Old Xerath vs. New Xerath: Are they the same person?

Finally, Riot has given us what they promised us: the extended lore. Now we don't have to glare at the vast emptiness of those 3 lines of backdrop; however, now we have a dillema: is this New Xerath the same Xerath? All over the boards, people are crying out "Rito, what have you done? This isn't Xerath! Why?" Well, I just want to put my two cents in, tackle some of the common complaints about new vs. old and compare the similarities and differences.

Now, when the lore retcon happen, there was a concern for the lore of certain champions who RELIED on the League. There were champions whose lore and background tied in more heavily with the League than others. One of these examples may be Orianna.

Orianna's aspiration was to join the League, and it was all which she desired. Unfortunately, she died to turret fire during training and died. This is what many people whose complaints about Orianna stems from. She wanted to join the League! And she died trying; however, what a rioter said about Orianna was to the contrary. Riot wants to keep the core of their champions. At Orianna's core is a young girl who made strides and strove to achieve a dream. Unfortunately, the young girl met a tragic fate. Grief stricken, her father went to a somewhat questionable extent to create a clockwork version of his daughter to carry on her dream. This is the core of Orianna. Her desire to join the League is a detail

With that said, let's have that tidbit go through our minds as I try to compare Old Xerath vs. New Xerath.

Old Xerath was a Magus. He was a man who sought one thing: power. But not any kind of power. He wanted magic power, ARCANE power. He was deep into his studies, forsaking everyone for the sake of achieving his goal. He was above his peers in many ways, and one of them was obviously intellect. By the time it came for him to achieve his most sought after dream, it was already too late to turn back. In the aftermath, his home was destroyed and laid to ruins. In his blindness, he lost something most dear to him, his wife Tabia. After the destruction, men came to lock Xerath away inside a sarcophagus where he remained until he finally broke free.

Okay, this is the Xerath of old. The one many of the older lore fans know of. Now, what of the New Xerath?

New Xerath was a slave who eventually gained the title of Magus. Because of him being in slavery, there was one thing he sought more than anything else: freedom. He craved it so much that he was willing to forsake everyone in order to acquire it. Even if it meant destroying the empire he grew to loath. Xerath was highly educated and elevated through the ranks quickly. He was a VERY learned man. By the time it came for him to achieve his most sought after dream, it was too late to turn back. In the aftermath of the ascension, Shurima was destroyed and laid to ruins. In his blindness, he lost something most dear to him. It was his prince, his friend, his brother. After the destruction, Nasus and Renekton came to subdue Xerath and lock him away in first a sarcophagus (didn't work) and then the tomb where Xerath remained until he was finally freed.

So, is the New Xerath still the Old Xerath? Or did they change the fundamental nature of the man? Most of us already have a negative outlook on the narrative team, and that's understandable, but they upheld their end of the promise (so far.) Xerath, at his core, is the same.

1.) Freedom vs. Power

The old Xerath craved power. The new Xerath craved freedom. Are they different? Yes, they are, but here is the thing: He still craved. He still craved, and he went through great lengths to achieve them. It was his goal. His ultimate end-game. If anything, we can say his aspiration and purpose.

2.) Intellect

Xerath is still highly intelligent. Just because it was not said immediately that he studied 24/7, the fact remained that he is very educated. The old Xerath studied alone in isolation, trying to gain as much knowledge as he possibly can. New Xerath had schooling. He very well may have went through the great library in Shurima (which I'm sure they have) and studied. And for those that say old Xerath is smarter: do you truly think that an uneducated man could have achieved such a feat? New Xerath pulled strengths. Made bribes. Knew who to execute. He had a very detailed plan. And for most, Ascension is a ritual based on magic and mystery. Xerath learned more about Ascension than possibly any other singular individual in Shurima. If not, then how would he know HOW to tamper with the ritual to cause such a disaster? The man is no fool.

3.) Personal Lost

Now, I know. I know. Xerath lost his wife, Tabia. And yes, it is tragic. It's something that a lot of people feel sympathy for. The lost of his wife had struck a chord in the man. However, the lost of somebody dearly important to him is a detail that was altered. Xerath had still lost a family member. That family being Azir. Yes, I know, they aren't blood brothers, but Azir is still family. At the end of Unbound, it read:

Too late, friend. Too late, brother. Far too late for us all.

Azir trusted Xerath fully and completely. It would not be hard to believe that Azir considered Xerath family. Both New and Old Xerath did not realize what they have forsaken, what they have truly lost which was prescious to them until it was too late. They lost their family. for Old Xerath, it was Tabia. For New, it was Azir.

4.) Aftermath

Well, yeah. New Xerath went a bit further in casualties than Old Xerath, but details details. The thing is, they both brought ruin to their homes. Old Xerath was his village/town. New Xerath: Shurima. Old Xerath was subdued by the likes of multiple guards/warriors/mages/etc. and locked away for centuries. New Xerath was subdued and locked away by Nasus and Renekton.

Details. Details. Details.

When bringing all of this into mind, sure! There are some things that are different, but there are things that are still the same. Xerath in both is still a man who had a singular goal they dedicated their lives to. Xerath was a highly educated man who went through exorbitant means to reach his goal. Xerath is still a man blinded by this goal and his desire to reach just that. Xerath is still a man who, in the end, brought destruction and ruin to his home. In the end, Xerath is still a man who has lost everything.

**Note

For those who may think "well, old Xerath regretted his decision" and things of that nature, so did the new one! During all of Unbound, his opinion of Azir was garbage, but when Azir finally gave the man his freedom, he...was awe-struck. Xerath noted that it was too late. This did not mean "Oh, too late now. You should have given it too me sooner." What was meant is "No! What have I done. It's...it's too late now. There's nothing I can do to stop this." He felt regret.

For those who are confused about how in-game Xerath is nothing like lore Xerath: they are very similar. Here's how: remember Renekton? Both Renekton and Xerath was locked away in a tomb for thousands of years. Now, here we go. I am sure many (not all) would say "Xerath drove him insane cause Xerath is EVIL! Hey, he is evil. Stop laughing!" Well, here's the thing, both Xerath and Renekton were in isolation. Isolation could be seen as a form of torture where it's just you, alone, with no stimuli. It's just isolation. Loneliness. You stuck with your thoughts. And while Rene has Xerath, and Xerath had Rene, it was still OVER A THOUSAND YEARS! Renekton became a blood thirsty monster who wishes destruction on his brother. If isolation caused that, do you honestly believe it hasn't affected Xerath as well?

Xerath speaks of how he cannot be chained and subdued. Well, Xerath was a slave pre-ascension. I doubt he wants to go back to that, right?

Xerath speaks of how he is all powerful. The man is now arcane energy after ascension and has gone crazy. Of course he would say this. Remember, Renekton became blood thirsty. Xerath became a megalomaniac who sees himself as a god. The man's mind is warped. It doesn't matter if he starts getting memories like Sion does during war and battle. Xerath's mind has been disturbed and he's gone crazy. I mean, same thing also happened to Veigar. Little guy was given no cuddles. We all see how he ended up.

For those who say "Oh, well if he felt bad, why didn't he apologize."

...You don't honestly believe a man who JUST DESTROYED AN ENTIRE EMPIRE would...okay, hold on. You are the cause of a mass genocide, and now 2 ascended heros are coming to stop the perpetrator. What do you do?

a.) Stay where you are, apologize, and let them beat you to death b.) Run away before they come to get you c.) Hold your ground and fight them off.

I don't think many of you would go with a. No matter what ,Xerath is guilty, and the people after him are angry. Then they're going to lock him away? Oh, he isn't going to be put through that. Doesn't matter if he feels bad or not. Now it's personal survival. I'd point out the current events with police brutality and how trying to be peaceful could still get a bullet in you, but I don't think I need to bring more of that in.

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All in all, I believe that Old Xerath and New Xerath are still one and the same. At the core ,they are the same individual. Sure, the details are changed, but that's setting. When stories are changed, the details are bound to be different and origins are bound to come out different from before. At the very least, we can be thankful he's not a Blue Jafar, right? RIGHT!?!?!

If there's something I missed, or you like to bring your own point in about anything I said, by all means, do so.