Rabu, 06 April 2011

Lee Sin - The Blind Monk

As a young teen, Lee Sin was intent on becoming a summoner. His will and dedication were unmatched by any of his peers, and his skill drew the attention of Reginald Ashram, the League’s High Councilor at the time. While studying at the Arcanum Majoris, Lee Sin became frustrated with instruction paced for the other students. He spent his free time researching the nuances of summoning in hopes of graduating sooner. He made amazing advances in his arcane studies, surpassing all other students. By all indications, he would have become one of the League’s greatest summoners were it not for one terrible mistake. Too impatient, he attempted to test his ability by summoning a beast from the Plague Jungles. What he summoned instead was a young boy, but not in one piece. He barely had time to look the boy in what was once his face before the jumbled human mass fell lifeless to the floor. A League investigation later revealed that the boy’s entire village was obliterated by feedback from the ritual.

Lee Sin’s talents were so promising that the League was willing to overlook the incident, but he could never forgive himself. He left the Institute and journeyed to the Shojin Monastery for eternal repentance, swearing never to practice magic again. Years later, hoping to atone for his crime with martyrdom, he set himself ablaze as a protest of the Noxian occupation of Ionia. He remained alive in this state, enduring searing agony for weeks. His actions paved the way for a League match wherein Ionia prevailed, but by the time he was doused, his eyes had been burned completely from their sockets. Hailed as a savior, he was reborn, and his will to act invigorated. He joined the League of Legends to continue his atonement with sweat and blood, a true monk’s only possessions.

“The actions of one may sunder the world, but the diligence of many may rebuild it.” -Lee Sin








Lee-Sin is probably the only champion to ever receive two spotlights. This first one is more of a parody and helped fuel the "Is Lee-Sin real?" debates on the forums.





This video released a little closer to him actually coming out is the proper spotlight video.











Sabtu, 19 Maret 2011

Nocturne The Eternal Nightmare

Before Nocturne, people believed that dreams were figments of their imaginations, meaningless images that flashed through the mind when one slept. This belief was put to the test when a rash of sleep-related incidents started afflicting summoners of the League. Some would wake up screaming, terrified and beyond consolation. Some could not fall asleep, slowly going mad as the nights ticked by. Some simply never woke up. Physicians were baffled until a Field Architect happened to pass out next to a nexus on The Twisted Treeline. Witnesses said he cried out once and then stopped breathing. Immediately after, magical energy arced out from the nexus, and Nocturne appeared.

Nocturne did not take his introduction to this world kindly. He slaughtered everything he could find before summoners were able to magically confine him. After a period of intense study, League experts divined that Nocturne hunted summoners in their sleep, attacking them in a place where their magic was useless. This seemed to be his only purpose. The families of the victims demanded justice, but League officials were concerned that death might only return Nocturne to the place from which he came. They bound him to a nexus fragment, trapping him in the physical world. As punishment for his crimes, they allowed summoners to call upon Nocturne in League matches, bending his will to the summoners he hates and creating his own personal nightmare. League scholars don’t know whether he truly came from the plane of dreams, or whether there are any more like him. Some theorize that the summoning act affected summoners’ the subconscious minds, luring Nocturne to them in their sleep. Perhaps the most disturbing theory is that Nocturne is a person’s nightmare come to life. If this is true, they wonder, who is the dreamer?

“The darkness is closing in... it’s pitch black now... but I can still see him...” -Kelvin Ma, patient #4236











Selasa, 01 Maret 2011

Jarvan IV - the Exemplar of Demacia

As the royal family of Demacia for centuries, members of the Lightshield line have spent their lives waging war against any who opposed Demacian ethics. It is said that every Lightshield is born with anti-Noxian sentiment in his blood. Jarvan IV is no exception, even though he is the first Lightshield born to the age of the League of Legends. As his forefathers had before him, he led Demacian troops into bloody engagements with Noxian forces, and on many occasions he has bled alongside wounded allies and fallen comrades. In his most crushing defeat, he was outmaneuvered and captured by a Noxian battalion under the command of Jericho Swain. This mistake nearly cost him his life at the hands of Urgot, but he was rescued by the Dauntless Vanguard, an elite Demacian strike force led by Jarvan’s childhood companion, Garen.

Those close to him believed that his capture changed him. Xin Zhao was quoted as saying: "His eyes never seemed to look at you, only through you to something he could not look away from." One day, without warning, Jarvan IV handpicked a squad of Demacian soldiers and left Demacia, vowing to find "atonement". He began by tracking and hunting the most dangerous beasts and bandits he could find in northern Valoran, but he soon tired of such prey. Seeking something that only he understood, he ventured south of the Great Barrier. He wasn’t heard from again for nearly two years. After many had assumed the worst, he returned to glorious fanfare on the streets of Demacia. His Demacian plates were adorned with the bones and scales of creatures unknown. His eyes bore the wisdom of someone twice his age. Of the twelve soldiers who had departed with him, only two returned. In a tone as cold and steady as steel, he swore to bring the enemies of Demacia to their knees.

“There is only one truth, and you will find it at the point of my lance.” -the “last words” of Jarvan IV at his failed execution










I cut Jarvan out of one of the splash screens.



Here is the Jarvan Champion Spotlight where Riot Phreak goes over the basics for playing this character as well as his build.






Selasa, 22 Februari 2011

Maokai - The Twisted Treant

The twisting magical energies unleashed by mages during the Rune Wars caused an incredible amount of devastation to the natural world. The League was established to control the use of this magic by confining it to the Fields of Justice. By limiting its use to there, they thought that they could prevent it from doing further harm to the environment. It seemed that they were successful until Maokai came into being. During a League match on The Twisted Treeline, Maokai, an ancient oak that stood above the upper jungle, spontaneously roared to life. Ripped from the natural balance by arcane forces, his sentience was forged in chaos. Before the Adjudicators of the League could step in and suppress him, he slew all six champions participating in the match. The scholars of the Arcanum Majoris took a keen interest in him, as they were eager to discover the secrets of his animation.
Maokai was furious, however. He abhorred the existence that was thrust upon him; he felt it was a corruption of nature. He learned to communicate with people in hopes of finding a way to be returned to his former, true state. Seizing the opportunity, the League offered a trade. They would research a way to revert him so long as he agreed to fight in the League of Legends. Maokai was indifferent to verdicts rendered by the League, but he was eager to punish summoners for their wanton use of magic. He agreed to the terms under one condition: once they learned how to turn him back, they would never animate another tree again. He wears a lantern on the Fields of Justice to set him apart from the other trees, and as a warning to the “animals” that would do him harm.


“I will use this power until I am free of it.” –Maokai










Here is a simple Cutout image of Maokai





Moakai's Champion Spotlight






Moakai's Art Spotlight


Sabtu, 12 Februari 2011

Singed Opening a Portal to Hell

The evil scientist has been hard at work behind the scenes developing his potions in order to facilitate his domination of Runeterra. During one of his experiments something unfathomable happened, the evil scientist inadvertently opened a doorway to the nether world! What horrors can we expect to see from the Mad Chemist in the coming weeks?

Rabu, 02 Februari 2011

Karma - The Enlightened One

Even in her youth, Karma exhibited almost superhuman composure. While her peers explored the torrent of emotions that came with adolescence, Karma meditated in the Lotus Gardens. She was convinced that the true path to enlightenment was a journey inward, to a place within the self, overlooked by most. She exuded such inner contentment that she quickly became a go-to mediator and confidante in her village. Her instructors used to say: "That girl can not only weather a storm, but calm it." Karma did not live extravagantly; her parents owned a local business selling antiques in the Navori province and they often struggled to provide for themselves, though they did so with cheery optimism. Her most prized possessions were two exquisite fans taken from her family's shop.

When Noxian troops invaded southern Ionia, her village was one of the first to fall. The villagers who survived the assault were captured by Noxian forces. It was then that Karma found her calling. By exploiting the insecurities of the Noxian commander, she negotiated the safe release of the villagers to the northern lands. She was present at the Placidium, where the Elders had considered surrender until Irelia's impassioned last stand renewed the Ionians' hope. Karma used this hope to solidify the Elders' commitment to remain defiant against the Noxian onslaught. For her devotion and charisma, Karma was made the figurehead of the Ionian resistance. She never compromised, and she shared every hardship with her people, even when it came to combat. By tapping into her inner resilience, she discovered that she could bring great force to bear against her foes on the battlefield. She modified her fans into lethal implements, and was tutored by Janna to enhance their effects. The Noxians called her "The Enlightened One," a nickname she embraced, and one which they would come to dread. She joined the League to represent Ionia in the ultimate political arena.

"Her fan technique is a deadly art of grace and poise, but her truest strength lies in the hearts of those willing to die alongside her." –Irelia, the Will of the Blades









Here is a cut out of Karma's SunGoddess skin.






Karma's Champion Spotlight where Riot Phreak shows off her abilities while giving tips and insight into playing the champion.







Selasa, 01 Februari 2011

My Cho

Been loving me some Cho'Gath lately. I think he is going to pull me up and out of ELO hell... Massive health, silence and knockup, and lets not get into the 800 point true damage ULT he totes around. Decided to redecorate my desktop and needed something cool and new with my new man Cho,

1920*1080
One of the first things I noticed about GIMP was I could not control click a layer and select everything on it. Thankfully after watching a couple videos on Youtube I found out you can right click and "selection from alpha" to do the same thing. Finally cool text returns!