Who are Noxians in League of Legends, and what role do they play in Runeterra lore?

League of Legends and Legends of Runeterra feature a "powerful empire with a fearsome reputation" known as Noxus.

Widely regarded as the "Rome of Runeterra," Noxus is a vast empire with convoluted internal politics and a hunger for further conquest. And as with many empires, there is a lot to be found inside Noxus' boundaries.

Riot Games portrayed the land as a gray, evil region, as they have done for every other territory of Runeterra in League of Legends' canonical lore. According to the game's loremasters, Noxus is an evil counterpart to the holy Demacia.

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What is Noxus in League of Legends?

According to League of Legends Lore, Noxus is currently the most powerful nation on Runeterra. Naturally, this is because little is known about the continent of Camavor. Demacia is a lesser monarchy, and Freljord and Shurima are no longer recognized as organized regions.

Noxus holds districts in the former northern Shurima and western Ionia, and its domain runs from the eastern coast of Valoran to the interior of the continent.

Noxus is a vast empire, so naturally, not all its kings and leaders have the same objectives. As a result, their potential power is never fully utilized, which allows others to continue to exist.

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History of the Noxus Empire

Noxus Prime - The capital city of the Empire of Noxus (Image via Riot Games - League of Legends)

No empire is built without bloodshed from both the innocents and the wicked. However, throughout their long history, Noxus' road to power saw more blood than any other.

Beginning: Fall of the Darkin

The Darkin War, which decimated Valoran and left power-hungry sorcerers in its wake, is where the history of Noxus begins. One such sorcerer attempted to use the power of an old warlord by calling forth his soul.

He had become tired of living an empty afterlife and was no longer able to be bound by his prior name, which the Noxians were unaware of. This revenant kills his summoners as he returns to Runeterra while strapped to a terrifying armor, establishing the rule of Mordekaiser.

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Foundation: Rise of Mordekaiser

Immortal Bastion constructed by Mordekaiser (Image via Riot Games - League of Legends)

Unlike in his previous incarnation, where he had attempted to rule Runeterra, Mordekaiser had no such ambitions. Instead, he wanted to amass the arcane knowledge needed to build an afterlife kingdom.

He constructed the Immortal Bastion, which currently forms the center of Noxus's city and is used to store arcane secrets. To return to the afterlife, Mordekaiser surrounded himself with sorcerers such as LeBlanc, who he knew would betray him.

LeBlanc, along with her wicked companions, founded the Black Rose Society (Image via Riot Games - League of Legends)

LeBlanc and the rest of her coven founded the Black Rose Secret Society after Mordekaiser was betrayed and exiled from Runeterra. In contrast, the nomadic tribes that made up Mordekaiser's armies gathered around the Immortal Bastion and continued to raid and conquer in search of food.

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Present Day: New Vision

Numerous Emperors made their imprint on Noxus in the years following the fall of Mordekaiser. Due to noble infighting and the nefarious schemes of the Black Rose, the current Empire is a sprawling beast that is slow to move and resist attacks from Freljord, while remaining unable to marshal its soldiers around a single objective.

This is about to change, though, as the Emperor of Noxus has passed away, and the most potent Empire in history is now ruled by a new Vision.

Regardless of social station, upbringing, or riches, now anyone in Noxus can achieve a position of authority and respect, provided they demonstrate the appropriate aptitude. Even though power can take many forms, Noxians appreciate strength above all else.

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Current Emperor of Noxus: The Three Leaders

Boram Darkwill, the last Emperor of Noxus, was a Black Rose puppet. A guy whose priority was maintaining his position as Noxus's Emperor rather than strengthening Noxus.

He would achieve this by removing famous Noxians from the center of power by sending them on campaigns with only their own legions, like Darius and Swain. All of that changed, however, when Swain ousted Boram on a single night after returning from Ionia humiliated and defeated but with a Vision of the Empire.

Darius, who also intended to exact revenge on his Emperor, realized that Swain was the best person to serve as the Hand of Noxus. However, Swain had a different strategy in mind.

Instead of becoming Emperor, he split Noxus's authority into three distinct ideologies, each of which would keep the others in check and advance the interests of the Empire.

The three Noxian leaders were:

• Swain - Vision of Noxus
• Darius - Might of Noxus
• Faceless - Guile of Noxus

The identity of the third leader, the Guile of Noxus, is still unknown. The prevailing assumption holds that LeBlanc could be the one, but given that Swain directly opposes Black Rose and that the group itself views Swain as an enemy because of his uprising against Boram Darkwill, this seems doubtful.

Perhaps Riot will introduce a new champion who serves as LeBlanc's direct rival in League of Legends.

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Noxian champions in League of Legends game

There are currently 14 Noxian champions in League of Legends, making Noxus one of the areas with a big roster of champions.

• Katarina
• Swain
• Darius
• Draven
• Rell
• Talon
• Samira
• Vladimir
• Sion
• Mordekaiser
• Cassiopeia
• LeBlanc
• Kled
• Riven

However, there is a decent possibility that the count will increase. Noxian League of Legends champions, unlike the Shadow Isles, cannot be labeled as good or evil. Instead, they are the leaders of their individual factions, many of whom struggle for control over Noxus.