Runeterra

Runeterra is the fictional world of the multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends. Runeterra is the world in which the continent of Valoran exists and where the League of Legends (The Institute of War) is located.

Cities

Twenty years ago, Runeterra was on the verge of disaster. Fighting had broken out all around Valoran and surrounding continents, for the reason war had always been wrought in the land—the debate over the use of magical warfare. Runeterra held a large quantity of raw magical power and wars between tribes were becoming increasingly destructive. The dangers of unchecked magical warfare were beginning to expose the fragility of Runeterra, as soon came apparent to all in Runeterra. Despite efforts to restore it with the use of magical energy, the landscape of Valoran drastically changed over the course of the Rune Wars. The violent earthquakes and intense magically-fueled storms made life on Valoran difficult.

Before a third Rune War could take place and cause more violence, key magicians and powerful summoners from the farthest reaches of Valoran came together and concluded that their conflict needed to be resolved in a new way. To stymie the world's growing physical and political instability, they formed an organization called the League of Legends. This organization was housed in the Institute of War, as it still is today, located in the center of Valoran. All disputes could from then on be settled in controlled areas called "Fields of Justice," the most popular of these maps being Summoner's Rift.^[1]

Runeterra has several city-states which the Institute of War have deemed to have a substantial impact on Runeterra. These city-states are Bandle City, Bilgewater, Demacia, Freljord, Ionia, Noxus, Piltover and Zaun.

Ionia

Ionia is an island city-state off the east coast of mainland Valoran, northeast of Noxus. It is a haven for those who seek spiritual enlightenment and is primarily inhabited by humans. There are many schools and centers for spiritual living located on the island. Violence is frowned upon in Ionia and most citizens try to resolve their issues in a peaceful manner—so much so, in fact, that diplomacy has evolved into an art in Ionia. Their courts are well known for their fairness and neutrality. The government structure in Ionia is unique to Runeterra—the lack of military involvement has prevented Ionia from needing a single defined leader and so it is divided into provinces which each appoint their own Elder. The identity of the next Elder is determined by a competition called The Distinction which is held every five years. These elders then gather three times a year at The Convergence of Elders, where they decide upon important matters concerning the citizens of Ionia.^[2]

Despite their passive nature, Ionians are not to be taken lightly in the art of combat. They have created some of the most impressive martial art forms and orders in all of Runeterra. Notable Ionian citizens are Irelia, who created the art of Hiten; Master Yi and Wukong, the masters of Wuju; Udyr, the leader of the Hirana Monastery; Shen, Kennen, and Akali of The Kinkou Order; Zed, leader of the The Order of Shadows; Lee Sin of the Shojin Monastery; and Varus, the Pallas Temple Guardian.

Demacia

Along the western coast of Valoran, the human city-state of Demacia shines as the continent’s paragon of virtue amongst all the other human settlements. The people of Demacia are driven by their common cause to disseminate benevolence and justice for the betterment of all beings throughout Valoran. They view malice and selfishness as a disease which should be expunged from the psyche of humankind. Those who come to Demacia and choose to settle within the borders of the city-state are expected to share the ideals and virtues of its citizenry. Those who seek personal gain at the expense of others quickly find themselves ostracized… or worse.

Life in Demacia, however, isn’t one of placid utopian dreams. Since the Demacian people pride themselves as the moral vanguards of Valoran, they adopt seemingly draconian measures to ensure that their moral code remains the only code by which one may live within the city-state. Crime in any form is harshly punished; there are no misdemeanors within Demacia. Some detractors of Demacia (who criticize far from the reaches of the city-state) claim this as proof of its inherent hypocrisy. Demacians counter this argument by pointing out that their justice system incorporates benevolence and mitigation into its verdicts. No one is punished without fair and just consideration of the circumstances involved. While others may continue to criticize the harshness of Demacian law, the Demacians stand by their convictions.

Demacia is the only government in Valoran run by a constitutional monarchy, wherein the King of Demacia serves as the head of state and an elected council serves as the legislative body. While the king is a strong ruler, he is kept in check at least partially by the Demacian Council. The current King of Demacia, Jarvan III (a.k.a. Jarvan Lightshield the Third), works earnestly with the Demacian Council to ensure that the sanctity of the city-state remains pure and true. Since the rule of Jarvan I, there has never been an attempted coup or rebellion of any kind in Demacia. The king serves not only as the political leader of the city-state, but also as the commander-in-chief of its military.

The Demacian military is one of the strongest in all of Valoran, and until recently it was the only force capable of holding back the hunger of the military machine that is Noxus. Noxus has been the sworn enemy of Demacia since both settlements were founded hundreds of years ago. Their conflict is at the core a moral one, and with such a night-and-day division of moral philosophy amongst Demacia and Noxus, it is not hard to see why Demacia views its military requirements as a vital necessity to survival. Every Demacian citizen is required to serve in its military for no fewer than three years. Even after this time, most Demacians remain on active status in the city-state’s military reserve.

Demacia was one of the first supporters of the League of Legends, though its concerns were less for the planet’s stability and more to diminish the Noxian threat to Valoran. Demacia sent its best students of magic to the Institute of War, with some of them becoming master summoners. Demacia holds its own in the Fields of Justice, and this has subsequently eased the massive expenditure of resources otherwise needed to maintain its military force. The post-League Demacian military is as strong as ever, though it has shifted its focus from that of a standing invasion force, ready to re-conquest Noxian acquisitions, to that of an impenetrable bastion, secure and vigilant across its entire dominion.

Demacia is a shining beacon of hope for humanity, and as such the city is the visual representation of this concept. There is a clean and pristine feel and look to the city. Towering spires litter the skyline of Demacia. White stone and marble are the materials of choice in the construction of Demacian buildings. Majestic flags fly high along the parapets of the city. The city walls virtually gleam with power and nobility. The city itself sits next to a natural port, with the majority of the city resting on a plateau. ^[3]

Piltover

Piltover, also known as the City of Progress, is the leading center of ecologically-minded techmaturgical research on Valoran. The city's great academies and their contributions to science are known across the land, rivaled only by the eccentric colleges found in Zaun. Strangely, the coastal nation is situated atop a relatively small mountain in a vast greenish marsh. The denizens of Piltover appear to be utilizing the liquid and gases emitting from the marsh as a viable source of energy in order to power the city.

Noxus

Located on the far central eastern part of the Valoranian continent, the human city-state of Noxus is in many ways the moral antithesis of Demacia; it is a settlement where the physically and mentally strong acquire power through any means necessary, regardless of the consequences to their fellow humans. The citizenry of Noxus generally stands behind this principle, regarding the qualities of benevolence and compassion as signs of weakness. Strength begets strength, at least as far as the humans of Noxus are concerned. This seeming cruelty, however, is not an indicator of chaos. As is naturally and necessarily the case with humankind, Noxus is an orderly city-state, where rules protect the citizenry from harm… at least from their peers. In Noxus, however, those with power are clearly protected by the law more than those without it.

The ruling political organization of Noxus is called the Noxian High Command, and it acts as the head of the military. In Noxus, the military controls every aspect of the political landscape; there is no separation between the warfare and politics. The eternally youthful-looking leader of the High Command, General Boram Darkwill, has ruled Noxus for countless years. General Darkwill has far exceeded his average lifespan as a human; it is rumored that he is kept alive through necromantic magic. Such a conclusion would seem to make sense, especially when considering that he has ruled the Noxian High Command since before the time of King Jarvan I of Demacia. His seemingly endless hunger for power and conquest has driven Noxus to be the nightmarish threat to its neighbors that it is today.

Where other human settlements tend to welcome non-humans into their midst, Noxians are decidedly xenophobic. Non-humans are, at best, made to feel unwelcome within the borders of this city-state. There are exceptions to this, but only after the non-humans in question have proven themselves to be either useful or feared (or both). Human visitors and emigrants to Noxus are made to feel only slightly better, again proving themselves only by either demonstrating competence or inspiring terror in their enemies.

Military service in Noxus is compulsory for a period of six years, with all of its citizens retained as active reservists until their golden years. The Noxian High Command reserves the right to draft any of its citizens, regardless of age, into military service in times of dire need. Active Noxian military personnel are afforded a higher level of citizenship in Noxian society, and it is not uncommon for most citizens to remain active in the military for ten or more years. There is seldom a lack of work in the Noxian military, even with the forced quasi-peace that exists between Noxus and their eternal rivals, the Demacians.

The Noxian High Command strategically elected not to oppose the formation of the League of Legends, and even went as far as to give tepid support for its activities. It was clear to Valoran’s power brokers that Noxus could read the writing on the wall; to oppose the League, especially with the vast majority of Valoran behind its formation, would have been tantamount to suicide. By supporting its formation, Noxus achieved two ends. First, Noxus would have some degree of forced peace between itself and Demacia. This would allow Noxus to focus its efforts on conquest elsewhere; its track record in this conquest since the formation of the League, however, has been considerably underwhelming. Second, Noxus would focus its considerable magic talent into the League, allowing for a potentially greater degree of success in conflicts against the Demacians. To date, the endless war with Demacia has been just that – endless. The Noxian conflict with Demacia has, for the most part, surrogated itself into the Fields of Justice for considerably less cost in material and manpower. While its mortal foe has been able to relax some, Noxus has been able to relax considerably more without the iron fist of Demacia looming overhead.

Noxus is a city that resembles its inhabitants – dark and sinister. The foundation of the city was built into a granite mountain, and a fair portion of the city lies underground. Structures are built on top of and into the mountain itself. A tremendous man-made moat, filled with a witches’ brew of foul and putrid liquids, circumnavigates the city; the moat serves as an excellent means of cutting off access to Noxus through but a few key points, all of which are heavily guarded. At the top of the granite mountain resides the headquarters of the Noxian High Command; the building itself vaguely resembles a human skull from a distance. Beyond the huge city walls lie those Noxian denizens too poor (or too lucky) to live inside.

The subterranean city level of Noxus is almost as large as the top level, with numerous shops, taverns, and residences comprising the seedy underbelly of the notorious city-state. Noxus contains the largest network of dungeons anywhere on Runeterra, with numerous Noxian nobles claiming ownership over the various labyrinthine passages and subterranean rooms. ^[4]

Bandle City

Bandle City (located in Yordle Land in the south part of Valoran) is the home city of the yordle race. As with humans, yordles have both male and female genders, however they are noticeably shorter than humans and rarely exceed one meter in height. Their skin texture ranges from being completely smooth, to very lightly covered in fur, to ultimately being significantly furry. They are generally a peaceful and friendly race that fancies pranking others. They are also considered to be very social creatures and thus their government is very community based. Although they lack stature, Yordles have a well-organized battalion with several different military groups: The Megling Commandos, The Scouts of the Mothership and The Screaming Yipsnakes. Bandle City has relatively fair relationships with most other cities in Valoran one exception being Bilgewater, mainly due to pirate attacks on yordle vessels. Iconic figures whose origin relates to Yordle Land are: Corki, Heimerdinger, Poppy, Rumble, Teemo, Tristana, Ziggs, Amumu, Kennen, Lulu, Veigar.

Shadow Isles

The Shadow Isles are a small group of islands covered in a thick fog far to the north west of Runeterra. The islands are rumoured to be the home for large numbers of undead creatures. All of the islands history is stored within the two mysterious alters within the Twisted Tree Line. The Twisted Tree Line was made an addition to the League of legends after one year when summoners were sent to explore the Shadow Isles, later establishing the Twisted Tree Line as an official addition to the fields of justice. The Shadow Isles are also the home to the Spider God, Vilemaw who has made its den within the Twisted Tree Line. Champions associated with the shadow isles, Yorick, the Gravedigger is the ferryman for the isles. Karthus, the Deathsinger is the ruling lich. Evelynn, the Widowmaker is thought to have originated from the Shadow Isles given her dark appearance and inability to tolerate direct sunlight. Elise, the Spider Queen, a worshiper of the Spider God, Vilemaw. Thresh, the Chain Warden is a prison guard from the Shadow Isles whose signature tools were chains. He searches for souls to return to the Isles with. More include Hecarim, Mordekaiser, Kalista, and Maokai.

The Void

In the Void, there are apparently many unspeakable horrors across the land. Kassadin, a Champion, is the only human who has gone into it and lived, other than Malzahar. The two champions have two different goals-Kassadin's is to stop the void from spreading onto human land, while Malzahar is trying to get the Void onto human land. Some champions that come from the Void are Vel'Koz, Cho'gath, Kha'zix, Rek'Sai, and Kog'maw.

Bilgewater

Bilgewater is an island Southeast of Runeterra. The city-state is popular for those wishing to make a new start in life, however, the dangers of living there sometimes get in the way of accomplishing such goals. The islands are based upon traditional pirate lore, serving as a massive port city for sea trade, smuggling, and treasure. The different districts of Bildgewater are characterized by gang related crimes, polluted streets and wharfs, and infestations by hybrid shark-rat creatures. Although no official government rules over Bildgewater, many gangs have allied themselves under the self proclaimed King of Blidgewater, Gangplank. Under his self imposed rule, many other gangs and other populace are forced into his submission through effective usage of fear and torture. Public punishments and executions are frequent to remind the citizens of Bildgewater never to cross their uncrowned king. After the carefully plotted death of Gangplank by Miss Fortune in an act of vengeance for the pirate killing her parents, the power vacuum left behind the pirate king quickly dissolved what fragile boarders of order set in place in Bildgewater. The city state was thrown into anarchy as rivaling gangs all fought with one another to assume control over the city state. Inhabitants include Gangplank, Miss Fortune, Fizz.

References

External links

• "League of Legends Official Website"