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Contain Brand or Witness the Ascension?

TBakes·5/6/2016, 1:43:32 PM·2 votes·1,879 views

I've really enjoyed reading the Shurima stories so far, and I am excitedly checking back every so often to read the upcoming champion stories and bios. However, the one part of the story that has been on my mind is how Xerath created a distraction for Nasus and Renekton to need to leave during the Ascension ceremony.

I'm sure it will be explained more with Nasus' and Renekton's updated lore, but how powerful is Brand that they felt the need to leave Shurima undefended during a very powerful Ascension ceremony to contain this "fire incarnate" character? Why did both of them need to leave? How did Xerath even make it possible for Brand to escape without putting himself at risk?

It seems that if Brand is a big enough threat that both Nasus and Renekton need to leave to ensure he is contained, then Xerath must have already been very powerful and on the same level as Nasus and Renekton. Maybe I am missing something? I imagine this Ascension ritual is a big deal for those two, so for both of them to leave it unattended to see to this matter means that Brand must be reasonably more threatening than the Ascension.

Any thoughts?

12 Comments

Sharjo5/6/2016, 1:56:11 PM4 votes

One thing to remember is that Brand is a force who has been stated multiple times to be a world ending power. Given how Nasus and Renekton were the only ones who could've contended with him at the time, I'd say yes, Brand is a VERY scary and very serious threat.

LordHippoman5/6/2016, 4:56:35 PM2 votes

Brand is an immediate threat, he's a force of pure destruction and chaos. The Ascension ritual itself was probably considered unlikely to have issues, considering Xerath is a master at subtle manipulation, and the people as a whole kinda loved Azir.

Plus, since there were "10 thousand elite troops" present, Nasus and Renekton probably figured that any random punk trying to disrupt the ritual, if that were to happen, would get taken out immediately, and they wouldn't need Ascended help to do so.

Really the only wrench in the machine is Xerath, who whips out these hyper powerful magic abilities nobody knew he had, and nobody knew he was planning to use. On the surface, Brand is a much bigger threat, but Xerath may be more powerful, just not in a way anybody realized.

Rabblerouser5/6/2016, 6:48:07 PM2 votes

As far as Xerath already being powerful... yeah and no.

He could be smart enough to find a way to unlock Brand's sarcophagus on like a delayed timer or something? He did become a powerful magus, even tapping into dark arts, but I doubt the rest of Shurima was allowed to see that side of him. So even if Xerath could handle Brand as an un-Ascended (which I still doubt as "only Nasus and Renekton were capable"), he wouldn't have been able to openly show he was capable.

ArdoreAurorale5/6/2016, 10:17:10 PM2 votes

sand beats fire imho