Female Champions

Unlike other foxes that roamed the woods of southern Ionia, Ahri had always felt a strange connection to the magical world around her; a connection that was somehow incomplete. Deep inside, she felt the skin she had been born into was an ill fit for her and dreamt of one day becoming human. Her goal seemed forever out of reach, until she happened upon the wake of a human battle. It was a grisly scene, the land obscured by the forms of wounded and dying soldiers. She felt drawn to one: a robed man encircled by a waning field of magic, his life quickly slipping away. She approached him and something deep inside of her triggered, reaching out to the man in a way she couldn't understand. His life essence poured into her, carried on invisible strands of magic. The sensation was intoxicating and overwhelming. As her reverie faded, she was delighted to discover that she had changed. Her sleek white fur had receded and her body was long and lithe - the shape of the humans who lay scattered about her.
However, though she appeared human, she knew that in truth the transformation was incomplete. A cunning creature, she adapted herself to the customs of human society and used her profound gift of beauty to attract unsuspecting men. She could consume their life essences when they were under the spell of her seductive charms. Feeding on their desires brought her closer to her dream, but as she took more lives, a strange sense of regret began to well within her. She had reservations about actions which never troubled her as a fox. She realized that she could not overcome the pangs of her evolving morality. In search of a solution, Ahri found the Institute of War, home of the most gifted mages on Runeterra. They offered her a chance to attain her humanity without further harm through service in the League of Legends.

There exists an ancient order originating in the Ionian Isles dedicated to the preservation of balance. Order, chaos, light, darkness -- all things must exist in perfect harmony for such is the way of the universe. This order is known as the Kinkou and it employs a triumvirate of shadow warriors to uphold its causes in the world. Akali is one of these shadow warriors, entrusted with the sacred duty of Pruning the Tree - eliminating those who threaten the equilibrium of Valoran.
A prodigal martial artist, Akali began training with her mother as soon as she could make a fist. Her mother's discipline was relentless and unforgiving, but predicated on the fundamental principle: ''We do that which must be done.'' When the Kinkou inducted her into the order at the age of fourteen, she could slice a dangling chain with a chop of her hand. There was no question - she would succeed her mother as the Fist of Shadow. She has had to do much in this role which others might find morally questionable, but to her it is in service of her mother's inviolable doctrine. She now works with her fellows Shen and Kennen to enforce the balance of Valoran. This hallowed pursuit has unsurprisingly led the triumvirate to the Fields of Justice.

In the time shortly before the League, there were those within the sinister city-state of Noxus who did not agree with the evils perpetrated by the Noxian High Command. The High Command had just put down a coup attempt from the self-proclaimed Crown Prince Raschallion, and a crack down on any form of dissent against the new government was underway. These political and social outcasts, known as the Gray Order, sought to leave their neighbors in peace as they pursued dark arcane knowledge. The leaders of this outcast society were a married couple: Gregori Hastur, the Gray Warlock, and his wife Amoline, the Shadow Witch. Together they led an exodus of magicians and other intelligentsia from Noxus, resettling their followers beyond the Great Barrier to the northern reaches of the unforgiving Voodoo Lands. Though survival was a challenge at times, the Gray Order's colony managed to thrive in a land where so many others would have failed.
Years after the exodus, Gregori and Amoline had a child: Annie. Early on, Annie's parents knew there was something special about their daughter. At the age of two, Annie miraculously ensorcelled a shadow bear - a ferocious denizen of the petrified forests outside the colony - turning it into her pet. To this day she keeps her bear ''Tibbers'' by her side, often keeping him spellbound as a stuffed doll to be carried like a child's toy. The combination of Annie's lineage and the dark magic of her birthplace have given this little girl tremendous arcane power. It is this same girl who now finds herself as one of the most sought-after champions within the League of Legends - even by the city-state that would have exiled her parents had they not fled beforehand.

With each arrow she fires from her ancient ice-enchanted bow, Ashe proves she is a master archer. She chooses each target carefully, waits for the right moment, and then strikes with power and precision. It is with this same vision and focus that she pursues her goal of uniting the tribes of the Freljord and forging them into a mighty nation.
As a child, Ashe was always a dreamer. She marveled at the colossal, abandoned fortresses of her ancestors, and spent hours by the fire listening to tales of the Freljord's fabled champions. Most of all she loved the legend of Avarosa, the renowned Queen of the once magnificent and united Freljord. Though her mother chided her foolishness, Ashe swore one day she would join the scattered and warlike tribes of the tundra. She knew in her heart that if her people would stand together once more, they would reach greatness again.
When Ashe was only fifteen, her mother was killed while commanding the tribe on a brash raid. Suddenly thrust into the role of leader, Ashe made the difficult decision to follow her childhood vision instead of seeking the revenge she craved. She spoke passionately against her tribe's demand for retribution, declaring the time had come to put blood feuds aside and broker a lasting peace. Some of her warriors questioned her fitness to rule and soon hatched a treasonous plot to kill the young leader.
The assassins struck while Ashe was on a routine hunt, but their plan was interrupted by the warning cry of a great hawk. Ashe looked back to see her tribesmen approaching with swords drawn. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Ashe ran for hours. She found herself deep in uncharted territory, her weapon lost in the chase. When she heard another cry from the hawk, Ashe put her faith in the strange creature and followed it to a clearing. There she found the bird perched on a pile of stones - an ancient Freljord burial cairn. With a last glance at her, the hawk screeched and flew away. Approaching the mound, Ashe felt her breath turn to frost and an unnatural cold chill her to the bone. The stone at the top of the cairn was marked with a single rune: Avarosa.
The assassins burst into the clearing. Ashe lifted the runestone from the cairn to defend herself, revealing something hidden underneath: an ornate bow carved from ice. She grasped it, crying out in pain as frost formed on her fingers, and tore the bow from its resting place. Cold flowed from the enchanted weapon into Ashe, awakening a tremendous power that had always lived within her.
Ashe turned to face the assassins. She drew the bow, and by sheer instinct, willed arrows of pure ice to form from the cold, crisp air. With a single frozen volley, she ended the insurrection. Carefully replacing the cairn stone, she gave thanks to Avarosa for her gift, and returned home. Ashe's tribe immediately recognized the legendary weapon in the archer's hand as a blessing from the ancient Freljord queen herself.
With Avarosa's bow and her vision of peaceful unification, Ashe's tribe soon swelled, becoming the largest in the Freljord. Now known as the Avarosan, they stand together with the belief that a united Freljord will once again become a great nation.

One of the reasons Piltover is known as the City of Progress is because it has an extraordinarily low crime rate. This hasn't always been the case; brigands and thieves of all sorts used to find the city-state an ideal mark for plunder, primarily due to the valuable resources it imports to fuel its techmaturgical research. Some even theorize that it would have fallen long ago to the chaos of organized crime if not for Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover. Born the daughter of a wealthy statesman and a pioneering hextech researcher, Caitlyn discovered her natural gift for investigation when, at age 14, her father was assaulted and robbed on his way home. She snuck out of her house that night with her father's rifle and tracked down the muggers from the crime scene. At first, her parents did their best to discourage her from such risky hobbies, but she was incorrigible. Wishing to protect her daughter in the only way she knew how, Caitlyn's mother began outfitting her with techmaturgical devices tailored to her sleuthing needs.
Caitlyn quickly gained notoriety, both because she was single handedly defeating crime in Piltover and also because she soon developed into a ravishing beauty. She never backed down from a case or a challenge, and she was one of the sharpest shots in the city-state. Her services were soon requested by Demacia to help track down a mysterious outlaw who had begun committing high-profile heists. The bandit, who always left a card with an ornate 'C' at the scene of the crime, became Caitlyn's arch-nemesis. To this day, Caitlyn still searches for this cat burglar, and the chase has led her all across Valoran. She has joined the League to hone her skills and gain the influence necessary to track down the only quarry that has managed to evade her.

While her sister Katarina has always been the most celebrated member of the household, the Du Couteau family has a long history of service to Noxus. It has often been said that no soldier has ever been as fortunate as General Du Couteau to have been graced with daughters. His youngest, Cassiopeia - despite lacking her sister's killer instincts - was equally renowned in court for her stately character and elegance. Cunning as she was beautiful, the temptress could never be found far from the arm of any foreign dignitary, her wiles prying secrets from the lips of even the most wary attache. With the Noxian barbarian pacification campaign having ground to a standstill, Cassiopeia had set her sights on a diplomat from a tribe of the Freljord region. Thinking him an easy mark, the scheming seductress set about beguiling him. He refused to confide in her, however, until she swore an oath of secrecy upon his sword - a strange weapon with a serpentine curve to the blade.
Once her tryst was over, Cassiopeia provisioned her father with information regarding the barbarian resistance. As she divulged this intelligence, a wave of revulsion washed over her. She screamed in agony as her silky skin hardened to scales, her lustrous hair thickened to leather, and her manicured fingernails sharpened to claws. Dazed, she fell upon a group of horrified servants, rending them limb from limb in a heartbeat. When it was over the blood-soaked figure was no longer the ravishing jewel of the Noxian court, but a horror trapped somewhere between woman and serpent. Unable to serve in her traditional capacity, Cassiopeia departed for the League, continuing her service to Noxus on the Fields of Justice.