headcanon 003: the sacred six. Jericho was a member of a black operations military team during war time. During Noxus’ expansionary period, Jericho was part of a team that infiltrated, dismantled, and tortured community leaders and representatives. During the most recent rune wars, and in particular during the Noxian-Ionian war, the Sacred Six committed a variety of atrocities and war crimes. If they were ever caught, they were meant to be a deniable squad of expert killers and executioners for Noxus. There were probably many of such teams from Noxus, but they were all kept separate from each other. The Sacred Six’s existence remains a secret from the general public even today.
The members of the Sacred Six were as follows:
Atticus Morningstar was the doctor and envoy to their commanders. They were a Zaunite and quite young (although not as young as Renee). Because relations between Zaun and Noxus tended to be friendly, they immigrated to Noxus early in their life and joined the armies under Noxian banners since. Their entire right leg and left arm were mechanical, as were three fingers of their right hand. They were an avid scientist and scholar, and enjoyed dissecting enemies -- particularly those of other species -- when permitted. Because of their dual-nationality connections, they usually spoke with most leadership for the team’s orders.
Marcus Du Couteau was the assassinations expert and self-proclaimed rival to Jericho. Besides the fact that he was a very good assassin, he was easily the most normal out of all of them. Marcus was charming, easygoing, cracked jokes, and was generally personable and friendly to all -- including the members of the team. Nothing seemed to faze him, and he was accepted as the most dependable and most efficient in the team. He seemed to find Jericho the most entertaining, as he followed him around everywhere when he could -- usually poking fun at Beatrice along the way.
Jericho Swain was the strategist and was responsible for reconnaissance. He was initially commissioned for nothing more, and expected only to use Beatrice and his connection to it as a means for long distance intelligence gathering. However, it soon became clear that more might was required in some missions, and he was called to action. While Jericho remained detached and solitary even among the group, there were probably no other individuals that knew him better than they. War, after all, brings out the truest self of anyone.
Renee Lefebvre was the youngest at twelve, responsible for torture and extraction. Like Jericho, Renee was connected to something more sinister, although the exact nature of the relationship was always unclear. Renee claimed to be an orphan from Demacia who was cast out for her abilities, but later found a home in Noxus. Her origins did not matter as long as she proved her loyalty, however. She would spend all but an hour with subjects before they were screaming their guts out. At times, she was also known to have prophetic dreams and speak prophecies in various tongues as if possessed, but since these sorts of occurrences were rare, they were not depended upon.
Crisoforo Salazar was the expert in disguise and could lie through her teeth. She could likely convince a man he was a rabbit if she chose to. Even within the Six, her true identity remained a mystery. While she claimed that the countenance and name she gave to the team was her true one, her disguises and lies were so complete and convincing that no one really believed her. She gleefully changed faces, names, and personalities like it was nothing. It was suspected she had a mild case of dissociative personality disorder.
Marko Valentin was the sniper and a serial killer. He began as a bounty hunter before deciding he liked the act of killing more than the money. Marko challenged himself to execute clean, precise shots from great distances and under impossible circumstances, such as with multiple people clouding the shot or at rapidly moving targets. The kills themselves were clean, quiet, and efficient, but Marko lacked restraint in frequency. The number of bodies appearing quickly caught up to him, but he was offered military service instead of jail time if he wished to take it. He was proficient in both shotguns and the bow and arrow, and also happened to be very handsome.
While each of them had their “official” roles, every member of the Sacred Six were expected to participate in the missions as required. For example, while Marcus was the assigned assassin, Crisoforo, Renee, and Jericho were sometimes tasked to help with assassinations. Marko might be assigned sniper duty, but Marcus, Atticus, and others would be expected to be present for combat.
Of all of them, Renee and Jericho were the only magic users or magically aligned members. Marcus and Marko excelled in physical aspects, and while Crisoforo and Atticus were not combat specialists, they were markedly shrewd and used their own forms of fighting when necessary.
It was Jericho’s membership in this team and, specifically, his connections with Atticus that segued him into membership with the Black Rose.
Upon the end of the Ionian-Noxian war, the Sacred Six quietly separated, although all the members remained in Noxus should their talents be required again. However, over time, they all began to disappear, one by one. The reasons were always unknown, but since it’s been confirmed Jericho murdered Marcus, you can imagine what happened to the rest.