The Battle for Bilgewater comes to Factions—How the League can enrich this story

CupcakeTrap·Aug 6, 2015·10 votes·4,527 views

Bilgewater Event-Miss Fortune versus Gangplank

http://i.imgur.com/5J5jZ1q.jpg

As I've said, I really enjoyed Burning Tides. However, I'd like to point out that this is an example of a story that's not only compatible with League lore having (gasp, hide the children!) a League of Legends in it, but a story that gains depth with the presence of the League.

Whether or not you've ever participated in Factions before, you're welcome to come sign up for this weekend's tournament, and take part in the battle between Gangplank and Miss Fortune.

One of the things I liked most about Burning Tides is that it's so fully backwards-compatible, so to speak, with the lore from before the Great Retcon. This event is in large part our way of formally incorporating Burning Tides into the Factions timeline. As such, discussion of the canonical Burning Tides story and lore from both before and after the retcon is central. This is why I've decided to post this in Story & Art: because in addition to inviting people to come join our community, I'd like to ask for any comments you have about how well we've captured the essence of the Burning Tides and other Riot lore, and how we might improve upon what we have here.

24 Comments

CupcakeTrapAug 6, 201514 votes

I imagine some might respond: "but Burning Tides could NEVER happen with the League. All violence is forbidden on Valoran, especially between Champions, or else ten million all-powerful Summoners will appear out of nowhere and give everyone time out. Seriously, one time, this kid in the far reaches of the Freljord didn't eat his vegetables, and a dozen Champions teleported in to make him." (That, or a milder version of the same "the League prevents all conflict" idea.) I agree that the pre-Retcon lore can be read to support such a notion. However, not being particularly masochistic, I choose to adopt a different, saner reading of prior lore: one that says that the League is not a band of all-powerful puppetmasters, but a tenuously established supranational entity struggling to curb the worst of Runeterra's violence and prevent another Rune War. The League has neither the power nor the mandate to bring world peace to Runeterra, and I imagine you'd get a good (if somewhat contemptuous) laugh out of High Councilor Kolminye if you asked her what she thought of the League breaking up brawls between Champions, of all people.

XulsigaeAug 6, 20156 votes

It can be read that way...but that would be wrong as there are multiple examples of the League not interfering or being all knowing about events. With Burning Tides, I imagine them keeping a close watch but without any real plans to interfere unless Gangplank has some world shattering power, like a portable Nexus he stole at some point.

CupcakeTrapAug 6, 20158 votes

{quoted}

It can be read that way...but that would be wrong as there are multiple examples of the League not interfering or being all knowing about events. With Burning Tides, I imagine them keeping a close watch but without any real plans to interfere unless Gangplank has some world shattering power, like a portable Nexus he stole at some point.

"Councilor! Councilor! Some pirates and outlaws are shooting at each other in some backwater alleyway! I think they might be trying to steal a knife that may be magical!" "Oh, gosh, a magical knife? Get me Jarvan and Swain on the double. We'd better put a stop to this before it escalates. Like someone stealing a magical spoon and fork. Imagine what a lunatic like Miss Fortune might do with an entire magical place setting. GET OUT OF MY DAMN OFFICE."

In this case, the League's only getting involved because both sides want the League to be involved, and because of some technicality about every member-state needing to have a designated representative at all times. I figure that while the League only has authority to forcibly intervene in serious conflicts that pose a real risk of another Rune War, over time the states of Valoran have come to also make use of the institution as a sort of international court for smaller disputes.

Icestar1186Aug 6, 20155 votes

Imagine what a lunatic like Miss Fortune might do with an entire magical place setting. GET OUT OF MY DAMN OFFICE."

Officially one of my favorite lines ever.

NarasimhaAug 6, 20153 votes

I don't know, I'm fairly certain the League would get involved in Champion vs Champion incidents. We're talking about beings that literally define the future of Runeterra. Their every action means a lot more than a normal guys. Something like Miss Fortune trying to outright murder Gangplank and throw Bilgewater into chaos is EXACTLY what they would want to prevent. Otherwise, you just open up the gates for all sorts of incidents. Hell, if Champions could just fight each other for the whim of it, then theres no POINT to the League.

Sneak DogAug 6, 20153 votes

Have you read the interview with Shaco? Yeah... chaos...

Perhaps throwing an entire faction into chaos is a bit different, but I wouldn't make any hasty conclusions. It probably depends on who is high councilor at the time.

NarasimhaAug 6, 20151 votes

I'm fairly certain the only reason Shaco isn't in the 'locked up' category is because you can't catch him. ONLY reason I'm convinced of.

CupcakeTrapAug 6, 20154 votes

{quoted}

I'm fairly certain the only reason Shaco isn't in the 'locked up' category is because you can't catch him. ONLY reason I'm convinced of.

He's a real nuisance. He's the first Champion for whom they had to arrange two Judgments, after the first one devolved into a series of increasingly improbable explanations for "how I got these scars".

Sneak DogAug 6, 20153 votes

Wouldn't Lulu be in that category then?

I think world-ending champions are in that category, like the void monsters (about that...) and Brand (he might've been a bit ambitious). People-ending champions? People get murdered left and right, leave that to the local authorities. As long as it doesn't happen on the Institutes grounds, the IoW won't care.

CupcakeTrapAug 6, 20153 votes

[{quoted}](name=Sneak Dog,realm=EUW,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=xA0yEE3J,comment-id=0000000000000001000000000001,timestamp=2015-08-06T23:02:48.974+0000)

Wouldn't Lulu be in that category then?

I think world-ending champions are in that category, like the void monsters (about that...) and Brand (he might've been a bit ambitious). People-ending champions? People get murdered left and right, leave that to the local authorities. As long as it doesn't happen on the Institutes grounds, the IoW won't care.

My theory on the Void monsters is that, although they can be contained within the League (sort of), they're unkillable. They're not really "real" to begin with, and Valoranians have learned that blowing Cho'gath up only destroys his physical form—he'll soon tear his way back through the dimensions to manifest in Runeterra again, and all kinds of nastiness will follow him through the tear in reality. The best they can do is lock them up in the Institute. And even that's not exactly a perfect solution…all but the dimmest Summoner is vaguely aware that Cho'gath probably could bust his way out if he wanted to, begging the question of why he's so happy to stay where he is. You know. In the Institute of War. Linking minds with Summoners. Bringing the most powerful mages in Valoran inside his twisted psyche.

Chogath YOU HAVE STAINS UPON YOUR SOUL! PERFECT…

Wait, sorry, I thought I heard someth-

Chogath YOU WISH THE WORLD YOU KNOW TO END? YESSSSSSSSSS.

-ing. Um. Where was I. Right. Cho'gath. I'm thinking we shouldn't be-

Chogath SUMMONER! YOUR DARKNESS BECKONS.

-entirely complacent about the Cho'gath situation. I know, the hex-seals are supposed to hold this time. It's just…he seems awfully happy to be here.

I've lampshaded Rek'sai similarly. Not only is she a Void beast who can't be permanently killed, but she's powerfully bound to Shurima itself. Azir and Nasus worked out a way to summon her to the Fields temporarily, giving Shurima some brief respite and draining away some of her power, but the enchantments don't hold for long, and no matter how hard the Summoners try, sooner or later she melts back through reality and reappears in Shurima, somewhat worn out but also extremely pissed off.

The Leagueless version of Runeterra requires much simpler lampshading: "she's not dead because she's freaking huge, most Champions don't know she even exists, and those that do aren't seeing the profit angle in fighting her." That's a perfectly valid explanation, as well. Which version you prefer is a matter of taste. I enjoy complexity and universes with lots of squirrely, counterintuitive twists and turns, but of course there's also something nice about straightforward stories.

NarasimhaAug 6, 20151 votes

They locked up Nocturne pretty quickly. Sure, he was going around killing Summoners, but thats still only killing people. So what makes him different from Shaco?

On a side note, I'm not sure where new Amumu fits in. Riot seems pretty set on the fact that he destroys everything around him, even if it is unintentional.

Sneak DogAug 7, 20153 votes

They locked up Nocturne pretty quickly. Sure, he was going around killing Summoners, but thats still only killing people. So what makes him different from Shaco?

Nocturne was killing their people. One should not mess with the IoW, they've an image they need to desperately keep up. If they don't, well, Bad Things happen.

CupcakeTrapAug 6, 20158 votes

{quoted}

I don't know, I'm fairly certain the League would get involved in Champion vs Champion incidents. We're talking about beings that literally define the future of Runeterra. Their every action means a lot more than a normal guys. Something like Miss Fortune trying to outright murder Gangplank and throw Bilgewater into chaos is EXACTLY what they would want to prevent. Otherwise, you just open up the gates for all sorts of incidents.

Not saying that Champions aren't important, but I really am not seeing how Gangplank and MF trying to off each other, or even throwing Bilgewater into chaos, is something that the League can or would try to prevent.

I mean, go ahead, Summoner Narasimha, make the case to the Council. Tell them what they should do about Miss Fortune blowing Gangplank up, and why. Do you want to kick her out of the League? Whose interests does that serve? Let's say you kick Miss Fortune out, and she goes on to seize power in Bilgewater. She might withdraw Bilgewater from the League out of spite. That sounds pretty destabilizing. In contrast, what harm is done by her killing Gangplank? So they're down a Champion, and a pretty troublesome one at that. They've got over a hundred more, and new ones are popping up all the time. From an ice-cold realpolitik perspective, she's done the League a favor—she's killed her adversary, stabilizing Bilgewater.

Or let's say you're worried about the chaos in Bilgewater. Are you going to try to get Demacia or Noxus to step in and impose order? Now that sounds like something that would destabilize Valoran. And for that matter, even given the opportunity to grab some of Bilgewater for themselves, it's not clear to me that Demacia or Noxus would be okay with that. I don't think either of them wants to set the precedent for intervening in internal affairs.

Sure, the League might formally object to such behavior, and might urge both sides of the conflict to seek a more peaceful resolution, but I can't imagine them doing more than that, unless the parties to the dispute want the League to settle the matter.

{quoted}

Hell, if Champions could just fight each other for the whim of it, then theres no POINT to the League.

I never got the impression that the League's purpose was to teach a bunch of Champions to play nice with each other. (Granted, that's a nice benefit: the League provides a place where Champions from various nations can interact and, at least in some cases, form bonds that can facilitate positive interactions between their homelands.) More to provide a framework for dispute resolution to cut down on all-out mutually-assured-destruction warfare among member-states.

NarasimhaAug 6, 20153 votes

I mean, go ahead, Summoner Narasimha, make the case to the Council. Tell them what they should do about Miss Fortune blowing Gangplank up, and why. Do you want to kick her out of the League? Whose interests does that serve? Let's say you kick Miss Fortune out, and she goes on to seize power in Bilgewater. She might withdraw Bilgewater from the League out of spite. That sounds pretty destabilizing. In contrast, what harm is done by her killing Gangplank? So they're down a Champion, and a pretty troublesome one at that. They've got over a hundred more, and new ones are popping up all the time.

Because it sets precedent. And that's going down a dark path. What if Sejuani gets tried of Ashe, and hires, say, Katarina to kill her off? And it works? Would that be a problem? Or if Mordekaiser, during the Harrowing, strikes down Miss Fortune and raises her spirit at her side. I'd imagine that would end up pretty badly. Hell, what if Talon got ordered to kill J4, and succeeded? Is that out of their jurisdiction too?

The issue is that it opens the doors to all sorts of things. Kill one Champion, and where does it stop? What makes one incident serious, and another not worth intervening in?

From an ice-cold realpolitik perspective, she's done the League a favor—she's killed her adversary, stabilizing Bilgewater.

Well, except it did the exact opposite. It tore Bilgewater into anarachy and madness. Or do you mean the Factions version of Bilgewater? I guess you could kind of cut and paste that, but that seems kind of wrong in itself.

Do you want to kick her out of the League? Whose interests does that serve? Let's say you kick Miss Fortune out, and she goes on to seize power in Bilgewater.

I wouldn't kick her out, but she would need to face some serious penalties and have to makes amends. And if she withdraws from the League? Then she's withdrawn from its protection. Nothing to stop Demacia or Noxus from marching in and helping themselves.

Or let's say you're worried about the chaos in Bilgewater. Are you going to try to get Demacia or Noxus to step in and impose order? Now that sounds like something that would destabilize Valoran. And for that matter, even given the opportunity to grab some of Bilgewater for themselves, it's not clear to me that Demacia or Noxus would be okay with that. I don't think either of them wants to set the precedent for intervening in internal affairs.

I'd argue they'd be VERY interested in 'helping' out. It means they get to spread their ideals, their views, on a populace that has no choice but to listen to them. At worst, it causes a rebellion, in which case its just back to square one. Nothing lost. At best, they gain a concrete ally and possibly even an extension of their empire. They have EVERY reason to want to intervene.

Main point being, so long as Champions are involved, then the League has to be considered involved as well. Its the difference between being a Champion of the Institute of War, and just a national hero of their civilization.

CupcakeTrapAug 7, 20157 votes

{quoted}

Because it sets precedent. And that's going down a dark path. What if Sejuani gets tried of Ashe, and hires, say, Katarina to kill her off? And it works? Would that be a problem? Or if Mordekaiser, during the Harrowing, strikes down Miss Fortune and raises her spirit at her side. I'd imagine that would end up pretty badly. Hell, what if Talon got ordered to kill J4, and succeeded? Is that out of their jurisdiction too?

If Sejuani's able and willing to kill Ashe, I don't see how the threat of chastisement from the League would stop her. And, not that any of us wish ill for Ashe, but what if she did go through with it? What if Sejuani killed Ashe and seized control of the Freljord? Why would the Council rush to the defense of a dead person, in opposition to the new ruler of a member-state?

Boram Darkwill ruled Noxus and represented it before the League, and then Swain killed him and took his place. Swain might have gotten some wary looks in the halls of the Institute, but I don't think the Council had much to say to him other than, "So, do you want some interns to help you clean out Darkwill's office?" It was a Noxian Champion who offed a Noxian leader and become the new Noxian leader. I think that this might actually be one of the situations in which it would be least likely that the League would do anything.

I think Talon killing Jarvan IV would absolutely be illegal under League law, and absolutely would (from a legal perspective) expose Talon to liability for punishment…but the political environment that would surround a Noxian assassin killing the Crown Prince of Demacia would make all of that completely irrelevant. I can imagine a Summoner running to the Council, trying to bring a motion to sanction Talon, and being told, "Are you completely insane? Come on, we're going down to the Heart of Gold; might as well get plastered, because Runeterra's going to be a smoking cinder in a week." More seriously, I think that in such a situation the League would be desperately trying to prevent an impending apocalypse, not trying to punish Talon—especially because any action taken against Talon would be taken as a sign of the League taking sides, and becoming another combatant in a new Rune War.

So when would the League care? Well, for starters, I think the League is pretty firm about no fighting on the grounds of the Institute. That's a problem for the integrity of the Institute, and besides, nobody wants superpowered Champions brawling on top of the largest collection of arcane artifacts in Valoran.

Also, upon reflection, I have to agree with you that a Champion killing another Champion likely is an offense under the laws of the League. For example, let's say Draven gets pissed off at Fizz and lops his head off in a bar in Zaun. Presumably, Bilgewater is going to be upset about that, and is going to push for action to be taken against Draven. I think they'd have a strong position, especially if Draven had no better explanation than "he annoyed me." How that would play out would, I think, depend significantly on how proactive Bilgewater would be about pushing for sanctions, and to what extent Swain would be willing to intervene on Draven's behalf.

In the case of Miss Fortune killing Gangplank, though, you don't even have an international element: you've got a Bilgewater Champion killing another Bilgewater Champion. I see your point, that one could argue that she just jeopardized Valoran by starting civil strife within Bilgewater, but I also think it's a pretty tenuous claim that would be very tough to get traction on. As long as it stays within Bilgewater's borders, I think Miss Fortune's got a pretty strong "None of your damn business" argument.

So, if Gangplank wins this weekend, can Gangplank press for sanctions on Miss Fortune? I guess he could, yeah. If he did, I'm not sure what the outcome would be; it'd probably depend on, e.g., what kind of argument Miss Fortune could make in her defense. But backing up a step, would he? It's a personal score that he doubtless plans to settle with her personally. I don't know if Gangplank would want his first action as Pirate King of Bilgewater to be asking the League to punish Miss Fortune for almost killing him. Might make him seem kind of weak, you know? Seems like the sort of thing he'd want to take care of himself.

Is it going to be awkward explaining why neither of them finishes the job and kills the other? Sure, but that's not a problem with the League: that's a problem with any story that centers around two characters who are hellbent on killing each other. The default solution, in either setting, is to have them keep trying to kill each other but not succeed. Alternatively, we could come up with some reason why they'd back off.

NarasimhaAug 7, 20154 votes

I think what this boils down to is how we view the League. From what I can tell, you view the League as a passive guardian, something to defend against the direst of situations. When shit starts to hit the fan, they're the ones to call.

Personally speaking, I've always seen them as more of a police force. They're there to keep the peace. They want to stop situations BEFORE they become situations. Even a butterfly can start a hurricane. They might not be able to be everywhere, but anything that has the potential to erupt into a larger conflict should get their attention. And Champions fighting anytime, anywhere should head that list. These are beings of great power and charisma. Keeping them is line is a solid way to keep the peace.

But again, that's just my view point. I've always been a "100 or 0" kind of guy. And playing through the Mass Effects again hasn't helped (soooo much fun though).

CupcakeTrapAug 7, 20153 votes

I think it's more a difference in opinion about the League's power. I think the League is a much more interesting story element when it's struggling for legitimacy, trying to fight what seems to be Runeterra's fate.

As for its motivations, I think it's important to consider that the League is not a monolithic entity. It's an institution made up of a variety of actors with a variety of agendas. If we're talking about the League's Summoners and the Council, then I think there probably are a lot of "idealists" who are genuinely committed to the good of Valoran as a whole. And I do think that those people in particular would be unhappy to hear about Champions slugging it out, or civil wars starting within factions, or other such events.

As for how they'd go about responding, I think that's a more nuanced question. For example, I think you could craft a great story about the League trying to get control of a potentially explosive situation through covert action, backroom diplomacy, and so on. One reason I like the Summoner concept so much is that it seems tailor-made for creating fun tabletop-style adventures. "Summoner Narasimha. If anyone asks, this meeting never happened. You and your team are being dispatched to Bilgewater, to the Marai capital. Ostensibly, your mission will be to investigate reports of abyssal creatures who have developed resistance to the moonstone's aura. We're sending you because we have reason to believe that Gangplank has hired an assassin to murder the Marai royal family and frame the Kinkou. This could trigger an all-out war between Bilgewater and Ionia." Or whatever; that's kind of a sucky example, but still, that sort of plot is one that I find pretty exciting.

ShadowKnight1224Aug 7, 20157 votes

One interesting tidbit about Burning Tides when you consider a Leagueless lore vs. Factions lore:

Miss Fortune's plan actually makes more sense in Factions lore.

Digest that for a second, I was rather surprised by it at first.

Let's reverse-engineer Miss Fortune's plan. She wants Gangplank out in the open, in the Slaughter Docks, out of his ship (because if she just bombed his ship, he'd probably just throw himself off the board and swim back to the shore), with as many of his men as possible, and ideally with a multitude of people watching him. So how does she go about achieving this? She knows only something super important would get GP out of his ship. So it has to be something dear to him, his status... or one of the treasures he's spent his lifetime gathering. If someone dared steal from him, he would go outside and make an example out of whoever it was, so that works in setting up the scenario MF wants.

But in order to get an important item stolen, she needs an extremely good thief. Naturally, she hires TF, but TF is too good of a thief, she needs to make sure he gets caught. So, naturally, she tips off Graves. Graves knows him well, would be the only person who could prevent him from escaping with his magic. He'd make sure, unwittingly, that they'd both get caught.

So far, so good, right? Here's where it gets interesting:

In a Leagueless universe, Miss Fortune would have to go to almost ridiculous extremes to find out all this about TF and Graves.

In Factions lore, most people (especially Champions and Summoners) know that TF crossed Graves (though they might not know exactly why), and they know Graves is out for a vengeance. MF, in Factions, knows this without any effort. It's part of Valoran's cultural osmosis. But in a Leagueless universe, MF would've had to have an unbelievable network of agents and informants to tell her all the details of TF and Graves' tempestuous relationship. It's still possible, mind you, it's just less verisimile.

I just thought it was interesting.

NarasimhaAug 7, 20151 votes

Just to jump in, just based on what we were given, it almost seems like its common knowledge that Graves and TF used to be buddies, and then TF somehow betrayed him. I don't think she'd really have to know the details, only enough to make all the puppets dance.

ShadowKnight1224Aug 7, 20155 votes

In a Leagueless world, why would that be the case? You'd think a pair of experienced criminals would know better than to let their personal matters become public knowledge. And unless Graves was also a criminal of great renown before he was jailed (and there's no evidence that this was the case, as the lore says that Graves became infamous across Valoran after he broke from jail), MF would have no way of knowing that Graves had what it took to stop TF.

The only thing that makes sense in this case is if MF had agents in every major gang in Bilgewater (including TF and Graves's), and learnt the history of those two from one of her informants. It's a bit of a stretch, but technically possible. That said, my point is that the plan makes the most sense in Factions lore, not that the plan cannot happen or makes no sense in Riot's new lore (only that it's a bit of a stretch for MF).

The SoulforgedAug 6, 20153 votes

I completely forgot about factions for the past week D:. With the new event I'm happy to say I might enjoy some factions matches :).

Valaran NaraAug 6, 20153 votes

Oh crud. Cupcake's back. I thought you have forsaken us, choosing never to return again, and leaving Vi all alone without tea and crumpets.

joliesseAug 11, 20152 votes

Um...I didn't catch the matches on Twitch because the stream kept lagging for me, so could anyone please tell me the results of this event? I really like the factions and everything going on in League right now! Thanks!

CupcakeTrapAug 12, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Um...I didn't catch the matches on Twitch because the stream kept lagging for me, so could anyone please tell me the results of this event? I really like the factions and everything going on in League right now! Thanks!

I'm working on a proper summary post now. In the meantime, here are the VODs:

Saturday Game 1: http://www.twitch.tv/leaguefactions/v/10444849 Game 2: http://www.twitch.tv/leaguefactions/v/10445074 Game 3: http://www.twitch.tv/leaguefactions/v/10445341

Sunday Game 1: http://www.twitch.tv/leaguefactions/v/10445636 Game 2: http://www.twitch.tv/leaguefactions/v/10445761 Game 3: http://www.twitch.tv/leaguefactions/v/10445955

EDIT: And here's the summary post.