Paladins Champion Lore

Note: The short phrases below the champion names are not actually used in the game.
But they are found next to the lore entries in the game files so I chose to include them anyway.


Androxus
Who's the baddest man in town
Once a noble lawman of the Outer Tribunal circuit judges, Androxus and his former partner, Lex, were relentless in their pursuit of criminals and threats to the natural order. After a tragic confrontation with a deceitful goddess, though, he became afflicted with an otherworldly disease dooming him with an endless hunger for souls. Now he wanders the realm adrift to feed that hunger, stripped of his rank and duties with the Tribunal, and condemned to live with the curse for all time.

Ash
She's gonna punch you
Ash made a name for herself in the Magistrate army by volunteering for front-line duty using experimental heavy armor and siege weaponry. Lacking finesse or subtlety, she more than makes up for it with brutal tactics and overkill. The War Machine, as she is called by her allies and enemies alike, earned the title every time the dust settled and she was all that remained on the scorched battlefield. When the Resistance emerged and brought the war to Crosswind Hold, Ash led the charge against them with fury and determination.

Barik
Shotgun mechanic
Long before he came to the Deepwerks and helped develop the crystal-powered technology spreading throughout the Realm, Barik was a clever inventor and resourceful engineer. Since then, his signature contributions have appeared in almost every field and vocation, from mechanized mining suits and rocket-powered wings to the crystalline weapons used by Magistrate and Resistance soldiers alike. After a falling out with the corrupt Magistrate commander assigned to oversee the security of the Deepwerks, he left and pledged his services to Valera and the Paladins.

Bomb King
How are bombs born?
During a fortress siege long ago, a clever warlord decided that the best way to breach her enemy's defenses was by creating walking bombs. Her warlock accidentally brought one of the larger bombs to life, creating the Bomb King. After destroying her entire army himself, Bomb King struck out on his own delusional quest to visit all the lands under his rule. The common folk know better than to offend or even stand very close to him, as his regal demeanor can instantly change to furious, explosive rage at any moment.

Buck
What the Buck
Buck's story is just as diverse and complicated as his fighting style, as one is the direct result of the other. Pulling from those experiences, he effectively combines the self-discipline of a devout monk, clever ambushes commonly used by underworld thugs, and the tactics and weaponry of a front-line soldier. Once a loyal member of the Magistrate's own elite fighting group he has now returned to where it all began, Crosswind Hold, to join the Resistance in their struggle against the Magistrate.

Cassie
Who hunts who?
Watching all her friends leave the Greenwood to join the fight against the Magistrate, Cassie lamented the curse that bound her bloodline to her family's homeland. When a mysterious oracle offered her an escape from her obligations, she jumped at the chance, even though she knew the sacrifice she made would haunt her. Taking nothing but her father's enchanted crossbow and her faithful hunting bird, Zigs, she raced off to join the Paladins in their resistance against the draconian Magistrate.

Drogoz
Greedy dragon is actually
Born wingless as a mere wyrin underling to a vicious dragon, Drogoz escaped his servitude using a pair of crystal-fueled mechanical wings crafted by a clever dwarven engineer. The draconic blood in his veins pulsed with cruelty and greed, sending him on a Realm-wide rampage of destruction as he amassed his own horde, one that would rival that of the true dragons. As the war rages, Drogoz streaks through the sky above, swooping down to deal with his foes as quickly and violently as possible.

Evie
Which Witch?
After cleverly tricking and imprisoning a great frost elemental in a magical gemstone, Evie went from apprentice sorceress to winter witch overnight. Though no longer welcome in her home village, which she left to an uncertain fate, she found her talents to be in high demand in the war against the Magistrate. Her true motivations are as mysterious as the exact details of her background, though, causing her allies to question her loyalty as well as how long she can really hope to keep the vengeful elemental contained.

Fernando
Who's face is too sexy to see?
Though not of noble birth nor having any real combat training, Fernando assumed the mantle of knighthood when the knight he served met an untimely fate. From that moment on, he wandered from one heroic adventure to the next, making a name for himself throughout the Realm. When the Magistrate called on all loyal houses to join their efforts against the Resistance, he heeded their summons with pride. If his valor in combat and charming confidence can keep his allies from discovering his secret, he might just live to become the champion he knows he can be.

Grohk
It sucks to be blue but
Being struck by lightning once is usually more than enough to kill someone, but after dozens of strikes, Grohk was still standing. Though it took a while to realize Grohk had been imbued with the power to control the lightning itself, he put it to good use defending his tribe from a goblin attack that would have otherwise destroyed them. Seeing his power as a sign from the weather spirits, the rest of the Red River orcs immediately appointed him their chieftain. When the Realm erupted into civil war, he sensed another storm brewing and joined the battle on behalf of his tribe.

Grover
You just told me his secret but I'm already Grover it
The soul of the forest isn't an invisible spirit or comforting poem about being one with nature, it's an angry walking tree with a huge stone axe. After decades of peaceful slumber since the last time Grover had to walk the land and help put down the goblin scourge, he has awoken once again to find the forests of the Realm threatened by the spread of humanoid civilization, rampant industrialization, and the fires of war. Hoisting his trusty axe, he stomps into battle once again, intent on destroying anything and anyone who would harm the natural world.

Inara
Lady stone hearted
One of the few remaining stagalla, Inara was reluctant but oath-bound to join the Paladins in their time of need. Originally created to help the ancient order repel the First Scourge of goblin encroachment, the stone people slumbered for generations before being summoned to battle once again. Inara was slow to act, but after witnessing the atrocities committed by the Magistrate, she threw herself into the fight on behalf of the Resistance, heeding the call of Valera and the Paladins once again.

Jenos
Stay a while and listen
Originally climbing the mountain to escape the ravages of the Second Scourge many generations ago, Jenos was merely a young monk in search of a greater wisdom. After finding it written among the stars, he ascended into the heavens, vanishing for years but leaving behind a small group of followers dedicated to carrying on his legacy. Now, as the Realm descends into war once again, so too has Jenos descended from the stars to walk upon the ground once again, joining the battle for some arcane purpose only he understands.

Kinessa
One shot
As a young recruit in the elite Sentinels unit, Kinessa took to her sniper lessons with an eagerness and enthusiasm that surprised her mentors. Frustrated by the rigors of military life, she left before she could complete her training and struck out on her own. As the Realm descended into chaos and war, vigilante bounty contracts were plentiful, earning her all the fame and fortune she'd lacked while in the service of the Magistrate. She refuses to pick a side in the conflict, though, because it's much more profitable to contract with both than commit to either.

Lex
Lex sells
The Outer Tribunal is made up of merciless, oathbound judges, none more dedicated than Lex. He and his partner, Androxus, traveled the fringes of the Realm together, tracking down infamous criminals and battling all manner of horrors on behalf of the Magistrate. After encountering a sinister goddess, though, Androxus abandoned his duties and quickly rose to the top of the most wanted list. Lex, unable to turn his back on the law or the Magistrate, vowed to one day take his former partner in, dead or alive.

Lian
Nobles are crazy
After plotting to set herself up as the legitimate heiress to the Ruby Throne, nothing stood in Lian's way. Her sincere dedication to her family's legacy may have earned her the title of Scion, but her skill with the rifle is what won her the respect of her family's Royal Guard. When the Magistrate called on all loyal houses to unite against the Resistance, she was honor-bound to accept, arriving from her far-off homeland to represent House Aico along with her faithful bodyguard and general, Khan.

Maeve
With great power
After making a name for herself as a skilled thief and knife-fighter, the half-tigron Maeve decided to join the war for personal gain, selling her services to the highest bidder. She dashes from shadow to shadow with unnatural agility, concealed by her magical longcoat, a souvenir from one of her most daring burglaries: the Magistrate's fortress keep. While her employers find her talents useful, they often complain of suspiciously misplaced valuables and lost coins after she moves on to the next fight.

Makoa
Don't drink and pluck
Once the dedicated protector of an island home of the Ska'drin, the ancient Makoa has now been summoned to wage war against the Magistrate on the mainland. Though he hopes to one day return to the islands, he fears that the unappeased volcanoes will rend them asunder in his absence. In the meantime, however, he brings both the fury of the ocean and the indomitable resilience of the tortoise spirit, as well as various naval implements, to bear against those who would defile the natural world.

Mal'Damba
His dark god's true identity
When Wekono, the Mother of Sorrow and Revenge, turns her gaze to the mortal world, she appoints a champion. In this cycle, the island witchdoctor Mal'Damba has been gifted with her powers and sent into the war to evangelize her faith by laying waste to any who would stand before him. His mastery of dark magic and virulent poisons was already impressive before the insidious goddess imbued him with even greater abilities, rendering him one of the deadliest beings in the Realm, an extension of Wekono's will.

Moji
[none]
While the rest of the rabbit-like leipori fled to the forests to avoid getting involved in the war raging across the Realm, Moji took it upon herself to summon the great nature spirits to defend the world. She charges into battle atop her trusty familiar, Po-Li, who carries her through the fray as she unleashes a maelstrom of sorcerous destruction on her enemies. Once the war is over and the Realm has returned to its natural state, she hopes to return to the forest and help her people begin the healing process, restoring all that was lost.

Pip
Pippitty dippitty doo, there's a fox in my shoe
Unlike most other vulpin, Pip chose to specialize in weaponized explosives instead of curative alchemy. He left Brightmarsh, his homeland, in search of adventure across the Realm. Now he splits his time between brewing up all sorts of fiery concoctions to use against the Magistrate's forces and creating restorative potions to aid his friends. While his allies have come to appreciate his assistance and expertise, they fully understand that the little fox is as unpredictable as he is dangerous.

Ruckus
Good things come in small packages
While toiling in the gold mines, a particularly wily and inventive goblin named Ruckus stumbled upon the long-lost mind-stone of a fallen war golem. He installed the relic into his mechanical digging suit, hoping it would provide the suit with enough power to outperform the other miners. But he was surprised when the the ancient sentience reawakened and brought the suit to life. Though it resented its situation, its pilot, and the name it was given, Bolt nonetheless agreed to a tentative partnership, one that freed them both to scour the Realm in search of fame, fortune, and upgrades.

Seris
A patron of the abyss
A being from beyond the void, Seris has taken the name of the city she completely destroyed upon first setting foot in the world of the living. Draining the souls of her enemies and occasionally restoring them to her allies, however, pales in comparison to her unnatural prescience, granting her the ability to see into the past and predict the future all at once. She appears here and there in time and space, always at the opportune moment to change the course of events toward some unknown but seemingly inevitable fate.

Sha Lin
His smile belies his true nature
Tales of the legendary adventurer Sha Lin have spread far and wide across the Realm, recounting his heroic exploits and death-defying antics. During his short lifetime, he's already helped topple warlords, recovered long-lost artifacts, and betrayed the infamous Thousand Hands guild. He's broken as many hearts with his magical longbow as he has with his silver tongue, but even he has a stake in the current conflict between the Magistrate and the Resistance, standing up to the oppressive Magistrate on behalf of the common folk.

Skye
The ears are fake
Noble by birth, Skye abandoned a life of luxury and wealth to pursue her dreams of excitement and adventure. During her time spent on the streets, interacting with the criminal underworld of the Realm, she discovered a natural talent and boundless passion for killing. When her career as a contract assassin brought her fame and fortune, she caught the Magistrate's attention and now serves as one of Grand Magister Karne's closest advisors. To her the War of the Realm is just a long-term contract, one that won't end until the last of the Paladins are dealt with.

Strix
What does he want from life?
Having spent most of his life in the military, Strix was an invaluable member of the Sentinels, tasked with training their elite sharpshooters. He was reassigned after the unit was disbanded, sent to the front lines with the regular army as it prepared to put down the Resistance. Always the calm and composed professional, he is the master of stealth and camouflage, able to pick off high value targets before the enemy is even aware of his presence -- or that they are under attack at all.

Talus
What a cute little guy
Talus might still be young and overly optimistic, but he's got big plans. After almost losing his family to an angry mob that refused to accept the otherworldly Ska'drin as neighbors, he set out on a quest for knowledge. From the shores of an abandoned island paradise to the darkened corridors of the Deepwerks, he uncovered forgotten truths as well as unlocking his inborn aptitude. When the Paladins rose up to oppose the Magistrate, he joined them, eager to put his newfound abilities to work and prove that the Ska'drin deserve a place in the Realm.

Terminus
Rockman has a heart of purple
Whatever Terminus once was, he has since become an instrument of war fighting on behalf of the Magistrate. His mind and memories are long gone, his broken body bound by dark sorcery and unstable magic crystals. His lifeless yet undying state may be a mere shadow of his former self, but it has also rid him of hesitation and fear. He obediently charges into battle with reckless abandon, hefting a terrifying battle axe that few mortals could lift and even fewer could hope to endure.

Torvald
Grandpa has a secret
As the ranking scholar and preeminent authority on runic lore at the Deepwerks facility, Torvald is one of the architects of the wave of crystal-powered technology sweeping across the Realm. Though he would much rather have his nose buried in a dusty old history tome or reach into a swirling vortex of magical energy using his enhanced stone gauntlet, he understands that the Magistrate is the driving force behind all his research and has joined their effort to put down the Resistance. Once the war is over, he can once more get back to work.

Tyra
What even is a gorlock
Raised to shoot straight and survive the harsh winters of the frontier, Tyra signed on with the Magistrate army at a young age. After the Sentinels' disastrous final mission, she returned to her homeland to make a living tracking down the monstrous threats to the common folk that lurked beyond the fringes of the Realm. Her unyielding stamina and pinpoint accuracy with the rifle serve her well in her new role: helping the Resistance fight back against the Magistrate and bring an end to the war that rages across the Realm.

Viktor
Why does he die so much
The former commander of the Sentinels, an elite Magistrate military unit, Viktor lives in the shadow of his former glory. He took the blame for what happened during their final mission, was stripped of his rank, and reassigned to a lower position by Grand Magister Karne. His training and skill as a soldier remains unparalleled, though, along with his unwavering loyalty to the Magistrate. Determined to regain his standing, he pushes himself well beyond his limits in battle against the Resistance, striving to end the rebellion before it picks up any further momentum.

Vivian
Vivian, vivian, can I compare you to a winter's day?
Rapidly rising through the ranks of the Magistrate, Vivian's clever, persistent scheming got her appointed to the Deepwerks facility, where she was the first to recognize the military potential of the research they were conducting. In the swirling chaos of the war with the Paladins, she sees only the opportunity to advance her station in life. Equipped with some of the most advanced crystal-powered weaponry ever created, she joined the battle not to prove herself or follow orders, but to silence the lone witness of her true plans.

Willo
What do Faeries eat?
Though short-lived and even-tempered, the faeries of the Summer Court wage an endless war against the encroachment of modern civilization. Willo might only have three summers to her name, but her aggressive demeanor more than make up for her lack of experience. She charges into the fray with an eagerness and tenacity that worries the precious few remaining faeries. At a time when the fae should be regrouping to bolster their dwindling numbers, Willo has taken it upon herself to attack both the Magistrate and the Resistance against them.

Ying
Ying is heartless
A talented young spellcaster, Ying is a master of illusions and trickery, able to befuddle her opponents with bewildering misdirection. That same magic can also soothe the minds of her allies to ease their suffering and mend their wounds. She made good use of those skills to escape imprisonment by a bandit king and during her days as an adventurer afterward. When the Magistrate began its campaign of conquest, subjugating the Realm in an attempt to restrict the use of magic by the common folk, she felt it was her responsibility to join the fight against the tyranny.

Zhin
Zhin is an artist
Robbed of his noble lineage, Zhin ruthlessly carved out his own throne atop of the criminal underworld. By the time he was a man, he'd won the loyalty of enough thieves, assassins, and corrupt bureaucrats to build his own shadowy empire: the Thousand Hands guild. Anyone scheming against him had a way of vanishing in the middle of the night, while those who confronted him directly met their doom at the end of his wicked flaming sword. He refuses to pick a side in the war, as there's more profit to be made playing them against each other.