Next shadow isles champ could be the ruined king and here is my hypothesis

T8 Speedwagon··9 votes·2,188 views

With the rework of yorick, in his voice over there are quite a lot of quotes that reference the ruined king and express yorick's disgust and disapproval towards him. One particular thing is that yorick speaks about the ruined king as if he is still alive in the shadow isles. We got lots of characters who live around the king lore wise and i think it is inevitable that soon we will see him on the summoners rift. Kalista was one of ,if not the best general of the ruined king's army alongside with hecarim. Now yorick and his updated lore bring an important point of the king's lore. Yorick was one of the monks of the blessed isles, which became the shadow isles because of the arrogance of the king (won't explain the whole story). So why the ruined king should or could be the next in line for our shadow isles champs roster? Lore wise, imo, there isn't much left because most of the shadow isles lore spins around the figure of the ruined king. If we don't get to know the king, the lore of this place of runeterra could only actually spin around endlessly without a goal. Considering that the harrowing event, near halloween, almost certainly brings a related new champ (this year illaoi because the black mist reached bilgewater, last year kalista because part of the shadow isles lore), if the next champion will come from the shadow isles, i think it should be the ruined king. Don't take my words as pure truth. I could have mistaken everything from the top to the bottom of my post. Just wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks for reading.

17 Comments

Malicious Metal11 votes

No. I feel it's better he remains as just another soul trapped in the mist. He's done his part, we got Mordekaiser commanding the mist for now, which is enough imo.

T8 Speedwagon3 votes

The problem is that the ruined king as now, he isn't treated like a normal soul of the mist. Yorick himself wouldn't bother much about him, would he? If the king was just a soul of the mist, yorick's mission would be only to purge the isles. Though his quotes still keep a sense of unaccomplished revenge. Also Reave stated that mordekaiser is second only to the king about yorick's disgust. So i think the ruined king is still the biggest figure of the isles.

Malicious Metal1 votes

Of course he hates the King more. He's responsible for the curse. But he does not have an agenda, if I recall correctly in the SI lore update it's mentioned that he does not have any consciousness inside the mist, being just another soul.

Sharjo5 votes

I've always imagined the Ruined King as either being lost in the maw of souls or being stuck right in the heart of the mist itself, not really doing anything but still being present.

I feel like the Shadow Isle currently has a power struggle sufficiently strong enough we don't really need the Ruined King to be an active participant for it to work. You have Mordekaiser on one side, Yorick on the other, Karthus as a third force that works independently of the two, and a rogue fourth element in Kalista.

XIII Vanitas1 votes

Karthus is a possible rogue just like Kalista. I wouldn't consider him much different from her, even though they are moved by different motivations and have very different backstories. Why do you think he works independently as a third force?

Sharjo1 votes

Mostly because he's very much his own person and works towards his own goals and agendas, but is separate from the main point of contention between Mordekaiser and Yorick; the two could duke it out forever and it wouldn't really affect Karthus and what he's doing. By contrast Kalista's almost a force of nature at this point.

Ebonmaw Dragon6 votes

... What if i told you that its possible that the Ruined King is already in the Game?

The East Altar of the Shadow Isles, the Lord who lost her wife... and memory.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EqVmP4SzrAs/UI98sx_SL9I/AAAAAAAAJdE/BOOVpnFwrr0/s1600/alkty.png

Who else, but him, tried to do everything to revive her wife?

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/5/50/EastAltar.Generic7.ogg/revision/latest?cb=20121120191901

You have to consider that almost all the characters from the Shadow Isles have a connection with the Ruined King, they all mention him at some point (Except Elise, but she is a queen of the spiders who needs no king)... Even the Lady Altar says "For the King!"... But the Lord? he never mentions it... Why? Because he IS the Ruined King (according to this theory)

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/b/b8/WestAltar.Special3.ogg/revision/latest?cb=20121120195754

This theory is also supported by the fact that the Lady is one of the few characters from the Shadow Isles that remember the past... and she knows who was Hecarim (before he was "consumed by the darkness"). Why she knew Hecarim before the insident? Because she was the Queen.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/5/5e/WestAltar.Hecarim1.ogg/revision/latest?cb=20121120195717

XIII Vanitas2 votes

That's an interesting theory!

GreenLore4 votes

I could also see him being an important npc in a lore event. In general I think it is possible that he'll be ursurped by Mordekaiser,basically giving him a similar as Boram Darkwill for Swain.

Voidzilla2 votes

I actually like the Ruined King as a character only in the lore, such as Rafen or Orlon or Azrahir Thelamu (that hierophant from the Shurima "Bloodline" story). Not everyone mentioned in the League-verse needs to be a Champion. The Ruined King works more as a plotpoint to explain how the Isles became as they are now, and the price he paid was being forever transformed into just another lost soul, which is a bigger tragedy than him becoming another "dark overlord" or "regretful hero" that we have quite a few of already.

I would like to see the Ruined King too and know exactly what he did to cause the Ruination, but I have to disagree with your statement that the SI lore can only go in a neverending circle if the Ruined King isn't made a Champion. How would him being a playable character enhance the SI stories? With Mordekaiser controlling the Black Mist, Hecarim leading its charge, Kalista and Yorick fighting against its intents, and Maokai looking to restore the Blessed Isles; there are plenty of goals within the Shadow Isles lore (all of which don't necessarily revolve around the Ruined King himself).

The most I'd like to see in-game regarding the Ruined King is maybe adding a doodad in the center of the Twisted Treeline - a broken crown next to an ancient corpse. It might even provide a buff for acquiring it or something, similar to Vilemaw's reward. As of now though, no, the Ruined King doesn't need to be a Champion, and everything probably works better with him just being a background figure.

Kamiroo Wolf2 votes

My theory is that the maiden of the mist speaks on behalf of his (or from her perspective) wife when speaking about the BotRK in Yorick's VO. Unrelated kinda, but I also like to think the ruined king is coming soon.

Veltox1 votes

Then he should have a tyrant or WHAT HAVE I DONE personality?

T8 Speedwagon1 votes

That's up to riot, but i could expect much of an insane desperate king, with a morbid will of control over things. Though this is what i think how he should be before the ruination. We don't know, actually, NOBODY knows how he could have changed after the damnation of the blessed isles. Maybe we won't see the king himself but a demonic figure.

Veltox2 votes

To be fair everything coming from shadow isles has a questionable mental state not counting if he is good,evil or none.

Iwinatlife421 votes

Seems like sound reasoning except people would undoubtedly complain about double shadow isles characters in a row

T8 Speedwagon1 votes

I don't know. Maybe the rework itself is an exception for this year's new champs roster. Also why not rework yorick later then? I think they reworked yorick also to update the lore and maybe to prepare us for the king's arrival.

Fat Bastard GOD1 votes

If anyone comes out during the harrowing, I think it would be Warwick.

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