
The Darkin known as
The Darkin are stated to be a collection of sentient weapons by Eduard Santangelo[1] and , of which it has been stated only three are known to exist. There are—in fact—five.
However, a Rioter involved with the story described them as immensely powerful beings of which only the known ones were imprisoned within weapons long ago[2], and that only among those imprisoned has escaped confinement. The other known Darkin are and . The remaining two Darkin are stated to be unknown even in-universe.
History
The Darkin was an extradimensional race attracted by the imprudent use of magic by runeterran magicians. Following this, they started a conquering act known as the "Darkin War" but were ultimately defeated by the Ascended. The remaining Darkins were cornered and trapped in weapons.
The entity known as Shurima, Ionia, Noxus, Demacia and more recently Freljord.[3] His work earned him dedicated devotees from various factions across history, being heralded as a hero to many of them, but he disappears as quickly as he comes, giving no indication of his true purpose.
is known for appearing in wars waged by humans, coming forth when victory seemed assured for one side, only to turn the tables with a few words and an unknown power, which inspires a monstrous bloodlust in people. His influence in historical conflicts spans thousands of years, with his oldest known appearance being in a battle between the Protectorate & Magelords. He has also appeared in AncientIonia by an unkown ascended queen, before he was released by Valmar and Kai during the Noxian Invasion of Ionia. This Darkin personifies Vengeance.
was sealed away inside the Pit of Pallas inThe fate of
varies from game-to-game: either killing to become dominant over his body, or being destroyed by , based on the outcome of Quest.Known Traits
The weapon's wielder and any Darkin trapped within seem to enter a symbiotic relationship, the wielder gaining a portion of the Darkin's power and the Darkin in turn gain some agency and a venue of freedom. However, the Darkin can parasitically dominate their wielder, thereby annihilating the wielder's personality while in turn freely affirming their agency; similarly, the wielder can extirpate the Darkin's persona to gain full access to the weapon's power. In both cases, the dominated other is described as "dying".
has usurped his wielder long ago and it is known that actively seeks to gain control over body, where as has yet to fully take control of both and in their tri-symbiotic existence.
asserts that will die if Kayn lets go of the scythe, although the implication is that the Darkin's power is lost if a Darkin is killed in this fashion.
Trivia
- The two factions within Aatrox's lore, the Protectorate and the Magelords, are highly likely to be the two factions represented on Summoner's Rift. [4]
- A stone mural can be seen along the north edge of the map that depicts two factions surrounding a crystal, with a small carving of visible to the left.
- With
- Based on the original premise, it was speculated that and might be the two known-to-history Darkin that are yet not identified to players. This was supported by their winged-humanoid appearance in conjunction with the common Angels and Demons trope, as well as the promise that their out-dated and non-canonical lore would be updated in the future to something more in-universe. However, the other known Darkin were revealed to be and .
release, it was believed that the Darkin were a race of demon-like beings. However, in and teaser it was stated that the Darkin were a collection of sentient weapons. With release, a Rioter stated that the Darkin are powerful beings and that only the known Darkin were imprisoned within their weapons. He later emphasised known to players.
- mentioned having a sister, whether she's a another darkin or not it remains unknown.
- In the short story Dark Kin, clearly despised the "bestial and primitive" human languages, due to the human vocal tract's limitations; so likely , & are merely approximate human renditions of the aliens' true names.
- The Darkin are inspired by inspired the manga and anime series Devilman.
- The method in which Darkin possess human bodies is similar to how Demons possess humans in Devilman. Humans in both instances can also overpower the demon/darkin and use their power as their own.
Notable Darkin
Champion | Ties |
---|---|
Darkin personification of War | |
Darkin personification of Death | |
Darkin personification of Vengeance |
Associated Champions
Champion | Ties |
---|---|
Wielder of | .|
Sole survivor of Aatrox's massacre in Freljord |