So Bilgewater needs a Saviour, but who might it be?

Sharjo··46 votes·16,106 views

So Bilgewater's kinda screwed right now. Like super screwed. It's not even funny how screwed they are right now. Some of you may be asking yourself, why is that? Well allow me to give you a bit of context!

Bilgewater is located in the same sea as the Shadow Isles, and has been subject to some abuse from the land of the living dead in the form of the Harrowing. The Harrowing is an event that comes around every few years where the black mist reaches out across the sea from the Shadow Isles, carrying with it monstrous undead abominations. Now in the past these weren't of major concern to anyone, but in the last fifty years things have been heating up in ways no one in Bilgewater really wants.

Fifty years, ten harrowings, with each getting progressively further out in to the sea and coming ever closer to completely annihilating Bilgewater. To recap on how these events transpired, here's a link to “First Light after the Harrowing”, a bit of lore that was released following last year's night of terror.

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/news/game-updates/special-event/first-light-after-harrowing http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/2/2d/Black_Mist_Map.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141106011552

**DISCLAIMER: Now I'd like to elaborate on how this thing works because it's a bit unclear, but keep in mind this is how I personally understand this. I might have the wrong impression of how things are actually going on. **

As far as I can tell the Harrowings are listed in order of severity, ranked from the worst to the least impactful of the last fifty years, with the year denoting how long ago since the present day they have occurred. Now going by this, the last Harrowing was the tenth, with the three top Harrowings being separate parts of the same event:

Nautilus meets the Harrowing head on and stalls it, forcing its forces to split. Some go north and some go east. The forces that went north arrive at Smuggler's Cove and reap it completely, leaving no survivors. The forces that went east were met by a unified armada headed by Gangplank and Miss Fortune, who managed to somehow have negotiate a temporary armistice to protect Bilgewater. They repelled the Harrowing but at the cost of many, many lives.

Again, my interpretation might be wrong, and these might all be separate events occurring over the span of a few years, but regardless one thing remains the same: the last Harrowing was only repelled by a unified force of Bounty Hunters, Gangs and Pirates, headed by Bilgewater's most notable champions, and even then casualties were high. This year, things are different.

The aftermath of Burning Tides left Bilgewater in chaos. Gangplank was assumed dead, and his control over Bilgewater was lost. Gangs turned on each other and anarchy spread through the streets, which is something Miss Fortune definitely didn't expect. In Miss Fortune's quest for revenge she ultimately doomed the entirety of Bilgewater and the Blue Flame Isles.

With Gangplank having been deposed and chaos across the port town there's no one to unify the people, and the Harrowing's right around the corner. There's no united armada, no force to stand against the Shadow Isles; there may be no light after the Harrowing this time.

Three words my friends: Bilgewater. Is. Fucked.

Or is it? A few sly comments from Rioters have hinted towards a “saviour” of Bilgewater. Perhaps not a hero, perhaps not even intentionally being a saviour, but regardless someone will be there to intervene, to at least give the port town a fighting chance. Someone who can stem the fell tide.

But who?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4eYIuH6zXQ/VgR5pfbMj3I/AAAAAAAAGzE/76qMpA1esSE/s1600/Kindred_Splash_0.jpg Perhaps Kindred? Would they feel obligated to stop this corruption of life and death, or will they simply watch from the side lines?

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Gangplank_0.jpg http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/MissFortune_0.jpg Could Miss Fortune or Gangplank still rally Bilgewater? Doubtful considering the current situation, but a possibility right?

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Nautilus_0.jpg Nautilus stood against the Harrowing once before and seemed to be able to at least keep some of it at bay. Could be step in for a second time?

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Nami_0.jpg Perhaps it could be Nami? Could she perhaps call upon the seas themselves to protect Bilgewater, or perhaps coerce some mighty sea beasts to fight for their cause?

Or maybe someone else who hasn't even appeared yet? A new face, a new champion, perhaps something completely unexpected.

So I'd like to ask you all, who do you think could be Bilgewater's saviour? Will Bilgewater rally? Will the sea come to their aid? Will death itself come to stop the Harrowing, or something else entirely? Hell maybe there will be no saviour, or this “saviour” fails, leaving the port town to be destroyed! My money's on Nami, but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

EDIT: I'm blown away by the response, thanks for giving your thoughts guys, and also for reminding me of some important people I neglected to include! (Aatrox Bard Fizz TahmKench)

152 Comments

RiotBioluminescence39 votes

I can't answer this (obviously :) but I'll mention a thing I came up with the idea to make in a Foundations meeting some time last year - a Harrowing survival kit.

I haven't put one together yet, but I would imagine that in Bilgewater right now, sales would be high! Dodgy geezers on barges selling any old crap to the desperate and the superstitious in a weak attempt at staving off what's coming.

In my kit, I imagined:

  • A face scarf - either daubed with warding symbols, or made up to look like an undead, because "They don't attack their own."
  • A silver serpent coin, scratched with the Shadow Isles symbol - to be kept over your heart to pay for your soul to go to the true death place.
  • Shadow wood wards, or at least, that's what the hopemongers call those twine and twig trinkets, to be placed over every window.
  • A vial of deadsee, a vile tasting potion that is claimed to let you see the dead when the mists start rolling in. Might be poison.
  • A dead canary in a cage - you hang it at the lowest point of your home as an early warning system. If you hear it singing...
Sharjo6 votes

I like all of these things. Or maybe I shouldn't; that canary would give me the creeps!

A Superb Villain13 votes

I find it quite amusing the canary is likely the most legitimate aspect of the survival kit; if the Black Mist raises the dead and your "dead" canary starts squawking, you know it's time to get out of dodge.

Sharjo14 votes

I can imagine people sitting around a bar discussing ways to protect themselves from the Harrowing, and one old crazy guy just barks at them, and is like,

"You're all idiots! Charms? Wards? Scarves?! Hog-wash! What you do is ye get yerself a dead canary and lock it in a cage. Hang that there cage outside yer home and yer sorted."

Then someone asks,

"How's that supposed to help anyone you old coot?!"

Then he laughs and replies,

"When that dead canary gets up and starts a squakin', you pray to the ol' Bearded Lady and run for the hills!"

Solideus23 votes

Scarf-wearing, coin-scratching, wood-warding, deadsseing ghost-canary champion confirmed.

A Superb Villain26 votes

Swain?

DrCyanide17 votes

And thus Noxus's occupation of Bilgewater begins.

RiotRiot ShadowStorm13 votes

{quoted}

And thus Noxus's occupation of Bilgewater begins.

Which brings up an interesting question: If fighting off the Harrowing were to result in a Noxian occupation of Bilgewater... were they really saved?

Thales4 votes

I dunno. The Noxians strike me as relatively non-tyrannical, in the sense that they seem more concerned with being sure that they're in charge rather than actually executing their power. Swain and LeBlanc are certainly nasty people, but they're uncommonly nasty even by Noxus standards, and not necessarily going to remain in power indefinitely. Plus, they seem a fairly goal-oriented evil — I don't see them being the type to kill a bunch of people without what they feel is a good reason, or even to really care what the commoners are up to, provided it's not seditious. It's probably much less safe being in the court of Noxus than that of Demacia, but it's also probably freer for the average citizen. Basically, I can't see Noxus being in charge being much worse than Gangplank being in charge.

In contrast, the parts of the Shadow Isles that are in the Harrowing seem pretty much set on killing as many people as possible. It's unclear if they'd really wipe out Bilgewater if Bilgewater posed no resistance — shear the sheep many times, slaughter it only once — but they'd certainly cause a lot of damage. It's also not known just how bad joining Karthus's choir is, but even if it really is better than life for your typical Bilgewaterite, there's also Hecarim and Mordekaiser raiding, and they don't even pay lip (mandible?) service to taking people to a better place.

DrCyanide3 votes

Them being saved or not depends completely on how things are spun by the politicians and sold to the public.

The occupants of Bilgewater have their lives, increased trade with Noxus, additional employment options in the Noxian Fleet, increased rewards for attacking Demacian ships, and help rebuilding a port devastated by it's own internal struggles. In exchange, for a new figurehead who stays mostly out of their business, I can't see the occupants of Bilgewater being too disgruntled.

TerraRising5 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot ShadowStorm,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=718h7GgB,comment-id=00170001000100000001,timestamp=2015-09-25T20:21:55.970+0000)

Which brings up an interesting question: If fighting off the Harrowing were to result in a Noxian occupation of Bilgewater... were they really saved?

Better idea. Noxus saves Bilgewater and Demacia sends a group to combat them...

Let's say... Garen, Quinn, Malphite and, somehow, Aatrox.

Nah, that's too farfetched for Riot.

Hellioning4 votes

Yes.

I mean, I'm sure the people of Bilgewater would rather be subjects to a living government than a dead one. At least they might eventually break away from Noxus; they don't really have a choice if they become thralls of the shadows.

SpecterVonBaren2 votes

Hhm....

Spartans?.... or the Army of the Dead? Who would I rather rule me..... Hhhmmm.....

Hail Swain!

Ralanr7 votes

That dead canary is just brilliant.

KitsuneKrash2 votes

Honestly, I like that most of Bioluminescence's Harrowing survival kit has obvious references to a number of champs that have good reason to stop the Harrowing. Mind that some of the info I'm using is taken from the wiki, so grain of salt on how accurate parts are.

  • A face scarf - either daubed with warding symbols, or made up to look like an undead, because "They don't attack their own."
  • A silver serpent coin, scratched with the Shadow Isles symbol - to be kept over your heart to pay for your soul to go to the true death place.
  • Shadow wood wards, or at least, that's what the hopemongers call those twine and twig trinkets, to be placed over every window.
  • A vial of deadsee, a vile tasting potion that is claimed to let you see the dead when the mists start rolling in. Might be poison.
  • A dead canary in a cage - you hang it at the lowest point of your home as an early warning system. If you hear it singing...

Face scarf is obviously Malzahar - Currently, Malzahar performs rituals with his followers to sacrifice humans to the Void. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a sacrifice requires people to be alive in order to sacrifice.

Silver Serpent coin is likely Gangplank or MissFortune Feel free to place bets on which it'll be.

Shadow wood ward is definitely Maokai unless there's another tree-based champ from Shadow Isles hanging around

Vial of deadsee, Might be poison... Twitch Cassiopeia Teemo Singed all use poison. Obviously Teemo is the most likely, but it could be a 'red herring'

Dead canary in a cage - Only champ that a cage would refer to is Thresh , which would easily lead over to Lucian given their connection.

RiotBioluminescence5 votes

{quoted}

Honestly, I like that most of Bioluminescence's Harrowing survival kit has obvious references to a number of champs that have good reason to stop the Harrowing. Mind that some of the info I'm using is taken from the wiki, so grain of salt on how accurate parts are.

I feel like I was just witness to Batman working through a classic Riddler conundrum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXKYQvP0zQ0

Keagn2 votes

{quoted}

I can't answer this (obviously :) but I'll mention a thing I came up with the idea to make in a Foundations meeting some time last year - a Harrowing survival kit.

I haven't put one together yet, but I would imagine that in Bilgewater right now, sales would be high! Dodgy geezers on barges selling any old crap to the desperate and the superstitious in a weak attempt at staving off what's coming.

In my kit, I imagined:

  • A face scarf - either daubed with warding symbols, or made up to look like an undead, because "They don't attack their own."
  • A silver serpent coin, scratched with the Shadow Isles symbol - to be kept over your heart to pay for your soul to go to the true death place.
  • Shadow wood wards, or at least, that's what the hopemongers call those twine and twig trinkets, to be placed over every window.
  • A vial of deadsee, a vile tasting potion that is claimed to let you see the dead when the mists start rolling in. Might be poison.
  • A dead canary in a cage - you hang it at the lowest point of your home as an early warning system. If you hear it singing...

Bio...there's something deeply disturbing and profoundly epic with what you just described...

...I'll take two.

Blade of Justic16 votes

Y'know... I just realized that GP and MF pretty much just switched spots.

Now GP is hunting MF for revenge.

KING OF MASKS7 votes

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two Graves.

Hello I am Bird5 votes

Perhaps they will meet again, knowing their TwistedFates

Remlap12235 votes

Their lives have just been full of MissFortune.

A Superb Villain4 votes

But they always come strutting safely down the Gangplank in the end.

VulcanIsHere4 votes

Attempt to make Nautilus pun, put it's naut as easy as you think (I tried)

GanguroLoli15 votes

Id vote for Aatrox . his lore is all about turning the tide of unwinnable battles. Whatever ragtag militia MF could round up isn't going to be enough knowing that even when allied with GP and a non-rioting force, the fog was just barely defeated. Plus aatrox needs some love, he hasn't been getting much lately.

Pyrodinium4 votes

Meddler talked recently about how this year was called "The Year of the Myth" internally.

We had Bard, Tahm Kench and now Kindred, as well as expanded lore on the Shuriman Ascendants.

Maybe we'll also see one of Runeterra's oldest mythical figures make a glorious comeback.

Chicken4dinner1 votes

{quoted}

Meddler talked recently about how this year was called "The Year of the Myth" internally.

We had Bard, Tahm Kench and now Kindred, as well as expanded lore on the Shuriman Ascendants.

Maybe we'll also see one of Runeterra's oldest mythical figures make a glorious comeback.

Don't forget ekko

Pyrodinium8 votes

Ekko is not a mythic figure.

Ironclad Dragon12 votes

Secret Option: Tahm evacuates the entirety of Bilgewater to the mainland.

TahmKench You all owe me big time.

Starfish H10 votes

Tarics getting a rework so it might be him. He can stop them with his dazzling gems. Taric

DwarvenGiant9 votes

I suspect that Lucian may start hunting undead in Bilgewater, during the upcoming Harrowing. I mean, it's a good place to start, and the undead are a really big threat for Bilgewater so I'm quite sure that he'll be glad to help them and join the fight. It's also somewhat close to the Isles themselves, so if he ever wanted to go on a hunt for more undead, in the Shadow Isles, he could get there pretty quick, as long as nothing will be standing in his way.

Lucian** I vote Lucian.**

I wonder if Maokai will be willing to ever join Lucian as they have a similar goal, and/or maybe even join Bilgewater in the fight against the Shadow Isles during one of the next Harrowings. I don't think that Maokai will go to Bilgewater by himself though- Only if he'll become Lucian's partner and Lucian will want to go to Bilgewater.

EDIT: I'm not sure about Tahm Kench. Maybe Aatrox would help? Bilgewater need a great general, after all, since GP is still somewhat recovering.

I feel like Miss Fortune will be worse than Gangplank and she wouldn't even realize.

Pale Pirate9 votes

Gangplank Fuck this. Miss fortune, I hate you, I don't care what happens to me but I just want you dead. Kalista, as I put this sword in me, take me and carry out my revenge! Kalista Lovely. Now let's kill Fortune.

Days later

Kalista Phew, that was hard! Took me a long time to kill that stupid pirate on high heels and her crew. Kalista ... Wait, the harrowing has already ended?! Aw, I got so busy killing Fortune that I missed my favorite event of the year... And our forces didn't do shit without me. Just great. Now I'll have to wait another fucking decade.

This is the 100% officially confirmed way Bilgewater will get saved.

GreenLore6 votes

Only problem with that is that MF never betrayed GP,so I doubt kalista would help him......though she'd definetly help TF or Graves if they were angry at Miss fortune since she did trick them and almost killed them too when she bombed GPs ship.

LaoBushido8 votes

Helmet bro?

Doctor Dyment8 votes

My question is HOW exactly Nautilus fought off the brunt of the Harrowing's force by himself. I want to see THAT shit in a cinematic.

WarchfGinger3 votes

Maybe he absorbed it....

Whatever that black stuff is in Nautilus s lore could very well be old remnants of earlier corruption

that may be how he did it

Baron of Bread5 votes

Bard bong

Pale Pirate11 votes

In his cinematic he didn't give a single fuck about the innocents, he just saved the artifact, lol. If he is the one to protect bilgewater, you can rest assured that bilgewater is screwed.

Chicken4dinner4 votes

{quoted}

In his cinematic he didn't give a single fuck about the innocents, he just saved the artifact, lol. If he is the one to protect bilgewater, you can rest assured that bilgewater is screwed.

Actually that interpretation you gave is not entirely true, he cares about the natural balance of things and anything threatening to upset it (noxian invasion to steal artefact of immense power, unstoppable forces of undead wiping out the entire populace of a major port city) which will mean his intervention like the name of his ult will be a major stopping point for the threat to the balance of the universe

GenoXx2 votes

He did not stop the Shadow Isles from becoming what they are now. And there was kingdom on them

Kjarik6 votes

Probably becuase he wasn't released back then

BattleBalladeer4 votes

Nothing - They're screwed!

Too funny to not vote for.

HayRoss4 votes

Fizz saved Bilgewater from a dragon once in his lore. So he might be it.

And while we're at it, let's just call Teemo Mother Teresa

Jeddy0174 votes

I say Batman.

Meep Man2 votes

A face scarf - either daubed with warding symbols, or made up to look like an undead, because "They don't attack their own." A silver serpent coin, scratched with the Shadow Isles symbol - to be kept over your heart to pay for your soul to go to the true death place. Shadow wood wards, or at least, that's what the hopemongers call those twine and twig trinkets, to be placed over every window. A vial of deadsee, a vile tasting potion that is claimed to let you see the dead when the mists start rolling in. Might be poison. A dead canary in a cage - you hang it at the lowest point of your home as an early warning system. If you hear it singing...

Based on what the red said, these each contain a clue on what champion will be their savior. So, lets dig into this.

A face scarf

There is two things to look at here. The scarf itself and the quote "They dont attack their own." Lets see here... Champions with a Scarf: Ekko Garen Malzahar Varus None of these seem likely, so I think the main thing to look at is the quote of "They dont attack their own." So, who is an undead who could turn on their own? Well, for any reason... Kalista Mordekaiser Yorick Kalista could be put into a pact to take down this year's Harrowing. Mordekaiser has been stated SEVERAL times that he works for his own gain so I wouldnt be surprised if he for some reason turned. Yorick is seeking freedom from the undead curse by "paying his due". He could use this to turn on the Isles. There is also the possibility that Nautilus or Fiddlesticks could be the one here since Nautilus is definitely deeply modified and possibly undead after drowning into the black waters of the Harrowing. Fiddlesticks might also get a VU this Harrowing to explain why he would turn. Come to think of it, Fiddlesticks also has a scarf... hmmmmmm...

A silver serpent coin, scratched with the Shadow Isles symbol

This is symbolism no doubt. Everything about this screams Nautilus to me. A silver serpent coin, symbolizing that Nautilus was once a man from Bilgewater. Scratched with the Shadow Isles symbol, he was corrupted by the Harrowing.

Shadow wood wards

This no doubt is Maokai . Shadow wood wards, that is Maokai. He was a forest spirit in the Shadow Isles who possessed a tree there as it was dying, do doubt becoming what seems to be called Shadow Wood.

A vial of deadsee

This is a bit of a tricky one. Deadsee makes me think of Nautilus because he "died at sea". However, I doubt this is what it is. I think the main thing here is see the dead, which, for some reason, makes me think of Kindred.

A dead canary in a cage

Symbolizing Lucian . His wife is caged in the lantern. Dead canary in a cage. This one was too easy. Of course, it might also be, as mentioned before, Nautilus since he is possibly, as said, undead and trapped in his cage, or diving suit. It could also be Fiddlesticks since a dead canary is a bird and Fiddlesticks controls... crows? Long shot on that one but still.

RiotBioluminescence8 votes

[{quoted}](name=Inept Maverick,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=718h7GgB,comment-id=0034,timestamp=2015-09-26T20:14:51.567+0000)

Based on what the red said, these each contain a clue on what champion will be their savior. So, lets dig into this.

Whoah there. I literally said I couldn't answer it, and clues and coyness is sternly looked upon at Riot (because players are too darned intelligent to be tripped up by any puzzles for more than 30 seconds!). I was not trying to give clues for anything - I was being as plain as my words. I thought a Harrowing Survival Kit would be fun, and it was an unrelated idea I had over a year ago.

Sorry for disappointing any sleuths amongst you. Believe me, if I were allowed to construct arch brain-teasers giving people sneak peeks into the future, I'd be aaaaaaaaaall over it.

tl;dr - My post was not a puzzle. Sorry :(

Sharjo2 votes

The survival kit was cool though, I feel like it should just be a part of the lore right now if it isn't already.

Chortle2 votes

"My post was not a puzzle"

hrmm

scramble the letters up and it clearly spells out

Malz won't stop!

boom. mystery solved

RiotBioluminescence10 votes

{quoted}

"My post was not a puzzle"

hrmm

scramble the letters up and it clearly spells out

Malz won't stop!

boom. mystery solved

Pff. Weak sauce - not even the same number of letters. You could have had:

  • "My son waltzes up topaz"
  • "Malz spawns ooze putty"
  • "Tap my two Sona puzzles"
  • "A snazzy supp owl totem"

Illuminati dissapoint ;)

Chortle5 votes

damn, I got rekt

my illuminati leaders will not be pleased

Decrit2 votes

ehm, nope. Please don' t take for gold what Bio says for speculation fun and use it on everything. I would really like her to keep doing these fun things without being afraid to pull out some weird expectations :\

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