The World of Runeterra

This article complies with version 0.94 of Runarcana RPG

Global Runes

Centuries ago, magical artifacts called "Global Runes" had been rediscovered. Over the following decades after such an 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 newfound powers and influence. After an incident with Tyrus, Ryze, later on, continued his journey alone in gathering all Runic artifacts to prevent another Rune War from starting and possibly destroying the world.

The Calendar

With territories spread across Runeterra, the empire of Noxus has united and assimilated countless smaller nations for centuries. Aside from its obvious military strength and stable, central governance, Noxus takes great pride in "bringing the calendar" to every corner of the globe.

But to be Noxian is to subscribe to their notion of the world's history, which begins long before the Rune Wars that gave rise to the empire. Since many historical records were lost in those dark times, the precise details of anything earlier are likely based on conjecture or popular myth.

The Noxian calendar records events from 9000 BN (before Noxus) to the year 996 AN (After Noxus), when the current Runeterra history takes place.

Official Runeterra Timeline

Runeterra Timeline

The Official Runeterra Timeline has been compiled based solely on official Riot Games information found in the Kingdoms of Runeterra book and released with the Ruined King game.

-9000

-8000

-6000

-5000

-2500

-2000

-550

-400

-25

-13

0

292

349

772

787

984

989

991

993

994

996

998

The First Lands

The War of the Three Sisters

Migration to the West

The Rise of the Warrior Gods

Icathia's Revolt Against Shurima

Azir and his Failed Ascension

The Great War Of the Darkin

The Reign of the Iron Revenant

The Ruin

The Rune Wars

Noxus resists

The Demacian Crown

Noxus becomes an Imperial power

Pilt River Tragedy

Bilgewater

The invasion of Ionia

Jericho swain takes noxus

Senna is captured by Thresh

Burning Tides

Shadow and Fortune

The Ruined King

Sentinels of Light

A terrible war between mortals and a race of sky giants raged across the island continent now known as Ionia. It was only through the intervention of the Vastayashai'rei - powerful legendary beings who inhabit both the material and spiritual realms simultaneously - that victory finally came.

After defeating the Old Gods of the North, a rift arose between the Avarosa sisters, Serylda, and Lissandra, which soon escalated into open conflict. The final battle took place at the gates of Lissandra's citadel, where she sacrificed many allies to bury her enemies in True Ice.

Settlers from the forgotten lands of the Far East arrived on the shores of Shurima and Valoran, bringing with them ancient knowledge and wisdom. Their descendants would later become leaders of the greatest civilizations to ever inhabit Runeterra.

Preparing for an unknown war that was yet to come and guided by the divine Aspects of Targon, the Shuriman sages used the Solar Disc in Nerimazeth to create the first Ascendant, noble beings who were worshipped as living gods and forged a millennia-long empire.

In a desperate bid to free themselves from the tyranny of the Empire, the Icathians called upon the Void during the battle. In an instant, their capital was laid waste, and the land was defiled beyond recognition. Not even the Ascended Host could stand against this horror, and Shurima was forced to abandon Icathia.

The last Shuriman emperor, Azir, found himself stripped of his godhood by a vile act of treason. He was lost, as was the Sun Disc itself. Frightened and grieving, the people sought protection from the remaining Ascended.

Bereft of purpose and traumatized by their struggle against the Void, many Ascended became corrupted in body and mind, and called themselves the "Darkin." They summoned hordes of deadly warriors and attempted to conquer the world, until they forced the intervention of the Aspects who had inspired their creation. The Aspects then imprisoned the Darkin within their own cursed weapons.

Tricking the mages who resurrected him, the Warmaster Sahn-Uzal was reborn as Mordekaiser. From his Immortal Bastion, his grand purpose was to conquer the material realm. It took him nearly three centuries, but he was eventually defeated by an alliance of Noxian tribes who inherited the empire he had built.

A terrible accident has occurred in the arcane crypts beneath Helia, a hidden city in the Blessed Isles. The barrier between the material and spiritual realms has been shattered, and the souls of the dead have been doomed to eternal torment, trapped in the maelstrom of the Black Mist. The newly named Shadow Isles have been abandoned by all sane mortals.

After Helia was lost, powerful magical artifacts soon began to fall into the wrong hands. On the outskirts of Khom, the renowned mage Tyrus and his apprentice, Ryze, witnessed the first, devastating onslaught of the Rune Wars. Ryze would be haunted by memories of that day for the rest of his unnaturally long life.

The Rune Wars spanned nearly the entire world. After a decade of devastation, the remnants of the tribes of Noxus were forced to take refuge in the Undying Bastion to protect themselves from the resulting magical energies. When they finally emerged, they found a land in ruins—but at least they were alive. The event forged a single people, uniting the tribes of Noxus, and is forever etched into the Noxian calendar.

In the far west, the nation founded by the great champion Orlon crowned its first king. Created by refugees from the Rune Wars, it was established that Demacia would forever be a haven free of magic.

After a series of forced annexations and the fall of Dragkkengate, Noxus's strength grew in step with its ambition. The noble families swore to unite all the nations of Runeterra under a single banner, even if it took a thousand years, and elected a Grand General to lead their battalions to victory.

The merchant clans that controlled the trade routes between Valoran and Shurima promptly constructed massive access and transportation routes—the "Sungates." However, the construction undermined Zaun's ancient port, and the excavations relegated large parts of the city to a bleak existence underground.

As more and more ragtag adventurers appeared on the coast, Buhru missionaries allowed the Paylangi outsiders to take refuge in the bays to the south. Despite many years of cultural confusion – including the name Snake Islands – the settlement grew into a vibrant port city.

After many years of study and preparation, Noxian Grand General Boram Darkwill led a large-scale occupation of Ionia. Despite initial resistance, the brutal advance of the battalions soon gave rise to powerful acts of retaliation by the Ionian militias, which had gained a more organized body after the infamous Battle of Placidium.

After being dishonorably discharged from the military, former General Swain staged a coup in the Noxian capital, deposing and killing Boram Darkwill. In less than a year, Swain ended the Ionian occupation, greatly reduced the influence of the noble families, and established the Trifarix Council to govern the empire.

Along with her impulsive husband Lucian, Sentinel of Light Senna is captured by the Chain Warden Thresh in the Shadow Isles, launching Lucian on a quest for revenge that would dominate his future years.

Miss Fortune defeats Gangplank

The Black Mist attacks Bilgewater

A coalition of heroes sails from Bilgewater to the Shadow Isles, seeking to stop the source of the Black Mist, the Ruined King Viego.

The Sentinels of Light manage to stop Viego