Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Contain Brand or Witness the Ascension?

TBakes··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?

Azir Nasus Renekton Xerath Brand

12 Comments

Sharjo4 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.

Darnath2 votes

{quoted}

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.

I dont think Nasus and Renekton were afraid of to fight with him one by one, it is more likely they didn't want him to escape. But even with that, they couldn't, he escaped to Frejlord (or whatever).

At least, he isn't powerful as much as Xerath, because Xerath shattered his sarcophagus easily.

TBakes1 votes

I guess the main issue I am trying to reconcile is the hierarchy of power before Xerath ascended. I feel like it is natural to try to compare the power levels of the various characters, and with the updated lore we are given insight into champion power levels pre-Ascension and post-Ascension. The way I see it, if Brand is powerful enough to warrant Nasus and Renekton leaving to contain/capture him, then Xerath must have been fairly powerful compared to Nasus and Renekton even before ascending to be able to deal with Brand and not be burned. Or, if Xerath is not as powerful as I am imagining he was pre-Ascension, then I don't understand why it would realistically require Nasus and Renekton to clean up the mess.

Basically, would you supposed the power hierarchy before Xerath ascended to be

  • Nasus, Renekton>Brand>Xerath?
  • Brand>Nasus, Renekton>Xerath?
  • Xerath>Brand>Nasus, Renekton?
  • Nasus, Renekton>Xerath>Brand?
  • Brand>Xerath>Nasus, Renekton?
  • Xerath>Nasus, Renekton>Brand?
Fasmodey2 votes

{quoted}

I guess the main issue I am trying to reconcile is the hierarchy of power before Xerath ascended. I feel like it is natural to try to compare the power levels of the various characters, and with the updated lore we are given insight into champion power levels pre-Ascension and post-Ascension. The way I see it, if Brand is powerful enough to warrant Nasus and Renekton leaving to contain/capture him, then Xerath must have been fairly powerful compared to Nasus and Renekton even before ascending to be able to deal with Brand and not be burned. Or, if Xerath is not as powerful as I am imagining he was pre-Ascension, then I don't understand why it would realistically require Nasus and Renekton to clean up the mess.

Basically, would you supposed the power hierarchy before Xerath ascended to be

  • Nasus, Renekton>Brand>Xerath?
  • Brand>Nasus, Renekton>Xerath?
  • Xerath>Brand>Nasus, Renekton?
  • Nasus, Renekton>Xerath>Brand?
  • Brand>Xerath>Nasus, Renekton?
  • Xerath>Nasus, Renekton>Brand?

I would give it to first one. He just freed Brand in his human form, he didn't fight him. Actually, not even making him free, he weakened it for Brand.

So, I think, it is more likely the first one.

Limited Xerath fought with Nasus and Renekton on a par with (They were using their most power tho). So, I think, if even Limited Xerath is equal to Nasus and Renekton, I dont think Xerath human could do anything to them.

TBakes2 votes

Yeah, after thinking about it, I guess it is probably significantly easier to just damage a hexed sarcophagus for the being inside to escape than to actually contain the being in the first place. I bet Nasus and Renekton were really upset to have left and allowed their whole civilization to be destroyed. Really looking forward to the rest of their stories!

Rabblerouser2 votes

Why see it so... black and white like that?

Think of it as war. A tank is vulnerable to being bombed, right? But bombers are vulnerable to anti-air surface-to-air missiles fired from the ground. These SAM sites are in turn vulnerable to.... tanks. It's a game of rock paper scissors.

In fact, think of it more like League. Champs have counters. And those counters can be in turn countered again.

It's all in the tactics you use. It's not a ladder of power. It's a tangled vine with different branches.

TBakes1 votes

Right, I understand that it isn't necessarily as black and white as X>Y, but the description of someone Ascended vs. someone non-Ascended led me to believe that Nasus and Renekton would be a Tier above pre-Ascension Azir and/or pre-Ascension Xerath. Then there is the idea that Brand is powerful enough to need BOTH Nasus and Renekton to make sure he stays contained (as opposed to just one or the other or neither), which seemed surprising to me.

In my OP, I was questioning whether or not it was realistic in the story for Nasus and Renekton to both leave the ceremony, leaving the whole thing vulnerable in a way. Of course, no one would have suspected Xerath to be the culprit. And there were a ton of soldiers available for defense, but something just didn't add up with the respective power levels of Nasus, Renekton, Xerath, and Brand.

In the end, I did not realize that Brand is so dangerous. He is many times stronger than my impression. That explains why Nasus and Renekton felt it was urgent enough to leave the ritual. I also had not thought about how much easier it is to loosen the bolts on a cage to allow the tiger to let itself out than to build the cage to hold the tiger and put the tiger inside (metaphor for what Xerath did for Brand vs. what Nasus and Renekton did). Xerath was not necessarily strong enough to break the sarcophagus entirely, or to 1v1 Brand, but he had enough knowledge and power to tamper with his containment.

Rabblerouser2 votes

Xerath shattered his sarcophagus as an Ascended. Something to note. Even then, he couldn't shrug off the chains and debris of the sarcophagus that contained a potentionally world-ending monster, which adds some detail to his already existing art.

[zombie-brand-mindblown]

LordHippoman2 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.

Rabblerouser2 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.

ArdoreAurorale2 votes

sand beats fire imho

TBakes1 votes

Lol Why couldn't I ever kill Charmander with Sand Attack?!

More from Story, Art, & Sound

Petition to keep the Bilgewater ARAM map in circulation
Story, Art, & Sound154 comments
1,161
votes
[SUPER IMPORTANT PETITION] Change Sion's ban quote...
Story, Art, & Sound54 comments
597
votes
Can we get an Honor animation?! 4 ways to insult an opponent but none to congratulate them.
Story, Art, & Sound202 comments
578
votes
Petition to make Rengar wiggle his butt when there's a pounce-able target near his bush
Story, Art, & Sound140 comments
476
votes
About this years harrowing...
Story, Art, & Sound357 comments
459
votes
RIOT, please postpone Blood Moon Diana and make it into a Legendary skin.
Story, Art, & Sound236 comments
423
votes

More by TBakes

Your terrible at League
[ARCHIVED] Miscellaneous182 comments
176
votes
Lesbians Exist in Runeterra
Story, Art, & Sound254 comments
90
votes
If you could add something aesthetic to a champion or skin, what would it be?
Story, Art, & Sound72 comments
20
votes
Xerath's lore changed how I feel when I play him
Story, Art, & Sound32 comments
14
votes
Jhin/Deadeye-The Chakra Shooter
Story, Art, & Sound12 comments
9
votes
Did anyone else imagine Illaoi to be older?
Story, Art, & Sound12 comments
7
votes