Runeterra

Runeterra (meaning magic earth) is an an oblate spheroid planet[1] and the fictional world where
most of the lore of League of Legends takes place on. The currently known continents the planet
comprises of are Valoran and Shurima. It also boasts several large bodies of water, such as the
currently known 18 Seas (like the Conqueror's Sea and the Guardian's Sea), and 2 Oceans with
several archipelagos and islands around them (like Ionia, Serpent Isles, and Shadow Isles). The
planet revolves around a G-type star while a natural satellite moon revolves around the planet.[2]

Contents

History
The Rune Wars

Centuries ago, magical artifacts called ‘World Runes’ have been rediscovered. Over the following
decades after such event, knowledge of the Runes began to spread as more were unearthed. The
world’s brightest minds studied the ancient glyphs, attempting to determine the powers they
possessed. Few could even begin to understand the importance of their origins, or the sheer power
held within them. Some surmised that the Runes were integral to the creation of Runeterra itself.
The first use of these mysterious artifacts proved catastrophic, as they reshaped the landscape of
entire nations. Mistrust quickly grew as those who knew of the Runes imagined such “Makers’
Might” being used as a weapon. Conflicts later related to these magical artifacts were known as
the Rune Wars.
Open warfare raged across Runeterra. The first horrors of the Rune Wars sparked fear and
aggression among those who now realized the power at their command. Ryze and his master,
Tyrus, have sought out to lock away every World Rune beyond the reach of man for the protection
of Runeterra. Some complied with their pleas, others dismissed them due to their new found
powers and influence. After an incident with Tyrus, Ryze later on continued his journey alone in
gathering all Runic artifacts so as to prevent another Rune War from starting and possibly
destroying the world.

Races
 SAPIENT
 FAUNA
 FLORA

Runeterra is home to many denizens. Most of those are humans, but there are other races as well:

 Ascended: The term ascended refers to all humans who were magically altered by celestial
magic.[3] There are several types of ascended such as:
 Targonian Ascended: A melding of a human and Targon aspect, they retain their
mostly human appearance after ascension. It is currently unknown how many of these
Ascended ever came to be. Despite their small numbers, the Targonian ascended
remain among the most powerful beings on Runeterra, and have shaped the coarse of
events throughout the planets history.
  Shuriman Ascended: An order of intelligent anthropomorphic beings of exceptional
power, originating from and dedicated to the defense of Shurima, an ancient empire
over three thousand years dead. The ascended were once humans who underwent a
transformative ritual that granted them near-immortality and demigod-like powers in
order to safeguard their nation in its darkest hour. It is currently unknown how many
of these Ascended ever came to be. Despite their small numbers and Shurima's
collapse millennia ago, the Shuriman Ascended remain among the most powerful
beings on Runeterra.
 Baccai: Those who survived a failed ascension ritual are known as the baccai, who
became physically twisted and malformed as a result.
 Darkin: Are corrupted ascended formed after the Fall of Shurima. They were later
sealed away in weapon prisons. They take form of demon-like, winged humanoids.
They are shown to wield tremendous powers over physical and mental psyches of
mortals, as demonstrated by Aatrox. Only five remain in existence, with only three
of those five still known to history in some way.
 Brackern: An ancient, peaceful, and magical race of large, crystalline scorpions that
inhabited the ShurimaDesert. At birth, brackerns have no crystals covering their soft
carapace, and will have to find a soulstone, a special crystal that contains the memories and
emotions of its previous owner, and fuse with it, experiencing all that it contained and
encasing the brackern's carapace in crystals. If one is not found soon, they will die within a
few moments. During the Rune Wars, the brackern went into hibernation deep beneath the
ground, waiting for the Rune Wars to end. The first of them, Skarner, was awakened by
the mental screams of his brethren as humans began to break the crystal carapace of his kind,
resulting to many of their deaths.
 Celestials: A race of enigmatic beings wielding powers that are said to be godlike, Celestials
are the universe's protectors and caretakers, seeding and influencing the tide of the world's
past, present and future towards the greater good. Others interfere directly, as with the case
of Soraka's crusade of healing and restoration, while others choose to contribute as a hidden
hand, as is Bard's way to protect the multiverse from falling to destruction. Most of them are
revered as powerful deities or guardians but they share the same mystery and bond with the
heavenly firmaments. A few have been named and identified by the people of Runeterra as its
patron: Soraka and Bard.
 Aspects: Celestial rulers of Targon Prime, these beings embody concepts and celestial
magics. They are able to meld with mortals, ascend them, making them their hosts with
which they are able to traverse and / or interact with the mortal plane with relative
efficiency.
 Celestial Dragons: With abilities far beyond their terrestrial kin, these beings are able
to forge new stars and solar systems. They have incredibly long lifespans, seemingly
immortal. Aurelion Solhas forged stars since the dawn of time, and now
unwillingly serves Targon and its Aspects.
 Dragons: Winged, elemental-breathing reptiles that can reach near-giant sizes over their
long, long lifespans, they are the indisputable ruler of the skies. Both fearsome and majestic,
dragons have a society that revolves around strength and might and because of their egoistic
and narcissistic pride, mixing their blood with that of races outside of dragonkind are seen as
an abomination, a cancer that must be eradicated utterly. Many dragons persecute such
defiled creations and their perpetrators to no end, a thing that Shyvana, the Half-Dragon,
and her deceased father found out firsthand. There are five types of dragons: Cloud,
 Infernal, Mountain, Ocean drakes (all Elemental Drakes), and Elder Dragons. The
firstborn female dragons of certain dragon bloodlines have elemental rune shards within
them, which gives them their elemental powers.
 Golems: Whether created from origins organic or inorganic, Golems are artificial constructs
designed by sentient hand to provide a tireless aide for the plethora of purposes it was made
for, usually combining multiple capabilities for a multitude of work or a focused specialty
otherwise unachievable by a normal person. Golems are made with either a semblance of
intelligence or full-fledged sentience, although creation of them are frowned upon by people
for reasons ranging from ethical to moral. The Demacian artificer Durand's creations, most
notably his magnum opus Galio, and the steam construct of Viktornamed
Blitzcrank are two of the most famous of these creations.
 Iceborn: An ancient race of magically altered humans. They were granted near immortality,
incredible power, icy forms, and resistance to low temperatures by the Watchers of the Void,
in return for the Iceborn's servitude. They served the Watchers for a time before they
rebelled, seeking their freedom from their masters in a mighty war which they won.
Besides Lissandra, iceborn descendants continued to exist in the Freljord such as
Ashe and Sejuani. They are among a few beings able to touch and use True Ice.
 Minotaurs: Enormous humanoid bovines, they lived in great tribes in areas
around Piltover and Noxus and are quite noble and valorous in their ways. The Minotaurs
have suffered greatly from the cruelty of the Noxian warmachine, with many of them having
been enslaved and forced to fight as gladiators in the brutal Noxian event known as the
Fleshing. Alistar, the Minotaur, is a survivor of this game and seeks to protect his people
from tyrannical dangers such as Noxus.
 Spirits: Creatures that inhabit the ether and are divorced from the mortality that mortals
suffer, spirits are similar to Celestials in a sense that they help maintain the balance of the
natural world, intervening every now and then, whether the causes they support are
maligned by mortals or revered by them. Spirits are deathless, returning to the ether when
their physical vessels are destroyed and return again to continue their crusade. The Meeps
that accompany Bard is an example of such supernatural longevity. The Kindred, known
as Lamb and Wolf, are the twin essences of death (the quick and painless, and the
long and violent deaths). This means that some spirit's have the capabilities of a god or a
godlike being. In Ionia, it is the charge of the Eye of Twilight to ensure the balance
between the spirit and mortal realm be maintained.
 Primal Spirits: Beings who legendarily participated in the creation of Runeterra, three
demigods are known to have settled themselves in the Freljord, the 'siblings'
Anivia, Ornn, and Volibear. Another has been mentioned simply as 'Seal Sister'.
 Demons: Spiritual beings with no inherent form, who are forged and driven by the
thoughts and feelings of mortals. Specifically, demons are malign and manipulate
victims to sate their own desires for suffering, such as Evelynn who has horrifically
tortured victims of her allure to give herself pleasure from their pain ever since
she was awakened by the Rune Wars, and Tahm Kench who traps the desperate in
deals that cannot be kept to satisfy his hunger for despair. While moral alignment may
stop her from being a true demon (labeled instead as something of a goddess),
Janna ultimately falls into the same class of being, as she was born of hope and must
cultivate it to sustain herself.
  Faerie: Playful, winged, humanoid creatures that are smaller than the yordles. They
inhabit the forests of the latter. They have capricious abilities of transfiguration and
matter distortion and their glades seem to exist in dimensions far removed from the
normal flow of time. One can only enter their glades when invited by a Faerie, as
Pix has done with the yordle Lulu.
 Treants are a fusion of nature spirits (or any sapient species) and plantlife. One such
species was the Omikayalan God-Willow, which essence was later transferred to the
Freljordian warrior Ivern. Other example is Maokai, a nature spirit fused with
the plantlife and natural magicks of the Blessed Isles.
 Vasthayshai'rei: Original spirit ancestors of the Vastaya.
 Yordles: Bipedal mammalian like spirit beings of small in stature. They live in a
magically area known as Bandle City, completely inaccessible besides several gateways
scattered across Runeterra. Yordles appearance and behavior closely ties with the
physical location they inhabit.
 Trolls: Grotesque, humanoid species that inhabit the Freljord and Shurima. Frost trolls are
mostly blue-skinned and live in tribes, while sand trolls are mostly purple-skinned. Lately,
the frost trolls have begun preparing for war, rallying under the banner of Trundle, the
Troll King. Jax is a sand troll survivor of Icathia. It is unknown how many sand trolls are
left as their kind are considered a myth in modern times.
 Undead: Abominable creatures, created when the barrier between life and death is shattered
and defiled. They predominantly reside in the Shadow Isles but their influence and
manifestations have reached Valoran's shores over the past decades.
 Ursine: A race of fierce, bear-like warriors who make up the war-host of the Freljordian
demigod Volibear.
 Vastaya: They are chimeric creatures of Runeterra whose lineage contains both human
blood and the spiritual magic of a pre-human animalistic race known as the Vasthayshai'rei.
They originate from Ionia, but have later spread all across Runeterra. Each of the Vastayan
Tribes of each region of the world have adapted to their environment and as such differ
greatly form one-another in appearance. Humans with distant Vastayan heritage have
shapeshifting abilities. They are sometimes mistakenly referred to as taller yordles.
 Voidborn: Voidborn are Runeterran beings constructed by the Watchers of The Void. Their
reason for existing is to accept, consume, and learn all the information about Runeterra
necessary enough to aid for the eventual return of the Watchers. In Shurima they are referred
to as "outerbeasts".
 Baron Nashor is a Voidborn creature residing somewhere in Valoran. This one of
a kind creature has a shape and behavior of a river serpent. What differentiates it from
a regular serpent is its numerous arachnid appendages, as well as two additional
mouths protruding from its head area. The creature has 12 eyes (some of them injured
due to past battles), a mouth with sharp teeth that can gape open wide for larger prey,
and horned like crests on the top of the head. The colours of the creatures exoskeleton
go from dark purple to light teal. This creature was believed to be deceased for
numerous centuries.
 Xer'Sai are Voidborn that plague the southern deserts of Shurima. They are the size of
big dogs on average, but can be smaller and much bigger. Rek'Sai is by far the
biggest and the most dangerous of the species. Xer’sai burst from their small burrows
and savage anything nearby, at the detriment of desert caravans. Once dead, the
Xer'sai decompose at an abnormally rapid rate and become inedible.
  Watchers: A fearsome and powerful race of Void creatures that have been deliberately
removed from the histories of Freljord by the Ice Witch's unseen hand, these creatures of the
Void claimed domain over the Freljord in ancient times. The Watchers were the makers of
the Voidborn and Iceborn who said to have served them faithfully in exchange of the vast
powers granted unto to them. Their reign of terror was only halted by the rebellion started
by Avarosa and Serylda and ended by Lissandra when she sealed her former masters in True
Ice under the Howling Abyss.
 Unique beings also exist in the world, usually a product of some magical or human-driven
phenomenon. Elementals, sentient armadillos, crossbow-wielding rats,
cyborgs, chimeric werewolves, artificial lifeforms and more unknown races.

Locations

Map of Runeterra (Northern Hemisphere)

There are many regions and settlements on Valoran, Shurima, Ionia, and Oceania. The current
known locations represent the 1/6 of the entire map of Runeterra, mostly comprising areas in the
Northern hemisphere, the rest of Runeterra remains largely unknown. The known areas are:
 VALORAN
 SHURIMA
 IONIA & OCEANIC
 Bandle City (numerous gateways)

 Demacia
 North Demacia
 Rocky Highlands
 Bloody Wall
 Fossbarrow
 Fossian Crownguard’s tomb
 The tower of a Lightbringer
 High Silvermere
 Knight’s Rock
 Crownguard family mansion
 Petricite Grove
 Demacian Vault
 World Rune Chamber
 Raptor Aerie
 Uwendale
 Quinn's family home
 East Demacia
 East Wall
 Fields of Brashmore
 Gates of Mourning
 Greenfang Mountains
 Memorial Road
 Galio Monument
 Serpentrion River
 Golden Crossing
 Wardens Wall
 Palsfield
 South Demacia
 Westerley (east)
 Andras (ruins)
 Evenmoor
 Needlebrook
 Wrenwall
 Castle Wrenwall
 Lower Demacia
 Cloudwoods
 Vaskasia
 Jandelle
 Terbisia
 South Wall
 West Demacia
 Demacia City
 Alabaster Library
 Buvelle Mansion
 Crownguard mansion
 Demacian Barracks
  Demacian Harbor
 Demacian Penitentiary
 Laurent Mansion
 The Citadel of Dawn
 The Hall of Valor
 The Grand Plaza
 The Temple of the Lightbringers
 The Golden Round
 Vayne Mansion
 Serpentrion River
 Edessa
 Lissus
 Pinara
 Velorus
 Westerley (west)
 Dawnhold
 Whiterock

 Freljord
 North Freljord
 Naljaäg
 Ridgeback Mountains
 Foundling Village
 Frosthorn Peak
 Fortress of the Iceborn
 Vaults of the Iceborn
 Warded Gateway
 Frozen Caverns
 Howling Abyss
 Bridge of Sorrows
 Bridge of Shadow
 Bridge of the Lost
 The Hall of the Nine
 What-Dwells-Below
 Frostguard Citadel
 Ice-Troll Lands
 Yeti's Vigil
 The Great Pinnacle
 Ursine Lands
 Valley of Spines
 Mourncrow Tribe
 Glacial Prison
 World Rune pedestal
 East Freljord
 Broken Mountain
  Hearth-Home (ruins)
 Ornnholm
 Winterspike
 South Freljord
 Rakelstake
 Avarosa Monument
 West Freljord
 Frostheld
 Lokfar
 Glaserport
 Ice-locked Harbor
 Chained Wolfships
 Rygann's Reach (ruins)
 Valar's Hollow
 Holdrum
 Nockmirch
 Noxus
 North Noxus
 Dalamor Plain
 Drugne
 Northern Steppes
 Ironspike Mountains
 Annie's childhood home (ruins)
 Delverhold
 Rugg
 The Iron Pinnacle
 East Noxus (Valoran)
 Basilich
 Blackrock Mere
 Bloodcliffs
 Bucket Creek
 Drekan
 Fenrath
 Khworez
 Noxus Prime
 The Immortal Bastion
 Stairs of Triumph
 Audience Chamber
 Emperors Throne
 House Du Couteau
 House Swain
 House Kythera
 House Zaavan
 Old Noxus
 Sion's Memorial
The Black Rose
The Fleshing Arena
 The Drakengate
 South Noxus (Valoran)
 Argent Mountains
 Argent Coast
 Glorft
 Kilgrove
 Trevale
 Riven's childhood home
 Ironwater
 Krexor
 The Great Barrier
 Vindor
 Trannit
 Varju Mountains
 Rokrund Plains
 Rokrund
 Qualthala
 Palclyff
 Piltover
 North Piltover
 Drawsmith Arcade
 Heimerdinger's Laboratory
 Iron Sand Commercia
 Mainspring Crescent
 North Wind Commercia
 Old Hungry Clock
 Piltover City Zoo
 Bluewind Court
 Clan Arvino Mansion
 Clan Cadwalder Mansion
 Clan Ferros Mansion
 Clan Giopara Mansion
 Jayce's Laboratory
 Clan Holloran Mansion
 Clan Kozari Mansion
 Clan Medarda Mansion
 Clan Morichi Mansion
 Clan Torek Mansion
 Piltover Wardens
 Piltovan theater
 Hall of Law
  Old Reveck's house
 Corin's workshop
 The Cliff
 Drop Street
 Sun Gates
 The Great Funicular of Cantexta
 Techmaturgy Bridge
 Statue of The Spirit of Wealth
 Statue of The Essence of Honesty
 The Dock
 Piltover’s warship squadron
 Wharfside Docks
 The College of Techmaturgy
 South Piltover
 Boulevard of a Hundred Taverns
 Boundary Markets
 Ezreal's house
 First Assemblage of the Glorious Evolved
 The Assemblage Hall
 Glasswell Street
 Horologica Avenue
 Sidereal Avenue
 Incognia Plaza
 Zindelo's Incognium Runeterra
 Oblique Lane
 Piltover's Treasury
 The Clockwork Vault
 The Ecliptic Vaults
 Workshop of the Horological Institute
 Rising Howl

 Zaun
 Promenade Level
 Boundary Markets
 College of Techmaturgy
 Skylight Commercia
 Pump Station
 Rising Howls
 Endersol Level
 Augmentation Parlors
 Breather Station
 "Pure Air" Market
 Shimmer Bar
 Bridgewaltz
 Chemtech Seam
  Cultivair
 Delicatessens
 Drop Street
 Emberflit Alley
 Viktor's Laboratory
 Reveck's house
 Corin's Workshop
 Rising Howls
 Sir Feisterly’s Fantastical Fair
 Sump Level
 Bonscutt Pump Station
 Dredge Prison
 Factorywood
 Old Zaun
 Old Hungry
 Priggs Industries
 Priggs Industries factories
 Priggs Industries warehouse
 Sump Works
 The Slums
 Black Lanes
 Commercia Fantastica
 Hope House Orphanage
 Ekko's house
 Memorial Wall
 Zaun's Asylum for the Irreparably Troubled
 Zaun Sewer
 The Cliff
 Tokogol
 Forests of Tokogol
 Nations

Map indicating the locations of each of the significant nation's capitals.

Runeterra has vast number of nations and settlements each with their own form of governing
structure.
 COUNTRIES
 CITY-STATES
 OTHER/NON-GOVERNED

Consists of all the nations that control large amounts of territory as well as a number of cities,
towns, and villages. These nations may or may not have a centralized or a unified government.

 Bilgewater (Gang Syndicates)

 Empire of Noxus (Expansionist Empire)
 Empire of Shurima (Divine Empire)

 Freljord (Tribal Matriarchy)

 Ionia (Regional Provinces)

 Kingdom of Demacia (Feudal Monarchy)

 Mount Targon (Tribal Theocracy)
Religions
Religions in Runeterra are largely varied in every nation but several have been known to gather the
most of followers:
 The Church of The Glorious Evolved: The Church is celebrated in both Piltover and Zaun.
The Glorious Evolution, views of flesh as inferior to that of steel and metal, has gathered most
of the followers among the people of Zaun and has spread among other nations. An
amalgamation of flesh or the total replacement of it had marked his works, incorporating
 techmaturgy to purge the weakness and inefficiency of the flesh. For as long as they exist, the
day of the world replaced by beings of weaponized steel and metal becomes clearer with
each passing day. The church gathered fragments of Viktor's philosophy and see him as a
messianic figure, but Viktor couldn’t care less for them, viewing their quasi-religious cult as
an aberration; another reason to eliminate emotional foibles and the belief in that which
could not be empirically proven.
 The Great Weaver: The worship of the goddess of fate. The Shurimans, being a nomadic and
simple people, have prayed to her for guidance and help in their daily lives and needs, and
give and protect those in her favor. She is said to weave the threads of each and every things'
fate into a magnificent tapestry, designating what has been and what shall come to be.
Taliyah, the Stoneweaver is said, by her tribe elders, to have been given her powers over
earth by the Great Weaver herself.
 Lamb and Wolf: For as long as its people have known death, Kindred has
stalked Valoran. When the final moment comes, it is said a true Demacian will turn to Lamb,
taking the arrow, while through the shadowed streets of Noxus, Wolf leads the hunt. In the
snows of the Freljord, before going off to fight, some warbands 'kiss the Wolf', vowing to
honor his chase with the blood of their enemies. After each Harrowing, the town
of Bilgewater gathers to celebrate its survivors and honor those granted a true death by
Lamb and Wolf. Kindred waits for those locked in the undeath of the Shadow Isles, for they
know all will eventually fall to Lamb's bow or Wolf's teeth.The earliest dated appearance of
the eternal hunters is from a pair of ancient masks, carved by unknown hands into the
gravesites of people long-forgotten.
 The Lunari: The worship of the Moon. The religion spoke that the world needed balance
between both sun and moon to live and thrive. However, it has long since been quashed from
the world and history, most likely by the Solari's hand. The Lunari's return may come to pass
through the crusade waged by Diana, the Scorn of the Moon and an outcast by the Solari
themselves.
 The Mother Serpent: The worship of the goddess of motion, Nagakabouros. Originating from
the Serpent Isles, now known as the Blue Flame Islands, Nagakabouros still remains the
reigning deity in Bilgewater. Her church is now led by her chosen Truth Bearer, Illaoi, the
Kraken Priestess. The religion highly demands that you follow your desires, and make your
own fate, one of the primary reasons why this faith's presence remains strong today.
 The Solari: The worship of the Sun as the source of all life. Solaric worship is largely made up
by a special sect of Rakkorians who surrender their mantles of war in favor of greater solar
devotion. Their founder and leader chose Mount Targon, being the highest peak closest to the
Sun, and was blessed with the power to call down the sun's wrath. Currently, Leona, the
Radiant Dawn, has taken this legend's regalia and fights to protect the helpless and the
innocent.
 The Veiled Lady: There is among a multitude of deities worshiped in Demacia. Demacians
pray the deceased find a safe passage to her shortly after death.
Runeterra also has a few cults:
 The Cult of the Spider has most of its followers located in Noxus and Demacia. The
champion, Elise, serves as its High Priestess, traveling to and from between the two
nations and the Shadow Isles, bringing her followers to live with the Spider God,
Vilemaw, for eternity, or so they believe.
 The Frostguard has most of its followers located in Northern Freljord, with the Frostguard
Citadel being its main center of worship. Followers pray and worship the
three Iceborn sisters of old: Avarosa, Serylda, and Lissandra. Yearly, three warriors of the
Frostguard are chosen to the the Climb down the Howling Abyssto check in the runic prisons
holding back the Watchers of any signs of melting and giving away.
 The Cult of the Void is a cult that first began when Malzahar claimed that Runeterra will
be salved by the Void. It's followers do sacrifices to the nothingness below, hoping that this
keeps the holy fury of the Void in check.
 The Disciples of the Armordillo is by far the only cult that does not have any detriments.
The cult revolves around the champion, Rammus, whom they believe to be a
god, Ascended, oracle, or something along those lines. Disciples yearly conduct ceremonies
wherein they will imitate his famous roll, and somersault across their respective cities in
droves. Many pilgrims roam the desert, in the hopes that they will find him and answer a
single question. Knowing his cravings for sweets, they often fill all of their caravans with
treats and sweets, usually finding their caravans exhausted of it all first thing in the morning.