The Chalicar's Secret: Unraveling the…

Shurima cover art from Realms of Runeterra

In the ever-expanding universe of Runeterra, few threats are as ancient or as terrifying as the Darkin.

These fallen god-warriors, imprisoned within their own weapons, are a source of world-ending power.

Anaakca

For years, the exact method of their imprisonment has been a mystery. Now, a new comic has revealed a tantalizing clue—a cryptic scroll that appears to be nothing less than the blueprint for their damnation.

The Truth Comic Cover Art

Chalicar on Scroll presented by Zahaan to the Kinkou Order

This scroll, featuring the legendary weapon Chalicar at its center, flanked by symbols of the sun and moon, connects directly to one of the most pivotal events in Runeterra's history. By examining the established lore, we can use this new image to piece together the secrets of how the Darkin were defeated.

Who Are the Darkin? A Foundation in Lore

To understand the solution, we must first understand the problem. The story of the Darkin is a tragedy of heroes falling to madness.

They were once the Ascended, Shurima's greatest mortal heroes. As described in The Legend of the Darkin, they were god-warriors "imbued with the power of the Sun Disc," who towered over mortal soldiers.

The Golden Age: They weren't always monsters. They were once the Ascended, Shurima's greatest mortal heroes who were raised to god-warrior status by the power of the Sun Disc. They were protectors, champions like Nasus and Renekton.
Renekton

Nasus, the Curator of the Sands
The Trauma of War: Their downfall began when they fought a horrific war against the Void, an otherworldly force of nothingness that sought to unmake reality. The horrors they witnessed shattered their minds, planting seeds of madness and corruption.
The Fall of an Empire: When the Shuriman empire collapsed after Emperor Azir's failed Ascension, the remaining Ascended, now without a master and twisted by their trauma, turned on each other. They used forbidden blood magic, warped their own forms, and sought to conquer the world. Mortals began to call these tyrants by a new name: Darkin, meaning "the fallen."
The ruins of Shurima, its once grand palaces and citadels cast to ruin
The Great Darkin War: This conflict nearly destroyed all of Runeterra. The Darkin were unstoppable, their power absolute. It was only when mortals, guided by a mysterious and powerful figure, learned to trap the Darkin within their own weapons that the war finally ended.

The Architect of Their Doom: The Aspect of Twilight

The key to understanding the Darkin's imprisonment lies with a celestial being known as the Aspect of Twilight.

Zoe Splash Art

While the current host is the playful Zoe, her biography notes that her predecessor was the one who "heralded the end of the Great Darkin War." That previous host was a mysterious and ruthless woman named Myisha.

Twilight of the Gods cover art

In the story Twilight of the Gods, we see her masterful plan unfold. She manipulates a war-weary Darkin, Ta'anari, into gathering his brethren under the pretense of peace, using the legendary Chalicar as a symbol of unity.

AI Generated image of Ta'anari

It is a trap. At the climax of the gathering, Ta'anari, guided by Myisha's teaching, slams the Chalicar into the ground and screams a chilling incantation:

“What the sun made, the moon will unmake!”

The story describes a "blazing column of white fire" stabbing from the sky, using the Chalicar as a conduit to channel the moon's power against the sun-blessed warriors.

It burned them, reached into the arcane heart of their being and devoured the magic that made them.

This is the first critical piece of evidence.

But the plan doesn't end there. I am going to quote this next part to do it justice:

“Sulpae?” he croaked. “Is that you? Teushpa? Idri-Mi? Please, help me. I think... I think I am mortal once more, I... I think I am human again...” “You are,” said a voice that seemed on the verge of laughter. “Myisha,” whispered Ta’anari. “Are they all dead?” “No. Naganeka, Valeeva and Cebotaru escaped before the fire could take them. But they’re pretty weak, so I don’t think they’ll be a problem for long. It’s the others, all those who didn’t show up, who’ll be harder to trap.” “No! You must finish them,” wheezed Ta’anari. “Even a wounded god-warrior could conquer this world.” “Trust me,” said Myisha, “what we did here spells the beginning of the end for your kind.” “Then we did it. We brought peace.” Then she really did laugh. “Peace? Oh, no—this world will never know peace. Not really.” Confused, Ta’anari struggled to rise, but the hard jab of a spear butt to the chest pushed him back. “No, you stay down there,” said Myisha. “Please, help me up,” he said. “I told you, I am human now.” “I heard you, but do you imagine that fact washes away your multitude of sins? Think of all the lives you ended. Does being human now mean you’re forgiven for the oceans of blood you spilled? Tell me, how many atrocities did it take before your withered conscience finally pricked you enough to act?” “I don’t understand,” Ta’anari murmured. “What are you saying?” Myisha giggled, and she suddenly seemed so much younger to him, yet impossibly ancient too. He heard the cracking sound of the Chalicar being pulled from the amphitheater floor. “I am saying that your death has been a long time coming, Ta’anari,” said Myisha. “Some of you turned out not so bad, I suppose, but most of you were so damaged in the war with the Void, it’s a wonder you survived this long. Perhaps you and your kind were a mistake to begin with, but a mistake I can help correct.” Even without eyes, Ta’anari felt the golden power of the Chalicar hovering just above him. Though his body was withered and all but spent, he cried out in agony as its edge split his chest. Myisha whispered into his ear. “The power that coursed through this weapon touched you all, Ta’anari. It knows your kind now. And I give that fire to mortals.” Her hands were inside him, and Ta’anari felt his heart being cut away, felt it being lifted from the cage of his cloven ribs... yet, still, he lived. For a few moments more, at least. “Idri-Mi,” she said, handing off Ta’anari’s heart, “take this and the Chalicar to your weaponsmiths. We will need to take a different approach in dealing with the rest of the...” Myisha paused. “Wait, what was that old word?” She snapped her fingers. “Ah, yes. That’s it. Darkin.”

From this, we can establish two canonical facts:

A moon-based celestial power was used via the Chalicar to destroy the sun-made Ascended.
A second, "different approach" was developed afterward using the Chalicar and a Darkin's heart as a basis.

The Blueprint Revealed

This brings us to the scroll from the new comic. It is not just a drawing; it is the schematic for the very ritual Ta'anari performed.

Chalicar on Scroll presented by Zahaan to the Kinkou Order

The Sun (Top): Represents the origin of the Ascended—the power of the Sun Disc that created them.
The Moon (Bottom): Represents the opposing celestial force used to destroy them, the power Ta'anari called upon.
The Chalicar (Center): The conduit, the focal point that channeled the moon's power to strike the sun-warriors.

From the events in Twilight of the Gods, we know these three elements were central to the mass-destruction ritual. From this, we can infer that the scroll is the literal blueprint for that world-altering event.

This theory is all but confirmed in the new comic, where the Darkin Zaahan unrolls this very scroll before the Kinkou Order, immediately preceding their successful imprisonment of Xolaani, Rhaast, and Varus. It was the key to their defeat.

The Chalicar's Uniqueness: Solving the Sivir Mystery

This also solves one of the biggest questions surrounding the Darkin: Why isn't Sivir possessed by her weapon?

The answer lies in the Chalicar's unique history and its original owner, Setaka.

The Chalicar was not the weapon of a corrupted tyrant; it was the blade of the greatest Ascended hero. In the story Bloodline, Nasus describes her noble end. He explains that Setaka, the "foremost Warrior Queen of the Ascended Host," did not fall to madness but died fighting the greatest threat Runeterra had ever known. Nasus states:

"...she was brought down by monsters on the eve of Icathia’s doom. I held her as her light dimmed and I sent her to her slumber far below the sands with her weapon upon her breast.”

Setaka fell in battle against the horrors of the Void. Therefore, her weapon, the Chalicar, was the pure, untainted instrument of a hero, not the corrupted vessel of a fallen Darkin. This is a crucial distinction.

Myisha’s order in Twilight of the Gods to bring both the Chalicar and Ta'anari's heart to weaponsmiths is the missing link. From that order, we can infer that they studied the interaction between the untainted celestial weapon and the Darkin's essence (his heart) to reverse-engineer the process. They created the new method mentioned in The Legend of the Darkin: binding each remaining Darkin into their own weapon.

The Chalicar was never a prison; it was the master key, the template used to forge the locks for all the others. This is why Sivir, a descendant of Azir's royal bloodline as confirmed in her official biography, can wield it safely. The Chalicar contains no trapped soul, only its own ancient power.

The Chalicar is also the key to the tomb of the emperors.

Shurima: Descent into the Tomb | Cinematic - League of Legends