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What is Jhin's mask, really?

Ilionikoi·3/6/2020, 8:07:06 AM·1 votes·3,603 views

Okay so someone's gonna call me an idiot or something for this, but since this hasn't seemingly been expanded on at all and we really need some more backstory on Jhin, I'm curious as to what Jhin's mask is made of -- a lot of the official art for him seems to depict the mask in such a way that makes me think it might be made of petricite, and if so, where did he get such a mask and what would its original intended purpose have been? Why does Jhin have a mask that was most likely used by a Demacian mageseeker who was scarred in a confrontation with a particularly destructive mage, leaving his flesh vulnerable enough to require some sort of protection against magic and only has one eye as a result. Mayhaps I'm overthinking this, but what really gets me is considering the application of such a mask were it to exist in the world of Runeterra and considering the distance between Ionia and Demacia... How in the world would Jhin have gotten a hold of this mask? Where'd his gun come from? Jhin is the only Ionian who seems to have any ties to the kinds of materials and technologies present in other regions and especially Demacia. And the newly established timeline also doesn't line up! Jhin was reigning terror on Ionia before Sylas broke out and the mageseekers were called upon or even particularly necessary, was he not?

4 Comments

ModAcademy Kayn3/6/2020, 8:22:12 AM5 votes

It's a mask.

DerMangoJoghurt3/6/2020, 11:07:50 AM3 votes

I highly doubt it's made out of petricite. Jhin is a mage after all and relies on his magic to infuse his bullets. Direct contact with petricite would not only drain at his magic, it would also hurt him continuously (or at least be very uncomfortable). Additionally, as far as we know he has absolutely no connection to Demacia.

Since he used to work for a travelling theater and given his personality, I think it's most likely that his mask is fashioned after those usually used for stage performances. My guess would be a light wood that is either naturally white or painted.

Where'd his gun come from?

It was supplied to him by his patrons and was part of the Kashuri armory, I think. Although it uses hextech technology, it was crafted by an Ionian smith. (I'm sure 4 Step Cadence will correct me if I'm wrong on this one.)

And the newly established timeline also doesn't line up! Jhin was reigning terror on Ionia before Sylas broke out and the mageseekers were called upon or even particularly necessary, was he not?

Mageseekers were present before Sylas' revolution. In fact, they are the very reason he was imprisoned in the first place and a major contributor to the suppression of mages that made them revolt.

Nanuk Pihoqahiak3/6/2020, 9:11:31 AM1 votes

I'm pretty sure it also disappears when he dies? If that's the case, I wonder where it teleports itself to? I'd have to check again to clarify this, but I'm like ninety percent sure it up and zips away lol.

crippler383/6/2020, 9:58:17 AM1 votes

I don't know but that'd depend on how strong petricite is at dealing with magic, since Jhin uses a lot of magical tools.

It being petricite wouldn't be too nuts if it requires contact to stop magic, because that'd give it practical use.

Mageseekers and Petricite have been in Demacia since long before Sylas, they in fact drafted him at the start for mage hunting because he can spot and neutralize magic rather easily. So him just ordering it (illegally most likely) from Demacia once he heard about it being a magic suppressing material could have been possible. After all it'd let him watch the chaos with relative protection from both magical and non magical splash damage.