Keeper of the Hammer

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Biography

Keeper of the Hammer

By John O'Bryan

Starring: Poppy

Biography

As legend describes it, this hero is the only person who can unlock the full power of the hammer and lead Demacia to true greatness. Though Poppy has searched the furthest corners of the kingdom for this legendary fighter, her quest has proven fruitless. Each time she has attempted to pass the hammer on to a potential hero, the results have been disastrous, often ending in the warrior's death. Most people would have abandoned the task long ago, but most people do not possess the pluck and resolve of this indomitable heroine.

Poppy was once a very different yordle. For as long as she could remember, she had been in search of a purpose. Feeling alienated by the chaotic whimsy of other yordles, she preferred to soak up stability and structure where she could find it. This drive brought her to the human settlements of western Valoran, where she gazed in wonder at the caravans striping the countryside in an endless file. Many of the people there looked tattered and weary, but they stumbled on in pursuit of some ephemeral better life that might lie just beyond the horizon.

One day, however, a different sort of caravan passed through. Unlike the other travelers, these people seemed to move with purpose. They all awoke at exactly the same time each morning, roused by the sound of a watchman's horn. They took their meals together every day at the same hour, always finishing within a few minutes. They set up their camps and took them down with remarkable efficiency.

While yordles used their innate magic to fashion extraordinary things, these humans achieved equally astounding feats through coordination and discipline. They acted in concert like the cogs of a gear, becoming something much larger and stronger than any single person could ever be. To Poppy, that was more marvelous than all the magic in the world.

As Poppy watched the camp from the safety of her hiding place, her eyes caught the gleam of armor emerging from a tent. It was the group's commanding officer, wearing a brigandine of gleaming steel plates, each piece overlapping, each an integral part of the whole. The man's name was Orlon, and his presence seemed to stir the souls of everyone there. If someone became discouraged, he was there to remind them of why they pressed on. If someone collapsed from exhaustion, he inspired them to get up. It reminded Poppy of certain yordle charms, though again, without magic.

Poppy crept in for a closer look. She found herself following this shining commander, as if drawn to him by fate itself. She observed Orlon as he led his soldiers in training exercises. He was not a large fellow, yet he swung his massive battle hammer with surprising alacrity. At night, Poppy listened intently to his hushed discussions with the elders of the camp. She heard them making plans to pull up stakes and head west to build a permanent settlement.

Poppy's mind was overwhelmed with questions. Where was Orlon going? Where did he come from? How did he assemble this meticulous band of travelers, and was there a place for a yordle in it? At that moment, she made the most important decision in her life: for the first time ever, she would reveal herself to a human, as this was the first time she'd ever felt a connection with one.

The introduction was a jarring one, with Orlon having just as many questions for Poppy as she had for him, but the two soon became inseparable. He became a mentor to her, and she a devotee to his cause. In the training grounds, Poppy was an invaluable sparring partner - the only member of Orlon's battalion who was unafraid to strike him. She was never obsequious, questioning his decisions with an almost childlike innocence, as though she didn't know she was supposed to meekly follow orders. She accompanied him to the site of the new settlement - an ambitious new nation called Demacia, where all were welcome, regardless of station or background, so long as they contributed to the good of the whole.

Orlon became a beloved figure throughout the kingdom. Though few had actually seen him wield his hammer, he always bore it on his back, and the weapon quickly became a revered icon for the fledgling nation. People whispered that it had the power to level mountains and tear the earth itself asunder.

Orlon passed the hammer to Poppy on his deathbed, and with it, his hope of an enduring kingdom. It was only then that Orlon told her the story of his weapon's creation, and how it was never truly intended for his hands. He explained to Poppy that the hammer was meant to go to the Hero of Demacia - the only one who could keep Demacia whole. As her friend drew his last breath, Poppy swore to him that she would find this hero and place the weapon in his hands.

But what Poppy possesses in resolve, she lacks in ego, as it never even occurred to her that she might be the hero Orlon described.

Change log

Keeper of the Hammer
MISSING	New biography released. Current version.
MISSING	Biography redacted due to references to the Institute of War. Poppy had no biography until the release of the current version.
MISSING	Second version. " Poppy may be small, but Whomper - or her will - is not." While other young yordle girls played skip-step and braided wreathes out of posies, Poppy spent her youth earning calluses and grease stains in her father's armor shop. Blomgrun, her father, was Bandle City's finest smith. The only thing he loved as much as his work was his young daughter, Poppy - named for the sprightly sounds of the sparks that leapt from his ever-burning forge. He swelled with pride the day she was first able to lift his trusty hammer, Whomper. Poppy immediately took to his art, demonstrating a natural gift for smithing, which Blomgrun honed with devoted instruction. One day, a Demacian general named Florin Berell commissioned Blomgrun to craft a helm, glorious beyond comparison. Blomgrun toiled away on this project, determined to present Florin with his finest work. He let Poppy set the center jewel, entrusting her with the most important piece. When the pair finished, they departed for Demacia to deliver it in person. Word of the general's order, however, was leaked to the Noxian High Command, and two Noxian assassins were dispatched to intercept the delivery. Blomgrun was able to occupy the assassins long enough for Poppy to escape with the prized helm. She watched helplessly from the brush as her father was slain. Instead of fleeing home, she carried the helm the rest of the way to Demacia alone. She refused payment for it, saying that no amount would compensate for her father's life. Instead, she offered it as a gift, honoring her father's final intentions. Florin saw the grim determination behind the tears in her eyes, and requested that the leadership of Bandle City appoint Poppy as the yordle ambassador to Demacia. Soon after, seeking to crush Noxus with her father's hammer, Poppy volunteered for the League of Legends.
MISSING	Original version. While other young yordles would play skip-step and make wreathes out of braided posies, Poppy was earning calluses and grease stains in her father's armor shop. Blomgrun was a well-respected armorsmith, and he named his daughter for the sprightly sounds that accompanied the sparks leaping from his ever-burning forge. He was filled with pride when she was first able to lift his trusty hammer, Whomper. One day, Blomgrun was commissioned to create a glorious helm for a Demacian general. Word of the charge was leaked to the Noxian High Command, and two of their best spies ambushed Blomgrun's caravan en route. Though Poppy escaped with the helm, she helplessly watched as her father was slain. Instead of fleeing home, she carried the helm to Demacia alone. When the Demacian general saw the grim determination behind the tears in her eyes, the general requested that the leadership of Bandle City's appoint Poppy as the yordle ambassador to Demacia. Soon after, seeking to crush Noxus with her father's hammer, Poppy volunteered for the League of Legends.

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