He couldn’t put it away until he was sure it was clean. Didn’t matter that he was only going to stow it in the bag under the bed. He couldn’t be sure it was clean until he wiped it down four times. Magic pulsed from its bronze, Ionian heart. This gun was made by a true forge master. It was not a Piltovian weapon-those gaudy things that attempted to function with the minuscule amounts of magic available in those lands. It spelled the smith’s name: This detail spoke of its creator’s pride and confidence. Gold type was inlaid into the blackish-green metal. The gun in his hand was simply a tool-but a perfectly crafted one. For Zed, spiritual harmony holds little consequence-he will do what needs to be done to see Ionia triumph. In recent years, it has become clear that the balance of the First Lands has been disrupted, perhaps forever. Zed knew what he had done could not be undone. Though he did not reconcile with Shen and the remaining Kinkou, now scattered throughout the provinces, they reached an uneasy accord in the aftermath of the war. In Kayn, Zed could see the future of the Order of Shadow. In this young acolyte, he saw a purity of purpose to match his own. Zed could see the boy was a weapon waiting to be sharpened, and took him as his personal student.

In the wake of a massacre near the Epool River, he came upon Kayn, a Noxian child soldier wielding nothing but a farmer’s sickle. Zed took advantage of the ongoing war with Noxus, and the suffering it brought to the Ionian people. They etched their flesh with shadowy tattoos, learning to fight alongside shrouded reflections of themselves. He then claimed the temple for himself, establishing his Order of Shadow, and began training his acolytes in the ways of darkness. The Kinkou, frozen with shock, fell in droves as Zed’s warriors cut them down. In one hand, he grasped the box-and in the other, his freshly bloodied blade. Moments later, Zed emerged back onto the temple steps. The elderly man laid his weapons at Zed’s feet, imploring his former pupil to renounce the shadows in favor of a more balanced path. Zed urged his followers to embrace the fervor of war, but soon enough he realized his own abilities would never match his ambitions without the black box.Īmassing his new acolytes, he returned to the Kinkou temple, where he was met by Kusho. Any soul who threatened his homeland, or stood idle in its defense, was marked for death without mercy-including native vastaya who wavered in their allegiance. Unbound by Kinkou doctrine, he raised a following of warriors to resist Noxus. When Kusho refused, Zed turned his back on the order that had raised him.

Zed demanded the Kinkou strike at the Noxian invaders with every means at their disposal. Returning to the light of the temple, he came face to face with Great Master Kusho. Shadows enveloped Zed’s mind, feeding his bitterness with contempt for the weak, and hinting at an ancient, dark magic. Even though he knew it was forbidden to any but the masters of the order, he peered inside. He ventured deep into the temple’s hidden catacombs, and there he discovered an ornate, black box. While Shen was growing to adopt his father’s dispassion, Zed refused to let lofty notions of balance stand in the way of punishing evil. He was haunted by the memories of Jhin’s grisly murders, and rising tensions between Ionia and the imperialistic forces of Noxus only worsened his disillusionment. Returning to their temple, Zed’s heart bloomed with resentment, and he began to struggle in his studies. The young Zed marched forward with his blades held high, but Kusho stopped him, ordering that Jhin be imprisoned instead. When they finally succeeded in capturing this feared “monster,” it was revealed to be a mere man named Khada Jhin. In time, they journeyed together with their master to track down the infamous Golden Demon. In spite of this, the two pupils became like brothers. Though Zed’s passion shone through in every technique he perfected, he lacked Shen’s emotional balance. Even so, he felt overshadowed by another-his master’s son, Shen. He dedicated himself to understanding the Kinkou’s spiritual tenets, quickly outpacing his peers both in combat and study. Taken in by Great Master Kusho himself, Zed found his place within the temple’s ancient walls. For Zed, his story began as a boy on the cold steps of the home of the Kinkou Order. Zed has mastered all of these forbidden techniques to destroy anything he sees as a threat to his nation, or his new order.īeneath Ionia’s veil of harmony lie the tales of those left behind. During the war, desperation led him to unlock the secret shadow form-a malevolent spirit magic as dangerous and corrupting as it is powerful. Utterly ruthless and without mercy, Zed is the leader of the Order of Shadow, an organization he created with the intent of militarizing Ionia’s magical and martial traditions to drive out Noxian invaders.

Zed lol face