The Lore of the Shadow Isles (Theory)
Well, I could be putting this in the completely wrong place but here it goes.
I've recently been thinking about a theory regarding the Shadow Isles, one that I think makes a lot of genuine sense. I'll divide it up into sections so it's easier to understand, also, if this is in the wrong place, lemme know, because the forums were inactive when I went there. Anyway. EDIT: I added a tiny bit about Karthus. Only something small.
The Event: the event is mentioned in Maokai's updated lore, it says that once the isles where a place of life and prosperity, but then the King (I'll talk about later) ordered his mages to crack open the veil between life and death, causing the 'curse' to be placed on the isles. But why? You could suggest that he was simply power hungry, but I believe it to be connected to the King's daughter.
The King: AKA, the Ruined King, the King of the isles is obviously connected to the curse. The Altars mention him frequently, particularly when dealing with their unique quotes for certain champions. Now, the king had a loved one, which is usually said to be his daughter, and because of her sudden death he fell into grief and depression (Kalista mentions this). This is likely why he decided to break the veil, to bring his daughter back from the dead, but there's more to it than that.
Kalista: Kalista ties in heavily with this theory, largely due to the 'mist' that appeared shortly before her release. We are all aware that Kalista is a spirit of vengeance, who seeks to hunt down those who have betrayed another, and before her release, mist appeared on certain champion pages, champions that have betrayed someone. But, oddly, Hecarim was among these betrayers, why? Mordekaiser would be a far more likely candidate, as the west altar even says he is not to be trusted. I believe that Mordekaiser indirectly betrayed the King, indirectly enough so as to completely take blame away from him.
Hecarim: What I think, is that Mordekaiser has control over Hecarim, perhaps simply through loyalty (Morde being a general), which allowed him to manipulate Hecarim (the west altar says Mordekaiser is not to be trusted) into doing what he wants. Thus, placing Kalista's vengeance on Hecarim instead of Mordekaiser. But what exactly was this 'betrayal'?
Mordekaiser: Finally, Mordekaiser seems to want something. He is usually said to be a general, which makes sense, but what did he want exactly? Remember, Mordekaiser is in full control of his actions which is odd when we see other undead with little memory and little control. Many assume Morde wanted to be King, but if so, why would he allow the King to pierce the veil? There'd be no point ruling a dead kingdom. Or would there? Maybe that's exactly it, I think Morde ordered Hecarim to kill the King's daughter, predicted the King's fall into despair, and then used that to 'suggest' the King break the veil (being the King's general and advisor). Furthermore, I think Morde wants to be king of the dead, not just king of the Shadow Isles. He seems to have knowledge over death, he must have prepared for the results of the breaking of the veil, he must have calculated the results and determined the outcome, allowing him to give himself control. This is how the controls Hecarim (sends him out to attack the mainland), the altars (the west altar says she unwillingly serves Morde) and even those killed by his ult. But there's one thing he didn't account for, that he could only send out the dead on the day that the original ritual was performed; on the day of the harrowing.
Karthus: This isn't as backed up as I would like it to be, but it could be possible that Karthus was killed and brought back to life by Mordekaiser as to his request. This might not be because Karthus decided to help Mordekaiser, but because he knew Mordekaiser could give him the powers he required. Just speculating here, but Karthus' lore seems pretty complete.
Well, that's my theory, I think it's very plausible.
