闇影島

File:Shadow Isles.jpg The Shadow Isles

“ "The Shadow Isles? They say they don't exist. Mythical islands haunted by ghosts and spectres. Tales to frighten children. But I know better. I have been there. When I first set foot there I immediately knew something was wrong with that place. My skin crawled and in the pit of my stomach I felt a terrible revulsion. Life didn't belong there. But I also knew... somehow, deep inside I knew that the islands welcomed me. They wanted me. "As I wandered deeper I saw death all around me. Ghostly trees, grass and flowers engulfed me in their horrifying radiance. It was so quiet and so beautiful. I passed my hand through a spectral leaf fluttering in the wind; but there was no wind. That was when I understood that death was another world and I was at its door. "Then I heard the song; the spider's song. My companion cried out in terror and fell to his knees. I embraced him. I told him he had nothing to fear. He was going to a better place. I will take them all to a better place." — Elise

The Shadow Isles are islands located northwest of Valoran.

Lore

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The Twisted Treeline

Little is known about the mysterious Shadow Isles. An eternally thick, unnatural fog blankets the islands from the view of outsiders. It is thought that the islands are home to countless forms of undead, though no one seems eager to perform the exploration necessary to find out the truth.

A year after the League was established, summoners were sent to explore a small portion of the isle and later, established the Twisted Treeline.

Creatures of the Shadow

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Elise in the spider god's cavern

In the Isles, there are many shades of death, and each is embraced rather than feared or reviled. One can only ascend from one state to the next with the magical aid of a skilled professional. Yorick, the Gravedigger, is one individual who serves this role. He acts as a ferryman for the Isles' undead denizens, helping them climb death's many-tiered ladder. Another being is the feared lich, Karthus, the Deathsinger.

Evelynn, the Widowmaker, is also a creature believed to have originated from the Shadow Isles. It is clear upon first meeting her, and surviving, that she is not quite human. Some theorize that she was cursed with a mild form of fantastical vampirism as a child. Supporters of this theory contend that her ability to sap the very life essence of her opponents on (and off) the Fields of Justice, while still being able to tolerate direct sunlight, would account for this belief. Another popular theory is that she abused the use of magic as a child, morphing her into the hungering beast her opponents see on the battlefield.

Elise, the Spider Queen is a another creature that worships a so-called spider god that made its den in a cave in the Shadow Isles. Every year she would return to the Isles with a select few of her disciples and travel to her spider's den, transform into her true, hybrid form and feed her followers to it. Afterwards she would extract the venom of the spider and drink it to retain her youth. She would again return to Valoran in her human form to preach of her deity and take them again to its lair by the end of the year.

Development

Shadow isles concept.jpg

Shadow Isles concept

Trivia

• On the Shadow Isles, there is a saying, "Death is but a new beginning."
• "As the fog parted and I first beheld the Shadow Isles, I sensed immediately that something was amiss. From the mysteriously placid waters of the bay to the dead calm of the night air, an eerie stillness gripped the place – even the sea and sky. Even as I made ready to go ashore, the crew begged me to return at once to the mainland." - Elise, the Spider Queen
• "Despite its size, the immense forest loomed like a sepulcher around us, and the dank air and unnatural stillness bred increasing feelings of paranoia and dread. My companion begged me to turn back, but some primal yearning spurred me onward, deeper into the gloom." - Elise, the Spider Queen
• It could be possible that the Spider God that Elise worships is Vilemaw.
• The quote of the western altar , "This place was once... so beautiful.", suggests that the Shadow Isles, and all its inhabitants, were transformed by the Rune Wars.

Champions

Champion	Ties
Elise, the Spider Queen	Origin of power; priestess to the mythical spider god
Evelynn, the Widowmaker	Place of origin
Hecarim, the Shadow of War	Place of origin; was warned to distrust Mordekaiser by the western altar; marches in the name of the Shadow Isles
Karthus, the Deathsinger	Origin of power
Mordekaiser, the Master of Metal	Place of origin; possibly the first undead
Yorick, the Gravedigger	Point of reawakening; ferryman for the undead denizens

Associated Champions

Champion	Ties
Maokai, the Twisted Treant	Gained sentience in the Twisted Treeline
Nocturne, the Eternal Nightmare	Physical manifestation in the Twisted Treeline
Warwick, the Blood Hunter	Obtained silver from the Shadow Isles