the villain

Of course, the Black Rose does not take kindly to deserters. Unfortunately, Jericho took more than a few magic tricks and poisons to kill. To this day, he feeds his food to ravens to test for poisoning, and Beatrice keeps careful watch while he sleeps. 

Jericho is aware of this lack of favorable opinion, and while he, personally, couldn’t care less what everyone else thought of him, he knows how important it is to run a nation. He does not expect he will be able to convince Noxus to reenter a war to take over Runeterra by himself, even if he ordered it, which is why he tries to surround himself with figures that he knows Noxus will approve of. In this way, by convincing these few to his side, he hopes the public will sway as well. Darius is one of these examples, as is Draven on a lesser level. He was also planning on using Riven, but later decided her influence was too great and would not complement but rather challenge his own. 

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.

Consequently, he made the deal and, as everyone in Noxus suspects but does not dare vocalize, murdered the entirety of house Swain and all their servants and workers in a night. The demon took the form of a raven, which now perches on Jericho’s shoulder. Jericho is fairly certain the demon is more masculine than feminine, and named it Beatrice. 

While at first Beatrice was disinterested in what a sniffling twenty year old wanted, as the years went by, it became more and more willing to do favors for Jericho. It and he knew their relationship was more than a deal after some time -- it was a partnership. Beatrice, apparently enjoying some of Jericho’s influence and power and entertained by the idea of occupying a significant position in the mortal realm, agreed to take a more active role and lend him more abilities with him. After some time, their deal was even modified: the demon would have equal and free reign to rule the kingdom as it wished (within reason), and in exchange, Jericho would have extended life in addition to his powers afforded to him by his bird form. 

His bird form affords him enhanced healing and regeneration. His entire body transforms into something between reptilian and avian, with his skin around his wrists, beak, and ankles resembling scales but giving way to long, dark feathers everywhere else. His wings are monstrously wide to support his weight and height, although he cannot manage sustained flight. Jericho can, however, hover for short spans of time or, for example, slow his falls from great heights. His bird form also grants him enhanced strength and stamina. His limp also disappears while in this form. However, he cannot sustain this form for egregious amounts of time -- perhaps up to a full day at most. 

Because of his pact, his human form has some changes, as well. His eyes are red, like Beatrice’s and his bird form, when human because Beatrice shares vision with him -- and he with it. The pair can exchange sights, sounds, tastes, and other sensations between each other through their pact. This was particularly useful when Jericho sent Beatrice out for reconnaissance during the war. 

In addition, he is rather immune to pain in his human form, although this is not, Jericho would say, particularly advantageous. His body is still prone to sickness and breaking just as any other would, and the fact that he cannot feel pain or weariness is more of a detriment to his overall health than anything else. 

As a result of his lame leg, he tends to hobble everywhere. Jericho uses a cane almost all the time (except when he’s transformed) and usually hunches over when he walks. This has resulted in a mild hunchback and a terrible posture. 

Jericho’s left arm was severed during the Noxian invasion of Ionia. Because this was while he was in human form, he was unable to regrow the limb. However, his pact made it possible for him to replace the missing arm with the arm of his bird form. As a result, from the upper arm down, his arm is thin, bony, and covered with dark feathers. His hand is now clawed, with only three fingers, and could quite easily slice open a man’s throat if desired. However, he usually keeps this hand gloved and hidden away beneath his robes. 

In other areas, Jericho’s age is sorely showing. He is balding, and his skin is leathery and sagging. He is also quite pale, although this has been true since he was young. His skin is dotted with liver spots. Perhaps his only redeeming quality is that what little hair he has left is still thick and jet black.