The Great Darkin War was an ancient war between the remaining God-Warriors, the Darkin who were corrupted by the preceding Void War, the remaining mortal populace of Runeterra, and the Aspects. Most of the God-Warriors and Darkin would end up being killed or sealed away during this war.
Lore[]
- These snippets are from the Noxian Calendar from Realms of Runeterra. However, they may be incorrect or biased due to the Noxian point of view or the old age.
- 550 BN — The Great Darkin War
Bereft of purpose, and scarred by what they had endured in facing 
the Void, many of the Ascended became twisted in body and mind, naming themselves "Darkin" and raising hordes of mortal warriors to conquer the world. Eventually, the Aspects who had inspired their creation were forced to intervene, imprisoning the Darkin within their own accursed weapons.
[1]
History[]
- 2000 BN - 550 BN
The Sun Disc, with no power left, is buried beneath the sands, and all knowledge of how to perform Ascension is lost with it. The people of 
Shurima scattered, living in nomadic tribes or around deltas and oases from this point onwards. Destruction of Nerimazeth at the hands of the Ascended was a form of revenge against 
the one who lead Shurima to its downfall.
The God-Warriors controlled Runeterra for centuries of uneasy alliance. With no emperor to lead them, many of the surviving Ascended God-Warriors began to return to their old petty ambitions. They came to view themselves as the rightful inheritors of the world, enslaving mortals and forcing worship. The scattered mortal populace named these new tyrants Darkin, a curse translating roughly in ancient High Shuriman as “the fallen.” The Darkin mastered many forbidden forms of primal magic, crafting their own flesh and armor with equal ease until they are completely unrecognizable as the noble warriors they had once been.
Without any 
monarch to defend, or the existential threat of the Void to test them, 
Aatrox and the other Darkin began to clash with one another. 
Nasus kills fellow Ascended Moneerah for delving the charred ruins of Nashramae's great library.
Vladimir's father traded young 
Vladimir to an unknown Darkin in exchange for the safety of the 
Kingdom of Camavor. Within a year, this oath would be broken. Instructed by his master, Vladimir destroyed the kingdom of his father and presented his father's head to him. Taught by his Darkin master, Vladimir became the first human to learn blood magic, the art of crafting flesh and transmuting blood. Over the course of his life, Vladimir would govern over his master's subjects. His Darkin master would later teach other mortals blood magic.
Myisha, the Aspect of Twilight at the time, leads Ascended Ta'anari to Nasus, who gives the panther-like God-Warrior the location of the 
Chalicar of Setaka, with which Ta'anari hopes to stop the civil war and unite the other Darkin.
Ta'anari calls for a gathering of the Ascended. Enakai (Tiger), Syphax (Chameleon), Zigantus (Bull), Xuuyan (Turtle), Shabaka and Shabake (Raven twins), Valeeva (Unknown), Cebotaru (Wolf), and 
Naganeka (Snake) come to this gathering.
Ta'anari proposes that the next wielder of the Chalicar would be 
Sivunas Alahair, the Bringer of Rains, one of Azir's remaining descendants. Xuuyan disagrees and tries to take the Chalicar by force. Ta'anari is forced to slay him using 
Portal Jump. The usage of such magic break the fetters that bound the immortal breath of the gods to Ta'anari's human flesh.
The other Darkin disagree with uniting to stop the war against the other God-Warriors and Darkin. Ta'anari, with the aid of Myisha, used Chalicar to heavily funnel his vitality rather than being drawn mad, and release an empowered form of 
Moonfalling to kill all Darkin in the meeting. Shabaka and Shabake were vaporized instantly by the Moonfall; with Syphax, Zigantus and Enakai dying to the moonfall a few moments later. Ta'anari's ascension was reverted and he was human once again. Myisha later removes his heart, killing him. Naganeka, Valeeva and Cebotaru managed to escape, still as Ascended. Naganeka was the only one to have her fate confirmed, having been sealed inside her 
1 ballista. Whether Valeeva and Cebotaru are still alive or were eventually sealed, is unknown to this day.
Under Myisha's tutelage, Ta'anari's three warrior former-queens, Teushpa, Sulpae and Idri-Mi, are the ones tasked with commanding their weaponsmiths to seal away the Darkin into weapons. Myisha gives Runeterrans the knowledge to seal away the Darkin. Newly reborn 
Aspect of War unites many in fighting back against the Darkin.
Vladimir's Darkin master instructed him to lead his armies in his defense against his unified enemies. Instead, Vladimir killed him and drank in a measure of his power, enough to renew his mortal flesh and enable him to be near immortal. Few surviving mortals flee, taking what knowledge they had of blood magic with them.
Xolaani attempted to end the war by using her hemomancy to subjugate all living beings, bringing her into conflict with Aatrox.[2] 
Taarosh was about to land the finishing blow on Xolaani before the Targonians intervened.
- 550 BN
The remaining Darkin, like Aatrox and 
Rhaast, are defeated and sealed away within their magical weapons. The last Darkin, 
Varus, is defeated and sealed away within his magical bow by Vastayan moon-stalkers and human mages in service of a golden-armored warrior queen, ending the Great Darkin War.[3] The Golden-armored Warrior Queen commanded her followers to bury her alive in a well of a mountain temple overlooking the village of Pallas.
Trivia[]
- 2000 BN - 550 BN
Oshra Va'Zaun was resettled and renamed into Kha'zhun. The city later reclaims its former identity of Oshra Va'Zaun following the conclusion of the Darkin War.
