Into the Mists: Creating Shadow and Fortune

Riot·Oct 30, 2015·7 votes·113,143 views

Heads-up: This article deep-dives the creation of the Shadow and Fortune novella, which itself is a continuation of the events that occurred during the Bilgewater: Burning Tides event. Readers who have yet to experience both stories may find certain plot elements revealed in the text below.

TL;DR: Spoiler alert!

A city in chaos

By the end of the Bilgewater: Burning Tides event, much had changed for the titular portside trading hub. Twisted Fate and Graves settled their differences and set off for new adventures. Sarah Fortune deposed Gangplank in a hailstorm of cannon fire. And the city itself grew from a piratey theme park ride into a realistic, dangerous place packed with compelling characters.

Unfortunately for Miss Fortune, Bilgewater didn’t take the change of management in its stride. Gangplank was a ruthless leader, but his grim dedication to the role was all that kept Bilgewater from tearing itself apart. It is in the midst of this post-Plank chaos that the Black Mist of the Harrowing again sweeps over Bilgewater and leaves Miss Fortune with a choice: Step up and lead, or watch as the unliving decimate a city weakened by the very chaos she created.

Shadow and Fortune is the story of that choice. It’s also the story of where League’s narrative compass is pointed.

A world that moves

“We wanted to show that the world is a living, breathing thing,” explains senior narrative writer Graham McNeill. “Actions have consequences.” Shadow and Fortune is part of a broader effort by League of Legends storytellers to build a world where places grow along with the characters who inhabit them. By picking up the thread of an existing story, League’s narrative writers are building a sense of continuity and establishing arcs that extend beyond one-off tales of derring-do.

It’s a natural evolution from previous storytelling efforts. “It’s been quite some time since we’ve done any ongoing, continuing storytelling,” says lead Foundations writer Ant Reynolds. “It’s definitely something we want to do more—this is just the start.” Burning Tides: The Reckoning helped establish who Miss Fortune is, what she’s doing, and what she’s all about. “But at the end, she gets what she wants. So what happens next?” The Harrowing, a staple of League lore and a familiar danger for citizens of Bilgewater, was the perfect mechanism for pushing Miss Fortune’s character, and the city, to new places.

“Tales of the Shadow Isles spread through the world, but not every Runeterra resident will believe them.”

Reynolds explains, “For the arc of Miss Fortune, she needs that external threat. That’s what makes her go, ‘Right, we all need to come together to fight this thing.’” Knocking out Gangplank is one thing; taking responsibility for the aftermath is another. “She figured that killing Gangplank would transform Bilgewater into this wonderful utopia, free of the oppressor’s boot,” adds McNeill, “but that’s not how it happened at all.” Rising to meet the challenge of the Harrowing and taking responsibility for Bilgewater’s residents helps shape who Miss Fortune is, and who she will grow to become.

Characters gathered

Miss Fortune isn’t the only champion getting attention in Shadow and Fortune. Lucian, Thresh, Olaf, and Hecarim all make appearances. Plotting out multi-character stories gives depth to the champions League players love, but also poses some risks for the teams involved. “You don’t want to cram too many champions into a story; it makes the world feel small,” McNeill contends. “It shouldn’t seem like every champ knows every other champ and they’re crossing paths every week.” Runeterra is meant to be a massive world, a world where the average Bilgewater resident might have heard of Demacia, but has never met anyone who’s been there. “Tales of the Shadow Isles spread through the world,” he adds, “but not every Runeterra resident will believe them.”

Characters also need room to grow within a given story. “Players need to recognize Miss Fortune or Lucian or Olaf in the way they behave, but the characters shouldn’t be limited by those expectations,” notes McNeill. “They should get to do cool, unexpected stuff that maybe surprises a player, but leaves that player thinking, ‘That feels like the right thing for that champion to do, like a natural evolution of their character.’” Dropping characters into a story for the sake of having them show up isn’t enough. McNeill continues, “If you’re bringing a champion into a story and he or she doesn’t have a moment of awesome, why even have them?” Reynolds echoes the thought: “Players love these champions. They don’t want to see their favorite champ in a story and go, ‘Oh, he’s lame.’”

Riot’s storytellers are dedicated to creating tales that help move characters along larger arcs, and focusing on a few characters at a time is a deliberate strategy for doing just that. Attempting to tell everyone’s story at once would rob characters of an opportunity to grow into something more. “This story follows up on Burning Tides, but it doesn’t continue all the arcs,” says Reynolds. “And this is only one small part of the world. The story doesn’t touch on what might be happening in Demacia, or Noxus, or Zaun.” In other words, there are many stories happening across League’s universe; Burning Tides: The Reckoning and Shadow and Fortune are just scratching the surface. Even Gangplank, one of the main characters of The Reckoning, is nowhere to be found in Shadow and Fortune. McNeill explains: “Gangplank’s potential return to Bilgewater is a big, important moment. Players know he’s alive, but the characters don’t. Him coming back needs to be a real ‘Holy shit’ moment – bringing him into this story wouldn’t do him justice.”

Twisted Fate, Graves, and Gangplank will have their time in the spotlight again, but Shadow and Fortune is Miss Fortune’s story, not theirs.

True terror

Shadow and Fortune has a secondary aim: to convey the real horror behind the Harrowing and to establish context for the event within the world of Runeterra. “It’s not just a tale to scare young children,” says McNeill. “It’s a real, nasty, horrible thing where you lock your doors, scrawl runes on the windows, and hunker down under the kitchen table, hoping it won’t come knocking.” McNeill likens Bilgewater to a city on the slope of a volcano, explaining, “It might be worth the risk for the time you can eke out, but the danger can come at any moment.”

The Harrowing also isn’t a once-a-year event tied to a calendar day, but an omnipresent threat. McNeill elaborates, “You can’t just say, ‘Hey, it’s coming up on Harrowing time, let’s go to the country house in Demacia for a few days.’ Everyone in Bilgewater wakes up every day worried that the Harrowing could come.” The constant threat of the Black Mist is one reason for Bilgewater’s vertical construction; it’s a way for the rich and powerful protect themselves from the terrors that sweep across Bilgewater when the Harrowing occurs. “You want to live as high as you can,” says Reynolds, “so you can stay above the Black Mist.”

Click here for ultra-high resolution

Telling a Harrowing story adds depth to some of the Shadow Isles champions and extends the narrative reach beyond Bilgewater proper. “We don’t want any character to be one-note,” says McNeill. “The unliving need their own motivations and reasons for doing the things they do.” Putting Lucian in Bilgewater during the Harrowing helps move Miss Fortune’s story along; it also fleshes out the relationship he has with Thresh and opens up future storytelling opportunities. Each character in Shadow and Fortune adds a layer to the story, but also provides greater insight into the world as a whole. Even Olaf, who mainly provides levity in what is otherwise an extremely dark story, is helping players understand more about the places and people of League.

Like Burning Tides: The Reckoning, Shadow and Fortune is meant to serve as a stepping-stone toward a vibrant, living universe populated by League’s characters. The teams involved in its creation are working to build story arcs that take characters on memorable, meaningful journeys that deepen the connection between those characters and the players who love them. There are infinite stories to tell, and infinite ways to tell them. “There are humor stories and romance stories and pure fun stories—it’s all on the table. We know players want lore and stories, and we’re trying to live up to that, one tale at a time,” says McNeill.

Most importantly, McNeill concludes, “We’re not just throwing stories out into the wild and forgetting about them. The world, and its characters, are changing through these stories. They matter, and we hope that will resonate for players.”

341 Comments

A Day Late GhostNov 2, 2015118 votes

While I am stoked to read all of the new lore and love the direction Riot is taking with making Runeterra feel like a compelling world, I don't really understand how Summoner's Rift and the actual game modes fit in anymore. What is the canonical idea when my bot lane in Summoner's Rift is Miss Fortune and Thresh? What are they doing there? What is Summoner's Rift, now, in the context of the world theme?

HexnacaiusNov 2, 201577 votes

The Problem being is they retconned the Summoners. In the original Lore, the Summoners of the Institute of War were a collective to end the possible second coming of the Rune Wars. This was during the time Demacia and Noxus were at each others throats and Noxus decimated Ionia. From what I remember the Institute was meant to gather warriors from Runeterra and beyond in order to create another means of settling disputes that would not end in full scale war. Its how they ended the Noxus' control over Ionia ( item 3158 ). When they got rid of the Summoners and the Institute, they pretty much got rid of these champions reason for fighting in these battles in Summoners Rift. Which creates plot holes the size of manhole covers as to why Lucian would ever dare work side by side with Thresh (or any undead for that matter). With the Summoners they had the plot device that Summoners would have some manner of control of them during combat, as was shown in the first cinematic. So it pretty much boils down to why? Why are allies working with bitter enemies one match, and allies fighting each other to the bitter end in another. Why would eldritch creatures like Kindred or Bard concern themselves with Summoners Rift or mortals at all? Without the Summoners or any replacement that would explain why they are fighting over the same land countless times, it just leaves one big massive plothole.

VitanNov 2, 201550 votes

It's also a shame. A cinematic where summoners appeared to each of the champions (Interrupting an assassination attempt of Talon's on J4), just to have them show up on the rift and fight side by side, only to be returned at the end.

Talk about a real dynamic world. Explore how it would change things for Noxus and Demacia to face allies as enemies. Imagine Lux and Garen relaxing and suddenly fighting each other. Coming to fear your own sibling! Lux finds herself on the same team as Swain, and you've got the whole "My enemy saved me!" moment.

I can't help but think Riot dropped the ball removing summoners. It's so silly. It's like someone came along and said, "This doesn't fit a typical setting-story for a game! Let's correct this for the deviation and remove all these unique ideas that might not be "NYT Bestseller storytelling, but could easily have accomplished creating a "dynamic" or whatever kind of world Riot wants so badly.

A serious case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I'll never get to see the cinematic where Zed and Shen are squaring off to have the final fight and they get "kidnapped" by summoners to fight; Shen saves Zed's life in the game and they discover they work wonderfully together. They're returned to the barren plains where they were about to duke it to the death and they stare at each other and Zed grunts, "Next time." And shadow-clones away.

Don't need a "Shen forgives Zed!" story, just the hint that maybe all the violence in the rift has a real impact on the world.

Bam rito. Come at me.

DarkxanderNov 2, 20155 votes

From my understanding of some of the lore from long ago and what some of the champions say Sona Soraka they indicate that we (players) are the summoners who control the champions to fight with or against their allies or foes

FoovyNov 2, 201531 votes

"yo summoner, summon me two hot chicks, STAT"-Brolaf

ZenimaNov 3, 201511 votes

Rito says the game and the story are now two separate entities that may influence one another. Source

Crysi102Nov 2, 201590 votes

The way I see it since the Summoners and Institute were taken out of the Canon world may seem a bit silly, but it might help with mentioned plothole. Keep in mind, this is just a head-canon of mine that I felt like sharing since someone was talking about the Summoners and the lore change...

We, as players, are sort of like other worldly watchers (maybe the watchers from Lissandra lore? Though I think those watchers are canonically Voidlings of some sort...) and we are playing the game with copies of these legendary warriors that Riot is telling us about in the lore. The way I see it, we could be remnants of the Institute, or even god-like spirits who fight for power (or influence (points)) using clones of unsuspecting fighters that we enjoy. This allows for Summoner's Rift to remain a battlefield for us (potentially being a mountaintop religious location in Runeterra, someplace that normal mortals don't go), as well as allowing the Champions to develop as characters. This also could explain the existence of lore based characters like Kindred or Bard... The characters living in the world might not know if they truly exist, but We, as otherworldly spirits overseeing the whole world from the outside, would be able to see these creatures and use them in our battles for power, influence, amusement... whatever you want to think we're doing fighting with clones of various fighters.

TL;DR: Summoners are just spirits fighting with clones of fighters they choose from Valoran, allowing for Players (Summoners) to fight on the Rift while also having the story happen undisturbed.

I know it's kinda silly, but it's the best way I've come to terms with the lore change. (I really enjoyed the old lore with the Institute and whatnot... I was really sad when I found out it was gone...) I've been meaning to ask someone what they think of that idea for a while... sorry for kinda barging into the tiny conversation you guys were having. XD

AsceValleisianNov 3, 20157 votes

I really like this, this gives us perfect excuse to bring the LCS and competitive teams into the lore. If we use your head canon that cinematic like the Championship teasers that we are powerful entities that fight using these champions for power, prestige, treasure, and glory. tying us back into the game with our own community accepted canon.

XochipilliNov 3, 201515 votes

Kinda reminds me of Brave Frontier, where all lore events happened way back in the past and Summoners just use the spirits of long dead heroes to fight each other in arenas/fight new threats.

Soul of StoneNov 3, 201524 votes

headcannon accepted

SHlTBUGNov 3, 20158 votes

By voidling I think you mean Voidborn

Crysi102Nov 4, 20156 votes

Thank you for correcting me. I couldn't think of the right term when I first wrote it up. >>

The ComedownNov 4, 201510 votes

One crucial piece of evidence that you are missing is that in Ezreal's lore, the only reason he is present in Summoner's Rift is that he is unable to control his magic and that he randomly teleports there. It is still stated in Kayle's lore that she offered to serve in the league for 1,000 years for power and the same for Morgana. There are several other examples of champions joining the League which makes it improbable that they are "clones" whether it states why a certain champion decided to join the League Of Legends or not.

Crysi102Nov 4, 20156 votes

Ezreal's in-client lore has actually changed... but, even if we go off of old/original lore for him, the amulet he found may cause him to be in one of the fights (as you said) randomly. This means that any given Summoner-spirit could be using the ACTUAL Ezreal completely on accident. The fact that he found and began using the amulet is what made him a Champion... imagine him showing up one day without warning in Champion Select... and his continued use of it is what keeps him a Champion that Summoners can use. No issue that I see here.

As for Kayle and Morgana, who says they're even says they're from Runeterra? It says in Kayle's in-client lore "In a world far away..." This says to me that she's not from Valoran or Runeterra at all. Moragana and Kayle are clearly not human. Morgana's lore states the same type of thing. This other race of theirs' could be a race that can communicate with the Summoner-spirits directly. We can say this is true because Morgana cut a deal with the League--which, in our case, is the overarching term for all Summoner-spirits at once--for power. Kayle and Morg are serving as Champions, allowing themselves to be used in these Summoners' games in return for POWER. The Summoner-spirits are giving them POWER. The reason they haven't returned to their fighting (as of yet) is because they're still receiving their power, still mastering it, from the Summoners who are giving it to them.

As for the other Champions who specifically joined the League (I can think of a few off the top of my head... Jax, Xin, and a few others), the first thing to remember is that the Champion lores haven't been updated completely yet. Riot has only done a few, Miss Fortune, Gangplank, and a few of the Shadow Isles Champions at this point. The only REAL lore update we've gotten is the fact that Summoners don't technically exist in a physical form like we assume they had previously. Proving/disproving ANYTHING based on Champion lore right now is not logically possible, as not all of them are up-to-date and relevant at this time, sadly.

To address the issue, however (I find it rude not to reply to something as important as this), I mentioned that the League, Rift, and Summoners could be some kind of religion in Valoran. The Rift (Riot has said they wanted to have the feel of a mountain-top battleground) could be exactly that: an ancient mountain-top battleground the Summoners project their battles onto. However, no normal mortal could SEE these battles, and the mountain itself would likely be seen as a religious place. People who are powerful may choose to go on a pilgrimage to dedicate themselves to these Summoners and ancient battles waged by other-worldly spirits. These Champions who joined the League by choice may have done exactly that: traveled to the mountain that holds the Rift and asked the Summoners to take them as a Champion. At this point, the Summoners may choose to accept the Champion, using their fighting essence in their battles, or they may turn them down entirely. Who knows, there may be people on Runeterra who have tried becoming Champions but didn't make it for one reason or another.

Again, though, not all of the Champion lores are updated at all, so we really can't go judging the Summoners' place in all of this based on Champ lore. Only a few have been updated since the lore change, and I expect the rest are soon to follow. Until all of it is updated, however, there are ways to explain what we have right now.

Is that a suitable counter-example for your worries?

DoomWeaverXNov 2, 201518 votes

When Riot first started rewriting the lore for LoL, they specifically said that they're not going to try to explain Summoner's Rift and its interactions anymore. Instead, they would create stories and events around the CHARACTERS.

Basically, they got tired of trying to make all the lore fit into and around the boundaries they had with Summoner's Rift. Summoner's Rift is now just a place where these characters come out of their own stories to interact with one another.

OokamiNoSoraNov 2, 201516 votes

more like they just got sick of writing the lores for champions, ever single lore is like 3 sentences long and has no depth. Id be fine I guess if they decided to remove summoners rift but their laziness with the lore is super disheartening.

CynthaerNov 2, 201514 votes

Did you not see the massive lore dumps for all the Shadow Isles champs that just got released?

EvilSnakxNov 3, 201516 votes

Certain champs have rather excessive background lore. Most older champs do, at least. Soraka has a complicated backstory with Warwick . Garen and Katarina have their strange love affair. Riot actual made an entire game mode in Dominion (Yes! There is a map called Dominion!) that explained Azir and Shurima's rebirth as well as rewrote Cassiopeia , Sivir , Renekton , and Nasus . I miss the Summoners that actually inspired the game, but times change.

FairylilyNov 3, 20155 votes

I agree with this "laziness disheartening" comment very much. I like that the lore's had a depth to them it bring the characters to life and let's us enjoy the game a lot more...in my opin...um...I find I enjoy champs because of there lore ( back story)

HexnacaiusNov 3, 20157 votes

In regards to that statement. It doesn't answer the question of why? Why would these people with various backgrounds join up with strangers or even enemies to fight down the same lanes making no headway in anything. As much as I love league the very fact that this plothole exists just for them to create characters is disheartening. If you are going to build a world and characters and lore but in no way conjoin it to the media its part of then whats the point of them other then flavour text? Yes, the Summoners were a restraint for them to create characters that would involve themselves with them. But in a sense a good story needs boundaries so its not longer just "Character A fights Character B". Without the Summoners its just a bunch of characters fighting for no reason. I am reminded of Destiny in a sense. the Heralds (players) make no difference in the story as of right now. They are just there to keep fighting for some goal while other characters make the plot move forward, having little to no involvement in the overarching movement. (also all the lore is off game but that's neither here nor there). I got no problem with expanding the Champions background and events beyond the Rift. But at least give us some reason as to why they fight here. Because right now, they simply fight because they fight.

Meep ManNov 2, 20152 votes

I at least want to know where Summoner's Rift is and how it is without the Summoners.

NoOneCanStopMe25Nov 3, 20155 votes

Summoner's rift is hinted in game to be the battle ground between the Magelords and the Protectorates, the two armies fighting in Aatrox's lore.

PowderToastNov 3, 20155 votes

Without summoners it is pretty peaceful. The minions are not forced to kill so they just have kick ass raves and picnics mostly. Just like the Disney Minions really.

ArkVeilNov 2, 201514 votes

Well, perhaps there isn't supposed to be much of a canon to Summoner's Rift anymore. Kinda like how we have Spartans killing fellow Spartans in Halo Multiplayer, League of Legends the game is just that, a game. There's a fine line between the Rift where we battle to the death and the world where the champions live. Of course, that's my opportunistic view of it. Realistically, we gotta remember that Riot decided to make this lore change four years after the initial imagination and creation of the game. If Riot really decided that a lore revamp was necessary for the game to move forward as something exciting and imaginative, which they did, I'd imagine they would be faced with two options: 1) Shut down the servers for an extended period of time while they have the lore and game developers redesign the entire game so both aspects mesh well together; or 2) do what they have done and have lore focus on creating an immersive story and gameplay focus on creating fun gameplay, with some connections in between champion and their skill sets. Seeing that they choose the latter, I imagine the only times the Rift has canon for now is if Gangplank happens to be playing :P Thanks for taking the time to read my opinion

Phantom HydraNov 2, 201519 votes

Summoner's Rift and the actual gameplay don't fit in with the world of Runeterra. They aren't related. The lore and characters don't connect to the Rift or the actual game. When we play matches on Summoner's Rift, it doesn't actually happen in Runeterra. Summoner's Rift isnt actually a place in Runeterra. With the recent redo of how the lore works they are making it so the lore and gameplay are separate. That way they can make a cool rivalry between Thresh and Lucian, and not have to explain why the heck they would work together in bot lane. The lore is now used to create cool characters with stories and personality, and not to explain why each champion fights in the Institute of War.

ZenimaNov 3, 201510 votes

To quote what Riot said:

Essentially, it means that the game and story aren’t one-to-one copies of each other. League as a game is about creating awesome gameplay, while League as a story is about creating deep, vibrant characters and factions inhabiting an expansive world. We don’t want to limit story because of gameplay, just like we wouldn’t limit gameplay because of story – we want both of them (and all the other elements of League) to have the freedom to be as great as they possibly can be.

Source, under heading "Where We Are Today"

In other words, Summoners Rift and the game itself aren't necessarily canonical to the lore anymore, it's just a game based on the lore. There will be references to the lore in game, and the lore itself is based on the game that came first, but they are no longer "one-to-one copies of each other" or, in other words, tied together. That's what the retcon's goal was.

McAnnexNov 2, 201535 votes

Lack of in-game Harrowing content during Halloween has left such a bad taste in my mouth that I didn't even read this... no lie. Bat-o-lanterns aren't distinct from Halloween tradition and Santa Gragas has everything to do with X-mas traditions... I didn't event watch the world championship games, despite following the series to that point because of my disappointment. It was quite disheartening. I'm an adult and I'm not trying to whine here, but seriously... the anticipation was real and every day I was sure that something would be posted... you guys really dropped the ball on letting the Halloween hype wave pass by without in-game content. Please never schedule worlds during a time that everyone looks forward to in-game content and festivities. Thanks.

SutraNov 3, 20159 votes

I completely agree and left a similar comment on another board. I hope that Riot reads that one as well.

JasonWildBladeNov 4, 20157 votes

I thought Illaoi was gonna come out with a Halloween skin as her secondary skin and a Fight-The-Black-Mist gamemode (like the Bilgewater and Shurima event gamemodes). At the very least, maybe a small change to the new Summoner's Rift for Halloween like we used to have, but updated. We just got Zombies and Zombie Slayers though. I'm not even sure we got the usual skin sale...

MrRadoNov 2, 201529 votes

Burning Tides and Shadow and Fortune were both excellent to read and I'd say you achieved the goals you set forth here.

I would've loved to see some Nautilus love in there though!

I am KoopaTroopaNov 2, 20157 votes

Nautilus was the first lore i read and i really want to know what he's doing. But other then him i want to know if Gnar is a baby yordle or not cause thats what im calling him

Ravio the CowardNov 2, 201511 votes

He's a prehistoric creature from which Yordles are descended :p

DejhìnerateNov 2, 201513 votes

Just show us spooky skins

RiotTummersNov 3, 20158 votes

Spooky skins are coming, but it's a bit different this year. Here's the boards post explaining it: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/fPoi9TfZ-about-the-harrowing

Copy-paste:

Some of you have questions around the Harrowing this year, and we wanted to give you a quick update:

In October, we shared that the Harrowing (and other seasonal events) are changing. You can check out the PBE Boards post here (sorry we didn’t post it to the main Boards as well, our bad).

In short: We’re releasing Legacy skins from past Harrowing events later this week. Zombie / Slayer skins are also rolling out soon, so get those chainsaws ready. We wanted to get you in the mood with a dark and terrifying tale of the unliving, “Shadow and Fortune: A Harrowing Story,” as well as updated biographies for some of our Shadow Isles champions.

And if you’re wondering about Snowdown, we have some great stuff in our bag of goodies that’ll look a little different from what you’ve previously seen. So hold on for info on that, we’ll share more once we have all the details sorted out.

Hope that helps!

bluebreeze52Nov 2, 201513 votes

I'm still patiently waiting for more Illaoi information. This story got me excited for her.

SUIVIIVIERs BurrNov 2, 201513 votes

Curls into a ball in the corner of the room ;3; Harrowing...where are you..? It'll be thanksgiving by the time the event is released... HAPPY TURKEE DAII, here's some zombie skins filled with ooze and guts to keep your appetite in tact. .___.

RalanrNov 2, 201512 votes

Looking forward to how you tackle Mt. Targon. Pantheon needs some lore!

Though I am still curious as to why you chose Olaf . He worked well within the story (personal opinion) but why did you decide to have him there?

Garry PotterNov 2, 201512 votes

All the lore is really cool, but, I'm just sitting here waiting for the harrowing skins...

OokamiNoSoraNov 2, 20158 votes

I havent read this yet but im sure its great, but can you guys spend some acual time on the actual lore of champions and not just on these big stories. Like Im not trying to be a jerk but I used to love reading the lore and now I just dont anymore because its like 3 sentences of nothing. The old lore had depth was a few paragraphs long and was actually about the champion/and their life and why they joined league..im not even going to open that can of worms..

RiotAnt in OzNov 3, 20159 votes

Hi there!

We are looking to do stories and update bios. For the Harrowing, we wrote the Shadow and Fortune story, and write up some new bios for Shadow Isles champs. Check 'em out here! http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/site/shadow-and-fortune/index.html

Cheers!

spavinedNov 3, 20155 votes

hey there ant i would just like to point out it says battle cant, in the Hecarim no one lives section in the first paragraph instead of battle chant. http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/site/shadow-and-fortune/hecarim.html

RiotAnt in OzNov 3, 201511 votes

Hey there! Actually, 'battle cant' is intended - not a typo. "Cant: An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup." Battle cant, in this use, would refer to a kind of jargon/orders that can be used in battle that the enemy wouldn't understand. :)

Cheers!

spavinedNov 3, 20155 votes

ty i wasnt aware of that :D

F3stanieNov 2, 20157 votes

this is amazing! I loved that Olaf and Lucian got to show up and introduce themselves and that Lucian's epic story was continued.

I can't wait for stories set in Demacia and Noxus and seeing what those popular lore characters are actually up to ^_^

RiotTummersNov 3, 201512 votes

Olaf leaping off the bridge is my faave summoner 4

islandguy8762Nov 3, 20157 votes

thats like being on a losing streak and on 0lp then risking another match LOL item 3070

I am KoopaTroopaNov 2, 20154 votes

Do you think Rito will make something like this for every champion? This arc is really intresting though Clairvoyance

kaltenashesNov 2, 201510 votes

if i remember correctly, they are going to increase/remake (?) every character's lore... Gangplank MissFortune Graves TwistedFate already have they're lore update from the bilgewater event

Stars ShaperNov 2, 20154 votes

I must say that I didn't like how this was again a spotlight for Bilgewater champions + 2 guest stars instead of giving the idea that the dread and the evil of the SI is coming for the whole of Runeterra.

I didn't like how only half of the SI specters where displayed, while the absence of Kalista isn't hurting a lot (since she's bound to answer the call of vengeance rather then the Mist call) the fact that Mordekaiser wasn't there is a major disappointment. There could have been an entire chapter about how he and Olaf could spend the night fighting choosing between two endings: One could be that the spell cast from Illaoi banished Mordekaiser before then end fo the fight, the second that Mordekaiser himself let Olaf on the gorund but alive in order to mock Olaf about what he wanted for his death.

The story itself is good, but the lack of a themesong (that was there in the Bilgewater event instead) plus the absence of any ingame event made it a really underwhelming event. It feels like you guys have huge preferences about which characters deserve well written Lore/events and who doesn't.

FlameHalbrdOkidoNov 3, 201516 votes

"the fact that Mordekaiser wasn't there is a major disappointment."

I understand your disappointment, but you gotta remember from his knew lore that Mordekaiser is older than the Black Mist and the Shadow Isles, not only is he not connected to the Black Mist, but he believes him self to be above and more powerful.

Mordekaiser is a separate entity that only still inhabits SI because he finds it beneficial. Also his soul is bound to his Iron armor, whereas the Black Mist is full of insubstantial wraiths. He can't really follow them across the ocean.

"Mordekaiser has since carved out his own empire upon the Shadow Isles, enslaving a growing army of the dead. He looks down upon these newly formed undying spirits as a lesser breed, for he chose his path freely, while these others are merely lost souls. Nevertheless, he sees their use; they will be his foot-soldiers in the conflicts to come.

Unlike the lesser spirits, Mordekaiser is not bound by the Black Mist – he is too powerful for that – yet its baleful energy grants him considerable power. For now at least, the Shadow Isles serves as the perfect place to build his strength."

Mord is more likely to head for Noxus than Bilgewater, he has purposeful plans, he wouldn't march out to some backwater city for the sole purpose of killing and terrifying, it would appear that his goal is conquest.