Beta Lore Collection

I don't see a lot of stuff about the old Closed Beta lore, and some of it isn't on the League Wiki

So I decided I'd post what I could salvage from my old archive of old lore on the old forums.

Here ya go. Really puts into perspective how much things have changed. Not alphabetized, just copied down from my old thread.

Jax's Beta Lore The most prolific tournament fighter at the Institute of War, the self-proclaimed "Grandmaster at Arms" rattled off a streak of consecutive wins 152 long. No one had ever achieved even half of that number before, but what made it even more remarkable was that he did so while fighting only 152 matches. Concerned the peace accords that ended the Rune Wars would be threatened by a fighter who was unbeatable in the arena, the League hastily banned Jax from the arena all together. But in the spirit of the Institute, the League eventually relented, stating that a champion's skill was no reason to remove a realm's access to the governing powers of the tournaments. Jax was reinstated, but with one rule: He is only allowed to fight with weapons the League deems suitable. For now, that list includes a lamppost, a chicken's foot, a spatula, and a fishing rod.

Tristana's Beta Lore (Previously known as the Megling Gunner) If there is one thing that all Meglings have in common, it's their love of explosions. It's a known fact that one in three will lose either a finger, a toe, or singe off all their facial hair by the age of seventeen. Tristana joined the Megling Commandos at a very young age and signed up to become a "Ruby." The Ruby Bazookas, or Rubies for short, are a crack squad armed with heavy mobile artillery. Though they typically work in teams of two (to more easily handle the awkwardly large bazookas they carry), Tristana has shown an unnatural aptitude for being able to balance and fire her weapon-despite the fact that it stands nearly two feet taller than she. Though armed to the teeth, Tristana is generally very lighthearted and easy going. Her father is very proud of her, and often comes to the Institute to watch Tristana practice or participate in tournaments (though she thinks he just comes to watch the explosions).

Fiddlesticks's Beta Lore (1st) There is a valley, just on the sandy edge of the Tempest Flats. It is said that a powerful witch lives there at the very bottom, all by herself, but never alone. It is said that she commands the powerful magics that circle and batter this place. She transforms the energies into semi-living souls, trapping them inside bodies of carefully crafted scarecrows. The witch has kept to herself for many long years. That is, until a few months ago, when she sent one of her creations out to warn the rest of the world. Leaving the valley in the middle of the night, Fiddlesticks shambled across the desert and into the neighboring realms. He torments and terrifies all who look upon him with his wickedly crooked smile. For he is the Harbinger, bearing news of impending doom.

Fiddlesticks's Beta Lore (2nd) There are many rumors of Fiddlesticks' origins. Some say that he is the avenging guardian of the witches of the Howling Marsh. Others believe that he is some sort of abomination gone wrong, a product of the mad scientists of Zaun. Barroom stories say that he is the creation of Noxus, a thing of evil which not even they could contain. There are even those that whisper that he comes from the forbidden Shadow Isles, but such learned men often keep to themselves. Whatever the truth, Fiddlesticks has come to the League of Legends, a malefic champion whose mere presence is a warning - something wicked this way comes.

Master Yi's Beta Lore If asked, Yi will tell you he was born from wisps of the cosmos, and that is why he moves like the wind. Those who have faced him in combat know the bite of the Wuju Bladesman- he strikes twice, without warning, and is gone. Often, the only clue that you are about to be struck by Master Yi is the hiss of his blade as it parts the air. Keeper of the ancient art of Wuju, Master Yi is a mystical warrior from the isle of Ionia. His village was steeped in Wuju, and his kinfolk were some of the few to carry the tradition into the modern day. That is, until the armies of Noxus came to Ionia, ravaging the land. Master Yi went to fight the craven enemy, bringing his village honor through his unparalleled mastery of the blade. However, in his absence, the armies of Noxus closed in and tested the latest invention of the chemist now known as Singed. What was done to his village is something of which Master Yi will not speak. However, he has brought his mastery of the blade to the League of Legends in order to avenge his kinfolk and end the predations of the Noxus once and for all. Master Yi brings the art of the Wuju style in a way that makes his enemies falter. He is capable of fighting with lightning speed, as well as finding purchase behind the defenses of an enemy's armor. He can call on his inner fortitude, regenerating at an accelerated rate. Calling upon ancient forces, Master Yi can fold space, appearing behind enemy after enemy. He is even able to reject magic, rendering it useless against him. Master Yi himself has studied the arts of Wuju for more than a thousand years. He is the oldest known living human on Valoran, but to gaze upon him, you would guess him no more than thirty years old. The art of Wuju lives on in Master Yi, and is plunged through the hearts of his foes.

Nunu's Beta Lore (1st) Valoran's easternmost pole is bitterly cold and covered in ice. During the long winter months the inhabitants play a strange game. They agitate a family of hibernating yeti, and then take turns jumping on their backs to see who can ride the longest. The previous record was two minutes and seventeen seconds. That is, until Nunu tried. Crouching down on the edge of the cave, Nunu waited for the biggest yeti she had ever seen to come slumbering out. With a leap and a howl, she came down on his back and held on tight. The yeti, for his part, took off at a gallop and disappeared into a swirling snow storm. Nunu and her yeti have never been seen separated since.

Nunu's Beta Lore (2nd) As a child, Nunu and her family inhabited the Northern fringe of Runeterra's polar region, spending their days ice fishing and huddling for warmth in the desolate landscape. Born with the ability to freeze the very air around her, Nunu became invaluable to her small village as an igloo builder, creating blocks of ice to form the foundations for the village's buildings. One day, as Nunu sat patiently next to her fishing hole, she was startled by a massive, starving Yeti that burst from underneath the glacier and collapsed miserably next to her. Feeling pity for the poor, shivering beast, Nunu offered the Yeti a fish from her bucket. With wide eyes, the eager Yeti gobbled it down, feeling much better and the two became fast friends.

Tryndamere's Beta Lore (Previously known as the Dark Champion) There was a legend among the barbarians clans of the Fyrone Flats, told each time one of their own was to give birth. It was a story about a child who would enter the world with a distinctive mark on his belly, a black circular rune, resembling a snake, coiled over on itself, biting at its tail. It was said that when this child was born, it would signal the beginning of a new era. It was said that the barbarian tribes would rise up, and under the banner of a serpent-shaped rune, they would rule the world. When that child was born, the barbarian nations rejoiced. They feasted and drank and danced. And when they finished, they donned their skins, lifted their swords, and they flooded out of the flats to begin an onslaught that once again plunged the world into war. The child, named Tryndamere, became a formidable warrior. And now, here at the Institute of War, he is prepared to unleash his barbaric strength and take his place atop the world

Soraka's Beta Lore Among the Ionians, Soraka is known as the "Starchild", the first among equals, the high priestess of Ionia, the ruler of all her peoples and the sworn protector of their spirits. During the Rune Wars, the Ionians were a peaceful people. As a whole they took an oath, amongst themselves, to strive for peace, and only use their magic to right the wrongs that had been committed. But the Rune Wars knew no boundaries, and respected no oaths. The more warlike Altrians took Ionia's passive stance as a sign of weakness, and laid siege to the island realm. The Ionians managed to defend their home, but at a terrible cost. A full moon-cycle has passed since then, and Soraka has come to the Institute of War to stand strong on behalf of her people. Though still bound by the oath, certain concessions have been made. If her healing magics do not prove enough to win the day, she has the authority to call upon much larger elemental forces, to right the wrongs that have been committed.

Rammus's Beta Lore The dangerous magic that dominates the Plague Lands has an effect on all life within its confines. Rammus is a living example. No one is entirely certain how an armadillo from the Shurima Desert made his way through the Kumungu Jungle, much less unharmed, but he did just that. Caught in a burst of wild magic, Rammus began to evolve. In the matter of a week, he was man-sized and a week after that he had achieved sentience. The question became, what now? There really wasn't a place in the world for a sentient armadillo, except in the League of Legends. His new form was certainly equipped to fight, and especially to defend. However, it was Rammus' newfound sense of humor that led him to craft an outrageous suit of armor to go over his natural protection, giving birth to the fearsome Armordillo!

Warwick's Beta Lore Warwick was once a brutal mercenary, trained as a chemical weapons engineer by the Alchemists of Zaun. He barely escaped with his life after his unit was wiped out while defending an Ionian citadel. Outnumbered a hundred to one, he holed up in an abandoned mine, and set to work concocting a chemical potion that would give him the strength and power to beat the odds. Knowing he didn't have much time, Warwick frantically worked night and day. And when he finally finished his elixir, he had no way to test it first. Swallowing the unguent in giant gulps, Warwick howled in pain as his body contorted. His arms grew huge and strong. His fingers sprouted massive claws, his head horns, and his skin became dark as coal. And inside a hunger grew, a thirst for blood that had never before existed. Needless to say, it was not he who lost his life that day. Upon return, Warwick's transformation allowed him to excel as a mercenary, and his infamy spread near and far. He is now desired in all realms, sometimes for his mercenary services, and also for the enormous bounty on his head.

Teemo's Beta Lore (1st) Captain of the Bantam City Scouts, Teemo is the foremost defender of the yordle homeland. In addition to his duties as scout leader, which include planning the soap-box derby, teaching new recruits the scout's pledge, and judging the yearly s'more-eating contest,Teemo is also responsible for the defense of Bantam City itself. In Teemo's bestselling autobiography, Accuracy by Volume, the leader of the Bantam City Scouts expounds on yordle military tactics, such as blow-dart carpet bombing, and filling trebuchets with poison-tipped sewing needles. Though he can often be found in the courtyard outside the practice arenas signing copies of his book, Teemo is really at the League of Legends for another reason. He has come, as the emissary for the entire yordle nation, to petition the Institute of War to start a new type of tournament. His proposition includes wood carving, rope bridge building, and campfire cooking to the list of approve forms of "combat" sanctioned inside the League. So far, he hasn't had much luck

Teemo's Beta Lore (2nd) As far as yordles are concerned, there is something slightly wrong with Teemo. While he enjoys - and in fact needs - the level of community and companionship inherent to all yordles, Teemo feels it so strongly that he ventures out on his own to destroy the enemies of Bandle City. There is something that switches off in Teemo, so that the lives he ends do not burden him. It seemed only logical to send him to fight in the League of Legends as the champion of Bandle City. He has taken to the League like a duck to water, seeking out the foes of the yordles and extinguishing them with the rare ajunta poison he personally gathers from the jungles of Kumungu. However, the limited company of his own kind wears on Teemo, and cracks are beginning to show in his innocent and chipper fade.

Kayle's Beta Lore Many ages ago in the distant Heavens, Kayle, a free-spirited Archangel of Fire had challenged the rigid principals of the high order. In the Holy Regiment, orders are to be faithfully followed and questioning them is synonymous with mutiny. Kayle had grown weary of executing mission after mission on faith instead of reason. She knew in her heart that she fought for good, but she was sick of following orders without understanding them. "Why?" she finally asked. "Why not strike them harder and end this war now and forever?" and in an instant she was engulfed in a searing flash of light followed by complete darkness as she lost consciousness. She came to, face down, in the damp green fields of Valoran, slowly realizing that her world had been turned upside down forever. The Demons were quick to capitalize on her misfortune. They had been growing an army of Fallen Angels and they knew Kayle's strength could be amplified by their dark arts. In the middle of her first lonely night on Valoran, she was awoken by a wispy Phantom Incubus who spoke of a path to tremendous power. Even with her holy links severed, her stubborn will and pure heart remained unseduced. Before the creature could finish its proposal it was met by a swift, fiery slash and fell helplessly into a dead heap. It would be the first of many as Kayle was no longer bound to any code, but her own.

Morgana's Beta Lore (Prior known as Morgana Hex, then Morgana Le) Morgana Le joined the Judicators alongside her sister Kayle at a very young age. The sisters quickly rose through the ranks, practicing relentlessly to bring their skills to the highest level. Despite being sisters and close friends, Morgana and Kayle were extremely competitive with each other. It was all in good nature, but both wanted to beat the other and by extension become Lead Judicator. Eventually, Kayle was named Lead Judicator and asked to take over the entire organization. Tremendously jealous of Kayle's promotion, Morgana disavowed their friendship and immediately set about trying to discredit and unseat her sister. Kayle discovered the treachery. Infuriated by her sister's deceit, she attacked Morgana. It is said that never since has a battle raged as fiercely as it did on that day. In her rage, Kayle tore Morgana's wings asunder and expelled her from the order of Judicators forever. Overpowered by her sister, Morgana was forced to flee with her life, vowing to not rest until Kayle was unseated.

Twisted Fate's Beta Lore The banks of the Serpentine River are home to a smattering of gypsy communities. On any given day, you can see a flotilla of paddleboats migrating up and down the rushing waters. Though their homes are constantly on the move, their communities are very stable. The Serpentine gypsies live and die by a single code: If you are my friend, you are my family. If you are my foe, you have made enemies of us all. The most famous of these gypsies is a man known only as Twisted Fate. In cards, no matter what hand he is dealt, he always finds a way to come out on top. But it isn't just his luck that makes him so famous. Just ask anyone who has accused him of cheating. They'll tell you he can kill a man dead at twenty paces, with nothing more than a playing card.

Singed's Beta Lore (Prior known as Singe, the Madman) One of the turning points in the Rune War was an event simply known as the Hour of Judgment. The day was like any other. Fighting raged across the land. Men fought and died for their beliefs. But on this day, about an hour before sunset, a tremendous explosion rocked the entire planet. The oceans sloshed. The mountains trembled. Volcanoes erupted. Islands sank into the seas. Agents were sent to investigate the source of the explosion. They found the remains of a volatile chemical laboratory, and Singe lying helplessly on the floor. Bandages masked his charred skin, and from underneath his blood-stained garb he barely stirred. As they prepared to lift him, a single drop of green chemical fell from the bottle strapped to the mad chemist's back. The intense acidity of that tiny droplet brought the agents to their knees as they clawed at their burning eyes and throats. The gleam in Singe's eyes was the last thing they saw before he rose to his feet, his skin bubbling, and was gone. If there is a thing festering at the heart of the League, it is the Lord of the Dammed.

Annie's Beta Lore In the time shortly before the League, there were those within the sinister city-state of Noxus that did not agree with the evils perpetrated by the Noxian High Command. These outcasts sought to leave their neighbors in peace as they pursued dark arcane knowledge. The leaders of this outcast society were a married couple, a grey witch and a cabal warlock. Together they resettled their followers beyond the Great Barrier to the northern reaches of the unforgiving Voodoo Lands. This couple's child, Annie, now comes to the Institute of War to pursue her calling. The combination of Annie's lineage and the dark magic of her birthplace have given this little girl tremendous arcane power. At the age of two she miraculously ensorcelled a shadow bear - a ferocious denizen of the petrified forests outside the colony - turning it into her pet. To this day she keeps her bear, ''Tibbers,'' by her side, often keeping him spellbound as a stuffed doll to be carried like a child's toy.

Katarina's Beta Lore Many of the noble daughters of Noxus are content to live their decadent lives of privilege. Not so with Katarina. Daughter of the feared Noxian General Du Couteau, the girl was always more interested in her father's blades than in the dresses her sisters spent so much time fussing over. Her father, ever the opportunist, happily fostered her bloodlust. Katarina was trained by the finest warriors under her father's command and, once she bested them, by Noxus's most lethal assassins. The ruthless woman first cut her teeth performing covert missions in the Ionian War, but the challenge of such engagements was simply not enough to sate her ambitions. Katarina wanted not only to be deadly, she wanted to be feared and adored. The League of Legends called and Katarina eagerly answered.

Ryze's Beta Lore Raised from the age of two inside the Magi's Academy for Unpleasant Boys, Ryze has never really fit in with his peers. At the age of seven, Ryze snuck into the professors' quarters and used a bolt of electricity to singe the hair from the headmaster's prized poodle-Yipps. At nine, he mixed an ordinary laxative into a batch of fire breathing potion his chemistry teacher was preparing for a class field trip. At the age of twelve, he dismantled the school's zeppelin and reassembled it inside the library. Six months later, he was caught drawing runes of binding on every chair in the academy's auditorium. (It took two full days to unglue the entire student body after the Witches' Day ceremony.) His welcome having run out, Ryze left the academy to continue his education on his own. In the intervening years he has studied every magical text he could find, including the incredibly powerful Arc Scroll which he carries upon his back. He meticulously catalogs every spell he has encountered, going as far as tattooing the most rare and super powerful incantations directly onto his own skin.

Shaco's Beta Lore They say that death isn't funny. It isn't, unless you're Shaco. He is Valoran's first fully-functioning homicidal comic; he jests until someone dies, and then he laughs. The figure that has come to be known as the Demon Jester is an enigma. No one still alive knows from whence he came. There are rumors, but one must not speak of them too loudly lest Shaco come to jest. It seems unimaginable that such a threatening figure would be allowed to remain at large. There are those that believe he is an assassin for hire, left to roam until he is needed. Others believe that Shaco is simply too clever, evading authorities at every turn. Still others believe that he is the demonic manifestation of humanity's dark urges, and therefore cannot be stopped.

Zilean's Beta Lore Rising from the cracked, dried lakebeds of Urizan is a tower, shaped like a huge grandfather clock. Impenetrable and unassailable, there are no doors into it, nor any openings to climb or fly into. There is no water or vegetation within a hundred miles of this structure, only the desiccated remains of what was once a beautiful flourishing lake, now destroyed by the ravages of war and the hands of time. This is the way he wants it, the man who constructed this tower out here in the middle of nowhere. He has no need of supplies. Has no desire for visitors. Inside, Zilean tinkers with his clocks. They cover his workshop. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands. Some work; most do not. He is obsessed with time. For he is both blessed and cursed by it. Blessed because he has discovered the way to manipulate time, making it move forward and back at his whims. Cursed because each time he does, he leaves a little piece of himself behind, doomed to see the world how it was, is, and eventually will be—all at the same time. That is why he lives here, in the middle of a drained, dead lake. When he looks out the window he can see it as it was, hundreds of years ago, beautiful and alive. But at some point he must look away, for watching it be destroyed over and over again for all eternity could drive even the most solid mind insane.

Sion's Beta Lore (Prior known as the Undead Abomination) The history of war between Demacia and Nox extends as far back as the founding of the respective cities in Valoran. A recent product of this conflict was the murderous Noxian warrior, Sion. Used by the Noxians as a human battering ram, Sion would be sent thundering ahead of Noxian troops. He would mercilessly slaughter foes with his large double handed axe, "Chopper". His complete disregard for caution would ultimately cost him his life, and he was captured and summarily executed by Demacian forces. The Demacians thought that the beheading of Sion would be the end of his bloodthirsty ways. Death, however, was merely the beginning. The famed Noxian assassin Katarina recovered Sion's remains and Noxian necromancers reanimated the behemoth to serve Nox once again. Sion emerged from the reanimation process even more brutal than before. The one thing, however, that the Noxian necromancers did not anticipate upon reanimation was Sion's change of loyalty; his new powers have given Sion a desire to seek his own glory in undeath as a champion of the Institute of War.

That's as much as I found from the beta days.