Malachi, the Provocateur (January 2015 MCCC)

Bio:

Name: Malachi "Todd" Gershwin Title: Provocateur. Occupation: Agent-Provocateur for the Lightshield Dynasty. Age 31 Height: 5'11" Weight: 167 pounds Gender: Male Species: Human Affiliation: Demacia Weapon: A meteor hammer - a length of rope with a thick knot on one end. Class: Support Appearance and Description: Malachi is a hard man with hard features, scarred and weathered from his dangerous career. He's missing his right eye, but does nothing to cover it up - a thick jagged scar runs over his eyelid, and it doesn't appear capable of opening. His face is pockmarked and tan, and his remaining eye a placid clear blue. His hair is disheveled and oily, a shoulder length black mop that he doesn't do a damn thing to style.

His clothing is functional - little else remains to be said of it. A vest over a white shirt, a pair of slacks, and a pair of hobnail boots, all a uniform dusky grey. His left hand is missing, its wrist wrapped in white bandages, and his right is covered in a thick leather glove, holding a length of oiled, well-cared for rope, its end knotted.

In private, he is a man of few words and fewer actions, every movement a carefully choreographed and thought over display. He leaves little to chance. During his job, he is a bombastic orator, capable of churning civil unrest into riots and political upheaval. He is a brilliant actor and a competent grifter. He plans ahead and knows an escape route before it's even necessary.

He is a father of two adopted daughters. His partner, a cobbler named Silvio, does not approve of his occupation and worries constantly. However, Malachi is a very careful man and understands that his death does not negatively impact just himself - he has a country, a lover, and two caring daughters who rely on him - he will not let them down.

Lore:

Surge.

It was the best word to describe it, really. The crowd surged. Their words surged. A tumultuous roil of every walk of Noxian life, shouting, roaring, screaming out their unrest. I had played the crowd like a fiddle - I would never admit it to Silvio, but my injuries? My hand, and my eye? They served to make me relatable. I was one of them; one of the masses. I tell them I lost my hand in Kalamanda and my eye in Ionia, and who are they to refute my claims? I am a patriot! A proud son of Noxus, who has bled and nearly died in the field of battle.

Except... I'm not. It's easy to pretend, though.

Noxus is a kettle, set to boil. A tea, steeped in public resentment and fervor. Between the emotional loss of both Keiran and Boram Darkwill and the disappearance of General du Couteau, the city is on the brink of civil war. All the better.

I've stood silently upon the stage at the Ivory Ward Marketplace for several moments, my arms opened welcomingly to the crowd's rage. I knew where every one of my allies was. Luxanna was perched atop an apartment building across the street, bending the light from her form to render her invisible. My other assistant, a young falconer from Demacia by the name of Quinn was dressed in street clothes, situated amidst the crowd, her pretty face smudged with make up and dirt to make her look like anyone but the Demacian crackshot. There was a few more - nobodies, really. A barker, paid ahead of time to shout a word I needed him to say. Street kids paid to scream. A local firebug with no known connections to either political party who agreed to set fire to an Ivory Ward shop for a song. All to cause a panic I needed caused.

Behind me, a cage, covered in a large tarp. It shook and growled and shouted, but it was all unintelligible. Perhaps the Black Rose's reviled gift to the late Darkwill will further engender further distrust. How fortunate for Demacia that he... came into our possession, then. Fortunate indeed that Jericho Swain publically favors the poor beast.

I began to speak, but my words didn't matter. What mattered was the intent. The emotion. I put my heart and soul into my diatribe. I spoke of losing my eye to a Zaunite madman on the fields of Ionia, but I insist that others lost more. I speak of how I lost my hand to pointless political gerrymandering in Kalamanda, a pointless struggle in which we lost so much but gained so little.

And, my voice rising, I ask who condones these scrims? Who fights for no gain but his own? My paid barkers all shout Jericho Swain, and I smile. What surprises me, though, is that they are not the only ones who shout it out. The crowd shifts, and I can feel their anger.

I let them simmer, for just a few moments longer, before I turn to my closing act - the cage. I take a step toward it, beginning to speak. I give a brief history lesson of the Butcher of Jarvan. A dark day in the life of Demacia, though I phrase it differently. It was a great day in the life of Noxus. I tell tale of how Boram Darkwill balked at it, and how he had it imprisoned. When it fought, it killed just as many Noxian soldiers - faithful Noxians all! - as Demacians, and that no Noxian should die at the hands of another. The people agree, if only because of the barkers, one of which cries crocodile tears, muttering about her husband. Darkwill saw right by turning it away, by locking it in the ground. Swain unearthed it. This son of Noxus, denied his due rest.

I do not say "him", because to do so would be to humanize it. For the sake of my mission, I cannot do that.

I rip the tarp from the cage and reveal the Undead Juggernaut, Sion, in all its foaming rage. There is no glory there - it is as much meat as a chunk of cattle. Grey, filthy, stitched meat. It leers and it rages and it roars obscenities. It punches its cage and promises danger. The people balk from it - of course they do, Sion's a monster.

What they do not know is Sion is easily manipulated. He wants to butcher Demacia, this much is clear. But they do not know that his piggish eyes and worm-chewed brain leave little in the way of logical thought. A whispered word to the beast, a quietly uttered "Praise Jarvan", a Demacian threat, and blood is all he craves.

Let's anger him a little bit more, shall we? I turn from Sion's cage, a small signal only a few people in the crowd know of. Children scream in fear and begin to throw rocks at the cage - one strikes me in the shoulder and bites deep, but I don't notice it. It's going so perfectly. Swain's pet here - no, not the crow, will be his downfall. Public opinion is great.

I picked Ivory Ward for one reason - it's fairly nondescript. There are no Noxian banners in site. No soldiers or guards in Noxian livery. This is a moneyed ward, and its occupants hire their own security. No Noxian tabards here - nothing to give the impression of Noxian control.

No, why, to Sion, it looks almost Demacian, doesn't it?

It does. I know it does - I have been talking to the Juggernaut for quite some time. He thinks he knows what's going on, but he only knows what I want him to.

I speak hatred and condemnation of Swain for a little while longer, all while Sion continues to beat against his iron-wrought cage. I make up horrible stories of Swain's atrocities and I spin tales of Sion's depravity. For flavor, I throw in Boram Darkwill's name and bring up his compassion - he put Sion to rest.

I say a word, "cage". The last word I had planned to say: a period amongst sentences of vitriolic rhetoric. It's the last signal. My hired thug jumps into action immediately, yelling of Swain and High Command - for coin and drugs, the fool would give his child. I only asked him to give his life. Not in so many words, but the end result is the same. He rushes to the stage, shoves me back, and strikes the lock hard with a pipe. Nothing.

Would I lose my head over a weak, drug-addled thug?

Again, he swings, and again. Sion is roaring. The crowd is screaming, and I am struggling backwards from the cage.

Finally, with a roar of frustration, the thug strikes the lock hard and knocks it off. Sion takes the initiative and throws back the door. I do not know what happens, but I hear the screams. Already, I am running. Luxanna, the Lady of Luminosity, bends the light from my form, hiding me from sight. Quinn covers my retreat, but her job is superfluous. No one comes after me. Within minutes I am deep within the alley ways of Noxus, booted feet pounding a steady staccato against the muck, Quinn at my back.

Behind me, Ivory Ward burns. Sion kills Noxian citizens. Noxian citizens flee in fear. And Swain loses public support for releasing such a beast into the world once more.

Quinn and I duck around separate corners and melt into the crowds. Luxanna keeps her head down and leaves the city in mere hours. I spot Valor on a tower's minaret and my being there is the signal for "mission complete". Valor makes no sound - instead, he merely takes wing.

It was time to head home - the smog was getting to me.

Stats:

Health: 560.52 (+89) Health regen.: 6.92 (+0.55) Attack damage: 47.696 (+2.2) Attack speed: 0.625 (+3.5%) Mana: 273.92 (+44) Mana regen.: 6 (+0.8) Armor: 19.216 (+3.7) Magic res.: 30 (+0) Ranged: 500 Mov. speed: 335

Abilities:

Passive: Power In Numbers - Malachi is a natural team leader. As a result, he exudes confidence, and he understands how to use a mob to its fullest capacity. This manifests as an aura around him, offering benefits dependent on the number of allied units nearby. Allied minions nearby grant 1 Armor/MR per minion nearby, and 2 for tank minions or super minions. Allied champions grant 3 Armor/MR. This ability functions only for champions.

Armor/MR Per Minion: 1 Armor/MR Per Cannon/Super Minion: 2 Armor/MR Pet Champion: 3

Q: Snap Dragon - Malachi lashes out with his meteor hammer, up and over and down. A powerful strike - damage is dealt to foes hit by the knotted head. It takes him .5 seconds to ignite the rope, afterwards, the rope, suffused with oil, bursts into flames as he ignites it, causing any opponent still near the rope to take immediate damage.

Auto attacking while this ability is on cooldown reduces the cooldown by 1 second.

Physical Damage Dealt(Rope): 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+.6 Bonus AD) Physical Damage Dealt(Fire Burst): 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 (+.2 Bonus AD) Fire Delay: .5 seconds Range: 600 Radius of Knotted Head: 200 Radius of Rope Fire: 150 Mana Cost: 80 / 85 / 90 / 95 / 100 mana Cooldown: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 seconds Cooldown Reduction Per Auto Attack: 1 second.

W: Incite - Malachi knows how to incite a mob - inciting one person alone is child's play. If he targets an enemy with this ability, they are taunted. If he targets an ally with this ability, they are given a movement speed/attack speed buff.

The taunt duration depends on the range at which he uses this ability - the closer he is, the longer it lasts.

Range: 350 units. Enemy Taunt Duration: .5 seconds - 1.25 seconds, depending on range of cast Allied Duration: 3 / 3.5 / 4 / 4.5 / 5 seconds Movement Speed Boost: 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50 Attack Speed Boost: 10 / 12.5 / 15 / 17.5 / 20% Mana Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 mana Cooldown: 20 / 18 / 16 / 14 / 12 seconds

E: Rendezvous Point - Malachi stabs a stick into the ground. He may have five Rendezvous Points situated around the map. Each lasts 2 / 2.5 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 minutes and can take two auto attacks before crumpling, giving his opponent 5g.

Malachi may cast Snap Dragon at a Rendezvous Point. If he connects, he frees himself from all slows and immobilizes and pulls himself to it - any opponent in his path is stunned. Additionally, allies moving towards a Rendezvous Point are given 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 movement speed if they are within 1000 units. They must run AT the Rendezvous Point.

Duration of Point: 2 / 2.5 / 3 / 3.5 / 4 seconds Maximum Number of Points: 4 Stun Duration: 1 second Range: 200 Radius of Speed Boost: 1000 units Speed Boost: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 ms Mana Cost: 50 mana Cooldown: 4 seconds Gold Given Per Kill: 5g Health of Point: 2 health.

R: Mob Justice - Malachi designates an opponent for mob justice. For the next few seconds, the targeted opponent draws the attention of all hostile minions. Additionally, Malachi's champion allies deal additional damage through abilities and auto attacks if they strike a designated opponent.

Designation Duration: 4 / 5 / 6 Damage Bonus Per Attack: 1 / 3 / 5% bonus physical damage Damage Bonus Per Ability: 3 / 6 / 9% bonus magic damage Mana Cost: 100 Cooldown: 70 / 60 / 50 seconds

Challenges:

Whip/rope/or chain: Must have at least one ranged ability and must be a support or marksman

He is ranged and a support.

Mind: must have a forced action ability and must be able to free self from movement impairing effects

He has a forced taunt and his E removes all movement impairing effects.

You were sent on an urgent mission. What was the mission? Was it accomplished? And who sent you?

Malachi was sent on a mission to discredit the Swain regime of Noxus. He uses the volatile Sion to accomplish this.