Champion backstory

Karthus

the Deathsinger

Read the backstory Abilities and gameplay guide

3Story chapters

1Story connections

1Named place connections

The person behind the champion

A story to start with

The harbinger of oblivion, Karthus is an undying spirit whose haunting songs are a prelude to the horror of his nightmarish appearance. The living fear the eternity of undeath, but Karthus sees only beauty and purity in its embrace, a perfect union of life and death. When Karthus emerges from the Shadow Isles, it is to bring the joy of death to mortals, an apostle of the unliving.

Short biography by Riot Games · Data Dragon 16.20.1

What shapes their story?

Karthus approaches death with devotion rather than the terror his listeners might expect. His song joins personal fascination to the Shadow Isles' suffering, turning the promise of release into something whose meaning the living may not share.

Reading note by VRC.LOL

Read Riot's full biography ↗

Follow the story

Story timeline

Follow the main developments in order, then explore their consequences. Use each chapter's links to explore the people, regions and places involved. Artwork shows the character or wider world, not an exact reconstruction of each event; calendar dates are not assigned here.

Riot Games · Regional world artwork
A mortal fascinated by death
Karthus approached death with fascination rather than the fear most people feel. The Shadow Isles offered him a way to pursue the union of life and death that his songs celebrate.
Shadow Isles
Riot Games · Regional world artwork
Undeath becomes a welcome transformation
Undeath fulfilled that longing instead of feeling like a punishment. What other champions resist as a curse becomes, to him, something beautiful that should be shared with the living.
Shadow Isles
Riot Games · World artwork
The gift others experience as a curse
Karthus brings his songs toward the living because he believes undeath should be welcomed. His calm does not make the encounter safe. Yorick and Maokai resist the condition he celebrates, giving the same islands sharply opposed meanings in the lives of those who endure them.
Helia Shadow Isles

Story guide by VRC.LOL, based on the linked Riot stories. Older biographies and newer stories can differ; no exact date or current whereabouts is implied unless stated.

Picture the setting

A world behind the story

Official Riot setting artwork, not illustrations of these exact events. Open an image to see the complete composition.

**The Harrowing**Riot Games · World artwork

**Citizens of the Blessed Isles**Riot Games · World artwork

Explore the wider region

People who shape the story

Relationships and allegiances

Discover the companions, communities and powers that matter to this champion. Each card explains the connection, rather than treating every nearby character as a friend.

Not everyone important to this story is a playable champion. The reading suggestions below are labelled separately from these story connections.

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Known places and connections

Origins, journeys and documented events. A connection here does not mean this champion lives there now.

Regional connection

Shadow Isles

Explore the regional timeline

More about the region

Once the Blessed Isles, this land was transformed by a magical catastrophe. The Black Mist binds restless dead to a ruined civilisation, while some survivors still resist what it has become.

Lost capital

Helia

The coastal capital of the Blessed Isles became part of the catastrophe that created the Shadow Isles. Ruined libraries and vaults preserve traces of its former pursuit of knowledge.

Explore this place

Another perspective

Stories to read next

Continue with related characters, regional stories and other perspectives on the same themes.

Maokai

the Twisted Treant

Read backstory

Yorick

Shepherd of Souls

Read backstory

The character, in detail

Champion artwork

Explore the wider settingShadow Isles

The story beneath the scenery

What makes this place matter?

The name hides an earlier identity: the Blessed Isles. Knowledge and sanctuary gave way to the Ruination and the Black Mist. Viego and Kalista connect to the catastrophe, while Maokai and Yorick show why the region's story is also one of resistance.

Look closer

A window into this world

Official Riot artwork. The gallery includes the regional setting; not every image depicts this exact landmark. Open an image to see the full composition.

**Suspended Between Life and Death**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**The Blessed Isles**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**The Ruination**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

Sources 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.