The Unwritten Lore of Summoner's Rift (W.I.P.)

DrCyanide·6/6/2017, 5:25:40 PM·22 votes·2,709 views

DISCLAIMER

You won't have to be some lore guru who has read everything released since the retcon to follow what's going on. I'll present the entire body of evidence (as I understand it), throw out my theories about what that means, and then you can make an informed decision for yourself if that's right or wrong and chime in to help flush this out. It'll be like Game Theory, but with less click-bait and more details!

I'll do my best to put important details and TL;DR in bold, but be warned that if you only read those you'll miss a lot of the setup so they might not make much sense on their own.

As the title states, this is a Work In Progress post. I may have missed some things, or simply haven't gotten around to exploring them yet. Please feel free to offer additional details/feedback.

Bits and pieces of lore exist in many, many places throughout the League of Legends universe, but there's one bit of lore that I think we overlook because of how commonplace it is. June 5th, 2014 Riot Games teased us with an in-development version of the Summoner's Rift Update, and since then countless games have been played on this map. But how closely have you actually looked at the ground you walk on? In this article, I'm aiming to dig deep into the clues we can glean from the map itself to tell us more about the unspoken lore contained there.

"But DrCyanide! We already know the lore of Summoner's Rift! You can read it over here!"

Maybe that's the lore, or maybe that's the lore they want you to believe. There's a saying "history is written by the victors." Are you getting this lore of yours from the Blue side, or the Red side? Does your source have a grudge against either side? If you can't tell me who in the universe wrote that lore and what their biases are then you should already start to question its authenticity.

Questions to Consider

There are a few things to consider before we start talking about Summoner's Rift. Who are the Blue's and the Red's? What brought them to Summoner's Rift? What happened to the area to leave so many buildings in disarray? Is it because of their constant fighting, or is it because of something else?

To start answering any of those questions, we need to look at the facts that are present on Rift itself. I'll do my best to accompany my observations with pictures, so you can see the evidence and follow along without having the game open. If you do want to open the game and take a look (or want something to do while waiting for your enemy to chicken out on invading yet again) I'll include a mini-map with the locations marked in bright colors.

Now, it's entirely possible that I'll forget to cover something, or that some detail will fall through the cracks, or I won't mention or point out a particular Easter Egg that you enjoy (Skinny Dipping Minions anyone?). This is intended to get you thinking on the right track and start looking at Summoner's Rift in a new light. If you find something cool, I hope you'll mention it so that others can find something else to ponder on.

And with that, let’s get started!

The Old Towers

The first thing we know from observation is that at some point in time the Blues either had control over Summoner's Rift or had unrestricted access to the Red side of the river. How do we know this? By the Old Towers on the map, two outside of each base, each with the Blue side Stag logo on them

http://i.imgur.com/cM2di9h.png?noredirect http://i.imgur.com/m4ih5Oe.png?noredirect

######It's tricky to see the logo on the East tower (shown bottom right), but with the camera angle I used in the screenshot you can just make out the horns.

What's important to note here is the location of these Old Towers. They're on the North, South, East and West of the map, and right outside each base. You can scarcely imagine a Blue tower being constructed on the Red side of the river today (unless the Emperor of Shurima is in your game) yet there are two such buildings already there and have been for some time. These aren't your run-of-the mill Turrets either, lacking crystals and firmly resembling actual buildings. Three of the Old Towers have bridges leading out to them, and all four have at least one doorway visible.

You don't really get to walk up and build a structure that lasts as long as these towers have if you don't have solid control over that area (see Azir's passive for max lifespan of Turrets under such conditions). This leads us to two logical possibilities:

The Blues had full control over Summoner's Rift, building wherever they pleased
The Blues offered some sort of service at these towers that benefitted both the Reds and the Blues, which is why the Reds allowed them to be built on their side of the River.

We can deduce a little bit about the mentality of the Red side from the Old Tower's condition. If the Reds hated everything about the Blues then the Stag logos would have either been vandalized or been destroyed completely. Yet on both sides of the Rift the Stag logo is 100% flawless, immune to even nature's influence. Everything about the Old Towers is in remarkably good condition (omitting the obvious chunks knocked out of them and plants growing), with very few cracks or breaks in the stonework (compared to the stone walls that run along the lanes). From the Stag logos still being intact, we can hypothesize that the Reds don't harbor any ill will towards the Blues, and haven't since the Old Towers were in use.

The Unified Center

http://i.imgur.com/hbw7tRK.png?noredirect http://i.imgur.com/kBVLHeg.png?noredirect

There are various pieces of artwork around Summoner's Rift. Some of it looks to be mostly placeholder, but I think a lot of it can actually be pieced together to form a more complete narrative. Such is the case with The Unified Center. This feature was called out directly in the Summoner's Rift Preview video, but it's worth reiterating some key points and expanding on them.

The center of the map has the Blue Stag and the Red Owl logos intertwined in the center. Much like the Old Towers on the Red side of the river, this shows no signs of vandalism, only natural wear and tear. This further strengthens the idea that the two sides don't resent each other, otherwise one side would have defaced or vandalized the other's logo when they had control over the middle lane. An additional thing to note here is the crystal shape in the center of the two logos, as it seems to be a repeating theme in the artwork.

The Great Mural

http://i.imgur.com/P8QgsgS.png?noredirect http://i.imgur.com/7y1vWgK.png?noredirect

This Great Mural is by far the most detailed piece of art work we see on Summoner's Rift, and probably the one most people are familiar with because it stands out so much. In it we see two sets of figures, figures that the modern audience will recognize as highly resembling the Blue and Red Turrets. We see two of the figures upright, while two of the figures are in a very deep bow, with three crystalline objects floating in the center between the two sets of figures.

Since we don't see Turrets moving in game, it's probably best to assume that these aren't Turrets… but that could be a faulty assumption. Remember Galio (he got reworked guys, you're allowed to remember him now)? In his bio, it says that Galio was “built as a bulwark against enemy mages, he often stands motionless for decades until the presence of powerful magic stirs him to life.” It's possible that the Turrets are in a similar condition, but so resilient that the presence of only 10-12 mages and a handful of minions aren't enough to awaken them, but that these Crystals showed up at a time when there was enough magical energy around that the Turrets were animated. While the Turrets aren't the glistening white of Demacian petricite (the anti-magic stone Galio is made of), it's likely they're still made of the substance, since they're incredibly resistant to spells – more resistant than Galio himself in game (although I think we can safely say that's a consideration for gameplay rather than an indication of lore).

I think it's still for the best to assume that the figures we see depicted were actual people in ceremonial outfits, and that these same people (or their depiction in the Great Mural) are what inspired the Turret design. If they're people, then what's the meaning of that deep bow? It could be some gesture of sportsmanship before they fight, but that seems unlikely when we compare it to fencing's salute or other sports that we're familiar with. A much closer bow is those we see used for worship or servitude, such as poses often used in prayers, the pose when being knighted, or Darth Vader when kneeling before Emperor Palpatine. While it's a bit of a stretch without knowing more about Runeterra's gestures and customs, I think we should assume that at the very least servitude and respect is implied.

The Blues and the Reds can't be in servitude towards each other, since that contradicts itself (you can't be both servant and master to the same person). This leaves us with either them being deeply respectful of each other, or respecting/serving the crystals we see depicted. The two sides being united around these Crystals something is echoed by The Unified Center's crystal in between the logos. Much like at the Unified Center, there's decoration which flows around the crystals, connecting the figures in the Great Mural together. Seeing as this is the second time we've seen the two sides unified around Crystals, we can assume that these crystals were pretty important to the inhabitants of Summoner's Rift. The shape bears a striking resemblance to those used on the Red side of the map for Inhibitors and the Nexus. The Blue Side Inhibitors and Nexus use rather blockier crystals, not hand cut per say but certainly less jagged than the Red Side. Still, there is a Blue Crystal in the Great Mural and not a Red one (unless the paint for that crystal has faded with time) so perhaps what the Blue Side copied in essence the Red Side copied in form (which would probably make the center crystal a very dangerous Hybrid were we in the Starcraft universe).

Application of Crystals

http://i.imgur.com/Lk9dODo.png?noredirect http://i.imgur.com/lGsBZWO.png?noredirect

At some point in time, the idea started to take shape of using the crystals in combination with man-made structures. We don't know for certain if this diagram was made before or after the Great Mural, but I think we can assume it was before for a few reasons:

The quality of this carving is much rougher than the Great Mural. The Great Mural has multiple depths to its cuts, as well as paints and possible metal inlays. While the person who made this was skilled enough with stone work to cut very compelling shapes, the quality difference is too great to be made afterwards without some sort of regression in carving techniques.
The depiction here isn’t on a manmade wall. There are four small offshoots of Top and Bot lane, likely intended for more Great Murals, yet only one of them has a mural in it. It would seem that the inhabitants were optimistic about being able to create many more great works of art depicting their history, but couldn’t get around to it before their society crumbled.

It’s also unclear if the artist of this carving was inspired by something they saw in their travels, or had the idea of a way to utilize the crystals and needed a way to convince everyone else that it would look awesome when they finished it.

That's it for the more finalized content. Feel free to chime in with suggestions and corrections.

Need a hand thinking up what else to research/ponder? Here's some WIP ideas that I haven't gotten to yet!

WIP Concepts:

The Lesser Mural
Located just south of the Red Side Blue Buff we see a smaller mural, far less intricate than the Great Mural. This mural shows the Blue Stag and Red Owl logos, as well as 5 figures beneath each, reminiscent of the current Summoner's Rift 5v5 game. It's unclear what is between the two sides, but the crystal that was at the center of the Great Mural and the Unified Center is missing.
Aatrox Depiction
Located in Top lane, just behind the outer Red Tower. It's reminiscent of cave paintings, which would imply it's either very old (art pre-dating the rest of what we see on Summoner's Rift) or it was made in a hurry with what was on hand after society collapsed.
Turtle/Blue Buff/Bard Depiction
Located across from the Blue Side Blue Buff there's a roundish figure. It's too vague to say for certain what it's suppose to be right off, but more hints might become available later.
Original Construction
All over Summoner's Rift you see evidences of construction efforts. Baron and Dragon pit are prime examples, as I doubt great domed buildings were made for the sole purpose of being ruined by monsters. Summoner's Rift may have been intended as more of a retreat or park at some point, which would explain carvings next to the habitats of certain animals. Krugs are marked with a depiction of them, Dragon is marked with a depiction of what looks like a combination of a dragon and Baron, and the Blue Side Blue Buff is marked with a wizard statue, likely because of its usefulness to mages. These labels don't carry over to the Red side though, possibly a difference in preference between the two sides. There's also an underground system, with sewer like systems noticeable around the Dragon Pit, and a Mine Entrance near the bush at Red side wolfs.
Runes
The two sides use different runes, and it'd be interesting to see if the runes at Baron Pit match up with one side or the other. It's worth noting that many of the Blue Minions have runes on their apparel, while Red Minions do not. If Runes are used to try and restrain Baron, then it's possible the Blue Side is manipulating their Minions while the Red Side Minions voluntarily fight.
The Ten Headstones
Scattered throughout the Upper Red Side Jungle are Ten Headstones (I swear I've counted them 3 or 4 times to double check). Most of these are identical, but one is engraved with a large sword instead. While 10 is equal to the number of players in a given match, it seems odd to have it as a "double ace" easter egg. Why wouldn't there be two specially marked headstones, one for the last person on each team? Besides, if everyone died, who made and placed the headstones? Why is one of them more elaborate than the others?
The Underground
There's a lot of indicators of an underground system running through the map. To the right of Blue Side Krugs there's what looks like a man made entrance to this underground, likely connecting to the "Ninja Turtle's Sewer" (south of dragon pit), possibly connecting to Dragon Pit. Other potential entrances include the Blue Side Wolf lair, "the mine" (near the Red Side wolf bush), the cave under Bot Lane (between the bushes), the archways under Blue Side Base, and Baron's Cave.