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.