I wrote a long bio for Vlad

Hey all! So, inspired by a thread on Cho'Gath over on the S/A/S board, I decided to write out a long bio for everyone's favorite Noxian hemomancer who is currently missing one. I tried to integrate the new lore with the old as best as I could, and I hope I did a good job! There's also a couple of other familiar faces who appear, as well...anyway, without any further ado, here it is!

    On the day the ancient Noxii tribes finally overthrew the dread warlord Mordekaiser, Vladimir was born to a family on a small farm not far from the Immortal Bastion. The boy grew up hearing tales of the Iron Revenant and his undead lieutenants; however, instead of being horrified at the stories of the lich-lord's atrocities and brutality, the precocious youth found himself enraptured. On a farm in the Noxian wastelands, life was rough, and at times even having enough food for a full stomach could be considered a luxury. Yet Mordekaiser was a man who had everything the poor farmboy could ever want: money, power, respect – and if the stories were any indication, the ability to make anything he wanted to happen, happen.

Vladimir's fascination with the warlord only deepened when his own magical abilities began to manifest, seeing in them one more thing he had in common with Mordekaiser. When sent on trips to the city, Vladimir would often make a point to visit any library or talk with any mage he could find. Vladimir's suave personality and skill with wordplay soon made him a well-known and well-liked presence in the city, and as his magical ability and network of contacts grew, so did his ambition. Eventually, Vladimir discovered an obscure form of magic, one brought to Noxus by travelers from Shurima. The discipline was based around the manipulation of flesh and blood, and could grant one the ability to change their very form, as well as control the minds and bodies of others. Most importantly to the young mage, however, was the way it was able to prolong one's own life.

Vladimir's early experiments with blood magic soon graduated from using livestock as test subjects to humans, as the mage began to stalk the back alleys of Noxus Prime. The rumors of the “Crimson Reaper” circulated among the city's populace, who began to worry that it was the shade of Mordekaiser, come back yet again to terrorize the Noxians in vengeance. Vladimir naturally found the comparison to his inspiration flattering and encouraging, and his bloodlust only grew. However, one night Vladimir was set upon by a group of mages who attempted to subdue him as he drew the lifeblood out of a sleeping beggar. Vladimir was able to exsanguinate his would-be executioners, but knowing that there would be more to come, he fled the city.

While traveling, Vladimir's wagon broke down during a storm, and while searching for shelter, Vladimir found the mouth of a cave. Entering, Vladimir soon found that the cave did not seem natural, as the cavern walls were inscribed with thousands of sigils Vladimir vaguely recognized as belonging to the writing system used in the continent to the south. Intrigued, Vladimir ventured further, and soon came upon what seemed to be a man, unnaturally gaunt, with warped flesh and crimson eyes. The man was slumped over, seemingly dead due to the scythe embedded in his abdomen, but when Vladimir drew closer the man lurched upwards, extending an arm as tendrils of magic energy were channeled through it. Vladimir felt his blood boiling, attempting to leave his body. Recognizing the spell as readily as he would his own hand, Vladimir used his own command of hemomancy to counter the spell. After a long struggle between the two the man on the scythe collapsed, but as Vladimir attempted to turn the tables, he heard a voice speak in his mind.

_“You show promise, boy.”_ the voice boomed._ “Much more than this whelp. But... you are not there yet. Come, Vladimir. Let me show you the true potential of the magic you wield.”_

It was only then that Vladimir truly looked upon the scythe, rather than the body that lay on its blade. Returning the weapon's gaze, Vladimir grinned with dark intent. Over time, the scythe taught Vladimir the secrets of blood magic as only a Darkin could. Vladimir took to each lesson with gusto, albeit making sure to never let his guard down around the scythe, and always preparing for its inevitable betrayal. When the scythe told Vladimir it was time for his final lesson, Vladimir felt an onslaught of magical energy more potent than ever as the scythe raised itself into the air. As it attempted to take Vladimir's body for its own, however, Vladimir liquefied himself in an explosive torrent of blood, detonating the traps he had set up unbeknownst to the scythe and causing the cave to collapse. As the pool of blood seeped back up to the surface and reformed into the hemomancer, Vladimir knew it was time to set his sights on Noxus Prime once more. As he neared the city gates, members of the same cabal of mages that had attacked him previously approached him, led by an unnaturally pale woman. Vladimir attempted to strike first, but his spell had seemingly no effect on the pale lady. Smiling, the woman looked into Vladimir's eyes, and made Vladimir an offer he couldn't refuse.

To this day, Vladimir works alongside the Black Rose, becoming a celebrated member of the Noxian secret society, while the back-alleys of Noxus Prime are still aflutter with the fearful whispered rumors of the Crimson Reaper.