Who the hell is Fiddlesticks?

ObiXLS·9/30/2014, 11:59:46 AM·7 votes·23,958 views

This is essentially the same topic as the Jax thread from earlier, but on an even more urgent scale.

Fiddlesticks' lore is very thin and doesn't make much sense as is, but now that summoners are gone, he's a COMPLETE enigma. No backstory whatsoever, as his entire deal was that none of the summoners could understand what the hell he was. So my question to you, my fellow (non)summoners, is:

What the hell do you think Fiddlesticks is? Where did he come from? Why does he fight?

53 Comments

Trylobyte9/30/2014, 12:20:12 PM22 votes

No longer just a simple scarecrow. He needed a name. He thought back to the things he had heard his 'friend' say and came up with a single word. Fiddlesticks. A word she used to express distress or frustration when things didn't go her way. And he, Fiddlesticks, certainly distressed her. Oh yes. If he only had a brain, she sang. If he only had a brain. She taunted him. Called him stupid. Called him a fool. Her mockery danced through his thoughts even now as the crows picked the meat from her bones. She claimed to be a friend. She lied. The crows were his friends. Yes, the crows, the only ones who ever paid him any heed. He was made to scare them, but now he loved them. He knew them. He was one with them. And now he scared everything. As he gazed down the road to the shining city in the distance, he knew what he must do. Off he set, down that yellow brick road, a flock of crows forming a black cloud overhead. He was Fiddlesticks. He would be the harbinger of their doom.

RiotCarnival Knights9/30/2014, 8:03:00 PM15 votes

This is my own personal head canon, so take it with a grain of salt.

I've always liked Fiddle as a sort of lucid artifact - nobody knows why it's there, or where it came from; if someone made it or why. It's just standing there, almost as if it's waiting for something. Fields become overgrown, nearby homes are covered in dust and decay. And all the while this sack-man on old wooden stilts hangs perfectly still, where no winds blow and the only sounds are crows in flight, just out of earshot, scratching lightly at the back of your skull.

But that's just me.

CupcakeTrap9/30/2014, 9:03:29 PM6 votes

I discuss Fiddlesticks in a thread I posted about how Champions stories could be progressed through the League:

Link: Name a Champion whose story "couldn't progress" because of the League.

(Fiddlesticks is mentioned in the post after the OP; ran up against the character limit.)

As I mention there, I'm with OP, in that I think it's actually very hard to give him progression without the League. Without the League, he's just another "bwahahahaha" evil monster who murders everything. It seems like some Demacian would just go and smite him, and that would be the end of that.

I suppose the idea I proposed there could be used in a non-League setting as well. Here it is:

Essential Lore. A mad Zaunite Summoner named Istvaan conducted an extra-planar Summoning ritual. Fiddlesticks now haunts the chamber in which the ritual was performed. He allows himself to be summoned, gleefully slaughtering the enemy on the Fields while spooking his Summoner through the link, but otherwise just sits in the locked chamber and murders anyone who comes in. (The League apparently uses him "as an executioner". That's kind of a weird touch.)
Observation. Without the League, he's just a crazy murder-fiend who will probably run around massacring people until he's destroyed. This is not the most exciting story. With the League, he's at least more interesting as "the demon in the basement".
Story Example. Write a story about a Summoner who calls upon Fiddlesticks more and more, and begins to lose their sanity. That'd be a cool Fiddlesticks piece: the diary of a Summoner slowly driven mad by this monster. But, okay, that's not strictly "character progression". I'm not convinced that all characters need to "progress": I mean, how much does Cthulhu "progress" in Call of Cthulhu? But I'll stay true to the letter of my promise.
Development. One day, Fiddlesticks doesn't come when Summoned. Insert haunting story bits of Summoners reporting the sound of wooden clatters in the bedrooms at night or whatever. There are probably accusations that it's all a ruse to try to close down the Institute, a stalling tactic by a faction that knows it's going to lose the next match and wants to hold it off a bit longer. Then, Fiddlesticks appears in the Council chambers during an audience, a flock of crows around him and his eyes ablaze with balefire. Champions and Summoners alike are so horrified that they can only stare. But Fiddlesticks doesn't attack: he launches into a cackling proclamation. He claims to be an ancient sorcerer from the Shadow Isles returned to the mortal realm and determined to retake his lands. He was not a necromancer, but instead an incarnation of older earth-magic, worshipped by the farmers who inhabited the Isles before it was transformed. Karthus and company are not happy. Maokai realizes that this Fiddlesticks is a psychotic killer, but also sees a chance to reclaim part of the Isles and restore them to life, even if it means blood sacrifices on the way. Cue League dispute where Maokai and perhaps some others join with Fiddlesticks against the Shadow Isles, seeking to carve out a new realm. Either way, Fiddlesticks stays in the League, whether to rep his new territory, to hone his magic, to spook Summoners, to piss off Karthus, or (if he loses) to build up enough favor to one day make his claim anew. (As for how he escaped in the first place: it could come out that he needed a certain number of killings to break free. Once that last victim was executed, or stumbled in and got killed if we want to drop the executioner thing, he had the power he needed.)

SecretLore9/30/2014, 2:37:56 PM4 votes

Well with all these different world champs becoming native to runeterra I think that fiddle will also be made to be from there(as opposed to be the result of interdimensional summoning gone wrong).

I am personally a fan of the vodoo lands,the faction led by annies parents. I mean they are a fiction filled with dark mages,so I think fiddle could have been easily the result of some kind of magic ritual gone horribly wrong there(or horribly right)

WickedKing9/30/2014, 8:20:18 PM3 votes

"I feel your fear"

-Fiddlesticks

CrazedPorcupine10/1/2014, 9:04:05 PM2 votes

My personal opinion for what they can do with fiddle. Make him a scarecrow brought to life due to the rampant necromantic magics that corrupted the Shadow Isles.

Something like this (Told from the PoV of Maokai)

In my meadow, a kind soul had made a scarecrow to try and keep away some of the birds. Rather than being scared they fell in love with it, used it to nest, to get straw for their nests. I remember when it came to life. he would dance and play and laugh. The birds continued to rely on him and even began to follow his commands. They became his beloved pets. Then the Necromantic magics came. I drew all the life force of the meadow into me, but not until after the scarecrow became corrupted. His soul twisted by the dark magics of the Shadow Isles.

Demonsolder219/30/2014, 8:33:49 PM1 votes

hes a self proclaimed wizard who wanted to rule the world but then got transformed into a scarecrow by a accident gone wrong because of this accident the wizard has gone mad and lost his true identity of who or what he is he now ravages the rift as a lost soul looking for unknown answers. The name fiddlesticks did not attribute to him until a certain champion compared him to a pile of fiddle sticks.

nosafterburn10/1/2014, 11:57:04 PM1 votes

In my own personal opinion I have always felt that Fiddlesticks was some sort of Rune-war Relic that was left behind in the city state of Noxus and was changed (maybe by the following people) before the big magic-user purge that made Annie's parents leave and The Black Rose (I think that's what LB's group is called) go into hiding. That is kinda why he just fear, curses, and destroys.....relentlessly. Just a past cursed relic that is always looking to destroy the next enemy (and of course everything seems to be his enemy). Fiddlesticks

Katunga Jones10/2/2014, 2:03:48 AM1 votes

How about this? Nocturne IS Annie's Father.....what's left of him, the actual living nightmare of the father is he is out to make her suffer "himself". I wouldn't mention it in written lore but play it out in game like the fjord queens.

 ![Fiddlesticks](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.11.1/img/champion/Fiddlesticks.png)  and ![Shaco](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.11.1/img/champion/Shaco.png)  are both demons/voodoo land spooky spirits originally bound to the service of ![Annie](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.11.1/img/champion/Annie.png) 's parents.

Shaco based on the spirit of chaos keeping you company. He killed her witch mom or so thinks. Still in "service" to nocturne but pretty much orchestrated his creation......he's a chaos demon. Shaco is "chaos" out of order.

Fiddlesticks based on fear of keeping things away, Originally created/bound by Annie's witch mom like the "old lore". Direction could be he is wildcard unbound demon. Or the bind to the mother is coming or fading slowly. He still calls out for a master in his voice overs. I'd like to think of him more of the evil that keeps evil away. The theme of "if nightmares could have nightmares". The voodoo land theme of using monsters against monsters.

Annie Then you can work out a good story about Tibbers the teddybear that protects against nightmares which nocturne represents.

Tarreb10/2/2014, 5:21:28 AM1 votes

My whack at a bio for Fiddlesticks:

While reading some old musty tomes, I discovered an ancient version of a common fairy tale. It told of a boastful craftsman named Fiddlesticks, who as bidding to build a war-golem for a kingdom. This man promised a cost and date of delivery his competitors claimed impossible, and was chosen for the task. The artificer built his golem, but the design failed to move. Unable to find the flaw preventing his success, and with the promised delivery date only days away, he hearkened to an alternate solution. He stole a scarecrow from a nearby field, and summoned a spirit to animate it. This decision proved catastrophic, for when he presented his claimed success before the king, the scarecrow slew all in attendance. The scarecrow returned to the field from whence it was stolen, to protect it from any vermin to harm it. Many of the former king's vassals attempted to remove and destroy Fiddlesticks' folly, though each would succeed only in fertilizing the fields with their blood.

As time passed, the artificer was forgotten, and all that remained of the story was the scarecrow Fiddlesticks keeping watch over a bountiful field. The tales of the scarecrow vary. Some say that crop thieves would run in silent terror from the field, never to be heard from again. Others tell of men who tried to steal the scarecrow to protect their own fields, usually ending with the greedy farmer drained of life and the scarecrow inexplicably back at its post.

I had always though they were told to frighten children into good behavior, that there wasn't any truth contained in them. That was until a battle broke out near its guard. Survivors say the battle had been progressing as normal, until they entered that one field. Combat magics ravaged the ground, and then suddenly stopped as the casters were beset by crows. Panic spread through both sides as foul magic began to emanate from a solitary scarecrow, which began to slaughter combatants from either side indiscriminately.

After the massacre ended, the landscaped was scarred and infertile. Fiddlesticks had vanished without a trace. Some think it perished in the chaos, others claim it seeks vengeance and hunts the few remaining survivors it missed. Recently though, I've heard a field with an exceptional bounty these past years, and that some of its less reputable neighbors have recently perished under strange circumstances...

Durmeth the Vile10/2/2014, 6:08:30 AM1 votes

He's a spooky scarecrow from the shadow isles. That's it. I assume.

The new lore direction is pretty weak. He probably fights people because that's what all spooky scarecrows do, they try to murder things. Before, he was a mystery, guarding even more mystery and possibly terribly important secrets. Kept locked away due to being far too dangerous. At least that mystery had some potential.

Tony Tomato10/2/2014, 7:20:36 PM1 votes

I was always fascinated with Fiddlesticks and I feel that this thread could very well be a good insight to how Riot can improve on Fiddlesticks's lore and overall theme.

I don't know how other people feel about scarecrows but the idea of an inanimate object that is roughly made to resemble human being alive and malevolent was always an intense creep factor to me. The same idea goes with mannequins. You're staring at it, and it's staring back with this hollow gaze, like it's looking right through you. And while one part of you tries to reassure that it's not alive, you're scared to look away in fear it'll stab you in the back...or something...I'm not good with horror, but I know when I'm scared stiff.

Now looking at the live version of Fiddlesticks, there's some lost potential that I see. When I saw the "Twist of Fate" Cinematic, I was blown away by how terrifying Fiddlesticks actually looked. And then I look at the live version, I see a prancing little wooden figure, like he's Pinocchio singing a tune and wishing he was a real boy. While I know this was back when League of Legends still had it's comedic values, (after all, this horrific creature is called "Fiddlesticks"), I don't really buy the whole "Fear me" effect. When he Drains, he stands still with his arms out like he's waiting for a hug. If this was to emphasize the idea of him resembling a normal scarecrow, then Riot could've done a better job emphasizing that. I want to look at Fiddle and see something that is somewhere between being animate and inanimate. An object corrupted by the spirits and the embodiment of dread. Instead I see a little puppet who's just happy to be here.

Now with all criticism aside, I want to assure that this is not a smash on Fiddle, I love the 'ol pile of sticks and I know that Riot can bring Fiddle to life (punintended) like they have for the past champion VUs. Fiddle is in no need of a gameplay update, he just needs some visual tuning. His animations are conflicting with this arching lore and theme but his voice is spot on. I will say that now. I LOVE his voice. It is exactly how I envision a horrific scarecrow brought to life to sound. If all Riot did for his sound was to make it sound just tiiiiny bit wispy. like a slight echo. and ONLY that. I would be very happy. Even if they didn't, I wouldn't mind. The voice is great.