- 3rd Biography
- 2nd Biography
- 1st Biography
- League Judgement
| Widely considered one of the most adept sorcerers on Runeterra, Ryze is an ancient, hard-bitten archmage with an impossibly heavy burden to bear. Armed with immense arcane power and a boundless constitution, he tirelessly hunts for World Runes—fragments of the raw magic that once shaped the world from nothingness. He must retrieve these glyphs before they fall into the wrong hands, for Ryze understands the horrors they could unleash on Runeterra.
Ryze was just a young man when he first learned of the powerful arcane forces that lay hidden across the world. While on a diplomatic mission, Ryze overheard his master, Tyrus, in discussion with another wizened old mage. In hushed tones, they spoke of the potential danger of something called ‘World Runes.’ As Tyrus noticed his pupil, he abruptly ended the conversation, tightly clutching the scroll that never left his side. Over the following decades, knowledge of the Runes began to spread as more were unearthed. The world’s brightest minds studied the ancient glyphs, attempting to determine the powers they possessed. Few could even begin to understand the importance of their origins, or the sheer power held within them. Some surmised that the Runes were integral to the creation of Runeterra itself. The first use of these mysterious artifacts proved catastrophic, as they reshaped the landscape of entire nations. Mistrust quickly grew as those who knew of the Runes imagined such “Makers’ Might” being used as a weapon. Ryze and Tyrus traveled between various nations, trying to quell paranoia and encourage restraint, but their missions became increasingly precarious. Relentlessly, they strove to avert multiple disasters, but Ryze could sense his master’s growing desperation. Tyrus’s worst fears were realized when he and his student were mediating a standoff between two warring nations, not far from Ryze’s boyhood village of Khom. Each army accused the other of plotting to use runic weapons against the other, and each was prepared to do the same in self-defense. As tensions grew out of control, Tyrus could see it was a conflict he could not mediate. With the two sides determined to go to war, he could do nothing but flee with his protégé. They had escaped halfway across a mountain range before the battle erupted. Ryze suddenly felt the earth fall away beneath him. The ground seemed to retch and squeal, while the sky above them recoiled as if mortally wounded. Tyrus grabbed Ryze and screamed unheard commands, but the words were swallowed by the unnatural silence around them. For the first time, they were witnessing the effects of two World Runes at war. Seconds later, reality settled. Ryze and Tyrus clambered to the ruins of a nearby peak and looked back upon the valley where the two armies previously stood. Below, they saw insanity—destruction so massive that it defied all physical sense. The armies, the people, the very land itself were gone. An ocean that was previously beyond a day’s journey was now rushing to meet them. Ryze could only fall to his knees and stare into the great hole left in the world. The devastation was complete. Nothing remained. Not even the village he once called home. Open warfare raged across Runeterra. The first horrors of the Rune Wars sparked fear and aggression among those who now realized the power at their command. Even Ryze felt the urge to join the conflict to prevent further devastation of the kind unleashed on his people. Tyrus was there to stay the hand of his pupil, counseling that the path of vengeance would lead only to more heartache. Ryze was initially vexed by his master’s words, but he soon came to accept Tyrus’s wisdom. Traveling across the world to meet with those who held the Runes, Tyrus pleaded for sanity. To ensure the future of Runeterra, he asked that every World Rune be locked away beyond the reach of man. Deeply sobered by the imminent threat of annihilation, some agreed to turn over their World Runes to Tyrus, while others refused to cast aside their newfound power and influence. Tyrus continued his work, attempting to remove all World Runes from the reach of humanity. Yet as hope for Runeterra grew, Tyrus seemed to unravel. Ryze saw his master grow more distant. While Tyrus dealt with the Runes, he began to send his student on missions that seemed to have little importance. Ryze was on one such menial errand when he received word of a new cataclysm, this time to the southwest of Valoran, in Icathia. The mage rushed to the scene of the devastation, beset with concern for his master and friend, hoping that he had survived. Upon his arrival, Ryze was elated to find that Tyrus was indeed safe. But Ryze’s relief was short-lived. Next to the scroll he had never been allowed to read, sat two World Runes. The older mage explained that once the World Runes were in play, he had no choice but to use them himself. Ryze was horrified as he realized Tyrus had not just survived the disaster, he had caused it. He continued his bitter tirade, telling his student that humanity was a reckless child, playing with power it did not understand. Tyrus could no longer play the role of diplomat for ignorant power-mongers. He had to stop them. Though Ryze tried to reason with Tyrus, it was no use. The infinitely wise paragon he’d looked up to since childhood was gone. Before him stood a flawed man, susceptible to the same temptations as the fools he decried. The Runes had corrupted him deeply, and he was sure to use them again and again, taking more of the world away each time. Ryze had to act, even if it meant destroying his only true friend. He unleashed every ounce of arcane energy he could muster. Tyrus reached for the Runes, determined not to relinquish their power. In grasping for them, the corrupted mage had left himself momentarily defenseless to Ryze’s onslaught. A moment later, Tyrus’s corpse lay smoldering on the floor. Ryze trembled with emotion as his mind struggled to process what he had done. As he regained his senses, he found himself alone with the World Runes, their glow inviting him to possess them. Steeling himself, he picked up the strange symbols one by one, and immediately felt them transforming him into something greater, or more terrible, than he could ever otherwise be. Shuddering, he dropped the Runes and backed away. If these glyphs could corrupt a mage with the strength and integrity of Tyrus, how was Ryze to handle them? He then realized that if he walked away, someone else would find the Runes and use them. At that moment, Ryze understood the scale of his task. As long as any World Rune remained in play, the Rune Wars would continue and surely doom all Runeterra. Unsure what possible next step to take, Ryze saw the scroll Tyrus always carried with him. Tentatively, Ryze unfurled the scroll and was illuminated by a radiant glow. Suddenly, Ryze knew what he must do. Ever since that day, Ryze has wandered the world, driven by the same unseen beckoning that both guides and terrifies him. He constantly rejects the promise of power within each Rune, choosing instead to bind them in secret locations no one can access. He has spent centuries performing the task, his life abnormally prolonged by the magic he has absorbed carrying out his duty. Even after all this time, Ryze cannot afford to slow. The World Runes have begun to emerge once more, and the world has forgotten the price of wielding them. | |
| "Take care with this world. What is made can be unmade."
- |
| There are many on Runeterra who are attracted to the study of magic or, in recent times, the emerging field of techmaturgy. For most, pursuit of such knowledge is formalized in a college or university. The halls of traditional study were never for Ryze, however, who felt a more raw and primal connection to the magic of Runeterra than those who tried to teach him. He struck out on his own as a young man to discover what already called to him. Ryze traveled the world, seeking the wisdom of powerful hermits, witches, and shamans - anyone who had something to share beyond what was taught in the city-states of Valoran. When he had learned all he could from these fonts of wisdom, Ryze turned to seek the lost, forgotten, and forbidden knowledge in the world, delving into mystical worlds where others feared to tread.
Ryze's tireless searching for magical knowledge led him to an ancient form of spellcraft known as thorn magic. This art required Ryze to tattoo spells on his body, permanently infusing his being with vast arcane power and finally fulfilling his need to bond with the mystical energies of Runeterra. His travels also led him to uncover the giant indestructible scroll he now carries on his back - the purpose of the inscribed spell remains a secret only Ryze knows. He claims it is an abomination - something that he must safeguard from the world. This has piqued the curiosity of many, though no one is sure how to separate the scroll from Ryze, or if it is possible to overcome the rogue mage to do so. Since then, Ryze has joined the League of Legends to study the magical creatures and powerful will-workers that fight there, in order to complete his exploration of mystical Runeterra. | |
| "Ryze is no longer just a mage - he has become a creature of magic itself."
- High Councilor Heywan Relivash |
| The halls of traditional study were never for Ryze, who felt a more raw and primal connection to the magic of Runeterra than those who tried to teach him. As a young man, he traveled the world, seeking the wisdom of powerful hermits, witches, and shamans. When he had learned all he could, Ryze turned to seek the lost, forgotten, and forbidden knowledge in the world. This led him to an ancient form of spellcraft known as thorn magic. This art required Ryze to tattoo spells on his body, infusing his being with vast arcane power. His travels also brought him to the giant indestructible scroll he carries on his back. The purpose of the inscribed spell is a secret only Ryze knows. However, he claims it is an abomination, something that he must safeguard from the world. Today, Ryze has joined the League of Legends to study the magical creatures and powerful will-workers that fight there, in order to complete his exploration of mystical Runeterra. | |
| "There is no doubt. Ryze is no longer a mage - he has become a creature of magic." |
| Candidate: Ryze
Date: 24 September, 10 CLE OBSERVATION Ryze strides along the marbles halls; face deliberate, jaw set and determined. His eyes hold a sense of urgency and undeniable purpose that is mirrored in his gait. His simple traveler's clothes pose a stark contrast to the elaborate tattoos that snake their way across his wiry frame, marring every inch of his exposed flesh. Slung over his powerful back hangs a scroll; precious cargo from how he cradles it. From the embossed spellbook in his grip to the lesser scraps of parchment at his side, nothing is borne with more reverence. He stops for a moment beneath an archway marked by a double door and an inscription: "The truest opponent lies within." The Rogue Mage extends a hand, parting the portal, before striding boldly inside. REFLECTION Ryze stood for a moment in the dark, calm but alert. He sniffed the air. There was something here... a tangible presence. "A visitor?" called a voice from the black, "How strange. I loathe uninvited guests!" Every muscle in his body tightened like a coiled spring. Out of the darkness strode a lithe, beautiful woman, dressed in a loose fitting dress. From neck to fingertips, she was covered in tattoos. "Lilith?" he gasped, "How did you find me?" She reached out a slender hand, lightly drawing her long nails down Ryze's bare chest. "Ryze," she purred, "You cannot hide from me." She drew in closer, catching him in her embrace. "I have a secret," she whispered, pulling herself close to his cheek. "I will never let you go!" she snarled, biting his earlobe suggestively. He shivered. The pinch in his ear became a sharp sting. He heard an impact and fell reeling to the ground, catching himself on pure, unmarked hands. He recognized them as his own, but that was impossible. He hadn't seen his bare flesh in years. "Trespasser!" rasped Lilith's voice. "Pardon, mistress," he started, climbing to his feet on the ramshackled porch of a lonely cabin, "I am weary and in search of shelter for the evening. The Howling Marsh is no place to be caught after dark." "I do not shelter insufferable wayfarers," she replied, folding her arms implacably. A slight breeze caught her wild hair. Ryze sneered. "I am not to be trifled with..." She cut him off. "Trifled?!" she screeched, extending a finger. Energy crackled along the patterns on her arm, racing across the distance between them. First it was just the jolt. The breath rushed from his lungs and for a moment he blacked out. The next thing he knew he was lying on his back in the mud, gasping. His body tingled, and he shook from head to foot. Lilith stood over him, silhouetted in the setting sun, Energy still coursing along the ink in her tattoos. "You will learn respect, vagabond," she said, even voiced once again. "Please, mistress," Ryze gasped, "spare my life." She knelt over him, leaning in just inches from his nose, her hair falling into his face. She dug her fingernails into the shirt over his chest, "Why, pretty thing? Why should I spare your life?" He inhaled sharply through the pain in his chest, "Because I have been searching for you for my entire life," he stammered, "and it would break my heart to die, now." Lilith sat up slightly. She smiled. "How interesting," she replied. Ryze's strength failed him and he passed out. He awoke lying face down on a plush mattress, arms and legs spread wide. He tried to move, but found himself bound tightly in place. Next to him on the pillow lay a series of razor sharp thorns and a font of violet liquid. "Awake so soon," Lilith muttered coyly, entering the room through a beaded curtain. She climbed onto the bed with him, straddling his lower back. "Tell me, wayfarer," she quipped, reaching for her implements, "what is it about me that is so fascinating?" She dipped a barb into the inkwell. "I have studied magic since I was a boy," Ryze croaked into the pillow. He felt a twinge in the nape of his neck and he winced. "Don’t squirm!" Lilith shouted, bringing a hand down hard on his shoulder with an audible smack. Ryze gritted his teeth through the pain and continued. The burning sensation spread as she went about her bloody work. "Always, my masters taught me patience, to remain in control, to never surrender to my passions," she changed needles. He could feel blood and ink pooling in his open wounds. "They called me a liability; refused to finish training me," he went on, "You know another way." "Charlatans," Lilith spat, wiping the blood from his back with her dress. She bent low over him, her hot breath on his neck. She whispered, "but we know better, don't we. Magic is Energy. All our enthusiasm; our rapture; our fury. They are conduits for our power." She licked her lips. "I can show you the way." She freed his limbs. "Now roll over," she snapped, another needle clutched lightly in her fingers, "I haven't finished." Ryze grudgingly obeyed, though his body throbbed with pain. Above him in the rafters hung an elaborate scroll on stretched parchment, larger than a tapestry. "What is that?" he asked, remembering himself. Lilith's face grew ashen. The room around him fell away to darkness. "You stole it from me!" she shrieked, arms flailing, tears streaming down her face, "How could you?! Betrayer! Betrayer!" She struck him a dozen times before he could restrain her. "I had no choice!" he cried, "You wouldn't listen! You would bring ruin on us all!" Lilith scoffed. "Why do you want to join the League, Ryze?" Ryze released her and she pulled away. He adjusted the scroll on his back. "I must keep it safe." She smiled. "How does it feel, exposing your mind?" Ryze determined countenance returned. "I will do what I must," he replied. He raised a hand to shield his face as the doors to the League of Legends swung open, and light came pouring in. |