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A possible connection: Brand and World Runes - are runes sentinent? (Ryze Theory)

SaltyToplaneGoat·11/19/2016, 4:30:35 PM·9 votes·2,213 views

I just caught up on Ryze's lore (must have missed that back then I guess) and now I wonder: are these runes potentially sentinent?

Let me explain: a rune is a symbol imbued with meaning. Like a word it stands for something. "Life", "Death", "Sun", whatever meaning you might put into such a symbol. HOWEVER, these are "world"-runes, so it might be safe to say that they are symbols of very elemental things: "Light", "Gravity", "Energy", "Order", "Entropy", and whatever aspects the magic of this world has or elements.

And we also know that the Runes tend to corrupt the subconscious of their owners, trying to get them to use it. So the Rune tries to enforce its meaning from a somewhat sentinent basis. But what if the mind of the user would suddenly fall apart? What if the World Rune was so strong and so aware of itself that it could "take over" a human that came too close?

And that would lead me to Brand: a human possessed by something that appears to be a fire spirit, but with powers that go far beyond. He is only focussed on one thing, as if his entire being was centred around one single concept. Or rather, one word... Also, Brand is the No. 1 champion that is related to Ryze on his page. Something similiar might apply to Galio who is also listed as a related champ: he is a one-of-a-kind construct, a golem imbued with magical power - maybe his core is a World Rune?

The question that remains is: how many world runes are there? And what happens if you manage to gather all of them? Do you literally become god? Would they act like the Infinity Gauntlet in the Marvel universe? If yes, then we have a potential for an amazing event going. Not exactly original, but tbh in the genre of superhuman fiction and fantasy it's hard to re-invent the wheel, especially since the genre in the forms as we know it today is almost a century old by now. But if done well it's still awesome.

Also... Ryze might have been a fool to just lock the World Runes away in "unreachable places". Someone people take that as a challenge... And he already has a gauntlet...

33 Comments

Solideus11/19/2016, 4:48:27 PM3 votes

Cool theory! Not an impossibility, but elemental spirits are mentioned in some of the Shurima stories, and Brand himself is alluded to as the being of fire released to lure Nasus and Renekton away at the culmination of Xerath's plan.

Skelenth11/19/2016, 5:18:12 PM2 votes

Well, the Runes don't necessarily need to be sentient to have influence on their wielder. There are multiple champions that got corrupted by 'having power', rather than the particular power they possess. What would you think someone feels who basically carries are Nuke with him? Some would be afraid, others would accept that gladly. Power brings out the best and worst in us.

As to the meaning of each World Rune; if they are fragments of the power that created Runeterra, I doubt a meaning for each individual runes. They aswell all seem to work similar, since they all seem to be able to devastate really large areas.

I'd say they are just a darn big mass of compressed magic, but I'm unimaginative af and only read the lore, I don't theorize it.

Requiemsfire11/19/2016, 4:50:34 PM2 votes

I have a theory that the world rune was used to amplify the magical strength of the spell that transformed the blessed isles into the shadow isles. :O

And that Shurima's Sundisk may also be powered by such similar devices.

Whyte Lyon11/19/2016, 9:45:35 PM1 votes

We also know that the Runes tend to corrupt the subconscious of their owners, trying to get them to use it.

I really thought there was a difference between Runes and The Rings of Power from LOTR, perhaps I mislead myself.

P.S. As a Brand enthusiast, I'm not the biggest fan of his lore. Ever since Ivern I feel like his origin is a wee bit too similar to Brand's. I pray Rito updates Brand bio before they give him colour text.

Sancre11/20/2016, 1:05:19 AM1 votes

It would be quite interesting, both for Brand and Ryze's lore, as if Brand was to be a living being posessed by the "Fire" rune, it would open limitless doors for the creation of many champions, monsters and mechanics, while also giving Brand a true origin, not just a dude that found fire burning in ice and got possessed by that fire.

Unfortunatelly, it seems these runes are just batteries of some kind, magic in stone form, the rune mage itself never makes any reference to any element while using runic magic, he even uses 1 rune, just one, that gives a mana shield upon completion...This could also mean its the "Mana" or "Shield" rune. Also in the World rune incidents Ryze never mentioned anything, just destruction, nothing like a colossal gravity well reducing countless lifes and the city they live in to dust, or people being teleported away, or being killed by random teleportation to some bodyparts, things that would correspond to "gravity" and "space" runes.

Sadly, it seems thats wasted potential, not only for Brand, but what could have been his family (Another runeborn creatures) and minions (Fire runeborn beast). It's worth nothing that exist old skin lines that are based on this, Runeborn Xerath and Earthrune Skarner, but they seem to be left alone, never to be remembered again

bad arcade kitty11/20/2016, 6:23:48 AM1 votes

if runes are sentient, then buying them with ip is slavery

but then, we buy champions too who are surely sentient... ahm

Firewood Kit11/20/2016, 7:21:52 PM1 votes

Galio's passive is "Runic Skin", I don't know if it has any connection the runes Ryze is searching.

10110011100011/20/2016, 11:48:59 PM1 votes

Rip Lux then?

Stars Shaper11/19/2016, 5:16:33 PM1 votes

World Runes seem to be catalysts of immense magic power which might be also able to bend the rules of magic.

My own bit of theory is that WR are also the key to break Aurelion Sol enslavement to Targon.

I don't think that Shurima Sun Disc and Ascension ritual might be connected to them though, Ascended seem to be powered by a pure infusion of cosmic magic focused and channeled on a "worthy" being.

TyrekGoldenspear11/19/2016, 5:33:49 PM1 votes

I will tell you one thing.

It would be a pretty cool exoansion to Brands lore.