User blog:Willbachbakal/(Champion Concept) Skjold, the Shield Warrior/Background

Lore
For most, the wastes of northern Freljord are a place of death and constant peril. For Skjold, it was his home. Raised in a small nomad tribe, the young boy learned to hunt and fight at an age where most children barely knew how to run. Life was never easy, but it was the only life he knew, and the only one he wished to live.

Then one day, everything changed: across the horizon, young Skjold spotted an band of men in armor headed straight for his camp. They were too well-equipped and organized to be raiders, and they all bore the symbol of what he soon learned was the city-state of Noxus. When he ran to warn the tribe elders it was already too late: a rain of flaming arrows set fire to the camp, as Noxian soldiers closed in to finish off the survivors. Only he and his mother managed to escape. Trekking south through a freezing winter blizzard, they came across a Demacian outpost, set up to protect the border from a potential surprise Noxian invasion. Skjold's mother threw herself to the captain's knees, begging him for supplies and protection from their common enemy, but he refused, unwilling to intervene in what he saw as purely Freljord's problem. Her last hope extinguished, she collapsed from famine and exhaustion, breathing her last as her son watched on helplessly.

At that moment, something changed inside of Skjold. A frozen rage welled up within: he wanted to slaughter the captain in front of his own men, but he knew it would not bring back his tribe or his mother. Without a word, he turned and fled to the Ironspike Mountains, training for the day when he would avenge the crimes against his kin. For years, he survived by pillaging passing caravans, looting their supplies and weapons. Soon tales spread across Freljord of the man with two shields, one bearing the sigil of Noxus, the other that of Demacia.

His future changed again when, one morning, he attempted to raid a band of warriors, this time from Freljord. Plowing effortlessly through their vanguards, Skjold was surprised to find himself suddenly frozen inside his own armor, as, the Ice Princess herself, charged into the fray. The two dueled until sunfall when, impressed by his determination, Sejuani asked him to join her. Over the campfire, she listened to his story, and told him of her quest to forge a strong Freljord, one free of all foreign influence. To this day, Skjold remains one of Sejuani's closest lieutenants, his towering presence a symbol of cold retribution against the Freljord's oppressors.

""Glance at him, and you'll see no emotion. But look into his eyes, and you'll see the anger of a thousand men.""

Quotes

 * Champion Selection
 * "No survivors."


 * Attacking
 * "Smash them into the ground."
 * "Show no mercy!"
 * "They will know true pain."
 * "Crush their spirit."
 * "Their eyes betray their fear"
 * "If they're smart, they will run."


 * Movement
 * "On the march."
 * "Trust only yourself."
 * "Never let your guard down."
 * "Hesitation is weakness."
 * "They will regret standing in my way."
 * "Only cowards call for peace."


 * Taunt
 * "An expertly forged weapon. I think I'll take it!"
 * "Over your dead body? That can be arranged..."
 * "Better hold on to that armor, you never know what you might lose."


 * Joke
 * "Two shields are better than one."
 * "Impractical? I'll show you impractical."


 * Upon using
 * "Bring it on!"
 * "Let's see what you're made of."
 * "No surrender!"

Dance: Skjold plants his shields into the ground and begins dancing capoeira in full armor.

Idea Origin
I always wanted to see some kind of character who fought by dual-wielding shields. For some reason, despite all the crazy weapon designs and combinations in fantasy and fiction, dual shields are very rarely seen, and mostly scoffed at (see the confused turtle playstyle). I wanted to create a character who would not only fight with two shields like a badass, but who could also use this exotic arsenal to full effect. Despite the defensive nature of shields I wanted to make him very aggressive, which also poured into his lore as a warrior who, rather than let his anger control him (as is the case for ), focuses it into his fighting style (i.e more Tranquil Fury than unbridled rage).