Yordle Lore

Tokenon··5 votes·2,381 views

I've recently gone through all of the lore for yordles, their backstories and such. I did that because of all the horrifying things I've heard they where doing, and they had. Like, why? Honestly, yordles where such a interesting race that we didn't know much about, I was super into learning about them, for example, like there goverment, there cities, and what do yordles celebrate? I'm even kinda OK with the whole 'they're from a slightly diffrent plane' than humans, I mean we have the Void, the Glade, and other such realms so that doesn't bother me. What does bother me is the whole 'they are apparently immortal and their innate magic makes them look like humans'... Why? What point does that have? There's no reason for them to live forever and there's no reason for them to look like something else in a world where weird and interesting species and spirits live. I hope they scrap this and just flesh out the race as an actual race and not some magical fey people that are all mystical and mysterious, they literally have a evolutionary ancestor of the race in the game, dont just ditch this.humans? Why? what point does that have , theres no reason for them to live forever and theres no reason for them to look like something else in a world where weird and intreasting species and spirits live. I hope they scrap this and just flesh out the race as an actual race and not some magical fey people that are alll mystical and mysterious they literally have a evoultanry ancestor of the race in the game dont just ditch this.

44 Comments

Eternal7914 votes

I'm fine with them being pretty much immortal in that they can't die of old age, but yeah, I never really liked them disguising themselves as humans.

Tokenon2 votes

i mean wahts the point of immortaillty? and why should something given to a literally gods in the game also apply to yordles? i mean froma story prospective its pretty dumb.

Sharjo4 votes

It's not so much immortallity and more being timeless. Yordles are still very much killable.

I don't see what's dumb about it personally.

Eternal7912 votes

Agreed. Why does everything in a magical world have to have a life limited by age?

Tokenon2 votes

Why does everything in a magical world have to be magical? Can't yordles be just another species that lives and dies like literally other established civilazation in the game?

Sharjo5 votes

Why does everything in a magical world have to be magical?

Well first off that questions a bit strange. If anything I'd expect a lot of magic in a magical world. Especially from its more unique inhabitants. Humans can be magical in this world too y'know.

Tokenon1 votes

what i meant to say is why does every sword have to the almighty sword of smiteing it could just be a regular sword.

Placentas4 votes

...????

The champions who are "in the league" as champions are well..champions. They're unique among the entirety of Runeterra. Not everyone is walking around with magical swords and weapons.

If you read any of the stories that involve average citizens of Runeterra you see this...Kindred's story, pretty much all of the new Zaun/Piltover stories, etc.

It honestly just sounds like you're unable to grasp the concept that things in a magical world will be magical and not follow the logic of the real world.

Yeah it's "weird", but uh yeah, magical worlds are weird.

Tokenon1 votes

heres an example of another "magical world" freaking world of warcraft, in there the characters are speacil they are the exmplarly or powerful of there kind some are even magical! however there is a established normalcy to everything and the point im making is that magical is fine however weird quick reasoning and instead of fleshing out a race is a poor thing to do. instead of yordles being super magical fairy people that you cant see i much rather see them as a another race of magically inclined people with there own history and established lore. it be like saying people see hobbits and goblins as just really weird looking animals or people instead of what they are ruins the whole point of them being who they are.

Placentas1 votes

" instead of yordles being super magical fairy people that you cant see i much rather see them as a another race of magically inclined people with there own history and established lore."

Um, we haven't had the Bandle City lore update yet, so not sure how your statement is valid towards this discussion. A lot of what you type comes across as "It's not how I would do it, so it's bad" mentality.

You keep mentioning it's weird, but why wouldn't magic be weird? Why wouldn't yordle magic be different from a mages magic? Or a Vastayans magic?

You compare it to WoW but that has been around for a long time with a very established lore, meanwhile LoL is retconning its lore to create a more fleshed out world.

Unless you can come up with an actual argument that has validity, then I must see we just have to accept on disagreeing.

Tokenon1 votes

ok then why not make humans timeless then?

Tokenon1 votes

garen could be the shining knight from day one of demecia!

Sharjo2 votes

Well some kinda are. Maybe not in the same way as yordles but Azir Ivern Lissandra Nasus Ryze Renekton Xerath are pretty ancient for humans. It all depends on where you get the means to live for that long. Yordles handle that differently than humans.

Tokenon1 votes

those arnt humans anymore and most those never wher to begin with renkenton,xerath,nasus,and bird man become GODS thats not there natural state, ivern is a animate tree person , lissandra is living evil ice god thing, Ryze is probably the only human here who started out a human and is still human. I dont much on his lore but im pretty sure those runes are keeping him around not his natural abilitie.

Tokenon1 votes

they at least worked for it or are literally creator of stars or something just having a whole race come into being as ever living is weird.

Sharjo4 votes

All of them are humans transformed by magic, no matter how you slice it. None of them are truly gods.

Tokenon1 votes

they are gods or demi gods in there culutre , considering they are made from the energy of beings they do worship as gods the Celestials which so far include Aurlion sol who im calling a god since he literally makes suns and stars of the solar system. Also non of them except maybe Ryze is Human NOW whatever body they had before is gone and they reside in there new forms now.

Chromatic Eagle1 votes

By timeless, you mean ageless? How does that work? Do they not have parents? What about Gnar and Lulu?

Sharjo1 votes

No, timeless is a better description than ageless I find.

Chromatic Eagle1 votes

Why?

Sharjo1 votes

Because age is relative to time, and time's the main factor here.

Chromatic Eagle2 votes

Que?

TitusBlackwell1 votes

I actually think the disguise thing has made it harder for themselves :/ There's dialogue that simply doesn't make sense now, like Xayah complaining that Yordles have ruined things for Vastaya with humans... but humans can't even see Yordles so how does that happen...?

Ralanr1 votes

I think it's something that Yordles themselves don't fully have control over, with only certain individuals or maybe during certain emotional situations where they are shown as Yordles.

Tristana's color text has people confuse her for an old woman despite her explanations otherwise. It was only after fighting that the bandits saw what she was. Tristana kept telling them that she wasn't an old lady before the fight though, so she just might not have control.

Course this could also be Tristana having fun.

As for champions seeing Yordles as they are, no champion in the roster doesn't deal with some sort of magical element in their life. That probably makes it easier for them to perceive Yordles.

N0mad92 votes

I'd really love to know more about Gnar's lore. That's the main yordle I want to know about. His story is so sad but he seems like such a cool and fun character.I just really want to know more about him.

a little shadow2 votes

The short story with him and Rengar kinda makes it seem like he doesn't know how to talk, I would like to see more on him though. Him interacting with other Yordles would be cool. Maybe he see's a bunch of other Yordles, follows them and accidentally winds up in Bandle City, thrashing it.

"playful, diminutive and cute until his occasional bouts of anger" Makes me think of Stitch. It could just be the Dino-gnar skin though lol

N0mad91 votes

He can clearly talk. Its just that his language is an ancient native language that obviously none of us are going to understand.(except when he imitates the taunts of other champs which is hilarious) And yes I love your idea of him meeting other yordles and trashing their city!XD

I can see what you mean. They are both really cute yet hyper destructive with tear jerker elements to their stories. Really hoping his lore gets a in depth update soon.

Wrathof3001 votes

I think their innate magic disguising by them among the humans is a nice plot twist. A sort of self-defense mechanism, we don't know how human societies would deal with the yordles as a race, each yordle has a different experience with the rest Runeterra, but what you happen if they revealed themselves collectively? They still are an actual race just as much as any other race on Runeterra, however, they simple aren't publicly acknowledged. Thus are regarded as a myth race.

Tokenon1 votes

why would they need THAT specific defense mechnizim? they have proven they are both magicaly and techonology more advanced then most other races not to mention they have guns , why would they need to appear human if they can either A) blow you up from muiles away B) Zap you to death with superior magic.

Wrathof3001 votes

Like you said, they have an evolutionary background already dating back to gnar, this mechanism would have shifted from a mega form to a more pacifistic 'disguise magic', due to them taking up a nomadic way of living instead of trying to conquer territory (based on old lore).

All of this technology and superior magic I assume you are referring to him and veigar, they could very well be written to have learnt these things from their respective 'adopted region's Piltover and Noxus, as we know at some point all yordle lore is going to be updated. Based even on veigar's old lore, he learnt his magic from other powerful mages. In other words they don't have to be more advanced but simply are a more knowledgeable race, having access to all of Runeterra's secrets but don't exploiting it, because, they don't need to.

Also not every yordle is op as the ones we have as champions, they also would have your everyday regular 'yordle' just as other places would have ever day run of the mill humans/ soldiers. So for these other yordles, this defence mechanism could be quite useful in helping them intermingle with other species and creatures on Runeterra. They aren't furry Noxus, trying to conquer runeterra, like I said they probably became more pasifistic with their nomadic nature, otherwise Kled would have remained some sort of commander for Bandle city, but this is not the case and he moves to somewhere that loved violence as much as he did.

Tokenon1 votes

why would turning human help with confruting other races including humans the most warring faction in the game rather then there orignal non threatning looking bodies plus why would a defense mechinisam go from agressive to submisive? cleaRly turning into a giant stronger beast is the strong transformation. and when we're they noamadic? they are highly soctial with a huge captail they also have at least 3 forms of millitary plus they actively create weapons. I dont think they are pascifts they probably just dont feel the need to conquer as a nation. each yordle is there own yordle kled would probably did want to go fight some wars and joined noxus.

Wrathof3001 votes

I don't remember where it was mentioned that they were nomadic, but the fact that Gnar was frozen in the Freljord and Amumu, was from Shurima is proof that they have been everywhere, and at some point settled in Bandle city, which apparently isn't on the same plane of existence as Runeterra. This is probably also the reason why it isn't uncommon for a yordle to live in a place other than Bandle city, they are a race used to living all over the place.

Like you said, if they aren't particularly interested in conquering nations and starting wars, then they have no need for a mega form, instead being able to hide among the more violent humans without having to start any violent confrontations.

Also they don't turn human, humans think they look human, this is the effect of their innate magic. As you can see in Tristana's short story the humans mistake her for an old lady but in fact Tristana did nothing to her appearance and was actually confused as to why they thought she was old. Until she stated that she was young for most yordles, and then the where able to see her for what she really was. In Poppy's story she was on the search for a legendary Monster hunter, she heard stories of this person travelling through dangerous forests killing all sorts of monsters, so to track him down, she followed these tales into the forest and fought few of the monster herself as the story opens with her killing a wolf, however, at a celebration in a village it is reveled that the monster hunter looks just like Poppy, but taller. A child even points out that Poppy was the monster hunter, until Poppy denied it at which point when the child's father turned around the monster hunter was nowhere to be seen. Poppy because of how old she is, ended up hearing stories about herself as a monster hunter, unaware that the monster hunter was the human perception that her innate magic caused humans to see her as.

It is a mechanism to blend in however the yordles do not actually transform into humans.

Tokenon1 votes

i know its just a disguise however why shoudl they have a disguise? and if you go with the history of yordles being off world why the heck would they gain the ability to disguise into a completely other race espically when there are tons of other races way more terffying then humans? Poppys backstory and history is funky and age wise she hoenstly isn't super old if you count the time from where it seems she was there around the first king of Demcia its not that huge of a time gap from king 1 to king 4 jarven.

The whole blending in thing is kinda dumb honestly if you treat yordles like a race then it makes no sense espically considering all the other races on runeterra.

Wrathof3001 votes

You're assuming all races are equal on Runeterra. We saw with Ahri's and Xayah's stories the Vastaya can end up in some trouble for mingling with the humans, one tried to chop off Ahri's tail for a potion.

If Alistar's lore remains even some what true, the Noxian's slaughtered his village and made him a slave (I mean they do this regardless of what you look like but still) and they tortured Veigar for shits and giggles if I remember correctly (granted just leaving him by his lonesome was the majority of his torture). The Targonians kill literally anything that isn't humanoid that comes down from the heavens and they enslaved Aurelion Sol. Runeterra may not be as accepting as we think, since know for a fact that Demacia wants nothing to do with magic for the most part.

There were multiple kings before Jarvan the first, this was stated in either Jarvan's or Garen's story. I theorized that they developed this innate magic from the time they spent traveling around on Runeterra, there really is no other explanation why they would need it other than to blend in.

SlyTactician 1 votes

I agree too about not liking the human disguise theme that Riot has been going with recently.

Yordles already have such a neat and unique design - just appearing as old human beings take away that originality and throws it out the window instead of interacting with humans as little furry creatures (we've seen this already happen in both Kled and Tristana's stories). They're supposed to be small; yet, intelligent creatures originally that other races saw as almost child-like.

I'm worried for Veigar's lore as I quite liked how he was once an innocent Yordle that was punished by human beings and kept in isolation. Also what's happening to Gnar? I thought he was meant to be the evolution link to Yordles...yet, now yordles are almost immortal?

Perhaps if the disguise was just temporary it would be nice...however, that just means that yordles always appear as humans till they reveal themselves...which makes for dull interactions with other human champions. I just hope we get the Bandle City lore update soon as I'm quite worried for what direction the yordles are heading for in terms of lore.

Tokenon1 votes

if say veigar or lulu made it seem they where human it could make sense sense they are yordles who outwordly practice magic

Wrathof3001 votes

Riot stated that in the future, when champions interact with yordles they will recognize them almost immediately for the magical creatures they are, although they have yet to flesh out an explanation. Also their are a considerable amount of champions just based on their character, you would need no explanation as for why they can tell the yordles from humans, I.e. Bard, Ivern, the undead, Illaoi, the Vastaya, the Ascended maybe? The Void, other mythical creatures?

Nothing is confirmed in Runeterra to be immortal in the sense tat they will never/cannot die. Also being immortal would not stop evolution unless the means by which you were immortal were if your body/physical appearance was stuck in time.

Tokenon1 votes

and theres the thing why do yordles have to mythical? Fizz isn't mythical Nami isnt mythical nor is Aatrox! instead they are established races with history. And immortaility would stop evoultion if you as a species can not die then theres no room for you to go you have achived something that literally stars can't reach.

Tokenon1 votes

and thats why its ridicilous for yordles to have that and its also pointless! Freaking Renekton and Nasus has to be combined with the energy of the beings that made stars in order to achieve that.

Wrathof3001 votes

They aren't immortal, they just have really long life spans. If your grandfather's grandfather knew someone you met today (and they looked your age or younger) you would assume they were immortal. If we assume Amumu is in fact a Yordle, then he technically is proof that Yordles can die.

Fizz, Aatrox and Nami are mythical. When you learn of the origins of something it becomes less of a legend. We know what Nami is, and know she suddenly is a lot less mysterious, especially knowing there are others like her. We have and idea of what Aatrox and Fizz are, but because we don't have a full picture we can't truly define them still. Same with the yordles, when the Bandle city update rolls around there will be questions left but I am sure everything would make a lot more sense. For now I have accepted them as the furry, long lived, magically disguised smurfs I know them as.

Jaspers1 votes

The 'looking like humans' thing is an odd one but I like it. I think this is a side effect of the magic that surrounds them on non-magic tuned humans. I mean Yorick quotes indicate that their coffins would be small, meaning as whatever he is, he can see through the illusion. Xayah also seems to see through it, plus Galio. Illoai's connection to her god means she also sees through it referring to them as spirits yet normal humans know Yordles are no more than fables and legend (see that guys Yordle mention part in the Vastaya story). It might even be a case that champs like Quinn see them as old people.

All this while Poppy, Ziggs, Heimer and co literally live next door to them, teach them. Yordles themselves might not even understand how they appear to humans, might just accept it and live their lives not knowing that humans don't perceive them as they perceive themselves.

I like the ideas behind them and would like the official update to Bandle city and Yordles to come out. :P

Tokenon1 votes

i really doubt the yordles would miss the whole you look like human things if they teach to humans and live for enternity but besides that we go to the whole its a aspect of there "innate magic" the hell does that mean? there are ton of magical creatures and races in runeterra and all that innate magic does is help them either live there life in the ecosystem or to help achieve some higher form of power or inelligence. Instead of disgues them as humans why not make it so that there innate magic helps yordles be better at magic like Veigar or help them reach great feats of prowess and ingentuity like Hiemendinger?

a little shadow1 votes

Yordles are really cool characters, having them be very illusive means they don't pop up in other stories very often though so I hope they fill out the Yordle lore. I like what has already been established but I feel like compared to all the other regions Yordles don't really have anything going on. Even if its just a story or two about antics going around Bandle City or a wandering Fizz noticing a sad and gloomy wandering samurai and decides to play some tricks on him to try and cheer him up, I think it would be great.

In my mind Yordles are kind of the childish/ comedic relief characters of LoL and so it's probably hard to tie them into any serious plot but having them be just hidden and reclusive seems like a big waist. I get universe wise they want to stick to the whole 'magic isn't an everyday thing in Runeterra' thing and so they can't have Yordles running around all the time but as viewers looking into the world I would love to see what they are actually doing if not interacting with humans.

Psilocybinium1 votes

idk what r u talking about theres no lore about yordles as species and u r already complaining

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