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Criticism of Mount Targon

905·3/27/2019, 3:16:04 PM·9 votes·7,969 views

This topic is for those interested in Leagues storyline of Mount Targon.

As I'm not only the fan of game but also fan of the world of League, I read all of Leagues champs bios, short stories etc. And one thing have stroke me hard; every champ from Mt. Targon has the exact same origin story (except Aurelion, but he's not really from Targon). -> A Champ -> He climbed to top of the mountain -> He got superpowers and became an aspect of <>

We have aspect of Moon, Sun, War, Protector, Twilight and now Justice. What next? An aspect of Waffles? Or aspect of chocolate Mooncake?

You get the idea. Just create a random character, say that he/she climbed the mountain and received superpowers.... aaaaand that's pretty much it. At the very beginning when the only two aspects were Leona and Diana, this whole idea was exciting and fresh, but now when it turned out that Targon is really all about climbing to the rock and get superpowers from some being.... it feels dull.

Also, there is no inner depth to the place itself, here is what I mean. Freljord - one one hand we have this icy, clishe Nordic place, but on the other hand we this tribal inner conflict between Ashe, Seju + ancient gods and ice witches.

Ionia - one one hand we have this clishe asian culture place, but as the story progresses we see that there much more fractions in there, as we have the harmony ninjas of Shen, and their counterparts in form of Zed's clan. We have characters like Karma, but also others like Irelia and Syndra. + conflict with Vastaya etc.

Demacia - kingdom of heroes, but we also have that inner conflict of racism towards the mages.

What I'm trying to point out here is that except their main theme, all places of League have also their inner conflicts that resonate on the whole Runeterra. Targon is binary. We have this Solari and Lunari but we cant really see the conflict, because Riot writers don't intend expand on that interesting idea for some reason, which is a mistake in my opinion.

Targon is most powerful, mysterious and ambiguous place of all in League world. If magic spills like a blood from a wound in Ionia, that wound would be Mt. Targon for Runeterra. What would be better than giving it a meaningful conflict? Demacia and Noxus are just about war, same goes for Ionia and Freljord. They fight because yanno.... it's war. But in Targon the context is much broader, it's the religious conflict, it's the war of ideologies. It's something much fresher than in other cases, something that haven't been touched in detail yet.

Also it is said Targonians managed to have control over Aurelion Sol.... why haven't they ever tried to conquer the Runterra? Targon is basically full of demi-gods, why aren't they trying to take control over the world of League. No one would stop them, they would be too powerful to stop. Could someone explain that already?

Also why is Taric a Targonian, if he is 100% Demacian that just climbed the rock, while Kayle is Demacian, but she comes from Targon. She just made the village that is called today a Demacia.

My point is actually quite simple here. Just review Targon story and bios of it's champs and make it a meaningful place again. Not a factory of demi-gods, when it turns out that there is as many aspects as there is words in a dictionary.

32 Comments

Naalith3/27/2019, 4:15:15 PM7 votes

Targon needs to be expanded on imo. When I say Targon I mean real Targon too as the space city, not the mountain on Runeterra. The Runeterra side of the lore is pretty good, maybe a little light on content.

  1. Why do Aspects choose to bind with mortals? In Twilight of the Gods, the Darkin reminisced on how they physically went to the city and rode twilight dragons, so even though there is a spiritual element it is a physical place with physical people. Pantheon is the only Targonian that makes sense to me. It makes sense the Aspect of War, a strategic force, would want direct control of the body rather than suggesting course of action to take.

  2. Why are the Targonians on Runeterra? They're a space- faring empire and we're not sure Runeterra is their home world. Did they build the planet? Are they also after the world runes? Is there some greater spiritual web across the cosmos where each node must remain intact? Do they want Runeterra's native and extremely powerful magic (true elements, healing water), are they there exclusively to stop the Void?

  3. Are the Targonians trying to catch other gods to combat the Void? Did they only catch Aurelion Sol for his destructive power or is catching morally gray gods also a part of making sure the universe is a "good" place? (from their perspective, there is an Aspect of Justice and each Aspect only chooses the worthy for their power so we know Targonians have a sort of vision for the universe)

I dunno. I could go on but basically it all comes down to the fact that we simply need more information on the holy city. It feels kinda shallow right now, whereas the other cosmic faction of the Void feels extremely fleshed out with a clear goal we understand.

Terozu3/27/2019, 3:27:27 PM5 votes

Zoe didnt climb the mountain.

TacoBrain3/27/2019, 4:21:40 PM4 votes

We have aspect of Moon, Sun, War, Protector, Twilight and now Justice. What next? An aspect of Waffles? Or aspect of chocolate Mooncake?

Well there is also a rumored Aspect of the Wanderer.

You get the idea. Just create a random character, say that he/she climbed the mountain and received superpowers.... aaaaand that's pretty much it. At the very beginning when the only two aspects were Leona and Diana, this whole idea was exciting and fresh, but now when it turned out that Targon is really all about climbing to the rock and get superpowers from some being.... it feels dull.

The tone and theme of Mount Targon is that it is a gateway to another plane, a plane with entities that cannot directly operate within the mortal world without significant sacrifice and, as such, choose worthy vessels (and emphasis on worthiness, climbing the mountain is a common thing but not universal to every Aspect, check Zoe) to channel their power.

To complain that Aspects follow predictable rules is odd. It'd be like saying "why does every Ascended have to be involved with the sun disc somehow".

Also, there is no inner depth to the place itself, here is what I mean. Freljord - one one hand we have this icy, clishe Nordic place, but on the other hand we this tribal inner conflict between Ashe, Seju + ancient gods and ice witches.

Ionia - one one hand we have this clishe asian culture place, but as the story progresses we see that there much more fractions in there, as we have the harmony ninjas of Shen, and their counterparts in form of Zed's clan. We have characters like Karma, but also others like Irelia and Syndra. + conflict with Vastaya etc.

Demacia - kingdom of heroes, but we also have that inner conflict of racism towards the mages.

What I'm trying to point out here is that except their main theme, all places of League have also their inner conflicts that resonate on the whole Runeterra. Targon is binary. We have this Solari and Lunari but we cant really see the conflict, because Riot writers don't intend expand on that interesting idea for some reason, which is a mistake in my opinion.

You have a point that there we have few details about the people of Mount Targon and their own struggles compared to some other regions but also note that it is meant to be the otherworldly region and that just because we haven't seen it explored now doesn't mean Riot won't explore it at some point.

And, to add another tidbit, celestial creatures constantly fall from the top of the mountain, and the Rakkor hold them off each passing day.

Also it is said Targonians managed to have control over Aurelion Sol.... why haven't they ever tried to conquer the Runterra? Targon is basically full of demi-gods, why aren't they trying to take control over the world of League. No one would stop them, they would be too powerful to stop. Could someone explain that already?

The answer is in Aurelion Sol's own color story, Twin Dawns:

They are so scattered across the globe and grasp so blindly for any sort of understanding that it's no surprise they've been conquered and don't even comprehend their predicament.

They've already been conquered.

Targon, as in the celestials, isn't some mortal empire, they don't need to have banners glorifying them, their form of conquest is one of control and they have been involved with various major events in the course of history. Their presence in the world is only as dominating as they need it to be for humanity and any other race to not blow it up since Runeterra seems valuable to them. And the people living in Mount Targon aren't really connected to the celestials nor do they have any say in what the Aspects do.

Also, regarding the "why not just bring Aurelion" point: from the same story, we know Targon's leash on Sol is significantly weaker in Runeterra. It is there that he was trapped and it is there where he can defy Targorian control the most. Bit by bit, he's been getting free, and now he's coming back to Runeterra to complete his rebellion. Targon, to some extent, knows this. They will not bring him to Runeterra and give him the chance to sabotage their plans without very good reason. Twin Dawns was probably the last time Sol was in Runeterra since I can't imagine Targon would let him back unless their full attention was placed on him at all times.

Also why is Taric a Targonian, if he is 100% Demacian that just climbed the rock, while Kayle is Demacian, but she comes from Targon. She just made the village that is called today a Demacia.

A good point about Kayle being positioned as Demacian but the two sisters had most of their story centered on Demacia and their impact on mortal culture, Taric is all about serving the edict of the Protector now and in that sense his immediate future will probably lead him away from Demacia and their struggles. I agree, however, that there is an inconsistency.

Oleandervine3/27/2019, 3:41:23 PM4 votes

Their origin story is similar because that's how the Aspects of Targon are selected. Just like how all of the X-Men are normal humans with abnormal DNA that gives them super powers, or how Superman and Supergirl come from a world where all of the inhabitants would be superpowered under the light of a yellow sun, etc, etc. If you look at JUST Targon, then yes, it seems plain, but like the Marvel and DC universes, the superheroes are not all mutants or aliens from Krypton. You have a wide variety of different heroes and origin stories, just like you do in League, where some are pirates, some are dead, some are mystics, some are robots.

As for your other points: Targon has it's conflicts, yes. They are different religious ideologies, and they cause fighting between the two. However, in the grand scope of the world, that's not particularly interesting, and it's been fleshed out enough to provide the background for Leona and Diana. It's fine being as simple as it is, because I don't particularly see a need to expand on it. I don't think there's an interesting direction for it to go, so it works just fine setting the place for Leona and Diana to have developed.

As for Aurelion Sol, the Targonians did not capture him. The Celestial Aspects captured him. They're doing their own thing in their hidden city and extraterrestrial dimension, and world domination on Runeterra probably doesn't interest them. There's not really any reason they'd want to dominate Runeterra using a dragon when they could have just as easily done it personally if they're god like beings anyway. They simply don't care, and use Sol for their own purposes.

Taric is Targonian because he was expelled from Demacia and sentenced to die on Targon. Except he didn't, and became a demigod instead. He would have no reason to return to Demacia because he'd probably be ordered to be executed if he did, so he chooses to live on or around Targon instead, and travel the world protecting life. This is why he's affiliated with Targon, and no longer affiliated with Demacia. Kayle and Morgana, conversely, were born in ancient Targon, yes. But their family fled Targon after their mother became an Aspect, and they settled in the land that would become Demacia. They haven't returned, and neither of them have expressed any desire to return to the land they originally hailed from. Both sisters carved out legacies and cults in the lands of Demacia, and they've both chosen the area to be their home. Simply being born in a region doesn't automatically make you affiliated with that region.

Everyday Legends3/27/2019, 4:29:47 PM4 votes

Targon is basically full of demi-gods, why aren't they trying to take control over the world of League.

Why do we humans not conquer the world of ants?

EdgeLady3/27/2019, 8:01:46 PM2 votes

If Alistar ends up being Targonian in origin (which would make the most sense, given the Greek origin of the Minotaur myth) then he'll be a true Targonian champion with a very different backstory.

It's something.

Camille Ferrøs3/27/2019, 3:53:25 PM2 votes

The main problem that causes all other problems that you listed is the decision to make Mount Targon a staircase to the "real Targon" and by doing that they made it pretty clear that the real Targon is what matters and what they focus on while the rock is just there...

GreenLore3/27/2019, 8:07:16 PM1 votes

Actually Zoe didn't climb the mountain, the aspect made a portal for her directly to the tip.