- Whenever Jarvan III, the king of Demacia, delivers one of his rallying speeches from the glinting marble balcony atop the royal palace, the mysterious Xin Zhao is at his side. Coined the Seneschal of Demacia, Xin Zhao is the personal steward of the Lightshield dynasty. His enigmatic, silent vigil has led to an abundance of conjecture concerning his 'secret life' and origins. Whether it's 'Zaun double-agent' tendered at the dinner table or 'indebted rune mage' mused in the editorials of the 'Demacian Constant', Xin Zhao betrays no hints to sate the curiosity of the masses.
Years ago, Noxus was renowned for a spectacle called the Fleshing. It was a gladiatorial event with a cruel twist: as a fighter won matches, his number of opponents (generally prisoners of war) fought simultaneously would increase. This meant eventual death for every contender, but with unparalleled glory. Xin Zhao was the current undefeated champion, slated to face 300 soldiers, nearly six times the previous record. This was clearly meant to be his final match.
How foolish of them to think so. For when Xin Zhao was younger, he had come across an ancient, sentient spear in his travels. The Darkin Viscero, entrapped within the spear, attempted to take over his body at once, but slammed into the iron will and fearlessness of Xin Zhao. Xin Zhao consumed the essence of the Viscero instead, and now wielded the Darkin's innate fighting prowess as his own. The only lingering remnant of the Viscero was a deep-seated longing for a challenge. It was why Xin Zhao had let himself be captured by Noxus in the first place. 300 soldiers indeed required some effort, but hardly enough to give him pause, let alone the challenge he craved.
Jarvan II, hearing of Xin Zhao's unprecedented feat in the Fleshing, infiltrated the arena to offer him an alternative: serve Demacia and punish those who ultimately sentence him to death in exchange for his freedom. Xin Zhao was amused that the king of Demacia was willing to put what he believed was his own life at risk, despite Xin Zhao never being in any real danger. Xin Zhao decided that killing elite Noxus soldiers would likely be more challenging than captured soldiers, and so Xin Zhao accepted.
Under the cover of a prearranged Demacian assault on Noxus, Jarvan 'liberated' Xin Zhao and his 300 opponents. During the inevitable melee of the assault, Xin Zhao coincidentally took a poisoned arrow meant for Jarvan. In truth, Xin Zhao's Darkin-enhanced physiology was obviously immune to poison, and he had merely been too preoccupied by killing everything in his path to even notice the insignificant arrow.
Jarvan II however, mistook this act to be a supreme act of loyalty and self-sacrifice, from a man who had not vowed allegiance to him at all. It earned Xin Zhao a spot at the king's side until the day he died.
Now in the service of the king's successor, Jarvan III, Xin Zhao continues to fight for his adopted country of Demacia. For now, Xin Zhao is content to kill the soldiers of Noxus, and train Demacian troops to become the most fearsome warriors in history.
But make no mistake, Xin Zhao will grow bored of killing Noxians eventually, and Demacia should be prepared for when Xin Zhao decides that he has trained them enough to give him a challenge.