Universe:Naafiri
Naafiri (Darkin)
Sister
Dog beast
Good puppy
- The Hound of a Hundred Bites
- Darkin (Naafiri)
- Dune Hounds (Naafiri’s hosts)
God-Warrior(Naafiri)Human(Naafiri)
- Born: 5000 BN - 2530 BN
Darkin Daggers- Hemomancy
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[edit | edit source]
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Ascension & Icathian Uprising[edit | edit source]
Naafiri was one of the Ascended God-Warriors of Shurima, having been granted Ascension by the Shuriman empire 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. Just like many of her fellow Ascended, Naafiri personally witnessed the horrors of the Void as the Icathians attempted to weaponize it, which deeply scarred her mind.[1]
Darkin War[edit | edit source]
After the Shuriman Empire fell due to the sudden and disastrous death of the emperor 
Azir, the remaining Ascended declared themselves Sunborn and violently clashed with one another due to the lack of leadership and purpose. Their battles 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 this Great Darkin War, Naafiri considered herself more powerful even among her fellow Darkin, having almost led them herself and believing she could easily best any of them in combat. Her pride and vanity got the best of her when she was easily tricked by Myisha, the Aspect of 
Twilight at the time, who imprisoned Naafiri inside one of her steel throwing daggers and hidden deep within a Shuriman crypt, unable to move or speak and left to ponder her past.
Modern History[edit | edit source]
Host Bodies[edit | edit source]
After the Shuriman Empire fellNaafiri remained in the Shuriman crypt for centuries, inert and left to dwell on her shame and regret while waiting for an opportunity to possess a host body. Eventually, Naafiri sensed a human presence nearby as a grave robber opened the tomb, eager to lure him into wielding the dagger. The man however was well aware of the Darkin magic and made careful efforts not to make contact with the blade, using tongs to pick it up and wrapping it lead-lined cloth without touching the dagger itself.
As the man set off across the desert on his horse, Naafiri despaired at her failure to possess a host body. Suddenly, she sensed the howls of a pack of Shuriman dune hounds carried on the wind and attempted to call out to them, hoping they would be driven to the grave robber and giver her an opportunity to finally possess his body. As the hounds surrounded the man, he carefully wrapped the dagger in one arm while wielding his sword in the other to defend himself. He was ultimately ravaged by the dune hounds as they tore him and his horse to shreds, devouring them completely before going after the dagger as well. Upon contact with it, Naafiri felt the sudden rush of senses return to her after centuries of imprisonment, with the smell of dry air and metallic taste of hot blood. She could even see from the eyes of each separate dune hound. Since several dune hounds made contact with the dagger at the same time, Naafiri's consciousness was shattered and split among the hounds, allowing her to eventually possess the entire pack.
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 however, Naafiri began to grasp the true nature of her new form, seeing the strength and wisdom that came with being a collective. She learned that a lone hound would quickly starve to death, but together as a pack they were considered apex predators. Naafiri felt a sense of enlightenment and let go of her sense of self, believing in no individuality and instead in the idea that the pack itself is an entity as a collective whole.
Recent Events[edit | edit source]
Naafiri continued hunting in the deserts, feasting on whatever game she fancied with vicious efficiency, becoming infamous for the terrifying howls that echoed across the pitch black Shuriman night. Some Shurimans even began to document and study the peculiar behavior of Naafiri's dune hound pack.
With newfound wisdom from her existence as a collective entity, Naafiri began to realize that this philosophy was not limited to only dune hounds but could be applied to all forms of life, such as fish, ants, humans and even the Darkin. Thinking on her past, Naafiri came to the realization that the fall of the Darkin was due to their lack of unity, as personal grudges and petty agendas were the driving force of the Darkin War.
Now, Naafiri seeks to locate the rest of her Darkin siblings in hopes of sharing the wisdom she found through the dune hound pack. Through unity, Naafiri believes that the Darkin can regain their rightful place as apex predators and rulers of Runeterra.
Appearance[edit | edit source]
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 top of their head. They also only have one blade-like spike protruding from their head, similar to Naafiri's Darkin dagger.
Personality[edit | edit source]
In her original form as a Darkin, Naafiri was fiercely arrogant and ambitious, convinced of her superiority and believing she was destined lead the Darkin. This pride and overconfidence is what led her to her imprisonment, as she became susceptible to being tricked by Myisha the Aspect of Twilight.
Years of isolation eroded her pride, leaving behind bitterness and self-loathing. When she eventually possessed a pack of dune hounds, Naafiri initially clung to her disdainful nature, rejecting the animals as insignificant and unworthy vessels. But as time passed, Naafiri found a sense of enlightenment, completely rejecting her sense of self and seeing strength in the dune hounds and their unified relationship with one another.[2]
Naafiri's modern personality is shaped by this revelation. She is now pragmatic, focused, and unshakably loyal to this concept of unity. While traces of her former pride remain, they are tempered by a newfound clarity and detachment from ego. She no longer seeks power for herself alone, but for the strength of the pack. Though she is vicious and bloodthirsty, she remains driven by a collective instinct and sense of wisdom in her newfound existence.
Abilities[edit | edit source]
- Darkin Physiology: Naafiri is a Darkin, originally one of the many Ascended God-Warriors of Shurima in ancient times trapped within one of her steel throwing daggers. As a Darkin, Naafiri has immense physical strength, size and access to some celestial magics.
- Immortality: Because her consciousness is trapped within her indestructible Darkin Dagger, Naafiri is immune to aging and dying as there is no known way to permanently kill her.
- Immortality: Because her consciousness is trapped within her indestructible
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[edit | edit source]
Darkin[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Change log[edit | edit source]
The following change log is for the Character blurb found at the top of the article:
| Character blurb | |
|---|---|
| 19 Jul 2023 (V13.14) | Added. |
For historical versions of other stories, please see each story's respective change log.
References[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
