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Exploring Icathia - The Lost City and some Void theories (no tl;dr)

Onkel Malte·5/6/2017, 5:45:00 PM·39 votes·13,732 views

Greetings dear boards people,

So Shurima’s lore and map has already been explored, but I was missing something very special, because this place heavily connects to another unexplored region on the universe site:

##Icathia Recently I’ve had some thoughts, and wanted to share them with you all, also theorising a few things about the Void and Icathia.

I hope this can open a discussion at the very least, so I can get some further thoughts on the topics. This might be a bit hard to read because there’s a lot of crazy theory in here and I am quite creative with facts and non-facts so please correct me if I'm wrong or gimme something new to think about. Also I'm not a native English speaker so my language might reach its limitations and you could find some MINOR mistakes, please correct me if I did something terribly wrong.

https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/e/ec/Void_Icathia.png/revision/latest?cb=20170428041642

EDIT: Added a community made map, and corrected my text.

Alright, so first thing:

##Icathia's Location Icathia – also called the lost city, is a city in the Shuriman desert. Thanks to a map from a community member, LostFrost, theres even a provisional map where it lies. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/612ac6e9b4987ab854d5e5f66a394b188077237088cf4c5bb32eeeb9ee5c0a5d.jpg It is located somewhere southeast of Shurima's capital probably near a mountain range as the inspiraton for Icathia was a city carved in stone. Taliyah story also states she was was born in the foothills of Icathia further indicating a mountain near it.

##Icathia's Origins Antlantis comes to mind when talking about a lost city, which is often a term that connects to very powerful and magical places. Icathia was heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s tale about a city called Iram of the pillars, which was based on the tale One Thousand and One Nights. Lovecraft's story features an author that finds the lost city and writes a book about dark magic the so-called MorelloNecronomicon. This character was also the inspiration for our favorite void prophet Malzahar. The author described the city as huge with lofty pillars and with a paradise garden, probably alluding to the hanging gardens of Babylon which also implies that it was an oasis. The author also describes the city to be carved into a mountain, which further indicates that Icathia was at a mountain range.

I still wonder who the people of the Icathia were and if they really meddled with dark magic, before the void came to the city. However the city seemed to be at war with Shurima at least once, and probably was defeated due to the fact that Renekton took the weapon of an Icathain warrior King.

##Related Champions

There are several champions and characters that are connected to Icathia. However, some of the lore is severely outdated.

  • Tyrus – The teacher of Ryze and the reason for Icathia’s demise by using 2 world runes.

  • Kassadin – was probably and explorer of some kind and was imbued with voidish power upon finding the city

  • Malzahar – being called by higher power he was the first to discover Icathia and left though he succumbed to the void’s power and now serve’s it

  • Jax – was living in Icathia when it was still a peaceful city, however his appearance seems to be altered by the influences of the void.

  • Taliyah – was born near Icathia

  • Voidborn - All voidborn champions probably entered Valoran through a portal in Icathia. Special to mention that Kog’Maw was brought by Malzahar personally, and Vel’Koz probably created a portal on his own, as his story starts in Urtistan.

  • The entity - A monstrous and powerful intelligent being that also called Malzahar

    • (Ryze) – came there to find his old master, killed him there and took the 2 runes from his possession, and also is a protector of valoran

##Theory Before I come to the several Champions listed above I wanted to show you the base of a lot of my speculations in the following texts. An explanation why the void is so present in Icathia.

The Universe article of the Void also states that it consumes biomass, as if it were a sentient being.

One idea was that either the teased entity corrupts, consumes, converts or whatever you want to call it, everything through void portals/rifts. However in the case of Icathia a different theory one seemed more logical to me. Since the World Runes are said to be the tools that created Runeterra there could also exist Void Runes, who were the creation tools for the void.

This is the void icon https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/d/db/Void_Crest_icon.png/revision/latest?cb=20161117174852

As you might have noticed the void has a few connections:

  • Malzahar’s Voidlings eyes and his new hoodie
  • Vel’Koz number of tentacles and passive stacks above
  • Both crests
  • Kha’Zix evolutions

The void has a lot to do with the number four3 (sorry Jhin mains). Which led me to a part where I missed this number, and that was when Ryze found Tyrus after he destroyed the city with 2 runes.

Here comes the question:
#What if Icathia had 3 world runes?

Runic power or the existence of a Void Rune(or void corrupted World Rune) could explain a lot that happened around Icathia. Also this is the Icathian crest: https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/9/98/Icathia_Crest.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140705084628 and hit me if I'm wrong but to me it looks like the crest contains of three runes

For example:

  • The corruption of Malzahar through a rune
  • The mutation of Jax through constant exposure to their magical power.
  • The powers of Taliyah that was born near the city.
  • Kassadin’s passive void stone might be a rune
  • Tyrus previous intnt to protect by using the runes against the Void or a corrupted Malzahar.
  • The thriving life without water in the middle of a desert

##JaxJax As far as the lore updates go Jax is the only konwn individual from Icathia that is still alive. The cataclysm might have mutated him after he survived it, or he might have transformed before and that was the reason he survived in the first place. Or he could have left because he was transformed, even before the incident. The mutation increased his lifespan considerably but did not grant him magical powers as the void did to Malzahar and Kassadin

“Jax sighed; to see a realm at peace made him homesick for a land that no longer existed. He shook off the chill of memory, knowing thoughts of Icathia would only distract him.”

Malzahar Malzahar

Malzahar’s first interaction with a Champion in ages is with Ryze who can taunt him:

"Hey, you're the one who summons bloodthirsty Void creatures, right? Yeah, brilliant work, good thinking."

He doesn’t say anything lore related, but it seems he dislikes Malzahar for obvious reasons, maybe even especially for being from Icathia. It's just a theory but since Icathia is a city in the Shuriman desert I thought it would belong to the empire all along. making Malzahar a possible inhabitant.

Anyhow, Malzahar was born a seer not a mage. That means he was probably aware of magical energy and could see into the future by channeling this energy, which probably made him susceptible to greater powers especially void energy. I think the entity could have corrupted him but if his powers would come from a world rune which corrupted him seemed more likely to me.

##KassadinKassadin Probably an explorer or seeker of knowledge Kassadin searched through books and all possible history he could find and came to Icathia in his lore, but it never is specified how he resisted the Void. Maybe Kassadin was a powerful mage already and sealed void power in a stone (Passive: Void Stone) so he could use it to protect. I would also suspect that he is from Icathian origin as all 3 Champs seem to cover their face, probably because they mutated somehow.

##TaliyahTaliyah Born in the shadows of the city and raised around the lands of Icathia the remains of runic power might have awoken the special magic that resides in Taliyah. As it seems Icathia always is connected with magic even after the city's downfall

#The Entity

and the VoidbornChogath Khazix KogMaw RekSai

All voidborn besides Vel'Koz (who presumably entered near Urtistan) are said to come from Icathia through a portal and also all Void-influenced ones received there power there.

But let's get to talk about the entity shortly. Aurelion Sol's the only champion that ever made contact with the entity through a rift and his description is quite interesting.

>a will... hungry and indomitable, and far from the typical mindlessness I'm accustomed to from these Voidborn aberrations. The pulsating wound on reality yawns and buckles, distorting and warping all it touches. Whatever exists on the other side is laughing. [...] This anomalous fissure in the universe entrances me. This is not the first of its kind I've had to deal with, but this one feels different, and I can't help but admire the marvelously terrifying manipulation of the barriers between realms. Few beings could fathom its complexities, let alone possess the sheer magnitude of power needed to rend the fabric of existence. In my heart, I know a wound so exquisite could never be orchestrated by scuttling creatures. No. There must be more behind this intrusion. I shudder at the thought of what kind of entity is capable of inducing such a volatile rift.

This gives us a glimpse of the amount of power it takes to create a rift between dimensions so that even a celestial dragon is entranced by it.

The entity is probably the ruler of all voidborn commanding all those being sent directly to runeterra.

Even though a voidborn command chain is not steady at all, because some can steadily (Kha'Zix) I suspect that the voidborn are similar to insectoid life forms are therefore have a command structure similar to bees, as seen with the release of Rek'Sai. That could mean that there are probably more races with leaders like Rek'Sai.

However even if each race has its leader there sems to be a kind of ranking system between races; though only 2 can be ranked above the others until now because of their powers/behaviour.

Vel'Koz might be allowed to kill other voidborn, or at least doesn't care about them, which implies he is higher in rank than others. Also he is able to open portals and rifts which (as quoted above) is quite the formidable task, making him higher ranked as other voidborn.

Even though Malzahar is not a Voidborn he seems to be the only Void-related Champ to summon other void creatures through a portal and who really controls beings of the void (e.g Kog'Maw and his Voidlings) ranking him possibly even higher or at least similar to Vel'Koz.

Amongst voidborn also seems to be a differentiation between non-intelligent life forms and intelligent life forms:

Vel'Koz is probably the most intelligent one, as he for one has the most evolved speach pattern and communicates telepathically, and actually seeks knowledge Rek'Sai is probably the least intelligent one with a primitive sense for hunting and no knowledge of speach at all.

  • Primitive Voidborn: Zz'Rot, Voidlings, Rift Herald, Baron Nashor, Rek'Sai/Xer'Sai Race, Pre-Runeterra Kha'Zix and even possibly Kog'Maw.
  • Intelligent Voidborn: The entity, Vel'Koz, Cho'Gath, Kha'Zix nowadays

That's it for now this seems to be all I could find and wanted to write about. If you have questions ask me anything you'd like and if you want to flame me that's allright I guess, this is my first post like this after all.

Thanks for reading at least a bit and have a weird and dark day in the void ♥

56 Comments

SteelMankind5/6/2017, 6:29:16 PM15 votes

A void event would be pretty dope. It's the only major region that they haven't covered yet

EDIT: They've never done Noxus or Bandle City though, so perhaps those will come first

Velzard of Koz5/6/2017, 7:57:07 PM11 votes

Vel’Koz probably created a portal on his own, as his story starts in Urtistan.

Yeah our lord and saviour is so cool. He ain't need no lesser organism to make him a way.

Voidzilla5/6/2017, 8:38:19 PM4 votes

Interesting theory regarding the affiliation with the number three.

The narrative seems to be building up the Void lore; several bios and short stories have made mention of it (Jax & Ryze with Icathia, the vastaya in Ionia being a refugee site from the "Great Void War", Taliyah's place of birth, Targon & Demacia fighting off the Voidborn, even the implications from the Freljord in which one of their banners looks quite a bit like Kassadin).

I'm just waiting for some juicy Void lore. My only hope is that the narrative doesn't fully explain what the Void is. In keeping in tune with the eldritch horror it's inspired by, the Void's nature should be kept mostly in the dark, but its implication told through the Voidborn and corruptants that stalk Runterra.

Thefrostyviking5/6/2017, 9:01:36 PM4 votes

If Icathia had 3 runes it would make sense that somehow something "went wrong" as Ryze would put it. Magic disaster happened and void found a way into town, jax is a known survivor who´s undergone mutations there.

City of mages doing some experiment? Perhaps a Ley line or some other thing nearby which also causes people born in the area to posses greater gifts for magic or just enhances them. Would explain Taliyah and her clan of earth seers and mages. Maybe how the voids "voice" was heard by malz who was far away, the "whispers" carried by magic streams that he was tapping into for visions.

So maybe a rune blew up or got sucked into a void hole resulting in a unstable but permanent gateway into the void, the result is a high ratio of void energy and an actual gateway opening into random places inside the void randomly. This would explain why 4 different kinds of creatures have come through instead of 4 similar ones.

Ryze's teacher was involved and Ryze got a pretty firm idea that tampering with runes was a terrible idea from it, city being decimated by evil demon like thingies would fit the description of "something bad".

Whatever Aurelion encountered in the valley he found when Targon was trying to boss him around is kinda unknown except that it is powerful and it needs a huge ass rift before it can pass through.

On that note, Targon and the void are at war with the void winning, this seen from the lunar targon and several others being directly wiped out by them, this is weakening the seals on Aurelion who also happens to be only one who packs enough of a punch to smash a void invasion head on. This because the rift he star-nuked was completely sealed instead of becoming like the one in icanthia. Not even the voidborn seems to enjoy a falling star to the face.

Only weird part about Icathia as i see it is why the void isn't trying to expand the gate they have there, if a being gains Aurelions attention for being good at tearing open dimensions then it's really weird that it can't open a already open window more. This suggest that something weird happened to the unstable gate, perhaps a last ditch effort by Icathias mages or even Ryze himself.

Wonder what's next to come through the gate?

AmazoX5/6/2017, 10:40:30 PM4 votes

MY BRAIN TREMBLES!

NEED MORE LORE.

dapositiveviking5/6/2017, 7:24:48 PM3 votes

the third world rune is the light in jax's lamp

Whyte Lyon5/6/2017, 11:27:26 PM3 votes

When Vel'koz was released it was unfortunate that the Narrative team didn't accompany his colour text with a bio/ origins story. As most champs get both these days and I'm sure a Vel'koz bio story would have amazing insight into Void lore. More unfortunate that in recent time, it wasn't until Rek'sai second story that we even got some juicy information.. well it was more a teaser really. That whole thing about Rek pulling some dark energy out of a dead boy body. This was cool because it relates back to how the Void weaves biomass into twisted monstrosities.

Anyway I hope Vel'koz gets his deserved lore (as well as all the champs who are in the same boat) and that we don't necessarily have to wait for the next Void champ/VGU before it can happen. Then again, none of the Void champs have bio stories. Perhaps that's intentional?

macromite5/7/2017, 1:00:29 AM2 votes

I really hope kassadin remains as a brigand that got transformed against his will.

Otarie535/6/2017, 11:21:29 PM2 votes

i think vel'koz is a rogue voidborn in a quest for personal power. he doesn't seem like he wants to bring whatever he learns back to the entity after disintegrating zilean.

Game girl 15/6/2017, 7:29:14 PM2 votes

Minor nitpick but the subjunctive case is often misused in english, for example:

The Universe article of the Void also states that it consumes biomass, as if it was a sentient being.

Because there is doubt, you do not write "as if it was a sentient being," but instead "as if it WERE a sentient being."

Other than that I loved this!

Hovering Hentai5/6/2017, 6:47:23 PM2 votes

Shurima has a map?

I thought Piltover was the only place had a map

AetherPhoenix5/7/2017, 8:31:04 AM1 votes

but it never is specified how he resisted the Void.

Yes, it is. He let the void inside him:

The power of the place threatened to consume him forever, but Kassadin took the only route available to him in order to survive - he let the Void inside him. (quote from his bio on universe)

The other thing you might be referring to is this:

Miraculously, he was able to overcome the alien urges that went with it, and he emerged as something more than human.

He overcame the urges, by force of will. (Shown through the context)

KoKoboto5/6/2017, 7:07:55 PM1 votes

Where's the tl;dr?