LoL Lore: The Story of Alistar, the Minotaur

Alistar Lore
Alistar the Minotaur will fight and protect those he loves (Credit: Riot Games)

The minotaur of the Great Barrier Mountains was once a revered warrior, but one betrayal cost him everything. His honour, his sanity and his freedom. Who is Alistar and what happened to him according to LoL Lore to bring him to Summoner’s Rift?

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Who is Alistar According to LoL Lore?

Alistar was a great noble warrior for his clan of the Great Barrier mountains. He and his people resisted the Noxian invasion, doing everything to fight them off and stop their expansion into other territories and protect the trade routes which lead to Zaun.

But one day, an emissary of Noxus came to the clans, promising a better future and tried to sway the clans. Many of the minotaurs were eager to accept the offer of the matriarch of House Tewain – the emissary – but Alistar would not let himself be ruled by some ‘grand general’.

According to the LoL Lore, he and fifty other warriors of his clan went to meet with Lady Tewain, only to be backstabbed by the other larger Minotaur clans who had already allied themselves to Lady Tewain and thus Noxus.

Alistar and his warriors fought, managing to kill Lady Tewain, but it wasn’t enough and the survivors were captured and brought in chains to the capital of Noxus – to fight in the Reckoning arenas during the gladiatorial festival known as the Fleshing.

Noxus Arena
One of the many Arena's in which the Reckoners fight. (Credit: Riot Games)

Alistar told his fellow minotaurs not to fight back, not to give the people what they wanted to see, but twenty-one days later, as the festival ended Alistar was the sole survivor of his tribe.

Alistar was dragged out to fight day-in-and-day-out. He was pelted with stones, shouted at and egged on until the only thing remaining for him was to fight. Alistar was driven to become a beast in the ring. He thought like one, acted like one, only able to kill. His memories of home? Tainted in blood and rage.

All seemed lost until Alistar met Ayelia. She was a young servant girl who had also been captured by Noxus in a raid. At first, Alistar snarled and growled, but the young girl continued to come by his cage. She spoke to him and slowly, some of his sanity came back and together, they decided they had to run away. Ayelia had a plan.

Then, one night, Ayelia brought a key and helped free Alistar. Together they escaped the Reckoning arenas, hurrying to a cargo barge on a river, only to be ambushed by Noxian agents. Alistar, indebted to Ayelia, rushed to fight off the agents, killing them in a fit of rage. By the time he came to, the boat had left and so had Ayelia.

Since his escape Alistar travels Runeterra, protecting those in need and repaying every cruelty and every kindness. Only once all his rage is left behind will he be able to return home to the mountains once more. In his travels he continues to search for Ayelia as well, hoping she escaped and lived.

What are Reckoners and the Fleshing According to LoL Lore?

The Fleshing is a festival that celebrates the fights in the Reckoning arenas. According to the League of Legends Lore, during the festival, multiple Reckoners have to go up against one another in constant bloodshed while adoring fans cheer at them from the stands.

Reckoners are the gladiators who participate in these bloody battles. Oftentimes they are captured warriors from other nations and regions which Noxus had invaded or criminals of the state.

Are There Other Reckoners According to LoL Lore?

Kato and Shiraza Lo R 1
These two have appeared in Legends of Runeterra before! (Credit: Riot Games)

Yes, there are a few champions who were Reckoners at one point. The most well-known is probably Riven. Xin Zhao is also a former Reckoner. He was known under the alias Viscero, but he deserted to Demacia eventually.

Through the game Legends of Runeterra, we also have information regarding the lol lore of some other characters who were Reckoners. Kato the Arm and Shiraza the Blade are a Reckoner duo. Vessid is another Legends of Runeterra card and a Reckoner in the arenas. So overall, there are multiple known fighters in the lol universe and the lore.

Will any more Reckoners from the Lore be released as LoL Champions?

There is a high chance. As mentioned, there are multiple characters in Riots card game who could easily be turned into Champions. Kato and Shiraza could make an incredible bot lane duo and Vessid a solid top lane bruiser.

Having these characters as champions would only grow the interest in both Legends of Runeterra and League of Legends from both fan bases, so it would be cool to see. But first, we have to deal with the black mist and Viego before we can get to the arenas in Noxus.

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Sabrina Ahn

Sabrina Ahn is the League of Legends and Riftfeed Lead. During her time at Concordia University in 2014 she fell in love with LoL and is playing it since – how she hasn't lost her sanity is still unclear....