What we learned this year: TL;DR Lore 2015

Sharjo·12/23/2015, 12:22:36 AM·301 votes·106,089 views

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So 2015 is drawing to a close and man, it’s been a busy year hasn't it? SO MUCH SODDING STUFF. So what is this you ask? Well in my attempt to chronicle all the league lore related stuff I can find I’ve compiled this tl;dr, with the express purpose of providing all of the information gleaned from this year from a lore standpoint. Now I’m very bad at doing anything concise, so while I say this is a tl;dr, this definitely won’t look like one. I mean hell, I thought the one I made last year was kinda long, this one's over THREE TIMES AS LONG.

Within you’ll find an account of just about every scrap and detail you could hope for, all of it from lore we got during the last twelve months. If you haven’t read up on the new lore I suggest you do so, because it’s actually pretty good, but this will include lore gleaned from not only the major sources but also from the more hidden places such as Q&As and hidden meanings behind certain things. Hopefully this is of some use to somebody who may have missed some of the lore stuff this year! If not well I hope it'll be worth a read regardless!

As a note I’ve been trying to keep a record of everything, but stuff may have slipped through the cracks. Just a heads up.

Before we kick things off, I’ll stick links in here that’ll take you to every piece of lore content I can, including comics, videos, written stuff and full length champion lore that’s been updated, in case you don’t want the summary of everything and would prefer to hunt for the details yourself. Consider this the “sources” section.

Burning Tides and Harrowing Happenings! http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/site/bilgewater/#act-1 http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/site/shadow-and-fortune/chapter-1.html

Champion Specific Lore! Bard: The Wonder Above and Mountain http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/champion-preview/wonder-above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX8iSobsKTY Ekko: Seconds and Chronobreak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtEpp9lkfxA http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/site/ekko-comic/ Tahm Kench: The River King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9RM4HwwoKs Kindred: A Good Death http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/page/good-death Illaoi: Trial of the Kraken Priestess http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/featured/champions/trial-of-the-kraken-priestess Poppy: A Hero’s Calling http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/site/poppy-comic/ Ahri: Stray Fox http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Ahri/Background (They took the story down when they pulled the statue so the Wiki's transcription will have to do)

Q&As! I promise there’s lore tidbits buried in most of these! Some not so much, but there’s a lot of good info from Rioters in here none the less. Bard: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/Ev3qQR4G-bard-qa-completed Ekko: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/xEVZQjPL-champion-qa-ekko-the-boy-who-shattered-time-completed Tahm Kench: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/Ts4NEAq5-champion-qa-tahm-kench-the-river-king Kindred: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/H8socwE1-new-champion-qa-kindred-the-eternal-hunters Illaoi: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/FXAooE3r-champion-qa-illaoi-the-kraken-priestess Poppy: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/miscellaneous/yJu6QbKU-poppy-update-qa

Story Progress

So where to begin? I suppose detailing the actual story progression, since we ACTUALLY HAD STORY PROGRESSION OH MY GOD. This is more spoiler filled than other things in this huge post, so be warned if you still haven't whet your teeth on the new lore!

So first off, Graves and Twisted Fate. They finally had their confrontation, actually reconciled somewhat, and have since decided to bugger off to Piltover for two reasons: get Graves a new shotgun and for some more heists and criminal hijinx!
Next, Gangplank. He had a bit off a rough time after losing his ship, crew, and just about everything except his own life. A little R&R with Nagakabouros put him back in the right spot, and now he’s off to go conquer Bilgewater again. Got himself a new arm, a new vendetta and a new mission in life. He stayed low during the Harrowing by the looks of things, but Illaoi’s ordered Okao and the chiefs from Buhru to support him in his endeavours.
Miss Fortune got her revenge! Problem is that she doesn’t know Gangplank survived. After the Harrowing she’s resolved to fix up Bilgewater, bringing criminals to justice and cleaning up the corrupt port town. Oh I can’t wait for that inevitable reunion with Gangplank!
Illaoi has resolved to bring her faith to Bilgewater in a much more pronounced way and she’s giving some support to Gangplank to help with this. She’s gonna be way more involved in Bilgewater happenings from now on, much to the dismay of the Buhru elders.
Lucian discovered that Senna wasn’t just killed, but her soul was taken by Thresh. After a brief reunion with her, his resolve has strengthened and he’s now full steam ahead on the “Destroy all the unliving dudes” train.
Olaf tried in vain to get himself killed, but hey at least he’s trying, gotta get that glorious death after all! Right now he’s kinda stuck in Bilgewater, so he’ll probably have to find a way to get back to the Freljord soon. I’d imagine a few good sailors would be willing to sail him up north for a few Krakens.
Poppy’s currently on the trail of a new hero candidate; a monster hunter of great renown who just so happens to be Poppy herself. She’s heading to a town called Uwendale, a rural town in the Kingdom of Demacia, with the hopes of finding him there. Oh Poppy.
Ahri is a tiny bit closer to her goals of becoming a proper human, after the events of Stray Wolf. Dunno how long ago that’s set, but it’s Ahri’s only story appearance thus far so I count is as progress.
Bilgewater itself has had a rough week, with the loss of Gangplank and a Harrowing literally days afterwards. Right now everything’s a mess, with gangs going around killing each other as the power vacuum looks to fill itself. Right now Miss Fortune, Gangplank and Illaoi all have their own ideas as to how Bilgewater should look, and they’re all actively pursuing those goals.
The Shadow Isles had a bit of a good year, and then Nagakabouros was all like “Nah bro. Sod off.” This puts up an interesting question: what’s Mordekaiser thinking right now? Considering this is the first time we’ve seen the Harrowing be beaten, I reckon he’s got a lot of thinking to do. How do you beat an immaterial, reality encompassing god? A good question, and one Morde’s gonna have to answer.

Odds and Ends of the Year http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/9/9e/Bard_lore_1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150219223007

Before we go in to the nitty gritty of the big lore related things this year, I figured we’d get this section out of the way, the “This stuff is a thing and doesn’t really fit in its own section so it’s going here” category.

So to start off, the Frozen Watchers. They were weird looking sods. In at least one interpretation they are depicted as being huge beings made almost entirely of ice twisted in to large forms with prominent spiky geometry to them. They have a single eye in the centre of their forms and several lithe, very humanoid arms with four digits on each hand.
Olaf was a bit busy this year, getting involved in the eleventh Harrowing and all that. We learned he actually went around with a crew of Lokfarians sailing on the Svarfell at the time. He wears a Frostscale Hauberk and his axes have true ice elements to them...or axe. He kinda lost one. He also talks about a red mist involved in his berserker tendencies, and is likely a key element in Lokfarian berserker techniques.
Krakenwyrms are large sea creatures originating from the Freljord. They're huge sods. Don't mess with them unless you're a Lokfarian bad ass.

Scuttle Crabs are not limited exclusively to the Summoner's Rift, as a different species from the Rift Scuttler has been shown living in rivers on the Serpent Isles.
On another Scuttle Crab note we've recently bore witness to what void-corruption looks like in animals; when a scuttle crab is infused with void energies they can transform in to a being known as the “Rift Herald”, a powerful, bipedal monstrosity with a huge eye in its back.
Aatrox has visited Summoner's Rift at some point in history. What he did is unknown but he probably had something to do with its ruination.
Various critters live around the Rift, including Antlermice, toothed frogs, snails, geckos, ducks and owls. The Owls of the Rift actually have small horns and the red side of the rift has architecture built in their image.

The Shurima Map from last year had some interesting tidbits that we received a bit of insight on from its creator:
Icathia is depicted as the scratched out locale, indicating it's within the Sai region.
The Crystal Scar is shown in the north east, where Skarner presides.
To the west was a land that was formerly filled with water when Shurima wasn't a desert.
"Lighthouses" used to populate the dunes, used by the empire as beacons for travellers and those lost in the desert. In the modern day they've pretty much all been reduced to rubble and ruins.
The mountain at the bottom is (as far as I know) misplaced. It should be on the top side. Mount Targon is still north of Shurima folks! At least I'm fairly certain that it is.
The Zz'rot are a species of voidborn presumably indigenous to Shurima, given the Shuriman naming scheme.
On that note all Voidborn have Shuriman names with the exception of Baron Nashor, mainly due to his emergence on Runeterra being very far away from Shurima.
Shurima has an eastern coastline known as the Rust Coast. It’s probably rust coloured.

There’s a place known as the Tevasa Mountain in Ionia. We know scant details yet, but given the fact it was besieged by Noxus during the invasion, it stands to reason it’s in the southern half of Ionia.
All of Ahri’s magical powers come from herself, and her charm works like it did in A New Dawn rather than how it works in game. She’s also still doing what she intended to do in the old lore; become human, and has no qualms about taking the essence of murderers, like say invading Noxians, to achieve this.

Noxus has blood cults. I dunno what they are, but they sound cool.
Runeterra has Mammoths, Basilisks, Narwhals and Whales too! No other details, just know that they exist.
In some Runeterran religions there are Seven Hells. No details on what they are but they're from an older religion, as the term "Seven Hells" has become commonplace in certain parts of the world.
A few Runeterran illnesses have been documented, namely Carrionshade, Lung-Blight and Ocean-ague.
We also got some brews! Amber Ale, Rapture Rum, Myron's Dark (although this one is old is still exists!), Rotgut, a brand of Demacian Wine and Gravol, a Freljordian ale.
Some precious metals! Sunsteel, Bluesteel, Blood Gold, Demacian Steel and Pig Iron are all things. Bluesteel in particular is used as the blade material of Fiora's dueling sword.
The following are the in-universe terms for people from different parts of the world: Piltover’s are Pilty’s, Valoran’s people are Valorians, the Buhrun are people from the island of Buhru, Mount Targon’s people are Targonians.

Ok that's the odds and ends. Everything else I have is pretty categorized at this point. So let's move on to champions and what they reveal!

Bard, the Wandering Protector of Everyone and Caretaker of all the Stupidly Powerful Artifacts of Potential Doom in Runeterra http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/b/b5/Bard_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150224224739

So who is Bard? Well he's just a celestial being from another plane of existence, that's all. His job is to safeguard all of creation when shit hits and fan, and steer everything away from annihilation. His job is a big one, and it encompasses all of Runeterra and the universe beyond.
Bard has no physical form, and uses his clothes to actually facilitate a form that can interact with organic life. He speaks in a manner that is only intelligible to those who are meant to hear it, and his true name is unknown. Bard is not his first name and he's sexless for all intents and purposes.
Bard is effectively immortal, but he isn't a God. He isn't omnipotent, Omnipresent or Omniscient, so he's highly reactive to what's happening in Runeterra rather than proactive, which probably pisses him off a bit. He can be banished, beaten and even killed if the right forces are in place to do so or a being of greater or equal power to Bard has something to say to him.
Bard has been dealing with all manner of stuff across history, and mostly works in means that aren't all that easy for humans to appreciate or pick up on. He bore witness to the fall of Shurima, the Ruination and events that transpired during the reign of the Frozen Watchers, but what exactly he did is unknown. Although given the circumstances he probably is the reason why Azir's legacy survived and he probably swept in to take away all the relics on the Blessed Isles following the Ruination. Just saying.
Bard's current identity as "Bard" comes from the Bards; a society of Ionians who lived on a trio of mountains. They had some deal with Bard in the past that involved keeping a trio of magical altars and a celestial egg of sorts safe. In return they received some magical benefit from the objects in question. Bard's deal with them came to an end when Noxians tried to claim the egg and attacks the Bards, which forced them to use the Egg for destructive purposes. Bard sensed this, swept in and took not only the egg but the three altars to a place beyond Runeterra for safe keeping. This was maybe about four decades ago now and was the last record of Bard appearing in Runeterra.
Bard originates from a different plane than the one Runeterra’s in but he’s highly connected, and can traverse all planes that intersect with Runeterra’s, including Soraka’s grove. He does this using his harmonic key; the green orb in his horn. The key separates layers of reality and allows Bard to directly tap in to a phenomenon known as the magical friction. Little is known about the friction other than all worlds emit it, so it stands to reason that Bard’s reality hopping abilities stem from his interactions with the friction.
The world physically reacts to Bard's presence whenever he’s got work to do. Places of power associated with Bard will alert those nearby of his presence and a constellation becomes apparent in the sky, with three stars aligned in an upside-down equilateral triangle. The constellation shines brighter when Bard enters and leaves Runeterra, acting as a signal of his coming and going to those who would understand the message.
Bard's existence is pretty disputed in history, as he comes and goes with such irregularity. Most cultures will known about him in myths and legends but very few individuals will actually know he's real, with even fewer having actually met Bard.
Right now the stars have alligned, heralding his return to Runeterra. Why hasn’t been made clear yet, but clearly there must be trouble brewing.
Meeps are tiny spirit creatures that presumably originating either from Runeterra or from Bard's plane of origin. They are often attracted to Bard's power and follow him, acting like dolphins swimming alongside a boat.

Ekko, the Fifteen Year Old who Somehow made a Sodding Time Machine http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/a/a7/Ekko_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150514004039

So Ekko came, Ekko saw and Ekko kicked butt, but who is he? Well he's a teenage boy living in the slums of Zaun, who puts his prodigal techmaturgical skills to work on a day by day basis maintaining the Z-Drive, a device created by him that allows him to rewind time.
Ekko's about fifteen and runs around with many other kids in Zaun who are either homeless, orphaned or without parents most of the time. Ekko himself has parents but they work ridiculous hours just to keep their family afloat and as such have little time for him. Kinda sucks but they're doing what they can dammit!
Ekko's Z-Drive works like an anchor in time rather than a time machine in the traditional sense. By pulling the cord and activating it Ekko locks his position in time at that point, and can then pull the cord again to then pull himself through time back to that exact moment, undoing time and giving him a second chance at things. Or fifth chance. Or ninety seventh chance. It takes a bit of effort sometimes. The Drive will also revert Ekko's physical form back to the state it was in at the point of the ignition, however sensations and knowledge will still be retained throughout. Ekko has also been able to draw from the device's power to empower his weapon of choice; a Piltovian clock tower seconds hand (jeez that's a mouthful), allowing it to draw upon time related power. He also has an assortment of other time gizmos of varying degrees, but none are as impressive as the Z-Drive.
Ekko maintains a mural of the various children who have died in Zaun that he knew of. The mural is incredibly important to him, as he was willing to redo events to make sure it remained undamaged. This mural is probably one of the main reasons as to why Ekko even created the Z-Drive in the first place.
Turns out, Vi's a Zaunite! She used to run around with a gang and do various things in Zaun. Ekko looked up to her and Jinx, but he was in neither of their crowds. What exactly turned Vi and Jinx in to the people they are today from their days as street rats is uncertain, but given Vi doesn't have the strongest memory of her childhood it's safe to say it was something big.
Geographically, Zaun and Piltover are extremely close, with travel between the two being easy and famous individuals from one city having just as much fame (or infamy) in the other. Exact distances aren't known but it could be within a day's travel for all we know.
The goon who attacked Ekko in the Seconds video is known as a Vigilnaut; a hextech empowered mercenary. Who hired that one is unknown but presumably the fellow wasn't just passing through if you catch my drift.
Last but not least the Hextech Gunblade and Revolver are both Piltovian in origin. I always assumed they would be Zaun made weapons but apparently not.

Tahm Kench, the River King, who is a SODDING CATFISH DAMMIT. NOT A FROG. GET IT RIGHT PEOPLE. http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/1/17/Tahm_Kench_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150623213924

So what's a Tahm Kench? Well that would be the name of the River King, an ancient river demon that haunts rivers and feasts on people's despair. Tahm's been around for a long time, in fact he predates humanity, making him one of the oldest characters in League of Legends.
Tahm himself is specifically a River Demon and exists as a presence within rivers. He embodies the vices of humanity, and creates various physical forms in order to interact with humans and tempt them, offering them transport in some manner in exchange for being "let in", at which point he influences their sinful side and brings them ultimate despair. His physical form is specifically designed in accordance to his given environment and given he's currently skulking around the Serpent Isles his current appearance is tied in with Bilgewatian culture, down to the voice and clothing.
The River King video tells the story of how the demon got his name. The Gambler in that story is named Tahm Kench, and was offered transport by the demon. He accepted, got a fresh start, but succumbed to the demon's influence and his own gambling habits, and lost everything, including the life of his wife. The story is likely old and the name Tahm Kench was turned in to a name for the demon specifically in Bilgewater.
Also DEMONS! They're a thing! What we know is they exist in various forms and predate humanity. What they were like before human history is unknown, but we do know they existed differently before humans were there to provide them sustenance. They may have ties with the Darkin but any information is unknown here other than that they are both pre-human civilization beings and existed in a different way back then than they do now. The potential exists that already existing champions of mysterious origins might actually be demons. Shaco, Nocturne, I'm looking at you.
Demons themselves are ancient and non-physical, being very different from the Darkin. Tahm Kench specifically has affected human history in a manner similar to Aatrox, but he's not one to make too big a fuss about it. He's a gentleman after all!
All yordles have encountered Tahm Kench at some point. This is likely due to their inherent magic and cheery dispositions making them diametrically opposed to demons in general. Veigar stands out as not on Tahm’s hit list, likely because he’s a yordle more like the River King himself, who likes to watch people suffer, or perhaps because Tahm’s already had his share of Veigar’s despair...

Kindred, A.K.A. Lamb and Wolf, A.K.A. Fuzzy Death, A.K.A The Oldest Myth in Runeterra http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/a/a6/Kindred_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151014145949

So what the sod is Kindred? Well Kindred is death, plain and simple. The Grim Reaper of Runeterra! They exist as a pair of intrinsically linked spirits named Lamb and Wolf who each embody one facet of how mortals deal with death. Lamb embodies accepting death and moving on peacefully while Wolf embodies resisting death and dying painfully.
Kindred is one of the most ancient beings we know of right now in Runeterra, and the closest thing to a god we have in the playable roster. The duo are known across history and are literally godlike; while they aren't omnipotent or omniscient, they are omnipresent, and do not adhere to the laws of time and space. They also do not physically exist in Runeterra, being death and all.
Some of the oldest myths that Runeterra’s humans ever created were about Kindred, with their representation as twin beings being consistent across the entirety of human history and all known human societies. While different cultures may have different names for the pair, such as Farya and Wolyo or Ina and Ani, they are universally recognised as Kindred. They also presumably exist in the culture of non human societies, such as those of yordles, trolls, marai and others.
The exact identity of the fellow in Kindred’s splash art is a mystery, but he does have a history to him that has yet to be revealed. Before anyone says anything: he’s not the Ruined King. More on that particular guy further down.
Kindred appears in near death experiences, as was seen by Magga in "A Good Death". This often has great influence on people who experience it, and these experiences are as real as speaking to another person in front of you. It is likely that myths about Kindred are as prolific as they are across because of these encounters.
Kindred is not tied to any specific afterlife and seemingly doesn’t care all that much about it. What they do care about is spirits returning, which is a major gripe for them. Both resurrection and necromancy are seen as disgusting and abominable by Kindred, and the result is generally always a long wolf chase when individuals brought back by these methods bite the dust for a second time.
Due to their omnipresence, Kindred is unaffected by timelines, and is wholly aware of any time related shenanigans. Ekko, Zilean, watch yourselves.
One final thing: don't take off their masks. I don't know why you shouldn't but this is coming from the writers, so just don't. Don't. DON'T DO IT DAMMIT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT.

I love item lore. So here! Items! ITEMS! ITEMS!!! http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/8/8d/Item_shop_desk.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150524194135

DISCLAIMER: The below is a list of items that exist, but currently have zero context as to where they come from, who wielded them or any other details. They're just a thing.
Luden's Echo, Typhoon Claws, Puppeteer, Rapidfire Cannon, Death's Dance, Giant Killer, Claufield's Warhammer, the Dark Seal, Lord Dominick's Regards, Mortal Reminder, Kircheis Shard, Jaurim's Fist, Cull, Hunter's Talisman, Corrupting Potion, Refillable Potion, Hunter's Potion, Serrated Dirk and Trickster's Glass all exist. Somewhere. Sod if I know where.

Ok now we have some context!

Lost Chapter is a section of a lost tome with knowledge gleaned from the magic of the Shadow Isles. It was used in the creation of the Pox Arcana, Netherstride Grimoire and Rite of Ruin tomes.
Phantom Dancer comes from the Shadow Isles, and appears to be able to make a green duplicate of itself.
Staff of Flowing Water is an Ionian staff. I thought it was from the Marai, but apparently not.
Mirage Blade is an ancient Shuriman sword enchanted by magic.
The Eye of the Oasis is also a Shuriman artifact, which I'd recon is associated with the Oasis of the Dawn given the name.
Flesheater and the Black Cleaver are both Noxian weapons.
The Eye of the Watchers is a True Ice artifact of the Freljord made in the image of the Frozen Watchers.
The Eye of Equinox is an artifact from Mount Targon. Given the naming here and the design it implies celestial reverence in their culture beyond sun and moon worship. I suppose we'll learn more in the coming months of 2016!
Last Whisper's made of wood. Who knew?
On that note Warmog's is apparently metal. At least according to Illaoi. UPDATE ITS SODDING ICON IF THAT'S THE CASE RIOT.

Bilgewater, a hive of scum, villainy, ancient religion and Harrowings! http://i.imgur.com/KcmvJNJ.jpg?noredirect

So Bilgewater! That's a place huh! Located on the Blue Flame-sorry, the Serpent Isles, this port town is filled to the brim with pirate, privateers, gangs, slaughter fleets, bounty hunters and more!

CULTURE

The inhabitants of Bilgewater come from a wide variety of locales across Runeterra, making it one of the most culturally diverse areas in known Runeterra. Bilgewater's specific culture is defined by this, as bits and pieces from across the world are integrated in to the culture itself. The buildings also reflect this, as various boat parts from across Runeterra are used in the construction of houses and ports.
The Serpent Isles do have natives beyond Bilgewater who predate the port city's founding, with great examples of architecture fashioned in the style of sea monsters carved in to the cliffs along Bilgewater.
Because the Serpent Isles themselves are lacking in natural resources the majority of their trade comes from dealing in sea monster bits, which are then traded for resources from other lands. The people who do all this are the crews of the Slaughter Fleets, who go out on their boats at night with various lures and means of tempting giant sea monsters to the surface, with the intention of killing them, bringing them back to shore and setting them to the Slaughter Docks. There in the Slaughter Sheds the beasts are dismembered, with their hides, bones, teeth, glands, fluids and anything else that might seem of some worth then being sold off to whoever might want them or need them. Sea monster parts can fetch a high price making the entire system here one of high risk and reward.
Gun'dola's, as they are so affectionately named, are hangars brought along belts and lines far above the ground to handle delicate goods, be they sea monster bits or otherwise. They earned their name from looking like gondolas and having guns stuck to them, which are used to protect the precious cargo.
Bilgewater houses a massive black market which is connected to just about everywhere in the world. Artifacts and riches from across Runeterra can be found here, ranging from Shuriman artifacts to Demacian weapons. Even hextech can be found here!
All of the illegal dealings in Bilgewater used to be under the control of the Reaver King Gangplank, who ruled it all like a mob boss.
The entire Serpent Isles has a polytheistic religion that seemingly originates from the island of Buhru. The main god of this religion, who is also known as the Mother Serpent. In Bilgewater she is often referred to as the Bearded Lady, which comes from their specific depiction of her: a city sized sea serpent with innumerable eyes, a huge lower jaw and a literal beard of tentacles connected by immense webbing. This religion has no name.
Bilgewater handles mortuary stuff very differently than in the rest of Runeterra. It is believed all things should return to the sea, back to the Bearded Lady, so people are given oceanic burials with their corpses being put in some sort of coffin or just tied up in a sack and then hung from a buoy, acting as a gravestone. The kind of burial you get differs depending on your wealth, status, who liked you, and other factors.
Some folks called Serpent Callers make their home on the isles. They are as religious as they come and are trained to operate huge horns built in to cliffs that are fashioned in the appearance of sea monsters and use them to either call upon or drive away the mighty beasts. It’s thanks to these people that most of the Serpent Isles can stay protected from Harrowings.
On the Serpent Isles, it's customary to share food with guests, and it’s highly insulting if you refuse them. This is especially true for fruit, considering their rarity on the isles.

LOCATIONS

Runeterra apparently has twelve seas. Sod if I know how the Conquerer's and Guardian's Seas fit in to that, but Gangplank’s supposedly been to all of them. Course that could be a tall tale he spun but I dunno.
“Blue Flame Isles” is the old Paylangi name for the archipelago, while “Serpent Isles” is the more traditional, native given name. Nowadays the former name is archaic and you’d really only ever hear Demacians or other west-born Valorians using it. We’re just going to have to get used to this folks.
One of the islands in the archipelago is called Buhru, and is a centre of the Serpent Isle’s primary religion. Bilgewater isn’t on Buhru but it’s fairly close within the Archipelago itself.
The Serpentine River is an enormous river that passes through multiple islands in the chain of the Serpent Isles, including Buhru and Bilgewater's island. How a river travels across multiple islands is beyond me, but Bilgewater also has oceanic waterfalls, so someone else can figure that out, not me.
All of the islands have extensive cave networks in them, built by the native people centuries ago. Many areas of this network haven't been used in years.
The Butcher's Bridge was an ancient bridge that connected to an ancient Temple of Nagakabouros. It was converted in to a gate for passing ships and has fallen in to disrepair over the years.
A similar bridge called the Serpent Bridge connects to a more modern temple. It is sometimes referred to as “The House of Nagakabouros”.
The great horns used by Serpent Callers dot the coastline of the entire Serpent Isles, with a few being close to Bilgewater. They are incredible architectural works, built to be ornate but completely functional.
Rat Town is an area connected to both its own Slaughter Docks and the Butcher's Bridge. It was used by Gangplank for various illegal affairs and had storehouses filled with all manner of worldly goods.
The Whitewharf is a graveyard in Bilgewater. It's named after the amount of Carrion Gull shit that covers the wharf. The used to use Wharf Rats to keep it clean since they'll eat anything, but that didn't work too well. Wharf Rats aren't all that nice.
Some other areas include the Brazen Bar, Diver's Bluff, Cutpurse Square and Freeman's Aerie.

WILDLIFE

The waters around the Serpent Isles are filled with all manner of sea monsters of varying shapes and sizes, such as sea serpents, krakens, giant sharks and hydras, although I don't know what Runeterran hydras are like. Many of these are hunted by slaughter fleets and all of them have a place in Bilgewater culture and mythology, being considered children of Nagakabouros. The greatest among them are REALLY big.
The biggest and scariest of the sea monsters tend to avoid Bilgewater and stay in the deep sea, keeping clear of the foul, stagnant waters and slaughter fleets.
Animals in these waters vary from just like real life equivalents to quite peculiar variants, such as octopi with no tentacles and a crocodilian mouth, or a four eyed shark that’s about the size of a long boat.
Some named species that live around the isles include Carrion Gulls, Wharf Rats, Razorfins, Ocklepods, Ironbacks, Plundercrabs, Devilfish, Bilge-lions, Abyssal Sea Drakes (which are incredibly rare) and scavenger eels.
Wharf rats are particularly nasty since they'll eat anything, swim like sharks and scurry like rats, travel in packs, have poisonous barbs and are all attitude. Also they grow up to become Razorfins. Nasty buggers.
Hydras are real, but rare and near mythical in parts of the world that aren’t the Serpent Isles.

ITEMS

The Titanic Hydra and Ravenous Hydra originate from this part of the world, but where specifically in the archipelago I dunno. They're styled after Hydras, and are potentially made to embody individual species of Hydras.
The Murksphere, Swindler's Orb and Globe of Trust are all Bilgewatian in origin. Given the nature of the Globe they might be linked to the Serpent Isles and its local populace more so than the Bilgewater itself.
The Deadman's Plate is an armour piece that belonged to some poor sod before it passed in to Gangplank's hands. Presumably he killed that poor sod. Poor sod.
The Martyr's Gambit is an armour piece fashioned from a sea creature skull. It originates from Buhru, and is seemingly imbued with magic from Nagakabouros.

Gangplank

Gangplank is...er no sorry, was the mighty Pirate King of Bilgewater. Also known as the Reaver King, the Corsair King, the Scourge of Twelve Seas and various other titles, he held complete control over Bilgewater's black market, gangs and all illegal happenings, with his work keeping everything all of these things in balance. Unfortunately for him Miss Fortune got the better of him during the events of “Burning Tides: Reckoning”, leading him to lose his right arm, his crew, his ship the Deadpool and his influence in Bilgewater. He did get a sweet prosthetic and and the Dead Man’s Plate, so there's that going for him.
Most assume Gangplank is dead, with only Illaoi being the only notable person we know of being aware of his survival.
Before he was overthrown Gangplank had many gangs under his control. Some named ones were the Red Caps, the Jackdaws, the Butcher's Blades and the Jagged Hooks.
Gangplank's reputation went far beyond Bilgewater, as he had stolen the flagship of the Noxian fleet, which was Swain's personal warship named the Leviathan, as well as raiding the Temple of the Jagged Knife, which was a place important to the Order of Shadows in Ionia. Who knows what else he's done!
His skin “Captain Gangplank” depicts him during his time as the Pirate King. He looked like this up until chapter three of “Burning Tides: Reckoning”.
He had a pretty good thing going with Illaoi, but she ended it. It was the dissolving of this relationship that spurred Gangplank to become the new Reaver King like his father was. Speaking of which…
Gangplank’s father Vincent was a pretty brutal man, and heavily impacted how Gangplank developed in his youth. Self-pity and loathing were ingrained pretty harshly in to his psyche, but he seems to be moving past it after his near death experience.
One final detail is that the cannon you can buy in game, Death's Daughter, was an old as sod cannon that was on the Deadpool. It got sent to the depths of the sea during “Burning Tides: Reckoning”.

** Miss Sarah Fortune **

So Sarah's mum was a renowned Gunsmith whom Gangplank had make a pair of immaculate pistols back when he was an up and coming criminal. It took a year for the guns to be finished and as GP gained more reputation Sarah's mum knew she couldn't give him the guns. So defied his will, which got her, her husband and Sarah all shot by those very same guns. GP then broke them because he said: "If they're too good for me, they're too good for anyone."
Sarah herself learned much from her mum in the ways of guns and their craft, and recrafted the broken pistols. She vowed revenge on Gangplank and spent years building herself up for that purpose.
She is currently a renowned Bounty Hunter in Bilgewater with a motley crew of fellows that follow her. Her first mate is Rafen and they sail on the Syren, a mighty ship she claimed during her early bounty hunting days.
Following the events of “Burning Tides: Reckoning”, where she managed to usurp Gangplank, she has begun working towards rebuilding Bilgewater and freeing it from the deep seeded corruption that has grown over the decades. She's been pretty busy, and even claimed a manor high up on the cliffs for herself, but she's also a bit concerned, considering Bilgewater's current chaos is pretty much her fault and down to her own oversight.
Captain Fortune depicts her during “Burning Tides: Reckoning”. It seems to be her main attire when she's commanding her crew and ship and a regular choice of clothing for her.
It's implied she might have made a deal with the River King himself. Time will tell how that goes, if it's indeed true.

** Malcolm Graves and Tobias "Twisted Fate" F. **

Twisted Fate's actual name has the same initials as his current one, with his first name being Tobias. He never like the name but I think it's cool as hell.
Twisted Fate was born to the nomadic people of the Serpentine River. Despite this he lacks the ability to swim and actually got exiled from them for getting in to a scuffle over some angry folks who wanted their coin back after gambling it all away.
Graves was born in the slums of Bilgewater and was forced to grow up big and strong to survive. His mother's dead, and by his own words, has been for five years.
Graves and TF ran around in a gang for many years but they weren't alone in it. Things were going great until Graves got captured and thrown in the Locker, a high security prison in Piltover...or Zaun. One of the two. TF and the gang tried to free him, but they failed, and their fellow gang-mates Wallach, Kolt and “The Brick” all died trying to break him out. TF abandoned his old name and took up his current moniker while Graves stayed incarcerated for ten years.
During “Burning Tides: Reckoning” the two met up again, had their big confrontation and actually reconciled, if you can believe that. After near death experiences for both parties they decided to try their hand at being partners again, setting their sights on Piltover, since not only is there some good coin flowing through there, but Graves needs a new gun. Destiny’s kinda lost at the bottom of the sea. Destiny’s maker actually is a Piltovian gunsmith, so it all works out!
The Gambler in "The River King" was of the River Folk, and thus is related in some way to TF. Perhaps not directly, but either way the connection is there.

Illaoi

Illaoi is a priestess and the Truth Bearer of Nagakabouros, the primary deity of Bilgewater. She is famed for her size and influence, is a Buhru native, and had a thing going on with Gangplank.
Illaoi wields the “Eye of God", which contains a portion of the mighty god's power. This power manifests itself through tentacles and flows through Illaoi herself. It earns its name from the way the Truth Bearer uses it. It’s important to note that the Eye is but a tool; a vessel. In itself it’s not all that special an object.
Illaoi's religion has given her much ancient knowledge pertaining to the world, giving her information about the true nature of beings like Aatrox and Tahm Kench, and general history about the Ascendants. She's not really fond of any of them for various reasons.
Illaoi despises the undead because they offend Nagakabouros; they exist outside of the cycle, and thus cannot change.
The greatest children of Nagakabouros can be beckoned forth from the depths by Serpent Callers to consume the Black Mists and fend off the Harrowing, but they are intelligent enough to avoid Bilgewater because of the industrialisation, slaughter docks, and water pollution. As such Bilgewater is the only place in the Serpent Isles that Serpent Callers cannot summon forth serpents capable of defending it from the undead.
Illaoi speaks Buhrun, which is the native language of Buhru and the Serpent Isles as a whole. Across the islands there are various dialects of Buhrun, with Illaoi’s being only one example. Some known words from Illaoi’s dialect are: kebouros, shai, nagashou, altoc, shoc and shay. Nagakabouros and Buhru as words originate from this language. Paylangi is an offensive Buhrun term, meaning “Pink Face”, and is used to refer to Valorians and Ionians. Bilgewatians, being mostly immigrants or descended from such, are generally dubbed Paylangi.
Illaoi used the power of Nagakabouros to repel the eleventh Harrowing and with the god’s light, freed countless souls ensnared in the Black Mist. The process physically exhausted her but was a fucking awesome deed no matter how you shake it. As I said before; serpents can’t be easily called upon to defend against the Harrowing, so this ritual was the best alternative.
Illaoi has a liking of mangoes. They’re pretty great.

Nagakabouros, the Bearded Lady, the Mother Serpent, the Allmighty God of EVERYTHING! http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/c/ca/Bilgewater_Serpent.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150829165026

So the above is the physical appearance of the mighty god as depicted in Bilgewater's culture, but as Illaoi says "A god's appearance is limited only by those observing it." so the accuracy of this depiction, no matter how widespread it is, is not guaranteed.
Nagakabouros is heralded as the God of life, chaos, the ocean and storms on the Serpent Isles. Buhru has other gods aside from Nagakabouros, and Valoran has other gods too, but on the Serpent Isles she’s pretty much on top of everything.
It is believed that Nagakabouros is everything and all things are a part of her. This phenomenon is known by many names, such as the Flow, the Maelstrom, and the Vortex. It is believed that Nagakabouros gave souls to living beings and that this is what links people to her.
In line with the above, Illaoi’s test literally involves pulling souls out of people and sending them back to the Maelstrom; back to the one who gave those souls away in the first place. The trial is in actuality fighting against yourself, struggling against your own flawed being to bring yourself back to the physical world, proving to the great god that you deserve to keep living. Nagakbouros gave life to men so that they may live fulfilling lives, and the test is to remind people of that.
It is customary to pay tithe to her in Bilgewater, which usually involves putting Krakens in a well.
Motion is a central belief to the religion focused around Nagakabouros.
Religious practices about Nagakabouros vary across the isles, with natives having stronger beliefs than most Bilgewatians. Bilgewatians are the ones who refer to her as the Bearded Lady, given their "limited perspective.

The Shadow Isles! No scratch that the Blessed Isles! http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/4/48/Shadow_Isles_concept_4.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140803182651

They tricked us! The Shadow Isles was not what we thought!

The Shadow Isles was not always the Shadow Isles. Long ago it was known as the Blessed Isles and was home to an order who safeguarded magical artifacts of varying kinds.
The isles were hidden behind magical glamours, and could only be revealed by a set incantation.
The event that birthed the Shadow Isles is known as the Ruination.
Thresh was a part of the order of the isles when he was alive, having been tasked with the guarding of the more sinister magical artifacts. This didn’t go well for him despite his strong will, leading to a sadistic tormentor long before his transition in to undeath.

_ The Ruined Kingdom and all of its Ruined People _

Kalista, Hecarim and the Ruined King weren’t natives of Shadow Isles pre-ruination, they came from a long forgotten kingdom on mainland Valoran (presumably).
Hecarim was the leader of the Iron Order who served the King, Kalista was the King’s general, and the King was proficient in magic.
The Queen was struck by an assassin’s poisoned blade and no cure could be found. Kalista scoured the world for a cure, leaving Hecarim to guard the king, which made him a bit resentful of her for leaving him to such a menial task. She eventually found her way to the Blessed Isles and they let her in, sensing her good intentions. They told her the words to dispel the glamours and told her to bring the queen there.
Meanwhile the King was grief stricken and began going mad. He ordered Hecarim around a lot, and Hecarim gleefully slaughtered innocents across the kingdom with the Iron Order at his beck and call. The Queen died during this time.
When Kalista returned the Queen was dead and the kingdom was in shambles. She refused to tell about the Isles and was incarcerated, but some Hecarim scheming got her to reveal it and they went to revive the Queen.
They told the king she was beyond help and he then told Kalista to murder them until they changed their minds. She refused and Hecarim betrayed her trust, killing her right there and then before setting the Iron Order to ruin the island. A “lantern bearing wretch” led them to what they wanted.
The king enacted a ritual to revive the queen, but she returned as a maggot ridden corpse, begging for death’s release. Revolted by his own actions the king enacted another ritual to bind their souls together for an eternity, which worked, but thanks to all the magical relics on the Blessed Isles it was amplified in power tremendously, desecrating the isles and ensnaring the souls of all present, alive or dead, in an unholy union we know as the Black Mist. Hecarim was fused with his horse, Thresh was reborn as a spectre and Kalista was re-animated as she is now.

Mordekaiser, the Lord of De-oh sorry, the Iron Revenant. Much better.

In life Mordekaiser was a ruthless warlord who ruled with an iron fist. He revelled in destruction and death but was eventually killed, but he had a plan you see!
By the promise of power a group of sorcerers gathered his burnt bones and armour and enacted a ritual to revive him as an unholy revenant. They succeeded, and for their good deeds they were transformed in to Liches, enslaved to Mordekaiser’s will.
On that note Runeterran Liches seem to be undead bound to their physical bodies, as opposed to the spectres of the Shadow Isles.
Mordekaiser’s new form gave him tremendous necromantic power and immortality, so long as his bones remained undisturbed so that his Liches could bring his soul back from oblivion.
Following this he conquered and killed, culminating in to an era where what I’m tentatively calling the Iron Empire ruled supreme over the lands where Demacia and Noxus now stand. It wasn’t a nice time and I personally don’t know where it falls in the historical time line of League, only that it lasted for a few centuries.
Morde was paranoid about his bones being disturbed and so he had the Immortal Bastion built; a mighty fortress meant to house and protect its bones. In the modern era the Noxian Empire founded their nation with the Bastion as their capital.
Eventually an alliance of tribes and warbands from around the land rose up to try and contest Morde’s reign once and for all. At the same time a mysterious thief managed to get by all the traps of the Bastion and steal Morde’s skull, and so when the alliance actually defeated Morde and let him be torn apart by Basilisks, he was gone for good seemingly.
The skull was entrusted to the order upon the Blessed Isles for safe keeping, where it remained for centuries. There must have been some damn good reason as to why they didn’t just shatter the skull.
For the record Morde’s Liches never told him the skull was missing, as they were fearful of his wrath, so he never knew going in to the battle.
The Liches searched for centuries to find the skull but couldn’t, until they were drawn to the Shadow Isles after the Ruination occurred. They found the skull and brought back the Iron Revenant.
Now Mordekaiser rules over the Shadow Isles, using his superior strength to control most of the Black Mist. He has set his eyes on building a new empire, and is looking to Noxus as a particularly important point of conquest, considering those sods built their nation around the Immortal Bastion, and then decided it was a good idea to make said bastion their capital. Great job Noxus. Great. Job.

_ Karthus the Deathsinger _

Karthus was Noxian born. His mother died during childbirth and he lived in the slums with his father and three sisters. In the slums there was A LOT of death, so he kinda grew a fixation to it, becoming curious as to what lay between life and death.
His sisters died to illness and he was inducted in to the Tallymen’s ranks following this. He actually was quite the deathsinger back then, as he sang laments for the dead which helped people in the slums come to terms with things, or at least eased their hearts. Eventually the job of tending to the dying wasn’t enough for Karthus, and he set out for the mythical Shadow Isles.
He managed to find passage there and ended up having to swim ashore. Unlike others who would be horribly transformed Karthus found himself elevated in to a revenant, his convictions and passions apparently playing a huge part in the transformation.
Now he works as an apostle for the dead, ushering souls unto the Black Mist where they can become like him. He truly believes he’s doing the right thing and works independently of the majority of the Shadow Isles as he thinks they’re wasting their gifts as they are now. How he and Morde work is unknown right now.

The Black Mist of Mistiness

The Black Mist is a corruption born from the Ruined King’s fabled ritual. It binds all souls trapped within it together in an unholy union.
As stated before, Mordekaiser runs the show for the Black Mist, using his superior necromantic powers to control it and almost all within it. This makes him the mastermind behind the eleven Harrowings of the last fifty years.
The mists can take any souls, not just human ones, and we don’t know if it has limits.
Things from the mist can combine in to horrifying amalgamations on a whim, making more terrifying entities like Hecarim possible. We’ve seen banshees that are like five heads stuck together. Nasty sods.
All things from the mist afflict “Wraith Touch” to anything they come in contact with. It’s not fatal, but is excruciatingly painful for living beings. It’s described as experiencing a feeling of extreme cold.
Being stuck in the Mist isn’t a forever damning thing. As Illaoi has shown, souls can be reclaimed by Nagakabouros, and can probably be freed via other means too.
The Mist and the things in it are mostly invulnerable to standard weapons, with the ability to easily reform after being thwacked. Substances like Sunsteel, Demacian Steel and True Ice weapons are capable of doing real damage and inflicting severe pain, as can certain forms of magic, such as the bullets of Lucian’s relic guns and the tentacley essence of Nagakabouros.

Fiora, Lucian and Poppy brought way more Demacia to the table than I was expecting. DEMACIA! http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/8/8f/Fiora_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150725010627

Fiora heads House Laurent after she had to kill her father to save her entire family, and the whole affair was pretty sad since her father was basically forced to cheat to preserve the integrity of his family, and that was also pretty much Fiora's fault since she didn't want to be part of an arranged marriage. Fiora's now working tirelessly to rebuild her family's reputation in the eyes of the Demacian establishment, one duel at a time.
Fiora herself primarily uses a Bluesteel rapier as her weapon of choice. She is also the youngest child of the family, with at least one older brother, Ammdar Laurent. I dunno if Ammdar is the brother she forced to teach her the ways of dueling, but he supports her in her endeavors as head of the house.
The Hall of Blades is an area for dueling currently under House Laurent's jurisdiction. It is here where Fiora gets the more bloody work done.
The crest of the Laurent House is a blooming flower. It's pretty!

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/f/f4/House_Laurent_Crest.png/revision/20150811001529

So Demacia is kinda sorta patriarchal in a few ways, and this particularly comes to bite Fiora in the arse. It's seemingly more of an aristocracy thing, and also seems to be an interesting dilemma for Jarvan IV, considering his high birth and subsequent relationships with Shyvana and Quinn.
Demacia is SUPER strict about things. I mean we always knew this but as seen in Fiora's lore, the price of her defiance was her father having to duel, and if he lost the Laurent House would be expelled from Demacia! Not only that because he cheated they sentenced her father to death and they were STILL going to exile the Laurents!
Remember the Measured Tread? Well if you don't it's basically a Demacian book about how to go about fighting. Fiora describes it as a means for the high class to maintain their dignity while they kill people, and the principles of Demacian dueling are built upon the Measured Tread’s words.
The noble houses of Demacia are super ancient, likely going back to the nation's founding. The extent of this is unknown, since houses can apparently be expelled. I'd assume there's a difference between houses like Laurent, Bouvelle and Vayne to houses like Crownguard, Lightshield and Spiritmight.
Lucian is part of a recently (in terms of years) revived order focused around destroying dark and evil things. They have places of refuge across the entirety of Valoran stemming from their more ancient history and bring in the practices and reagents of other nations to help them in their activities.
Demacian Steel is a metal that is enchanted to protect its wearer from dark magics and necromancy. Even a mighty being like Mordekaiser was somewhat hindered by a single foe wearing a full suit of Demacian Steel, but the details on how this steel works are unknown.
Demacia has a religious figure called the Veiled Lady, but details about her are scarce right now. Given how Lucian described her she seems to be associated with the Demacian version of the afterlife, which makes her distinct from Kindred, who are all about death in itself and not what comes after.
Demacia, like Noxus, was founded upon the land where Mordekaiser once had his mighty empire. The exact time between the fall of Mordekaiser's empire and the establishment of Demacia is unknown.
Demacia was founded many years ago by a fellow named Orlon. The nation’s birth apparently garnered interest from across northern Valoran, as many people migrated from across the land to live there. Orlon himself became quite popular in the fledgling nation.
Demacia isn't just a city, but an entire Kingdom that encompasses a large area. The Demacia we've always associated with still exists, but is the capital of this kingdom. Various towns are located within Demacia's borders such as Needlebrook, Jandelle and Uwendale.
Randuin's Omen is Demacian, and bears the crest of the Lightshield dynasty. Because it’s hard to spot I’ll also include Aegis of the Legion here, even though it’s had that insignia for years now and it’s only come to my attention because of Randuin’s Omen.

The Keeper of the Hammer herself, Poppy! http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/d/da/Poppy_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151124201921

They said she wouldn’t come, people doubted and were like “Yeah when replays and sandbox come out hur hur” but they were WRONG! So what’s her deal in the new Runeterra?

Poppy is a young...no scratch that, centuries old yordle on a quest to deliver the hammer she uses to its destined wielder. In reality though she isn’t the hammer bearer, she is the hammer hero, its destined wielder! Problem is she’s not convinced it could ever be hers. Believe in yourself Poppy!
Poppy is RIDICULOUSLY strong, being able to take down a Crag Beast with brute force that was bigger than a house without suffering from serious injury, which is incredible considering the creature was over forty times her size. The hammer helps her realise this strength, though she’s oblivious to that fact.
Poppy’s homeland seems to have been due east of the land that Demacia was founded upon, although that doesn’t mean Bandle City’s located in these parts, just that yordles have some kind of settlement within northern Valoran. We have yet to learn many details about Bandle City in the new lore just yet.
The Hammer in question is the Hammer of Orlon, which has immense magical power within it. She was friend’s with its original wielder, Orlon, who was the first human she introduced herself to all those years ago. The hammer predated Orlon and wasn’t meant for him, so on his deathbed Poppy swore to find the hammer’s chosen hero.
She’s spent many, many years scouring Demacia for the chosen hero who is infact herself. Right now she’s on the trial of a renowned Monster Hunter, who seems to be the spitting image of Demacian heroics, but is simply a fabrication based on Poppy’s own heroic deeds.
Yordles are an inherently magical people who live for extremely long periods of time, as in way longer than humans. They are seemingly unaffected by the flow of time as long as they have a purpose in life. Their positive demeanours and bubbly nature, coupled with their magic, has led many folks over the years to consider them to be good spirits.
Yordles have appearances that vary greatly, similarly to the differences between dog breeds. Eye shape, ear length and positioning, fur colour, all of these can vary from yordle to yordle. They also have more animalistic features than humans and stand around waist height on adult humans when fully grown.
Crag Beasts inhabit the lands of Valoran, having been in rural Demacia. They are mighty creatures made of stone and plants, seemingly born as a result of magic, and are known for being highly destructive. They can grow to sizes that easily dwarf human made structures.
Wyverns are also a thing. Dunno what they look like, but they’re ferocious buggers.
Briar Wolves too, are a thing.

…

……

And I think that’s everything! I think. I god damn hope I got everything. If I missed something I swear to god I’m gonna kill everything. EVERYTHING.

As far as I know and remember that’s all of 2015’s lore summed up in a long ass piece of text that no one will ever read ever. If you actually read this far, then thanks for humoring my attempts to chronicle all this stuff! If you just skipped to the end then I totally understand. I would’ve done the same, even though I’d have then started reading in its entirety. I always end up doing that. And if you’re a Rioter who’s reading this, tell me, DID I MISS ANYTHING?! Actually it might be better if you don’t tell me, or else I might just curl up in a ball and cry for a while.

And that’s that. Thanks for reading, no matter how much reading you did! 2015 started a bit rough for lore...ok no it was REALLY rough at the start, but by the end things have started turning around for the better. So have a merry christmas and a happy new year!

2016’s coming boys, girls, things, or however you identify, Shurima and Mount Targon are on the horizon! Get hype!

tl;dr: There was so much lore that any of you expecting a real tl;dr are fools! HAHAHAHAHA!!!

EDIT: Well this kinda blew up didn't it...I mean it got bloody stickied! Now I feel like my head's gonna fall off my shoulders it's getting so big. I'm glad you guys liked it, and here's to a great 2016!

EDIT2: Changed the link to "Stray Fox" since it was removed when Riot took the statue down.

What we learned this year: TL;DR Lore 2015

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