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 Rise | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | The Great War Of the Darkin | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | The reign of the Iron Revenant | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | The Ruin | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | The Rune Wars | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Noxus resists | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | The Demacian crown | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Noxus becomes an Imperial power | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Tragedy on the Pilt River | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Bilgewater | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | The invasion of Ionia | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Jericho swain takes noxus | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Senna is captured by Thresh | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | Burning Tides | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | SHADOW and FORTUNE | style="color:#131313; font-family: 'Spectral SC'; text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;" | 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 interference 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 lead the greatest civilizations to ever inhabit Runeterra.		Preparing for an unknown war yet to come and guided by the divine Aspects of Targon, the Shuriman sages used the Sun Disc in Nerimazeth to create the first Ascended, noble beings who were worshipped as living gods and forged an ancient empire.		In a desperate attempt to free themselves from the tyranny of the empire, the Icathians called upon the Void during the battle. In an instant, their capital was devastated, and the defiled land was left unrecognizable. Not even the Ascended Battalion was able to combat this horror, and Shurima had to abandon Icathia.		The last Shuriman emperor, Azir, found himself stripped of his divinity by a vile act of betrayal. He was lost, as was the Sun Disc itself. Frightened and grieving, the people sought the protection of the remaining Ascended.		Stripped of purpose and traumatized by their struggle against the Void, many Ascended became corrupted in body and mind, calling themselves the "Darkin." They summoned hordes of mortal warriors and attempted to conquer the world, until the Aspects who had inspired their creation intervened. 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 ultimate purpose was to conquer the material realm. It took him nearly three centuries, but he was ultimately defeated by an alliance of Noxian tribes who inherited the empire he had built.		A terrible accident occurred in the arcane crypts beneath Helia, a hidden city in the Blessed Isles. The barrier between the material and spiritual realms was shattered, and the souls of the dead were doomed to eternal torment, trapped in the maelstrom of the Black Mist. The newly named Shadow Isles were 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 and most 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 devastated—but at least they were alive. The event forged a single people, uniting the tribes of Noxus, and was 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 sealed 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 Great General to lead their battalions to victory.		The merchant clans that controlled the trade routes between Valoran and Shurima promptly built 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 descended on the coast, missionaries from Buhru allowed the Paylangi outsiders to take refuge in the bays to the south. Despite many years of cultural confusion—even the name Serpent Isles—the settlement grew into a thriving port city.		After many years of study and preparation, the 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, the 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, significantly 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 take over 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 successfully stop Viego