Who Is Sylas Dredgebourne in League of Legends

Riot Games expanded it’s reach not only into television with its hit series Arcane, but also through the release of games spanning different genres. The Mageseeker – A League of Legends Story is one such game, as it stars Sylas of Dredgebourne and focuses on his mission to create a band of mages to overthrow the oppressive nation of Demacia. Those unfamiliar with the character may be wondering who is he, and what his importance in the world of Runeterra is exactly. One of the key political players, Sylas represents a shift in Runeterra as he stokes the fires of rebellion.

Born in a lower quarter of Demacia, a shining city of white stone, Sylas lived among the lower class. When he began to show signs of being a mage, his parents surrendered him to the Mageseekers. The Mageseekers are an organization within Demacia that hunt mages down, imprisoning them due to the inherent distrust of magic due to the Rune Wars that happened some years prior. Sylas’ talent involved being able to sense magic in other mages, and he was used to effectively sniff out his own kind. However, during an attempt to capture a young girl that had been revealed to be a mage, Sylas tried to intervene and learned that his ability to sense magic was not his only gift. By touching her, he was able to channel her magic through him which caused both the girl and his Mageseeker handler to die.

Young and afraid, Sylas ran from the scene only to be apprehended and then imprisoned by the Mageseekers. There he was tortured and experimented on for years. Though fate had other plans for Sylas. Drawing the attention of Lux Crownsguard, sister to Garen Crownsguard, he was able to learn more about the stone shackles that bound him, and this specific stone’s significance to Demacia. Bound in petricite, the shackles on his arms didn’t only repress his natural affinity for magic, but stored the energy inside of it. But before Sylas could escape, he was sentenced to death.

Here is where things get a bit muddled, since Riot Games has told this story over several mediums. Some canon states that Sylas was to be hung or to be beheaded. The official Lux comic series goes with the beheading, where the young mage Lux runs to his defense, only for him to reach out and touch her. Using her power he kills everyone present at the beheading, save for Lux, before he fights his way through the city in an attempt to assassinate the ruling monarch, Jarvan III.

Sylas of Dredgebourne is one of several major characters in League of Legends from Demacia. And while his characterization and the details of his subsequent escape can sometimes be inconsistent, he’s a character that has brought a massive shift into in-universe events. The Mageseeker – A League of Legends Story could potentially elaborate on what is next for Sylas, outside of a short story that has put him in the Freljord, as it focuses more on him gathering the necessary forces to fight back against Demacia and free mages living under the oppressive rule of the monarchy.

League of Legends is immediately available for PCs. The Mageseeker – A League of Legends Story is on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.