@Riot - Absolute Evil, pt. 2: Nefarious Hyperspace From Corrupted Heart

http://i.imgur.com/tzFKg61.jpg

Evil has a name, you know; it's not terribly long, nor particularly sophisticated, but in time the world will hear it and tremble. The various nations of Runeterra treat it with contempt, two syllables sliding off their tongues alongside laughter and ridicule. It is a name of childish antics and empty threats, they say, the pitiable moniker of a deranged mind. They claim he is little more than a joke, and for now perhaps he is, but with patience, steadfast dedication, and just a pinch of weirdfreakydarkmagicshit, voices will scarcely rise above a whisper to fearfully repeat the name Veigar.

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I have discussed Veigar with some regularity in the past, asking for a Visual Update, analyzing him as a champion, and a general recap to renew discussion in The Tiny Master of Evil. As one of League of Legends first champions that has been, ahem, overlooked, I feel he deserves some measure of attention befitting the prime representative of wickedness in Runeterra.

As we all should know, Veigar's model and spell effects are lacking, something I have no doubt Riot is keenly aware of in their efforts to update League's original roster. Consequently, I am not here to give my thoughts on how appearances can be improved, much as I would like to discuss potential ideas. The purpose of this thread is to analyze the possible details surrounding The Tiny Master of Evil's past, present, and decidedly despicable future.

The recent Burning Tides event caused quite a stir in the League community, and for good reason. Riot gave us a story that drew on past events, like Graves and Twisted Fate's rivalry, even clarifying some mysterious aspects that had gone unaddressed, such as who murdered Miss Fortune's family. We progressed through acts that gradually resolved conflicts, ending with a shocking bang that left The Saltwater Scourge disabled for more than a week. I could be wrong, but now seems like a very prudent time to discuss champions and their lore, and who is more deserving than the vile villain of veritable viciousness?

Veigar's lore is as follows:

To most, thoughts of yordles do not conjure images to be feared. The easygoing half-pint race, though fierce, is often regarded with some degree of joviality. Their high-pitched voices and naturally cute forms inspire something of a protective instinct in the larger races, or at least bring to mind images of children playing at being adults. Every now and again, however, a yordle turns so bad that even at its small stature it strikes terror into the hearts of others. Veigar is one such twisted yordle. As a master of the magical black arts, as well as a corrupter of cosmic energy, he is one of the most powerful sorcerers on Valoran.

As a child, Veigar was a normal yordle with one small exception - he had a deep curiosity for the world beyond Bandle City. The young yordle spent much of his time studying the rest of Valoran, and he jumped at the chance to join a business that traded with other major city-states. Unfortunately for both him and the world, a deal with Noxian trader turned into shady business and went bad; Veigar and his companions were subsequently set up to take the fall. Arrested by the authorities, he was imprisoned within the walls of Noxus for years. Such isolation is very dangerous for yordles - undoubtedly why his cruel jailers did such a thing - and Veigar was slowly driven mad.

He eventually escaped, having become a twisted version of his former self. Instead of returning to his people and Bandle City, he sought tutelage from dark wizards across the land. With his demented will focused on one task, he quickly became a dangerous and powerful wizard in his own right. Now he seeks to end all conflict on Valoran by bringing all of the city-states to their knees, regardless of their affiliation. The League of Legends is the perfect tool to help him meet his ends - for now.

Who says evil needs to come in a fearsome-looking package?

It is rather brief, but to the point; Veigar followed a dream that led to a nightmare, twisting his mind into a mockery of its former potential, and now he pours his dark thoughts into a new dream of conquest, to bring every nation of Runeterra to its knees. While it is certainly satisfactory in establishing a motive and a goal, his lore is hardly thorough, and many questions remain to be answered. Just what happened when the business with Noxus fell through? What did they do to Veigar while he was imprisoned? How did he escape? Who were the dark wizards he studied under? Why did they teach him? Why does he wish to end all conflict?

#Past Veigar was young, perhaps barely more than a child, with dreams of exploring the wider world. According to his lore, this marked Veigar as different from most yordles, a small but noticeable distinction. Judging from the relatively compact territory claimed by yordle civilization, this does make sense; yordles are apparently satisfied with the boundaries of their society, making no efforts to expand. While it is meager, the seed of divergence is there to separate Veigar from his peers, not unlike another, more extreme example: .

Regardless of how odd his curiosity was in yordle culture, it is the reason he took the first chance he received to work in a business that had him traveling Valoran as a trader. While it might be nothing more than a means of putting Veigar in the position to be imprisoned, I believe this desire to see the world is extremely relevant to his current goals.

For a time, Veigar was happy, he was satisfying his desire and visiting distant lands, but we all know how abruptly that dream ended. A Noxian trader was conducting less than legal business, more than likely stepping on a few toes in the upper echelons of Noxian society. Whatever the details may be, he/she saw an opportunity to misdirect punishment for their lucrative dealings on a hapless band of traders. Because of events he could not predict, influenced by powers he had absolutely no control, Veigar was imprisoned on false charges. He was incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, and likely knew he was not at fault, and was imprisoned for years. That span of time is terrible of its own accord, but to compound the effects, Veigar was kept completely isolated for the entirety of his stay in Noxus. Years deprived of any substantial contact outside a tray of food pushed into a cell would undoubtably create a significant disturbance in even the most resolute minds.

His jailers knew the damage it would cause Veigar, as explicitly noted in his lore. They deliberately tortured him, whether it be out of amusement, research, or petty spite, by locking him up in the box of his own mind with only fuzzy memories for company. What's more, Veigar might not have even been an adult at that point in time. It should come as no surprise he emerged from his cell more than a little broken.

Free of his restraints, Veigar sought tutelage under unscrupulous wizards rather than returning to Bandle City. This is a fairly significant decision, as not only does it progress Veigar to the Tiny Master of Evil he is today, but exemplifies his severed connection to yordle culture. He could have gone home, he could have found solace in Badle City, but he chose not to. Maybe Veigar's abnormality among yordles runs deeper than previously thought? Whatever his reasons, the outcome is clear: Veigar acquired tremendous magical power to not only inflict serious harm, but warp the very fabric of reality to his whims.

#Present

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110825222906/leagueoflegends/images/6/62/JoJ27.jpg

So what has Veigar done? Not much, apparently. He was responsible for the theft of a few horseshoes, some balloons, and the most important monument to yordlekind: The Mothership. That last heist did have a few problems, what with an errant pack of geese and a lucky shot from satan the Swift Scout himself thwarting Veigar's plans; guess those horseshoes weren't so lucky. But beyond this brief attempt at vandalism, one of the most powerful sorcerers in all of Runeterra has not accomplished much. Or perhaps we are failing to comprehend the bigger picture.

Veigar is obsessed with dramatic evil, grandiose declarations of cruelty, and all the unnecessary complexity that comes with a truly diabolical scheme. Suffice to say, The Tiny Master of Evil likes his dastardly deeds on a scale of world-shaking magnitude. So why bother trying to steal The Mothership? What value does it have to anyone outside of Bandle City? This heinous heist does not reflect Veigar's ideals, at least not on the surface; it is quite possible The Mothership was part of a much larger plan. This is consistent with Veigar's ambitions of world domination and reinforces his seemingly nonsensical antics.

Also, he managed to make one friend, , which I suppose counts for something. However, I will refrain from commenting on their relationship, saving my musings for another thread, even if I have already shared some ideas.

#Future Where is Veigar going? Well, that should be obvious: world domination, of course. The question is how, and what happens along the way.

Veigar is clearly mad since happily proclaiming the doom and destruction of random strangers is hardly the behavior of sane individuals. That being said, for all his twisted insanity, Veigar is incredibly lucid. He recognizes no one treats him as a serious threat, despite his accumulated power. He understands that achieving global conquest requires careful planning and precise execution. This is what I expect from Veigar when he finally receives the chance to truly shine: he plots like your typical Saturday-morning cartoon villain, treats its development with an adorable level of seriousness, and despite the plan being utterly impractical, if impressive, should people take a moment to actually predict the effects it would have, they would be absolutely horrified by the consequences.

He is the kind of villain that seeks to transform every mirror in Runeterra into a reflective death ray, create an army of Xer'Sai to dig tunnels beneath every city and sink them beneath the surface, or replace every head of state with robot doubles he can control via radio transmission. None of these schemes are even remotely efficient, but if successful create incalculable amounts of chaos and destruction

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So, what are your thoughts on Veigar's lore? What do you think Riot got right? What did they do wrong? What do you expect to see in taking The Tiny Master of Evil's story forward? I have a lot more to say about Veigar, but most of it is speculation, which is something Riot cannot really use in good conscience, so I will save that for another thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKXcLjJCLF0