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The Shadows over Runeterra

Dreamspitter·11/11/2015, 12:06:17 AM·28 votes·15,517 views

"Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men."- H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

#The Void Chogath Khazix KogMaw Malzahar RekSai Velkoz

"Slowly but inexorably crawling upon my consciousness and rising above every other impression, came a dizzying fear of the unknown; a fear all the greater because I could not analyse it, and seeming to concern a stealthily approaching menace; not death, but some nameless, unheard-of thing inexpressibly more ghastly and abhorrent." -H.P. Lovecraft, The Crawling Chaos

The Void. The name implies this realm is empty, but that is far from the truth. For it is filled to the brim with things that should not be, and threaten to devour all that is. Malzahar was born a "seer" in Shurima, and the Void reached out to him, and worked through him. The Cult of the Void is no secret. What we have seen so far, are a collection of individual monstrosities, but is there some unseen organization? Is there a leader, or dark heart of the void?

#The Frozen Watchers & The Iceborn

"They worshipped, so they said, the Great Old Ones who lived ages before there were any men, and who came to the young world out of the sky. Those Old Ones were gone now, inside the earth and under the sea; but their dead bodies had told their secrets in dreams to the first men, who formed a cult which had never died." -H.P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in the Darkness

Lissandra

http://i.imgur.com/r3x6fuO.jpg

The Frozen Watchers are ancient. So ancient in fact, that Gnar, an ancestor of the Yordles was frozen in True Ice by them. Like the Void, the Watchers reached out to mortals, and gave them unnatural abilities. Lissandra, The Seeker was in some ways, comparable to Malzahar in relation to these god like beings. We cannot be sure which is stronger, but the Watcher's at least have made Lissandra ageless as themselves. Ashe and Sejuan's ancestors were able to rebel against them, and drive them into the Howling Abyss.

But that is not dead which can forever lie.

#Nagakaborous

" It seemed to be a sort of monster, or symbol representing a monster, of a form which only a diseased fancy could conceive. If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing" -H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YO5sXiFFb4/VkJJMFzn2vI/AAAAAAAA0No/QFR2Y7wxRv0/s1920/illaoi_Splash_WP.jpg

Illaoi, is the High Priestess of the Bearded Lady. It would seem another "Physical God" has been deified by mortals. But she reminds us that “Nagakabouros doesn't live in the depths. Only foolish paylangi think that. Nagakabouros is in everything we do that moves us along our path.” Is this...true? And if it is true, what does that statement really mean? There was a time when I would connect anything "Lovecraftian" with the void, but seeing this latest champion release, I can say that just as within the Mythos- there are likely many unconnected entities that can fit that theme.

#Unsolved Mysteries

Nami Fizz Nautilus

"Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time." -H.P. Lovecraft, The White Ship

Both Fizz and Nami's people are either doomed, or soon to be doomed by the terrors of the deep. Fizz's entire city was suddenly left abandoned as some city's on Earth have been. He doesn't know what happened to them. I would wager it was the fate that await's Nami's people unless they are able to acquire a Moonstone. The light holds back unspeakable horrors. Is Nagakabouros the creator of such things, or is it...one of them? Nautilus met a strange fate. Almost too strange in fact to merely be undead, though like Mordekaiser his armor is empty, but filled only with brackish water. Is he a product of the Rune Wars, or something that should not be named?

#Other Anomalies

Nocturne Fiddlesticks Shaco

These are probably some the most mysterious Champions in League of Legends, and all of them are due for new lore sooner or later. What are they? Are they "daemons" like Tahm Kench (And possibly Aatrox)? Both Tahm Kench and Aatrox have had idols made in their image, and respects and offerings have been given, but havent been widely venerated. Unlike anything else I've listed up to this point, daemons seem to be much more human as opposed to utterly alien. What they embody is intimately connected with the human condition, and human desires. In a way, they make no sense and yet...they are understandable.

I know many would call it foolish but...I want to dig deeper.

http://i.imgur.com/nKSQItO.jpg

24 Comments

Spizzle900011/11/2015, 1:34:14 AM6 votes

Damn son. This is some deep stuff. Deeper than Cthulhu is in the ocean.

PokladnicaZla11/11/2015, 1:32:44 PM3 votes

Anivia put Gnar in an ice tomb not the Watchera.

Tacoworld50111/13/2015, 8:31:39 PM2 votes

You forgot Vel'koz's icon in under the Void.

Tysmin11/13/2015, 4:55:43 PM2 votes

nautilus was changed by the black fog of the shadow isle

bookwormpete11/11/2015, 2:37:12 AM2 votes

It's odd how you never notice these things until someone else points them out. As someone else who has read Lovecraft, I can confirm that the Void has a strong Nyarlathotep theme going on, with the Watchers filling in for the Old Ones, and Nagakaborous definitely looking like a Cthulhu analogue. Nocturne's lore has a strong Freddy Kreuger theme, but its outdated, so its likely going to change. I'd really like to see more about Nautilus, and hopefully we'll see some development there in his interactions with Illaoi. Hopefully. Oh, we all want to dig deeper into this. We want to cast a light on the unknowable darkness, and see what may be seen before running screaming for our lives. It is what makes us human.

LTman8611/14/2015, 12:11:03 AM1 votes

I wonder, what about Brand, Fiddle, and Nocturne?

In the old Lore, Brand was originally a man who approached an altar in a cave before the flame consumed the man and only Brand remained. Then the League captured Brand to prevent him from going fire crazy across Valoran, and allowed him to "fight" in the League.

Fiddle was a summoners failed attempt? Or summon went wrong, and Fiddle got summoned and attacks anyone who enters the room. He only comes out to fight in the League when summoned.

Nocturne was a monstrosity made out of nightmares that Summoners from the Institute managed to capture him after he was accidentally(?) pulled into this world. I mean, he's literally the thing of our nightmares.

Well, I suppose Brand is the only "god" out of the three. Fiddle is said to be the Harbinger of Doom, whereas Nocturne could be a god or the culmination of the nightmare energy siphoned from everyone playing League, so not a god but a product of our minds/energy.

Painkiller99011/14/2015, 3:02:27 AM1 votes

Ok so I read a lot of lore so here are some explanations. Before I start please entertain the thought of different dimensional planes along with other lands.

The Black Mist

So first I'm going to bring up the Black Mist and what follows, the Harrowing. Now DREAMSPITTER says that it is never identified as the Black Mist, however that is only if you look into champion lore. If you look into the lore of the Shadow Isles you will find that there are multiple accounts of the Black Mist that surrounds it. We can now infer that the Black Mist was created from the attempt to crack open the border between life and death. This was issued as an order from the King of the Shadow Isles before the land became corrupted. DREAMSPITTER did however notice that Nautilus was not mentioned in the new Shadow and Fortune stories. I believe that he is not mentioned because unlike others from the Shadow Isles he does not travel with the Black Mist. I believe that these undead beings can chose to travel with the Mist and the undead which creates the Harrowing. Nautilus, to my knowledge, still wanders around and does not dwell on the Shadow Isles and thus does not partake in the Harrowing.

Champions

Fizz and Nami. DREAMSPITTER did a really good job of explaining this, however I disagree with him when he says that Fizz's people rely on a moonstone. We don't have much knowledge about his species but I believe that they were forced to move from their home because of an imminent threat, possibly foretold by priest in their culture or maybe some being that endangered them. DREAMSPITTER did however get Nami spot on. I really wish that Riot would give us an update on how her adventure is going and if possibly her people die or disappear.

Kayle comes to Runeterra to ask for help in her war. Morgana realizes this and does the same. So through the knowledge we know we can now assume that these two are angels. This would also infer that there is a land of angels and because Morgana is a fallen angel we know that there are even fallen angels. We will refer to this land as The Land Of Angels

Now we know that Tahm Kench is a Demon who can take on different forms. However Aatrox is something different all together. He is 1 of 5 beings known as Darkin. The other four are completely unknown. Now if Aatrox is on the other team Tahm might say "Brother..." and says some senseless things. We can now infer that the Darkin were friends with Demons, or perhaps these two just knew each other. Some people might speculate that Tahm could be a Darkin and this could be possible but nothing really proves that point further than "Brother..."

Dimensional Planes

Now lets go back to the idea of different dimensional planes. These would be lands or worlds that are of a different dimension. It is entirely possible that The Land Of Angels is on a different dimensional plane but Kayle's lore does state "In a world far away..." so we'll leave that up to the readers personal opinion.

Now the Void is surely on a different dimensional plane. People explain what it is about above so go ahead and read their description on the Void. Now the Void is a place with monstrosities. Vel'koz, Kha'zix, Cho'gath, Malzahar etc. all these beings have their own special madness. Vel'koz loves knowledge, Cho'gath craves food, Kha'zix must be the best hunter, Malzahar is some type of priest/seer and of course there are more. The Void seems to almost be something living. If you really look into it then the void could possibly by something (don't know what) that slowly or quickly corrupts and soul and gives them these cravings mentioned above. EDIT: In Kassadin's lore it mentions these cravings, "Kassadin was able to overcome the alien urges." Just thought I should add this!

Now some of the newer comments are speculations on Fiddlesticks, Nocturne, and Shaco. I will address my speculation on these as well. It is my belief that there is another dimensional plane of nightmares and horrors. Not like the Void which seems to be like some sort of living being that causes corruption in souls of humans and animals. This is more like a land of things from Halloween. I know that fiddlesticks was a failed attempt at a creation so he would be excluded from this real but his personality fits. Nocturne is specifically mentioned to be made from nightmares and was only caught when he was pulled into Runeterra. Now I will speculate that Nocturne visits Runeterra to feed on the nightmares of children/give them nightmares. Shaco is something else altogether. In his lore it even says that "A popular belief is that Shaco is not of Runeterra - that he is a thing summoned from a dark and twisted world. Still other believe that he is the demonic manifestation of humanity's dark urges..." This is exactly what I believe. Shaco was created from humanity's urges while Nocturne was created from their nightmares. Through this I believe there will be/are others from this dimension.

Now remember that there are still champions from the Shadow Isles and that this is actually a location and not on a different dimensional plane.

Thank you all for reading what I know and believe. if I missed anything please bring it up, I will actively be watching this thread. Feel free to critize anything and poke holes in my theories!

Ghostiama11/14/2015, 3:53:47 AM1 votes

Dig no further, comrade. This is knowledge not meant for the frail minds of men.

The Eye gazes back.

AviSolus11/12/2015, 9:28:48 PM1 votes

From what I understand, this post was to address the holes in the Lore that remain shadowed in mystery, correct?

In that case, these should be added to the list, since we have no idea where any of these guys come from (or how the Ascendants were created).

  • Celestial Beings, like Soraka and Bard
  • Angels like Kayle and Morgana
  • Ascendants like Xerath, Renekton, Nasus, and Azir
  • Other anomalies such as Kindred, Skarner, and Jax.

Also, Rune Wars and the Institute are no longer canon, since they involve Summoners, which are removed, so check that one thing about Nautilus being a byproduct of the Rune Wars.

Rekooh111/13/2015, 2:16:14 PM1 votes

This is great, you are great.

La Bello11/13/2015, 7:01:47 PM1 votes

Is this supposed to be like "the shadows over innsmouth"

HamdaNx11/13/2015, 8:40:07 PM1 votes

wheres kass...? hes from the void isnt he, same with velkoz