Kindred's Long Lore has Arrived!

Sharjo·Oct 8, 2015·46 votes·18,571 views

Lists them as friends with themselves, rivals to all the undead monsters of the Shadow Isles EXCEPT Kalista, and a nice read to boot. Give it a gander!

96 Comments

NúllOct 8, 201520 votes

[deleted]

SharjoOct 8, 201515 votes

Look to Bilgewater, the port city of "we're so fucked" in the coming weeks for a bit of Karthus lore!

A Superb VillainOct 8, 201513 votes

Hm... Karthus' reverence for undeath seems almost religious, and his attire reinforces this interpretation.

You know, Riot did say Bilgewater was in need of a savior, but they did not specify what kind of salvation they would bring.

SharjoOct 8, 20155 votes

I didn't even consider that. Holy crap what a twist that'd be if KARTHUS was Bilgewater's saviour.

Thanks for that your superbness. Now I'm even more hyped!

A Superb VillainOct 8, 201510 votes

You are most welcome.

I can totally see Karthus testifying in the streets of Bilgewater as the Black Mist rolls through, preaching on the benefits of undeath forestalling the terrible judgment of the Kindred. With every sermon, the parish grows a little larger.

Death is a release, not a punishment, but the masses don't need to know that.

NúllOct 9, 20154 votes

[deleted]

A Superb VillainOct 9, 20156 votes

This pleases the spider god.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o85xjV9GVj1pjpIu4/giphy.gif

Ebonmaw DragonOct 10, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=A Superb Villain,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=bHqYVWKA,comment-id=00010000000000010000,timestamp=2015-10-09T19:35:47.151+0000)

This pleases the spider god.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o85xjV9GVj1pjpIu4/giphy.gif

http://oi62.tinypic.com/f19ibo.jpg

Ethereal311Oct 8, 20153 votes

He~~~~'s BAAAAAACK!

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20156 votes

It's behind you!

(A few weeks behind you).

biomasterOct 10, 20152 votes

will we be seeing long lore for every new champ from here on out, or is this still gonna be kinda just opportunistic of writers have some sort of oppurtunity? I say this cause I'm really itching for more walls of text to read (especially for a for certain jester that practically has no lore)

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20156 votes

It'll vary a little, but essentially this is the planned format moving forward for every Champion, including all currently existing ones. It'll take us some time, but we'll get there.

SharjoOct 10, 20155 votes

Well with this we've got 6 released, so 121 to go, minus whoever's gonna be done for the Harrowing. Got a long way to go yet, but at least we're actually moving forward on this road.

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20155 votes

Yup, and hopefully gaining pace when things are up and running fully.

SharjoOct 10, 20154 votes

Nice! Any hints on just how many champs will be getting long form lore with the coming spooky season or would that be too much of a spoiler for things to come?

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20157 votes

No hints as I've been accused of being a tease lately. For some reason.

SharjoOct 10, 20154 votes

I can't imagine why!

frigginmurlocsOct 10, 20153 votes

I think its the radio silence on the runeterra map

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20152 votes

We don't have anything ready to show other than the two artifacts we have so far. It is being worked on though, I checked in with Ant in Oz about it this week.

Chromatic EagleOct 10, 20152 votes

Will these be limited to events like Bilgewater, or can we expect "random" champions to get lore from time to time?

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20153 votes

It won't be limited to events like Bilgewater.

biomasterOct 10, 20152 votes

TY SO MUCH FOR THE REPLY, but... what i was asking is if you were gonna do this treatment on every new champ on release or if you were gonna update them later on like you most likely intend to do with ekko and tahm. Sorry if you answer that but I just can't infer it from the original post.

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20155 votes

Each new champ will be getting one on (or very near) release. Separate teams are developing the longer character intros. Narrative folks embedded on the product teams Champ and ChampUp will work on longer intros for the champ they are focused on, another team is working purely on small edits (removing mentions of IoW. for example) and also writing full pieces such as we did for Bilgewater. The discipline (Narrative) makes sure we've got good communication on how those different endeavors are working together.

Jeddy017Oct 10, 20151 votes

About the team making small edits,have they already started working on removing mentions of the IOW (in backstories where the IOW isn't as important)? Or will they get started on it in the future?

I imagine it shouldn't be hard to remove the IOW from lores that only mention it in one sentence.Like editing a wikia page.

Speaking of which,are you guys still working on the formatting for the long lores?Fiora solved the issue of the lore running together,but it still can improve (like with proper headings).

RiotRiotJaredanOct 11, 20152 votes

They have begun, yes.

We agree that the formatting is something that we need to address. There are plans to do so.

DecritOct 10, 20152 votes

... i would be intrested in seeing stories of champions that are strictly related to the IoW corrected in a very very goofy way

Lee sin once was a magician, but closed himself in a monastery after having summoned a children shredded in half. He decided to redent himself by learning how to kill with firsts and kicks instead

EvilMerodachOct 11, 20152 votes

{quoted}

... i would be intrested in seeing stories of champions that are strictly related to the IoW corrected in a very very goofy way

Lee sin once was a magician, but closed himself in a monastery after having summoned a children shredded in half. He decided to redent himself by learning how to kill with firsts and kicks instead

Fiddlesticks once was a scarecrow, in fact, he still is. He scares things, and summons crows.

Out of his lore, with retcon applied-

For nearly twenty years, Fiddlesticks has stood alone ~~in the easternmost summoning chamber of the Institute of War.~~ Only the burning emerald light of his unearthly gaze pierces the musty darkness of his dust-covered home. It is here that the Harbinger of Doom keeps a silent vigil. ~~His is a cautionary tale of power run amok, taught to all summoners within the League.~~ Decades ago, there existed a powerful rune mage from Zaun - Istvaan. At the end of the fifth Rune War, he became one of the League's first summoners. Too much a prisoner to the old ways of magic, Istvaan stepped further and further outside the rules of conduct in the League. In what was ultimately his last match, his reach finally exceeded his grasp. Sealing himself inside the easternmost summoning chamber, he began incanting the most forbidden of rituals - an extra-planar summoning.

What exactly happened inside that chamber remains unknown. No champion came to represent Zaun that day in Summoner's Rift. Only silence echoed back from repeated knocks on the chamber door. The first apprentice who entered was cut down immediately by an unearthly scythe. What few who followed and survived were driven mad by fear, mere husks of men gibbering about crows and death. Afraid of the evil even Istvaan could not control, the League sealed all exits to the chamber, hoping they could contain what they could not destroy. Years went by, but the wooden figure within never moved save to slay any foolish enough to enter. Seeing no recourse to reclaim the chamber, the Council instead devised a use for Fiddlesticks: executioner. While he comes to life and seemingly abides by the rules of summoning in the Fields of Justice, what he awaits inside his chamber is unknown. His unmoving face yields no clues, and his scythe stands ready to strike down any who stand before him.

"Those who say 'you have nothing to fear but fear itself' have not yet felt the crows."

Easier to read version-

For nearly twenty years, Fiddlesticks has stood alone. Only the burning emerald light of his unearthly gaze pierces the musty darkness of his dust-covered home. It is here that the Harbinger of Doom keeps a silent vigil. Decades ago, there existed a powerful rune mage from Zaun - Istvaan. At the end of the fifth Rune War, What few who followed and survived were driven mad by fear, mere husks of men gibbering about crows and death. His unmoving face yields no clues, and his scythe stands ready to strike down any who stand before him.

That's all that remains. A jumble of stuff that doesn't even make sense. Actually not even sure if Istvaan is still canon, because he was a summoner. Though, pretty sure the Rune War is still canon, so he might be. But summed up, it's a scarecrow that hasn't moved in 20 years but people are still scared shitless of it.

PyrodiniumOct 8, 201513 votes

Friends: Kindred.

OverpoweredSoapOct 8, 201516 votes

{quoted}

Friends: Kindred.

:)

That's honestly really adorable. lol

CaptnJakSparrowOct 8, 201511 votes

To those wondering if she does the "killing blow" of sorts. Yes and no. Kindred, in essence, is death. The best possible example I can give is the shitty movie "final destination" the actual antagonist of the movie is death. Death itself is "killing" the people, however it appears to everyone else as random forms of accidents. Kindred basically has an internal timer on everyone's time to die, which is why they are always there at the right time. And when it is "your time" you're basically given the choice of how you want to die. And then kindred "confirms" your death and applies your fate. Kindreds arrow "is" the axe. Wolf "is" the army of people that chased after the kid and shot him multiple times with arrows and spears before finally stabbing him repeatedly. However the only people that see them are those already going to die.

RalanrOct 9, 20152 votes

God I hated those movies when I was younger. Made me so freaking paranoid.

CaptnJakSparrowOct 9, 20153 votes

Tell me about it. One of my old jobs was cleaning up dead bodies + vehicle accidents off of the free way and I had semis flying by me at 90 mph :). I thought I was going to die about 100 times an hour.

Chromatic EagleOct 8, 20155 votes

I like this style of writing. Shorter than the judgments, and not a full backstory, but I enjoy it.

freeformlineOct 8, 20155 votes

I do wish we could have some more of the judgement-type old lore, but this is excellent. Developing the champions through scenes and stories seems to make much more vivid characters than simply telling who they are and what their history is.

SpecterVonBarenOct 8, 20153 votes

I don't understand why Kalista isn't an enemy to them. Yes, her reasons for what she does aren't like Thresh's but she still takes souls and keeps them from their final rest. To Kindred she should be no different than Thresh.

XulsigaeOct 9, 20153 votes

I find it a bit off as a story device if the champion can never be beaten (as far as we know). It seems like a similar problem with Bard, being too 'OP' in the role they play in Runeterra. If Kindred comes for everyone, what tension is there in their stories? How do they interact with other champions other than 'We are here to take you'? Other depictions of Death (such from Sandman and Discworld) have ways to interact with characters other than just showing up when they die. Death from Sandman has family and every hundred years takes the form of a mortal to remember how it is to be mortal. Death from Discworld is fascinated by mortals, has family, helpers and sidekicks and acted as Santa for a time, and can be beaten occasionally. Kindred to me just seems...uninteractive in interesting ways. Lamb is quick death, Wolf drawn out.

Chromatic EagleOct 8, 20152 votes

So I'm confused about something. The guy who took Lamb's arrow was in the middle of a battle, but was the squire by himself or were the soldiers coming to him? Why would Kindred bother to chase him?

GapyboOct 8, 20153 votes

Yeah, that's what confused me about Kindred from the start. Do they actually kill a person or do they just influence how someone dies? The lamb shot the soldier who got an axe to his heart for example. So what killed the squire who ran away? Did the wolf literally chew him up?

GreenLoreOct 8, 20157 votes

It looks like kindred merely makes whatever kills you truly fatal. Without them you could take a hundreds stabs into your heart and you wouldn't die,you'll only die once they "kill" you.

However they do not choose when or how you die,that is up to you(and whatever kills you).

turkeyBACONOct 8, 20154 votes

From what I can tell Kindred's only role is to sever the soul from the body at the moment of death. They don't deal the killing blow though.

It was implied that the squire was chased by the enemy army into the woods, but how he died isn't clear. It could be anything from being cut down by a soldier's ax or simply tripping and breaking his neck on the fall. Either way Wolf got his chase.

turkeyBACONOct 8, 20153 votes

The battle was coming to the squire. The squire ran instead of facing the enemy so Wolf chased after.

Red RyuOct 8, 20151 votes

Why do they hate the shadow island people except for Kalista?

Cause they be ghosts of death as well?

LANWhaleOct 8, 20154 votes

Kindred hates those of the Shadow Isles because they mess with the flow of death. Once you die, you stay died. The Shadow Isles defies this and makes the dead come to life.

Its also for this reason that I think Kalista isn't her rival, she doesn't interrupt the cycle. She doesn't bring back the dead and nor does she stop death from taking another. In fact I can see Kalista being a friend, or at least being a good acquaintance, of Kindred just because of her whole concept.

Offer your soul, take revenge on whom betrayed you

SpecterVonBarenOct 8, 20152 votes

She keeps souls from passing on just like Thresh does, it's just that with Kalista they all sort of swarm together as a giant hive of revenge while Thresh keeps them imprisoned, but in both cases the souls are not going on to the afterlife.

LANWhaleOct 8, 20152 votes

Ya I suppose that is true but remember these people chose this fate. As it seems Kindred is ok with how you use your soul, only on how you want to die.

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20153 votes

I'm with you on that LANWhale. Kalista isn't really a friend to Kindred though, she's got a bad case of the undeath herself and she's part of the deal that loses other souls, but she doesn't disrupt the natural order of things quite to the extent other Shadow Isles Champs do.

I admit completely, this perspective is due to my soft-spot for Kalista as I'd love a bit of redemption for her.

EDIT: It's Friday!

Chromatic EagleOct 10, 20151 votes

Any hopes of learning about her pre-spooky state?

RiotRiotJaredanOct 10, 20152 votes

There's a story sketch by WAAAARGBobo that I'm rather enamored with that deals with this, though it was, of course, just one of the directions that occured through Kalista's development. I'm out for the next couple of weeks, but we're hoping to get some of that content to players.

Purple PacketOct 8, 20154 votes

The denizens of the Shadow Isles aren't ghosts of death per say; they are undead entities which defy the natural occurrence of death at life's end.

The undead, being mostly specters, spirits, and ghouls, are abominations that linger somewhere between the boundaries of life and death; it's only natural that Kindred would spite those that do not embrace the concept of death and continue to exist beyond death in some twisted form or another.

Basically:

Life -> Death = Happy Kindred Life -> Undeath = Extremely Unhappy Kindred

Karthus is an Undying Lich = Kindred Hates Mordekaiser is Arguably the First Revenant = Kindred Hates Hecarim is the Vanguard of Undeath = Kindred Hates Yorick was a Human Gravedigger that died but continued to exist centuries after death as a Ghoul = Kindred Hates Thresh was a Sadistic Jailer that was murdered but continued to exist after death as a Specter = Kindred Hates

I'm not so sure about Kalista, though.

Kalista doesn't hold any allegiance to the Shadow Isles, if I remember correctly, so Kindred might extend some leniency to Kalista.

Plus, Kalista aims to exact vengeance upon betrayers, scoundrels, traitors, deceivers, etc. There isn't really a "I'll bring Undeath to Everyone in Runeterra" vibe coming from Kalista.

I should also point out Elise.

Elise is clearly affiliated with the Shadow Isles, but she doesn't seem to promote the agenda of undeath either. She just lures people to Vilemaw; Vilemaw gobbles the people up and grants Elise some venom that extends her lifespan.

Vilemaw eats people -> People stay dead = Satisfied Kindred Elise uses an elixir to extend her lifespan but really hasn't died yet = Satisfied Kindred

Ebonmaw DragonOct 10, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Purple Packet,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=bHqYVWKA,comment-id=00050001,timestamp=2015-10-08T22:11:50.107+0000)

I should also point out Elise.

Elise is clearly affiliated with the Shadow Isles, but she doesn't seem to promote the agenda of undeath either. She just lures people to Vilemaw; Vilemaw gobbles the people up and grants Elise some venom that extends her lifespan.

Vilemaw eats people -> People stay dead = Satisfied Kindred Elise uses an elixir to extend her lifespan but really hasn't died yet = Satisfied Kindred

Vilemaw is a fat ugly undead spider that TOOK OUR JOBS = Kindred Hates

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZBYLIUqmIs

Well... he took MY job, but, its the same anyways.