Application for Empatheias

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Yen
Contact: PM this journal
Age: 25
Current Characters: N/A

⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Renekton
Age: There's no definite age, but between serving emperors for hundreds of years and being trapped for thousands we can safely say the guy is Old.
Canon: League of Legends
Canon Point: Post Darkness Renews

Background: "As I live, all will die!"

Personality:

Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands, is a harsh and ruthless killer. Spilling the blood of enemies, innocents, it doesn't matter to him. If they get in the way of his goal then they deserve to die, and he'll love every moment of cutting them down. He acts on madness, his mind knowing little else now but unhinged rage and fury which fuels him to go on and ever strive for his singular aim in life. To kill his brother, Nasus. In Renekton's mind he acts out of justified vengeance. Nasus trapped him away for thousands of years, leaving him sat in the dark to rot. Dying is a mercy compared to the torture Renekton has endured, and Renekton is a man who rarely deals in mercy.

Blood, death, rage and vengeance weren't always the only things Renekton knew. However, fighting was. Even as a young boy he would regularly find himself in street fights, eventually going out of his way to seek them out. Much to his older brother's worry, of course. Still, he kept fighting, honing his skills in battle from an early point in his life. Skills that would serve him well long into the future.

Nasus, wanting the best for his brother, enrolled Renekton in the Shuriman army where he showed himself to be more than an unruly brawler looking for his next fight. He become stronger, more disciplined. While his toughness and battle skills were never overlooked, he became known for his honour and bravery. Even when facing far larger numbers or hopeless battles, Renekton doesn't give in. His determination shines through, wanting to protect his nation even against insurmountable odds. He become a highly decorated member of the military, commanding armies and leading strikes like no other general could. Eventually his skills and status would reach the ears of his enemies, with invading forces choosing to back down from just hearing Renekton would be on the frontlines.

While his determination and bravery were clear to see, Renekton was also a loyal man. He was indebted to his brother and would have given anything to see him well and happy... Despite their many, many disagreements and sibling fights. It was his brother that saw to put good use of his talents, with Nasus being the tactician behind Renekton's commands in battle. As a testament to his love and loyalty, Renekton chose to give his own life to see his brother Ascend. He was completely willing to be burned by holy light and destroyed, seeing his sacrifice as a small price to pay to ensure Nasus would carry on. Instead, this act of love proved Renekton worthy enough to Ascend himself and gain the crocodile like form he has now. His self sacrificing nature remains even long after his Ascension, as he tackles Xerath into the Tomb of the Emperors and demands his brother seal them both away forever. He was aware of the value of his life in the grand scale of things and would gladly put himself in danger, even died, if it meant his brother and Shurima could endure.

However, after his ascension, rumours began to spread. His battles became bloodier and he gained his title of Butcher of the Sands. His forces would rarely see a fight without injury or worse. His love of blood was twisted, unnatural, and more than a few people would speak of the war atrocities he played a part in. He remained loyal to Shurima through these rumours, serving many emperors to come, while the people and even his brother began to fear that Renekton was losing his humanity.

Now you might be wondering what any of his past life and old acts have to do with Renekton after his descent in madness, only knowing blood and rage currently. And the answer to that is that there are still small glimpses of Renekton's past life in him even now. While scouring the desert for his brother there are moments, however brief, where he resembles his brave and loyal old self. What's more, part of him shows grief and regret for his actions. When freed from the tomb he flees Shurima and finds himself huddled up and crying, his hatred tormenting him and causing pain. It's only when Xerath's whispers refocus his hate does he dry his eyes.

Without that focus though, Renekton is lost. After thousands of years of enduring being lied to, his beliefs broken down and twisted in the dark without end, his memories are a complete mess. He can't remember what wrongs he committed, if the signs of war he comes across now are his fault or not. Outside of his all consuming rage he sees little reason in living, being less worried about dying and more about if he can even die at all at this point. He freely considers slicing his own throat open until the whispers remind him of his rage.

With that rage burning strong though, Renekton knows his path and never strays from it. He will make his brother pay for betraying him, even though there was never a betrayal. Years of mental torture have twisted him into the blood craving beast he is now. Even when the fragments of his memory align and flashes of his old life flutter to the surface of his mind, these only help to fuel his never ending fury.

Abilities:

The big croc fight good. He has inhuman strength granted to him from his Ascension, coupled with years upon years of experience fighting on the backstreets and the largest battlefields. He's capable of fighting with multiple weapons, though his Crescent Axe is his weapon of choice now. Lugging the large weapon around does not hinder his abilities, his speed still being top notch. Should anyone try to escape him? Renekton can spiral through the air in a motion not unlike a crocodile's death roll (Slice and Dice), chasing down his foes. Not only that but his tolerance for pain is endless, with it being believed he was immune to the feeling.

Renekton's rage and hatred help him in battle thanks to his building Fury. Every strike he makes generates more Fury, with his Fury growing faster the closer to death he comes. He can expend his Fury in battle to empower his abilities, allowing him to recover his health for every enemy he cleaves (Cull the Meek) as well as stun targets with multiple quick slices with his axe (Ruthless Predator). Finally with his ultimate, Dominus, Renekton can surround himself with dark energy to increase his size and damage those around him while gaining more health and Fury.

Outside of battle, Renekton is shown to have some experience smithing and reforging weaponry. The large weapon he carries was originally a long hafted axe of an enemy warrior king, but after breaking the weapon in battle he took it for himself and remade it into a weapon his large form can use.

He's also a damn good lifeguard. No running by the pool! He has a whistle and he will use it!!

Alignment: Elios. Renekton covers both ends of the spectrum, though he's definitely more full of hate than anything resembling love right now. It's the love for his brother that spurred him on to sacrifice himself before the two of them Ascended and it's hatred along with his rage and fury that drives him to seek Nasus out and kill him.

Other: N/A


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉

General Sample:

Nasus!! Know that wherever it is you go, wherever I end up, I shall find you! My hunt has not yet ended, and it never will. Not until I have your blood on my hands!

[No one asked or wanted an angry, gruff sounding voice in their ears yelling about blood and hunts. But that's what everyone with their amulet is getting right now. That and cracks like static or high-pitched humming that seep between his works, likely a result from the crocdile's madness and anger festering within him.]

I know you can hear me. I know you all can through these... Amulets, that whisper into your mind.

[His words drip with distaste at that. He suffered Xerath's whispering voice invading his skull for so long. Even if he eventually gave in to the whispers he by no means enjoyed the thousand year long experience.]

If you know of a Nasus, a man with the head of a jackal, tell him his dear younger brother is searching for him. I've been dying to say hello, just like he will be soon enough.

[A raspy, almost hissing laughter sounds out as Renekton gets a kick out of the bad joke. Someone has to laugh at it, might as well be him.]

Hide him from me and you will feel pain like none other you've ever felt. Get in my way and you'll discover the same as I shred you to bits! You will taste chaos, I will spoil you with suffering, I will find my brother!

[His ranting goes on, rambling about harming others and killing his brother for a good while. What's worse this isn't the first time this has happened. Sometimes reaffirming his goal, threatening others and reveling in his own fury is all he has.]

Emotion Sample:

Sands kick up and whirl about in a deadly sandstorm, the force of the winds and small particles flying at speed becoming a poor man's sand blaster. The outside of buildings are whipped smoother over time, windows are scratched to the point of opacity in some patches. The source of the sandstorm, in the winter in the middle of the city of all places, is clearly an Otherworlder's doing. However tracking said Otherworlder down is proving a challenge.

Staring out into the swirling sand reveals no one. No dark figures braving the storm, no panicked or anxiety-ridden individuals being found as the source of the wild emotions causing sand to fly. That would be because the cause of the storm is sat down an alleyway, hiding away from the open streets as they grab their scaled head tight, dark claws digging down hard.

The pain of his own claws barely registers to Renekton. What has his full concentration, more so than his usual fury, is his grief. While skulking about the city he had caught sight of a smithy, all manner of weapons on display, in particular a gold and blue scepter that caught his cloudy eye. It reminded him of his brother, the man who he swore to kill. ... But then why upon seeing the staff did memories of fighting alongside his brother fill his mind?

The memories come in blips. He had fought a hard won battle, single handed. His brother arrived. He held out his hand, Renekton took it. He felt relief. Why? Nasus is a betrayer, his only worth was in the blood Renekton would spill from his torn body. So why does he feel this way? His mind and everything he's been told, thousands of years of reinforcement scream betrayer. But a single, small part of his brain doubts himself. Normally the sweet Whispers would reinforce his thoughts, but here in this new world he only had himself to rely on.

Renekton lets out a roar, rows of teeth glinting through the sand as the storm rages louder. And rage it does, blowing and howling for over an hour to come. When the sands finally begin to subside, piles of the stuff having collected in doorways and storefronts, an eerie coolness washes over the area instead. Like a desert's night after the burning heat of the day. Renekton remains curled up in the alley, his glowing red eyes visible just barely in the shadows. He breathes hard through his nostrils, his rage remaining absolute in his mind once again as a single tear streams down his dusty scales. To doubt himself would be to let his brother win. He can never allow that to happen.


Questions:

League has a truckload of old lore from back when they made the actual 5v5 matches with towers, minions, the whole thing relevant. The ended up doing away with this take as it limited character and world development. Renekton did have some extra shown abilities in this time though, namely a killer sense of smell and the ability to sense a person's true nature.

He's shown tracking his brother's scent over an incredibly large range in his search to kill him. Sensing natures was an ability he used to turn away those with dark intentions from accessing his brother's library and teachings, though repeated exposure to dark hearts caused his original descent into madness. Would it be okay if Renekton had these abilities? I figure the scent tracking is fine since crocs have good smell anyway, but the nature thing might be a stretch.

If allowed I'd have an opt-out for being able to detect natures of a character, as well as one for Renekton himself. Since he's angry pretty much 24/7. And doesn't understand what being chill is. And enjoys wanton destruction, reigning chaos, lavishing brutality, long walks on the beach and dinner by candle light (quickly followed by spilling the blood of his enemies).