The Shadow Isles

Looks like Riot has put up a new promo site for The Shadow Isles, one of Runeterra's most mysterious locations, that previews a boat load of themed content. I'm not sure if this is this year's iteration  Harrowing content or is legit just a Shadow Isles promo. Either way, why don't you creep in for a peak?

Continue reading to catch teasers for a slew of new Shadow Isles themed content, including Elise, the Spider Queen, a batch of new skins, new summoner icons, and new ward skins.

While she may not be the matriach many have been waiting for, our next champions, Elise the Spider Queen, has been spinning up quite the reputation for herself since her arrival on the Shadow Isles.

"Elise's regal demeanor and captivating charms belied the feeling of dread she conjured in the pit of my stomach. Something in the deceptively musical timbre of her voice gave the impression there was a monstrous beast locked away beneath that unearthly smile. I looked around at her spellbound followers, and could not shake the feeling that they were ensnared like insects in a web, awaiting some horrible fate." - Riven

Elise is not braving the Shadow Isles alone, however. Accompanying her is her alternative skin, Death Blossom Elise, as well as three skins for three of our other favorite champions - Headless Hecarim, Haunted Maokai, and Underworld Twisted Fate:

"Dormant for hundreds of years, the resurgence of the Shadow Isles has awakened a host of long forgotten terrors. Alive in ancient legends and the mutterings of deranged madmen, this mysterious realm stands as a reminder of what may be lurking just beyond the lamplight."

Remember those ward skins we heard about a while back? They will also be making an appearance along side a batch of new summoner icons.

"Soon available in the Store for both RP and IP, these ward skins add a bit of atmospheric flair to your battles on the Fields of Justice. Also be on the lookout for details regarding Harrowing-themed skins and intimidating new summoner icons."

No word yet if these are going to be temporary or permanent.

The promo site also features new lore for two of our classic Shadow Isles champions, Mordekaiser and Karthus!

"There is no sweeter song than the last breath of the dying." - Karthus

Karthus is a terrible creature who was once a mortal so obsessed with death that he eagerly embraced the gift of undeath. Now in his unlife as a lich, Karthus is closer to his beloved grave than he ever imagined. He commands magic with oblivion as its source, and seeks to bring his grim truth to the rest of the world: only in death does life gain clarity and purpose.

Even as a boy, Karthus was different. There was a darkness within him that could not be denied. The young child clung to the shadows and shunned the company of others. He snuck into the funerals of strangers, and spoke to their tombstones in the cemetery. He sought out corpses of animals to preserve and memorialize them, creating a grim collection of morbid art. Karthus volunteered to tend to the sick and dying, though his intentions were not to help, but to closely witness the passing of those who were beyond help. Ultimately, he went so far as to elaborately stage his death, and he secretly observed his own funeral with intense fascination. When others discovered what Karthus had done, they were so shocked and disturbed that, in a way, he became truly dead to them. Karthus found himself fully rejected by the living.

His isolation only served to fuel his obsession. Karthus delved further into his exploration of death, and became fascinated by the legends of the Shadow Isles. There, it was said, the specters of the deceased continued on in unlife everlasting. Possessed by these tales, he knew he had to discover for himself if they were true. Journeying to those dreaded isles, Karthus soon found himself wandering through the mist, overcome by the surreal beauty of the place. He felt as if he had finally come home. He had always chased the elusive purity of the moment of death, when life passed and in a single instant achieved meaning. Karthus saw that undeath was like that moment, preserved in dread stillness forever. He had discovered his destiny, to cross over the veil and leave the living behind for eternity. Something awoke in the Shadow Isles that day, when Karthus did something no other creature had ever done: he willingly gave his life over to undeath. When he reentered the world, Karthus had become the embodiment of his own obsession. An undying lich with the keys to life and death, he seeks to bring his dark requiem to the world.

"Fear is confusion, pain is clarity" - Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser is a being of pure, living agony on a mysterious dread quest. It is said that he was the first of the undead, existing before the Shadow Isles were a whispered threat. His true name and past lost to history, Mordekaiser is feared for his grim manipulation of pain –both his own, and that of others. Anguish fuels and sustains him, serving as his last connection to life, as well as his most effective weapon. In his enigmatic hunt, he's proven no one is safe, for even the most courageous souls have surrendered their secrets in his grasp.

One girl witnessed and survived an encounter with pain's paladin. Late one night, the young mage-in-training was awoken by the sound of her master's tortured screams. Overcoming her fear, she charged into the library to find it a shattered ruin. There, she saw a hulking figure clad in a suit of armor that seemed fused to his body. It was clear the grim intruder was looking for something, and was displeased with the results. At the center of the once-majestic chamber, the armored fiend clutched her teacher's broken form. She overheard her master's final words – that he would die before he would give up his secrets. Mordekaiser laughed and said that even death was no escape, then snapped the master's neck with a sharp crack. Moments later, the horrified girl witnessed her master's spirit torn from his body. As if under some dark compulsion, the shade began to reveal all to his torturer and executioner. The girl fled, living to tell her story – should Mordekaiser come for you, even death itself will not keep you from his iron reach.