The Starchild

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Biography

The Starchild

By Michael Yichao

Starring: Soraka

Biography

An age ago, when time itself was young, the inhabitants of the celestial realm regarded the fledgling races of Runeterra with growing concern.

These creatures deviated wildly, unpredictably, and dangerously from the great designs intended for them by those above. The guidance and fates that had been woven into the night sky often went unseen—or worse, were misinterpreted by their simple mortal minds, leading to chaos, uncertainty, and suffering.

No longer able to merely watch, one celestial being chose to descend to the mortal realm, determined to untangle the knots in the tapestry of the world. This child of the stars took on a form of flesh and blood, and though the powerful magic coursing through her veins burned this new body from the inside out, she knew her suffering meant little if she could help to heal all that was broken and incomplete.

And so Soraka came to be, and set upon her journey to soothe the mortals she encountered.

Even so, she quickly learned the capacity for cruelty that the peoples of Runeterra possessed. Whether on the battlefields of inescapable conflicts, in the seedy underbellies of sprawling cities, or on the frontiers of the untamed wilderness beyond them, there seemed to be no end to the fighting, betrayal, and suffering Soraka witnessed. She watched, helpless, as mortals ignorantly broke the threads of destiny they could have woven together. Their lives were too short, she reasoned. They were simply unable to see the greater patterns, now lost.

But as Soraka lived among them, as one of them, trying to repair what little of the damage she could... something incredible and wholly unforeseen happened.

From the snarls and tangles and knots, the messy breaks in the great patterns, Soraka noticed a new, unintended design emerging—intertwined, and of a staggering complexity.

Unintended and wild, the mortals were forging new and unknown futures for themselves. From the celestial realm above, it had seemed like pure chaos; but with her new perspective, and blessed by the stars to stand against the erosion of time, Soraka now beheld an almost perfect beauty. Just as mortals had the deepest capacity for cruelty, so too did they possess infinite potential for kindness, and inspiration to rival anything among the stars.

Soraka realized her place was not to repair or replicate the celestial pattern. While a part of her craved the fixed, comforting destinies of the stars, she knew in her heart that static fates could not contain the unbridled, dynamic potential of mortality.

And so her work took on renewed vigor, driven to unlock the untapped possibilities of all she met. Soraka sought now to inspire and guide rather than shepherd, to see what unblazed trails each mortal would discover for themselves in their brief, radiant moment.

Over the millennia, legends of the Starchild have filtered through all the lands of Runeterra. Some tribes of the Freljord still speak of a far wanderer, a horned healer who soothed the icy bite of the most brutal winters. In the depths beneath Zaun, rumors float of a lilac skinned medic who would purify weary lungs from the ravages of the alchemical Gray. In troubled Ionia, the oldest myths of the Vastayashai'rei recall a seer who communed with the stars themselves, and called upon their light both to heal the wounded and scorch those who would do further harm to the First Lands.

Currently, Soraka calls the westernmost peaks of Targon her home. She watches over an isolated tribe of vastaya, teaching them her healing ways, and tending quietly to her own needs—though what brings her so close to the great mountain, or how long she will stay, only Soraka knows.

Many times, she has watched entire civilizations dance close to the brink of destruction, and she has learned that she cannot save those who do not wish it, nor force them to see what they will not.

All the same, Soraka is determined never to stop trying.

Change log

The Starchild
MISSING	Updated to the current version.
MISSING	Updated to remove references to the Institute of War. "The cruelty of one will not blind me to the suffering of many." - Soraka A healer gifted with the magic of the stars, Soraka holds all living creatures close to her heart. She was once a celestial being, but she sacrificed her immortality and entered the world of mortals. So long as evil threatens life in Valoran, Soraka will not allow herself peace. Soraka lived for centuries in an enchanted grove. A being of the stars, she healed the wounded and sick that sought her out. One man called Warwick came to her grove and begged her to heal his wife, who lay lifeless in his arms. His despair touched Soraka's heart. Though it was too late to save his wife, she offered to help heal the pain of his loss. Unwilling to let go of his grief Warwick ran from the grove, but returned over the following days to hear Soraka's guidance. She began to grow attached to the grieving man. One day Warwick told her he had found the men who killed his wife. He believed revenge would heal his pain - and if he died fighting, he would at least find peace. Though she pleaded with him, Warwick ignored her and left the grove. The voices of the stars warned her not to follow him, but Soraka had to intervene. She stepped into the mortal world for the first time, and soon found Warwick desperately fighting a group of men. She tried to heal him, but for every wound she closed, the men inflicted two more. Soraka realized that she would have to fight to save her friend. The stars screamed in her mind, telling her not to use her powers for harm. Ignoring their warning, she struck the attackers with a flash of brilliant light. Crying out in terror and shielding their eyes from her divine radiance, they fled. Soraka's celestial form faded and the stars fell silent - for her transgression, she became mortal. She still felt the power of the stars within her, but they no longer offered her guidance. She took comfort in Warwick's safety, gently healing his wounds, but the man she had called her friend slipped a dagger between her ribs. As her blood spilled, Soraka realized he had fooled her, and everything he had done was a complicated ruse. Feeling humiliated and betrayed she called once more on the power of the stars, searing his flesh and cursing his cruelty. He retreated with an agonized howl, leaving Soraka to reflect upon her fate. Though her life had changed, she felt empowered and renewed with a singular purpose. No longer bound to the grove, Soraka set out into the mortal world, vowing to heal the wounded and protect the helpless.
September 18th, 2012	Third version. Soraka, the Starchild of Ionia, was the first of her kind. While there are many who tap into the rich magical energies of Valoran, she was the first to tap into the magic of the cosmos itself – the celestial sea in which it is theorized that Runeterra swims among other like bodies. While Runeterran magicians are limited by the finite (though tremendous) powers of runes, there have always been those who have searched to go further. Reaching beyond the terrestrial firmament of Runeterra, Soraka was capable of invoking the power of the stars, evolving beyond her kin. This power has changed her in fantastical ways – it is for this reason that she became known as the Starchild. Though Soraka was once trans-human, Soraka has fallen since she let the most primal of emotions rule her. Warwick, a mercenary chemist in the service of Noxus, had caused untold suffering and death among Soraka's people. An alchemical genius who took no responsibility for the atrocities he'd caused, Warwick became known as "the Deathmaker" by the Ionian people. As Noxian murder and terror pushed ever-forward across her land, unstoppable anger and hatred welled within Soraka. She called down the power of the heavens to curse and forever change the Deathmaker, and she mutated the man into a werewolf – a wild, murderous beast. For this misstep, Soraka lost much of her power, sacrificing her trans-human ascension and sliding several steps down the evolutionary ladder in an instant. Though she is still a champion of the Ionian people, Soraka has joined the League of Legends in hopes of reversing her curse and redeeming herself in the eyes of the stars. "Though having fallen from grace, Soraka is nonetheless determined to once again be one with the stars."
V1.0.0.116	Second version. "Though having fallen from grace, Soraka is nonetheless determined to once again be one with the stars." Soraka, the Starchild of Ionia, was the first of her kind. While there are many who tap into the rich magical energies of Valoran, she was the first to tap into the magic of the cosmos. Reaching beyond the terrestrial firmament, Soraka was capable of invoking the power of the stars, evolving beyond her kin. That is, until she let her most primal of emotions rule her. Warwick, a mercenary chemist in the service of Noxus, had caused untold suffering and death amongst Soraka's people. Unstoppable anger and hatred welled within her and she cursed the man to become a beast. Soraka lost much of her power for this misstep, sliding several steps down the evolutionary ladder in an instant. Though she is still a champion of the Ionian people, Soraka has joined the League of Legends in hopes of reversing her curse and redeeming herself in the eyes of the stars.
Alpha Week 6 (March 25th, 2009)	Original version. Among the Ionians, Soraka is known as the Starchild - the first among equals, the high priestess of Ionia, the ruler of all her peoples and the sworn protector of their spirits. She is the most beautiful in her land, and the most adept at tapping into the power of the heavens. During the Rune Wars, the Ionians were a peaceful people, never choosing sides and steering clear of the conflicts that daily raged across Valoran. As a whole they took an oath, amongst themselves, to strive for peace, and only use their magic to right the wrongs that had been committed. But the Rune Wars knew no boundaries, and respected no oaths. The more warlike Altrians took Ionia's passive stance as a sign of weakness, and laid siege to the island realm. The Ionians managed to defend their home, but at a terrible cost. Over half of the mages and soldiers from both sides were killed during the battle. A full moon-cycle has passed since then, and Soraka has come to the Chambers of Justice to stand strong on behalf of her people. Though still bound by the oath, certain concessions have been made. If her healing magics do not prove enough to win the day, she has the authority to call upon much larger elemental forces to right the wrongs that have been committed.

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