The Underneath
The Underneath is intended to be a place of origin for several of my champion builds, including- thus far- Severeth, The Blade of the Underneath and the soon-to-come Aistirdad, The Bloody Recall.
The origin of the Underneath:
> Long ago, well before the modern societies of Runeterra formed, life was still abound, and- with it- blood. Unlike the more natural creatures that thrived on the crimson liquid, demons were born from it.
> The First, referred to by his title or by the name Berwajah, formed more than a millennia before humanity attained access to magic. At the time, all it- or he, as The First later took up the form of a man- knew was that blood meant survival and power.
> So it sought after it, wrenching it from the bodies of whatever it could.
> Unfortunately, at least in his eyes, this merely resulted in more demons to feed, as the pools of blood he'd created for himself spawned more like himself.
> A sort of pact, if you could call it that, was formed, calling for the demons to hold back- only taking what was needed to maintain their current power. In this way, their existence would last as long as possible.
> Eventually, though, man came to power, and they did not take kind to their people being slaughtered.
> Demon hunters, of various forms, set out to slay the demons. Though many failed- only to empower their targets- a few succeeded.
> Out of self preservation, the demons set about a new plan- becoming untargetable. Digging into the surface of Runeterra, well past the limits of those trapped within a mortal coil, they formed a new region.
> I suppose you would describe the overheated realm of demons Hell if you lacked imagination.
> They, however, called it the Underneath, and remained within those lands, only to return when blood soaked the earth.
The Demons:
> Numbering in the several thousands, the lmst'Aldam, or 'The Blood Touched', exist in a perfect democracy, but only in the sense that everyone has say in what happens. Since they are effectively incapable of harming one another, despite their powers, they have mostly managed to live together in the demonic equivalent of harmony.
> That doesn't mean there haven't been a few, shall we say, deserters. 'Iiblis wasn't the first to leave- far from it. He merely left a few years before the modern day. He, however, has been very busy.
> The Blood Touched have quite a few interesting abilities stemming from their nature. In particular, they can manipulate the properties of blood that isn't within a soulful body. The most important one, at least for their interaction with the Hisada- the reborn champions of the Blood Touched- is the ability to sacrifice their own power- their blood- for the sake of something living.
> A creature sustained by these powers is subject to the will of the demon who revives them, and they are frequently called to slaughter in their name. In this way, the demon can more than recover their powers without ever drawing the direct ire of the demon hunters.
> There are limitations, of course, but their blood manipulation can cover most of the Hisada's weaknesses. Black armor, made from the magically enriched iron in blood, covers their relatively weak durability, while the ability to channel the very same powers as the demons covers their offense.
> These powers include, but are not specifically limited to, their aforementioned blood manipulation and Hisada, control over shadows, the ability to manifest from blood, short distance teleportation, and free-flight. The Hisada can't quite use these as their creators can- in particular, the teleportation is nigh impossible- but it works well enough.
Philosophy of the Underneath:
> While the ordinary afterlife is unattainable to the demons themselves, the same holds true of the Hisada and those slain by them. Instead, they are relegated to crumbling away within the wretched land of the Underneath until they cease to exist entirely.
> Nihilism is common among these creatures and their spawn. After all, what purpose does reality hold if it's all going to vanish one day?
> While not technically correct, demons don't exactly have the philosophers necessary to tell them otherwise. Instead, they go about causing, encouraging, and reaping the harvest of death so as to survive a moment longer. Life is all that matters, and yours in particular.
> With that in mind, it's easy to tell why the Underneath isn't exactly a bright or happy place. For the most part, it's a sanctuary for demons to lie about amongst the cries of unfortunate souls while they await the next bloodbath.
Effects on the lore so far:
> There would only be a few real changes with the introduction of the Blood Touched and the Underneath thanks to their reclusive nature and selective version of the afterlife.
> One: Vayne and her ilk have another kind of demon to hunt, not that this actually means much since they're killed rather easily if cornered.
> Two: The origin of Hemomancy changes to people observing the powers of the Blood Touched and replicating them.
> Three: Undead soldiers, of a sort, become more well known around Ionia and Noxus, though Demacia still remains largely untouched thanks to Petricite inhibiting the Blood Touched's ability to manifest near blood, and thereby create Hisada.