Vol. VII, Iss. 1—Published at the Institute of War on 19 October, 27 CLE
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A PROCLAMATION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
Upon the motion of THE SOVEREIGN TRIBES OF THE FRELJORD, and with the consent of THE TRANQUIL REALM OF THE SHADOW ISLES, comes now before the League of Legends the matter of the KIN-FIRE. The possession of the Kin-Fire shall be resolved by contest of arms upon the Fields of Justice.
The League of Legends shall further conduct an inquiry as to how the Kin-Fire left the possession of the Freljord and came into the possession of the Shadow Isles during the Harrowing of 26 CLE, together with the parties-disputant, and make such just and probable findings as the inquiry may bear out.
This dispute shall conclude on 17 November, 27 CLE.
May peace prevail.
(11 October, 27 CLE)
Ornn Returns From Myth, Enters League of Legends
By Summoner Tolam “MCLiveMouse” Spiritmight
The fabled demi-god of Freljordian forge-craft, Ornn, is no longer but a story. We now know that beneath the fickle powder-snow of rumor and myth there truly was the hard ice of fact. On this day, the 23rd of August, in the 27th year since the founding of the League of Legends, Ornn appeared in the flesh (or in such a guise as to persuade my own senses) and took the oath of a Champion of the League of Legends. Glorious indeed the peace-making of virtuous mortal folk, that draws the gods themselves as allies!
Ornn dallied not before requiring that Summoners should lead him to their collection of artifacts, that he might search them for his own handiwork. His request swiftly granted, he examined the Institute’s full collection, including the Black Archives. Emerging from his tour, he was approached by myself, and his opinions sought. His sentiment was curtly expressed, and direct in the rough and vigorous manner of the Freljord: “Where’s the rest of it?” He proceeded on his way, and his path was not impeded by one such as myself.
I have heard tell that chief among the masterpieces he yet seeks is the Kin-Fire, a torch fashioned from the finger-bone of a banished god of death, which bears a supernatural flame that guides the souls of the departed back to the mortal realm. It was kept at the Ornnhjaln shrine, but vanished during the chaos of the Black Winter. It would be well for him to find it, for the Harrowing now once again approaches, a time in which all have great need for the protection of their ancestors.
The Freljord suffered greatly before it entered the League, and in its anguish did lash out at its neighbor Demacia even as it was itself invaded by the legions of Noxus. The scattered tribes of the Freljord have joined together in peace and unity to enter the League as a member-state, and since then much progress has been made toward enduring prosperity and tranquility. It is fervently to be hoped that the return of the forge-god Ornn shall work further good, and hasten the civilization of the Freljord and its people.
(23 August, 27 CLE)
Will This Harrowing Bring A Second Black Winter?
By Summoner Klaudia “keybindspls” Herzer
The first Harrowing since the Black Winter has begun. Many fear that this will bring a second Black Winter. So far, however, there is no evidence that it will.
The Harrowing is not a scheduled event. It is an arcane phenomenon, and it happens when it wants to happen, how it wants to happen. It tends to begin around early October, and it tends to develop gradually. The Black Winter broke this trend, crashing suddenly upon the Institute of War. This year, however, the Harrowing seems to be following the usual pattern. The Institute of War has recorded today, October 6, as the “official” start of this year’s Harrowing, based on thaumic flux values (as measured at certain key sites) more than three standard deviations from the norm, and on qualitative evidence—that is to say, people are seeing a lot of ghosts.
The Black Mist coming to Bilgewater is the climax of the Harrowing process. Readers should be skeptical of any claim to predict the day on which it will arrive. One might naively think that one could calculate the distance of the approaching Black Mist from the shore, calculate its speed, and then come up with an estimated time of arrival. Such attempts just about always fail. The Black Mist is an arcane phenomenon which moves at highly variable speed through the corporeal plane. The only justifiable, grounded prediction one can make about its timing is that it will probably strike in late October, as it has most years.
Why was the Black Winter different? The most obvious explanation centers on The Ghoul, a god of undeath who gained strength with the discovery of the Guardian’s Sea nexus in 26 CLE. Some Freljordians had come to worship the Ghoul, which gave him still more power. Demacia’s crusade against the Black Winter seems to have utterly annihilated these covens, however, and driven the Ghoul back into the abyss.
Taking no chances, spiritual leaders in the Freljord have been conducting prolonged rituals meant to banish the Ghoul and prevent another Black Winter. Either it was unnecessary, or it worked. Either way, do not expect a second Balck Winter this year.
It has been said that, when an article is headlined with a question, the answer to that question may safely be assumed to be “no”. This claim holds true here. No, there is no reason to believe that there will be a second Black Winter this year.
(6 October, 27 CLE)
Qa’hhar’s Hextech Makeover
By Summoner Amy “Bright2morrow” Nickels
Walking into Qa’hhar today feels a lot like walking into a suburb of Zaun. (At least, on a hot day, after some sort of industrial sand-spill.) Not so long ago, this was occupied Noxian territory. It’s an independent city now, and no Noxian troops are allowed on the streets. Not that there’d be much room for them anyway, with the place so packed with shops and merchants peddling hextech gadgets and bottles of ThaumaKola.
Probably the most exciting new gadget is a thaumic cryoamplifier that keeps shops and homes cool even on blistering-hot summer days. The details are a trade secret that I’m definitely not going to try to steal for you today, but apparently it involves gathering up the elemental water energy streaming off the oasis that gave Qa’hhar (“lonely oasis”) its name and projecting it into the room. These cryoamplifiers are still pretty rare, though: they’re expensive, and many traditional Shurimans are opposed to using elemental magic in this way. The Zaunite tradition has always been to solve a problem any way you can, and if that way creates its own problem, well, then you’ve got a job lined up for next week, so great. I’m a Pilt gal myself, and I think there’s a lot to be said for more caution, but I’ve got to admit—that cryoamp breeze feels so good on a scorching Shuriman day that I think I’m just okay with battling a few rogue elementals or sealing a Void-rift or whatever else comes from mass production of these things.
Qa’hhar’s not just a consumer, though. Liatine Steel-spark, rising star of the Glorious Evolution and crossover smash-hit with the Xerath-worshipper crowd, has brought in some heavy duty research equipment from Zaun, and is training a new generation of hextech engineers. Some of this elemental hextech is going toward cleaning up the pyrikhos refining operations across the border in Zaunite territory.
And that brings us to the ugly side of this change: pollution. The atmosphere in Qa’hhar isn’t quite as bad as the worst parts of Zaun, but the purple smog from the refineries still makes summers here even harsher than in the rest of Shurima. Spirox, a Zaunite hextech pharmaceutical that protects against this pollution, is a lot cheaper now than it was under the Noxian regime, and most of Qa’hhar’s inhabitants (who are generally making pretty good money with Zaunite megacorps) seem alright with sinking some of their earnings into a steady supply of the stuff. Eventually, people say, they’ll figure out a way to cut the pollution down further.
“Of course it’s better than it was. There are no water riots,” said Captain Eshe, commander of the city watch. She held this job for a while under Noxian governor Sorinius Felk, but resigned after a clash with Qa’hharians protesting the high price of water. “The Spirox black market dealers went down with the Noxian tariffs. And the Noxians are out, too. My people are on the streets. Civilian police, not Noxian soldiers.”
I asked her if she’s planning to outfit her guards with newly available Zaunite armor and weapons, and got an interesting response: “It’ll be a bad day when we have to.”
Well, here’s hoping that Qa’hhar keeps on having more of a need for cryoamps and hexcast viewers than boltguns and armor.
(9 October, 27 CLE)
Freljord, Shadow Isles Enter League Dispute Over Artifact
By Serena Volaren
To ward off a second Black Winter, the shamans and skalds of the Freljord have spent weeks performing rituals meant to call ancestral spirits to their defense. The artifact known as the Kin-Fire would have had a central role in these rituals, had it not vanished from the Ornnhjaln shrine during the Black Winter.
In their visions, the Freljord’s shamans have seen these ancestral spirits following the fabled Kin-Fire out of the afterlife and into the mortal realm—only to find themselves mired in the gloom of the Shadow Isles. It has since become clear that the Kin-Fire is now in the possession of the Shadow Isles. The Freljord asserts it was stolen during the Black Winter. A League expedition was redirected to rescue the artifacts of Ornnhjaln during the Black Winter, and brought them on board their Demacian vessel, the Bright Revelation. The Revelation and its crew were never heard from again.
To back up its claim, the Freljord has produced evidence in the form of newly unsealed League records which indicate that certain Summoners considered loyal to the Shadow Isles had prior knowledge of the operation to rescue the artifacts from the Ornnhjaln. The Shadow Isles has neither admitted nor denied these accusations.
Today, the Freljord motioned the Council for resolution of the matter on the Fields of Justice. The Shadow Isles has consented to this request. The Kin-Fire has been transferred to the Institute of War for safekeeping during the dispute.
(11 October, 27 CLE)
Questions and Answers
Editor’s Note:
Readers of the Herald are invited to submit their questions regarding these articles, as well as general inquiries. We shall endeavor to reply as thoroughly as we can to as many as we can.
Yours Sincerely,
Yurstin “thestealthgerbil” Yudling, Acolyte Summoner
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