Shyvana players, what do we want for Shyvana's new lore from Riot?

Embertine·3/19/2015, 6:38:16 PM·9 votes·6,355 views

Shyvana was the first champion I bought, and she's my main, and go to gal for whenever I jungle or top lane. To me she is simply awesome.

Her lore is good right now, but as Riot is slowly working on and expanding lore for champions as well as Runeterra, I hope that they will flesh it out much more and answer some questions I have in reguards to her past. As she is my favorite character to date in literally all the games I have played over the years, it's only natural that I want to know more about her.

To be clear here, this is a discussion about what we want of Shyvana's lore. It is not meant to be a demand for anything, nor is it for ideas for changes to her kit. This is only to discuss her lore and what we hope it will become.

Her lore as it is now is here,

A half-breed born from the union between dragon and human, Shyvana searched all her life for belonging. Persecution forged her into a brutal warrior, and those who dare stand against Shyvana face the fiery beast lurking just beneath her skin.

Dragonkind considered Shyvana's impure blood an abomination, and she spent her youth pursued relentlessly by one cruel drake. Constantly on the run, she and her father, an outcast dragon, never knew a lasting home. A brutal reflection of countless battles, Shyvana grew hateful and savage. After years of strife, her father finally fell to the other dragon, but not before gravely wounding his foe. Furious with grief, Shyvana pursued her father's murderer as he fled north to recover. There she encountered a group of humans on the trail of the same drake. Though the men looked upon her in fear, their leader approached Shyvana peacefully. He introduced himself as Jarvan IV, the Prince of Demacia, and offered to aid Shyvana in her quest for vengeance. Together they hunted down and confronted the vicious dragon that had slain her father. Shyvana did not expect the men to survive, but in the clash of fire and steel, Jarvan and his men fought with strength she had never believed humans to possess. The ironclad warriors drove their foe into submission, and Shyvana struck the final blow, tearing the beast's heart from its body. Inspired by her ferocity, Jarvan offered her a place in the ranks of his elite guard. Shyvana could still see fear in the eyes of his men, but she longed for a true home. Trusting Jarvan's word, she accepted his offer and now serves as a Demacian warrior. Though her human allies admire her power, they keep their distance. Shyvana strives to repay the prince's kindness with the power of the dragon within, but she cannot help but wonder if the humans are right to fear her.

''I have proven my might to dragonkind - what challenge shall humans pose?''

First I'm going to break down her lore into segments. This way it's will be easier to place the questions I have rather than simply piling them all into a big block.

A half-breed born from the union between dragon and human,

Okay, so here's first bit I want to know and hopefully have expanded upon by Riot. Shyvana's mother.

Who was she? What was her name? What happened to her? How did she fall in love with Shyvana's father? How was her life after she became pregnant with his child?

To me that is a HUGE gap in Shyvana's lore. I do understand why it isn't really part of the lore, as it would be an entire story in and upon itself. However, I feel that Shyvana's mother should be important enough that we atleast know what happened to her and how she met the dragon she would fall in love with.

Shyvana searched all her life for belonging. Persecution forged her into a brutal warrior, and those who dare stand against Shyvana face the fiery beast lurking just beneath her skin.

This is understandable, as the country folk would be very fearful of her appearance and she couldn't go anywhere near a city without a platoon of soldiers coming out to attack her. She would often be chased away by humans and dragonkind alike. And because Shyvana is the only known halfbreed she would likely never see another of her kind. Despite how much she loved him and his acceptance of her, Shyvana couldn't truly feel any belonging as long as she knew she was as different from her father as she was to everyone else she may come across.

Dragonkind considered Shyvana's impure blood an abomination, and she spent her youth pursued relentlessly by one cruel drake.

I can understand that the rest of dragon kind saw Shyvana as such. Dragons are normally in most legends and myths, very proud creatures. To have something as powerful and great as them, muddied down by lowly human blood, would be an insult to them akin to a human having a child with a frog would be to us. However why was only one dragon pursuing Shyvana and her father? Did this dragon happen to have some sort of grudge that made him hate them more then the other dragons did?

I have many other questions too.

Like, whom crafted Shyvana's weapons? I can't imagine her picking up blacksmithing as she traveled around with her father. So they would obviously have to have been made for her when she arrived in Demacia.

Where was she born?

What was her father's name?

How does she interect with the citizens of Demacia's capital when she is off duty?

And more questions besides. As you can guess, Shyvana is a big part of my love for league. And I want to know everything about her.

What is it you guys all want for her lore?

38 Comments

IS1d51f7fd0f8e2764617b03/20/2015, 9:22:58 AM6 votes

NO

NO

NO

JUST ... NO

Dont touch Shyvana ... for all that is holy, Shyvana, together with Swain and Viktor are some FANTASTIC morally gray and complex personas.

Do youy really whant to transform her into "mysterious dragon lady, oh yeah and she serves Demacia ..... RAWR DRAGON ( buy her and a skin for only 1350rp)"

Do you ?

SaltyToplaneGoat3/20/2015, 9:50:34 AM6 votes

There isn't much that needs change really... I'd like to have more detail tho.~~ (Especially when it comes to shipping...)~~

Maximum Morde3/21/2015, 1:56:08 PM5 votes

I want her retconnect into a vegas porn star, with plenty of skins and videos released by riot to back it up. Their teams did such an awesome job on the music videos lately, we need a porn one for Shyv.

Baron Von Bangin3/20/2015, 10:27:51 PM4 votes

I don't think knowing who her mother is is important. Shyvana's main theme is being in outsider living in Demacia, a state of humans, as a half dragon. I think she'd best be used as a lens for viewers/readers into Demacia's culture and military workings since she wouldn't have immediate knowledge like other Demacian characters would.

That said, can drahons in the League universe shape change like in Warcraft? Since... yknow... size differences.

Ebonmaw Dragon3/20/2015, 11:43:03 PM3 votes

To be fair, i never liked her third and actual lore... i would like to see a mix between the 3 lores.

1 Lore:

There are those few dragons in Runeterra who have mastered the intense magical energies that course through their unique anatomies, evolving into an elusive Celestial Dragon. These powerful and enigmatic creatures spend most of their time hidden away from the lands of men. However, there are those who find themselves drawn to civilization and who take on human forms to immerse themselves in the world of humans. Occasionally, one finds itself drawn to the spirit of a human and they have relations. Sometimes, in the slimmest of odds, the union will bear fruit and that offspring will be one of the few half-dragons to have graced Runeterra. Shyvana is one such creature, born to a simple Demacian farm-girl and her Celestial Dragon father. Left to be raised by her mother, her oddities were something that couldn't be hidden from her community, though she was protected by her family. Once her family had perished in disaster, she was left alone for the first time - truly alone. Shyvana quickly became an outsider and it wasn't long before the community's fear began to put her in danger. Facing mortal danger at the business end of an angry mob, she was rescued by the traveling noble, Jarvan Lightshield. The noble was a man who strangely knew exactly what she was and took her under his wing. It wasn't long before she was offered a chance to use her natural skills in the service of Demacia, as Jarvan initiated her as one of the elite guard. Following Jarvan into the League of Legends was only natural.

Shyvana is a fierce warrior, with the blood of one of the most powerful magical predators in all creation flowing through her veins. Unlike some of her fellows, she is a subdued personality - somber, cool, and collected. However, when the moment strikes, her draconian heritage manifests and there are few that can stare her in the eyes and not feel the primal urge to flee.

"By the blood of my father, I will end you!" ― Shyvana

This lore explains more about the dragons and her family, her mother was a "simple Demacian farm-girl" and the father a "Celestial Dragon" (Master of magical energies)

2 Lore

Half-Dragons are the forbidden scions of humans and shape-shifting dragons. There have been few in the world, as they are typically hunted down by their draconian relatives. The scarce and reclusive dragons left on Runeterra find it disgusting to mix their blood with the frivolous and violent lesser races. However, there are those who become fascinated with humans, such as Shyvana's father. It was to Prince Jarvan IV's surprise when his hunt led him to a legendary young half-dragon. She wept over the dead, mutilated corpse of her father, murdered for her existence. Something in Jarvan was moved by Shyvana's plight. Together they plotted revenge against the mighty dragon responsible. The assault cost the Demacian Prince many men, and nearly his life, but ultimately Shyvana and he prevailed.

The experience changed the both of them. Shyvana lost her place in the world, left alone to be hunted by those dragons who discovered her existence. Because of what he'd seen, Jarvan lost his taste for the hunt and wished to return home as protector of his people. Jarvan IV, as Crown Prince of Demacia, offered Shyvana a place as a noble warrior in the ranks of the elite guard. Out of gratitude and necessity, she accepted. Since their return to Demacia, Shyvana has proven herself to be a fierce and powerful soldier. She blends her fiery draconian blood with her adopted principles of justice. She revels in the power she now feels in the human world and there are few who do not quake before her in combat. However, by and large there remains only one place for glorious battle. When Jarvan joined the League of Legends, it wasn't long before Shyvana answered the call as well.

"I have the blood of dragons in my veins. I am fear to all who oppose me." ― Shyvana

I like this lore because it says how hard was to kill the dragon that killed her father... "The assault cost the Demacian Prince many men, and nearly his life, but ultimately Shyvana and he prevailed."

Even in the JoJ was mentioned that when Jarvan returned to demacia, he returned with only 2 survivors aside from him...

PapaGreg213/19/2015, 7:25:27 PM2 votes

[deleted]

Narasimha3/19/2015, 7:00:54 PM2 votes

I...don't think they're going to change Shyvanna's lore. While going into backstory is great, it also means they'd have to flesh out every single champion's story, and I don't think even the old lore team would be capable of that. You'd have to answer questions from "How did Jarvan meet Garen?" to "Who was Xin before the Fleshing?" and even "Could Talon really be Quinn's brother?" Right now, its imperative that Narrative (heh, I rhymed) focus on the present, rather than worrying about the past. I'd prefer to know "What is the current state of Runeterra?" more than "Who is Shyvanna?"

Irate Owl3/22/2015, 12:45:08 AM2 votes

Shyvana, the mutant, flightless wyvern with no stat boosts, and even less in dragon form? The CC-less item-reliant not-tank, cant-catch-up-to-anyone, am-I-ap, damage-less, sub-par-jungle? Yea shes fine, leave her alone. Shyvana

Gixia3/21/2015, 10:29:06 PM1 votes

All I want from new Shyv lore is to preserve her current sense of place within Demacia. That is to say, she doesn't actually have much of one, and I like that about her. Shyvana is allied with Demacia, and yet she's an outsider there. Even amongst Demacia's populace, she's sort of regarded with fear and trepidation, and her attitude is one that's bloodthirsty and violent, with an emphasis on strength. In other words, she's a character that would fit better in somewhere like Noxus, and yet through circumstance has found herself allied with Demacia. I don't want to see stories about her fitting in, i want to see stories that emphasize the conflict there, how she doesn't belong and would be fully justified in just peacing out, but sticks with it out of a sense of comraderie and friendship with Jarvan.

As for what I don't want to see? Any budding romance between her and J4. Far too often, relationships between male and female characters in fiction end up devolving into either a familial one or a romantic one, and I'd much prefer to see more relationships that are just plain old good friendships. Especially considering I don't see Shyv and J4 being a good couple anyways.

{quoted}

Like, whom crafted Shyvana's weapons? I can't imagine her picking up blacksmithing as she traveled around with her father. So they would obviously have to have been made for her when she arrived in Demacia.

This is actually another thing I'd rather just not see. Things like how Sivir's boomerang just happens to randomly be a magic key to a Shuriman tomb just bother me. Weapons don't always have to have special meaning, sometimes you just use whatever's convenient or feels natural. In Shyvana's case, she literally just fights with fist and claws, like an actual dragon would. Dragon-magic, bam, there's all the explanation for her equipment we need. Considering that her armour actually seems to merge with her flesh and become a part of her body when she transforms, something which would be highly unlikely for any man-made weapons, it's also honestly probably the most logical explanation as well.