[Fan Story] The Man from the Fyrone Flats and the Runic Forge
The man from the ravaging lands
North of the Great Barrier stands most of Valoran's city-states, while most of what lies south of the Great Barrier is wasteland and wild places with occasional ruins from the past Rune Wars.
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One of these places are the Fyrone Flats, a place with splitting earth, cracked and twisted landscape and strong earthquakes. No soul knows what civilization might've dwelled upon this land before, but rumors tell of a forge, which was used to make the runic armor and weapons for the magelords and protectorates alike, lies deep buried in the ruins of the fyrone wastelands. Rumors which meant nothing to most of the tribes and small communities who fight for survival everyday in these harsh lands. A fight for survival that often lead to violent encounters.
One of these tribes are the Zuraferi . They are a tribe of skilled blacksmiths, strong warriors and craftsman.
Among the tribe was an extremely talented boy named Talos, he was very skilled in smithing and a more than capable warrior. Hard labor at the forge and fighting off hostile tribes and beasts with a massive hammer made him strong, but he has always been one of the more larger and stronger people of his tribe anyways. Surprisingly, even though he had a body that seemed more fitting for brutish tasks, he was quite reflective and thoughtful. His fellow tribesman didn't think much of it, until he developed an obsession of the rumored runic forge somewhere in the Fyrone flats. The fought of making weapons and armor in the legendary forge was too irresistible for him . Talos collected any hints he could find about that forge, no matter how little or meaningless it was. He would travel even far out and even go as far as disguising himself as an enemy tribesman to infiltrate their camps and eavesdrop for information . It was a dangerous doing, he didn't infiltrate them for the sake of finding out any weakness to get an advantage to his tribe, but to gather more tales of the rune wars and the mythical forged. In one of these trips he wandered towards the borders of shurima, meeting a trading caravan.
He asked them several question about the forge, they knew nothing but had an old book with that mythical story for trade. Talos didn't have any money, it wasn't necessary in the Fyrone flats, so he decided to trade parts of his armor for that book. Armor parts which he carefully made and adorned with artful markings, a truly fine piece and a rarity in this area . The traders accepted the deal without hesitation, the Zuraferi crafting was know in that lower small part of the southern lands, but that tribe didn't like to give or trade their armor to any outsider. He disregarded that fact though, thinking that his aim would be worth more than some armor parts, even if it is made by someone as skillful as him, he could always make new ones.
Wearing an uncomplete armor and the old book ,muffled in old rags, Talos returned home, unknowing what awaits him... The high-ranking members of his tribe already grew wary of him and tasked one of the more stealthy warriors, Valo, to keep an eye on him. On one day he saw Talos enter the stronghold of an hostile tribe. At first the Valo thought that Talos would sabotage the enemy tribes, but he Talos left as peacefully as he entered. Valo had to report it to the high-ranking members of the tribe and the chieftain.
The Zuraferi took notes of his rebellious behaviour, they told him to stop his unrelenting search for a forge, which according to them didn,t exist. But [..], ignored their warning, he worked too hard for it to just give up. And so it was not long until this dissension reached it's climax.
When Talos came back at one night from his trips, high-ranking members of his tribe and the chieftain named Hakas ,one of the few man bigger than Talos and also taking the position of a shaman within his tribe, already waited for him. Talos was worried,but thought what he did was right, he was aware that his people didn't like his recent behaviour. But instead of showing his concern, Talos put on a stoic expression. Whatever they were about to told him, he was already willing to accept it, it was already set in his mind what his priority is.
Talos's confident and powerful stride became slower and calm. Even though he is very strong, he respects his elders and would never turn against his family. He stopped in front of them.
"What happend to your armor?" - asked Hakas.
Talos hesitated for a moment.
"I gave it in exchange for something more valuable to me..." - he replied, while holding the old book in front of him. The chieftain let that sink in for a moment, before flicking his fingers like a command. Two warriors stepped forth, holding between them a bloodied and beaten enemy man of a tribe Talos infiltrated.
Hakas exhaled.
"We already know of your relentless pursuit for this... myth" "You are wasting your time , make your people worry, if it's about smithing or combat training, you listen, but whenever the topic changes to that forge, you become so stubborn, it breaks my heart to see such a fine smith and warrior take such an unhonorful path." - Hakas said before turning to the captured tribesman.
The warriors stepped aside and the chieftrain wraped his powerful grip on the neck of his prisoner and lifted him up.
"Three sunsets ago we fought a rivaling tribe, they were more aggressive towards us than usually ,this time though, we invaded their tribe, broke their bones with hammers and split their heads with axes. Leaving only him alive..., we asked him why their tribe became more aggressive. At first he didn't want to answer, but that was easily fixable after breaking few of his rips ." Hakas had a angered facial expression while saying that to Talos, he was clearly displeased. "He saw one of ours, he saw a Zuraferi putting down a wretched disguise, before walking towards our stronghold." - his gaze fell upon the enemy tribesman and held him with his face towards Talos. "WAS IT HIM?" - Hakas furiously asked.
The injured tribesman grunted with pain before looking at Talos.
"Ye..Yes..that is the Zuraferi i saw.. , i swear" - he said followed by coughing up blood.
"Please.. i told you what you wanted to know, have mer-" - Hakas snapped his neck before he could finish his plead and tossed his lifeless body aside.
Even though the Zuraferi were a tribe with a lot of blacksmiths and craftsman, they held a fierce reputation within the fyrone flats. They are strong and brutal when it comes down to it and merciless in battle. Otherwise they behave peacful and friendly, but only when treated with respect and fairness. Talos realized that lies were of no use, so he decided to tell Hakas the honest truth.
"It is true i infilrated many enemy tribes to get intel out of them..., i needed information, information important to me. I pursuit my aims with an iron determination as it should be and that is why i did it" - Talos finally replied. "I met many people, i heared a lot about the world outside the Fyrone flats and about the Rune wars that took place in the past. If infiltrating enemies or walking long distances to get even a little bit information that brings me closer to my goal, then so be it! The Runic Forge exists and i will find it!
"The Rune wars scorched and tore asunder these lands, it rendered the Fyrone flats as a wasteland, the magic that was unleashed in that ancient event was too dangerous and it should stay in the past. We will leave the Fyrone flats behind "- said Valo as he appeared among the high-ranking members of his tribe. "But why so suddenly?" - Talos asked. "The tribe grows tired of the Fyrone flats and of you Talos, there has always been hostility between most tribes, but your behaviour gave us an unpleasant reputation and forced them to become more aggressive.Furthermore storms and earthquakes keep haunting these dangerous lands, lately they have even become stronger. The Fyronian flats are doomed and thus i've decided that the Zuraferi will relocate their stronghold in the shuriman desert." - the chieftain answered with a confident and strong tone.
"We will set out tomorrow morning, you will come too, the farther you are away from the ruins of the rune wars the better."
"I wont go anywhere" - Talos said with a cold tone.
"Not before i found the runic forge" "So be it, stay and try to find your beloved forge." - said the chieftain indifferently at last and stepped in front of Talos, he grabbed his wrists and put an object in his hand before going to his tent.
Talos was shocked,what has been given to him, is a vial which was only given to traitors or exiled who were being sent to the wasteland alone and without food. Nobody was really forced to drink the poison within, but the vial became a clear and silent message, a gesture that the presence of one isn't desired anymore.
After the high-ranking members were gone, Valo stepped towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. He was one of the few more friendly acquaintances Talos had.
"Im sorry forgebrother, i had to do it. The chieftain became unsettling and i have to follow his orders, at least as long as he remains leader." - Valo said . "The higher-ranking members of the tribe pressured the chieftain into making an decision, but he wanted to make sure he wouldn't regret it, i couldn't let anyone else observe your actions, atleast this way i can avoid the chieftain and hold the report back, while buying you more time." Talos swept Valos hand away. "I knew this day would come, even though i loved smithing, i never felt quite home in the Zuraferi tribe and always wanted to travel out in the world, but before doing that, i wanted to give the tribe something back." Valo handed him a bag. "In this bag is dried meat and water for at least 7 sunsets, a blanket and a cloak, so that the enemy tribes wont recognize your affiliation to our tribe." "There is also one more thing i have to tell you before you leave, your parents they wer-" "I know" - Talos intervened. "I was coming from an enemy tribe... a tribe which was slaughtered by strange outworldish beasts and the old chieftain found me in a basket and luckily took me in. Before he died..., he asked Hakas to keep an eye on me, even though Hakas didn't like me."- Talos explained while putting on the cloak. "How did you know?" Valo asked surprised. "The old chieftain left a letter for me, i should open it when i became an adult. Im thankful to him for saving me from the dangerous wastes and the tribe for raising me" "The fight for survival in this harsh environment, the brutal battles and the work at the forge made me strong. Im not a weak and helpless newborn anymore, it is time to determine my fate on my own. I've prepared my leave a long time ago, i knew Hakas would eventually banish me" "It's time to bid you a farewell Valo..."
And so Talos walked away,only equipped with the old book, provision bag and his trustful hammer, still bound and determined to find the runic forge within the Fyrone flats...
Turning point
The sun bathes the cracked earth with it's warmth and there was no sign of civilization far and wide. Talos reached the more deserted part of the fyrone flats, he located a vague area where the ruins of the rune wars should be with the help of the old book he attained. The sixth sunset was about to pass, Talos had only one day left before his provisions ran out and he grew tired. It was far too late to turn back, until he would reach any water or food resource it would take several days.
Fear of starvation crawled up on Talos, he desperately looked around, finding only nothingness around him. He atleast needs to find water so he wouldn't dehydrate.
On his seventh day he arrived in a stony area, full of enthusiasm Talos ran into the center of that place, looking for clues and any helpful signs which could lead him to the place he sought.
Then out of nowhere the sky darkened, a magically-fueled storm was coming. Even though it could kill him, it was a good sign, because these storms are one of the unnatural phenomena caused by the rune wars from the distant past.
As much as Talos would like to continue his journey, he needed to find shelter first, luckily for him he found a cave not far away from the center of this area. The moment he entered the cave, the magical storm ravaged this location with destructive lightnings lashing out where they could.
It was the strongest storm Talos ever witnessed, as he walked a few steps further away from the entrance one of the lightnings struck it and sealed the exit. First his food and water ran out and now he faces the possiblity of being entombed inside a cave in the middle of nowhere. He released a silent giggle of laughter, the occurences he has met one after the other clearly gnawed on his sanity.
After unsuccessfully trying to remove the rubble from the entrance, he decided to venture further into the cave, there was no other option after all. Putting one hand on the stonewall and while being blinded by the darkness, he walked aimlessly deeper and deeper into the cave. A dead end. Infuriated of the events of his sealed fate, he striked the wall with his fist several times before slumping down on the ground, he was ready to give up. He started to reflect on his journey to find the ancient forge and was reminded of the words, Hakas said to him, clenching his fist as a reaction. Suddenly he felt something, his fist was wet. Water! Talos put his head sideways on the ground and listened carefully. He heard rumbling water under the solid cave floor.
Talos collected his last reserves of energy he had and equipped his massive hammer, which he had forged above the hottest embers, a masterpiece among everything he crafted.
He swung his hammer in the air before smashing it's head with all his might against the floor. Nothing, he tried it again and with increasing brutality. A crack, Talos smirked, he put his maximum strength for one last strike, cracking the earth beneath him. An underground waterfall. Talos fell right into it and was devoured by its streams.
The Runic Forge
Sound of falling down small stones. Talos wakes up, coughing up water, he was washed up on land. After recollecting himself and drinking from the river, he looked around, a divide amid the fyrone flats.
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He stood up and looked for his hammer. It was behind him, a dozen yards away, he picked it up as he realized what was before him.
Old ruins consisting of a well, a broken down shack and a huge solid grey building. "This..this must be it! I have finally found the Runic Forge, there is no way it isn't- Talos said while walking slowly towards it. It's doors were dark and looked sturdy, even though Talos is a large man, it took quite an effort to open them. He walked up the stairs and the walking turned to excited running, ending at another door he immedately opened.
A big hall was behind it. Light shone through the broken roof, revealing big shelves with long decayed parchament in them. He found the forge but most of the records vanished, while walking between the shelves and carefully searching every spot with his eyes, he found an old book.
Talos slowly reached for the book, but it crumbled down as soon as he touched it. Left from the corner he found that book, he saw skeleton, half of it already been fallen to dust. In front of it a pedestal with scrolls, covered in long dried spills of blood, on it. After taking a closer look at them, Talos recognized them as some sort of blue print, for nothing other than a blueprint of an runic armor. It was undeniably one, since the blueprint had drawings of runes on them and was made by a special kind of parchament, one which wouldn't decompose that easily. On the right side of the pedestals top were three crystal-like glowing objects, one red, the other blue and the last one yellow. While all of them emitted a magic aura, the yellow crystal in particular, had an aura which felt comfortable the most to him.
He rolled the build plan up and wrapped the crystals in rags before going down the stairs. Turning left to enter the forge room. The ash inside the forge was still glowing in a strange color, it would take months to learn how to craft an armor after looking at a blueprint for the first time. But Talos was very talented and needed only mere hours.
Under the forge was a hole, in the shape of the crystals he found, and a stone board in fyronish, it says:
Only the crimson energy of the Magelord crystal or the blue energy of the Protectorate crystal may be used to activate this forge, to fuel the fire one extra magical crystal has to be offered. He took out the old book he purchased, even though it was soaked with water the two crests were still visible. A red eyed owl and a blue eyed stag, the Magelords and the Protectorate. The Magelords were clearly mages, while the Protectorates could be vaguely compared to paladins.
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The forge required one crystal to be activated while another crystal has to be thrown inside it the fire to get the desired effect. He decided to use the blue crystal to activate the forge and the yellow one to fuel the fire.
Talos kneeled down and inserted the blue protectorate crystal in the forge, activating the forge and threw the yellow crystal in the fire. In an instant the fire adopted the color of the crystal and became yellow.
He immedately began with his work, step for step with the help of the parchament he found, forging a long forgotten ancient runic armor from scrap, using the metal ingots which remained in the forge room.
The smithing process was almost the same, with the exception of yellow colored runic characters appearing on the armor when he was finished.
After he was done with the armor he wanted to forge a strong runic weapon. Unfortunately he used up all the metal ingots and had nothing left ot melt, nothing but his trustful hammer and thus he decided to melt it down with a heavy heart and re-forging it anew, just like on the armor, yellow rune writing also appeared on the hammer, bestowing it with a menacing more menacing appearance than before.
He has finally completed what he ever wanted after smithing several armor and weapon pieces. A personal armor and weapon, only for him to don and wield.
Talos stood still for a moment, then he gazed upon the yellow crystal. Even after crafting with it, it still emitted such energy, he carefully took it out of the fire and observed it.
It had a very solid surface and while he touched it, it filled him with energy. More importantly he felt like it was calling for him and then did something unexpected noone would've thought off doing.
He took his new runic hammer and smashed the yellow crystal.
As soon as he did that, the crystal started to lash out enery sparks all over the places and the broken shards started to float. Before he knew what was happening to him the shards flew right towards him and burried themselves in his flesh, followed by screams of agony the shards inside him dismantled, transforming Talos's body to a taller and bulkier frame. After his body bulked up, intricate markings of yellow symbols and runic characters came forth on his dark skin, followed up by his eyes starting to permanently glow yellow and his hair turning white.
The commotion settled and he reared up to his full height, exhaling calmly. He held his hand in the direction of his armor, after a small spark jumped over, the armor increased it's size to fit Talos's new frame and buckled itself on him. It was like he was communicating with the runic inscriptions on the armor through the ones on his skin.
Now it was time to escape the divide.
He stepped in front of the dark heavy doors of the entrance and knocked them effortlessly open. Talos clearly felt his strength increased. After walking out of the ruins, he jumped against the stonewall, burying his fingers in the solid stone and climbing up the divide. One last push and he had catapulted himself on the upper ground he initially walked on. Taking a deep breath as a simple but joyful celebration of his easy ascend.
Finally Talos achieved his goal and is reborn, now he sets his sight beyond the Great barrier and on the rest of the Runeterra, his journey has just begun...
The End
