A Look at the how the Timeline of Runeterra and the League Universe might Work. No Promises Though.
http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Zilean_0.jpg
DISCLAIMER: Despite putting ZIlean here at the top, it’s just to have a cool starting image. I don’t have a proper place for him in this timeline. Sorry Zilean; I’m still trying to figure this, and your lore hasn’t been updated yet.
DISCLAIMER TWO: I uploaded this yesterday but I immediately realised I forgot to add stuff about the Battle of Knife Straits, and also the timing was poor since as I posted it everyone was going wild about Ahri, so I decided I'd just take it down and put it back up after going through it again to fix it. So if you’re wondering, that’s why this disappeared and has now reappeared; the Ahricade and my screw ups.
DISCLAIMER £ With stuff unveiled about Demacia by way of Galio I'm re-evaluating a lot of this timeline right now. Might do a big overhaul to it when I get the chance.
EDIT ONE: I went back and reworked a bit of stuff I'd written about in the speculative history portion after Shurima's fall. Got a lot of stuff I had some thoughts about that I wanted to add, but remember those sections are just theorizing, not anything concrete.
EDIT TWO: This isn't an update more than it is a "Wait why the sod is this stickied?! Bio did you do something again?!" Now I'm scared about how much I got right and how much I got wrong! It's cool! And terrifying! AHH!
EDIT BIO: _ [Bioluminescence here] Yep, I stickied it. It's good, and the content isn't something that I feel will go 'stale' particularly quickly so it gets some time stickied for other players to read and digest. I now return you to your regularly scheduled loremageddon._
EDIT THREE: Added Ivern to the mix. Also worked on some stuff to do with the history around Poppy, Kled, Sion and the shadow stuff.
So because I wrote up an interpretation of how I understood the timeline of League of Legends and it was pretty well received (And also because I couldn't add more to that post because of character limits in boards comments) I decided to just make a proper post about it with added pictures, extra events and the like. So this is basically me having a go at interpreting and putting all of Runeterra’s (and the League universe’s) history in to a proper timeline.
I’ve tried to keep this as factual as possible, and for the sake of trying to make this cohesive I haven’t put exact dates anywhere except maybe a handful of events. Also I’ve tried to be as strict as possible on myself when creating this, so certain events aren’t listed even though we have a time frame for them, simply because weaving these things together and not second guessing myself was extremely difficult, so I opted for what would be representative of an order.
So take this as a sort of ordering of events more than a strict timeline since there won’t be many references to actual years.
For the sake of a little extra discussion here and there I added some areas called “Speculative History”, where I talked about a bit of head canon timeline considerations and what not. Nothing concrete, just musings. Take them for what you will.
Ok that all clear? Yes? No? Eh I dunno. Sod it I’M STARTING THE TIMELINE. Someone else can tell me whether it’s good or not. Buckle up, because this’ll be a long one.
The Birth of the Universe
http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/AurelionSol_0.jpg
The universe comes in to being, and with it celestial entities are formed of unimaginable power. They are all unique from one another despite originating from the same point, and go out using their own special powers to do as they please, which helps to form the early universe.
Aurelion Sol is one of those celestial entities, but he is not known as Aurelion Sol at this time. This is when he began forging stars, something he continued to do for eons.
A Huge Lull of Millions, perhaps Billions of Years
The universe grew, stars were formed, and planets came to be over the course of many, many, many years. The timescale isn’t clear, but it was almost certainly millions of years at least. Not much happened in the cosmos at this time as far as we know, with the celestial entities continuing to busy themselves with whatever they’re doing at the time.
Life Emerges and the First Civilisations Follow
Life begins to crop up in the universe made of flesh and blood, something that’s fairly new in the grand scheme of things. At this point life is primitive, but develops as time goes on. This period of time can be counted as “prehistory”, and is still likely millions of years out from modern day Runeterra. The world is also still developing, and as such landmasses change over the course of eons, with islands being born from geological activity in the sea.
On Runeterra we don’t know what kind of beings lived in Runeterra’s prehistoric times, but creatures like Anivia, Maokai and the Brackern likely originated from this point, being organisms born from a fusion of magic and the natural elements. These beings were likely also among the first sentient entities to evolve in the prehistory of not just Runeterra, but the universe as a whole, being life born from planets and not the birth of the cosmos itself.
Eventually sentience became more widespread and civilisations began to pop up across the universe. This caught Aurelion Sol’s attention, and potentially that of other celestial entities as well. This was much more recent in the history of the universe, probably within a few hundred thousand years of the modern era.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY:
_Runeterra’s earliest lifeforms were elemental in origin, and beings like Malphite and Brand came to appear naturally over the course of eons. _
Zyra’s species of plant first appeared during this era as some of the first complex plantlife, and thrived for millions of years in the isolated jungles of Runeterra.
Targon and Aurelion Sol
Aurelion Sol, having been charmed by the ways of mortal life, decides he’s going to present himself to the mortal civilisation he finds to be most worthy. He looks for the one that’s the furthest along in its development and finds Targon, a mortal civilisation that at this point has expanded beyond its home planet.
The Targonians name the celestial entity Aurelion Sol and trick him in to servitude, jump starting their advancement in to a space faring empire.
Targon met Aurelion Sol on Runeterra, and thus far this event is the earliest recorded historical point on Runeterra. It is currently unclear if Targon was from Runeterra or they came from another world, with even Aurelion Sol not knowing the details, though he has theories himself. Targon may not have been the first mortal civilisation to have ever existed (in fact that’s highly unlikely), but they were the most advanced and one of the first if not the first space faring culture in history.
After enslaving Aurelion Sol Targon left Runeterra behind, but kept a close eye on it, sending some of their own back to inhabit the bodies of mortal and protect the world if needed. After some time these Aspects became much more celestial and beyond physical in nature, much more akin to organisms like Bard and Aurelion Sol than they likely were during their early days.
Pre-Human Runeterra
http://i.imgur.com/2hJEv3G.jpg
Beings like Anivia and the Brackern still exist at this point and will continue to, but other organisms also come to be. Darkin and demons existed at this time, and they existed differently back then to how they do now.
At some point the darkin are reduced to five members for unknown reasons.
Timeframes are unclear so this era could have occurred before, during or after the time when Targon was on Runeterra.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY:
_Gnar originates from this time period, with Frozen Watchers also exsiting beyond what will later be called The Freljord. Yordles evolved to be more like their modern selves not too long before humans came in to the spotlight. _ _Other species such as the Marai, Trolls, Ursine and Minotaurs also can be traced back to this era, and developed their own cultures. These cultures would in most cases struggle to cope with humans effectively colonizing all of Runeterra. _
Some major change in Runeterra shifted how the ancient non-human cultures operated, and allowed humans to colonise the world uninhibited.
Dawn of Human History
The earliest record of human culture ever existing comes in the form of gravestones marked with the masks of Kindred. This also marks Kindred’s first known appearance culturally and historically in Runeterra, though this is not indicative of when Kindred actually came to be. This likely dates back tens of thousands of years ago, as the most primitive of human cultures began to emerge.
Similarly to Kindred, other enigmatic entities such as Bard and Tahm Kench likely came to be known by humans and appeared in cultures from this point on, though exact dates aren’t known and those champions wouldn’t have been known by those names, as they originate from the Bards and Bilgewater specifically, which won’t be a thing in Runeterra for many thousands of years.
The origins of humans in Runeterra is still unknown and has yet to be elaborated on in any way, though it’s just as likely to be an evolutionary origin like real life humans as it is to be a magical origin like in the Warcraft universe. You guys can speculate about that yourselves.
Magelords and The Protectorate
The earliest known conflict in human history occurs between the Magelords and the Protectorate. This marks the first record of Aatrox in human history, and he turns the conflict in favor of the Protectorate, who then decimate the Magelords.
Evidence indicates that these two factions were among the first if not the first large scale human civilisations to exist. Their fates after this conflict is unknown. From this point on Aatrox will appear numerous times in human history, though it’s possible he could have influenced humans even earlier than this.
For all those with their theories about Summoner’s Rift, historical evidence indicates that the Magelords and Protectorate aren’t the two sides of Summoner’s Rift. More on that later.
The Reign of the Frozen Watchers
http://i.imgur.com/kAeQ4A6.jpg
By this point humans have at least begun to colonize large areas of Runeterra for themselves, and tribes of humans can be found in the Freljord, sharing their lands with Ursine and Frost Trolls, who first appear in recorded history at this point. This is a barbarous time where everyone fights each other and life expectancy is probably pretty short.
From out of nowhere the Frozen Watchers appear in the Freljord. It is a mystery where they came from and why they came to the Freljord, though they set about transforming the native human population in to the iceborn, who are exceptionally long lived and have incredible magical powers. The iceborn are tasked with creating an empire for the watchers, which they do, plunging Valoran in to an ice age which presumably lasted for several centuries at least, given the fact that ice ages last for thousands of years.
This marks the first time in recorded history where true ice is used as a material for creation, and with it various tools and weapons are made by the iceborn. Artifacts such as the Frozen Mallet, Seeker’s Armguard and the Frozen Heart likely originated from this era.
Three human sisters, Lissandra, Serylda and Avarosa were born shortly before and become iceborn during this time, becoming important figures in the empire. Lissandra as a human was blinded by an ursine’s claws and thus is wholly committed to the watchers for giving her a form of sight again, who elevate her to the status of “Seeker”, their mouth piece to the people.
Given Greyor’s reaction to yordles on the Howling Abyss it can be inferred that yordles existed in a form reminiscent of their more modern appearance at this point in history. This is also the earliest point in human history where we can confirm that yordles existed.
The Death of the God-Willow and the Birth of the Green Father
http://i.imgur.com/sReL2XU.jpg
Ivern is alive and human at this point in time. Before the Frozen Watchers can take over everything with their Iceborn horde, Ivern sets out to search for a means to stop them, travelling to the fabled land of Ionia, which is said to be filled with magic. Here he and his fellow warriors are escorted by the natives to Omikayalan, where the God-Willow is found. The chaemeric denizens of the land slaughter Ivern's followers but Ivern strikes at the tree, killing it but being transformed himself in to the being he we see today.
The God-Willow's death would have a major effect on all of Runeterra following this, but how exactly is unknown.
The Iceborn Rebellion
After a long period of time Avarosa led a rebellion to overthrow the Watchers, which culminates in a battle over a massive bridge built over a seemingly bottomless ravine. The Frozen Watchers are thrown off the bridge, and the bridge is renamed to “The Howling Abyss”, as the event was always remembered as when they threw the watchers “howling in to the abyss”.
Following this Avarosa becomes the Frost Queen and rules the iceborn’s empire for an unknown period of time.
Artifacts such as the Guardian’s horn and the Frost Queen’s Claim originate from this time period.
**The War of the Three Sisters ** Disagreements between Avarosa, Serylda and Lissandra eventually culminate in to a civil war that destroys the empire the iceborn built. Avarosa is killed, Serylda’s fate remains unknown, Lissandra goes in to hiding, corrupting a human tribe called the Frostguard for her own goals.
The iceborn descend in to bitter infighting between tribes, and with no leader to unify them the empire collapses entirely. The iceborn eventually die out as they cannot procreate to produce new iceborn; their children are human, though some magic lingers in their veins.
Lissandra sets about removing history of the frozen watchers from the world as a whole, as is mostly successful in doing so. She remains in power over the Frostguard secretly for thousands of years.
The Founding of Shurima
http://i.imgur.com/KvDtYRv.jpg
Shurima is founded at this time, most likely following a period of environmental adjusting from Valoran having been gripped in a magical ice age, which would have had ripple effects across the environment of all of Runeterra. Shurima is founded on the Oasis of the Dawn, though the details of the founding are unknown.
This is the first time Rammus appears in recorded history. He remains a part of Shuriman culture for eons to come. His origins remain a mystery though and this does not mark the point of his birth or creation.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY
Given the Valorian ice age the human cultures of the time likely had to take time to build new nations once the Freljord's empire went the way of the dodo. Whether this was before, at the same time as or after Shurima's founding remains to be seen, but enough nations would appear for their to be issues over World Runes centuries later.
Twin Dawns
Three major events occur in a relatively close timeframe.
Aurelion Sol is called to Runeterra by Pantheon to rid the world of a Void Invasion occurring at Mount Targon. He succeeds, though he kills Pantheon’s human body, and is punished by a star somewhere in the cosmos being destroyed. Aurelion senses conflict within Targon itself though, and is now hopeful for his freedom from slavery.
At a place now known as Summoner’s Rift, two forces are warring against each other, bearing the emblems of a Stag and an Owl. The winner isn’t known, but this is likely why Baron Nashor is on the Rift and why the Rift is at it is today. Aurelion Sol witnesses this event, and the Stag side beheld his form as a comet in the sky at the time. Aatrox seemingly appeared during this conflict at some point, earning him a place as a stone carving in the land itself, but when is unknown. This is why these forces, to me, aren't the Magelords and the Protectorate; those two are hinted at being among the first if not THE first major human civilisations to ever go in to a massive conflict, where as the forces of Summoner's Rift not only shared an era with Shurima and probably other nations, but were also predated by other nations including those of the Freljord.
In Shurima, the Sun Disc is being constructed for unknown reasons. When the first Ascended came to be after this is unknown, but this is a key moment in Shurima’s history.
Amumu
Amumu becomes known in Shurima. By this point Shurima is aware of yordles in some way. Whether Amumu predates the Sun Disc is unknown.
Nasus and Renekton
At this point in time Nasus and Renekton are born, and later become Ascended. They were elevated in to the highest echelons of Shuriman society.
Presumably Setaka, leader of the Ascended Host, has become an Ascended by this point.
**The Rune Wars are Realized **
http://i.imgur.com/XYTAMOy.jpg
Humans nations begin to clamour around a new discovery; World Runes - incredibly powerful glyphs said to have been a part of Runeterra’s forging. Political tension follows as nations are unwilling to trust one another for fear of being unwittingly destroyed by these Runes.
Ryze is born during this time period.
Eventually the tension reaches its boiling point and magical warfare erupts. Entire nations are decimated and the world is brought to its knees from the sheer amount of magic being used. At this point Ryze works with his master to try and claim the Runes and put them in hiding, while the world continues be imperilled.
Shurima’s level of involvement with the Rune Wars is unknown.
The Brackern sense the magical conflict and choose to hibernate underground; opting to wait out the conflict with the hope that humanity will destroy itself and they can then live in peace again.
Old lore indicates there were five Rune Wars over the course of history, and though the number isn’t clear right now, the first occurred during Ryze’s time as a young man.
Shurima vs Icathia
This potentially counts as a Rune War.
Shurima and Icathia get in to a major conflict, but details are mostly unknown. What is known is that the Shuriman Ascended, led by Setaka, led the charge against Icathia in the hundreds at least. Setaka died near the end of the battle, Renekton claimed the broken weapon of an Icathian Warrior King that would later become his primary weapon, and Ryze killed his master here after said master used two World Runes.
It is presumed that Icathia had been dabbling in dark magic long before this, though when they began using the Void is unknown.
After this the Sai region which Icathian is located in becomes a place of Void infestation, ruled by Rek’Sai of the Xer’Sai. The time frame for this is unknown.
Siege of Nashramae
Shurima lays siege to the city of Nashramae, with Nasus and Renekton at the helm. Renekton almost burns the entire city to the ground, but Nasus stops him.
In the intervening time between this and Shurima’s fall Nasus rediscovers the Tomb of the Emperors.
Fall of Shurima
http://i.imgur.com/qYgSVEb.jpg
This is several centuries after the Siege of Nashramae, and several millennia out from the modern era.
Due to the machinations of Xerath and Azir’s attempted Ascension, Shurima’s empire collapses. The capital is blasted beneath the sands with all of its inhabitants being obliterated.
Xerath, now an Ascended, is locked in the Tomb of the Emperors with Renekton, where he then works on corrupting Renekton and driving him to madness. Nasus goes in to self imposed exile at this time. Brand, who had been imprisoned by Shurima, was set free and his fate after this remains unknown.
The Sun Disc, with no power left, is buried beneath the sands and all knowledge of how to perform Ascension is lost with it.
The people of Shurima scattered, living in nomadic tribes or around deltas and oasis’ from this point onwards.
At this point Shurima is a desert and has been for many years.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY:
_Urtistan was decimated during conflicts earlier in Shurima’s history, possibly by Icathia. _
Shurima was the last major nation from the Rune War era, with Icathia and Urtistan having bitten the dust already and Valoran's nations having decimated each other far before this point. The southern continent's harsh climate made rebuilding major nations next to impossible, while in Valoran humans had already started regrouping in to smaller tribes, clans and warbands long before Shurima had fallen. It wouldn't be until Demacia and Noxus were founded that large scale human civilisations anywhere in the world other than Ionia would be seen.
Speaking of Ionia, no clue how their ancient history fits in to all of this. Potentially their isolationist attitude and entirely distinct culture from other parts of Runeterra stem from them saying "sod it, we're not getting involved" and purposefully detaching themselves from the politics of the other two continents when the Rune Wars occured. Not much to go on here as the oldest lore that exists for Ionia is related to the forbidden shadow technique and Aatrox, and those are very small lore tidbits at the moment.
Following Shurima’s fall some changes occur in Shurima: - Nashramae was rebuilt and eventually converted in to a city of reverance for Rammus - Rek’Sai and the Xer’Sai came to conquer the entirety of the Sai region of Shurima - The Shuriman language undergoes changes and becomes less refined over all, to the point of ancient and modern Shuriman being very distinct from one another
Reign of Iron
http://i.imgur.com/LTVZDO0.jpg
In northern Valoran various warbands and tribes battle for supremacy, with Mordekaiser being one of the most feared warlords of all. Thanks to the aid of some bribed sorcerers Mordekaiser manages to return from the dead as an undying revenant, and lays claim to massive swathes of territory in Valoran, leading an empire of undeath.
This reign lasts for centuries before an alliance of tribes and the actions of a lone thief bring Mordekaiser low, and he is finally vanquished, seemingly for good.
Mordekaiser’s skull is taken to the Blessed Isles.
This is still thousands of years out from the modern era.
Ruined Kingdom and the Shadow Isles
Due to the actions of the Ruined King, Kalista and Hecarim, the Shadow Isles is born. Thresh, Kalista and Hecarim are twisted in to abominations and trapped within the Black Mist. Yorick is spared by his vial of waters, making him the only human to survive the event.
Maokai manages to draw forth water from the Isle's sacred pools, and it saves him from undeath, though it does warp his bark. With his newfound power he begins a long and arduous campaign to restore the Shadow Isles to its former glory.
Some time after this event beings from the Shadow Isles become known to the denizens of the main continents, but when is unknown. The why is almost certainly thanks to Harrowings, which will begin from this point onward.
Return of Mordekaiser
Mordekaiser’s liches discover the Shadow Isles and Morde’s skull, resurrecting him. He then uses his vast necromantic powers to take control of a portion of the Black Mist. He engages in his own Harrowings to bolster the strength of his forces.
This event most likely occurred some centuries ago, but could have, at the very minimum, occurred fifty years before the events of Burning Tides.
Founding of Demacia and Noxus
http://i.imgur.com/1BwgLjC.jpg
Timeframes are unclear, but it was after the formation of the Shadow Isles. These two nations are raised and begin to cement themselves as the dominant forces within northern Valoran.
Poppy and Kled exist at this time, and this is the first recorded instance we have of modern yordles being a thing by name, even though we know modern yordles were at least known of in ancient times.
Poppy's first appearance was when she revealed herself to Orlon; the founder (or one of the founders) of Demacia. Kled's first appearance was during the Battle of Drugne, where he was a critical component to the Noxian victory there. Kled would become a prominent figure in Noxian folk lore from this point on and would go on to participate in every campaign waged by the legions of Noxus. Given current lore about Poppy it seems she has remained an enigma for the most part in Demacia, though much of her history after setting off to find the hero is unknown, so she could be a cultural figure similarly to Kled, though she is likely remembered differently if that is indeed the case.
Sion, the Butcher of Jarvan
During a major war between Demacia and Noxus Sion, the Hand of Noxus, goes in to battle and kills Jarvan Lightshield 1, Demacia’s current king. He dies doing so, and is reanimated thanks to the efforts of the Black Rose, but the result isn’t what was hoped for, and Sion returns as a monster.
Sion lays waste to Demacian forces and the fortress of Andras before Boram Darkwill has enough and seals Sion away in his own grave.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY
During Sion’s time as a mindless undead he encounters and battles Galio, Kled and potentially Poppy.
Sion is the reason for Galio’s depression and Poppy helps him recover from this, with him standing guard over Demacia’s borders ever since. The two share a friendship across centuries.
The Hidden Shadow
200 Years ago.
The Kinkou Order seals away the forbidden shadow techniques in a small box.
This is surprisingly the oldest piece of Ionian lore we have aside from Aatrox having visited the land at some point in the ancient past.
The Birth of Progress Day
http://i.imgur.com/K2Xbe8i.jpg
Zaun finalizes it's plans to destroy a portion of the isthmus connecting Valoran and the Southern Continent, allowing for safe sea passage between eastern and western Valoran. The plan involved using thousand of chemtech bombs to crack open an area of the land such that a cavern could be created, but the results were catastrophic, as in what seemed to be an accident the bombs triggered a series of earthquakes that completely destroyed the isthmus and sank large districts of Zaun and thousands of its citizens, while also leaking poisonous gas in to the city's surviving areas.
Janna, empowered by the prayers of Zaun's people, arrived and blew away the gas, saving many lives and being eternally remembered by Zaun's denizens, converting her from a goddess of faith for sailors to a sort of guardian deity for Zaun. She has yet to leave Zaun following this event.
Eventually Zaun was rebuilt. In order to regulate the oceanic passage they were built over, the Sun Gates were constructed, forcing all transport through the waters to be regulated by Zaun. This brought immense wealth to the city and likely led to Piltover's construction and elevation from Zaun, as the merchant clans were in control of most of the money coming through this trade route.
This event led to great changes in eastern Valoran and the eastern seas, as Noxus was from this point on able to more easily pool together resources from across its empire without needing land travel, and Bilgewater's pirates found the seas brimming with trade ships waiting to be plundered, feeding in to the criminal underbelly of the city.
The First Hex Crystals
http://i.imgur.com/pcfszkS.jpg
In an effort to find suitable fuel sources for hextech, the Ferros Clan, led by Elicia Ferros, went on an expedition to Shurima. There they found the slumbering Brackern and attacked them, ripping their lifestones out of the creature's bodies. Skarner awakes and lashes out, killing several people. Elicia is injured and the Clan is forced to retreat. Several weeks later Skarner began his quest to recover the stolen lifestones, and succeeded in retrieving one. Many were brought to Piltover and were used to fuel hextech, becoming known as the first "Hex Crystals". The ultimate fate of these crystals remains unknown.
This attack on the Brackern seemingly led others to also hunt the Brackern, but to what extent remains unknown. In the modern era, rings made from "sing-stone" are traded by the Shurimans of Uzeris, so this could potentially have continued throughout the ages or have resumed in recent times.
The Bards
http://i.imgur.com/KtT5z2c.jpg
Noxians attack the Bards; a society of Ionians living on a trio of mountains. At some point in the past they had made a deal with the celestial being they called “Bard” to safeguard a celestial egg of sorts and three altars in exchange for some magical benefit.
The Noxian attack forces an elder of the village to use the egg’s power, sundering the mountain. This immediately alerts Bard, who swoops in and transports the egg and altars to a location beyond Runeterra.
This is the the most recent known time Bard has intervened in Runeterran activities, and occured probably somewhere between fifty and seventy years ago ago.
The Shroud (Harrowing)
50 years before Burning Tides.
A Harrowing reaches out across the sea towards Bilgewater, farther than has ever happened before.
For the sake of sanity I’m not going to add the Harrowings between this and the Battle of Knife Straits because trying to weave in the exact dates of the Harrowings with the speculative dates of everything else here would probably kill me. So sod that. Instead I’ma give you all the dates of Harrowings between The Shroud and The Battle of Knife Straits right here:
(Oh and before anyone asks, these have one year added to their original timings because of how the timeline for League has progressed. These were listed when, as far as I know, the Battle of Knife Straits was the most recent Harrowing.)
38 Years Ago: The Maelstrom 34 Years Ago: The Flower of Ionia 33 Years Ago: The Battle of Port Mourn 22 Years Ago: The Death of the Conqueror 18 Years Ago: The Crimson Armada 10 Years Ago: The Shadow Falls 5 Years Ago: The Wild Hunt 4 Years Ago: The Battle of the Serpent
Kusho and Jhin
http://i.imgur.com/b9PNJGY.jpg
Kusho, the Eye of Twilight and his two sons, Shen and Zed spend four years tracking down a serial killer known as Khada Jhin. Kusho has him incarcerated. From this point on all three men would be mentally scarred from having seen Khada Jhin’s murders. Jhin is from this point on imprisoned in the Tuula Prison.
The Order of Shadows
Zed, having come to struggle with his teachings after the Jhin investigation, looks to any means to surpass Shen, and finds the forbidden shadow techniques. He is banished but finds students of his own, and eventually leads them to destroy the Kinkou order. Zed personally kills Kusho.
Shen survives and helps other Kinkou ninja do the same, and then sets out to rebuild the Kinkou.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY
Akali and Kennen joined the Kinkou during Shen’s rebuilding of the order. For Kennen then is debatable, but for Akali it’s almost certain given her age relative to Zed and Shen.
Assorted Ionian Pre-Invasion Stuff
For the sake of saving time here’s some things that occurred in the time before the Noxian invasion of Ionia by a few decades.
Udyr’s clan is decimated by Lissandra, and Udyr becomes a wandering hermit. Lee Sin finds him and brings him to Ionia, where he trains in the Hirana Monastery to master the ways of the spirits.
Sona is found and inducted in to an orphanage.
Syndra is brought to a secluded temple to learn to control her potent magical abilities. Syndra spent most of the invasion at this temple.
Warwick, a Zaun man hunter, tricks the celestial being Soraka in to bringing harm to mortals, which causes her to be rejected by the stars. He tries to kill her but is unsuccessful. Warwick had intended to use her heart as an ingredient in a potent elixir that would permanently augment his abilities, but without the heart he becomes a primal beast and is now desperate for Soraka’s heart to restore his humanity. Soraka goes across Ionia as a nomadic healer from this point onwards.
Noxian Invasion of Ionia
http://i.imgur.com/OBgZdPh.jpg
Noxus engages in a full scale invasion of Ionia using its own legions and Zaunite mercenaries.
- The following occurs over the course of several years, potentially within a very similar time frame:
- Singed is brought to Ionia and engages in horrific war crimes against the Ionian people.
- Riven joins the war effort
- The way of Wuju is almost destroyed as Master Yi’s village is decimated by Noxian forces and Zaunite mercenaries.
- Varus’s village is destroyed and he embraces the power of Pallas, the thing he once guarded, to get revenge against Noxus.
- Irelia takes up command of Ionia’s defending forces and becomes a master of the Hiten Style.
- Soraka takes to helping the wounded and defenseless where she can. She saves Irelia’s life.
- Karma protects her village and becomes a critical leader in the war effort against Noxus.
- Udyr engages the Noxians and does a great job at keeping them down.
- Yasuo tries to enter the conflict, but is then framed for the murder of an Ionian Elder, which lands him in prison. He later escapes after finding out he is being convicted for murder and not for his going awol.
- Ahri becomes the being she is now; a strange hybrid of fox, human and magic.
- The Order of Shadows works to repel Noxus, doing unspeakable things to get the job done.
The Pieces Move in the Freljord
http://i.imgur.com/J0361Fo.png
Over the course of a few years various elements fall in to place as the Freljord moves once again towards a massive conflict:
- Ashe takes on leadership of her tribe and forms the Avarosan; a faction dedicated to uniting the Freljord in the name of peace and stability.
- Sejuani takes leadership over her tribe and forms the Winter’s Claw; a faction focused around conquering and battle, with the ultimate aim of uniting Freljord around these concepts.
- Lissandra the Ice Witch, under the guise of Lissandra the Ice Dervish, pledges the Frostguard to the Avarosan cause with betrayal in mind for later on.
- Tryndamere, after surviving an attack on his people by Aatrox, goes on a bloody campaign which eventually winds up with him becoming the Barbarian King
- Nunu and Willump leave the Frostguard tribe behind and wander the wastes before meeting Ashe and joining the Avarosan cause.
- Gragas destabilizes a potential conflict between the Avarosan and another tribe, earning everyone’s admiration and Ashe’s respect.
- Anivia senses a growing corruption in the Freljord and allies with the Avarosan in the name of protecting the frozen north.
- Olaf pursues his glorious death and eventually sides with Sejuani to find it.
- Udyr returns to the Freljord at the behest of the spirits and works with the Winter’s Claw to protect the land.
- Volibear becomes the chieftain of the Ursine and pledges them to the cause of the Winter’s Claw.
- Trundle, using his wits, manages to become Troll King and has his trolls working in a tenuous alliance with the Ice Witch.
Swain’s Rise to Power
With the help of LeBlanc and trickery involving Jarvan Lightshield IV, Swain manages to become Grand General of Noxus following Boram Darkwill’s demise.
Freljordian Civil War Kicks Off Again
The Avarosan and Winter’s Claw engage in war against one another for supremacy over the Freljord. This conflict is, as of yet, unresolved and persists in to the modern day.
Taliyah’s arrival in Noxus
Taliyah finds her way to Noxus and is inducted in to the military to be a part of the war effort against Ionia. She rebels, is left for dead, and meets with Yasuo, recieving training under him.
The Battle of Knife Straits
An enormous Harrowing swells over Bilgewater, forcing Miss Fortune and Gangplank to fight together to keep it at bay.
Nautilus appears for the first time in recorded history and stands alone against the Harrowing, splitting its forces almost singlehandedly. Some go west and some go north, with a portion of the Mist being forced to contend with Nautilus.
The north force arrives at Smuggler’s Cove and decimates it, leaving no survivors.
The west force meets the combined armadas of Miss Fortune and Gangplank, and is thwarted. Bilgewater survives.
Shurima’s Restoration
Thanks to the actions of Cassiopeia and Sivir, the Tomb of the Emperors opens, and with it Xerath and Renekton are released. Sivir’s blood sparks ancient magic within the city, snatching Azir from oblivion and giving him new life. Azir manages to save Sivir with the help of the Oasis of the Dawn, and for his humility in such an act he is granted Ascension.
Azir uses his newfound magic to raise the city from the dust and with it begins the process of restoring the empire to its former glory. Over the next year or so Azir;
- Preaches to the nomadic Shurimans about a newly rebuilt empire.
- Terraforms the land around the capital.
- Restores the long dried up waterways, sending water through Shurima in to the capital and, presumably, the Oasis.
The other parties affected by this event did the following over the next few months:
- Sivir, unsure about what the sod to do, leaves the capital and tries to put this ancient stuff behind her, to little effect.
- Xerath starts gathering people to serve under him and begins to build a power base in the long forgotten city of Nerimazeth. He also has the emperor’s lineage on his hit list.
- Renekton pulls himself from insanity long enough to conclude that Nasus betrayed him, and sets out to kill him.
- Nasus receives word about Xerath building a new empire from Nerimazeth, and prepares himself to confront the magus and also to find the emperor’s lineage before Xerath does.
- Cassiopeia, transformed by the poison of the Tomb of the Emperor’s guardian, looks to explore and utilise her new found powers to their fullest. She presumably returns to Noxus not long after these events.
Burning Tides
http://i.imgur.com/L8oPdUR.jpg
In roughly the same time period as Shurima’s restoration.
Miss Fortune concocts and puts in to action a plan to get rid of Gangplank once and for all. She commissions Twisted Fate to steal a magical dagger from Gangplank and then tips of Graves, who’s still on the hunt for him. The two confront one another and this leaves Gangplank vulnerable.
Miss Fortune’s attack on Gangplank leaves him nearly dead and with the population having not seen him survive Bilgewater descends in to chaos as the man who kept all of the gangs in check isn’t around anymore.
Graves and Twisted Fate reconcile about what happened ten years prior, and resolve to leave Bilgewater behind and start their partnership up a new. Their sights are set on Piltover, both to perform a great heist and to get Graves a new gun.
Gangplank’s Survival
Days after Burning Tides.
Gangplank is rescued by servants of the Buhru chiefs, and he meets Illaoi for the first time in a long time. He basically begs for her support and that of Buhru, and Illaoi sees he needs tested. He overcomes the test and Illaoi pledges the support of Buhru’s chiefs to Gangplank as he works to reclaim his title of Reaver King.
Later Gangplank has a prosthetic made for himself.
Shadow and Fortune
Days after Burning Tides.
A Harrowing sweeps over Bilgewater with Hecarim and Thresh leading the way. Lucian, Olaf and Miss Fortune are brought together by circumstance and fight the Harrowing in their own ways. Illaoi manages to perform a ritual to invoke Nagakabouros, which showers Bilgewater in the goddess’s light and repels the Harrowing, cleansing some of it and freeing many souls from its grip.
Lucian confronted Thresh for the first time since Senna’s death. He learned Senna was imprisoned by Thresh, and has found new strength to both save her and destroy the Black Mist.
Miss Fortune had revelations about herself and has resolved to clean up Bilgewater of all crime.
Illaoi hopes to fix Bilgewater and has it in mind to work with both Miss Fortune and Gangplank to achieve this.
Olaf failed to die and presumably went back to the Freljord.
SPECULATIVE HISTORY
At some point between Shadow and Fortune and The Bird and the Branch, Jhin was released from incarceration. Presently he is in Zaun.
Bird and the Branch
Roughly a year after Shurima’s restoration.
Word of Azir’s return and Shurima’s revival reach Ionian shores, and Taliyah’s ears. Choosing family over teachings she opts to return to Shurima to ensure her tribe’s safety.
Over the course of weeks or months Taliyah finds passage to the Freljord, which she then crosses to take a ship around the west side of Valoran, winding up in the port town of Bel’Zhun, which itself is north of the Sai in Shurima. From there she skirted the Sai, going from town to town to eventually start heading inland.
But before that…
Bloodline
Taliyah finds a wounded Sivir outside of the city of Vakaura and tends to her wounds. Nasus and Xerath, both drawn by Sivir’s blood, venture to Vekaura to find her.
Nasus meets Taliyah and Sivir, they exchange words and Nasus gives the two an amulet to hide them from Xerath so they can escape. He then engages in battle with Xerath, losing but living. Thanks to Taliyah’s efforts Nasus is able to get himself up and away with ease, and some of Vakaura’s population survive despite the city’s devastation.
Echoes in the Stone
Taliyah eventually splits up with Sivir and reaches the capital city; Shurima. There she hears the echoes of the people who died at Shurima’s fall in the stone, and ventures deep in to the bowels of the city to find her family.
Currently, this is the most recent event to have occurred in the story.
Progress Day
Caitlyn sniffs out potential Noxian spies in Piltover, and manages to out one named Tamara, deporting her to Bel'Zhun with discretion. Another, Colette, manages to infiltrate Clan Medarda's ranks. Vi began the process of interrogating a prisoner in relation to the spies, though whether she discovered anything about the second spy is unknown.
........... ..... ..
Looks painstakingly over notes and draft version of this post
Er...I think I covered everything that I could have possibly covered? Maybe?
Erm...
Sod I dunno. Whatever, what do you all think? You guys think there's any credibility to this or am I talking out of my arse?
Again I'm basing this off of conjecture, research and a bit of speculation, so my version is likely not ever going to be wholly accurate, and is probably different to a lot of other people's. This is simply how I've come to understand the history of Runeterra up until now. If you want a tl;dr, then I can't help you there.
Hope you enjoyed the read! This is Sharjo; amateur League lore chronicler, signing out!
Reads the title "That's my line!"
