İrelia

Intro Since childhood, Xan Irelia had been fascinated by the movement and grace of the human body. Her grandmother had taught her the traditional silk shawl dances of their region. Irelia doubted that these dances had any mystical connection to the Ionian Spirit as claimed, but she truly loved dancing. Determined to master the art, she left home and traveled to Placidium in Navori to study with Ionia's most respected dancers. Irelia's people were peaceful and tried to live in harmony with their neighbors. But rumors of foreign invading ships on the horizon had made many in Placidium uneasy. When Irelia returned, she found her village under siege. Steel-helmeted soldiers from the distant land of Noxus were pushing unarmed civilians through the streets with the hafts of their spears. Noxian Admiral Duqal had seized the Xan family home and stationed his officers there. Irelia’s siblings and father Lito must have objected, for her entire family now lay in unmarked graves dug in the garden. The young girl, devastated by grief, saw Duqal’s men scavenging the house’s valuables. Among the plunder was a large metal crest, the symbol of the Xan family. Irelia ran to the Noxians and wrenched the crest from their hands. The admiral himself pushed her to the ground, ordering his warriors to dig a grave for the naughty boy before smashing the crest with a heavy metal sledgehammer. Irelia looked away as the soldiers surrounded her, staring at the fragments of the broken Xan crest lying on the ground. She felt a strange rhythm rising from the depths of her soul. The pieces of metal began to stir and turn. They seemed to move of their own accord. Irelia felt the calm joy of the ancient dances again…