The Shadow Isles, the Ruined King, and Kalista

Bouffon dAnglais·Nov 15, 2014·7 votes·3,456 views

I wonder.

Kalista has several quotes when buying Blade of the Ruined King: "Once, he was a noble king, until grief overcame his reason." "In the end, it was not his blade that stole our lives."

Which made me think- Maybe the reason the Ruined King broke the barrier between Life and Death was not to forge an army of undead, but to bring back a loved one? And maybe Mordekaiser, who is "a being of pure, living agony on a mysterious dread quest" was sent to find out how to break the barrier? Maybe it went horribly wrong and the Shadow Isles became what we know them today?

10 Comments

Desmond LawNov 15, 20144 votes

Morde=death kaiser= king Mordekaiser = King of Death or Death King

Is he the Ruined King?

AtomrewlerNov 20, 20141 votes

That is not 100% correct. A Kaiser is a noble but above a king. Morde is not a real german word. It comes either from "Mord" which is the act of murdering or "Mörder" which is the commiting person.

GenoXxNov 17, 20142 votes

I just love how people dismiss my theories until someone else brings a simular theory

LordHippomanNov 15, 20141 votes

You know, I've kinda been thinking about that for a while, and along with this quote from the Kalista AMA (Thanks, S@20)

if she knew the Ruined King: "Oh, yes... She definitely knew him."

Maybe Kalista is our Ruined Queen? Something goes wrong, she's betrayed by a trusted ally of the King (Hecarim, perhaps?), and his obsession with bringing her back and perhaps getting revenge is what screws up the Isles? Lots of conjecture, but eh.

A Superb VillainNov 15, 20146 votes

I honestly do not believe Kalista is the Ruined Queen. Typically, though in fiction this is rarely the case, royalty are not on the front-lines leading a battle, unless they are gods/demigods, in which all bets are off. Kalista looks armed and ready for a fight, her armor is simple, something good for mass production, rather than ceremonial. Compare and contrast the armor of Azir against someone like Helmet Bro. If anything, she was part of the Shadow Isles standing military, perhaps even in an important position within its hierarchy.

Heck, she might have been among the King's personal guard, alongside Hecarim, who carried out his King's will to the letter, despite this leading to the Shadow Isles' doom. Hence, Kalista's accusation of betrayal; Hecarim's blind loyalty ironically facilitated the fall of the Ruined King.

For me, I would not be surprised if the Ruined King looked for a way to open the divide between life and death for the sake of a loved one, whether it be for a wife, son, daughter, or sibling. And Mordekaiser, being the first undead, helped him discover the means to do so, but took advantage of the King's trust, twisting whatever ritual was performed to spread death, rather than opening the way to it. He manipulated Hecarim into believing all was according to his King's will, his deception only being apparent once the Black Mist covered the isles with death and decay, and by then, it was too late.

Bouffon dAnglaisNov 16, 20141 votes

So you're saying the true betrayer is Mordekaiser? But why would he do that? What did he earn in breaking the barrier between Life and Death and spreading death all over the Isles?

#THEORY STARTS HERE Perhaps he was jealous of the King's throne? And once said loved one died, there was no one to continue the King's bloodline (Which would then suggest that this loved one isn't the Queen nor a sibling, but a son or a daughter), so Mordekaiser wanted to take the throne?

What do you think?

JunkοNov 16, 20141 votes

Altar quote when playing Hecarim: "Mordekaiser is not to be trusted Hecarim!"

Also from his old lore: "Many think that the armor around him protects him, but i fear, for the time being, it actually protects US" Also another line from the lore says that he is making an undead army with his ultimate.

So i think Mordekaiser was forced to serve the ruined king, and possibly had something to do with his downfall, which caused him to be cursed with the armor he has now to restrain his power. And now that the ruined king is gone, he is making an army so he can take the throne himself.

Serith VastyneNov 15, 20141 votes

It sounds like that Kalista was trying to stop the ritual from happening, but was betrayed by someone she trusted and killed with the three trademark spears in her back. The Ruined King was probably so blinded by grief to bring back whoever he lost that he was willing to allow his advisors/military leaders to die, but then he lost his entire kingdom as a result.

GreenLoreNov 15, 20141 votes

I also think that the ruined king was hoping to bring someone back who was dear to him and that he cursed the land,hoping to bring back said loved one. But i doubt that kalista was his queen,she was most likely one of his higher ranking officers(or maybe a royal guard)

Chromatic EagleNov 16, 20141 votes

I'm pretty sure those altar spirits are the King and Queen of the lands. The King seems to enjoy death, while the Queen hates it. Also Mordekaiser seems to predate the SI's corruption.