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Azir
The returned emperor seeks to rebuild Shurima. His personal rebirth and the political restoration of an empire are connected, but they are not the same achievement.
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Runeterra / Fallen desert empire
Fallen desert empire
Shurima
Beneath the dunes lie the remains of an empire. Around the Sun Disc, its story begins anew.
Inside the story · 2 MIN
Lost empire · Ascension · Life in the desert
An empire, a collapse, a return
Shurima once united much of the southern continent under emperors and Ascended warriors. The catastrophe surrounding Azir’s attempted Ascension destroyed its capital and broke that order. The empire endured in ruins, stories and the identities of scattered communities. Azir’s return raises a new question: does rebuilding the capital also give him the right to rule the people who learned to live without it?
The desert is inhabited
Oasis settlements, coastal ports, nomadic groups and travelling markets form a varied human geography. Water, safe routes and access to trade matter more than the apparent emptiness of the map suggests. Some people recover valuables from abandoned cities; others ride great desert creatures or work as mercenaries. Raiders exploit the same routes. These livelihoods continue alongside the return of imperial power.
The Sun Disc and the god-warriors
Ascension transformed chosen mortals into extraordinarily powerful beings through the Sun Disc. Nasus and Renekton show how two brothers could receive that gift yet follow devastatingly different paths. Xerath’s betrayal exposes the danger of trying to seize such power. Their stories are a history of duty, inequality, sacrifice and corruption, not a catalogue of magical abilities available to ordinary people.
Whose future is being restored?
The promise of a renewed empire is not the only Shuriman perspective. Taliyah’s attachment to her family and people offers a view from outside the imperial court. Noxian influence along the northern coast and the scars of Icathia connect local lives to wider struggles. Following those connections makes the desert a crossroads of political choices rather than a backdrop for ancient monuments.
RUNETERRA
People who shape the story
Nasus
A scholar and strategist transformed by Ascension. The preservation of knowledge, his brother’s fate and the loss of the empire all weigh on his decisions.
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Xerath
An arcane being whose betrayal helped destroy the old capital. His conflict with Azir is inseparable from the unequal society in which they grew up.
Read the biographyPlaces to explore
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RIOT MMO
From Runeterra to the MMO
These histories explain the world in which Riot is developing its MMORPG. They do not establish a playable people, a class, a starting zone or a confirmed quest. Follow the journal for the distinction between Riot’s announcements and community analysis.
Follow the MMO journalSources & further reading
Original editorial summaries based on Riot’s published atlas and biographies. Older sources may describe earlier stages of an evolving story.