Welcome to Stories of Runeterra. My name is Guy Black of Ravenhood on the Interwebs, and I'm just a humble storyteller here to draw you into the vast world of Runeterra by Riot Games. The Riot Games community has crafted an incredible universe where we could always use some more cowbell. Each week we jump into the Riot Games universe and narrate something from the world of Runeterra off of the Riot Games Universe site.
Think of this as an audiobook of league stories and lore. This week's story is Alistar the Minotaur. It's a bit shorter because there's no story associated with it and it feels a little bit superhero Batman esque, so I'm leaning into the superhero Narya vibe anyway, so enjoy. Now for my terrible impersonation.
Nothing can hold me back. Always a mighty warrior with a fearsome reputation, Alistair seeks revenge for the death of his clan at the hands of the Naxian Empire. Though he was enslaved and forced into the life of a gladiator, his unbreakable will is what kept him from becoming truly a beast. Now, free of the chains of his former masters, he fights in the name of the downtrodden and the disadvantaged, his rage as much a weapon as his horns, hooves and fists.
Thanks again for listening to this week's episode of Stories of Runeterra. Like I said, it's short, but hey, it's Alistar. I want to hit every single champion, so we'll get this. And no bull.
Take it by the horns. That was really great. I know. The only other little announcement that I'll put on the table here is that I have the live play Star Guardian episode recorded.
It was an absolute blast and I'm in the process of editing it. I'm gonna do a lot of like post sound effects and stuff and clean it up for you guys. But that may take a little bit because school is starting back up for me. Be back in the classroom.
So the time I have to devote to this is going to change. But all that to say, I have a single episode ready for you this week, Alistar. I'll give it to you guys. I hope you enjoy it.
And if you guys really do like this podcast, please share it on your social media, tag it, get the word out and folks will. Maybe other people that want to hear about it will hear about it. And if there's a champion that you want me to do or those pairs of champion lores, I think unless I hear from anybody directly, my next one's going to be When I do it Rengar and Khazix. So we'll do them, but that's beside the point.
Hope you guys enjoyed today's episode. And yeah, remain unbreakable. And you just have to deal with the cheese today because the cheese is just really fun, even though you can't milk these. Many civilizations have resisted Noxus, but none as long as the clans of the Great Barrier Mountains.
Though these fierce Minotaurs had protected the overland trade routes for the ancient city of Zaun for centuries, they preferred to avoid Valoran's wider conflicts. The noble warrior Alistar was respected among all the clans out on the mountain peaks. His roar could scatter even the bravest trespassers, leaving only the foolhardy to face him in combat. Even so, in the moot halls, he would always urge his kin to forge greater bonds with other mortal races.
Many saw minotaurs as little more than beasts, which soured any and action and kept them firmly as outsiders. Then Noxus came, promising something better. Their emissary, the matriarch of House Tawain, proclaimed that the empire was poised to take up Basilic, a coastal city to the east. However, she pledged that they would not do this without the support of the great clans of the mountains and called for parley on neutral ground.
Many of the Minotaurs were eager to accept her offer. This was a way to gain the power and recognition they sought by joining with Noxus. But Alistair remained skeptical. He had encountered many Noxian scouts in recent years and knew them to be a duplicitous and cunning people.
For this reason, his clans sent him into Wain, along with 50 of their mightiest warriors to reject any alliance. The other clans could do as they wished, but Alistair would not accept the rule of some distant grand general. Under the banners of truce, he and his kin were betrayed. The larger clans had already pledged themselves to Noxus, and their representatives turned against him as soon as he made his position known.
The battle was swift and bloody, and Alistair himself crushed Lady Twain's skull with his bare hands. But soon enough, he and his surviving warriors found themselves bound in chains, headed for the distant Noxian capital. Accused of inciting rebellion, these unfortunate minotaurs found themselves cast into the reckoning arenas of the capital as part of a grim gladiatorial festival known as the Fleshing. Alistar was appalled by the chanting of the bloodthirsty spectators.
He implored his clanfolk not to fight back, not to give these Noxians the monstrous display they so Craved. When the festival ended 21 days later, Alistar was the only member of his tribe left. Pelted with pebbles and rotten fruit from the crowd, dragged out to face reckoner after reckoner, he was driven to fight like a beast and think like one. He killed and killed even until his memories of home became stained with blood.
Alistar had fallen far by the time he met Aelia, a servant girl, in the arenas. At first, he'd bellowed and charged the bars of his cage, expecting her to fear or goad him like the others. But Ayellia did neither. She returned every day and spoke to him with gentle respect, until eventually Alistar entered in kind.
Aelia's homeland had also been claimed by Noxus, and seeing his suffering had convinced her that they should leave this hateful city together. She whispered her plans through the bars, and for the first time in years, Alistair found he could think of home without dwelling on the way it had been taken from him. One night, Ayellia brought Alistar the key to his cell. She had sacrificed much to arrange this escape.
He swore he would repay her tenfold. They hurried to the river, where a cargo barge awaited them. However, as they boarded, Nazian agents burst from the shadows. Alistar hurled himself into battle.
His vision tunneled with rage, and although a yellia called out to him again and again, he did not hear. By the time Alistair had slain their attackers, the boat was gone and Agellia with it. So he fled south on foot. Instead, he searched everywhere for the Serpent Girl, but found nothing.
Had she been captured? Killed? It seemed there were no clues left to find. Weeks later, a political coup shook the empire to its dark foundations, and the Arena Minotaur's escape was quite forgotten.
Alistair now travels alone, as quietly and anonymously as he can, encouraging resistance in Noxian held territories and fighting on behalf of the downtrodden and the abused. Only when he has cleared the shame from his heart, repaying every cruelty and every kindness, will Alistair return to the mountains and leave his rage behind. And in every city he passes through, he asks after Aelia. Well, thank you for listening to this somewhat goofy reading of Alistar's lore here on Stories of Runeterra.
I just was having fun. I was listening to a game and had a lot of superhero narration. I figured why not? Alright guys, thanks again for listening to this champion that would like me to read a story too.
Go ahead and reach out to stories of runeterrapcastmail.com or hit me up on Instagram. Those are the two best places. And let me know what you think of the podcast or answer any of the questions in. If you've got Spotify, you can answer those questions in provided spaces.
Other than that, I'll catch on the flip side.