Champion Lore: Kai'Sa and Taliyah, Hollowspun.

Kai'Sa and Taliyah are some pretty well known champion's in League of Legends. Kai'Sa is known for her popularity and presence in the meta. Whereas Taliyah is known for her design and intriguing lore.

Along with Riot Games new cinematic The Call, they released a short story titled Hollowspun. The story describes what happened when Kai'Sa followed a strange passage deep within the void, until she meets Taliyah. The story then follows their interactions and how they end up becoming friends and working together.

What Do We Know Right Now?

In Kai'Sa's biography we learn about her origin and how she had spent almost a decade in the void deep under ground. Through recent stories however, we know that Kai'Sa has long since emerged from the void. She was been on the surface of Runeterra fighting back the void and saving as many lives as she can. 

Taliyah on the other hand, has always been a champion rich with lore, likening her control over the ground with weaving and tapestries. After traveling to Ionia to train and hone in her volatile powers, Taliyah learned her home Shurima was in danger. Once she had returned to Shurima, Taliyah sought to help protect her people and anyone she can find from both the void, and Azir's tyranny.

How Did Kai'Sa and Taliyah Meet?

At the beginning of Hollowspun, we see Kai'Sa following a mysterious tunnel that led her to a large chasm where she encountered a swarm of voidlings.

Noticing the sounds of a struggle in the chasm, Taliyah decides to try and help by creating some footholds in the chasm with her earth bending abilities so that any survivors could climb out. After Kai'Sa narrowly avoided being consumed by the swarm she used these footholds to escape the chasm and come back to the surface.

• Check out more lore articles like this one about Dr. Mundo! 

Upon escaping Kai'Sa is immediately attacked by an unknown aggressor. Launched into the air, Kai'Sa braces for impact ready to fight to the death. However, she is stopped short after she is wrapped in a red scarf with stones on each end.

As it turns out it was Taliyah who had attacked her, thinking Kai'Sa was another monster from those monstrous depths. Only until Kai'Sa hit the ground and her helmet broke did Taliyah relent, seeing that Kai'Sa wasn't like the rest... she was human.

What Happens After They Meet?

After some introductions Taliyah brings Kai'Sa back to her camp with some other survivors. This is the first time Kai'Sa is around other people in over a decade, and it's some of the best food she's had, so she sticks around for a little while. The survivors want to travel to a mythical city called Xolan where they will be safe. Kai'Sa tries to dissuade them, saying it's too dangerous to cross the desert with the void around.  Because of this Kai'Sa struggles to fit in, being so used to a realistic mindset, she doesn't understand their optimism.

The next day they split ways because Kai'Sa wants to continue to investigate the strange tunnel, but she worries if Taliyah can protect those people from the void on their way to this fabled city.

How Did the Story End?

As Kai'Sa follows the tunnel, and continues to fight off voidlings she encounters a Xer'Sai, an incredibly dangerous type of voidling. As she is battling she hears the screams of people, and realizes her path has intersected with that of Taliyah and the people she was protecting. In a rush she clamors to find them, but struggles to in the chaos. Eventually she finds Taliyah hiding in a dome of rock, and the rest of the survivors on a land bridge that she made.

After working together with Taliyah, Kai'Sa is able to help save everyone from the Xer'Sai and escape. However Kai'Sa realizes the only reason she was able to survive was because she didn't do it alone. It was the first time she had been saved.

• Another Void lore piece... does this confirm the Cho'Gath VGU for 2022?

This interaction helped Kai'Sa to regain some of her humanity, and her interactions with the people were much more friendly and warm.

After this deadly encounter, Taliyah now understands she has to find a different way to help these people. She can't protect them alone. After setting the group of survivors on a course to somewhere safe, she and Kai'Sa decide to follow the tunnel to Xolan where they hope to create somewhere safe for the people of Shurima, and to find answers to why the void is spreading and getting worse.

What Did We Learn?

Overall Hollowspun gave us a deep look into Kai'Sa's journey to regain her humanity, and Taliyah's journey to find her purpose, adding even more depth to their characters. No one expected Kai'Sa and Taliyah to become friends, but it definitely fits them. They keep each other realistic, optimistic, and safe.

Even though at the story ends there, it's actually right where The Call picks up, showing off an epic battle between Kai'Sa, Taliyah, and Rek'Sai. Giving us an exceptional cinematic look into one of the best stories Riot has written yet.

• Want more synopses of League of Legends lore? Check us out at Riftfeed.