What it is
The Blessed Isles were once a prosperous realm of scholars and magic. A catastrophic magical event, the Ruination, destroyed them, and a hurricane of dark magic called the Black Mist has covered the islands ever since, corrupting the land and draining life from anything living.
Those who died there did not rest. Spirits and wraiths now roam the islands, and at times the Mist spreads beyond them in an event called the Harrowing.
The short version
The story in 4 steps
- Step 1
The Blessed Isles
Before the Ruination the Blessed Isles were a center of learning and magic, with a city called Helia and the sacred Waters of Life.
- Step 2
Viego and Isolde
Viego took his dead wife's body to the Waters of Life. She came back as a wraith of shadow and rage, and her anguished magic clashed with his enchanted blade, causing the blast that destroyed the kingdom.
- Step 3
The Black Mist and the ruined
The Mist turned the islands into a cursed place. Thresh embraced undeath, Hecarim was fused with his steed and enslaved to the Mist, and Kalista, his betrayed general, became a spirit of vengeance.
- Step 4
The Harrowing
Every so often the Black Mist spreads beyond the isles, letting weakened spirits manifest and hunt the living. Bilgewater is a frequent target.