Runeterra (A Very Important Lore Chapter)

This chapter offers an introduction to some aspects of the League of Legends universe and the setting of this book.

In the main League of Legends universe, the heroes' stories take place on a planet called Runeterra, Aurelion Sol the Star Forger Dragon King's favorite creation.

It was named Runeterra because life arose there, nourished by the magic that seeped from the World Runes.

The geography in this book matches the map of Runeterra on the official website exactly: there are two continents, one to the north and one to the south—the southern continent of Shurima and the northern continent of Valoran.

Where the two continents meet is the region where Piltover and Zaun are located.

The two city-states were once one. Years ago, explosions during the digging of a canal connecting the eastern and western seas triggered seismic activity, splitting the city-state in two. Over time, the northern half became Piltover and the southern half became Zaun.

But with the canal completed, their advantageous position in maritime trade soon helped them prosper in the wake of the disaster. Today, each city-state is ruled by its own powerful oligarchs.

In the far southwest of Valoran, in a vast, fertile basin, lies Demacia, a nation that prizes national glory, strict discipline, and a system of noble ranks.

Demacia has a policy of suppressing magic. Its founders were refugees who had fled there during the Rune Wars, so they feared and hated the power of magic. Demacia also had an enormous forest of Petricite that could suppress magic, giving its people an immense sense of security. At present, Demacia was ruled by the Lightshield family, to which Jarvan IV belonged.

East of Demacia, across a vast stretch of barren plains, stood Noxus—a powerful city-state that honored strength above all and pursued relentless military expansion.

Anyone could earn power and respect by demonstrating the necessary ability, regardless of social standing, background, or personal wealth. The Noxians valued strength above all else—and, of course, strength could take many forms. Noxus was ruled by the Tripartite Council: Swain, LeBlanc, and Darius, who represented strategy, cunning, and military might, respectively.

At the northernmost edge of Valoran lay the frozen tundra of Freljord.

Freljord was a harsh, unforgiving land. Here, where demigods once walked, everyone was born a warrior. Many different tribes lived in Freljord, but the three largest factions were the Avarosans, the Winter's Claw, and the Frostguard. Their different ways of life set them apart. Freljord was also the only place in Runeterra where True Ice could be found.

Now, let us turn our attention to the other continent: Shurima.

At the western edge of Shurima stood the tallest mountain in Runeterra: Mount Targon.

It was once the birthplace of the Aspects, a people with a glorious history. But as the Aspects expanded into other star systems, only a few remained on Mount Targon to guard their homeland. A nomadic people, the Rakel, also lived in the rugged foothills. According to Rakel mythology, those who reached the summit of Mount Targon could gain extraordinary divine power...

Central Shurima was covered by a vast desert. Once, a civilization shone there like the sun: Shurima.

This mighty empire was not only prosperous, but also protected by dozens of champions known as the Ascended. They had gained the power of the sun, transforming from ordinary humans into beings comparable to demigods.

Shurima had once stretched across the entire southern continent. But after the death of its legendary emperor, Azir, its radiant capital became a ruin, and the ancient empire crumbled and scattered like sand in the wind.

Yet, through an accident born of a conspiracy, the legendary emperor was awakened by the bloodline of his descendants.

Shurima's power was slowly gathering, plotting its return to greatness. Its people, too, were waiting for the sun's light to shine down upon them once more.

Farther east lay a vast, unbroken rainforest called Ixtal.

The outside world knew little about it. Humanity had only just begun to venture into the forest, yet it concealed a tribe that had existed for a thousand years. They had built an elegant capital among the trees, called Ixtal, where the people inherited the ability to control multiple elements of nature.

The family of Ixtal's ruler, Qiyana, upheld a policy of isolationism. This had allowed them to avoid the conflicts and wars that had ravaged Runeterra for centuries. But now that outsiders had set foot in their land, what choice would they make?

Finally, on a peninsula in southern Shurima lay the ruins of Icathia. Once a nation under the rule of the mighty Shurima, Icathia had chafed under its control and chosen to rebel. When the powerful Ascended came to crush the uprising, the Icathians realized the Ascended were impossible to overcome. In their desperation, the mages of Icathia unleashed their last resort: they opened a rift to the Void!

When countless Void Creatures, corrupted and shaped by the Void, poured through, Shurima committed all its strength and sent nearly every Ascended it had, barely managing to seal the rift. Shurima was left gravely weakened, and many Ascended were secretly corrupted by the Void, sowing the seeds of the Void War. Icathia, too, was destroyed in the catastrophe.

East of the two continents, amid the boundless Sea of the Watchers, lay three archipelagos. From north to south, they were Ionia, the Blue Flame Isles, and the Shadow Isles.

Ionia was a tranquil land brimming with magic.

Ionia was also known as the First Lands. Vast and full of natural beauty and primordial magic, it was home to people scattered across its many provinces, who valued spirituality and sought to live in harmony. Its long-standing neutrality was shattered by Noxus's invasion. The brutal occupation forced Ionia to reconsider its place in the world, and its path forward became uncertain.

The Blue Flame Isles lay close to Shurima. Their most prominent city was Bilgewater.

Bilgewater was a haven for smugglers, raiders, and outlaws. Here, a person could become richer than a nation or lose everything in the blink of an eye. For those fleeing justice, debt, or persecution, the city offered a chance at a new life. No one cared about your past in Bilgewater's winding streets. Even so, every dawn, the careless could be found floating in the harbor, their purses empty and their throats slit...

Though Bilgewater was an extremely dangerous place, it was also full of opportunity, free from the constraints of any government, laws, or morals. Whether it was ill-gotten Hextech or the obedience of the local gangs, anything was yours for the right price.

The Shadow Isles were once called the Blessed Isles.

They had once been a beautiful paradise, but a magical cataclysm destroyed them long ago. Now, the Miasma eternally shrouded the islands, and dark magic had tainted and corrupted everything. The souls of those who died in the Miasma were cursed, doomed to become undead forever and part of the Miasma itself.

Worse still, the Miasma expanded every year, seeking to devour more souls across Runeterra.

Last came the most mysterious place of all: Bandle City.

Where was the home of the yordles? People had many different answers to that question. Some mortals claimed to have passed through invisible portals into a strange magical world beyond the material realm. They all described a place where magic ran wild, where countless wonders led the reckless and foolhardy astray until they lost themselves in dreams and could never return...

Only one thing was certain: Bandle City and its inhabitants seemed to exist beyond time. Perhaps that explained why every mortal who returned from there seemed to have aged many years overnight, while many others never returned at all.

Next, let us look at the two devastating world wars in Runeterra's history: the Void War and the Rune Wars.

"The Void War"

After paying a terrible price to seal the Void, many Ascended who survived the battle had already been secretly infected by it.

The Ascended grew savage, and after Azir's death, nothing remained to restrain their ambition and desire. They plundered, struggled, and waged war against one another across Runeterra. When the former Ascended began to run amok, it was ordinary people who suffered utter devastation... They derisively called them the Darkin.

Seeing the former Ascended ravage Runeterra and turn the world into a living hell, the Aspects of Mount Targon could no longer stand by. They joined forces with humanity to fight the Darkin, and succeeded in sealing them inside the weapons they had once wielded.

But was that truly the end? Those weapons were scattered across the world. How many mortals who took them up could resist the Darkin's corruption?

The Darkin were awakening...

"The Rune Wars"

By the time people learned the secret of the World Runes, the magical source that gave life to Runeterra, the Void War had already ended.

Back then, on the Blessed Isles, which had yet to become the Shadow Isles, there was an ancient society. After its members discovered the power of the World Runes, they did everything they could to keep the knowledge secret. But, alas, nothing in the world could be kept under wraps forever.

The secret of the World Runes spread across Runeterra all the same. When the various factions heard of the power they contained, they all sought to claim the World Runes and use them in war, hoping to seize even more.

Among the members of the ancient society was a young mage who traveled between different peoples and nations with his teacher, Tyrus. They urged those who possessed World Runes to show restraint and tried to persuade them to give up these dangerous objects.

But no one was willing to hand over such powerful weapons.

At last, in Noxus, Tyrus failed to persuade the two nations. They stood at odds, tensions kept mounting, and in the end, they unleashed the power of the World Runes against one another. A cataclysmic strike shattered the earth, and seawater surged in from somewhere far away...

Look at a map of Runeterra and you'll see a vast, crescent-shaped bay on the eastern coast of Noxus, at the far eastern edge of Valoran. Its area is roughly the same as Demacia's. That was the result of the strike.

And with that earth-shaking blast, the Rune Wars began. Factions everywhere used runes to empower their soldiers' weapons, while mages unleashed magic without restraint...

The young mage witnessed this human tragedy unfold. His homeland was Noxus, the place where the disaster began.

To end the catastrophe, the young mage and his teacher, Tyrus, traveled the world to collect the World Runes. The young mage noticed his teacher growing more and more distant. To his horror, he discovered that Tyrus already possessed two complete World Runes. Prolonged exposure to the World Runes had changed Tyrus's mind; he wanted to use rune power to fight fire with fire!

With no other choice, the young mage killed his own master. At the same time, he realized that he must never let any living being keep the World Runes.

The mage slung his teacher's scroll over his back and continued traveling across Runeterra, carrying out his mission.

Years later, his prolonged exposure to the World Runes had given him an unnaturally long life, and his body had changed as well: his skin had turned blue-purple, and rows of softly glowing, rune-like markings covered it.

He wandered through Demacia's vast forest of Petricite, stepping over dead yellow leaves, and came to a huge tree that had fallen at its roots.

The tree had long been dead. Its tightly packed rings, exposed across the broken trunk, bore witness to its history. The mage bent down, touched the ground, and formed a circle of blue light.

Petricite could stop ordinary mages from casting spells, but he was clearly no ordinary mage.

The leaves rose into the air, swept up by the force, and the mage vanished from where he stood.

As the blue light faded, the mage appeared in a vast, empty stone chamber beneath the forest of Petricite. Huge, pale roots stretched across its walls and ceiling.

The mage walked to the center of the chamber, where five pale, root-like pillars stood. They were patterned like wood, and each had a small, cage-like hollow in the middle. The pillars looked as if they had been carved from the giant roots themselves.

He took out a deep red rune and held it out toward one of the empty hollows.

Just as he was about to let go, countless memories flooded his mind.

Scenes flashed before him, from the moment that world-darkening catastrophe broke out to his search for runes across every corner of Runeterra.

Fear, grief, helplessness, anger... Every kind of emotion filled his heart.

The rune was affecting my mind again.

The mage snapped his eyes open, hurriedly let go, and stumbled back, gasping for breath until the light of the deep red rune gradually dimmed inside the pillar.

He breathed a sigh of relief, tightened the scroll strapped to his back, and returned the way he had come, channeling magic to form a spell circle.

When I find them all, I will willingly disappear.

He thought.

"People say I'm dangerous. They're right."

The mage calmed his turbulent emotions and spoke to himself.

"But I have mastered only one power: the power to let go."

The mage vanished from the stone chamber. The blue magical ripples quickly faded from sight, leaving only the red, blue, yellow, and green runes floating silently inside their pillars...

The mage's name was Ryze.