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Why are there no pro-Noxus factions in Ionia?

Leivve·8/18/2019, 4:36:28 AM·8 votes·9,318 views

It seems like the whole of Ionia is of the same mind when it comes to Noxus. They must be pushed out, we must restore tradition, and we all agree more or less there is only one way to do that. Originally Karma, Irelia, and Zed each had conflicting ideals on how to deal with them. Karma was absolute pacifism; preaching as the spiritual leader of Ionia for absolutely 0 conflict, Zed was absolute aggression and going on the attack, while Irelia filled the middle ground of holding your ground and protecting your homes.

Since then Karma has been rewritten to basically just ride the same boat as Irelia, and Zed has pushed the war onto the back burner to deal with Jhin. This leaves Ionia as a nation with a single hat, Noxus bad. Humans though are complex creatures that are inconsistent at the best of times, completely contradictory to ourselves without explanation being the norm. So why is there no group who are 100% behind Noxus; viewing them as a force that has come to shatter Ionia's perpetual state of stagnation and "Bring motion back to the balance." Or some other monk on a mountain top wisdom. From there you could break them up into subgroups, some who want Noxus to stay, viewing them as a missing part of Ionia it needs, while others just want them to shatter the status quo, then kick them out.

9 Comments

Whyte Lyon8/18/2019, 6:50:25 AM8 votes

There definitely is converted/assimilated Ionians. Noxus only holds sway in a very small section of Ionia, but those who remain there are integrated citizens. I couldnt say if they're all 'willing' citizens but a portion of them will likely defend Noxian claimed land and more.

Plus it's been stated in the past that Zed distrusts Vastaya because a few tribes had assisted in the Noxian's invasion. These tribes apparently hate human Ionians so much, they think Noxians would be better alternative...

The whole narrative theme for Ionia is that the country is divided by their politics. Ironic considering the lack of any government tho. Everyone is mad at someone else for the state the country is in, so even pro-Noxians exist. Socially speaking Ionia has more nuance to it than just "Noxus bad" even if the invasion was the central catalyst for all of this.

Falrein8/18/2019, 6:55:02 AM5 votes

I mean...

Noxus came, and massacred them and their lands? Do remember that before that, everyone had a good life (well, barring Jhin the murderer and Syndra the emotional disaster), the Spirit of the land bringing them sustenance and everything they needed. It's not like there were people (apart from the Vastaya) who lived in absolute misery. They were living just fine until Noxus came and destroyed all this.

It would make little sense for a whole group to join Noxus. As I said, they massacred the people and destroyed the land. Why would they join them willingly when it completely shattered their peaceful life? We have one account of Ionian joining Noxus and he didn't even do it willingly.

If you want to talk about how Balance is a barrier that blinds people to their true potential, and needs to be shattered, you don't have to go to Noxus for that. Just use Syndra. Balance is what led her to where she is today, let her have a grudge against it, try to change it. Noxus isn't needed. It's been invading Ionia's lore (pun unintended) too much, and they really could use some storylines that don't involve Noxus. You don't need to go outside Ionia to find someone whose going against balance, imho.

SEKAI8/18/2019, 5:23:00 PM2 votes

That moment when the fictional Ionians smarter than real life Taiwan, Hong Kong, and India that all have factions that overtly romanticise and worship their former invaders and oppressors; in fact one of them is rumbling the news because of that right now.

That's just a peek. All of the states that had been previously and recently colonised in history all have that sort of problem to varying extents. It's called a "colonial mentality".

While it may be realistic to portray in League's stories, but for the sake of the sanity let's not go there just yet. Unless you think League's story should stop being merely a supplement for the lore nerds among the player base and should head straight into the hard political and social commentary/analysis. I wouldn't think that's a wise idea since League is not well equipped for that sort of thing since the lore is first and foremost, to provide context to the champs we play and not to specifically discuss politics with.

Ionian Vulpix8/18/2019, 4:17:52 PM1 votes

There very well might be, but currently there hasn't been anyone significant enough to warrant being a champion.