Talon/Katarina/Du coutaeu family Lore

The story of General Du Couteau is a melancholy one.

The Du Couteau family have always had connections to the dark rose and General Du Couteau was the best of the best when it came to thier fraternity of Assassins. Having mastering the ways of "Shunpo" and the blade, Du Couteau was a entity who could literally kill a man in the blink of an eye then disappear in that same moment leaving none the wiser. However as Noxus raged the war over Ionia many villages were burned and blood spilt leaving many children crying over the corpses of thier parents and care-takers. Contrary to popular midwife tales Noxians did not particularly like to kill children. Instead children were inducted into Noxian society and told to prove themselves leaving most no option but to become a soldier, slave or fighter in the gladitorial pits. After a particularly bloody battle In a larger Ionian city-capital Noxians quickly found themselves with much too many children to indoctrinate and a mass execution was being considered for the poor Orphans however General Du Couteau had other plans...

Du Couteau saw an oppurtunity to cement his place among the Black Rose and prove himself as more than just an expendable assassin. He would also prove himself a valuable resource . Du Couteau appeared before the council of the Black Rose and suggested a program. This undergroud secretive program would take the best of the best of the Ionian Ophans and train them to be Elite assassins, Sleeper cells and super soldiers through rigorous conditioning. A master tactician ( ) commented that the program was uneeded and expressed his concerns about the dangers of a Ionian child defecting and becoming a wildcard who could possibly blow the lid on the operation. sensing that he was quickly losing the councils approval Du Couteau played his trump card.

Du Couteau offered up his own flesh and blood to be his first students. His firstborn daughter 9 year old and his bastard son 7 year old . Having raised the stakes in such a manner the Black Rose agreed to Du Couteau demands. They would provide Du Couteau the resources and Du Couteau would provide them remorseless killers and Elite generals worthy of the Noxian title.

Years later the program was set into motion. First try-outs were held that left many of the Ionian youth crippled, insane or worse..... Out of the hundreds of children only a handful had made it among those of course being and a younger boy who almost never spoke .Second the youth were split into groups of two given a slow acting poisenwhich would kill them in 3 years time. Afterwards the groups were assigned assassination missions to other nations... ordered to never return unless they brought the head of their target along with them at which point they would recieve an antidote. Katarina was paired with the only young boy deemed the only one that could keep up with her. Having Du Couteau blood coursing through thier veins proved to be a formidable advantage as the Du Couteau succeeded in two years. By the time the Du Couteau progeny was of teen age they had spilt 3 times their weight in blood and were upon the final chapter in thier training. It was unforgiving trial by combat with General Du Couteau himself. Many of the finalist found themselves cut down or suddenly missing a limb a generous reminder of the cost of failure from Du Couteau himself. When it came time for s turn Du Couteau looked upon her scarred, exhausted body and suffered a unobserved change of heart...how could he hurt his own little girl?The one who he had taught to walk and talk......and kill.Oh god.... This was not the Katarina he knew This was not the path he wanted for her . Solemnly He ordered to back down, told that her training was over and that she would not go through trial by combat like her peers and that her attendance in the program was no longer required.Katarina could not belive her ears. Her own father thought her to be weak? to be a delicate flower? a failure? her piers were worthy of personal combat with the great Du Couteau but she his own flesh and blood wasnt!? Katarina insisted that her father spar with her calling him coward and demanding a proper assessment of her abilities." THATS ENOUGH katarina" Katarina stared in disbelief. Du Couteau was not one to lose his temper and he had NEVER raised his voice for any reason. Frustrated and angry Katarina stormed off and began formulating a plan. Her father would recognize her abilities one way or another.....

Late that night as Du Couteau sat under a tree overlooking a small pond meditating a masked assailant ambushed him. A Woman wielding two Ionian curved swords.Du Coutaeu smirked. he needed the exercise anyway.

"what do you want" he inquired as they locked blades. "your head you old fool" the assailant snarkily responded through thier muffled balaclava. She was good but sloppy he thought. Too emotional...too predictable..prehaps he was responsible for death of her son? The assasliants next attack was aimed at his neck but the assassin would find that the couteau's were no easy prey. Du couteau quickly parried the blow and followed up with a blow to the gut then the ribs .CRACK...SNAP "two...no three" he thought "three ribcages gone" before the assassin could recover Du Couteau delivered a powerful kick to the aggresors stomach sending her reeling and coughing up blood though her balaclava. The assailant looked at the blood then angrily roared. Suddenly in a flash of light she disapeared then reappeared above him both swords pointed downwards like a vipers fang. "IMPOSSIBLE" Du Couteau thought ONLY our family knowns that move! could it be Ionian magic?!could it be that or had been captured or worse.. " WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER"!? he angrily roared as he reflected the strike with his own blade at full force . On impact both blades shattered in a violent explosion of steel and blood sending shrapnel in every direction. The last thing the assailant saw was a flash of light then a piece of her own sword fly at her face followed by darkness. Du Couteau appoached the unconcious figure broken sword poised to deliver the final blow. He knelt down and yanked off the assassins balaclava revealing it to be none other than his own daughter . "no.......NOO" he cried cradling his daughter in his arms as she went through her death throes. This was his fault... he was too hard on her, he drove her to this path....her detrimental drive to impress him...had he not done any of this...had he not created this program... he would have still have his happy little girl ,the only lasting memory of his late wife If there was ever a reason for existence it was her. As he wept and rocked in place he came to relization of what he had to do.

"You are sure about this Du Coutaeu?" .-Dark Rose Senior Member "yes" "for years we have lent you our resources and favor and now you return to us empty handed demanding that WE change our plans?" -Dark Rose member 2 "altering a deal with the Black rose is not without a price Master Du Coutaeu so once again I will ask.... Are you SURE that you want to disband your program and for the Black Rose to halt all furthur interactions with the Du Couteau bloodline?" Dark Rose Senior Member "yes... I am sure" Du Couteau solemnly said peering up at the council members above him in the blackend room.

The hooded figure stared back down on him intently as if trying to see into his soul whilst other members whispered and deliberated with each other. Du Couteau stared back at them coldly while casing the room wondering how many of them he could take out should they deliver a answer he did not want to hear. It seemed like an eternity in that damned room before they finally came to an agreement . "very well then Mr. Coutaeu we shall grant you this wish only because you are on good standing terms with the Black Rose and you have served us faithfully" - Black rose senior member "this meeting has been concluded...It was a pleasure doing buisness you Master Couteau..you may leave". A sense of relief washed over Couteau as he exhaled. He knew that this would not be the end for him but atleast it was the end for his little girl. As Mr Couteau walked out of the circular room and into the pitch black torch-lit hallway the Iron door slammed shut behind him. Shadowy figures began to saunter out of the shadows whispering incoherent babblings moving all as one almost as though controlled by a hivemind. Du Coutaeu peered down at thier black-carbon Noxian death-touched blades..... He didnt stand a chance but then again this was for the best anyway.Du Coutaeu smiled then looked up to expose his neck and closed his eyes as they closed in around him . Sweet Memeories of Katarina flashed before him in his mind, Her first words, the time she broke the priceless family dirk and blamed it on Mr. Snibbles, Her glowing exhilerated face when she opened her present to see those elegantly carved daggers from the Market that she had been eyeing .One last smile found its way across Du Coutaeu face.Du Coutaeu did not make it home that day.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH" Katarina awoke in her bed with a gasp drenched in sweat. She immediately yelled in pain and found herself unable to move. She ripped off the sheets and found herself in a almost mummified in gauze and bandages.but why did everything look...odd?GASP she quickly reached for her left eye and felt cloth. A wave of relief washed over her as she realized that her left eye was indeed still intact.. she was lucky to have made survived a fight wi- OH GOD! FATHER! She quickly jumped out of bed gritting her teeth through the pain as she began hobbling over to her door something caught her eye and there she found her fathers signature sword and a note.Wierd... her father NEVER went ANYWHERE without his blade he'd be much more likely to leave the manor naked. She hobbled over to the desk and peered down at the note. it was her fathers hand writing. she picked up the note and began reading...

"Dear Katarina........."

As she read on she covered her mouth with her hand "n...no"she muttered holding back tears. Her eyes began to water up but she forced herself to continue reading on. A hand was placed on her shoulder causing her to jerk around. It was her stupid brother looking down at her as always with a that cold expression only this time it was different. A single tear rolled down his eye. She embraced him and they both mourned together.

Katarina is now the head the Du Couteau House along side her half-brother Talon. Together using thier deadly skills they search runeterra far and wide looking for clues and answers about "the Black Rose".Over the years thier searches as brought them across .The siblings bide thier time carefully planning thier next move they WILL get their answers and they WILL have closure.

Okay so yeah im not the best writer/typer but I jjust really felt like Katarina's current lore was really lackluster and I think her relationship with her father/Talon needs to be fleshed out.

Talons lore would cover Katarina's assassination mission and his relationship with the Du Couteau's.How his mother left him on the door steps of Du Coutaeu manor. His initial jealousy of Katarina and plan to murder her during thier mission to be hier for the manorr.His realization that he is wrong and that the Du Coutaeus DO care about him when Katarina takes a cross bolt meant for him.