The Scars of Runeterra: A Chronicle of the Rune Wars

An Echo of Destruction

The history of Runeterra is written in the scars left by a war that nearly unmade the world. Long before the rise of Demacia or Noxus, mortals discovered the very tools of creation—the World Runes. What followed was a cataclysm of ambition, greed, and destruction on a scale that defies imagination. This is the story of the Rune Wars, the event that shaped the modern world and left one man with an eternal, lonely burden.

“Take care with this world. What is made can be unmade.”
- Ryze's Champion Page

The Discovery of Creation's Fire

The conflict began not with a bang, but a whisper. A young apprentice named Ryze first heard of the World Runes from his master, a sorcerer named Tyrus of Helia. Helia was the capital of the Blessed Isles, a center of knowledge and enlightenment before its fall. Ryze and his master were members of an ancient order tasked with protecting dangerous artifacts, and the Runes were the most dangerous of all. They were fragments of the raw magic that had shaped the world from nothingness. In their youth, Ryze and Tyrus even guided the legendary Kalista to the Blessed Isles, a testament to their connection to the world's deep magic.

Despite the order's efforts to keep them safe, knowledge of the Runes spread. As another ancient and brilliant mind, Heimerdinger, warned, such power in mortal hands is a recipe for annihilation.

knowledge of the Runes began to spread—few could even begin to understand their importance, or the sheer power held within them, and yet all saw them as weapons that could be turned against their rivals.
- Ryze's Biography

The First Cataclysm

The first devastating blow of the Rune Wars was struck in the Noxii territories, Ryze's homeland. As two nations clashed, Ryze and Tyrus watched in horror as the World Runes were unleashed.

The earth fell away beneath them, the bedrock itself seeming to retch and squeal, while the sky above them recoiled as if mortally wounded. They looked back upon the valley where the rival armies had stood, and beheld insanity—destruction on a scale so massive that it defied all physical sense. The buildings, the people, all were gone, and the ocean, once a day’s journey to the east, now rushed to meet them.
- Ryze's Biography

Memories of Destruction: Forever haunted by the devastation he witnessed during the Rune Wars, Ryze has sworn never to allow such power to be wielded again.

This was just the beginning. Open warfare soon raged across the globe, with every nation scrambling to possess these ultimate weapons.

The Seduction of Power

The most insidious aspect of the World Runes was not just their destructive capability, but their power to corrupt. They tempted even the strongest and most virtuous souls.

The Betrayal of a Master

As the war raged on, Ryze's master Tyrus grew distant. He pleaded for restraint from world leaders but was met with refusal. The constant failure and the proximity to the Runes' power began to wear on him. Ryze eventually discovered a horrifying truth.

...to his horror, discovered that Tyrus of Helia had secretly come into possession of not one Rune, but two. Bitter and angry, the older mage insisted that common mortals were like reckless children, toying with powers they did not understand. He would no longer play diplomat... He had to stop them.
- Ryze's Biography

Tyrus, who had once sought only peace, was now consumed by the same temptation he fought against. Seeing no other choice, Ryze was forced to kill his only friend and master to prevent a greater catastrophe.

Of all the wrongs Ryze had witnessed in his time on Runeterra, this cut the deepest. How could his own master, who inculcated in Ryze the virtues of control and patience, lose himself so fully to the World Runes? How?!

The Fall of an Apprentice

Ryze would face this same failure again. He took on an apprentice of his own, a bitter but magically gifted Freljordian named Kegan Rodhe. Ryze tried to teach him humility and control, but Kegan's resentment and desire for power made him vulnerable.

After tracking down one such fragment, Kegan faced the same desperate temptation that had driven so many before him to madness. The Runes were the source of all magic in the world and, against his master’s warnings, he chose to seize that power for himself. Ryze was forced to watch in failure as his apprentice was burned away by the raw magic, Kegan’s soul utterly consumed. The creature that was born in that moment... would eventually become known as Brand.
- Brand's Biography

Kegan Rodhe was gone, replaced by a being of pure fire and vengeance, now also hunting the World Runes for himself.

Once a tribesman of the icy Freljord named Kegan Rodhe, the creature known as Brand is a lesson in the temptation of greater power. Seeking one of the legendary World Runes, Kegan betrayed his companions and seized it for himself—and, in an instant, the man was no more. His soul burned away, his body a vessel of living flame, Brand now roams Valoran in search of other Runes, swearing revenge for wrongs he could not have suffered in a dozen mortal lifetimes.

A World in Ruins

The Rune Wars ended only when the greatest civilizations had all but destroyed one another. The world was scarred, its geography rewritten, and entire cities erased from history. In the comic Ryze: The Burning Lands, Ryze walks through the ruins of one such city in Shurima, a place once known as the City of Gardens.

This destroyed city can still be found on the map of Runeterra, a permanent reminder of the war's cost.

The Eternal Warden

With the war over and his master dead, Ryze understood the terrible burden he had inherited. As long as a single World Rune remained in the world, Runeterra was doomed to repeat its mistakes.

This knowledge was to become a lonely burden indeed, for ever since that day he has scoured the world in search of the last remaining Runes. He continues to reject the promise of power within each one, choosing instead to bind them in secret locations, far from prying and greedy eyes.
- Ryze's Biography

The Shards of the World Runes themselves tell tales of the conflicts that defined Runeterra's history, from the fall of Shurima and the Blessed Isles to the rise of the Void.

Rune Shard	Description	Image
Shard of Madness	The god-warriors of Shurima were thought peerless. Perfect. But years of war against an unstoppable foe eventually bowed their spirits, then broke them entirely. Xolaani and Aatrox turned on each other in a dispute that soon threatened Runeterra's very existence.
Shard of Betrayal	Of all the wrongs Ryze had witnessed in his time on Runeterra, this cut the deepest. How could his own master, who inculcated in Ryze the virtues of control and patience, lose himself so fully to the World Runes? How?!
Shard of Violence	Ryze watched on as the mindscape before him constructed itself. Before him, the Icathians warred with Shurima in a desperate bid for freedom. Ryze knew too well what came next, but watched on regardless. Cruel purple tendrils burst out, engulfing the battlefield. Icathia reached for freedom, but in the darkness, unleashed the Void upon Runeterra.
Shard of Hope	Love. A fog that blinds the wise to reason, and that rids the patient of patience. Ryze watched on as the King lowered his beloved beneath the waters, and closed his eyes as the screaming began. Ryze felt the cold grip of undeath spread through the room, then beyond. All for love.
Shard of Reverence	Lust for power seemed a common trait among the Runeterrans. Even Targon's revered few craved it, and so when they realized that simple flattery could bring them the power of the stars themselves, they didn't hesitate.

His life abnormally prolonged by the magic he's exposed to, Ryze's quest is endless. He travels the world, from the frozen wastes of the Freljord to the bustling ports of Bilgewater, securing the runes from those who would misuse them, sometimes through diplomacy, often through force.

His journey is one of constant conflict and sacrifice, confronting nightmares made manifest, Troll Kings, rival mages, and even the servants of the Void, all drawn to the power of the Runes.

Encounter Location	Description	Image
Demacia	Deep beneath the ancient petricite groves, Ryze has found a forgotten vault where the volatile energies of the World Rune shards can be safely contained.
Bilgewater	While seeking passage east from Bilgewater, Ryze finds himself caught in the crossfire between Miss Fortune and a rival captain’s crew.
Shurima	Long before Shurima rose again, Ryze and the Ascended scholar Nasus delved into a ruined archive and awakened its protector.
Ionia	In the wake of the Noxian invasion, Ryze and Sona travelled to the monastery at Hirana, only to be ambushed by the Navori Brotherhood.
Freljord	Ryze's purpose can lead to unpleasant confrontations, such as with the self-styled Troll King, Trundle.
The Void	In the deepest spaces beneath the world, servants of the mythical Watchers are drawn to the power of the World Runes.

Ryze's lonely war continues, haunted by the past but driven by a faint hope that he can prevent the world from destroying itself again.