Theories on the Politics of the Void

Update 2. Targon religion has now taken the role I had given to the Ascended as the Ancient defenders of Valoran from the Void. Neat.

Update! At the bottom I added a section on the possibility of hold outs from the Void invasion, as well as expand my discussion of Void worship.

So these are just some ideas I've had on the Void for a while and with the information on Rek'sai I feel like I have a bit more evidence to go off of. The Void is my favorite faction (with the Shadow isles being a close second) and I've always wanted more to be done with the Void. With the lore changes that actually is a possibility which is quite exciting for me. However I'm impatient so I was hoping to get some feedback on the ideas. Any holes, counter arguments, extensions, etc. Thanks to any one who takes the time to read, it's rather long and probably rambles a bit... ^_^

First off, the one thing I see being constant among all void champs thus far are overwhelming damage and a drive to do something, usually in the form of consuming. I mention this merely because how this trait is expressed and how it differs can tell you a lot about a champion.

Caste from birth: With the release of more and more Void champions I’ve come to the conclusion that Void creatures are not unique. By this I don’t mean that any Void champion is the same being as any other, but that each variety of Voidborn is in fact one of a group. I’d had no evidence other than Malzahar’s voidlings to back this theory up for quite some time but with the reveal of Rek’sai and the Xer’sai being a species of which she is the biggest and the baddest my theory is now supported more directly. However I do feel there is a crucial difference between the more traditionally intelligent Voidborn and the Xer’sai which appear to only compete through physical strength and size. The more advanced varieties, which I am referring to as the Priests, Observers, and the Reavers compete in other ways. The Reavers evolve in more specialized ways, the Observers gather knowledge, and the Priests direct the various Voidborn towards the goals of their masters. As the title indicates from the moment a Voidborn is given life it has its caste and the abilities and limitations of that caste. Within an individual caste there is a lot of room for growth; every member of a caste is a unique being who just happens to share similar base characteristics. Which is how we’ve gotten to the champions we play as. As every human is a paragon of their species, it is safe to assume that the Voidborn we can play as are paragons of their caste, some of the greatest of their kind.

Cho’gath: I imagine he would be at the upper tier of the lowly Voidborn. He displays intelligence and power far beyond that of the lesser Voidborn (the ones featured in Vel’koz’s lore). He appears to have reached full maturity and he displays one of the highest intellects among the void champions. I personally think he is comparable to Vel'koz in intelligence but less knowledgeable. By this I mean he seems to be a leader of his kind rather than a mere paragon. His abilities reflect this. His kit, while sharing the destructive potential that all Void creatures have allows him to protect his allies and set them up to apply their damage effectively. See the Faiths of Runeterra section for more details. All Void creatures are defined by a desire. Cho’gath’s is often misattributed as a desire to grow. This is not the case. Cho’gath is a mature Voidling and he never changes form upon devouring something. He becomes closer to what he truly is. Outside of the game I think it’s safe to assume Cho has never died. As such either Cho’gath is very young (seems unlikely given his knowledge and behaviors) or Cho’s growth is capped and he simply can’t go beyond his limits (think lvl 18 6 stack cho as what he is like outside of the game). I choose to accept the latter as I feel Cho’s position in Void society is one filled by a mature, unchanging creature. Cho is what he needs to be and his growth and consumption are merely a side effect of this. Cho’gath’s drive is destruction of all life on runeterra, not for evolution, or knowledge but because it is repugnant to him. He wants to purify this world for the Void and his Patron. However even with that being the case Cho’gath does not simply run around killing everything he meets like many of the other Voidborn. He does this because he knows that this is not the best way to accomplish his goal and he has the self-control to stop himself from indulging in his desires to reap a greater benefit later, something most of the Voidborn we’ve encountered cannot do. Cho’gath is a loyal servant of a Void God, likely Kog’maw’s father (which we’ll cover later). I imagine him as a general building an army in Icathia by slowly stretching the portal open. A portal which Malzahar may have opened, or at least widened enough to allow him to enter. Cho’gath may have been the one to give Malzahar his gifts, though I am more inclined to think Cho’s master was directly responsible. Either way I imagine Cho’gath is currently directing Malzahar or at least coordinating with him. Beyond this I think Cho’gath was around at the last invasion of Runeterra, maybe in his current position or maybe beneath it. This is the reason he can speak the native tongue and has knowledge of Runeterra that seem out of place for such a creature. Not only has he been here before but he has been preparing for this role for a very long time. Cho’gath may not be unique, and as the poster child for the Void I’d argue he very likely isn’t. Hence why I used the term high priest earlier. I imagine there are other priests, who are merely lesser versions of Cho’gath, also intelligent and unchanging.

Kog’maw: Kog’maw is an immature voidborn. In intellect, in body type, and in digestive system. However this does not make him weak. If anything it means the opposite. Kog’maw is a direct decendent of a void god, the one I believe is responsible for this invasion of Runeterra and possibly the last invasion as well. This is why as an infant he is able to match the strength of such paragons of Voidborn might as Vel’koz, Kha’zix, and Cho’gath. Kog’maw was given to Malzahar, not only as a protector, but so that he could fulfill some other role when he reaches maturity. What this role will be I cannot say, but it may have something to do with allowing his Father into Runeterra. Kog’maw’s lines reference his Father’s arrival and his desire to obey the Void, which implies there is something to be obeyed, some directing force, or what I’ve been calling a Void God. Kog’maw’s drive is consumption and as such he consumes everything he comes across that is not specifically marked by the void. He does not eat Malzahar, and he does not eat the other Voidborn. I don’t doubt that he could eat void matter but he is intelligent enough to know not too. However that is the extent of his ability to quell his desires. Another point to Kog’maw being special is his ability to speak the native tongue of Runeterra. It is simplistic, likely matching his immature thoughts. He is just a child after all. But it’s beyond what a lot of other Void creatures are capable of, even a paragon like Rek’sai.

Kha’zix: Kha’zix is a paragon of a specific type of Voidborn, called the Reavers. I believe in Vel’koz’s lore the creatures he kills are Reavers, though obviously less evolved than Kha’zix. Reavers are less intelligent than Priests or Observers, but are more directly threatening. They kill and consume to become more threatening predators. They serve as shock troopers for the Voidborn, one of the upper castes. I say upper because the intelligence Kha’zix has the potential to display elevates him above things like the Xer’sai or the voidlings Malzahar summons, which are the lowest variety of Voidborn we have witnessed. As for why I place the Reavers in the 3rd postion out of the 6 on my list it’s because they have the capacity to learn and increase their knowledge. I believe that Kha’zix has the ability to speak because he has eaten creatures with the ability to speak. Not necessarily humans just something with the knowledge and the ability to speak. Kha’zix, as all reapers, is driven by a desire so deep that even if he gained an intellect that told him to stop consuming and evolving he would discard it to continue what he was made to do. Kha’zix is limited by his caste and lacks the ability to quell his desires, though he is smart enough after his encounter with Rengar to be patient and to size up his prey.

Vel’koz: Vel’koz is a paragon of the Observers. Observers focus on gathering knowledge that could be useful to the Void which they can gain from destroying an object. Or a living being. Ever wonder how Vel’koz can speak? Rather than learning the language which I imagine Cho would have had to do manually, which is interesting because it would make Observers basically big containers of information which other Observers could access through disintegration. However I imagine either they have a more effective way of transferring information or they are going to be eaten by someone higher up the chain. Either way Observers are above Reapers in intelligence but are less physically imposing. They do not change to survive in their environment better, they merely leave home to find out useful information. Vel often mentions his desire to return home. Whether he can on his own or would need assistance is unknown. He is able to open tears to the Void but they don’t seem stable. Observers, like Priests can completely sublimate their desires when it would be more beneficial and have no qualms about killing lesser Voidborn when they would be inconvenient. I believe this comes from the Observers being outside of the chain of command of the Void. They are the least similar variety and their task is one that works best without the aid of others. I see them as being given an assignment and the freedom to carry it out however they wish.

Rek’sai: The newest addition to the Void line up, the least intelligent (not counting voidlings I guess) but she’s still intelligent enough hunt her prey. She doesn’t have the suicidal overconfidence Kha’zix developed after slaughtering the largest creatures he could find. Rek’sai is territorial, defending and area and ambushing and chasing away or killing anything that she can. She hasn’t shown any kinship with the other Voidborn, nor does she have the ability to communicate in the common tongue of Runeterra. But the sounds she makes do seem to have a purpose. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could communicate with the other Voidlings. Interestingly her passive can be seen by her team. This could just be a gameplay feature, but it could also represent her ability to communicate such information with her allies. Allies who in lore are undoubtedly Voidborn or half-void. However, we know she is not the only Xer’sai, just the strongest, the paragon of her caste. Not much can really be said about her, but her reason for being in Shurima is important. Rek’sai doesn’t seem to take orders in a direct sense; she’s just been turned loose to guard an area. We do know that in the desert Icathia lies waiting with a stable portal through the Void. If the Void was to have a staging point on Runeterra where they are striving to build up an army for an invasion a hidden city in the desert is a pretty good spot. Rek’sai was brought over to defend this staging point and to determine who if anyone is coming. Beyond this her bestial appearance and behaviors hide the intelligence of the Void rather well. The survival rate against the Voidborn without being a supporter or a half void seems pretty low. It actually seems like the Xer'sai would be a variety of voidlings, the army of horrors the Voidborn command. Maybe. The Q&A was relatively unhelpful. :P Though until further information is provided I'm going to assume that is the case.

Void touched: These are the people who have through direct interaction with the Void, combined with their natural abilities, very powerful. So far we have two confirmed, though who knows if Malzahar has more under his command. He does have a large religious movement going and he’s got Kassadin kicked out of Zaun where if the old lore still holds (which I believe it should since it had nothing to do with the League itself) he likes to chill. Either way these two both had contact with the Void and both were changes by it on a physical level. I’m fairly certain neither of them can go back to what they were; though the nature of their transformations was different I believe that was because of their skills. Malzahar was a seer, a very powerful one with a lot of latent magical potential, but his abilities were never very combat oriented. His Void powers are an extension of this. He has raw power but no skill. His abilities involve ripping open portals to the Void and smashing people with the raw energy. He accidentally summons Voidlings because of the holes he tears open. He never had any formal training and so he merely uses the raw power at his fingertips to through the Void at his enemies. Kassadin on the other hand managed to fight his way into Icathia. He already was skilled in magic and was quite knowledgeable about some sketchy stuff. He also knows how to wield a blade. At the time Icathia was a lot less crowded but I feel he either accidentally witnessed a Voidborn emerging, or helped open the portal. Voidborn comes out Kassadin flees, Kassadin accidentally falls into Void portal, Kassadin goes mad, Kassadin gains the ability to jump through the void to travel, Kassadin ends up on the other side of Valaron. One of the key differences between Kassadin and Malzahar gaining their power is that Malzahar did not go directly into the portal to the Void. We’ve seen that standing on a portal while not being on either side is harmful so if Kassadin got stuck there for a while before figuring out how to jump else where it could have dealt some serious damage to him. This may also explain why he only uses short jumps (though in lore he can move much farther).

Faiths of Valeron Part 1: Looking at the inspiration (Lovecraft) for the void I see Cho'gath fulfilling the role of high priest. He is the connection of the lesser Voidborn to the upper echelon of Void life, which I will be referring to as the Void Gods. In the description of Icathia from Malzahar’s lore it is explicitly stated that the city contains religious iconography, “lay the alien geometry of a ruined city and the giant decaying idols of dark and horrific gods”, which makes the worship of the Void one of the 3 faiths currently seen on Runeterra. The other two being the Frozen Watchers and the Shadow Isles. I don’t feel the various spirit worshiping individuals have an organized faith and I’d feel weird declaring Shurima to be sun worshipping without more evidence. Considering that the only beings who worship on Runeterra currently are the intelligent undead serving what I assume is the Ruined King, and Lissandra’s Frost Guard, I think it may be safe to assume that the Faith of Icathia was not born on Runeterra. Going back to Lovecraft, a lot of his creatures were rather religious, at least paying lip service to the Outer Gods, beings of great power. It’s hard to imagine that the Voidborn could inspire worship in a culture where through the power of the Sun beings could Ascend into immortal forms with power beyond that of a normal human. Not to mention these creatures aren't particularly nice. This leaves two possibilities that I find plausible. 1. Void worship started after the fall of Shurima when the wards holding the Void back began to weaken. In desperation some of the survivors began to worship the Void and may in fact still worship today. I find this theory unlikely. The city being in such disrepair makes it clear that no one is living there now, which would make the Void Gods very poor deities. Runeterra demands a higher standard of deity intervention. 2. Icathia predates Shurima’s rise to prominence and was abandoned long before its rise. The city may have been built by the Voidborn or their human supporters during or before the first invasion of Runeterra. It may have been the sight of the first gateway between the two planes. This may explain the rise Shurima in the first place. The humans chose to live in a desert because they needed to make sure the Void remained sealed. Eventually the stories became legend and the purpose of the country was forgotten. This also allows for an army of Ascended to fight off a horde of Voidborn which is just awesome. Interestingly the Void actually seems to court worshipers. Malzahar constantly mentions how you must "bow to the Void or be consumed by it!"... but what if that isn't a boast? What if that is literally the ultimatum. Worship the Void and you shall be spared during the next invasion. Is that a serious option? Will Malzahar not be destroyed when the Void invades? What if the Void has need of worshiper? It makes the inception of Icathia more interesting. Perhaps relations between the Void and humanity started as an introduction to a new Religion? It might make the ensuing wars context very different. Anyway we know Malzahar does have a cult which worships the Void so perhaps that is a goal of the Void Gods, or the Void itself.

Faiths of Valeron pt. 2: Here I'd like to discuss the possibility of "leftovers". That is Voidborn who weren't forced back into the Void and who weren't hunted down by the ancient civilizations who stopped the Void invasion. It's possible that they would hide themselves on the edges of civilization, away from their hated enemies. So far aging doesn't seem to be a thing the Void creatures do so it seems possible they'd still be hanging around today. However, who's to say they'd have the same appearance they had originally. We know that Voidborn are able to adjust their forms to an extent, though it may be caste limited. We also know that they are ill adapted for the climate of Runeterra. Too much light. So it is possible that after a long time on this plane the Voidborn went native and changed forms to match their surroundings. Which brings us to the far north. The Freljord is one of the most hostile places to life in Runeterra. It's cold and unforgiving, and it's civilizations history is one that can be traced back to the interference of the Frozen Watchers. Since the Freljord's history does not mention a Void invasion but the lore indicates that the more southern civilizations do have stories of such a thing it can be argued that the Freljord civilization sprung up post-Void invasion. This would have given the Voidborn who were left behind the time necessary to flee and go "native" before interfering in the affairs of humans. At this point, alone and without reinforcements these Voidborn decided to begin converting the locals into creatures similar to the Void touched. The Iceborn gained power explicitly from contact with these ancient beings which allowed the formation of the Freljordian society as we know it. All of the artifacts wielded by the would-be rulers of the Freljord were forged by Iceborn, beings who were given their power by these ancient beings. Many people enjoy pointing out that the look on the door at the far side of the Howling abyss looks kind of like Vel'koz. However the developers stated that it is in fact not a likeness of Vel'koz. This similarity can be explained as the similarity between cousins. All Void creatures are cut from the same cloth as it were and each Void creature has more in common with the other Void creatures than with a human. Just as a human has more in common with a Yordle than the Voidborn. This also explains an interesting facet of lore in the Freljord. Anivia is mentioned to be a protector of the Freljord. Why would she protect the Freljord from a native species? If the Frozen watchers had always been a part of the Freljord than why would she oppose their existence? Beyond this her lore describes the corruption of the Ice magic, which lead to the birth of Dark Ice, something the Iceborn appear to be made of. Finally the last point that makes this line of reasoning compelling is, a little meta, but seriously who would care about the Frozen Watchers? They certainly aren't a global threat. The world is covered in ice... so everyone gets to live? The Shadow Isles enslaves your soul for all eternity, the Void will devour or enslave you for all eternity as well as destroy and devour the very bits of the world you live on. Not to mention the Void was thrown back after a large scale invasion that required magic lost to the ages and inflicted such losses that even today the Voidborn are remembered. Icathia remains a monument to their attack and remains undisturbed. The Shadow Isles is a threat that has not been stopped and has succeeded in carving out a niche in the world. The Frozen Watchers got beat down by their servants in a rather unceremonious fashion. On their home turf. For all their might, humanity could only delay the Void, it can only contain the Shadow Isles. The Frozen Watchers had their house broken into after which they were thrown out. They seem to be outclassed by the other worldwide threats. If they were merely an unsupported remnant of the Void incursion their defeat is less embarrassing considering how outgunned they were. I should mention that just because they came from the Void doesn't mean they share the Voids goals. At this point they seem content to spread their corruption across the world through their infected ice. They do not seem to be trying to regain contact with their forefathers. However, who can say what will happen in the future? Interesting implication of the above. The entire royal line of the Freljord has Void-touched blood. This could explain how Ashe and Sejuani are so powerful for normal humans. The power of the Void is in their blood.

This is not a completely finished piece but I just want to put it out there and get some feedback. I will hopefully be adding more soon.