Taric Diff

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<p>For the noble defenders of Demacia, daily life is the very model of focused, selfless dedication to the ideals of king and country. Called upon to continue his family\u2019s long tradition of military service, Taric never dreamed of shirking that responsibility\u2014though he would not limit or define exactly <i>whom</i> and <i>what</i> he would protect.</p><p>The young warrior trained hard, and possessed great martial skill. Even so, in his scant hours of free time, he would find other ways to serve his homeland. He volunteered with the Illuminators, tending the sick or helping rebuild homes damaged by flooding. He lent his creative talents, such as they were, to the stonemasons and craftsmen who raised monuments to the glory of the Winged Protector and the lofty ideals it embodied.</p><p>A work of art. A stranger\u2019s life. These were the things that made Demacia worth fighting for. Taric saw every one of them as beautiful, fragile, and worthy of saving.</p><p>Fortunately, his disarming manner and innate warmth allowed him to brush aside any criticism from his fellow soldiers or commanding officers. He rose modestly through the ranks, and even fought beside a young Garen Crownguard.</p><p>Ironically, it was Taric\u2019s steady rise that would bring about his eventual downfall\u2014at least as far as Demacia was concerned.</p><p>Elevated to the prestigious Dauntless Vanguard, he was suddenly held to a far higher standard of conduct. No more would he be allowed to roam the forests looking for glimpses of some rare animal, neglect combat drills to sit in a tavern and listen to a bard\u2019s simple ballad, or skip line inspections to ride out and observe the silver cloak of night settling across the hinterlands. Taric began to feel at odds with himself, and soon attracted attention as an insubordinate.</p><p>Garen urged him to shape up and do his duty. He could see Taric had the potential to become one of Valoran\u2019s greatest heroes\u2014and yet he seemed to be thumbing his nose at destiny as well as his country.</p><p>To keep him from demotion, Taric was seconded to serve the Sword-Captain of the Vanguard, though neither of them was particularly happy about it. However, when the older man was slain in battle along with the rest of his personal retinue, Taric was found to have abandoned his post\u2026 and rumor had it that he had been spotted wandering the cloisters of some forgotten ruined temple nearby.</p><p>Nothing more could be said. A dozen warriors were dead, and Taric faced the executioner\u2019s block for it.</p><p>However, seeking mercy for his friend, Garen intervened. As the Sword-Captain\u2019s successor, he sentenced Taric to endure \u201cthe Crown of Stone\u201d\u2014in accordance with Demacia\u2019s most ancient traditions, he would be sent to climb Mount Targon, a trial that few had ever survived.</p><p>Though the Crown of Stone usually allowed the dishonored to simply flee Demacia and start a new life in exile, Taric took the first ship heading south, and swore to <i>actually</i> atone for what he had done.</p><p>The climb nearly claimed him, body and soul, numerous times. But Taric pushed past the pain, the ghosts of his dead comrades, and other tests inflicted upon him by the mountain. As he approached the summit, he was beset by a wave of new visions of loss and destruction\u2026</p><p><i>He witnessed the great Alabaster Library set aflame\u2026 and still he dashed into the inferno to retrieve the heavenly poetries of Tung. He screamed in anguish as the Frostguard ran the last dreamstag into the Howling Abyss\u2026 and then leapt over the precipice himself in a desperate attempt to save it. At the gates of the Immortal Bastion, Taric slumped to his knees when he saw Garen\u2019s broken body swinging from a gibbet\u2026 before raising his shield, and charging headlong into the waiting hordes of Noxus.</i></p><p>When the visions finally faded, Taric found himself at the very pinnacle of the mountain, and he was not alone. Before him stood something wearing the shape of a man, though its almost crystalline features blazed with the light of the stars themselves, and its voice was a thousand whispers that cut through Taric like a blade.</p><p>It spoke truths he had somehow always known. It spoke of the mantle for which he had unwittingly been preparing his entire life, with every decision and deed that had brought him here, now, to Targon.</p><p>And he would stand as the Shield of Valoran in great wars yet to come.</p><p>Reborn as the Aspect of the Protector, gifted with power and purpose unimaginable to most mortals, Taric has gladly accepted this new calling\u2014as the steadfast guardian of an entire <i>world</i>.</p
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Taric is the Aspect of the Protector, wielding incredible power as Runeterra\u2019s guardian of life, love, and beauty. Shamed by a dereliction of duty and exiled from his homeland Demacia, Taric ascended Mount Targon to find redemption, only to discover a higher calling among the stars. Imbued with the might of ancient Targon, the Shield of Valoran now stands ever vigilant against the insidious corruption of the Void.</p><p>Expected to serve as a stalwart guardian of Demacia, Taric\u2019s life was meant to be the model of focused, selfless dedication to the ideals of king and country. Though he always saw himself as a protector, he never felt the need to limit or define whom and what he protected\u2014be it an ideal, a piece of art, or a stranger\u2019s life. Each could be considered worthy. Each could be seen as beautiful.</p><p>Most of Taric\u2019s contemporaries were focused on the martial principles of battle (things that came naturally and effortlessly to him). The young warrior was drawn instead to the fragile wonders that give life meaning, not endless brutish contests for flag or crown.</p><p>This was a potentially treasonous philosophy, especially for one of Taric\u2019s standing and role within the Demacian military hierarchy, but he chose to dedicate himself to understanding the simple truths of love, beauty, and life, so he could become their champion. Admired by all, Taric used his disarming manner and innate warmth to charm his way past most obstacles, and on the rare occasion they failed, his skill with hammer and sword could be counted on to settle the matter.</p><p>As his quest for understanding broadened, Taric would miss combat training to wander the forest in search of a glimpse of a rare animal, neglect parade drills to sit in a tavern and listen to a bard\u2019s hauntingly simple ballad, and skip regimental meetings to take horseback rides to observe the silver cloak of night settle across the countryside. Taric knew that, in his own way, he was training in a manner just as dedicated and focused as his fellow Demacians, but it wasn\u2019t seen that way by his superiors.</p><p>Taric\u2019s casual nature, disregard for orders, and disinterest in his patriotic calling finally put him at odds with nearly everyone in authority\u2014his family,  his king, and especially his long-time friend Garen. And while the commoners saw Taric as a charming rogue, Garen recognized him for what he truly was\u2014a man with the potential to become one of Demacia\u2019s greatest heroes. The fact that Taric seemed to be thumbing his nose at his destiny as well as his country enraged Garen.</p><p>Eventually, even his former friend could no longer protect him, and Taric\u2019s military career started to crumble. Demotion after demotion pushed Taric further from Demacia\u2019s heart, until, at last, he found himself commanding a small squad of lowly recruits assigned to guard an inconsequential ruined fortress out in the borderland wilds. After weeks spent standing in the rain and mud as ordered, and with no threat evident, Taric decided to let his men sleep while he wandered to a nearby temple to take in its cyclopean architecture.</p><p>As morning lit up the temple\u2019s overgrown cloisters, Taric finally decided to head back and check on his men. He was greeted by a scene of carnage. His troops had been butchered in their sleep, their corpses bearing the jagged hallmarks of the Void\u2019s monstrous predators.</p><p>Taric had failed his men, his country, and most painfully, his self-avowed mission to protect life.</p><p>Returning to Demacia in shame, Taric was stripped of his rank and sentenced by Garen to  endure \u201cthe Crown of Stone,\u201d a ceremony that demanded a dishonored soldier ascend Mount Targon, known to all as a death sentence, as few mortals had ever survived the climb. </p><p>And while the Crown of Stone was traditionally used by the dishonored to simply flee Demacia and make a new life in exile, Taric decided to actually atone for his mistake and set out for the towering spire of Mount Targon.</p><p>The ascent nearly claimed him, body and soul, numerous times, but Taric pushed past the pain, past the memories of his mistake, the ghosts of his dead men, and other tests inflicted upon him by the mountain.</p><p>As he approached the summit, Taric was challenged by a seemingly neverending myriad of conflicting realities, each warped existence offering a new, horrifying vision. Taric experienced the infinite fates that could befall those who had no one to protect them in their times of crisis. He saw the Alabaster Library engulfed in pitch and flame, and still he dashed into the roiling inferno to retrieve the poetry of Tung. He screamed in rage as the Frostguard ran the last dreamstag off a blind cliff, and then leapt into the abyss himself in a desperate attempt to save it. Before the ebon gates of Noxus, Taric slumped to his knees at the sight of Garen\u2019s shattered body chained aloft as a warning. Between Taric and his friend stood the sum total of Noxus\u2019s might. And yet still, without hesitation, Taric raised his shield and drove all before him. Claiming Garen from the gates, the young warrior marched toward Demacia, heavy with his burden, knowing full well that his return would ensure his execution. As he walked, Taric looked upward\u2014and the blood-strewn fields of Noxus gave way to the star-filled expanse above Mount Targon.</p><p>His trials complete, and freed from all illusion, Taric found himself at the pinnacle of the mountain, and he was not alone.</p><p>Before him, cut from the sackcloth of night itself, stood something wearing the shape of a man. Its features composed from the pinpoints of stars, Taric was struck by the odd familiarity of its nature.</p><p>Its voice spoke in a thousand whispers that cut through Taric like a mountain wind. Though he heard no recognizable words, he understood the figure\u2019s intent with utter clarity.</p><p>It called itself \u201cthe Protector.\u201d</p><p>Impressed by Taric\u2019s steadfast resolve, the otherworldly being deemed the fallen Demacian hero a worthy avatar, imbuing him with its ethereal powers. The Protector spoke of the truths Taric had known his entire life, and of the mantle that he had unknowingly been preparing for with every decision that brought him to the top of the mountain.</p><p>As the Protector\u2019s whispers faded, Taric received a final warning:  He would stand as the Shield of Valoran, but crashing against him would be a wave of howling madness, an ocean of gnashing teeth intent on consuming all, a squalid horror born of the Void. </p><p>Reborn with power and purpose, Taric gladly accepted the seemingly impossible challenge and now dedicates himself to his sworn duty\u2014as the steadfast guardian of an entire world.</p>