The Minotaur

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Biography

The Minotaur

By Laurie Goulding, Rachel Harrison

Starring: Alistar

Biography

Many civilizations have resisted Noxus, but none as long as the clans of the Great Barrier mountains. Though these fierce minotaurs had protected the overland trade routes to the ancient city of Zaun for centuries, they preferred to avoid Valoran's wider conflicts.

The noble warrior Alistar was respected among all the clans. Out on the mountain peaks, his roar could scatter even the bravest trespassers, leaving only the foolhardy to face him in combat. Even so, in the moot halls, he would always urge his kin to forge greater bonds with other mortal races. Many saw minotaurs as little more than beasts, which soured any interaction and kept them firmly as outsiders.

Then Noxus came, promising something better. Their emissary, the matriarch of House Tewain, proclaimed that the empire was poised to take Basilich, a coastal city to the east. However, she pledged that they would not do this without the support of the great clans of the mountains, and called for parley on neutral ground.

Many of the minotaurs were eager to accept her offer. This was a way to gain the power and recognition they sought; by joining with Noxus.

But Alistar remained skeptical—he had encountered many Noxian scouts in recent years and knew them to be duplicitous and cunning people. For this reason, his clan sent him to meet Tewain, along with fifty of their mightiest warriors, to reject any alliance. The other clans could do as they wished, but Alistar would not accept the rule of some distant “Grand General”.

Under the banners of truce, he and his kin were betrayed.

The larger clans had already pledged themselves to Noxus, and their representatives turned against him as soon as he made his position known. The battle was swift and bloody, and Alistar himself crushed Lady Tewain’s skull with his bare hands—but soon enough, he and his surviving warriors found themselves bound in chains, headed for the distant Noxian capital, accused of inciting rebellion.

These unfortunate minotaurs found themselves cast into the Reckoning arenas of the capital, as part of a grim gladiatorial festival known as the Fleshing.

Alistar was appalled by the chanting of the bloodthirsty spectators. He implored his clanfolk not to fight back, not to give these Noxians the monstrous display they so craved...

When the festival ended twenty-one days later, Alistar was the only member of his tribe left. Pelted with pebbles and rotten fruit from the crowd, dragged out to face Reckoner after Reckoner, he was driven to fight like a beast—and think like one. He killed and killed until even his memories of home became stained with blood.

Alistar had fallen far by the time he met Ayelia, a servant girl in the arenas. At first, he bellowed and charged the bars of his cage, expecting her to fear or goad him like the others, but Ayelia did neither.

She returned every day and spoke to him with gentle respect until eventually, Alistar answered in kind. Ayelia's homeland had also been claimed by Noxus, and seeing his suffering had convinced her they should leave this hateful city together. She whispered her plans through the bars, and for the first time in years, Alistar found he could think of home without dwelling on the way it had been taken from him.

One night, Ayelia brought Alistar the key to his cell. She had sacrificed much to arrange this escape, and he swore he would repay her tenfold.

They hurried to the river, where a cargo barge awaited them. However, as they boarded, Noxian agents burst from the shadows. Alistar hurled himself into battle, his vision tunneled with rage, and although Ayelia called out to him again and again, he did not hear.

By the time Alistar had slain their attackers, the boat was gone—and Ayelia with it—so he fled south on foot instead. He searched everywhere for the servant girl but found nothing. Had she been captured? Killed? It seemed there were no clues left to find.

Weeks later, a political coup shook the empire to its dark foundations, and the arena minotaur's escape was quite forgotten.

Alistar now travels alone, as quietly and anonymously as he can, encouraging resistance in Noxian-held territories and fighting on behalf of the downtrodden and the abused. Only when he has cleared the shame from his heart, repaying every cruelty and kindness, will Alistar return to the mountains and leave his rage behind.

And in every city he passes through, he asks after Ayelia.

Change log

The Minotaur
MISSING	Current version.
MISSING	Updated to remove references to the Institute of War. As the mightiest warrior to ever emerge from the Minotaur tribes of the Great Barrier, Alistar defended his tribe from Valoran's many dangers; that is, until the coming of the Noxian army. Alistar was lured from his village by the machinations of Keiran Darkwill, General Boram Darkwill's youngest son and commander of the Noxian expeditionary force. When Alistar returned, he found his village burning and his family slain. Bellowing with rage, he charged an entire regiment of Noxus' elite, slaughtering them by the hundreds. Only the intervention of some of Noxus' most skilled blood mages checked Alistar's rage. Brought in chains to Noxus, Alistar spent the intervening years as a gladiator in the Fleshing, pitted in endless battle for the entertainment of Noxus' wealthy leaders. Alistar's once noble soul slowly became twisted, and he would have been driven to insanity if not for Ayelia, a young servant girl who befriended him and eventually arranged for his escape. Suddenly free and with no home to return to, Alistar fled, hoping to one day exact his final vengeance upon Noxus and find the girl who had renewed his hope. He did not slink off into the shadows, however, instead becoming a vocal advocate for those whom the Noxian government treads upon. He also calls to light things that the Noxian military would prefer remain hidden - something that has made him very unpopular with Noxus' nobles. His charitable work has earned him several philanthropic awards, which serve as an interesting contrast to the rage and destruction he is known for in battle.
MISSING	Fifth version As the mightiest warrior to ever emerge from the Minotaur tribes of the Great Barrier, Alistar defended his tribe from Valoran's many dangers. That is, until the coming of the Noxian army. Alistar was lured from his village by the machinations of Keiran Darkwill, General Boram Darkwill's youngest son, and commander of the Noxian expeditionary force. When Alistar returned, he found his village burning and his family slain. Bellowing with rage, he charged an entire regiment of Noxus' elite, slaughtering them by the hundreds. Only the intervention of some of Noxus' most skilled summoners checked Alistar's rage. Brought in chains to Noxus, Alistar spent the intervening years as a gladiator in the Fleshing, pitted in endless battle for the entertainment of Noxus' wealthy leaders. Alistar's once noble soul slowly became twisted, and he would have been driven to insanity if not for Ayelia, a young servant girl who befriended him and eventually arranged for his escape. Suddenly free, Alistar joined the newly formed League of Legends to fight as a champion, hoping to one day exact his final vengeance upon Noxus and find the girl who had renewed his hope. Initially unwilling to cater to his celebrity status as a champion, Alistar has since discovered that there is power in fame, and he has become a vocal advocate for those whom the Noxian government treads upon. He also calls to light things that the Noxian military would prefer remain hidden - something that has made him very unpopular with Noxus' nobles. His charitable work has earned him several philanthropic awards, which serve as an interesting contrast to the rage and destruction he brings to the League of Legends.
MISSING	Fourth version The mightiest warrior ever to emerge from the minotaur tribes of the Great Barrier, Alistar defended his tribe from all of Valoran's many dangers. That is, until the coming of the Noxian army. Alistar was lured from his village by the machinations of Keiran Darkwill, Baron Darkwill's youngest son, and commander of the Noxian expeditionary force. When Alistar returned home, he found his village burning and his family slain. Bellowing with rage, he charged an entire regiment of Noxus' elite, slaughtering them by the hundreds. Only the intervention of some of Noxus' most skilled summoners checked Alistar's rage. Brought in chains to Noxus, Alistar spent the intervening years as a gladiator pitted in endless battle for the entertainment of Noxus' wealthy leaders. Alistar's once noble soul slowly twisted, and he would have been lost to insanity if not for Ayelia, a young servant girl who befriended him and eventually arranged for his escape. Suddenly free, Alistar joined the newly formed Institute of War as a champion, hoping to one day visit his final vengeance against Noxus and to find the girl who once again gave him hope.
October 23rd, 2009 (V1.0.0.32)	Third version "If you intend to grab the bull by the horns as a summoner, Alistar might have something to say about that." The mightiest warrior ever to emerge from the minotaur tribes of the Great Barrier, Alistar defended his tribe from all of Valoran's many dangers; that is, until the coming of the Noxian army. Alistar was lured from his village by the machinations of Keiran Darkwill, Baron Darkwill's youngest son, and commander of the Noxian expeditionary force. When Alistar returned home, he found his village burning and his family slain. Bellowing with rage, he charged an entire regiment of Noxus's elite, slaughtering them by the hundreds. Only the intervention of some of Noxus's most skilled summoners checked Alistar's rage. Brought in chains to Noxus, Alistar spent the intervening years as a gladiator pitted in endless battle for the entertainment of Noxus's wealthy leaders. Alistar's once noble soul slowly twisted, and he would have been lost to insanity if not for Ayelia, a young servant girl who befriended him and eventually arranged for his escape. Suddenly free, Alistar joined the newly formed Institute of War as a champion, hoping to one day visit his final vengeance against Noxus and to find the girl who once again gave him hope.
MISSING	Updated for the written accompaniment to the Collector's Edition. The mightiest warrior ever to emerge from the minotaur tribes of the Great Barrier, Alistar defended his tribe from all of Valoran's many dangers; that is, until the coming of the Noxian army. Alistar was lured from his village by the machinations of Keiran Darkwill, Baron Darkwill's youngest son, and commander of the Noxian expeditionary force. When Alistar returned home, he found his village burning and his family slain. Bellowing with rage, he charged an entire regiment of Nox's elite, slaughtering them by the hundreds. Only the intervention of some of Nox's most skilled summoners checked Alistar's rage. Brought in chains to Nox, Alistar spent the intervening years as a gladiator pitted in endless battle for the entertainment of Nox's wealthy leaders. Alistar's once noble soul slowly twisted, and he would have been lost to insanity if not for Ayelia, a young servant girl who befriended him and eventually arranged for his escape. Suddenly free, Alistar joined the newly formed Institute of War as a champion, hoping to one day visit his final vengeance against Noxus and to find the girl who once again gave him hope. Alistar has no fear, hurling his massive frame into the heat of any arena battle. The mere stomp of his hooves causes the earth to heave, flinging his stunned enemies wildly into the air. Alistar can also charge headlong at his foes sending them soaring away helplessly. Ded by the fires of battle. Alistar's roar alone bolsters the fortitude of both himself and his allies. Wounds that would instantly fell a lesser being barely brake his stride. Alistar is much like the fury that drives him, relentless and unstoppable.
Alpha Week 6 (March 25th, 2009)	Added. The last remaining survivor of his clan, Alistar was taken prisoner defending his home from the Altrians during the battle at Mogron Pass. The next ten years of his life are mostly a blur: chains on his arms and legs, the sting of a whip across his shoulders, and the dank recesses of a coal mine where he worked after being sold into slavery. Forced to turn a huge pulley that would raise and lower miners into the coal shaft, Alistar's burden was constant and relentless. If he grew tired or slowed for even a moment, the overseers were there to punish him, taking bites out of his hide with their barbed whips and jagged spears. His only relief from this constant agony came once a week when a slave girl by the name of Yessinia arrived to dress and care for his wounds. She was kind, and for a short while she was able to soothe the pain that Alistar lived with every waking moment. Yessinia's visits and her kindness were all that he had in the world.

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