Who they are
Kennen is a yordle from Bandle City who joined Ionia's Kinkou Order.
Their story belongs to Bandle City and also touches Ionia. A pocket of the spirit realm where yordles live, and time runs strange.
Their story, step by step
- Step 1
A yordle seeking balance
Kennen came from Bandle City but felt cut off from its chaotic spirit. Looking for harmony, he left the spirit realm long ago, curious about the material world. He eventually reached the quiet First Lands, later called Ionia, and found people there rebuilding after ancient wars.
- Step 2
Heart of the Tempest
He saw the danger posed by hostile spirits and found the young Kinkou Order. He offered to act as an arbiter between its two leaders, the Eye of Twilight and the Fist of Shadow, and became the first and only Heart of the Tempest. In that role he links the two sides and uses both diplomacy and force to keep balance.
- Step 3
The Darkin war
When the Darkin invaded Ionia long ago, Kennen fought beside Eye Bhinan and Fist Lao. After Lao died they allied with a reformed Darkin, Zaahen. Once victory was won, Kennen and the Kinkou rewrote the story as the Tale of the Devoted Shrine Maiden, to give Ionia room to heal.
- Step 4
Noxian invasion
When Noxus invaded Ionia, the Kinkou tore itself apart. Zed, a former acolyte, led a coup. Kennen advised Shen, the new Eye of Twilight, and argued for Akali to become Fist. She later left the order, disillusioned by its inaction.
- Step 5
Spirit Blossom
After the Noxians withdrew, Kennen met the Demacian seneschal Xin Zhao during the first Spirit Blossom festival in years. When demonic forces broke into the Temple of Twilight, Kennen and Yunara told Xin Zhao the truth about the Darkin War. They then helped him through the Trials of Twilight to stop Zaahen from escaping.
Turning points
- Leaving the spirit realm to find balance
- Becoming the Heart of the Tempest
- Helping rewrite the Darkin War into legend
- Guiding Xin Zhao through the Trials of Twilight
Where their story stands now
Kennen leads the Kinkou Order from the Temple of Koeshin and has recently dealt with corrupted acolytes from the Temple of Raishai. Zed's rivalry is still unresolved. Zaahen might return, and so might other Darkin.
Who they are tied to
- Shen →Kennen advised Shen after he became the Eye of Twilight during the order's troubles.
- Yunara →A Kinkou shrine maiden who guarded the Temple of Twilight for over a thousand years.
- Zaahen →A fallen god and Darkin who resists the corruption of his kin.
- Xin Zhao →A spearmaster who rose from Noxian slavery to become Seneschal of Demacia.
Where this fits in the story
- Bandle City · step 1
Where it is
Bandle City exists in the spirit realm and connects to Runeterra through magical gateways and bandlewoods, places where spirit magic seeps into the material world.
- Bandle City · step 2
How it is run
There is no real government. Tristana leads the Bandle Gunners, and the Bandle Scouts keep a rulebook about adventure and teamwork.
- Bandle City · step 3
Yordles in the world
Many yordles live elsewhere. Kennen joined Ionia's Kinkou Order, Poppy became a legendary Demacian warrior and Heimerdinger is an inventor in Piltover.
- Bandle City · step 4
An ancient people
Yordles built their gateway system thousands of years ago. The discovery of Gnar, a prehistoric yordle frozen in time, suggests they are an ancient race.