Chapter Two

Leona was a very busy Solari, especially with the upcoming Sun Festival and all ensuing events surrounding the annual holiday. However, when the League's esteemed Night Hunter had asked to speak with her on a very important, humanitarian subject, the Radiant Dawn instantly cleared her schedule and put off returning to Mount Targon in order to meet. It was not a particularly unusual surprise to see the three Void monsters walking in tow of Vayne, as it was her week to babysit them, but her guards were not as accustomed to the bizarre creatures.

Kog'Maw trotted up ahead, eager to greet one of his supports, but jumped back to cling to Vayne's leg when two sword-wielding Solari lunged at him. Leona herself stood, stepping beyond her guards and ordering them back, "You may depart for a while, these are friends, no need to be on the defense."

The Solari underlings reluctantly left, eying the Voidlings in disgust on their way out, but unable to see Nami, hidden between Cho and Kha'Zix's towering figures. Leona hugged Kog briefly once her guards had departed, glad to see the youthful Voidling, and greeted Vayne.

"It's unusual anyone sees you off the battlefield, a pleasant rarity," the Solari smiled, extended her hand to shake, then laughing in the direction the guards retreated, "They're going to ask me later why I didn't demand you bow. Some of the young Solari trainees are so wrapped up in traditions and rituals, but none of you are inhabitants of Mount Targon; as my friends I would be ashamed to have you act so archaic towards me."

"I'm fairly certain you couldn't tell if Kog bowed anyways, he's already so short and stubby," Vayne pointed out, and the young Voidling plopped to the ground, tripping over himself as he tried to curtsy like he'd seen the Demacians do whenever Jarvan approached.

"Anyway, though you are always welcome to drop in, what requires you to seek my presence so swiftly?" Leona queried, contenting herself with patting Kog as she awaited her explanation.

"Perhaps you heard of the newest champion joining our ranks shortly? Your sun has not yet fully cycled since her announcement, but we met her already, and have a request," Vayne stepped aside to reveal Nami fully, in all her fishy glory. Leona gasped, surprised by the sleek tail and wave swirling beneath the mermaid, but nodded her head upon regaining her senses.

"Yes, Nami, isn't it? Pleasure to meet you, I'm Leona, the head of the Solari. I doubt you've come simply to introduce me, though."

"No, we were hoping you could tell us something about a Moonstone. Nami needs to find it or her people will be subject to the forces in the ocean without protection. I'm sure her cause resonates with you."

"Oh indeed, I can sympathize with her efforts, though I know nothing of any stone by that name. We don't even have any Solari elders to ask anymore, they were all slaughtered... You are welcome to look into the archives on Mount Targon, of course, by my special permission, but I'm afraid there is nobody among our ranks left alive who could inform you."

Vayne turned to the four champions behind her, thinking back on how Diana had killed the oldest Solari off, and thus those most likely to recollect ancient legends relating to the Moonstone. The Voidlings looked prepared to depart for Leona's home, but Nami rushed forward, unsatisfied, "How can nobody remember?! It's only been a hundred years since the last landwalker brought the Moonstone to my people, yet nobody knows where it is or has heard anything about it. We've been forgotten when we need this stone the most and oh, I'm running out of time to find it."

Leona sighed, reaching out to embrace the distraught mermaid, who was wringing her hands out of concern and fear for her immediate future efforts. A slight pang of guilt coursed through her mind, wondering if, had her people not expelled the Lunari so thoroughly, the Moonstone would not be lost or forgotten, left untold in legends by the victors who had silenced all notion of the Moon worshippers' might. Diana had never mentioned the stone in any tale ever recounted to Leona, not that she ever personally spoke to the Scorn of the Moon, yet what were the odds a Moonstone was not connected with the Lunari? Smiling to comfort Nami, Leona spoke once again in her best soothing bravado tone, "I shall personally accompany you until your quest for the Moonstone ends, whether in success or failure. If we do not find record of it in my people's library, than we shall continue onwards until we do find a trail to follow."

"But Leona, the Sun Festival is coming up, surely you must be busy preparing for that, and what will your subjects think if THE Iron Solari is absent after what happened before?" Cho'Gath voiced his concerns, thinking of the timing but secretly hoping for chaos ensuing as a result of Leona's absence after the events surrounded Diana.

"I find it an interesting coincidence our Sun Festival is around this same time that Nami must find her Moonstone. If there is a relation between the Lunari and her stone tied in with our own celebration, our journey will be swift. If not, my people will understand I must defend all who come before me in need of assistance," the Radiant Dawn firmly declared, planting her foot into the ground, the clank of armor as her heel connected with the concrete echoing her stance on the matter.

"Come, we should not waste more time. It sounds uncertain how much longer Nami's people have."

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Though the Solari Archive was a massive wealth of knowledge on old lore of the land, and had recorded everything notable in the history of Mount Targon and its people, the investigation was hampered in numerous ways. Nami had personally never seen a book before and was mystified by the idea of paper, her youthful age showing in her inability to focus on scanning the shelves for anything useful. The Voidlings, though able to read the modern language, were thoroughly confused by any older scripts and variants, and thus useless for reading any ancient texts. This left Vayne and Leona to scan the oldest and possibly most useful books, in a highly unsuccessful search.

"It seems that, when the Lunari were eliminated, the Solari completely removed all traces of them from the archives. Look, several of these books have had entire sections ripped out from them, you can see the missing paper. They're merely records of weddings and births, but if you notice, the section on Solari all seem to have ended. I believe these were records of Lunari, thoroughly purged after they lost the fight," Leona finally noted, holding up a book and showing the torn old stubs of paper left in its spine.

"Indeed, any book about the Lunari was likely even easier to burn. I haven't seen them mentioned in a single book. I hate to ask and insinuate you would hide anything from us, but, is there a more sacred Solari archive, perhaps with texts they do not wish anyone else to see? I find it odd they would have burned their own records of where Lunari temples and villages were," Vayne warily inquired, feeling horribly out of place accusing Leona of not sharing everything with them when she had already permitted them into the reserved Solari library.

"I have personally read every book in that collection myself and studied every map, drawing, anecdote, everything, in that room. Nothing about the Lunari or Moonstone is present," the Radiant Dawn insisted, clapping shut the book in her hand.

"Looks like there's nothing here to help us then... What will I do if I can't find the Moonstone? My people will die out remembering me as the lone Tidecaller to fail her quest," Nami sighed, sinking to the ground. She looked on the verge of tears, staring at the mounds of books in front of her that held no information whatsoever. Cho swung a clawed arm around her, patting her gently in an effort to comfort her.

"There is someone else we could ask..." Kha'Zix pointed out, unsure if he should mention her considering the tension and history.

"You wouldn't need to go with us to speak to her, Leona, I'm sure we could go on our own," Vayne assured, just as uncertain how the Radiant Dawn would react to seeking help from the person who killed her fellow Solari.

Picking up her sword, Leona planted the tip firmly into the ground through a crack in the floor before turning to face the others after several minutes of thinking, "I will accompany you to see Diana. I vowed my services in aiding the recovery of the Moonstone and a Solari does not back out. We will find the stone before it is too late, starting with the Scorn of the Moon."