[Champion Concept] Fierakir, the Infernal Sphinx
Fierakir, the Infernal Sphinx
version 1.0
This character concept is a work in progress, so please tell me your opinions! Is it good, terrible, does it perhaps lack personality? All criticism is welcome!
General Concept:
Lore: My general goal for lore is to introduce a monstrous champion in the form of a Baccai, which is someone who failed the ritual of Ascension in Shurima. Being a failed monstrosity, this champion would have power that is hard to control, requiring an outside force to assist in honing their abilities. And this is where (hear me out) a darkin weapon comes in. Since a Baccai is someone who failed to Ascend and a Darkin is someone who successfully Ascended but failed to properly carry out their duties in the end, this sort of character interaction could be interesting to explore.
Gameplay: My general goal is less clear here, but I wanted to make a melee AP-based champion that did damage over time (DoT). This would refer to both Fierakir's fire and Valeeva's venom.
Champion Information
Name: Fierakir Alabast
Aliases: the Infernal Sphinx the Flame of Shurima the Shame of Shurima
Race: Baccai (formerly human) Darkin (incomplete possession)
Faction: Shurima
Short Lore
Note: This champion's lore is not modular, as it ties into a gap in the lore that has yet to be completely filled by Riot. Due to this, I have taken creative liberties that may or may not be consistent with what Riot intends for the involved storylines.
"Failures of an era long gone have returned to resume their transgressions, and I will see them sent back to their tombs." ~Fierakir
Short Intro version 1: Once a proud pyromancer of Nerimazeth, the Shuriman woman named Fierakir was given the divine privilege of Ascension. However, the ritual failed, leaving her a grossly disfigured chimera infused with the element she once commanded. After being driven out of the city, she wandered the deserts for centuries, halted only by the appearance of what seemed to be a human girl who tasked her with guarding a special weapon--one that contained the soul of one of the Fallen by the name of Valeeva. Accepting this request as a means of repentance, the beast was locked away within a crypt alongside Valeeva for centuries. Now, after sensing the awakening of other Fallen, Fierakir chose to break free of the tomb, soulbound weapon in hand. The infernal sphinx now wanders the wastes in search of the remnants of Shurima's past.
Short Intro version 2: A forgotten legend of ancient Shurima, the infernal sphinx that had once borne the name Fierakir is one of many that were erased from Shurima's history. As one who failed the Ascension process, she was left to shamefully disappear into obscurity in the sands. However, at the end of the Great Darkin War, the beast was entrusted with the soulbound darkin weapon Valeeva, which Fierakir claimed for herself once she sensed the awakening of other Fallen. Their fates now intertwined, Fierakir and Valeeva now roam the wastes in hunt of the god warriors of the desert empire's past.
Biography (Abridged)
As one of Shurima's prided mage warriors in the time of Nerimazeth, the woman named Fierakir was of high enough esteem to be considered for the ritual of Ascension. Given her natural ability to command flame, the clergy had deemed that she would become a phoenix that would continue to guide Shurima into the future. However, the day of her Ascension saw not the birth of a godly bird of fire, but rather an infernal abomination. Once the pride of the desert empire, the flaming chimeric beast who was once known as the pyromancer Fierakir was driven out by the Ascended, leaving charred sand and glass in her wake. No longer able to control her power and unable to reenter society for fear of execution, she was left to wander the desert wastes until the sands of time would decide her fate. Time saw her name purged from the annals of Shuriman history, instead attributing her accomplishments to the sunborn. Over the years, she bore witness to the fall of Shurima at the influence of the Void and the war among the god warriors.
Several centuries, if not millenia, had passed by the time the accursed sphinx was approached by a small human woman that appeared to show no fear of her form. The human offered the beast named Fierakir an opportunity to redeem herself for her failure to Ascend. She was tasked with guarding the soul of a captured darkin--an Ascended by name, but Fierakir knew that these Ascended had failed to protect Shurima no less than she. Accepting this duty, Fierakir was sealed away in a crypt alongside the weapon as a final barrier to any who would dare reclaim it. The weapon beckoned the beast, claiming that glory could be taken back from the empire that had forsaken them both, but Fierakir had nothing at this point if not patience. Centuries passed, but something had changed. Both she and the soul-bound weapon could sense it. One, two, no, three Fallen had found new life. A sanity-deprived warrior had broken free from his tomb alongside a traitor to the sun. A long-lost pharaoh had reclaimed his power. Those who had failed Shurima had come back to try once more, but the sphinx knew that time would not heal the damage they had done.
The spear beckoned, and Fierakir heeded its call. Valeeva was its name, and it attempted to dominate the beast's spirit from within her grasp. However, Fierakir resisted its assault and burned her way through the crypt, the darkin in her possession. Unable to fully tear apart Fierakir's mind, Valeeva is now at the mercy of the infernal sphinx as they prowl the desert wastes, hunting the remnants of Shurima's former legion.
Note: If there are any oddities or logical gaps you believe need more explanation or justification, please let me know!
Appearance:
Fierakir's current form is that of a flame-infused sphinx, the chimeric result of her failed Ascension millenia ago. She has the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and the head of a human. As a Shuriman, what remains of her dark human skin is charred and broken, and her hair and wings are both consumed by fire. She is impaled through the abdomen with a spear (a long-bladed spetum), from which corruption spreads throughout her body. The spear is fractured at the hilt, and Fierakir wields a broken piece of the shaft as a weapon.
Character Dynamic:
Fierakir and Valeeva have come to an equilibrium. Fierakir is too resilient for Valeeva to fully possess, but Fierakir's power is too chaotic to control on her own so she requires Valeeva's focusing power to be an effective combatant. Given that the head of the darkin spear is lodged within Fierakir's abdomen and it is broken at the hilt, it would be difficult for Valeeva to possess someone else. While Fierakir holds the spear shaft in hand, Valeeva's more commanding aspects take the reins, but while she is not in possession of the stake (as in after she uses her Q), Fierakir's feral form takes over.
Playstyle Overview
Roles: (not too hot on this part) Primary: Bruiser Secondary: Assassin
Attack Range: Melee
Position: (nor this part) Top, Jungle, Mid, Support?
Stats and Abilities
Health: 600-2130 (+90 per level) Health Regen: 8-25 (+1 per level) Mana: 350-1030 (+40 per level) Mana Regen: 6.5-16.7 (+0.6 per level) Attack Damage: 60-131.4 (+4.2 per level) Attack Speed: 0.6-0.855 (+2.5% per level) Armor: 34-98.6 (+3.8 per level) Magic Resist: 32-53.25 (+1.25 per level) Attack Range: 150 Movement Speed: 345
Innate - Feral Flame
After using an ability, an aura begins burning enemies around Fierakir for 4 seconds, dealing 8(+1 per level)(5% AP)(+2.5% bonus Health) magic damage per second to nearby enemies within a radius of 250/300/350/400 (at levels 1/6/11/16). While not holding her weapon, this aura remains active.
Fierakir's abilities burn enemies for 3(+1 per level)(+5% AP)(2.5% bonus Health) magic damage per second for 4 seconds, and while not holding her weapon, Fierakir's basic attacks on targets affected by this burn deal 2% of the target's maximum health as bonus magic damage and refresh the duration.
Notes: - These are two separate burns, and an enemy can be affected by both at the same time. - The aura is similar to Sunfire Cape's Immolation feature. - The ability burn is similar to Teemo's Toxic Shot (E) or Brand's Blaze (innate). - These combined burns could easily be overkill, but I tried to make them relatively weak.
Q - Flame Stake/Wrest Cost: 50/60/70/80/90 Mana | 30 Mana Cooldown: 15
Passive: Using Flame Stake will cause Fierakir to no longer be in possession of her weapon, which changes her abilities until she reclaims it.
FLAME STAKE: Fierakir empowers her weapon and hurls it at a target location (range 400-1000, speed 1200), dealing 60/80/100/120/140(+50% bonus AD)(+40% AP) magic damage. This damage is reduced to 50% against minions and non-epic monsters. Flame Stake impales the first enemy champion or epic monster struck and grants True Sight for up to 6 seconds. If Flame Stake does not hit an enemy champion or epic monster, the weapon stays at the target location for up to 6 seconds. During these 6 seconds, Fierakir gains 30% bonus movement speed toward her weapon and gains access to Wrest if it hit an enemy champion or non-epic monster.
WREST: Fierakir dashes unstoppably (range = attack range +25) to the impaled enemy and reclaims Flame Stake, dealing 50/75/100/125/150(+100% AD) physical damage and applying on-hit effects as she wrests the weapon from their body.
If Wrest is not used after 6 seconds, it costs 0 mana and instantaneously returns Flame Stake to her on cast. This happens automatically when Flame Stake comes off cooldown.
Notes: - The Flame Stake ability feels similar to Nidalee's Javelin Toss (Q), except it pierces through minions and monsters. - The Wrest ability feels similar to Warwick's Jaws of the Beast (Q) and Nidalee's Takedown (Q). - Renaming Flame Stake to something like Flame Fang or Fire Fang could allude to Valeeva's nature as well (she has been described like a snake or a similar venomous creature).
W - Shuriman Resilience Cost: 75 Mana Cooldown: 20/18/16/14/12
While holding Flame Stake: Fierakir gains 20/30/40/50/60% tenacity and heals for 50% the damage dealt by her Feral Flame for the next 4 seconds. This healing is halved against minions and monsters.
While not holding Flame Stake: Fierakir gains 20/30/40/50/60% bonus attack speed and increases her attack range by 250 for 4 seconds. After 1 second, Fierakir bursts with fiery light, blinding all enemies within her Feral Flame aura for 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds.
Notes: - The first version is meant to reflect the effects of darkin blood magic (life steal/spell vamp) as well as Fierakir's vitality granted by her bestial form. - The unarmed version is meant to allow her to combo with Wrest such that she can close the gap and be close to her target when the blind occurs.
E - Wings of Abandon Cost: 70 Mana Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8
While holding Flame Stake: Fierakir beats her wings forward, dealing 30/65/100/135/170(+75% AP) magic damage to enemies in front of her and slowing them by 30/40/50/60/70% for 1 second as she leaps 400 units backward.
While not holding Flame Stake: Fierakir beats her wings forward, dealing 30/65/100/135/170(75% AP) magic damage to enemies in front of her and pushing them up to 400 units away and slowing them by 30/40/50/60/70% for 1 second.
Notes: - Similar concept in both forms, but one allows her to leap away and one allows her to push enemies away.
R - Infernal Prison Cost: 100 Cooldown: 120/100/80
Fierakir sends out a fiery hand (range 800, speed 800) that grasps the first enemy champion it hits, who is rooted for 1 second and tightly surrounded by a wall of fire (radius = target size +100) for 4 seconds. The champion is nearsighted while it remains in the prison and only they can interact with the wall. If the champion touches the wall, it takes 250/350/450(+75% AP) magic damage, the prison disappears, and the target is slowed by 75% for 1.5 seconds.
Notes: - Being within the prison is visually similar to Graves's Smoke Screen (W). - The prison would function similar to Thresh's The Box (R), but it has a smaller area and can only be interacted with by the target. - During the 4 seconds within the prison, the enemy champion hears the voice of Valeeva.
Final Thoughts:
Once again, this is but a draft! I am particularly not so confident in the abilities themselves, as I feel as they are they don't build enough of a unique identity through playstyle. I considered making her a shapeshifting-type character on a meter like Gnar/Shyvana, but what I thought up felt too much like Gnar.
I wanted to essentially emulate the concept of uncontrollable magic flowing from her being, given that she has lost the ability to control the power she once had due to an unsuccessful transformation that left her abilities warped beyond use. This is unlike Brand, who seems to be in full control of his newfound pyromancy and executes his abilities without issue (both in game and in lore). Something I think might not be explored quite enough here is the dynamic between Fierakir and Valeeva, which could be interesting to see through a shapeshifting-type ability à la Nidalee.
On the general concept side of things, I can understand how this champion could invite some eye rolls. "It's a monstrous champion that introduces the Baccai, isn't that good enough? And then there's also a darkin involved.."" Very edgy and overloaded, I understand. However, my understanding (or perhaps my headcanon) is that Baccai are but shells of what they once were and any ability they may have would be not so easily controlled. This is why it would be necessary to have some sort of outside influence to make them into any kind of viable warriors. And given that where the Baccai failed is where the Ascended succeeded, I believe it would be extremely interesting to see the interactions between these two groups under these circumstances.
As a final note, I'm convinced that the name "Fierakir" would never make it into the game as it is, since the first 5 letters are far too similar to "Fiora." But that is a relatively minor change for the future.
By all means, roast this to your heart's content, and thanks for reading!
[galio-happy]
