Shuriman Ascended

The Shuriman Ascended were mortals of ancient Shurima remade into god-warriors by the immense celestial power of the Sun Disc. The transformation turned them into beings of living magic, effectively demigods whose strength could level armies. Elevated through this ritual, they became the empire's champions and protectors during Shurima's golden age. The Ascended Host was raised above all to defend humanity from the Void. When the abyss broke into the world during the war in Icathia, the god-warriors marched against it, holding back the creatures of nothingness that sought to unmake reality. It was the greatest trial the empire ever faced, and it would prove the undoing of many who fought it. The war corrupted much of the Host. Twisted by the horrors they faced fighting the Void, and by their own hubris, a portion of the Ascended fell and became the Darkin. The Darkin Wars followed, and these fallen god-warriors were ultimately sealed within their own weapons, reduced to sentient blades that must hijack mortal bodies to take physical form. Aatrox, imprisoned within his weapon by the Aspects of Targon, and Rhaast are among their number. Xerath, a corrupted Ascended, stands with the Darkin and the Void as an enemy of the line. Not all were lost. Others, such as Nasus and Renekton, endured across the millennia after the empire fell to ruin. In the present age, Azir's return and the restoration of Shurima has reignited the legacy of the Ascended. As Emperor of Shurima, Azir leads the reformed order from the restored capital, while the old foes of the Sun Disc, the Void, the Darkin, and Xerath, remain arrayed against it.