Swain holds vigil as the bodies of fallen Noxian soldiers are put to flame.

Boram Darkwill Assassinated

Swain: “A clear declaration of war”

Quinton Groatreporting from Kalamanda

Things went from worse to worst in Kalamanda today as General Boram Darkwill and his accompanying platoon of Raedsel Guardsman were found slain on the roads not far from the village. The massacre was discovered by a Noxian company dispatched from Kalamanda to rendezvous with and escort Darkwill and his men across the last leg of the journey.

Analysis of the scene indicates that the entire troop was eliminated with terrifying efficiency. Noxian scouts haven’t found any traces of an attacking force or any signs of survivors. The caravan seems to have been taken completely by surprise, which is confusing considering that the site of the ambush is flat and open with little vegetation or terrain. Swain ordered that the bodies of every slain Noxian soldier be put to fire, as is the Noxian ceremony for fallen ranking officers in wartime conditions.

“This atrocity could only have been perpetrated by one group,” insisted Jericho Swain, the presiding Noxian authority in Kalamanda. “The Raedsel Guard is comprised of Noxus’ most ruthless and vicious soldiers. A platoon of Raedsel is worth a regiment of infantrymen.

I don’t know how the Demacians overcame them before they could signal our forces in Kalamanda, but no other military on this continent could mount such an assault. This is a clear declaration of war.”

In a public response, King Jarvan III of Demacia decried the attack. “This is a horrific tragedy. It’s no secret that Demacian and Noxian forces have opposed each other on numerous occasions, but General Darkwill and I were able, after so much conflict, to put our rivalries aside for the greater good. I did not order this attack. I would never do anything to threaten the peace we have forged. I am willing to cooperate in any way necessary to prove the truth of these claims.”

Swain’s declined Jarvan’s invitation to discuss the situation, which may indicate that the damage is already done. The last remaining natives of Kalamanda, including the mayor and his councilmen, have been evacuated from the region. Security at the Demacian camp has increased, though soldiers have been carefully instructed to make no show of aggression.

For the fragile time being, the sleepy village of Kalamanda remains calm as all of Valoran waits to see Swain’s next move.


Midnight Sunshine Baffles Authorities

Sun shines in the dead of night from above Mt. Targon

Kaldera Carnadine reporting from the Institute of War

Residents at the Institute of War and along the Demacian border found themselves awakened in the middle of the night by a strange burst of sunlight long before the morning hours. Institute officials suspect Mt. Targon as the event’s point of origin and have dispatched investigators to the area.

Late last night, a thick layer of clouds blocked most of the moon and starlight throughout southwestern Demacia and the wetlands south of the Institute of War. Multiple witness accounts throughout the area claim that a beam of intense sunlight pierced this veil of clouds and brightened the land for miles around its point of origin for nearly ten minutes. “I thought I might be going mad! The late nights get to me sometimes, but not like this,” said Rhyvian Nazar, a Demacian patrolman stationed near the border. “It was like someone had called down the sun itself.”

Many residents at the Institute of War offer similar accounts of the event. “I woke up and I thought it must be morning. From here, we could clearly see a beam of sunlight pour down through the clouds over Mt. Targon,” said one member of the Institute’s night guard.

“I could see the mountain’s silhouette perfectly on the horizon.” Normally, Mt. Targon is only visible from the Institute during the day, and only when the sky is cloudless. It is never visible at night.

Given the probable connection between the event and Mt. Targon, Institute officials reached League Champion Pantheon for comment. Pantheon is native to Mt. Targon and his tribe, the Rakkor, live upon its slopes. “There is a small sect of the Rakkor who devote their lives to the worship of the sun rather than the glory of war,” Pantheon told authorities. “They are a small but vital aspect of our culture, but none of them hold the power to perform such a feat as to call down the sun itself… unless....” The Artisan of War declined to comment further.

The event does not seem to have had any immediately adverse effects on the environment or the populated areas near the Demacian border. While some believe the strange event to be naught but another of Runeterra’s strange magical phenomenon, Institute investigation will remain vigorous. “This is magic unlike anything we’ve ever witnessed,” said Mycroft Zimmer of the Institute’s Division of Magical Disturbances. “As part of the Institute’s mandate on cataloguing and analyzing all magical energies in Valoran, identifying the cause of this anomaly has become our top priority.”


Piltover Wins Annual Zeppelin Race

Zaun’s protest of Piltovian victory overruled

Kaldera Carnadine reporting from Piltover

League Champion Janna’s record-breaking zeppelin “Tailwind,” unveiled earlier this year, has defeated the Zaunite flagship “Lead Zeppelin” at the annual Techmaturgical Conference in Piltover. Zaunite competitors contested the victory, claiming that the new “chrono-propeller” engine of the Tailwind allowed the craft to navigate through Bluewind Bay’s storms utterly unfettered. Conference officials, however, overruled their protest.

Tensions between Piltover and Zaun have grown heated over the past few months leading up to the Conference. The technology behind Piltover’s chrono-propeller engine has been a source of strain on the Piltovian side, as the design reportedly had not seen thorough testing prior to the race. “We could not have known whether or not the new engine’s time manipulation magic would work at all. In fact, it isn’t even perfected,” said Janna, Tailwind’s pilot. “We will be researching the full capabilities of our chrono-propeller for years to come.”

The highly-anticipated race began in Piltover and turned westward, following a day-long course along the Ironspike Mountains to Zaun. The racing zeppelins then made the treacherous journey across Bluewind Bay, notorious for its early summer storms. “The Bay stretch of the race is always the most dramatic,” said race coordinator Flint Mackay. “I’ve seen airships struck by lightning plenty of times in my day, or blown terribly off course by the wind. Even if someone’s ahead for most of the race, everything comes down to The Bay.”

This year, Zaun’s “Lead Zeppelin” maintained a strong lead from the race’s start in Piltover. The Zaunite flagship, a powerhouse of black metal and Zaunite techmaturgy, has claimed victory at the Conference for the past four years. As the two zeppelins crossed the bay, however, Tailwind’s chrono-propeller engine secured Piltover’s victory.

“The chrono-propeller’s magic worked well enough to project a small temporal zone around the Tailwind,” explained League Champion Zilean, who assisted in the propellor’s design. “While the Zaunites suffered through the whims of the storm, our temporal manipulation allowed for us to pass through the storm as though it didn’t exist around us—we were suspended in another time. A better, less stormy time.”

After Tailwind sailed into Piltover hours before Zaun’s Lead Zeppelin, Zaunite representatives immediately contested the victory, claiming that the chrono-propeller gave Piltover an unfair advantage. Conference officials overruled the protest: “The spirit of the Techmaturgical Conference is innovation,” explained Ezzle Springworthy, one of the race’s judges. “Piltover’s victory demonstrates their superior innovation over Zaun in the field of zeppelin techmaturgy. We will not revoke this victory.”

League Champions Janna and Zilean expressed their excitement to continue their work on the chrono-propeller in preparation for next year’s race while Zaunite competitors noted their intention to “make something better.”


The Mailbag of Justice

Reader mail from all across Valoran - answered!

Senior Summoner Ralston Farnsley commenting from the Institute of War

From Bandle City to Kalamanda to the Institute of War, it’s been another long week of dramatic and strange events across the whole of Valoran. Let it be known that the Journal of Justice staff, after such consistent chaos, takes great pleasure in reading and answering mail from you, our loyal readers.


My question is for Dr. Mundo… or maybe about him or it, depending on circumstances. Is the marvelous and/or grotesque purple metamorphosis permanent? Or does he have the choice to be in that state and continues to be? Can he continue his beloved research as his other persona? I would enjoy the more insight on one of my most favored summoned champions.Keatz

Among Zaunites, such a thing as Mundo’s ‘purple metamorphosis’ is not entirely unusual. Many citizens who volunteer themselves to Zaun’s alchemists and chemists in the spirit of scientific pursuit exhibit similar visible results of such endeavors, be it violet skin or teeth that glow in the dark, and bear them proudly. Dr. Mundo, however, is among a small few to perform such experimentation on himself. I interrupted one such session in which the Doctor had amassed a collection of no less than twenty vials of strange, viscous fluid connected by tube to his own flesh to garner an answer to your questions:

“Mundo prefer ‘marvelous,’ not ‘grotesque.’ Mundo like purple, and so do Mundo’s fans. Mundo could perform scientific endeavor to reverse effects of other experiments if he pleased, but Mundo enjoy being walking image of Zaunite progress.”


It occurs to me that champions Maokai and Malphite share striking similarities; neither champion chose the life of a league champion, both have bodies consisting of the raw material of the natural world, and both once occupied a much simpler existence in their natural environments. Have the two of them over conversed on these similar origins? Agamond

At the Institute of War, both Maokai and Malphite prefer solitude and introspection to engagement with their champion fellows. I managed, however, to coax a response from Malphite as he meditated near the caverns surrounding the Institute.

“Yes. Maokai. We bear the same burden… the longing for peace. But Maokai lets his rage consume him. He sees only the curse of life, not its gift. With a curse, we are doomed to pain and torment. With a gift, we gain the power to fight for peace. Nonetheless… I am proud to call the Twisted Treant my ally.”


“Beautiful lEblanc, Where hAve you been gRowing thosE rosebushes? Just Under a few Days aGo, whilE coMpeting in matchEs with you, i learned i waNted to Try my fingeRs at it. do you raisE your plants Close to nOxus or touRnament grounDs? Surely you Can not sUspect those Rumors of bIg Old Ugly ravenS Making fIne Garden protectors, tHey likely spliT the Soon as the winds raisE there wings highEr. But i hear kaLamanda hAs some riCh soil surely you Know how to nuRture yOur plants with that. pleaSe excuse the poor propEr puncTuality tHis yoRdle typEr device hAs a problem with shifTing unexpectedly, maybe you would consider accompanying me in garnishing a new one? we could conVerse further about rAising plants and maYbe if you would be iNclined in find a new outfit. ofcourse, accEpting it only as a gift from a friendly admirer, i would suggest against snake skin though it rubs irritatingly close” ZaineDraconis

I must admit my shock: LeBlanc has been, in the past, has expressed a pointed disinterest in answering the questions we bring to her. I hope you are as pleased as I am surprised that LeBlanc spent a long while reviewing and crafting a response to your inquiries. It was her personal request that I deliver this to you exactly as she quoted it to me:

“Don't ever garden uninformed, worry can quickly ensue! I think you should know a little or all you possibly can about anything you do. These tactics can save petty costs or prevent threats from ruining everything. There, in many instances, are a couple or several tricks to help factions who garden frequently, intent on consistency. Books on the subject say eliminating pests is paramount. Our gardeners focus on organization, seeds in place, but it is important we remember our roots: remain, above all else, informed.

Thank you for your thoughts. With plants, loyalty, or rather devotion, will yield best results. Be attentive, loving, and rewarded you will be. When we have trouble, we adhere to the rule: look at it all and decide which of your options works. Noxus thrives this way.”

We’d love to hear from you!

E-mail comments, questions, etc. to: journalofjustice@riotgames.com

E-mail Ram Steed at: ramsteed@riotgames.com


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