Who they are
Skarner is a huge scorpion-like brackern who grew curious about humans and became their protector. He helped shape Ixtal's civilization as one of the Yun Tal.
He now watches for threats from a chamber beneath Ixaocan and grows paranoid as younger Ixtali question the nation's isolation, preferring to keep Ixtal sealed off.
Their story belongs to Ixtal. Elemental mages hiding behind a wall of shifting jungle.
Their story, step by step
- Step 1
A brackern's son
Skarner was born around nine thousand years before the present to the brackern broodmother Nixalẹ. His broodmates left to form clans, but he stayed to learn his mother's wisdom and geomancy and developed the ability to sense vibrations underground.
- Step 2
The Yun Tal
When humans arrived to found what became Ixtal, most of his clan distrusted them. Skarner was curious about their ingenuity and fragility. He saved their settlement from a rockslide and became their protector, then a founding member of the Yun Tal, the ruling caste of Ixtal. He shaped the earth to help human civilization grow.
- Step 3
Isolation
He argued against an alliance with the Shuriman Empire, but the Yun Tal agreed to one anyway. After Shurima fell and the Rune Wars came, he persuaded them to seal Ixtal off completely. He built a chamber beneath Ixaocan to listen for threats across the continent and became its sole guardian.
- Step 4
A paranoid protector
Newer generations of Ixtali now question the isolation, while Skarner grows more fearful of outside dangers. He knows of Qiyana's bid for power and thinks poorly of Milio as an extension of a rebellious great aunt. He is ready to protect Ixtal at any cost.
Turning points
- Saved the human settlement from a rockslide
- Opposed the Shuriman alliance and lost the argument
- Convinced the Yun Tal to isolate Ixtal after the Rune Wars
Where their story stands now
Skarner watches from beneath Ixaocan, determined to keep Ixtal sealed. The more he guards it, the more he risks harming the people he protects, as younger Ixtali push back against isolation.
Who they are tied to
Where this fits in the story
- Ixtal · step 1
A wall of jungle
A magical barrier keeps outsiders away by changing weather and moving terrain. Few people have seen Ixtal from inside.
- Ixtal · step 2
The Axiomata and the arcologies
Different arcologies specialize in different elements: one in fire, rock and magnetism, another in water, ice and steam.
- Ixtal · step 3
Leaving the empire
Ixtal was once part of the Shuriman Empire and withdrew after witnessing catastrophic wars, including a clash between the Ascended Ne'Zuk's Monolith fortress and the Void.
- Ixtal · step 4
Back in the world
After millennia of isolation, Qiyana's actions exposed Ixtal to Piltover. The Ixtali still see other nations as upstarts and pretenders.