Headcanon, and its place in lore (Also: Share thread)

James Stone·5/4/2015, 4:36:44 PM·7 votes·2,019 views

With the Narrative's constant silence, and with every other Riot team outperforming them in every way possible (Balance, Art, Community Creations, they all have - somewhat - the satisfaction, and dare I say respect, of the general community), I feel more distant from Runeterra at each passing day. The name Skarner, before associated with a character that I deeply liked, is now synonimous with Tank, Kidnapper. Ashe means Carry, Kiter. The name Du Couteau might as well not exist. Champions have become mere tools and pawns, and NPCs besides the shopkeepers might as well not exist.

Which is why I've started to fall back on my headcanon, and I've been cherishing it more and more.

See, in the older days of mere silence, instead of the calm that followed the old lore's massacre, I entertained myself by writing fanfiction. I had a big project, The Renegade's Path: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9096840/1/The-Renegade-s-Path about my favorite non-champion, Marcus Du Couteau, ongoing, and a few small stories that I felt like writing

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9632973/1/A-Tale-of-Dusk-and-Dawn https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10348488/1/Nature-of-the-Beast https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9679444/1/Prison-Chains

, all part of the same one universe, that for a while, for me, was synonymous with Runeterra. Note that I'm not writing this as a way to publizise myself, just the only way I know to show you how much I loved the old lore, how much I loved the story behind League of Legends.

From the many ideas I didn't publish, a few of them I particularly enjoy, like:

  • The Ionian Elder in Yasuo's story secretly harbored Riven after she turned her back on Noxus, and taught her ancient Ionian wind techniques, which is why Yasuo recognizes them. She then discovers he was planning on betraying Ionia to Noxus, and using her as a tool, and strikes him down in anger.
  • The Medusa Corp., a high-tech cyberpunk company with its own private army, and the biggest company in Zaun, its CEO allied with Noxus and the Black Rose, causing unrest in both Demacia and Noxus anonymously, as a way to create even bigger anymosity between the two city states (A plot point I wanted to include in The Renegade's Path).
  • A different take on Viktor, with him considering Blitzcrank his son and turning himself into a cyborg to suppress his anguish at losing him (Stanwick put a restraining other stopping Viktor from approaching Blitz and Vik deleted the golem's memory of him so he wouldn't suffer), and making so Jayce's stealing the power source, and a few badly chosen orders from him, was what made him go all "Glorious Revolution".

Point being, if you have Headcanons, share. Don't mind writing too much, don't mind posting someone else's works that you really really like (Factions for example), this is a thread to talk and share.

22 Comments

Tesla Effect5/4/2015, 6:43:57 PM6 votes

I have some, but I also share them with some other individuals. Apart from the ones Sharjo mentioned, there are:

  • Protectorate and Magelords from Aatrox lore are the two sides on Summoners Rift. They also represent ancient Demacia and Noxus. Leblanc LeBlancs and her order are the remnants of the Magelords, while the new Taric is the remnant of the Protectorate. Both LeBlanc and Taric are the avatars of their respected sides. Neither were good or evil, they just share different ideologies towards the use of magic.

  • Invasion of Ionia. There were multiple invasions of Ionia as indicated by Bard lore. All for the sake of incredibly powerful Artifacts and because Ionia was no opposition to Noxuses military might. The whole thing will be resolved with an Ionian event (with the release of ether Irelias brother or Ao Shin) now that the League is not canon and the Ionia vs Noxus match never truly happened.

  • Zilean and Janna share some key features with each other, ether Janna is related to the Urtistan people, or both have gotten their powers in similar ways.

  • Urtistan was another incarnation of the the Protectorate, while Icathia of the Magelords.

  • Rammus is an Ascendant Being, one of the first to ever get that honor and is wise so much so that he doesnt talk too much about anything (keeps it all in).

  • Piltover was once a Demacian city, but was given political and scientific freedom for the soul role to create inventions that would be used in Demacia, where scientific research is heavily restricted. Same thing with Zaun but more freedome (mirroring the Magelords ideals for a more free use of magic, and now technology as well).

  • Mount Targon is a nation linked with Shurima and the Celestials.

  • New Shaco and Lulu are connected to The Glade. But in Shacos instance he was introduced to a much darker part of the Glade, making him go mad and create the entity we now all know as Shaco.

  • New Malphite, Anivia, new Brand and Ao Shin are Elemental beings of Runeterra. They each represent the 4 Elements and are the Worlds Natural Guardians as oppose to Bard, who is a guardian of balance itself.

  • Voidborn energy destroys the land it infests (similar to the DAO Blight), as indicated by Baron Nashor on the Summoners Rift battlefield.

  • Fiddlesticks is an artificially constructed being made in the Voodoo Lands, which means he has some him ties with Annie clan.

  • After the Amumu video ended, Amumu meets Annie who isnt affected by his curse and is why he can be friends with her without the fear of his curse making her run away from him.

  • Most items in the game itself represent key magical artifacts from Runeterran history. And are also all-stared in the game just as much as the champions are. For obvious examples: item 3153, item 3190, item 3031, item 3071 ....

I have more, but this is good for now.

Probably will gonna get downvoted by some unfortunate soul that keeps grudges for some strange reason (they will downvote not because of what was commented, but because it was commented by me) but who cares about him or them. Just want to put my thoughts out there, they and their negativity can take a hike.

Sharjo5/4/2015, 5:57:49 PM5 votes

Eh sure why not. I have a metric shit ton.

  • Bard saved Azir's third, about to be born child during the destruction of Shurima, preserving the emperor's legacy and allowing Sivir to be born a millennia later.
  • Nasus and Renekton ascended to defeat the armies of Freljord who were encroaching upon Shurima's borders in their conquest of Valoran.
  • Skarner's people were negatively affected by the Shurimans in some way, probably through the desertification of the land, forcing them to fight to survive. This led them in to conflict with the ascended, which they inevitably couldn't win.
  • The voidborn champs we have and their species have names that originate from the Shuriman language. Baron Nashor doesn't have such a name because he has no (known) history with Shurima.
  • Urtistan was destroyed by Icathians who summoned monsters of the void in an effort to conquer or something to this effect.
  • The Ruined King was manipulated and persuaded to break the barrier of life and death by Mordekaiser.
  • Mordekaiser used his necromantic and metal binding powers to transform Hecarim in to what he is now.
  • Hecarim killed Kalista.
  • Bard was the hero the Marai got the moonstones from, and is the guy that Nami was waiting for. She doesn't know this however because of the limited knowledge the Marai have of surface dwelling beings.
  • MissFortune's mum was killed by Mordekaiser ; a man with red eyes.
  • Sion killed Durand during his stint as a mindless killing machine, earning the ire of Galio.
  • "C", the master criminal is in fact a split personality of Caitlyn that she isn't aware of.

That should about cover it for now. I have more but I feel like this is good!

Ebonmaw Dragon5/4/2015, 7:19:49 PM5 votes

Vilemaw was the corpse of a spider from the void, but was resurrected by accident when the King of the Shadow Isles did the weird ritual that is mentioned in the lore of Maokai.

Oh, and he is stupid.... actually, its cannon that Vilemaw is stupid, we know that.

James Stone5/4/2015, 10:23:04 PM3 votes

I have a new one: All Fields of Justice were created as a way to contain the magical energies emanating from the area. The original Twisted Treeline contained the magical fallout that affected the Zaunite forest and stopped the land around it from being "corrupted", the Howling Abyss is meant to contain the strange energies enamating from the old Watcher's fortress (purple side) and the Crystal Scar had a whole event dedicated to explain why things went to shit.

So why does Summoner's Rift exist? What is its purpose?

The clue, I think, is in the name. Summoner's RIFT. It is a Rift of some kind, and, in my opinion, a Rift between dimensions. It is the crack between the Void and Runeterra, and the Nexii were built there to contain and absorb the magic trying to accumulate in the area, trying to form around the Rift. But the Vanguard of the Void passed through. Baron Nashor. But like all Voidborn, he's smart. He knows that if he opposed the Summoners he'd be killed by numbers alone, and he's too powerful to be mindmerged and Summoned. So he waits. He waits as the Void sends its agents, waits as the crack between dimensions slowly opens again.

Maple Crusader5/7/2015, 9:19:48 PM2 votes

Aatrox: Aatrox is actually the sword not the being. Aatrox requires a strong host body to unleash his power. He has existed throughout history in Runeterra because of the hosts he chooses. The reason why he wiped out Tryndamere's tribe was because he sensed that the barbarian had the potential to wield his power. Demonblade Tryndamere is the possible future for Tryndamere if he possesses the Darkin Blade.

Hecarim: He made a face heel turn by betraying the King of the Shadow Isles and Kalista.

Mordekaiser: The Pentakill songs, "Lightbringer" and "Thornmail" relate to his past. Mordekaiser was the Heir Prince of the Shadow Isles and he wears the original Thornmail armour.

Talon: I believe that Talon is actually Quinn's brother.

Evelynn: She broke up with Twisted Fate because he obsessively kept tabs on her with his true sight and teleportation.

Velkoz: One of the members of Vel'Koz' species had attacked Gnar's family.

Jinx: She either has been supplied with tech from Viktor or she has been stealing hextech arms from him.

Warwick: Warwick is a doctor, but he is passionate for hunting people down for money. Although cruel and ruthless, Warwick was touched by Soraka's kindness.

Zyra: Zyra's body originally belonged to Lilith, Ryze's mentor.

Annie: Annie admires Brand as a "cool" role model for his destructive and pyromaniac personality, and his magical ability. She and Brand are kindred flames.

Kashra5/4/2015, 9:49:41 PM2 votes

This isn't so much a headcanon as it is some questions on how Varus' corruption actually works, beyond the game mechanics. I can only assume because of his abilities that he is passively spreading the corruption to everything he touches or attacks, whether he is aware of it or not.

If he's killed, would the corruption die with him or seek a new host? If it reaches out to a new host, would it need to convince the person to accept it or did that only apply to Varus because he freed it from its prison (thus making it unable to latch on to people in the first place). Assuming that Varus was spreading corruption around by just existing in that corrupted state, would it even need to find a new host because of how much it had spread by that time?

Because the corruption had to be sealed in a pit, this must mean that the Ionian people were unable to destroy it. Does this mean that if someone were to try and cleanse Varus of it, Soraka or Karma possibly, would it be well beyond their capabilities, magical or not? Is Varus just going to die in a tragic blaze of blighted glory with no hope for redemption?

...I'm really not sure how to address these questions, but it is interesting to think about (ok, maybe just to me). Also, I'm interested in reading how other people think his corruption works.

BlazeRiver5/6/2015, 3:25:18 AM2 votes

I think that Janna originally used her wind magic to keep her alive while in Zaun. Her kit is based around protecting, and in Zaun, nobody will raise an uproar if an orphan is used for "scientific testing". However, I think that it's backfiring because her wind magic is turning her into a pure entitiy of the wind with no thoughts beyond air and weather. Janna joined the Institute of War to try to prevent this, but it might be beyond the powers of summoners.

ZeichiVos5/6/2015, 12:27:11 PM2 votes

There was a powerful ancient civilization located in the Kumungu Jungle. Their mystics created powerful artifacts that allowed them to thrive in the jungle. It gave sentience to animals (Rammus, Nidalee) and even plants (Zyra), allowing them to communicate with their surroundings. Their isolation in the jungle kept them safe from the turbulent geo-political landscape the world found itself in, what with watchers, ascendants, and Void incursions. However, they couldn't stay safe in the jungle forever... though the cataclysm that would destroy their race came not from Runeterra, nor the Void, but elsewhere...

The massive rocket in the middle of Bandle City? It wasn't built on Runeterra. It landed, and whatever was inside ended the Kumungan civilization's golden age, one they would never quite recover from. The civilization itself lived on to the present day. In fact, they formed a new capital around the ship, either as slaves or the survivors of a great war against the invaders. To this day, Yordles are naturally fearful of outsiders, mostly keeping to a single city. They studied the ship left by the invaders, which is why their technology is so far advanced, and yet very different from the rest of Valoran's technology.

This does, however, leave a couple questions. What exactly were the invaders who landed on Runeterra? Could their ancestors have survived, to live on in a modern day species on the planet? Also, its clear from Gnar's release that Yordles have changed physiologically since ancient times... so was that change natural, magical, or something else entirely? Is the blue of Tristana and Rumble a natural Yordle colour, or could it have been introduced to the species via some sort of special cross-breeding? And, perhaps the most important question of all... was one ship the entirety of what was sent to Runeterra... or was that the scout ship?

The Soulforged5/7/2015, 12:51:21 AM1 votes

The watchers were guardians of the Freljord and similar to Anivia , and were infected by a void portal which was once located at the Howling Abyss. When heroes pushed them off the bridge, they fell through the void portal into the void.

Matezoide5/4/2015, 10:54:24 PM1 votes

I like to imagine Garen and Lux enjoy hanging out in various activites when off-duty, because while they love Demacia, they are still quite sad over Garen being sent to the military as a boy and being unable to enjoy his sister's company.

I would also like to think Nasus holds great sadness in his heart, for his brother's madness.