Ember Isle Lore Segment (updated)

 To understand the Lore relations between the Ember Isle and Telara,  I have tried to provide a brief synopsis of key events in Telaran lore.

As a major component to the Ashes of History, the Ember Isle will reveal some important insights on the forging of Telara. On the Ember Isle, an alliance will form between the dragon cult of Laethys (dragon of earth, represented by the Golden Maw), and Maelforge (dragon of fire, represented by the Wanton). The cultists have been overpowered by the influence of these dragon aspects, and it is from the Isle that they intend to build their forces in secrecy, so that they might prepare an invasion force capable of conquering Telara.

The cultsts' enslavement by the dragons has lead them to this place. Due to Akylios's death, the Telaran sea (currently impassible), has been made accessible to the Telarans via enchanted Travel Stones. And it is reported that the dragon cults joined forces to transport mysterious artifacts across the sea, though the purpose of this activity is current unknown the the Ascended.

It is speculated that Maelforge himself is imprisoned within a menacing Volcano near the Isle, and it is the objective of the Wanton to free him. Just as Prince Hylas sought to dispel the magic that confined Lord Greenscale, so are the cults becoming ever more successful in their quest to free the dragons. Should these activities continue unhindered, all of Telara will be consumed by the same warfare and destruction that threatened to destroy it a millenia ago...

          Background

When the gods formed Telara from Sourcestone (a material capable of converting elemental energy to mass), at the nexus of the elemental planes, they were pleased by their creation. Much to their dismay, however, the newly formed planet attracted the unwanted attention of the gods of The Blood Storm. These malicious gods were a pack of intergalactic invaders who, in their mission to conquer, consume, and annihilate, sought to plunder the world of its Sourcestone, leave it in ruins, and move on to the next healthy host. These invaders embodied the six essential forces represented by the elemental planes: life, death, air, fire, water, and earth.

Upon reaching Telara, the gods of the Blood Storm manifested the attributes of great and powerful dragons. Their leader, Regulos, Eater of Worlds, represented the force of death. He was a harbinger of darkness who traversed the cosmos in search of more Sourcestone to devour, and his Blood Storm assisted in this goal by disregarding all forms of life.

At the height of their assault, however, the malefic gods decided not to consume Telara, but rule over it instead. As members of the Blood Storm quarreled over who would assume the leadership of the Sourcestone-rich world, this decision lead to dissension. Relentlessly, the members fought one another to assume control, resulting in a rebellion against Regulos, who simply wanted Telara to be destroyed altogether.

Divided, the Blood Storm was heroically driven back by the stalwart denizens of Telara, and, being too strong to vanquish them outright, the gods were imprison by elemental bindings within the world itself. It is known that Laethys and Maelforge, participants in the Blood Storm, are currently imprisoned within Telara, and their power increases in proportion with that of their native elemental Planes...

       Defiant Perspective

It is important to note that during the early years of the rifts, Ember Isle had been a Kelari capital city. They had thrived here before the Blood Storm, and were making bonds with the resident elemental powers for hundreds of years. When their sacred bonds became influenced by the imprisoned Planar dragon aspects, wherein the goal was manipulation, the spirits of these Kelari became corrupted, dismayed, and altogether consumed. Fortunately, not all the Kelari had succumbed to this malign influence, despite the temptation of increased power that it offered.

  

As the corrupted Kelari gained more and more power this way, their minds became warped, their spirits changed, and they were Kelari no more, but Pyrkari- ones who had sacrificed their will to the destructive influence of the dragons. Eventually, the normal Kelari who'd remained, lead by the High Priestess Anthousa Mona, began to take actions into their own hands. Together, Anthousa lead a force opposing and fighting back against the Pyrkari. Unfortunately, the outcome of this conflict did not sway in her favor, and eventually she ordered her people to flee the Isle, so that they might seek refuge and find a new home for themselves. This lead the Kelari to Freemarch, where they allied with General Catari. However, the High Priestess is still quite adamant that the Kelari are her people to lead, and no one is willing to question that authority.

And so, the renewed focus on the Ember Isle, for the purposes of suppressing the dragon cults, serves a dual role for the Kelari, as this also gives them the opportunity to reclaim their homeland.

Guardian Perspective

Hundreds of years ago, a rag-tag band of Dwarven heroes came from all around Telara to settle on the island. As dwarven ingenuity would suggest, they quickly established a society with what little means were available to them. When faced with diversity, it was due to their dwarvish creativity and knack for improvisation that enabled their. Throughout the years they prospered, but conflicts arose with their Kelari neighbors on more than one occasion. Being the dwarves that they were, it would have been their initial intention to share stories and alcohol with the Kelari, though it did not appear as though any mutual cooperation might have arisen from these actions.

The ghost of Karine, the first Bard, has reached out to the Ascended, and the Guardians are unrelenting in their resolve this mission, for it was Karine who was part of the force that would guard Maelforge's prison within the Volcano. Very few Guardian dwarves are even aware of the existence of this island clan, and very little is known about them. What is known of these dwarves is that they've unlocked secrets regarding the forging of Telara, and what they have done with this power in the meantime has yet to be determined. If anything, progressing through the Ashes of History will hopefully culminate in a reunion between long-lost peoples, and many drunken celebrations are anticipated.

Summary


The Ember isles are rich in Telaran lore. First and foremost, the Isles represent an allegiance between the  Wanton and Golden Maw cults. One might recall that the wanton are a dragon cult associated with Maelforge, the dragon of fire, and the members of this cult are chaos-seeking pyromaniacs. Maelforge simply wants the world to be bathed in eternal flame, inasmuch the Ember Isles provide a perfect outlet for this cult’s thirst for destruction.

Members of the The Golden Maw cult, associated with Laethys, the dragon of earth, are a backstabbing, corruptive people overcome by greed and sinister intentions. They prize wealth and resources, and are captivated by the acquisition of material profit. They will stop at nothing to hoard their way to ultimate riches. The Ember Isle is where the forces of Laethys and Maelforge unite to combat the Ascended, so that they may escape from their prisons and wreck havoc upon Telara.

Who among the Ascended are brave enough to stop them?

(all images courtesy of http://rift.mmosite.com/patch1.5/gorgeous_screenshots_from_ember_isle.shtml )

(Kelari image provided by me).

Rift: Riftstalker - BD vs. Ranger

Back when I was new to the Rift guild Addiction (world first Alsbeth and GSB), I decided to write an article about Riftstalker tanking. It basically was to determine what was a better spec for tanking, and it is needlessly complicated ~_~ 

Oh well!

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Current build: HP: 10762, Dodge: 8.27%, 6% -dmg.

Rift barrier: 35% damage reduction, up to 26905.

Boss damage needed to break shield:  81483 (6% of 76871 is 4,612).

BD build: 10762 – 538.1 = 10223.9, 18.27% dodge (50% for 15 seconds).

Rift barrier: 35% damage reduction, up to 25559.75.

Boss damage needed to break shield: 73028

Results.

1345.25 damage absorption

In a 1 minute fight, a boss attacks once every two seconds, for 3,333 damage each hit, and a total of 30 hits. This amounts to 100000 damage.

For one with 8 points in ranger, this becomes 94000 damage.

[(.6827)(15s)+(. 1827)(45s)]/60s = ~30.8% dodge over 1 min.

So, assuming 30.8% of bosses melee attacks will be dodged, this is a potential mitigation of ~9 melee attacks, or practically 1/3^rd of incoming hits (30,796 damage).

For a 2 minute fight (the cool down timer for sidesteps), dodge becomes [(.6827)(15s)+(. 1827)(105s)]/120s = 24.5% (~14.7 hits: 48,995 damage mitigated)

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So, this is a 16.23% dodge increase over ranger. 16.23% dodge alone works out to 32,456.8 damage mitigated over the 8 minutes. By comparison, the damage reduction from ranger works out to 11,998.8, and 16,538.346 from dodges = 28,537 damage total. Now take 60(3333)/26905 = 7.43 applications of rift guard needed to sustain it. With 1345 higher damager absorption for ranger over BD (5% health increase), this amounts to 9,997 in absorption over 2 minutes. This brings the total mitigation for ranger to 38,534 for this 2 minute, simulated fight.  

After a bit of reading, I was curious to see which is a better use of points for rogues who want to tank. Once you've put the standard 7 points in bard and 51 in riftstalker, you have 8 points left. What to do with these? Well, you have two options. Blade dancer clearly seems like the more attractive option, as it offers 10% dodge, a 50%, 15 second dodge cool-down, and a reactive cp generating ability. For ranger, you have 6% damage reduction, and 5% hp.

Now, it would seem that BD is the clear winner, as having all that extra dodge is quite helpful. However, I want to put forth an example that compares it to ranger, using a dumbed down boss scenario.

First of all, here are some numbers, using my own stats in mediocre tank gear.

With 8 in ranger: | HP - 10762 | Dodge - 8.27% | (6% damage reduction)

With 8 in bladedancer: | HP - 10224 | Dodge - 18.27% | (50% dodge for 15 sec.)

There is only a 538 health point difference between the two, and clearly 10% dodge is far better than a mere 538 hp. However, there is more to consider.

Consider a boss that melee attacks for 3333 every 2 seconds. Over a 2 minute interval, he will deal 60(3333) = 199,989 damage.

No, with sidesteps factored in, your 2 minute dodge percentage with NB is going to look something like this: [(.6827)(15s)+(. 1827)(105s)]/120s = 24.5%. So, 18.27% + sidesteps becomes 24.5%. Even better, right?

I'm not done. Firstly, this is a 16.23% dodge increase over ranger, which would in this case account for (60)(.1623)(3333) = 32,457 points of potential damage mitigated.

By comparison, taking the equivalent damage and factoring in the 6% reduction from ranger gives us 11,999 damage ignored. With 8.27% dodge from ranger, you can expect to mitigate about 16,538 damage in this case. This amounts to 32,457 damage mitigated by bladedancer, and 28,537 mitigated by ranger. But there's more.

That 5% health buff in ranger gives a nice benefit to rift guard. Since improved rift-guard provides a 35% damage reduction, up to 250% of your max hp, this would give me 26905 points of damage absorption over 30 sec, vs. 25,560. This is a difference of 1345 points, which at first does not seem like much, but over 2 minutes, against a boss that deals 1,666.5 dps, roughly 7 applications of the shield are necessary to keep it active. This amounts to 7(1345) = 9415 greater absorption by ranger. This totals to 37,952 points of mitigation for ranger, vs. 32,457. The 8 points in ranger have provided the rogue with an additional 5,496 points of damage mitigated.

I should also mention that dodge is completely useless against magic damage.

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Revised:

After a bit of reading, I was curious to see which is a better use of points for rogues who want to tank. Once you've put the standard 7 points in bard and 51 in riftstalker, you have 8 points left. What to do with these? Well, you have two options. Blade dancer clearly seems like the more attractive option, as it offers 10% dodge, a 50%, 15 second dodge cooldown, and a reactive cp generating ability. For ranger, you have 6% damage reduction, and 5% hp.

[Disclaimer: since I am not fully versed in tank knowledge, there could be a few mistakes here]

First of all, here are some numbers, using my own stats in mediocre tank gear.

With 8 in ranger: | HP - 10762 | Dodge - 8.27% | (6% damage reduction)

With 8 in bladedancer: | HP - 10224 | Dodge - 18.27% | (50% dodge for 15 sec.)

Next, consider a boss that melee attacks for 3333 every 2 seconds. Over a 2 minute interval, he will deal 60(3333) = 199,989 damage.

Now, with sidesteps factored in, your 2 minute dodge percentage with BD is going to look something like this: [(.6827)(15s)+(.1827)(105s)]/120s = 24.5%. So, 18.27% + sidesteps becomes 24.5% over 2 minutes. This becomes (60)(.245)(3333) = 48,995 points of avoided damage.

Now taking the equivalent damage and factoring in the 6% reduction from ranger gives us (60)(.06)(333) = 11,999 damage mitigated. With 8.27% dodge from ranger, you can expect to avoid about (60)(.0827)(3333) = 16,538 damage in this case. This amounts to 48,995 damage avoided by bladedancer, and 16,538/11,999 avoided/mitigated by ranger.                                                                          Even with 35% damage reducing (up to 250% of health) benefit to rift guard, you only end up with 1345 points of absorption higher with ranger. Over a 2 minute interval, against a boss that deals 1,666.5 dps, roughly 7 applications of the shield are necessary to keep it active. This amounts to 7(1345) = 9415 more points of damage mitigated than the bladedancer. This totals to +9415 points of mitigated damage for ranger vs. 48,995 of avoided damage for the bladedancer. The 8 points in bladedancer have provided the rogue with an additional 11,043 points of avoided damage.

Against non-physical oriented encounters (are there any?) ranger might be more viable, but overall it would seem that BD will provide you with more survivability.

LoL Novel Excerpt #1

Noxian Champions weren't often known for their subtlety. Talon, one of Noxus’ finest assassins, was reputed to enter a blade shops one moment, and leave with half their inventory the next. He was a blade collector, and his hobby was obsessive.

Wafts of cool autumn air circulated through The Blade and Bludgeon. At the moment, Talon was observing a fine selection of wall-mounted weaponry within the shop. He eyed the gleaming weapons as a masterful architect would examine a building. Considerations of blade geometry, differential heat-treating, taper, blade harmonics, and points of balance circulated through his mind. No compromises were to be made; only the finest would do. Behind the counter, a middle-aged shop-keeper stood. The man’s visage was interlaced by precise facial scarring, indicating that he was a veteran blade-master. As the man cleaned the intricate hilt of an ancient rapier, it became obvious that his hand-eye coordination had deteriorated throughout the years, which probably explained why he managed a shop now instead of blade-dancing with Noxian dualists. Those days were long behind him.

‘How much for that one?’ Talon mused, motioning to the serrated micro-blades. The rune-inscribed weapons had wrist-mounted straps. Perfect for close range assassination, he thought.

‘For the whole set, or just the display model?’ replied the shop keeper. Ignoring the question altogether, Talon said nothing. It should have been clear to the keeper that display models were not to be considered.

‘Actually, it’s sold out,’ hinted a familiar voice. ‘I’ve already claimed that model.’ Talon turned to face Katarina, and furrowed his brows. The assistant shopkeeper, who'd been dealing with Katarina at another area in the shop, had several ivory-coloured boxes under one arm, and was totalling up costs with a pocket-book and quill in the other.

‘Cute,’ said Talon in an uninspiring tone. Katarina’s actions were often less than amusing to him. ‘And you intend to use all of them at once?’ 

‘Of course not,’ she replied condescendingly, ‘one must use backups for when the others break.’ She smiled coyly, and reached into a small brown sack of gold, retrieving far more than was needed to purchase the weapons. Talon simply stood there, observing the exchange, and the Shop owner, looking slightly bemused, scratched his head.

Paraphrased Lore: League of Legends

Map of Valoran

On the planet Runeterra, there is a Pangaea-like continent known as Valoran, where there exists an organization dedicated to the mediation of political conflicts; The League of Legends.

The reason this organization was created relates to the history of warfare on this planet. Just as atomic weapons unleashed pillars of nuclear flame on Earth, so did raw magical powers devastate the geophysical landscape of Valoran. The rampant use of arcane and powerful magics, wielded by the feuding tribes of ancient Runeterra, lead to a series of conflicts known as The Rune Wars, where entire armies were reputed to have been disintegrated by the power of spell-craft alone.

 The Rune Wars: Morgon Pass

Champions of these conflicts were granted great relics of power, and summoners, also regarded as de facto leaders for Valoran's political forces, were responsible for requisitioning all available magical might.

As magical warfare decimated the landscape, life on Valoran degraded, and it quickly became apparent that alternate forms of warfare were necessary. Evidence of this could be seen when it appeared that another Rune War would destroy Runeterra altogether.

Warfare needed to be controllable and systematic, the politicians of Valoran concluded, and it was this line of thinking that lead to the creation of the League of Legends. Negotiations between Valoran's key magicians, including many powerful summoners, lead to the creation of The Institute of War, a facility whose sole purpose was to enable the resolution of conflicts in a controlled environment.

The Institute of War

As the Institute neared completion, the governing political bodies of Valoran carefully selected fields upon which these conflict resolutions would take place, inasmuch three selections were made; Summoner's Rift, The Twisted Treeline, and The Crystal Scar. After these areas had been prepared, it was up to the masses to select the best, most capable combatants among them, for it was the responsibility of these combatants to represent their respective political faction.

Noxus

Among the participants, those of Demacia and Noxus presented the most bitter of rivalry. Noxus, considered to be the moral antithesis of Demacia, welcomed the creation of the League of Legends, and even was supportive of it. With regard to the cost of warfare, it was determined that the League offered a far cheaper alternative, so that the Noxian High Command might better direct their efforts to off-shore conquests...

to be continued.

Tales of Talon, Red Judge Dredd Power Ranger

I simply adore the short yet effective anecdotal lore segments of LoL Champions. They're like snapshots into the life of someone who's a fucking badass, with no further explanation necessary.

If someone writes a biography about my life, I want it to say awesome shit, like how I 1v3'd a mage, cleric, and a wall-hacking rogue in The Battle of Port Scion, and made them all take a goddamn seat. People will read that and say,

'Holy fuck, he's a badass. Look at the bios of all these other noobs, it takes entire novels to try and explain how cool they are. This guy just needs a couple paragraphs.' - Random Noob

Yeahhhhh.

Anyway, Talon is my favorite champion, and I also like his lore. I read it when I think i'm having a bad day, and am reassured to realize that I already counter-killed all the assassin's who tried to take me down. General Du Couteau didn't stand a chance.

--‘Another body for the gutter’ 

Talon's earliest memories are the darkness of Noxus' underground passages and the reassuring steel of a blade. He has no memory of family, warmth, or kindness. Instead, the clink of stolen gold and the security of a wall at his back are all the kinship he has ever craved. Kept alive only by his quick wits and deft thievery, Talon scraped out a living in the seedy underbelly of Noxus. His incredible skills with the blade earned him great notoriety. Various guilds sent assassins against him with a demand: join their ranks or be killed. His response was to leave the bodies of his pursuers stuffed in a dark corner or dumped in Noxus' moat. Having lived on the streets, Talon knew better than to waste - he claimed a blade from every failed attempt on his life, gathering a seemingly endless collection of weaponry.

The assassination attempts grew increasingly dangerous until one assailant met Talon blade-for-blade in a match of strength. To his astonishment, Talon was disarmed. He was facing down his executioner's sword when the assassin revealed himself to be General Du Couteau. The General offered Talon the standard of life that befitted an agent of the Noxian High Command in exchange for his allegiance. Talon accepted on the condition that his service was to Du Couteau alone, for the only type of orders he could respect were from one he could not defeat. Talon remained in the shadows, carrying out assassinations on Du Couteau's orders until the day that the general disappeared. Talon's suspicions led him to the doors of the Institute of War, where he joined the League of Legends in order to find the parties responsible for Du Couteau's disappearance.

"The three deadliest blademasters in all of Valoran are bound to the house of Du Couteau: my father, myself, and Talon." - Katarina Du Couteau