Champion backstory

Malzahar

the Prophet of the Void

Read the backstory Abilities and gameplay guide

3Story chapters

1Story connections

2Named place connections

The person behind the champion

A story to start with

A zealous seer dedicated to the unification of all life, Malzahar truly believes the newly emergent Void to be the path to Runeterra's salvation. In the desert wastes of Shurima, he followed the voices that whispered in his mind, all the way to ancient Icathia. Amidst the ruins of that land, he gazed into the dark heart of the Void itself, and was gifted new power and purpose. Malzahar now sees himself as a shepherd, empowered to bring others into the fold… or to release the voidling creatures that dwell beneath.

Short biography by Riot Games · Data Dragon 16.20.1

What shapes their story?

Malzahar offers submission as an answer to suffering and uncertainty. That promise distinguishes his relationship with the Void from the survivors who resist it, making apparent certainty a danger rather than evidence that his followers understand what awaits them.

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 seer's visions lead to Icathia
Malzahar followed visions through Shurima until his search reached Icathia. What others understand as a terrifying breach, he came to interpret as a revelation about the world's future.
The Void
Riot Games · Regional world artwork
The Void gives the visions a purpose
The Void supplied power and an apparent purpose, turning a troubled seer into a prophet who brings others toward the same darkness. His certainty gives destruction the language of salvation.
The Void
Riot Games · World artwork
A revelation becomes a danger to others
Malzahar brings followers toward the Void because he regards its promised end as salvation. Kassadin pursues the catastrophe from the opposite direction, seeking to stop what the prophet welcomes. Their stories connect a personal loss to a mission that threatens many more lives.
Icathia Shurima

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 Rupture**Riot Games · World artwork

**Salt the Earth**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.

Champion connections

The call associated with Icathia

Kog'Maw

Kog'Maw's biography connects its emergence to the ominous purpose surrounding Malzahar. That link belongs to the account of the Void's influence; it does not establish an ordinary master-and-pet relationship.

Read their story Official story ↗

Connections describe the linked official stories. A shared history does not establish a current alliance or location.

Follow the story

Known places and connections

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

Regional connection

The Void

Explore the regional timeline

More about the region

The Void is an alien nothingness beyond the material world, rather than a conventional country. Its intrusions and the beings shaped by them connect to some of Runeterra's most dangerous conflicts.

Ruined homeland

Icathia

Icathia's rebellion against Shurima unleashed the Void and destroyed the land its people hoped to free. Jax and Zilean preserve very different responses to that loss; other champions connect to the breach, the war or its aftermath.

Explore this place

Intrusions

Void rifts

Rifts are breaches through which the Void's influence reaches Runeterra. Treat them as a kind of world-threatening intrusion, rather than a single settled city or a safe route to explore.

Explore this place

Another perspective

Stories to read next

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

Kai'Sa

Daughter of the Void

Read backstory

Kassadin

the Void Walker

Read backstory

The character, in detail

Champion artwork

Explore the wider settingThe Void

The story beneath the scenery

What makes this place matter?

The Void is not simply another kingdom on the map. Its breaches threaten the material world, and its creatures do not share one human purpose. Icathia's fall and Kai'Sa's survival offer different starting points for understanding the cost of those intrusions.

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.

**The Touch of the Void**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**The Fall of Icathia**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**An Unknowable Power**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.