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| “ | Mine is the hand of Noxus. | „ |
| ~ Darius |
| “ | History only remembers the victors. Stand with Noxus, and be remembered forever. | „ |
| ~ Darius |
| “ | You no longer have subjects. Today, they become citizens of Noxus. Rejoice at the end of kings. Noxus offers freedom and fortune for any strong enough to take it! | „ |
| ~ Darius in "After Victory". |
Darius, also known as The Hand of Noxus, is a major character and playable champion in the 2009 multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends, as well as the main protagonist of the Darius: Blood Of Noxus comic.
The most feared and respected general in the Noxian Empire, Darius earned his place as the nation's commander-in-chief and the leader of the Trifarian Legion after returning to a Noxus upheaved by the Jericho Swain’s coup over the tyrant Boram Darkwill. Through his brute force and unending loyalty to the empire's cause, Darius remains the public face of Noxian might and proudly commands his nation’s most elite of forces.
He is voiced by Chuck Kourouklis, who also plays Skelesaurus from the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Camp Crush cartoon series.
Biography[]
| “ | Noxus must expand. We conquer or everything falls apart. It's that simple. | „ |
| ~ Darius in Darius: Blood of Noxus. |
Lore[]
An orphan in the port city of Basilich, Darius had to fight for survival from a young age, protecting his younger brother Draven from the local gangs and even the city guard. Draven would often get into trouble with the older urchins, forcing Darius into numerous fights and gave him multiple battle scars. During his time as an orphan, the brothers also met Quilletta Varn, a girl they accepted into their group. Darius and Quilletta became very close and fell in love, but things soon changed when the Noxian army arrived to conquer Basilich.
The Hand of Noxus[]
To avoid bloodshed, Basilich opened their gates to the empire, surrendering to Noxus without a fight. Angry at the elders' cowardice, Draven attempted to assassinate the Noxian commander, Cyrus, though Darius tried to stop him. When the attempt failed, Cyrus was impressed with the orphans, welcoming them into the Noxian military, where he believed their violent efforts would be better spent.
In Cyrus' warhost, Darius was the perfect soldier and embraced Noxian ideals with vigor. In Basilich, Darius was a lowly urchin, but as a Noxian, Darius was able to ascend the ranks with nothing but his sheer loyalty and strength. In battle, Darius refused to retreat, beheading his own generals whenever they displayed cowardice and winning many victories even when he was sorely outnumbered. It wasn't long before Darius was awarded with his own warband, earning a reputation as one of the fiercest and deadliest warriors in all of Noxus. Despite this, not all Noxus military leaders respect him. The most notably is Ambessa Merdada who has low opinions on him as she calls him an arrogant brute with no cunnings.
Darius fought in campaign after campaign with more discipline than Draven and more fervor than Quilletta, which eventually grew into a rift between the three former companions. Draven left the Noxian army for the gladiatorial pits of Noxus Prime, and during the Ionian invasion, Quilletta was disgusted at Noxus' use of Singed's chemical weapons, leaving the army to become steward of Basilich. Nevertheless, Darius remained at the head of Noxian forces, having been named the Hand of Noxus by the Grand General Boram Darkwill himself.
He then married his childhood sweetheart Quilleta and fathered two children Decius and Invetia who followed his footsteps in the Noxus military. However, Decius died in battle during a campaign in Flejor.
Trifarix Leader of Might[]
As Darkwill's top general, Darius was commanded to lead the campaign against the Freljord, and the Ionian war left the forces in the far north stretched thin. As a result, Darius fought the barbarian tribes to a bitter stalemate, and after many years he marched back to Noxus in hopes that Darkwill would reconsider his strategy.
But when Darius returned, he was surprised to find that Darkwill was dead, having been killed in a coup by disgraced general Jericho Swain, who had been aided by a dark demonic power and was already supported by numerous allies, including his brother Draven. Confused as to what he should do next, Darius knew that the noble houses would want him to avenge Darkwill's death against the usurper. But Darius greatly respected Swain, and realizing his oaths were to serve Noxus (not to Darkwill himself), Darius gladly accepted Swain as the new Grand General.
Swain had a new vision for the Noxian leadership, reorganizing the empire so it would not be ruled by a single person but instead the Trifarix, a council of three based on the Noxian princles of strength: Vision, Might, and Guile. Darius would represent Might, and raised a elite military order known as the Trifarian Legion, the enforcers of the Trifarix itself. As one of the empire's new leaders, Darius has pledged to lead Noxus into a new age of glory and conquest.
Personality[]
| “ | What separates men from lesser men? Predators from prey? Fear. Predators smell it... and walk away when they don't. | „ |
| ~ Darius in "Darius: Fear". |
A battle-hardened military leader, Darius is renowned as one of the most brutal and fearless warriors in all of Noxus. Completely devoted to the empire, Darius obeys his orders without question, even when they are morally-reprehensible, such as when he excused Singed's use of chemical warfare as a necessary evil for the Ionian war. Though he fell in love once, Darius was forced to separate himself from Quilletta when she defected, and after her death, Darius once again completely dedicated himself to the empire. He also shows little grief toward his son demise when he fell in battle stating that his son died for the glory of Noxus.
Like most Noxians, Darius values strength above all else, and follows a "might makes right" ideology. As a result, Darkwill was overthrown, Darius was more than willing to swear loyalty to Swain, as the new Grand General had earned his respect for his many years in battle. A warrior intent on fulfilling his empire's goals, Darius believes in victory by any means necessary, even if he must sacrifice his own honor to do so. While a war leader, Darius is not a sadist and carries out his orders with cold-blooded efficiency, seeing the empire's goals as the most effective reason to use his might over personal goals or bloodlust.
Having been an orphan, Darius despises the monarchs and nobles across Runeterra, as he sees them as weak and unfit to rule over their much more hard-working slaves and soldiers. As seen in the "Darius: Fear" cinematic, Darius believes that fear is the single greatest weakness in humanity, and seeks to eliminate all his own fears to become a great warrior. When others display fearlessness, such as the slave girl in "After Victory", they can earn Darius' respect, allowing them to ascend the ranks of his own army. He even has a begrudging respect for Tryndamere, the Avarosan barbarian king in the Freljord who fights his own battles.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Darius is rivals with Garen, his Demacian equivalent. They both also have very similar in-game abilities.
- In Legends of Runeterra, Darius mocks Garen for his polished, stainless armor, and calls him a "pretty boy" because of it.
- The “God King” alternate universe plays directly into this rivalry, with Darius and Galen receiving a pair of opposing skins.
- Darius is the older brother of Draven. They were both orphans who grew up in Basilich before being recruited into the Noxian military.
- This is also where Darius first met Quilletta Varn, and it's also where his daughter Invetia was born.
- While he is in his mid/late 30s, Darius' appearance suggests that he has aged prematurely due to years of exertion and combat stress. Tahm Kench also references this when he encounters Darius, promising him renewed strength in exchange for a deal.
