Are mages in Runeterra more common in specific regions?

Lapis·10/5/2019, 4:25:59 AM·3 votes·7,345 views

It's been made clear that places like Demacia have a problem with mages, while other places seem to have very little? Or maybe because they're not a problem they're underrepresented. Like, take Piltover and Zaun for example. I don't think there's any mages from there, now that Janna is no longer a mage in her lore. Every champ that is a mage in gameplay actually just uses technology. Does this mean there are no mages in these regions, or are they there and we just don't know about it?

13 Comments

Chembaron Yamada10/5/2019, 9:01:17 AM8 votes

There are mages in Piltover/Zaun, we actually have an example in the game already.

Ezreal His lore directly states that he is gifted in magic, he just doesn't seem to be aware of it yet. And I think this is a good example why we know so little about mages from these 2 regions.

You see, these regions have access to hextech and chemtech. This technology basically allows everyone to utilise magic, as long as they have the specific device and are trained to use it. Which means that there is less need to actively search for natural magical talents and teaching how to use these. Instead, Piltover and Zaun will focus on training their people in the ability to craft and use hextech/chemtech.

And so many magical talents in these 2 cities will simply go unnoticed, but this doesn't mean they don't exist.

Ebonmaw Dragon10/5/2019, 4:32:11 AM2 votes

Hextech IS magic, just saying.

mrmeddyman10/5/2019, 4:58:11 AM2 votes

Probably more common in Ionia because it's magic land. I'd also say that it's not really a matter of how rare magic is because of the politics in a region (obviously if you're a mage in Demacia it's in your best interest to move) and more an equation of population. Noxus is huge so they're going to have more there on average, not just because Noxus encourages magic. In places with relatively low populations though you're gonna have a higher mage density, if the politics allow for magic like in the Ixtal arcologies where people are probably bred to have magic and their society is based off of it because elemental magic powers the arcologies. There also seems to be a caste system based on magical potency (at least from what I can tell, the region is admittedly pretty bereft of lore).

A good way to show magic exists in places where MAGES who live there aren't the focus of a REGION (aka Piltover, Zaun, Bilgewater.... Shurima to an extent) Is to build stories around it. Piltover could have mages powering hextech machinery have their jobs rendered redundant by the invention of more efficient hextech battery cells and causing them all to lose their jobs and move to Zaun. Bilgewater is listed to have an "Employ" Attitude about magic, but this is NEVER shown in the story. Wouldn't it be cool if one of the meanest gang leaders around solidified her territory by using water magic to rip people apart and even challenged MF. Lot of missing opportunities there.