Let's Talk About Targon

Since Zoe is coming and Targon is going to be in the spotlight for a bit I guess we can have a discussion on Targon.

I'll be honest and say prefer the old lore, and I will say the problems I have with it, but I'm going to try to be fair to the story, talk about what they remind me of, and just try to be a better person then the first few times I've done this....

Major Characters

Aurelion Sol is a great character, but he doesn't paint Targon in a good light. long ago the ancient Targonians enslaved him, using his mighty powers to build a mighty empire and fight the void infestation. Naturally, he is not happy about this... at all. Of course, his enslavement might be coming to an end, as it's power is starting to wane.

Along with this, Sol's has a huge ego and a grand sense of importance. To be fair, it's to be expected, he is the creature that makes stars, and if you were to look out on a good night sky, you can see why he's so proud of his art. Naturally, to have a bit of leverage on Sol, every time he disobeys one of his stars is destroyed. Of course, this only makes Sol angrier. So if he should get free... it would be a horrible day for all of Targon. Personally, Sol's wrath is the only thing that makes the Targonian empire in general sympathetic, but only just. It's kind of hard to come back from this, especially for how long they've been doing this to him.

Diana is a really interesting case. In a lot of ways her new lore trudges upon the same points as the original, but it doesn't seem to have the same... teeth as the original.

Old Diana was raised in the Solari Temple and was implied to have been friends with old Leona. As she felt she had more of an affinity of the moon, she wondered about what it meant, so she researched it. eventually finding evidence of the Lunari Cult. When she got the ability to look into it, she went out and found her armor and weapon. She brought her findings to the elders... and they didn't like it. She was tortured and would have been put to death, but as prayed to moon, and it answered. She murdered her tormentors and fled, planning on eradicating the worshipers of the sun.

New Lore Diana, as i already said, does have enough vague similarities to the original, but goes off in another direction. In fact Diana has very little impact on her own story. She was founded and raised by the Solari, but still had that affinity to the moon, so much so that she had gotten into arguments about it with the elders, because of that she found a book and learned about the Lunari as she cleaned the library. Her agency ends there, as her aspect basically lead her up the mountain and gave her the armor and sword.

She brought them and presented her case before the leaders and their warriors (which included Leona). Naturally, they didn't like it and were going to kill her. This leaders to her murdering them (expect for Leona....) and feeling into the wilds. The sad thing is that she had no choice in that, it seems like the aspect took control of her.

to shorten it, New Diana didn't do anything. She doesn't seem to have any agency in her actions and it just makes her come across as someone who had no choice in anything that happens to her, like a leaf in the breeze. on the bright side, this also kind of makes her pitiable. Still the theme's of the original seem to be far more interesting; i mean, old Diana had basically become as had as the Solari Elders, and didn't believe that the two sides could co-exist after the fact. New Diana really didn't change that much. I suppose they'll give her development later but.... it's not a good first Impression.

Leona, thematically has taken a rather impressive turn, Originally, Leona was one of the kindest people in the league, right up there with Braum and Soraka. Now, it's like they replaced her with a Sister of Battle.

Old Leona was a bit flat I will admit. She was friends with Pantheon, but both had very different interests. Leona was against her culture because of the rite they had that required a teenager to kill another in a ritualized event to earn a place in the tribe, and their ancestral weapons. Pantheon, however, was very much a big part of his culture. Naturally, when the both of them went through the rite, Pantheon had no problem going through with it, but Leona refused. Naturally, she would be put to death, but before the execution could take place the sun chose her as it's emissary. She was taken to the Solari temple and she became the embodiment of their ideals; That strength is meant to protect those who couldn't defend themselves.

New Leona however, was just as much a part of the Rakkor culture. In this version of events, their are monsters that live in the mists around the mountain. Leona and her fellows were to dispatch them. One day, she spared one, which wasn't looked kindly by Atreus. They fought to the death, but neither could kill the other. The Solari, however, took an interest in her and brought her up so she could serve under them.

She joined the Ra-Horak, which were the military branch of the Solari. Things went well for her... and then Diana happened. Leona was the only person spared by "Diana" and due to the back that Diana had been trying to say that the Solari were wrong, she wanted to murder her. On raw hatred she climbed targon and the demon she spared was actually the sun aspect who gave her the power and knowledge. Now, she still hunts Diana, but only because she's the only one she can share this with.

I feel this is the single worst retcon League of Legends ever had. As a theme, Leona was always made with being tied to the sun. She embodies it's most positive aspects; warmth, compassion, and joy. IronStylus based her face on his wife, which to me is amazing; she's the bases for one of the best female characters in the game.

This Leona would be fine... as an original character. It's honestly bizarre and a little head-scratching; how and why did it change this much? I have no doubt they'll try to bring her back to her roots, but I feel the damage is done. It's just not Leona, and there really isn't a way to convince me it is. On her own, she's kind of interesting, but it feels.. lacking. We really don't get much of her character aside from she's a zealot... which is most of the Solari at this point.

Pantheon doesn't show up in his own lore until the end. The reason is because he is an aspect. The Lore follows Atreus, the same guy who tattled on Leona. He had a fairly interesting story, but when he climbed the mountain, Pantheon chose him as his host. Strangely, unlike the others this process killed Atreus. It could be because he was already injured, but it seems based on the reactions we get this may be normal for it.

Old Pantheon was a simple guy, but i liked that he stood up for his traditions, which he felt were being wiped out by the Institute. I'll take more about this Pantheon in the aspect Section, but i will say that he is what he is; a hollow ghost in a meat suit. He honestly was no other personality besides warrior... and the lines he only has because Pantheon hasn't been updated.

Taric is one of the better champions from Targon, but something about him always comes across as smug. He was a demcian nobleman who was also a part of the military. While he was a great warrior, he had a fascination with the arts and other, beautiful things. While this made him fairly beloved by the commoners, the high command and Garen saw him as goofing off. eventually it got so bad that he was continuously demoted until he was placed incharge of a small fort near some ruins.

Somehow, a void creature killed them all while he was away. As that was the last straw, he was banished and told to climb Targon as punishment. While most people use this as an excuse to just leave without shame, Taric decided to do it anyways. He got to the top and after passing his test, he got the protector aspect, and is now tasked with guarding all of Valoran.

I honestly think Taric has the best of intentions, but he always seems to come across as patronizing . He'll help you out, but he'll child you about your faults along the way, blissfully oblivious to his own. i also don't get the whole Flower thing, I mean, the flower is going extinct, we don't know if it's just natural selection of the result of some Zaunian spill-over, so if honestly comes across as if Taric got himself some Blue and Orange Morality as he fights Noxains and his own countrymen over it. I get that he likes beautiful things, but lives are often more important than flowers to normal humans.

ZOE

Since she's not here yet I'll keep this brief. i like her design, but tricksters tend to be... annoying if done poorly and some of her lines make me cringe. I don't know if she herself is the aspect or it did something horrible to that little girl, but time will tell. i hope she can become another positive spot in targon's roster. If not... well, Targon may need another lore update.

Minor Stuff

The aspects

The aspects are the single most horrifying thing in league's canon. Ancient powers capable of granting humans incredible powers with agendas of their own. No one knows much about them, but what we do know shows that whatever they are, they are not forces for good. They seem to appose the void, but at the same time their methods suggest a lack of care of those who get in there way.

Granted, they don't have much of a character, which means it's easy to see them however we want. At the same time, it seems these things have a lot of influence. I mean, it is a bit strange that Diana had a lot of things given to her, and Leona was mysteriously unharmed. I once made the suggestion of all the events of Taric's life were manipulated by his aspect. A rioter corrected me, but admitted that he could see how i came to that conclusion. Leona also had a mysterious change of heart after she met the sun aspect as well.

Pantheon of course is the most interesting of the lot, as it appears he always kills his hosts. This certainly casts a dark light on his compatriots. There is also the matter of the Sun aspect's existence; does it really represent the sun? I mean Sol may or may not have made it but what would the sun have against him? Also, while some where given a choice, I'm not quite sure they could climb back down Targon, especially since it's already a tremendous task. Did any of them really have a choice if they wouldn't have survived without their new abilities?

New targon in general reminds me a lot of the Eldar from WH40k, the aspects being similar to Phoenix Lords and Pantheon comparable to Kaela Mensha Khaine the problem is they're not as interesting, as none of them posses human attributes. even void creatures have personality, these things just feel like powers, but at the same time they also just seem like alien horrors straight out of Lovecraft.

The Solari

As I've mentioned before, the Solari have become zelots. In the original they seemed to teach kindness and compassion, and Leona embraced those values. I think keeping the conspiracy against the Lunari within the elders made it an interesting mystery. We don't know what happened, for all we know the Lunari shot first. The elders want it under wraps, but they tortured Diana in the original, so they probably knew something. In the new lore, they come across as cartoonish villains because Leona, the one who always upheld their beliefs the best, wanted to murder Diana, who hadn't done anything wrong.

Finally, I think what Targon needs at the moment is a character that just lives there. Not anymore aspects, just a human character we can relate to. I used to think that would be Pantheon, but now I can't really see any of them as people, just these things that you see in fairy tales only to be creeped out by it later in your life when you understand it better.

that's it. the Original version of this was lost. I hope you enjoy and have a great day. Good Luck on the fields of justice!