Pilgrimage

In a valley far to the north, cradled between the frozen mountains of the Freljord, lived a very special community of creatures. Akin to massive bears that evolved to resemble humanity, the Ursine are a secluded tribe of spirit warriors known for their savage efficiency in combat. For hundreds of years they waged wars in the Freljord and the lands beyond, where they were respected for their strength, but today they live a tranquil life of seclusion away from the petty squabbles of the world. They now leave for only one purpose, and it is the right of all maturing Ursine in the tribe.

Pilgrimage.

Once every year, new Ursine who have come of age leave the tribe to explore Valoran. Giving them a chance to experience the world before they return to seclusion. It is a time of growth for the young Ursine, but also a time of adventure. To do and witness things no other Ursine has ever done before.

It’s also a way to take advantage of the privileges their tribe has been given.

You see, long ago—after the Ursine secluded themselves from greater Runeterra—the squabbles of humanity became so violent that the world nearly ended in a hellstorm of magic and , a time we now call the Rune Wars. Afraid for their lives, those left standing begged the Ursine to use their powerful magic to combat and dispel the storm. It took days of beseeching as the Ursine were to dig man out of their own troubles, but eventually the tribe relented.

And so the storm was calmed.

But that’s where it gets strange. To reward their bravery they were given a boon from all of Valoran, and that reward—which is still questioned to this day—was that they would have free reign over all the women in the land. To do with as they please.

And so they do.

No one contests them at all.

It would presumably be a far bigger issue if there were more of them and they didn’t seclude themselves in a valley at the farthest northern edge of the Freljord, a bleak, frozen tundra, but they do so it isn’t, and their young pilgrims get to enjoy the wonderful benefits.

Such pilgrims we now follow on their adventures through a new, magical world.