Tales of the Black Mist: The Harrowing
A short account of a Harrowing; use to explain the Mist reaching beyond the Isles.

Regional history
A cursed archipelago haunted by the Ruination, Black Mist and trapped souls.
Shadow Isles · official regional illustration · Riot Games
Watch before you read
A short account of a Harrowing; use to explain the Mist reaching beyond the Isles.
Kalista’s pact and vengeance; a character-focused companion to the surviving spirits.
The haunting of the Shadow Isles in a short visual story; not a reenactment of the original Ruination.
Riot Games · complete regional overview
This cursed land was once home to a noble, enlightened civilization, known to its allies and emissaries as the Blessed Isles. However, more than a thousand years ago, an unprecedented magical cataclysm left the barrier between the material and spirit realms in tatters, effectively merging the two… and dooming all living things in an instant.
Now, a malevolent Black Mist permanently shrouds the Isles, and the earth itself is tainted by dark sorcery. Mortals who dare to venture to these dismal shores will slowly have their life force stolen away from them, which in turn attracts the insatiable, restless spirits of the dead.
Those who perish within the Mist are condemned to haunt this nightmarish place for eternity—worse still, the power of the Shadow Isles appears to wax stronger with every passing year, allowing the most powerful specters to roam farther and farther across Runeterra.
End of this reading
A lived-in world
The history of the region

The Ruination is the disaster that turns sacred ground into a haunted wound. It begins with loss, obsession and forbidden power, then spreads outward until the Blessed Isles are no longer a sanctuary but a place where death itself has been broken.
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The forgotten beauty that makes the Shadow Isles tragic instead of simply dark.
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The central disaster that turns grief into a world-spreading curse.
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Viego as the emotional disaster at the center of the Isles.
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How the Shadow Isles turn death into imprisonment, hunger and wandering memory.
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A character map of the champions who embody the Isles after the fall.
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A curated route through the Blessed Isles, Ruination and haunted champion arcs.
Read the story →Personal stories
Associated through the archive’s characters; some journeys continue beyond this region.

John O’Bryan
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Michael Haugen Wieske
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Ian St. Martin
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Michael Luo
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Jared Rosen
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Phillip Vargas
Read the complete story →The source archive
Riot’s regional overview and place descriptions are preserved with attribution. Regional accounts describe their publication period; later stories can change the situation.