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A temple conceals an imprisoned weapon
Varus's bow carries a Darkin's ancient confinement above the village. The hidden weapon gives the setting a history far older than the mortals who later reach it.
Ionia · Village and mountain temple
Pallas
The temple above Pallas concealed the bow in which Varus had been imprisoned. The lives of Valmar and Kai connect that ancient confinement to the later struggle between the Darkin and the mortal wills within his new body.
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The story, step by step
Follow the relative order of the story. These stages do not assign calendar dates or imply that every linked biography shares one exact chronology.
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Riot Games · World artwork02Valmar tries to save Kai
A desperate attempt to preserve a loved life brings the two men into contact with the bow. Their bond makes an ancient danger part of an intimate mortal choice.
Riot Games · World artwork03Several wills struggle within one body
Varus emerges with mortal identities bound into his new existence. The continuing conflict concerns love, vengeance and control rather than a simple replacement of one life by another.
Artwork sets the scene; it does not depict each event. Stage numbers show reading order.
More about this place and its region
Behind the name
The story of this place
An ancient imprisoned weapon entered a deeply personal story when Valmar carried the wounded Kai to the temple. Varus's emergence bound their lives to a Darkin's will. The place matters because its hidden legacy becomes a struggle between identities, love and the desire for vengeance.
Part of a larger world
Ionia
Ionia's spiritual balance is not a single shared answer. The Noxian invasion forces champions to disagree about tradition, resistance and revenge. The Placidium offers a starting point for Irelia's resistance; the Kinkou opens a different path through Shen and Akali's stories.
Explore the regional history →Read the location's story in Riot's biography ↗
People behind the place
Stories connected to this place
These connections include origins, pivotal events and the wider culture of the setting. They do not confirm a character's current location.
VarusHow their story connects
The temple above the village held Varus's bow. Valmar's attempt to save Kai brought their lives into conflict with the Darkin imprisoned within it.
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Official Riot artwork. The gallery includes the regional setting; not every image depicts this exact landmark. Open an image to see the full composition.
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More places in this region
Explore another chapter of the region. These reading links are not directions or a claim that the places are neighbours.
Archipelago
First Lands
Another name for Ionia's many provinces and islands. Forests, monasteries and communities share a landscape shaped by living magic and the consequences of the Noxian invasion.
Explore this placeSacred site
Placidium of Navori
A sacred site that became a defining battleground during the Noxian invasion. Irelia's resistance ties the Placidium to Ionia's struggle over how to defend its future.
Explore this place
Mountain monastery
Hirana Monastery
One of the monasteries named on Riot's map of Ionia. Explore it as part of the First Lands' wider landscape of spiritual study, rather than treating every monastery as the same order.
Explore this placeDiscover more regional places
Spiritual order
Kinkou Monastery
The Kinkou seek balance between the material and spirit realms. Shen and Akali's stories show different responses to the order's responsibilities and limits.
Explore this placeRegional illustration · exact site not picturedLost community
Wuju village
The mountain village in Bahrl was Master Yi's home and the setting in which he learned Wuju. Its destruction makes passing on the art an act of remembrance as well as teaching.
Explore this placeRegional illustration · exact site not picturedIsland and arts conservatory
Koyehn
Hwei grew up around the Temple of Koyehn, an arts conservatory on an island in northwestern Ionia. Jhin's visit and the later destruction of that community make the place central to the difference between their ideas of creation.
Explore this placeRegional illustration · exact site not picturedSacred grove
Omikayalan
Known as the Heart of the World, this sacred grove belongs to the history of Ivern's violent mortal life and transformation. The Dreaming Tree's lineage also connects Lillia's story to the living magic nurtured in this tradition.
Explore this placeRegional illustration · exact site not picturedMartial and spiritual training
Shojin monastery
Lee Sin arrived at the Shojin monastery as a talented child who believed the dragon had chosen him. The training he sought here belongs to the longer struggle to place discipline and responsibility beside extraordinary power.
Explore this placeSources and story contextOfficial stories, artwork credits and reading notes
Where the stories come from
VRC.LOL writes the introductions, reading notes and connections using linked Riot Universe biographies and regional guides. Short champion summaries use Data Dragon version 16.20.1. Longer histories link to the official story used; some champions currently have a shorter official overview.
What the pictures show
Artwork belongs to Riot Games. Scenery comes from Riot's Runeterra world map; champion art depicts the character. A regional illustration sets the scene when a landmark has no dedicated image. It does not show a confirmed event at that exact place.
A world still being written
Older biographies and newer adaptations can differ. These guides introduce connections rather than declaring a final chronology or a character's current whereabouts. Translations help you explore and may keep original proper names. Follow the official sources for full context.