Champion Concept - Arke, the Lost Hero

Arke, the Lost Hero

Who is Arke?

A once revered and praised hero, Arke has turned into an assassin with the power to manipulate shadows, whether his own or his opponent’s.

”Just looking out for number one? l’ll bring your secrets to light.”

Passive: Shrouded Drake - Basic attacks against a unique enemy (monster or champion) deals bonus magic damage and inflicts Shadowlinked for 30 seconds. Additionally, every 15 seconds, Arke’s next basic attack against a Shadowlinked enemy has significantly increased range by using their shadow to attack its host, and deals bonus magic damage based on the enemy’s maximum health.

Q: Fabled Strike - Arke drops his shadow at his current location, and it throws its weapon at the nearest enemy, damaging and slowing the first enemy it hits before chaining to nearby targets, inflicting the same slow, but the damage increases by 2% for each consecutive target hit after the first. Targets are afflicted with Shadowlinked for 8 seconds, and refreshes the duration to 22 seconds if a target is already affected. Arke charge this ability before activating, increasing the range of the shadow’s throw.

W: Shadowcast - Arke casts his shadow at a target location, and then gains control of it, able to move the stealthed shadow around without unit and terrain collision, while granting vision. After 6 seconds, Arke teleports to the shadow’s location, ignoring any crowd control that may be taking place.

E: Dark Calling - Passively, enemies marked with Shadowlinked have slightly reduced vision. Upon activation, Arke targets a Shadowlinked enemy and roots them for 2 seconds, dealing magic damage and significantly reducing their vision.

R: Shadowstep - Arke steps into darkness and reappears behind an enemy champion with a devastating strike dealing massive magic damage. This ability has incredible range, but you must have vision of the target unless they are marked with Shadowlinked.

”People hide their secrets in shadows and skeletons in their closets. I’m here to rip off the closet doors and bring the secrets to light.”

Lore

Once, Arke was a unique and gifted knight and savior to many from the evil that plagued their lands. From purging demons to tearing down criminal syndicates, Arke seemed to have no limits. His ties to his precarious blade Shrouded Drake and the power attached to it made him a formidable foe. With the power to control shadows, one could say he fought darkness with darkness. But that all was lost to the same darkness he controlled.

A cold night in the mountains with an unexpected encounter sent Arke and his partner, Chet, into disarray, and when he took up his sword to fight, a frozen beast or bird of crystalline ice swept him away and off a into the sky, casting him off the side of the cliff to his demise. He should’ve listened to the stories. His partner survived the attack, but instead of searching for his comrade, Chet found the opportunity to arise in fame and power by taking Arke’s place, no longer standing in Arke’s evergrowing shadow. Thus, no one searched nor found the remains of the great champion left broken and scarred. But unaware to them, Arke survived, and in his struggle to stay alive, his weapon became his only ally, and its power consumed him. In his quest to return home, he was unrecognizable; even cast out of places on his journey that were once a home. Confused, Arke utilized his shadow and those of the people around him to find out what had changed since his disappearance, only to learn of his assumed death and what his partner had been doing in the meantime. In this dark reckoning, Arke gained a new perspective, and with it a new agenda; one concealed in pain and shadow.

He ventured to find his once loyal partner, to see what justified this abandonment and injustice after that bitter night. Not appearing as even a shred of the man he once was, it was difficult to talk to anyone let alone get into public places to find answers. But one evening, Arke found Chet, living lavishly and abusing his power to further increase his wealth by offering his services at a steep price, something Arke never anticipated nor done himself. Finding the opportunity to speak with him, he asked what had happened the night of their separation, and Chet went on to tell such a woeful story, exaggerated and full of lies that made his stomach twist.

“It seems that night forever changed you too, Chet.” interrupted, and from his shadow he drew his weapon, the Shrouded Drake, and began to advance towards his once valiant partner.

“No,” Chet said in disbelief. “Where did you get that? Guards! Seize him!”

Chet tried to make his escape to gather his gear from another room as his guards closed in on Arke, but it was all in vain. Using his dark power, Arke called upon all the shadows of his enemies, rising up to take arms and defend their master. Chet was captured, and was forced to watch as his guards were mercilessly struck down by their own shadows, or by his old partner. Finished handling the immediate threats, Arke approached Chet once more.

“What happened to you?” Chet asked, immobilized by fear and by his own shadow. ”I thought you were dead!”

“The better question is what happened to you?” Arke retorted, then gesturing to the room. “This is not what we did, nor what we should still do.”

“I was tired of doing things your way,” Chet said. “Doing so much for so little in return. No one could challenge us, so why keep serving when we could be served? Your death, or so I thought, was the perfect opportunity to finally get some things straightened out.”

“And now look at you,” Arke said sternly. “Out of practice, out of order, and no better than the men and monsters we vanquished.” Arke lifted his sword up to Chet’s chest. “Taking you out of the picture will put these people’s hearts at rest; mine as well.”

Chet’s struggles and cries were lost into the night. No one ever found the assassin responsible for his demise the next day, and frankly, no one cared enough for the pompous warrior to really investigate. Alone and void of feelings other than duty, Arke set off to continue his mission, ridding the world of its filth. No one praised him, no one knew why his targets were slain, but that people’s sins always came to light the next day. But most importantly, no one ever saw him, unless it was your turn to die.

”Light always creates shadow. If I’m coming for you, you cannot hide from my grasp. Not in the day, and never in the night.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this concept, and please feel free to comment if you really liked it, or if there’s any questions. I’ll do my best to respond, and until then, stay tuned for more concepts!

[poppy-wink]