Double Champion Concept: Dullahan (Body and Head).
Disclaimer: Dual Champion means that this is a bout TWO DIFFERENT CHAMPIONS. Not about something like Kindred and ESPECIALLY not about something like this weird thing HotS has with two players playing one champ.
A Dullahan traditionally describes the headless horseman, a mythical figure from medival England and Europe. Mostly seen as an bad omen he was said to roam the land, some say looking for his head...
The two characters I'm about to introduce to you started out as a vague lore-concept in my head with the Dullahan mythos as basis – and the fact that the Shadow-Isles lack a headless knight. Although these two are way older then the isles.
badly written lore inc.
(And someone get me Malcious Metal please, since this is about Mordekaiser I'd like to have a specialist look at it)
For that we need to go far back in time, until we reach a point when neither Demacia or Noxus existed yet – all there was was the Undead Bastion - even if it had another name back then - ruled by its cruel king, Mordekaiser. Up to this point the story is well known: at some point the oppressed population started a revolution and managed to overthrow the tyrant. But their success didn't last long. Not even a few days had passed as Mordekaiser returned from the dead and crush them all.
However, this all had been a farce from the start.
Of course the people were not happy with their tyrant, and no matter how many were crushed, how many were executed and how many were enslaved and tortured – they would just rise again and again to oppose Mordekaiser's rule. So he made a plan that would crush their spirits forever: it was not enough to crush them whenever thy rose. He had to make them rise higher than every before, build up their hopes and dreams – and THEN shatter them to break their will completely. For that two thing needed to happen: he needed a hero he could crush. A symbol of hope and peace that would be completely torn apart by him.
And for this hero to be truly legendary they would have to fullbring something truly exceptional: they had to kill him - or at least people should believe that they killed him.
He sent out his spies until he found a fitting candidate in a remote village of his empire: a young girl named Royna. She had an iron will and had managed to take out two of his soldiers who came to collect the taxes. Of course he could have just wiped the village from the map as a punishment, but he had other plans for it: this remote village should be the heart of this fake rebellion he wished to ignite – and that woman should be the hero.
First he sent his servants to disguise themselves and agitate the population of these lands against his rule, and when the soldiers showed up there they were miraculously defeated by the “hero” he has chosen. Victory after victory followed, with Mordekaiser's soldiers being defeated every time by a very close margin – and always with their “hero” at the front.
While the rebels were drunk of their victories and already planning for their storm on the the tyrant's bastion, Mordekaiser started researching the secrets of necromancy to prepare for the ultimate stage-play: his defeat by the hero's hands. And from there on everything went on like he had planned.
However, the moment he returned, Royna was to be caught, tortured and and executed in public.
But that's not where the plan ended – the hero should become his favorite new guinea pig for his studies of the unlife. Despite having defied death, Mordekaiser desired even more power – the power of the Kindred to be exact. If he was to become more powerful than the very concept of death, he would be the one to rule the entire world. And the captured hero that secretly survived the public torture and execution should help him with that.
Also, he wanted to turn her into the perfect soldier that should crush those she fought along before, to crush the spirits of the rebels once and for all.
Several weeks of torture and experimentation followed where Mordekaiser tried to turn Royna into some kind of artificial Kindred, but the progress was less than slow. But giving up was not an option for the Iron Revenant.
At some point he remembered a certain detail from the Kindred's tale, and so he took an axe...
But even then Royna's suffering did not end. Even with her head cut off her body, she was still alive – or at least sentient and aware of her surroundings. The head and the body had become two separate entities, connected by an unnatural bond and imbued with the powers of death. With terror she had to watch as her body bowed down in front of Mordekaiser, apparently accepting the Revenant as its new master. This was the birth of the Iron General, a headless knight who would haunt these lands for ages to come, loyal to it's master, slaughtering everything and everyone in his wake.
Some of Mordekaiser's servants realized a bit too late that not only the body had gained special powers and were strangled and cut apart by strands of spectral hair. With the element of surprise on her side she managed to escape from the room, leaving her body behind. However, being only a head she was not exactly the fastest, so one of the tyrant's servants, the loyal Malicious, managed to catch and lock her into jar that he sealed so tight, not even a single strand of hair could leave.
She was put into Mordekaiser's throne room, the same room used for executions. The last thing most rebels saw was the weeping face of their hero, stuffed in a jar, while her body of was the one that wielded the steel to end their lives.
Only when a certain thief entered the castle and helped to end Mordekaiser's regency, she was set free again, vowing to take revenge the Iron Revenant. No matter how often he would rise, she would be there to bring him down. The most recent sighting of the Iron General have been during the Harrowing, but the location of Royna is unknown, although there are many tales and legends surrounding her existence. One of them being of an angry spirit that seeks to take back it's body...
Gameplay 1: Iron General (also known as the Champion of the Black Mist)
"..." "...?" "...!"
He's pretty much a juggernaut, an headless suit of armor empowered by the Black Mist while wielding a massive claymore. Unites massive damage and tankyness, but lacks hard cc and is weak to kiting. Also, is a brutal monster when facing multiple enemies in his own terrain.
Passive: Peristence of Unlife
90% of the damage this unit takes is delayed by a short moment, even if it is lethal damage.
Q: Brutal Swing
After a minimal delay swings the sword in a crescent shape, hitting all enemies hit. If this hits a unit it can be recast without the delay and with bonus damage. After three consecutive casts the ability goes on cooldown. W: Infuse.
Channels for a short moment to empower the next basic attacks or brutal swings. Enemies hit by those attacks gain “Marked by the Mist”. Marked enemies suffer bonus damage and are slowed when they try to move away from the Iron General.
E: Dark Shroud
Releases a black cloud that blocks vision around the iron general. Inside the cloud he moves slightly faster, regenerates hp and deals bonus damage.
R: Dust to Dust
For the next seconds the Iron General will drain energy from his surroundings, gaining part of the drain as HP and bonus attack damage, depending on how many units are in draining range. Killing a unit while this ability is active extends its duration.
The goal for this design is to have a champ that's sitting in the middle of a teamfight, slowly coming for the backline. Relentless, brutal and not feeling any pain with all attacks seemingly having no effect on this abonimation of a warrior.
Also, if you try to fight him inside the Black Mist that grants him his powers WHILE the ult is up... well, he might even win a 1vs3 unless you got some heavy chain cc going.
Gameplay 2: Royna
"Headless? ME? A head is the last thing I'm lacking..."
"And now if you would stop screaming and just pick me up..."
"The tyrant has risen again. I shall purge his existence from this world and take back what's mine!"
She's a supportive mage that bonds with other units. Alone her movement speed is rather low, so bonding with the ally you're supposed to help out. While bonded you automatically move with the champion you have bonded with and can only move in a radius area around them. Bonding partner can change through the course of the game, but it is on a fairly high cooldown. Also, bonding can only be done outside of battle.
Also, the bond can be forcefully ended by hard displacement cc that puts her specifically away from the bonded champ.
Due to the fact that she is squishy and requires someone tanky to protect her, as well as the fact that she can provide hard cc, makes her ironically super-synergistic with juggernauts (ESPECIALLY the Iron General. Well, they had been a single being once...)
Passive: <Bonding Mechanic goes here> Some % of the damage the bonded target would suffer is directed to her instead. Also, buying boots is impossible. Movement speed scales with level.
Q: Reaching out from the Grave.
Several strands of spectral hair grow out and try to grab an enemy. Enemies hit are rooted. Enemies closer to them are also hit if they linger close to them for too long. Also, during the duration of the root life will be drained.
BONDED: While bonded, the life drain goes to 50% to the bonded champion.
W: Weaver of Death
Spreads hairs in a circle around her that grows slowly. Enemy champions are slowed slightly in this area. Upon reactivation the hairs try to grab everything in the area and pull it slightly towards the center.
BONDED: While bonded, the bonded champion is the center of this spell.
E: Woven Barrier:
Grants a shield after a short delay that absorbs damage. Damage absorption is more efficient against melee attacks.
There is no delay when the target is somewhere in the radius of Weaver of Death.
BONDED: While bonded, the bonded champion automatically gains the shield upon activation, no matter what the other target is.
R: Banshee's Howl.
After a short channel leaves out a terrifying scream that boosts the movement-speed of enemies by 100% and makes them run away. (Imagine a Master Yi during ult when a Fiddle Fear hits him).
Bonded: Bonded champion becomes deaf. (Nah not really, but ya know... )
This design is made for a support mage that is specifically designed for helping melee champions. Sure, you can bond with a marksman, but it is just not as rewarding. This mage specializes on Engage&Disengage while trying to keep her partner alive.
Oh, and I almost forgot: she has a medicore attack range, using the hairs like a whip. Slightly low for mage average in what I have in mind.
Other random idea: Give Royna a really old-timey way of speaking. She has been around for millenia now. I wouldn't be surprised if her way of speaking is a little bit... outdated.
Ok, what do you guys think of this? We both lack a headless knight and a champion that uses hair as a weapon. And on paper the kits seem to be working too. Sigh, I wish I clould draw. Concept drawing are more helpful than this wall of text I guess... Also, if the lore is a bit too dark for some of you... I blame Dank Souls 3 for that <_<
