Garden of Shadows
The Garden of Shadows is a creation by authors Arddhu, Luke Nitole, and Vinícius “Aristóteles” Hermínio about a new dimensional realm connected to Runeterra. This material isn’t canon and is considered optional for Runarcana RPG adventures.
Ch. 2: Creatures
- Argoi
- Executioners
- Stygian
- Megaera
- Nyxis
Ch. 3: Materials
- Shadow Weave
Ch. 4: Runes for Creatures
- Preternatural Dodge
- Shadow Bond
- Deadly Beauty
- Insatiable Hunger
- Malicious Whisper
- Call of the Shadow
Ch. 1: The Garden and the Shadows
“You might believe shadows are nothing more than the absence of Light. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong, except for the fact that shadows carry within them every possibility of the unknown, of the unexpected. It’s what happens to the space that goes unfilled.”
The Garden of Shadows is a theoretical realm. It’s said to exist between the Spiritual Realm and the Material Realm, a plane formed by negative thoughts, despair, fears, and, above all, the nightmares of living beings.
The theory holds that it’s a purely psychic plane, but its existence has never been confirmed. Many studies and calculations point to the existence of this realm, from which shadows and nightmares that manifest in the material world are said to derive, and upon closer examination, a sense that it’s real lingers in the mind of any scholar who looks into it. Several Arcanes have tried to study it in depth, but never managed to find a way into such a realm, even while managing to draw forces and powers from it through shadow magic.
The name “Garden of Shadows” has been whispered for longer than the nations of Valoran can recall, whether in Freljord, Shurima, or even Ionia. This region exists in the imagination of the living and for a time was even part of the stories children told each other to frighten one another.
Outside public knowledge, a few manuscripts about this realm are sealed away in the Immortal Bastion after an age of work by the Black Rose. In Ionia, ironically, some Ionian elders seem to know about the subject but avoid discussing it, as if the mere mention of such a realm could lend it power. The only organization that seems to have had any concrete success in this investigation is the Black Rose, though the results are reserved solely for members of the highest ranks of their order.
Again in Ionia, there’s one of the few places where the Garden is spoken of openly, among the Ninja of the Order of Shadow. But to them the Garden is regarded far more as a philosophical allegory than as something real and concrete; they speak of this realm as if it existed only in people’s minds, tied to fear.
Among those who belong to the Noctigenous Path, there’s a theory that the Yanlei — the black, viscous liquid used for their tattoos imbued with shadow energy, which allows them to wield shadow magic — comes from the Garden. The alchemical processes they developed to extract Yanlei by converting magic into shadow magic seem to reinforce this belief.
The only public record known to have existed is a manuscript found in Fae’lor by Noxus, which mentioned not only the Garden but also the primordial demons, the Azakana, and some relation between them and the creation of the Garden of Shadows. However, only a poorly made translation of that manuscript survived, since the original was stolen while being transported to Noxus. The Black Rose pays a good price for any lead toward its location.
Shadow Seeds
The only known and confirmed interaction between the Garden of Shadows and the physical world is the shadow seeds, which appear to be portals that let creatures from the Garden enter the physical plane. These seeds have no fixed appearance, having been recorded taking forms similar to an egg in some cases, and a bubbling pool of pitch in others.
The one consistent trait among the seeds is the material they’re made of, a black mass that reflects no light whatsoever, being the darkest black anyone who witnesses a seed will ever see. Every creature from the Garden appears to share this trait.
How exactly a shadow seed comes into being is a matter of much debate. Some believe it happens in places where great tragedies have occurred and intense despair has been constant, while others believe the seeds arise as the fruit of a magical child’s nightmare before that child has experienced their arcane awakening.
Some Arcanes investigating this realm succeeded in creating a seed by channeling shadow magic, though most chose to destroy it afterward, since the creatures that emerged from it seemed to multiply constantly and without end.
Once a shadow seed is found, every effort to destroy it is necessary, since an entirely unknown number of creatures can emerge from it — among them Executioners, Stygians, Megaerae, Shoblinoids, and even Demons and Spirits of the dead whose torment kept them from completing their passage, their souls instead captured by the Garden of Shadows.
Unfortunately there’s no precise way to destroy a shadow seed; not even antimagic fields seem to have any effect on them, though some degree of success has been found among those who attempt to channel light magic through the luminescent mystery.
The Realm of Shadows
The Realm of Shadows is a demiplane located at a point between the Material Realm and the Spiritual Realm. Only a few creatures are capable of entering and leaving it at will; for all other beings, a rift in space must be opened at a location saturated with shadow energy.
Before mortals came into being, this realm was a place far too small, with just enough room to hold a single marble. When mortals began to exist, their negative feelings — guilt, shame, anger, or contempt — began to affect this place, causing it to grow considerably… and with that growth, a new entity came into being: The Shadow.
Over the years, as the mortal population grew, this entity learned to control the energy of those feelings so that the Realm of Shadows could take shape. By molding the pure essence of the shadows created by mortals, small things began to appear where there had once been nothing, gradually turning into environments — from forests of dead trees to snow-capped mountains whose snow looks like ash from a fire, or even small abandoned villages that reflect someone’s painful memories.
The geography of the Realm of Shadows is constantly shifting, with vast new areas appearing, such as ruined cities, only to vanish moments later. Even so, a few structures seem to have formed and remain fixed.
Ivory Obelisk
One of the only things in the Realm of Shadows that doesn’t seem to originate there, the Ivory Obelisk is an immense white column reaching toward the horizon. This structure is visible from far away, and runes can be seen scattered across it, sometimes appearing to give off a flickering glow.
There are a few entrances to this Obelisk, but no Umbrinata dares enter this construction, which appears to be hundreds of meters in diameter, capable of holding even entire villages given the space.
The only account of its interior is under the Black Rose’s control: an Arcane who devoted their life to reaching the Garden survived the attempt and gave a brief account of finding the Obelisk, entering it, and realizing the space inside was distorted — there were stairways leading to floors above, but the place they observed seemed like a nightmare straight out of Freljord, with snow everywhere and colossal creatures lying in wait.
Green Swamp
Another place found in the Realm is a Green Swamp, from which toxic vapors constantly rise, capable of corroding flesh within seconds. This location is apparently home to a powerful Megaera; from far away, a column of smoke that never ceases can be seen, as if something strange and sinister enough were always being brewed in a cauldron.
The Green Swamp’s location, like most things in the Realm of Shadows, seems to change frequently, along with its size and even the intensity of the toxic vapors it gives off.
At its edges, the swamp seems to be something constantly consuming organic matter and even shadow matter, in a process that appears endless and, at times, resembles a creature feeding.
The Bone Falls
Perhaps the most bizarre structure ever recorded in the Realm of Shadows is the Bone Falls, a waterfall that seems to sprout slowly from the ground before turning into a mountain from which a cascade of bones pours forth.
This waterfall forms slowly, and once it reaches its complete state, the bones being poured out move as if seeking to become whole again, forming a lake from which skeletons seem to try to climb out, only to fall apart moments after moving away from the lake formed by it.
Cities of Memory
There are many of them, and they sometimes appear for only a few minutes, though in some cases they can last for years, perhaps even decades. They’re generally memories of how certain cities once were, or how they might have been. All of them are steeped in bitterness and an intoxicating wistfulness and nostalgia.
Some of these cities appear inhabited by creatures that are shadows of their former residents; they may be going about an ordinary day, leaving their homes to do some errand, but they usually fade away partway through, dissolving into a cloud of ash.
The Shadow
It isn’t known whether The Shadow is an entity separate from the Realm of Shadows or whether it, in its entirety, is the Realm itself.
This incorporeal intelligence may have formed from the accumulation of mortal fears and dread across millennia, whether as something natural or as an unknown magical consequence.
The sole purpose of this intelligence appears to be causing fear, in every category and intensity, in everything that exists and thinks. Whether this entity feeds on it or whether that’s simply its function isn’t known, but some scholars have begun to theorize that this Realm’s existence may have some connection to the infernal planes and creatures known as demons.
If the Realm of Shadows is its place of origin, that shows how much about it still remains to be discovered, since these creatures display behavioral and visual traits completely different from those of the Umbrinatas.
Umbrinatas
From time to time, the shadow present within the Realm of Shadows is capable of taking form, creating creatures whose purpose is to spread fear so the Realm of Shadows can grow.
The shadow seeds appear to be a kind of portal that lets creatures from the Garden of Shadows manifest in the Material Realm; when this happens, these creatures usually end up acting in an uncontrolled manner, seeming to care only about spreading destruction, fear, death, and terror.
Over the ages, a few types of creatures have been catalogued. Although each is unique, they all share some similar traits, the main shared trait being some area of their bodies with a black unlike anything else that exists, something that reflects no light. This shadow material is often found in a prominent area, such as the face, the torso, or patterns across the creature’s body, but often makes up the creature’s entirety.
Another trait common to creatures of the Garden of Shadows is that, even when they display intelligence, they have no mind or thoughts that can be read, which makes them even more dangerous and unpredictable. Even the most intelligent of them, once captured, seem to be immune to any mental probing or even control.
Although many creatures have been found and catalogued showing considerable differences among themselves, there are five main groups these creatures seem to belong to: Argoi, Executioners, Stygians, Megaerae, and Nyxis.
Argoi
Large to immense creatures, the Argoi are true machines of destruction made of shadow and terror. Beyond having a build perfectly suited to combat and destruction, they possess a single eye on their forehead capable of nullifying magic, making them terrifying creatures, even more dangerous than the rest of the Garden of Shadows’ creatures.
Once an Argoi enters combat, the creature won’t stop for anything until it destroys everything or is destroyed itself, often managing to keep fighting even without limbs or even while decapitated. Their roars can carry for miles, and those caught nearby may even lose consciousness.
As far as anyone can tell, the Argoi aren’t intelligent creatures, resembling animals more than anything, though like most creatures of the Garden of Shadows, trying to read their minds or thoughts leads to a complete void. Even seeming to lack an intelligent mind, the Argoi are extremely cunning in combat and fight with well-advanced strategies, often appearing to possess a sadistic mind.
Appearance: Their size ranges from Large to Huge; their anatomy bears similarities to a gorilla walking on two legs, with disproportionately large upper limbs, which usually leads them to move on all fours for greater speed. Besides normally having three pairs of eyes, they possess a single eye where their forehead would be, an eye unlike the others that seems to give off a luminescent vapor and glows in a color different from their other eyes.
Executioners
Thanks to the recurring nightmare of death, the Garden of Shadows connects to spirits of death that receive emanations from The Wolf, thereby generating creatures whose function is to reap lives violently and even hunt down those who flee from death. Some theorists believe the Executioners are under the Wolf’s command, though nothing has ever confirmed this belief.
Appearance: Executioners are creatures, often quadrupedal, with a black-metal aspect across their bodies; they bear the traditional traits of creatures from the Garden of Shadows, with the light-swallowing black color, pairs of glowing eyes, and sometimes horns and spikes across their bodies. They’re normally divided into Doombeasts and Duskriders:
Doombeast
Creatures known as Doombeasts appear to be hybrids of Great Wolves and Great Cats, with an agile body and claws too sharp for comfort; they seem to lack a mouth or fangs, instead having a kind of metal helm through which their long ears pass. Two pairs of eyes can normally be seen, and from around their chin extend several tentacles of spectral appearance.
Duskrider
Creatures that seem to have been born from a nightmare, they’re a chimeric amalgam of two creatures that very distantly resemble horses, but unlike those, their heads resemble skulls with enormous pointed teeth, and each head has two pairs of fiery eyes.
Stygian
The fear of death is usually accompanied by fear of the unknown that lies beyond, and some creatures of the Garden of Shadows are aligned with the task of carrying the souls of the dead to the next stage. Stygians are these creatures, flying shadows that sometimes turn ethereal. Certain cries from nocturnal birds are a sign that Stygians are nearby.
Appearance: Stygians resemble flying animals (usually birds of prey), predominantly black — not merely black like fur, but a total absence of color, since their darkness reflects no light at all. One of their most common traits is the presence of several pairs of glowing, sinister eyes.
Megaera
Megaerae are malicious and vile creatures that, once born from a shadow seed, quickly move away from their birthplace in search of a lair, whether in caves or swamps.
Megaerae are the most intelligent among the creatures of the Garden of Shadows, usually establishing a lair where they raise and feed a shadow seed. The true goals of Megaerae, like most creatures of the Garden of Shadows, remain completely unknown.
Once they establish their territory, most of these creatures tend toward anonymity and isolation, rarely needing to venture away from those territories. The vast majority maintain a nest where they tend to a shadow seed so it grows stronger and expands further, which proves difficult, since the Megaerae’s own negative emotions seem to have no effect on the seeds’ growth.
Their intelligence is generally great, with many of them being extremely skilled innate casters, which makes them all the more dangerous as they manage to establish their power.
Appearance: Their appearance resembles that of an elderly human, disheveled, covered in filth and wounds across a deformed body. Although their appearance and voice predominantly resemble those of women, these creatures have no fixed sex, and there are cases of Megaerae with the appearance of old men.
Nyxis
Nyxis are malevolent and pernicious creatures, of extreme malice, that feed on the suffering of others and the terror caused to their victims. They possess an extremely dangerous trait: the ability to multiply rapidly and with potentially catastrophic results. Some seem able to manipulate shadows to create weapons, shields, and, in some cases, even other Umbrinatas.
Appearance: Nyxis range in size from Small to Large; like all creatures of the Garden of Shadows, they’re mostly shadowy, a color that reflects no light, usually with malicious, glowing eyes and pointed ears. Depending largely on a given Nyxis’s size, there are a few subtypes of this creature.
Nyxie
Called Eternebrous by some scholars and nicknamed Shoblins by common folk, Nyxie are cursed little creatures that can be summoned through shadow magic but usually manifest through seeds of darkness, which can arise for the most varied reasons — from massive fights between people that end up generating such seeds, to spells that reach into the Realm of Shadows.
As a rule, Nyxie are malicious and mischievous; they like to cause confusion, and the more confusion they cause, the more of them appear. It’s important to end this threat while there are only a few, before it becomes a legion.
Archnyx
Larger than Nyxie, Archnyx are usually medium to large in size, generally even more malicious than Nyxie, in addition to being powerful and intelligent. Their cruelty encompasses every kind of torture a diseased mind is capable of conceiving, using every resource at their disposal.
It’s common for an Archnyx to be accompanied by several Nyxies and even a pair of Tyranyx, generally obeying its command. Even so, when near a Megaera, these creatures obey her orders, as if the Megaerae belonged to a higher caste.
Archnyx, like Nyxies, tend to display an enormous, malice-filled grin, with fangs always ready to tear through flesh, break bones, and even shatter metal armor.
Tyranyx
Apparently the largest among the Nyxis, Tyranyx are creatures of enormous size, usually not very intelligent, and most commonly found under the command of an Archnyx or a Nyxie Chief.
Tyranyx are brutal and bear a strong resemblance to the Argoi, though quite different in appearance; unlike Nyxies and Archnyx, they don’t usually display grins, often carrying an almost neutral air, right up until the moment they’re directed toward battle and slaughter. When that happens, the change in a Tyranyx’s expression is even more frightening than that of any other Nyxis.