Across the sands of 
Shurima, a chorus of howls rings out. It is the call of the dune hounds, voracious predators who form packs and compete for the right to hunt in these barren lands. Among them, one pack stands above all, for they are driven not only by canine instincts, but by the ancient power of the 
Darkin.
 | "We track for a thousand years. None can flee for that long." — Naafiri |
 |
Background[]
Early life[]
Ascension[]
Naafiri began as one of the many Ascended God-Warriors of Shurima, having achieved Ascension at an unknown point in the past. As a part of the Ascended Host, Naafiri fought alongside her fellow God-Warriors when the city-state of 
Icathia began their uprising. During this war, she witnessed the horrors of the Void as the Icathians attempted to weaponize it, scarring her mind.[1]
Darkin War[]
After the Shuriman Empire fell due to the sudden and disastrous death of the emperor 
Azir, the many Ascended renamed themselves Sunborn and violently clashed with one another due to the lack of leadership and purpose. Their battle brought so much devastation that the mortals eventually began to call these Sunborn Darkin, an old Shuriman word which most closely translated to The Fallen.
During the Great Darkin War, Naafiri was considered one of the more powerful among them and sought out to lead the rest of her kind. Her pride and vanity got the best of her when she was easily tricked by Myisha, the Aspect of 
Twilight, who imprisoned Naafiri inside one of her steel throwing daggers.
Modern History[]
Host Bodies[]
While imprisoned within a dagger, Naafiri was hidden within a Shuriman crypt and left unable to move or speak due to her newfound curse. Inert and left to dwell on her shame and regret, Naafiri suddenly felt an eager anticipation when she sensed a human presence nearby. She intended to posess the body of this grave robber, but the man was well aware of Naafiri's magic and made careful efforts not to make contact with the blade. Using tongs to pick it up, he wrapped Naafiri in a thick, lead-lined cloth and rode off across the desert that afternoon.
Naafiri despaired over her thwarted plan to escape her confinment, but saw an opportunity when she sensed the howls of a pack of Shuriman dune hounds across the desert. She called out to the beasts, hoping they would be driven to the grave robber and allow her to possess his body. The man made efforts not to touch the dagger, holding it through the thick fabric of the lead cloth, but was ultimately ravaged by the ravenous hounds as they tore him and his horse apart. In that moment, the hounds attempted to devour Naafiri and, upon contact, Naafiri felt the sudden rush of senses return to her as she completely possessed the entire pack of dune hounds, shattering her consciousness across all of them.
Initially, Naafiri resented her new form and cursed the beasts that encompassed it. She considered the hounds as nothing but feral animals and despised their smell, fleas and their need for companionship among each other. Over time, Naafiri felt a sense of enlightenment as she realized the true strength and wisdom that comes with being a collective. Apart, the hounds would quickly starve to death, but together they could easily become apex predators.
Recent events[]
With newfound wisdom thanks to her new form, Naafiri realizes that the concept of a collective overpowering all living things was not limited to just her dune hounds, but could easily be applied to the likes of the Darkin as well. Realizing that the Darkin ultimately fell due to their petty, personal grudges with one another, Naafiri wishes to locate her fellow Darkin siblings and restore their place as the rightful and violent rulers of Runeterra.
Now, Naafiri stalks the Shuriman deserts in hopes of unifying the rest of her Darkin and becoming the ultimate apex predator. Her pack acts with perfect unity and stalk the pitch black Shuriman nights, ravenously feasting on anyone they find as she continues her quest.
Appearance[]
Naafiri's "primary" body is that of a monstrous, vicious-looking dog with numerous large, blade-like spikes protruding from her shoulders. Like other Darkin, she appears to have tough, ridged, armor-like skin: primarily black with red accents and an area of white around her lower face. She has bright yellow eyes. Naafiri's most prominent facial feature is the infused dagger. The dagger also has a golden spike ornament dangling from a chain, and she is shown to wear it as an earring on her left ear.
Her packmates are slightly smaller dogs with a simpler color scheme: solid red with areas of black on their tails and the tops of their heads. They also only have one blade-like spike protruding from their heads.
Personality[]
Naafiri wants the Darkin to become the dominant lifeform on Runeterra again. As a means to power, she has abandoned her idea of self, allowing her consciousness to inhabit multiple bodies.[2] Due in part to her canine hosts, she is vicious and bloodthirsty, with a bestial instinct to hunt and kill.
Abilities[]
Darkin Physiology: Naafiri is a Darkin, originally one of the many Ascended God-Warriors of Shurima in ancient times trapped within a weapon. As a Darkin, Naafiri has immense physical strength, size and access to some celestial magics.
- Immortality: Because her consciousness is trapped within her indestructible throwing dagger, Naafiri is immortal and immune to aging and dying as there is no known way to permanently kill her.
- Dune Hound Physiology: Naafiri's host consists of a pack of Shuriman dune hounds, inheriting their agility, sense of smell, ferocious bites and their pack-hunting behaviors.
- Hive Mind: Naafiri's consciousness is shattered and split across the entire pack of hounds, granting her the ability to control all of her dune hounds and see through their eyes and senses. As a hive mind, Naafiri has reached a sense of enlightenment as she has learned to find strength in her unity.
- Hemomancy: Like most Darkin, Naafiri utilizes the magic of hemomancy to manipulate the flesh and blood of mortals for her own purposes. Naafiri's use of hemomancy is what allows her to possess multiple dune hounds at once, as well as manipulate their flesh to spawn additional hounds.
- Throwing Dagger Proficiency: Naafiri was skilled in wielding a set of throwing daggers, having been one of the stronger Darkin in combat. Even after being imprisoned in one of her blades and possessing the pack of dune hounds, she still utilizes her skills with throwing daggers by firing them out as projectiles, capable of slicing and damaging enemies from a small distance.
Relations[]
Darkin[]
During the Darkin War, Naafiri fought against her fellow Darkin with the intent to become their leader. After her epiphany, she believed that strength in numbers could even apply to Darkin as their infighting only weakened them, so she strove to reunite with her fellow Darkin and show them her philosophy, so they could rule over Runeterra.
Myisha/Zoe[]
Naafiri initially resented Myisha for imprisoning her, but since being enlightened by her new hosts she expresses thanks towards Myisha's successor Zoe after her imprisonment led to Naafiri's own benefit.
Unnamed Human Raider[]
While imprisoned in the crypt, Naafiri's dagger was found by a raider whom she intended to make her host, but due to him knowing about the Darkin's assimilation abilities he took precautions to avoid making contact with her. Out of desperation, she called to the nearby pack of dune hounds to make the man slip so he would be able to touch her, but they ended up killing him and so she ended up assimilating the hounds instead.
Dune Hounds[]
While Naafiri was being held by the raider, she noticed a nearby pack of dune hounds and influenced them to attack him so she would be freed. Once she ended up assimilating the pack instead in the scuffle, she initially felt disdain towards the hounds for their lack of hygiene and their need for companionship. But over time, she realized that the hounds' cooperation made them more powerful than an individual, which gave her an epiphany to unite the other Darkin in a similar way.
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Biography
Starring Champion
Mentioned Champion
Alternate Universes
Trivia[]
Change log[]
| Character blurb | |
|---|---|
| July 2023 | Added. |
