Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Bilgewater sails out to attack the Black Mist

CupcakeTrap·11/17/2014, 3:32:25 AM·36 votes·16,381 views

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vXv-AgxdbDc/Uxnj9H_qfBI/AAAAAAAAInQ/36NPtpaShE0/s1600/Miss-Fortune-League-of-Legends-Wallpaper-full-HD-17.png Not pictured: Bilgewater's most brilliant anti-ghostfog strategist.

1 Year [Ago]. The Battle of Knife Straits. An armada from Bilgewater, led by Miss Fortune and Captain Gangplank – sailing together under an uneasy truce – meets the Black Mist head on. Heavy casualties sustained. Fleet scattered. (Source.)

Yes, attack the ghost-fog with a fleet of ships. Because if there's one thing that works great against both fog and ghosts, it's cannonballs.

A list of things that might work against fog and/or ghosts and/or ghost-fog, in descending order of likely effectiveness:

(1) Demacian clerics (2) Ionian mages (3) Very large fans (4) Holy flamethrowers (5) Zaunite hextech proton packs licensed by ThaumaKorp and its wholly owned subsidiaries (6) The Vivatronic Transamplifier device perfected by inventor-expeditioneer Edgar Fentonborough of Piltover, lately deceased under circumstances most mysterious (7) Twenty-three sugar-crazed yordles with hexplosives and a chanting Mothership Elder (8) Asking Nami to try talking to any of the ghosts who are also fish … (19) A bunch of bookish Summoners who keep saying things like "Fascinating!" and "Remarkable!" … (44) The mediation sessions with the Shadow Isles that those Summoners keep suggesting … (162) Saying how sorry you are for murdering all those people, Gangplank … (297) Lots of boats … (655) Guns, some of which may be hextech revolvers … (717) Assorted citrus fruits … (808) Rodents of unusual size … (921) Swords that aren't magical … (3,995) An uneasy truce … (8,424) Cannonballs

Seriously, was I the only one that found that part kind of odd?

65 Comments

Alljoy11/17/2014, 4:22:19 AM19 votes

They should've called the GhostBusters.

RiotWookieeCookie11/18/2014, 12:52:01 AM15 votes

The Disclaimer - Non Lore-Rioter; I'm not anymore in the loop about the story's direction then you guys are. Just here for the discussion. :P

Has it been stated specifically what the Black Mist is? From what I've gauged through the timeline that you linked and the Harrowing video that was released, the Black Mist appears during the event, but is not necessarily the principle "threat" of the Shadow Isles.

It seems to me that the Black Mist is an omen or sign. You don't have to worry about the Black Mist grabbing you and stealing your soul; no it is what's hiding within it that should frighten you.

For the shadow isles creatures within there are some immediate benefits:

  • They can keep their total #'s hidden or out of sight on the approach.
  • The fog's mere appearance can frighten/intimidate victims as it creeps up and surrounds them.
  • If fighting occurs, they can use the fog to their advantage to catch warriors by surprise.
  • If they try to kidnap someone the fog makes it easier for them to make their escape.

The Harrowing seems like it has largely been a local problem in Valoran rather than a global one. The timeline you linked goes back 30 years and it seems that it's been growing, but only slowly. From our outsider perspective it seems likely that the Harrowing would eventually expand well past Bilgewater. But it's completely possible that other Factions or City States just don't think it's a priority, or that they even believe it's anything more than the hearsay of drunken sailors. It's not like the people of Bilgewater are the most reliable bunch out there.

That could explain why it was only Miss Fortune and Gangplank who were able to muster any forces against it. Maybe now that the battle was a failure resulting in heavy casualties other regions will start to take it a bit more seriously. Or maybe, they'll be happy that there's a few less brigands and pirates they have to worry about; ignoring the fact that those brigands or pirates might come back in an undead form... but hey, that's nothing they have to worry about right now... right?

Jungle Lux God11/17/2014, 4:58:01 AM9 votes

(3) Very large fans

Dang it, I knew Karma shouldn't have had a visual rework!

Her old fans were the key to stopping this Black Mist!

Desmond Law11/17/2014, 7:36:43 AM8 votes

69 - Get Arhi to soul suck the ghosts

666 - Get Aatrox to turn the tide of battle. I mean, it is the whole point of his lore, to turn the tide of battle.

1337- Get Phreak to deal tons of damage.

9001- Giving your midlaner blue

Darth Pixy Misa11/17/2014, 8:19:49 PM7 votes

All that loss of life could have been avoided if Helmet Bro was there.

Zulgaines11/17/2014, 1:29:39 PM7 votes

This is like the Runeterra version of sending troops to fight Ebola.

ShadowKnight122411/19/2014, 11:30:44 PM6 votes

I was extremely disappointed to read that the Black Mist was expanding and getting stronger and stronger. I really hate it when writers can't value moderation and small-scale threats. Good writers can make any type of threat interesting to read about. If you put sufficient effort and care into it, you can make something like an office worker who gets a computer crash something compelling to read.

The Black Mist didn't have to be some world-menacing catastrophe. In fact, it would have made a lot more sense to keep it located to Bilgewater and the occasional disruption to another city state's mercantile affairs. It would explain why people from Bilgewater are so disdainful of the other city states and why they are so cavalier about piracy, robbery and the like. I can buy Bilgewater being a rancorous, opportunistic faction that actively enjoys stealing from the other city states precisely because they are the ones losing good men and women every Harrowing while the rest of the world couldn't care less.

And it would be such an interesting and realistic vicious circle, where the pirates prey on the other city states because they won't help against the Harrowing and the other city states refuse to send help because "good riddance to those pirates."

Valaran Nara11/17/2014, 4:16:02 AM6 votes

Sounds like a "last ditch" effort of some sort to keep it from hitting the mainland. That, and in all honesty, the Black Mist may also carry a bunch of spooks that needed to be eradicated. I mean, have you seen how Heca jumped out of the darkness and landed on the ship. I'm sorry, but he wasn't riding on a raft, that's for sure.

catraven11/17/2014, 2:46:00 PM5 votes

(7) Twenty-three sugar-crazed yordles with hexplosives and a chanting Mothership Elder

loled.....nice op.

Xulsigae11/17/2014, 5:36:06 AM4 votes

It's the 'Fight the Intangible Force With Tangible Weapons' Trope.

Lord Dusteon11/17/2014, 3:37:09 AM3 votes

To be fair, they also had swords and guns.

LordHippoman11/17/2014, 8:34:16 AM3 votes

Gangplank and MF beat the living crap out of ghosts, zombies, robots, monkeys, Yordles, and a belligerent drunk man pretty much everyday in the League. I wouldn't bet against them.

Although since that doesn't really count anymore it is a bit silly. But hey, the Shadow Isles seem to use mostly corporeal soldiers if Hecarim and Morde are anything to go by.

And seriously never doubt the Plank. The guy had chest hair coming up to his chin in his old splash.

JevelFaithful11/18/2014, 10:50:27 PM3 votes

I have to say : +1 for the holy flamethrower

The Soulforged11/18/2014, 12:00:38 AM2 votes

o I meant the list

Diana x Me11/20/2014, 12:42:26 AM1 votes

Just saying. The sun is not the source of all life. Have you ever heard of hydrothermal vent worms aka. Riftia pachyptila?

Hellioning11/17/2014, 8:08:44 AM1 votes

I think that 'the black mist' isn't literally a black mist, but some kind of fleet of ghost ships. So still in the 'kind of stupid' camp of meeting it head on with fleet of non-ghost ships, but that sort of thing shows up all the time in pirate-y media. I'm not too angry about it.