major Commodore of the First Legion Third Multiplication Double Admiral Artillery Vanguard Company". Kled was esteemed by the weaker ranks of the Noxian Army, distrusted by chiefs and officers, and loathed by the nobility for his obnoxious voice and unending harangue. Kled was vulgar, rude, insensitive, deranged and inextricably hard to escape from when he was even remotely agitated.

In battle, he was characterised by unrelenting ferocity and the ability to ignore all regard for safety and common sense. This was only made possible by his trustworthy mount whom he called "Skaarl". Skaarl was part of the Drakalops: a species of lizard described as being immortal but with a brain smaller than Kled's own stability.
When in the heart of a fight, Kled rode Skaarl and carried a long axe, a pocket pistol and bear trap attached to a rope.
It was hard to tell if you should respect Kled or not. Even in the Noxian ranks with a lot of forbearance of noises and chaos, it was hard to not get annoyed by him. Ultimately, what everyone could agree on though was to not make him angry.

'Yes Kled. Darius just talked to us about the possibility of going to a continent across the eastern sea.' said one of the vanguards.

'Across water! I was talking about LAND and not salt! You can't tread through water!

'General Swain's still looking into the matter of whether or not it's worth going over there.' the vanguard replied agitatedly

'There'd better be none of them magic users over there! Noxus don't need no more humiliating defeat at some magicians, or I'll strangle them with their own intestines and dunk their bleeding bodies in salt and vinegar!'


Darius heard Kled's shouting from over two hundred metres away by the water fountain. He slapped his head, instantly regretting the decision to mention his meeting with Swain. The cavalier could yell for almost an hour if he had something to shout at. Darius couldn't deny how valuable Kled was in the Noxian Army, but he was very tempted to take his axe and cleave the yordle in half for some silence.
He picked up the cup he had dropped and looked in the direction of the eastern sea. 'Vacuo' Darius said repeatedly in his head. 'Vacuo. We're coming for you!'