CASSIOPEIA

THE SERPENT'S EMBRACE

The youngest child of General Du Couteau, Cassiopeia was born to a life of possibility
and privilege among the Noxian noble houses. From an early age, she displayed a keen
mind and sharp wit, and while her sister Katarina flourished under their father’s
tutelage, it was their mother Soreana in whose footsteps Cassiopeia would follow.

A hero of Noxus’ expansion into Shurima, General Du Couteau eventually sent for his
family, installing them close to the governor of the coastal city of Urzeris. Surrounded
by strangers in an unfamiliar land, Cassiopeia remained close to her mother, learning
much of politics, diplomacy, and subtle influence. As she grew, Cassiopeia could not
help but glimpse other, hidden concerns within Soreana, beyond those of the empire…

One day, quite unexpectedly, Soreana collapsed in the family residence—her

hairbrush had been laced with caustic venoms by an unknown hand, leaving her close
to death. General du Couteau was well versed in the ways of an assassin, and so he
had all the household staff removed, leaving his wife and daughters alone in an empty
house.

Still little more than a child, Cassiopeia never left her mother’s bedside. While
Soreana’s recovery took many months, the bond between them became stronger than
ever before.

When the general was recalled to Noxus to prepare for the long-awaited invasion of
Ionia, he took Katarina with him, but Cassiopeia remained in Urzeris. Seemingly
relieved, Soreana confided in her daughter that she belonged to a clandestine and
secretive cabal, known by some as “the Black Rose”. Having guided the empire for
centuries, they had finally managed to spread their influence into Shurima.

Now free of her husband’s watchful eye, Soreana’s real work could begin.
In time, and under her mother’s tutelage, Cassiopeia blossomed into a young woman
of tremendous beauty, cunning and intelligence, if somewhat lacking in empathy. She
saw those around her as tools to be used to achieve her goals, and then cast aside just
as quickly.

Though she had barely reached the cusp of womanhood, she was initiated into the
Black Rose by hunting down and eliminating those who had sought the death of her
mother. She surprised even Soreana with her speed and efficiency, and left no trace
of her activities—or her proxies—behind. Only then was Cassiopeia made privy to the
cabal’s broader plan for Shurima. Using her family’s tremendous resources, she
undertook a number of expeditions into the deep desert, raiding ancient ruins with
the help of a local mercenary named Sivir.

Her efforts were made all the more urgent when word reached Urzeris from the
capital. Grand General Boram Darkwill had been deposed by Jericho Swain, and a
number of noble houses had chosen to honor this coup… including Du Couteau.

Outraged and disgusted by her husband’s betrayal, and fearing that all members of
the Black Rose were now in jeopardy, Soreana became desperate. She dispatched
Cassiopeia to seek out the godlike power that had been the key to Shurima’s
supremacy in ages past. Cassiopeia swore she would return with a weapon ready for
the looming secret war, or not at all.

Fulfilling this oath would leave her changed forever. Upon unearthing a long lost tomb
of the mythical Ascended, she knew this was the threshold to the power she sought,
and intended to dispatch all witnesses from her expedition before claiming it. The
guide Sivir was the first to fall to Cassiopeia’s blade, but then an ancient stone tomb
guardian reared up, and buried its fangs into her flesh.

Overcome by its arcane toxins, she was carried back through the desert by her hired
soldiers, screaming as her body twisted into something new and unspeakable…

Cassiopeia locked herself in the disused crypt of the Urzeris residence, and endured
the untold agonies of this transformation. Gone was the brilliant and beautiful
daughter of Soreana Du Couteau, replaced by a monstrous, slithering creature that
skulked in the shadows, spitting poison, and crushing stone as easily as glass.

For weeks she wept and howled, grieving her lost life… until the day she could weep
no more. She dragged herself up from the depths of despair, determined to accept—
maybe even someday embrace?—her fate. It was not the Ascension she had hoped for,
but Cassiopeia had unearthed the magic of dead Shuriman gods. She would turn it to
the schemes of the Black Rose just as she and her mother had planned, and she could
feel this power growing within her, day by day.

Though into what, even she cannot guess.