Irelia

Their story, step by step

1. Step 1

   A dancer from Navori

   Irelia was born in Navori, Ionia, and was fascinated by the way people move. Her grandmother taught her the silk dances of the province, and she later studied under respected dancers at the Placidium of Navori.

2. Step 2

   Noxus takes her home

   When Noxus invaded, Irelia came home to find her village occupied by Admiral Duqual. Her father and all four of her brothers had been executed for resisting. As soldiers moved to execute her too, the shards of her family's crest began to move with her dance. This showed that she could levitate and command blades through dance, a gift tied to the Spirit Realm.

3. Step 3

   Leading the resistance

   Still in her teens, Irelia led resistance fighters back to the Placidium of Navori to face General Jericho Swain. She beat many of his veterans and severed his arm, which pushed Swain toward the demon Raum and eventually to the rank of Grand General. Her resistance pushed Noxus back for years and at the Battle of Dalu Bay she killed Duqual to avenge her family. Noxus finally withdrew, leaving Ionia changed and divided.

4. Step 4

   The weight of peace

   Irelia reluctantly accepted that many looked to her for leadership. She refused to lead the militant Navori Brotherhood, which wanted to unite Ionia by aggressive means, and the group sent assassins after her. She repelled them, but felt guilty about the bloodshed. A wise woman at a burial ground helped her accept that the world had changed and old methods no longer worked.

5. Step 5

   The Black Mist and the Sentinels

   When the Black Mist reached Ionia she met the Sentinels of Light and distrusted them at first, especially Riven, a Noxian war criminal. Senna persuaded her that a greater threat demanded cooperation. After seeing the Spirit of Ionia defiled she joined them, wearing their uniform and carrying relic blades, to stop the Ruined King Viego from collecting the fetters. She and Riven clashed at first but came to respect each other.

6. Step 6

   Home again

   After Viego's final defeat Irelia returned to Navori and gave up her Sentinel duties. She is now Ionian Guard Captain and Defender of the First Lands, and she has formed an unlikely friendship with Riven.

Turning points

• Her blades answering her dance as Noxian soldiers moved to execute her
• Defeating Swain's veterans at the Placidium and killing Duqual at Dalu Bay
• Refusing to lead the Navori Brotherhood
• Joining the Sentinels after the Spirit of Ionia was defiled

Where their story stands now

Irelia is back in Navori as Ionian Guard Captain, guarding a still divided Ionia. The Navori Brotherhood remains a threat, and her willingness to work with harder factions such as Zed's Order of Shadow hints at hard choices to come.

Who they are tied to

• Karma →Karma is a fellow Ionian leader who revealed at the Lasting Altar what Viego was after, though her more pacifist outlook suggests ongoing differences from Irelia's.
• Riven →A disillusioned Noxian soldier who deserted and wields a runic blade.
• Gwen →A living doll with enchanted sewing tools who fights the Black Mist.

Where this fits in the story

1. Ionia · step 1

   The Vastaya

   Ionian history says mortals merged with spirit-realm power to defeat invading Titans, and that this gave rise to the Vastayashai'rei, the Vastaya.

2. Ionia · step 2

   The Darkin war

   Ancient god-warriors invaded Ionia in the Darkin war. The Kinkou Order sealed them inside weapons.

3. Ionia · step 3

   The Noxian invasion

   Noxus occupied territory for about five years and took magical artifacts, then withdrew. Irelia led the resistance.

4. Ionia · step 4

   A divided peace

   The war left Ionia split between those who want to stay peaceful and those who want to be ready to fight. Zed founded the Order of Shadow, a rival to the Kinkou that uses forbidden dark magic.

Read the full story of Ionia