Ionia, located in the northeast corner of Runeterra, is a massive archipelago situated within treacherous seas. These islands, as allied provinces, form Ionia on the land known as the "First Lands." Due to numerous ancient reasons, the pursuit of balance in all things has long been the cultural keynote here; thus, the boundary between the material and spirit realms is thin, almost non-existent. While this is less apparent in human settlements, in the remote wilderness and dense forests, the boundary is so fragile it often goes unnoticed.
While the blurring of these two realms might sound dangerous, the reality is that although the magic of this land is volatile and the creatures inhabiting it are both wondrous and deadly, the inhabitants of Ionia have lived in abundance for centuries. Different spirits of the land govern the growth of all things in various regions, and every village, under the leadership of its elders, enters into friendly contracts with the land itself. The people serve the land, and the land sustains the people. This way of life—taking from the mountain and giving back to the mountain—has achieved a perfect cycle here.
Accompanying this cultural keynote and lifestyle is the fact that the vast majority of Ionia has lost its need for a standing army. Even in a world-renowned sanctuary of cultivation like the Placidium of Navori, there are only guards responsible for maintaining order. Ionia itself possesses no machine of violence in the traditional sense. However, one can see from the monasteries, martial arts schools, and dojos scattered throughout every region that Ionia does not lack a heritage of combat; it has simply been forgotten during nearly a century of peace, transforming into a method of spiritual discipline.
Today, however, a large crowd of people gathered on the shores of the Navori province in western Ionia. Dressed in traditional attire, people came in groups to the coastal highlands. Amidst whispers, they curiously eyed the high, cold, massive ironclad warship docked at the shore. Its prow windows were serrated, emitting a faint red glow from the crevices. Three giant smokestacks rose from its back, belching thick black smoke to the roar of its boilers—the Leviathan from Noxus.
Long-standing peace and tradition had caused the people of this land to lose almost all sense of crisis. Even so, when the first Ionian resident saw this thing appear on the horizon, they still thought they had seen a monster. Only with the subsequent explanations from Noxian laborers did they learn that this terrifying steel warship was the most stunning achievement in Noxian naval engineering history, and that it had come to Ionia merely for "exchange and learning."
"It's like a literal beast!" the Ionians whispered to one another.
Aboard the Leviathan—
"Grand General, the Warmasons have delivered new intelligence." A Noxian dressed as a scout entered the meeting room, handing a letter to an attendant, who then passed the envelope to the man sitting in a large, red-trimmed chair. Hearing the scout's words, Jericho Swain merely glanced at him, then nodded and took the letter, dismissing the man.
Tearing open the envelope, Swain scrutinized it for a moment, a trace of mockery surfacing between his brows.
Noticing the change in Swain's expression, one of the generals present asked with slight surprise, "What is it, Grand General? Looking at your expression, are you dissatisfied with the news?"
Swain shifted his gaze to the man. His name was Granth, one of the twelve generals of the Legion of Far-Sightedness, commanding all the Warmasons in the legion. As mentioned before, they were not merely masons of the battlefield, but masons of war.
Noxian Warmasons are spread across every corner of Runeterra. They typically set out before a legion begins its move—even before the mobilization of supplies—infiltrating the target area as individuals or small groups to scout intelligence. Everything from terrain, history, and key figures to traditions and folklore falls within their mission parameters.
Only after they complete their gathering does the main Noxian force advance. Once the intelligence is collected, Warmasons take on roles as scouts, warriors, or assassins to continue serving the legion. Due to the nature of their work, every Warmason is required to be bold yet meticulous, holding an exceptionally high status within almost all Noxian legions.
Even in the Trifarian Legion, which is renowned for its martial prowess, a Warmason holds the same status as a veteran Shieldbreaker.
Because of this, Granth's understanding of Ionia was even earlier than Swain's. Even though Swain was the first to see this specific report, Granth could more or less infer some information based on his previous findings. The Ionians' sense for war was so weak it was hard to look at; Granth found it difficult to imagine what could possibly give his famous Grand General a headache or make him frown.
To this, Swain merely shook his head and dropped the letter onto the table for the others to see. His voice carried a hint of coldness and boredom: "I merely feel a sense of lamentation. The frailty and stupidity of the Ionians have reached a level I find unacceptable. This is such an ancient land, yet I feel not a shred of desire for conquest or glory. Soaked in peace, the people here have likely forgotten that a knife was originally meant for killing, not dancing."
Reading the news on the letter and hearing Swain's words, many of the generals let out hearty laughs after a brief moment of confusion.
"The Ionians are indeed raised in a jar of honey! But you can't blame them. After all, the land here is fertile beyond imagination. When I first arrived and breathed the air here, it felt like being licked across the face by an old cow."
The speaker was Jonat, the leader of the assassin unit in the Legion of Far-Sightedness, specializing in stealth and assassination. Judging by his skin tone, he wasn't originally Noxian, and the ornaments on his body and the weapons at his waist silently proved he hailed from Shurima. Noxus worships the strong; as long as one has capability, they will be utilized. Precisely because of this, there were even quite a few Ionian youths within the Noxian forces.