Earning the title of Sovereign - Possible directions for Syndra's lore
Hi everyone! It’s me, back at it with some more thoughts on Syndra! I know what you’re thinking, ‘ugh, you again', AND YOU’RE RIGHT! Today I’d like to talk about (yes, I’ve done that countless times before but well) what I think would be the most interesting way to go for Syndra’s lore. Feel free to discuss what I'm about to say, to disagree, etc!
######A Sovereign with nothing to rule
Disclaimer – I know titles aren’t always 100% accurate. But it’s something I think would be interesting to explore, so I’m gonna use it to start this part.
Syndra’s champion title is “The Dark Sovereign” – However, she’s no sovereign at all right now. She has nothing to rule.
I’m gonna start off with an example, and then elaborate. Some of you may know the anime called Tensei Shitara Slime Data Ken (yes, it’s a mouthful and yes, I’ve got very peculiar references). TL;DR it’s about a slime who starts by creating a small haven and gradually turns it into its own country.
Now, obviously, things aren’t that easy in a setting like Runeterra. But I think, in a more serious way, it could be an interesting direction for Syndra. Ionia is, currently, a place with a lot of conflicts. There are factions such as The Order of Shadows, The Navori Brotherhood, the Cabal from Jhin’s lore, some Vastayan activists, and who knows what else. It’s a divided place. And who knows what these conflicts do to the people? Now it’s very stretchy, but I assume the people caught in-between these conflicts aren’t super happy. And that’s where Syndra can come into play.
I know Syndra isn’t a fan of Ionia. But I believe she would hate these different factions even more. They are fighting for dominion over the land, not caring what harm they do in the process. I can see Syndra trying to defy these factions. She doesn’t have to actively want leadership. She has lived in Fae’lor, a place that she thought would help her, but instead turned into a prison. Instead of having Syndra be an idiotic villain who wants to destroy Ionia (that would be lame. Please Riot don’t do that), I’d rather see her fix the mistakes that were done. Have her create her own Fae’lor, a place where people would thrive, away from the balance that’s keeping them from greatness (I’ll come back to this later).
It doesn’t mean she has to be the most benevolent of people – she still is full of hatred, and she has to overcome this cycle and learn not to let her emotions get the best of her. But it’d be interesting to give her a good angle like this one.
######Down with balance!
Now this is probably what I like the most, as it’s probably the most logical option for Syndra, and it can easily be combined with my previous point.
I have mentioned this before, now is the time to elaborate.
Syndra is a girl full of resentment towards Ionia. However, I firmly believe that giving her a goal as shallow as “me angry me destroy Ionia” would be the worst move ever, as well as the less appealing one.
Instead, I think Syndra should turn against what Ionia values most – Balance.
Balance is a whole way of life, and it must be found in everything. Arguably, this very balance is what put Syndra in the place she’s in currently. Her emotions, coupled with her tremendous powers, go against every Ionian principle. Which is why she was feared so much, why Konigen dampened her powers, and why the Spirit of Ionia sent her to bed.
This is what Syndra should go after. Breaking balance. Having her realize that Ionian traditions are what led her to be imprisoned would be quite interesting. She should try to “kill” Ionian tradition instead of killing Ionian people. Well, she can do the latter in the process to some extent I suppose?
She could definitely see balance as a barrier, a prison. It has kept her from her true potential, and it has even imprisoned her and prevented her from living her life.
And, combining this to my previous point, she could try and create her own Fae’lor, a place where people would live free of the yoke of balance. It’s not a perfect idea – after all, there is a reason why balance exists, but it’s still an interesting way to go. Vastayas suffer from it, and humans don’t see all the potential of their land.
######The more personal storylines
And, of course, character-focused arcs!
Overcoming anger and bitterness
Syndra is known for being angry and resentful. She believes people either want to use her or kill her. And she doesn’t make it easier by floating in a fortress over Ionia, showing how powerful she is.
I believe there are many ways to see her overcome her anger. My favourite would be to see her meet someone that would see through all those protective layers she has. Someone that would see her for who she is, rather than what she has. Yeah, it’s completely cliché, but she needs a friend! She needs her own Vision, not gonna lie, haha.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/618395823054782474/618396559926624283/Vision_2.gif
I mean come in, that’s exactly what she needs!
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/618395823054782474/618396225330216970/Vision_1.gif
But anyway, other than that, there’s one other thing in particular, that I have mentioned before, but I’ll mention it again because I like it!
Discovering her powers
And of course, my favourite of all, Syndra’s powers. I know magic should remain mysterious and all, but I believe, as it is one of Syndra’s core themes, that this should be explored at some point. Why is she so powerful? What do her powers do exactly? Why, and how?
It’s not like Lux’s magic, for instance, where you can tell “it’s light magic, so it should be able to do this, and that” or Taliyah’s. It’s a big mystery, and I am HERE FOR IT!
I think there are many interesting things to do with that. Such power usually comes with a baggage. Is it linked to how she is so powerful, or is linked to what she can be? All in all, I think there must be a reason to Syndra's uniqueness. Whether it's linked to some cosmic grand fate thing or not, I want to know more!
So I believe that’s about it. Syndra’s birthday is in 10 days so you can expect a thread then I guess? I guess I’ll see you there, if you’re nice you may get a little something!
