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The Master of Metal

Malicious Metal·9/5/2015, 8:49:36 AM·5 votes·1,117 views

Definitely one of the least fleshed out and yet one of the most iconic Shadow Isles inhabitants The Master of Metal, Mordekaiser, remains a mystery to this date. His lore had been through various rewrites, removing certain aspects of his being like pestilence and adding even more ambiguity to his already thin lore. So what DO we know? And what does the future have in store for the Paladin of Pain? These questions are going to be the subject of this thread in regards to the approaching Harrowing. Be warned that I'm not only rather biased towards the champion but English not being my mother tongue may cause some grammatical errors to pop up here and there.

Origin >>Rumors surrounding the Master of Metal speak of him being the very first undead, existing even before the Shadow Isles were a whispered threat<<

The theme of him being the very first undead in existence is a reoccurring theme, which implies him being the one responsible for the Black Mist and the curse gripping the Shadow Isles and its inhabitants. He may not look like your stereotypical undead but him being hinted to be a mere tormented soul bound to his armor seems like a fitting state for the very first unloving being; He may have defied death with the sheer strength/will of his soul to overcome the boundaries of the flesh. His spiteful spirit may have been too hellbent on a single goal that it simply couldn't depart into the afterlife.

So what if his grim quest lead him to seek out the Ruined King in his hour of grief to turn his mourning in his favor and unleash the Black Mist unto the world? He may very well be the sole reason why the shadow Isles have become the home of evergrowing legions of undead. He seems to have an own agenda, being the subject of one of his newer lores, which is also cemented by the fact that he doesn't seem to bother to follow the common goal of every other Shadow Islander. >>Mordekaiser's got his own plans, which may not even align with the Shadow Island's interest at all<<

Metal, Pain and Enslavement The three core aspects of the Paladin of Pain, The Master if Metal, Mordekaiser, seem to paint him as a common SadoMasochist; Bending people to his will, getting a kick out of their pain and even his own while wearing studded leather(In his pentakill skin at least o_O)

Metal's the first element I want to go into detail; His title may be master of Metal but we don't really get why, and the implications of his grim manipulation of the element. Hell, his rework replaced some of his more metal effects with generic shadow isles ones. Still, his color scheme of reddish and blue Hues (don't lynch me for this) is still present and represents the cold, painful metal magic he employs to crush his enemies. >>The manipulation of Metal may be the irony of him using his Tomb/Armor, who puts him into an endless state of torment to make his enemies suffer the same fate<<

Which leads me to talk about said grave; His armor seems to be limiting his power, somewhat of a curse pout onto his very soul to put him into an endless torrent of suffering, pain and anguish; maybe the ruined king himself cursed him for his betrayal; entombing his spiteful spirit in a shell of Metal.

Karthus "A shell of flesh or a shell of metal; Both ring hollow" Lucian "Let's crack you open Mordekaiser; and See what's inside"

>>>The Armor doesn't protect HIM but those unfortunate enough to face him in battle; It's a prison for his tormented soul<<<

PAIN! This is what fuels the master of metal! The Paladin of Pain! His ever present state of Pain may not only be the source of his power but serves as his last connection to life; It reminds him of his mortality since his other feelings may have already withered away. No love, no hate, no empathy... Just Pain and Suffering. He seems to get a lot of joy from inflicting gruesome pain upon his enemies, fueling his existence. heck, him using health as a resource suggests in order for him to harm others he inflicts torment upon himself to make his attacks even more devastating. >>Mordekaiser and Evelynn would make a great couple; both of them enjoying inflicting pain on others, Morde even being as kinky as to enjoy his now Pain<<

In his recent rework Mordekaiser gained the ability to curse the goddamn Dragon! His touch is cursed and those who fall in battle against the Master of Metal will soon realize he's the Master of Puppets as well! He's probably the source of the undead plague, possibly having played a crucial part in the ritual cursing the shadow isles. He bends the dead to do his bidding, resurrecting the souls of the fallen to aid his cause! Karthus "You give the dead purpose, Mordekaiser. I give them meaning!" >>Mordekaiser sees the dead as mere pawns, not caring about the torment he inflicts on them and sees their only purpose and meaning to serve his grim scheme<<

**The Future **

So what is Mordekaiser's goal? What did he wish to accomplish by causing the undead curse to fester in the once peaceful Island Kingdom who fell into darkness due to the death of the King's daughter? Was HE the one planning the tragedy from the start? If so, what is his ultimate goal? Is he the prisoner of his own design? What is his connection to Metal? If Hecarim's War, is He Conquest?

I'd like to hear what you guys think about the Maser of Metal and would love to see some discussions and theories being sparked while we kill some time until the next Lore event comes about.

~Malicious Metal

9 Comments

A Superb Villain9/5/2015, 7:01:49 PM2 votes

I like your post, it is a rather brief overview of who and what the Master of Metal is, but considering how little we know about him, it is just what we need.

Mordekaiser is weird to me, though that is owed largely in part due to how little Riot has bothered to flesh (hah) him out as a character. He has always been declared as the first undead, even before the creation of the Shadow Isles, but the question remains as to how and why that came to pass?

Riot has recently been pushing him, thematically, closer to the Shadow Isles, such as with the spell effect changes you mentioned. Consequently, this takes away from his identity as the Master of Metal, to which I ask: is this good or bad? Manipulating metal is interesting, but it has little to do with unliving spirits. Would Mordekaiser benefit from a closer association to the Shadow Isles visually, or does this remove too much of what made him what he is in the eyes of League's players?

Mordekaiser suffers from the same problems that plague (hah) Evelynn; both champions are among the original created for League of Legends, and as such their identity was never properly developed, leaving them in a state of mysterious limbo that does nothing to improve their respective stories and identities. There is simply too little information to provide a satisfying evaluation.

I believe Mordekaiser would benefit immensely from an update, narratively and visually. He should remain this towering powerhouse of unstoppable death, smashing his way through opposition without a care for the damage he suffers, whether it be self-inflicted or not. He strikes me as a character that walks right into a battle, swings his mace once, and people are knocked clear off their feet.

As a point of reference, whenever I see Mordekaiser I think of Sauron, this implacable individual that is so far above mortal men it takes entire armies to merely slow his advance. Mordekaiser is as death: inevitable.

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/146991/3300756-9863039340-30709.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll93/flabbyjack/Sauron.gif

Count Zubat9/5/2015, 8:57:14 PM1 votes

First, you say that Mordekaiser feels no love or empathy, and then talk briefly about how he and Evelynn could make a great couple... I don't know how a being uncappable of loving can make a couple with anybody... Other than that, great overview of Mordekaiser.

Also, I would like to touch upon three other informations about Morde:

  1. His old lore told of him being probably some kind of general. That would mean he actually had whole armies in his grasp and lead those. The question would be: who did he serve as a general? Or maybe he didn't serve anybody, maybe he was a ruler?
  2. Another thing mentioned in old lore: Mordekaiser appears in places which are plagued with pain and suffering. The question is: is he attracted by demise of others, or is he the cause of it?
  3. That information comes from his from his current lore: as one of witnesses claim, Mordekaiser came to her master who was a wizard to get some secrets from him. What secrets? Were there more victims that he killed to get those secrets? Why he needs those?

Well, just some thoughts from me.

GreenLore9/5/2015, 9:43:19 PM1 votes

Overall storywise I really hope that Mordekaiser doesn't become just another follower of the ruined King. Mordekaiser always seemed like the guy who is in charge,so I would hope that the ruined king is just his puppet(kinda like the victims of his ult) or gets manipulated by him.

Gameplaywise I would like it if they keep some of the metal aspects of him. I think his ult should ram large iron spikes into his victims one after the other,if it kills the victim,they get briefly encased in an ironmaiden with a mordehead before their spirit is released.

Shénzhì9/6/2015, 12:06:22 AM1 votes

Here's some of my thoughts of afterlife, the curse and Mordekaiser: Thread: [Vlad VU]

{quoted}

  1. [Unliving] is the passing of life into afterlife. You are alive while the body and soul was consumed, locked into afterlife. Unlife needs blood & essence to sustain afterlife? Unlife may hibernate to conserve their blood transfusions. (e.g. classic vampire in a coffin)
  2. [Undying] is the passing of death into afterlife. You died before body and soul was captured and locked into afterlife. Undead sustain by their emotion & memory? Undead involuntarily and unrelentingly persist. (e.g. classic insomniac ghosts/zombies)
  3. Any other suggestions?

What are the thematical differences?

  • Shadow Isle is plagued with a magical curse that brings death to life; piercing the veil.

  • Mordekaiser is supposedly unliving (not undead). His ancient armor could be the thing that consumed his life. "Entombed in ancient armor, the Master of Metal is said to be the first of the unliving--"

  • The sorcerers under Mordekaiser's command brought about the curse of undying. Their sorcerery may have afflicted Mordekaiser's current state of unliving with undying who then became representative of both. "It is said that he was the first of the undead, existing before the Shadow Isles--"

  • Noxus practices hemomancy (and necromancy) and is not magically cursed.

  • Urgot may represent necromancy through techmaturgy. Forbidden advances.

  • Sion may represent the difference between unlife and undeath. Volatile and violent compared to undead. (Sion - the Unliving Juggernaut)

  • Vladimir may represent how hemomancy facilitates unliving persistence. He has lived and is now eternally unliving.

  • Aatrox is something else entirely and his ability surges from his ancient Darkin Blade. Aatrox may not be the same unliving as Vladimir, basically. Those abilities are more or less the same as Vladimir's, Vladimir practices hemomancy and this whole idea suggests that Vladimir is unliving (not alive). [READ MORE ABOUT THE DARKIN WEAPONS]

[read more]