Are they really the good guys?
Demacia: Lore, Champions & More
Demacia is supposed to be the Camelot of Runeterra, with knights in shining armor slaying terrible beasts and a wise ruler at its head, reminiscent of King Arthur. Nothing is black and white in the universe of League of Legends, and the "good guys" of Demacia have an edge to them.
The first mentions of Demacia in the old lore of League of Legends painted them as the stereotypical good guys, and basically a smaller underdog kingdom opposing the large Noxus. These days, the lore of Runeterra is more complicated, and Riot have added depth to Demacia, its champions, and the region in general.
What is the Story of Demacia?
Demacia is a kingdom with a prestigious military history, where each soldier is a capable warrior in their own right, trained rigorously and equipped with the best weapons and armor Demacia can provide, with the main goal of patrolling and protecting Demacia's land.
As such, since the Shuriman Empire is no more, Demacia's soldiers are the most elite out of all regions on the currently known Runeterra, excluding the continent where the Kingdom of Camavor used to exist, as not much is known about it.
Due to this, the people under the protection of Demacia's royal family have always been secure, birthing a culture of pride in their military, and upholding the values of justice and honor. However, time changes all things, and Demacia is no different.
Demacia - Founding
The story of Demacia stretches all the way back to the end of the Rune Wars, and the destruction powerful magic wrought when left unchecked, which made Demacians dislike magic, and eventually mages, as their core principle.
Thus, the Kingdom of Demacia was born in a land filled with petricite, a magic-nullifying material, which proved a perfect tool for the people fleeing the pain brought about by the Rune Wars.
One of the people in question was a man named Kilam, who arrived at the land that would become Demacia with his two daughters, Kayle and Morgana in tow after his wife Mihira became too alien due to her power as the Aspect of Justice.
Demacia - Winged Protectors
The daughters of the Aspect of Justice Mihira would grow into powerful beings in their own right, who protected the fledgling nation, but each with a different vision of justice. Where Morgana tried to bring criminals back to the light, Kayle would smite any who broke the laws of the land.
This would lead to their confrontation, which ended in collateral damage and casualties, even their own father's death. Morgana would then curse her own power, while Kayle would follow in her mother's footsteps and leave for Targon Prime.
Still, their actions in defending Demacia during its early days would leave a lasting imprint of its development, aside from just allowing it to develop in the first place, among the more powerful factions.
Kayle's philosophy of blind justice was especially well-received by the ruling classes, and it laid a foundation for evolving into something far more sinister in the future, paranoid persecution.
Demacia - Battles With Noxus
With the expansion of Noxus bringing its armies to the borders of Demacia, a clash of ideologies was inevitable. The first true battle between Demacia and Noxus ended in the death of Jarvan I, at Sion's hands, as an act of final defiance.
And, just as the King of Demacia killed Sion, and Sion the champion of Noxus killed Jarvan I, at the same time, so would Demacia and Noxus continuously remain at a stalemate for a century, with the land gained and lost having no real importance.
The most recent clash had Jarvan IV severely wounded and taught a lesson of not underestimating Noxian warbands, which seem to be pushing for a complete invasion of Demacia, especially with the moves made by Swain that followed.
Demacia - Mageseeker Rebellion and Current Kingdom
The blind justice employed by Kayle and the trauma of the Rune Wars, over the years, evolved into making Demacia an insular society that distrusted mages heavily and even had a Mageseeker order dedicated to finding mages in Demacia's borders, imprisoning and executing them.
It all culminated with the Mageseeker Rebellion, led by Sylas, that heavily destabilized the kingdom, and the chaos allowed Swain to send Katarina to kill Jarvan III, to sow even more confusion and prepare Demacia for easier assimilation into the Empire.
For now, with the advice of Morgana, Sylas's rebellion has taken on the role of safeguarding mages instead of retaliating against the government of Demacia, while Jarvan IV followed through with his father's wishes to disband the Mageseeker Order.
The question remains if it's too little too late for Jarvan IV to hold his kingdom together, as the times are changing, and the people of Demacia don't seem to be suited to change. At least their allies don't think so and are starting to look elsewhere for protection.
Who is the King of Demacia?
The current king of Demacia is Jarvan IV, who succeded his late father Jarvan III. Jarvan III died during Sylas' rebellion but was killed by Katarina at the orders of Swain.
The ruling family of Demacia is the Lightshield family, thus the full name of the current King of Demacia is Jarvan Lightshield the Fourth. Currently, the only known relative of Jarvan's is Xin Zhao, though he is his uncle by adoption and not by birth.
Who are Demacian Champions?
Demacia is one of the regions that has the most champions hailing from it, currently, with 15 Demacian champions in League of Legends:
- Jarvan IV
- Garen
- Lux
- Xin Zhao
- Sylas
- Kayle
- Morgana
- Vayne
- Shyvana
- Sona
- Quinn
- Poppy
- Lucian
- Galio
- Fiora
Demacian champions cannot be categorized as good or evil, as most of them try to live up to the ideals of Demacia, with their human faults hindering them along the way.
- There is no shortage of Demacian memorabilia to treat yourself with, such as an awesome Sona Figurine
Interestingly, even though Demacia, unlike Noxus, is not a faction that sprawls a lot of land, quite a few Demacian champions hail from other regions. This is due to the policies of Jarvan III, who would welcome anyone willing to uphold Demacia's laws and ideals under his protection.