Ixtal and what lies beyond of known Runeterra

#####Ixtal and what lies beyond of the known parts of Runeterra

Hey everyone, in this thread I want to address what we know about the new jungle-based faction of Ixtal and what that means for other important points of the lore, especially the question where humanity came from and how it spread over Runeterra. As always, I could not have collected this information without our Lore Discord Server. Come join if you want to chat about canon lore or theories you have!

[slayer-jinx-catface]

   

####Ixtal and Ixaocan

In case you missed it or simply don't want to open it again, here is a short summary of Ixtalian history from the Region Page: The Ixtali came to be as part of a great westward diaspora that also gave rise to the Buhru, Helia and the Blessed Isles, and the ascetics of Targon. It is unclear where the humans came from: It's possible they came from further east or originated in Ionia (the first lands). I would go with the thesis that humanity first came to be in Ionia, which would fit with the rich, unexplored history of Ionia and the origins of the Vastaya. (There is an explanation on the Vastaya Race Page but it mentions the Great Void War, which is no longer canon.)

Ixtal then joined the Shuriman empire, as one of the first independent nations. This does not look like they were conquered, but joined voluntarily. Ixtal also supplied Shurima with magical knowledge and helped them with the creation of the first sun-disc. (the plans were from Targon, but Ixtal was probably involved in the construction.) Furthermore, it is not unlikely that the magical Shuriman weapons (which can be seen in Where Icathia once stood for example) are designed and/or built by Ixtalians. Following the war against Icathia and the Void War that followed, Ixtal retreated into the jungle and distanced themselves from Shurima, building up their defense in the jungle and using the wilderness as a shield. This is how they survived the Darkin Wars, the Ruination of the Blessed Isles and the Rune Wars. How they think of everyone else now and how well known they are will probably be answered in Qiana's Color Story in 2 weeks.

Terminology: It is not exactly clear what the difference between Ixtal and Ixaocan is, but it seems Ixaocan is a part of the larger Ixtal. Ixaocan might denote the whole civilization or just one arcology, maybe the capital? I later found out via Twitter that Ixaocan is the last remaining city of the Ixtal civilization.

   

##Connections

Ixtals lore brings us a lot of clarification and connections to other civilizations:

• ~~Helia, Buhru, Targon and Ixtal ~~ Ixtal connects all of these to a single origin: A mass migration of men from the east, presumably Ionia. Freljord and Valoran were colonized before; according to Ivern's Biography which at least notes Iceborn in the Freljord. That means all advanced civilizations, including the newly-revealed Ixtal, have the same roots. I'll explain more in the section about the mass migration.

• Shurima and the Sun Disk Ixtal is noted to be build on magical "ley lines". ("The arcologies are connected by intersecting lines of power", Ixtal Region Page again.) This explains their magical proficiency and being attuned to elemental magic (where Ionia is more focused on the Spiritual side and Targon on the Celestial side.) This also implies that they are perfect craftsmen, being able to shape almost all materials to their will. This can be observed in the perfect form of their cities and it's also the reason Shurima needed their help to forge the sundisc that channels the celestial power of the sun into something material and elemental. The question that remains is why would they join the Shuriman empire? Being an advanced society, I can see the Ixtali being able, but unwilling to defend themself. Why would they wage war against the Shurimans when they can be friends? They enjoyed the protection of the empire, probably for the relatively small prize of taxes and the promise to use their magic for the good of the empire. But when the empire showed it can no longer protect them, they took the matters in their own hands, and relied on natural instead of human protection.

• Taliyah and the Thaumaturges Before, Taliyahs unusual stone weaving powers were attributed to her being born close to Icathia, renowned for their earth-mages (or thaumaturges), but now another possibility opened up: Her powers can be based on Ixtalian origins as well. Either her ancestors stayed in Shurima when Ixtal left, she is connected to the previously mentioned magical line for stone, or she is connected to the Icathians, which in turn got their knowledge from Ixtalians. (We know both of them were a part the empire, but Icathia didn't take it as well as Ixtal.)

• Yvva and the dragons Elemental Dragons are back! Before, it was kind of unclear where a random-ass dragon mother comes from, but Ixtal introduces dragons on the Shuriman continent. They were last part of the great conflicts (Void War and Rune Wars), but since then retreated into the jungles like other Ixtalians. They prefer to be left alone and show some level of intelligence, after all they joined the fight against an enemy that would unmake the whole world. Furthermore, it is obvious that the elemental connection of the dragons comes from the ley lines as well. Based on this and the fact that Yvva chose a lost volcano as her nest, we can deduce that Yvva probably was a Fire-Dragon (Infernal).

• Twin Dawns It's possible that this bit in Twin Dawns describes Ixtal as well:

The few more advanced life forms–and I use that description loosely–gaze up and jot down my coordinates in scientific almanacs instead of using me as prophecy fodder. It’s mildly refreshing, but even their developing notions of intellect seems to indicate I am a regularly appearing phenomenon with a predictable orbit. Oh, the feats they could accomplish if only… Well, no use dwelling on the wasted potential of the simple-minded terrestrial born. It’s not entirely their fault. Evolution does seem to have a difficult time gaining traction on this world.

To be fair, that sounds more like the Blessed Isles instead of Ixtal, but I'll include it for the sake of completeness. Twin Dawns needs an update anyway, so we can't really rely on it being accurate. It's not even clear if Riot thought of Ixtal at the time it was written.

   

######Conclusions on the migration of humans and timeline stuff

This is just my theory on the migration of mankind in Runeterra. It's based on the assumption that human life first emerged in Ionia, but as I already said it's possible it came from the east too. I also added some important timeline bits, most of which are confirmed, especially the more recent ones. All of this is put together with tweets from Scathlocke and a nice amount of speculation from me. (Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5, and others)

• The first humans settled in the first lands, which are Ionia. These lands are fertile and rich with magic, so it seems perfect. However, there are spiritual shapeshifting beings, the Vastayashai’rei, which have a deep connection with nature. They eventually produced the Vastaya, which have both human and animalistic features. (First humans: 10.000 years ago? Oldest thing relevant to the lore)
• Ionia is relatively small compared to other factions, and so when they require more space, some settlers leave for the west and colonialize Valoran. This presumably happens before Shurima is colonialized because Valoran is simply closer. The settlers are organized in tribes and form the first Freljordian Empire, while other tribes roam southern Valoran, including the Noxii, which will much later found Noxus. (War of the three sisters, 8000 to 7000 years ago?)
• Some conflict in Ionia ends with another mass emigration, this time towards the southern continent of Shurima and the eastern isles. This is just speculation from my side, but I assume the Vastaya and Vastayashai'rei were the cause of this conflict. We don't even know if it was sparked by conflict, but there were conflicts in Ionia, so it makes sense, especially on the large scale that is implied.
• From east to west, the following settlements or cultures are founded: Helia, Buhru, Ixtal, Shurima, Targon. (Discovery of Targon, 6500 years ago?)
• Icathia and Oshra Va’Zaun are populated (probably with Shuriman origins) and the civilizations grow, filling most of the available space. (Above includes heavy speculation, but I'll list some confirmed dates to give a better perspective)
• Shuriman empire rises to power and creates the first Sundisc and the first Ascended (with the help of Ixtal, 6000 years ago)
• Icathian rebellion and the Void War, Ixtal presumably retreats into the jungle (3500 years ago)
• Azir's failed Ascension and the Fall of Shurima (3000 years ago)
• Darkin Wars (ended 1400 years ago)
• Mordekaisers second reign (between 1400 and 1000 years ago)
• The Ruination of the Blessed Isles and the following Rune Wars (ended 1000 years ago)

   

#~~Other interesting bits: ~~

These are some other mentions of people from outside of the known world. Remember that the map we know is actually just around 1/6 of Runeterra, so there might be even more civilizations that are hidden. It's not impossible people went east or south from Ionia. Maybe some people also fled west from Valoran, especially at the time of the Rune Wars?

• The attackers from Renekton's Bio: This paragraph of Renektons biography mentions invaders from the south. While it could be pirates looking to plunder the city, it seems more like an actual attack. We know it can't be Icathia either, because at this point of time, Icathia is already defeated and part of the empire, before their uprising. The most logical explanation is that a nation from the south tried to test the strength of Shurima, but was beaten so viciously that they don't dare to attack again.

Renekton earned the title Gatekeeper of Shurima after fighting a desperate battle in one of the mountain passes bordering Shurima. An invading force had landed on the south coast, striking toward the isolated city of Zuretta. If it was not halted, the city was certain to be razed, and its populace massacred. Outnumbered ten to one, Renekton and a small contingent faced these aggressors, determined to buy time for the city to be evacuated. It was a battle that none expected Renekton to survive, let alone win. He held the pass for a day and a night, long enough for a relief force led by Nasus to arrive. With barely a handful of warriors left standing, none uninjured, Renekton was hailed a hero.

   

• Neeko and the Oovi-Kat Here we know of Vastaya that live outside of the mapped world, so it's not too far of a stretch that humans can go there too.

Neeko was born on a remote and largely unknown island, far to the east, where the last members of an ancient vastayan tribe remained isolated from the rest of the world. They were called the Oovi-Kat, and could trace their lineage generation by generation back to the legendary Vastayashai’rei—the ancestors of all vastaya.

   

• Baron Saita Takeda This can be found in the Chem-Barons section under Zaun on the map. He claims lineage from a distant (unnamed) land. This could be Ionia or some other land. However, we already know of people with Ionian heritage in Zaun (Mama Elodie from City of Iron and Glass, also Sona and Xin Zhao in Demacia) so it does not make sense to not have Ionia named. This could hint that he indeed is from an unknown land, possibly in the east or south. Or maybe he just made up the whole story to make himself look better - who knows?

Takeda has made no secret of his disdain for his fellow chem-barons. Claiming lineage from an exiled caste of warriors from a distant land, he has plans far beyond his own territories and interests.

   

• Kalista, Hecarim and the Ruined King While it's not confirmed that the Ruined King's Kingdom lies outside of Valoran, it's very likely: A "King of an empire that none now recall".

Born into an empire long since gone to dust and forgotten, Hecarim was a lieutenant of the Iron Order—a brotherhood sworn to defend their king’s lands.

 

In life, Kalista was a proud general, niece to the king of an empire that none now recall. She lived by a strict code of honor, serving the throne with utmost loyalty. The king had many enemies, and when they sent an assassin to slay him, it was Kalista’s vigilance that averted disaster.

   

So? What do you think lies west of Westeros Runeterra?