Champion backstory

Skarner

the Primordial Sovereign

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 ancient, colossal brackern Skarner is revered in Ixtal as one of the founding members of its ruling caste, the Yun Tal. Devoted to keeping his nation safe from the rest of the world, Skarner dwells in a chamber beneath Ixaocan where he can hear the vibrations of the earth and detect potential threats. As more members of the Yun Tal begin questioning Ixtal's self-isolation, Skarner grows increasingly paranoid and will do anything to keep Ixtal and its people safe—no matter the cost.

Short biography by Riot Games · Data Dragon 16.20.1

What shapes their story?

Protection and isolation become closely related in Skarner's account of Ixtal. His guardianship gives a powerful being a sustained relationship with a community, while the world beyond its boundaries remains something its inhabitants understand through limited and contested knowledge.

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
An ancient guardian beneath Ixaocan
Skarner belongs to Ixtal's ancient brackern history and its ruling Yun Tal. His protection of the hidden civilisation is rooted in a lifetime far longer than the human generations living above him.
Ixtal
Riot Games · Regional world artwork
Vigilance hardens toward isolation
Sensing the earth beneath Ixaocan lets him monitor threats without sharing ordinary daily life. Isolation makes vigilance increasingly difficult to separate from suspicion.
Ixtal
Riot Games · World artwork
Protection can harden into suspicion
Skarner's ancient role beneath Ixaocan makes the city's safety a responsibility measured across generations. His growing fear of outside influence puts that guardianship under pressure. The same vigilance that once sheltered a civilisation can limit how its inhabitants choose to meet a changing world.
Ixaocan Ixtal

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.

**Esoteric Knowledge**Riot Games · World artwork

**The Elemental Drakes**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

Ixtal

Explore the regional timeline

More about the region

A secluded civilisation whose elemental magic keeps outsiders at a distance. Behind the wilderness is a sophisticated society shaped by inherited knowledge, exacting trials and the authority of the Yun Tal.

Hidden city

Ixaocan

Ixtal's hidden city joins architecture with elemental disciplines. Its cardinal arcology contains the Vidalion, where an initiate accepted into the Yun Tal receives magically woven garments.

Explore this place

Another perspective

Stories to read next

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

Milio

The Gentle Flame

Read backstory

Qiyana

Empress of the Elements

Read backstory

The character, in detail

Champion artwork

Explore the wider settingIxtal

The story beneath the scenery

What makes this place matter?

Ixtal's apparent wilderness conceals a sophisticated elemental civilisation. Ixaocan and the Yun Tal offer a starting point for its institutions, while champions from the surrounding jungle reveal lives outside that ruling structure. These connections do not make every jungle inhabitant a citizen of the city.

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.

**Ixaocan**Riot Games · Runeterra world map

**Mastery Over the Material Realm**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.