Aurelion Sol (Aw-rell-ee-on Soul)

The Star Forger

“Cower. Worship. Marvel. They are all appropriate responses.”

Biography

Aurelion Sol once graced the vast emptiness of the celestial realm with wonders of his own devising, but was tricked by the Aspects of Targon into revealing the secrets of a sun that he himself created. His awesome power was channeled into immortal god-warriors to protect the apparently insignificant world of Runeterra—now, desiring a return to his mastery of the cosmos, Aurelion Sol will drag the very stars from the sky, if he must, in order to regain his freedom.
The appearance of a comet in the night sky is often said to portend upheaval and unrest. Under the auspices of such fiery harbingers, new empires rise, old cultures fall, and even the stars themselves may vanish from the heavens… The truth is, perhaps, more unsettling.
The almighty being known as Aurelion Sol was already ancient before the rise of the mortal races of Runeterra. Born in the first breath of creation, he and those like him roamed the vast nothingness of a pristine celestial realm, seeking to fill this canvas of incalculable breadth with marvels whose twinkling spectra would bring fulfillment and delight to all who witnessed them.
As he wandered, Aurelion Sol seldom encountered any equals. The eternal Aspects were dispassionate and incurious things, contributing little to existence, content only to compose amusingly self-centered philosophies on the nature of creation.
But then, bathed in the light of a fairly unremarkable sun he had crafted eons earlier, he discovered something. A world. New realms.
He did not know who had created this world, or why—only that it had not been him.
The Aspects, who seemed unusually invested in it, implored him to come closer. There was life here, and magic, and fledgling civilizations that cried out for guidance from beings greater than themselves. Flattered by this new audience to his supreme majesty, Aurelion Sol descended to bask in their adulation, in the form of a vast and terrible dragon from the stars.
The tiny inhabitants of the insignificant land of Targon named him for the golden light of the sun he had gifted them, and the Aspects commanded them to bring forth a suitable offering in return. The mortals climbed to the peak of their tallest mountain, and presented him with a splendorous crown, crafted with careful and cunning magic, and etched with the inscrutable patterns of the celestial realm.
From the moment it touched Aurelion Sol’s brow, he knew this was no gift at all.
The accursed thing clamped in place with unimaginable force, enough that even he could not remove it, and he could feel his knowledge of the sun and its creation being stolen and scrutinized by intelligences vastly inferior to his own. Worse still, the power of the crown hurled him back into the heavens, and prevented him from getting any closer to that world again.
Instead, he was forced to watch as the duplicitous Aspects of Targon set the mortals to work in the construction of a great, gleaming disc. With this, they channeled his celestial power to raise up immortal god-warriors, for some unknown conflict that was apparently still to come.
Outraged, Aurelion Sol could see other stars fading across the firmament for lack of care and maintenance, and he strained to break free of the crown’s control. It was he who had birthed their light into the universe! Why must he be shackled, now, by the Aspects and their lowly pawns? He roared with glee when the Sun Disc failed… only to see a second, more powerful one take its place. Eventually, resigned to his fate, he saw the god-warriors cast down their rivals, then chittering creatures of pure darkness, and eventually each other.
Then, in little more than the blink of a star dragon’s eye, the world was ravaged by a succession of sorcerous catastrophes, and Aurelion Sol finally knew that Targon and the hated Aspects were all but defenseless. As he cautiously circled back, he realized the magic that bound him was weakening. Flecks of gold began to fall from his crown, each one blazing across the skies like a comet.
Driven by the tantalizing possibilities of freedom and revenge, Aurelion Sol now regards Runeterra with simmering, eternal fury. Surely, it is here, upon this world, that the cosmic balance will tip in his favor once more—and with it, the universe itself shall bear witness to the fate of those who dare steal the power of a star forger.

Twin Dawn

This world’s familiar sun still hides below the horizon. Crude and unpolished earth unfurls below. Mountains contort into barriers that stretch like fingers across empty scrub lands. Palaces, or rather, what pass for palaces, fail to loom over anything but the squattest of hills. The curvature of the planet meets the stars with a serenity and grace few of the dwellers below will ever witness. They are so scattered across the globe and grasp so blindly for any sort of understanding that it’s no surprise they’ve been conquered and don’t even comprehend their predicament. The fiery sheen I’ve gathered as I streak toward my preordained destination illuminates the world beneath me. Pockets of warring, fearful, rejoicing life tucks itself into any fertile nook it can find below. Oh, how they gaze and point as I streak over their heads. I’ve heard the names they call me: prophet, comet, monster, god, demon… So many names, all missing the mark.
In a vast stretch of desert, I feel the twinge of familiar magic emanating from the seat of the premiere civilization amongst these savages. Lo and behold, a massive Sun Disc is under construction. The poor enslaved laborers beat their heads and rend their clothes in my wake. Their cruel masters see me, a streaking bolt of fire, as a portent of good omen, no doubt. My passing will be etched in their uncouth pictograms upon common stone, an homage to the great comet, the blessing of the sky-god gracing their holy works and so forth. The Disc’s sole purpose is to funnel the sun’s majesty into the most “renowned” of these fleshy humanoids, transforming them into exactly what this planet needs: more insufferable demigods. This effort will undoubtedly backfire. But I suppose they might last a brief while, perhaps a thousand years or so, before they fall and are supplanted by others.
The desert below fades into the night trailing behind me as I streak onward across lonely steppes, then over rolling brown hills gently flecked with greenery. The pastoral scenery belies a field spattered with blood and littered with the dead and dying. Survivors hack away at each other with rough-hewn axes and scream battle cries. One side is losing quite badly. Stag skulls rest atop pikes stuck into the soil, next to writhing warriors. The few still on their feet are encircled by soldiers riding great shaggy beasts.
Those defeated, surrounded few see me and valiance seems to surge through their veins. The wounded rise and grasp their axes and bows in a final stand that throws their foes off guard. I don’t linger to see the rest of the little clash play out because I’ve seen this scenario unfold a thousand times: The survivors will scratch my comet likeness onto their cave walls. In a thousand years, their descendants will fly my image on banners and undoubtedly ride into a tediously similar battle. For all their efforts to capture and record history, one ponders why they do not learn from their mistakes. That is a lesson even I have had to suffer.
I leave them to perpetuate their bleak cycle.
My trajectory reveals more inhabitants. Their collective repertoire of reactions span the typical gamut: pointing, kneeling, sacrificing virgins upon stony altars. They look up and see a comet and never ask what lies beneath the blazing façade. Instead, they stamp it onto their own self-centered worldviews, muddying the splendor of my visage. The few more advanced life forms–and I use that description loosely–gaze up and jot down my coordinates in scientific almanacs instead of using me as prophecy fodder. It’s mildly refreshing, but even their developing notions of intellect seems to indicate I am a regularly appearing phenomenon with a predictable orbit. Oh, the feats they could accomplish if only… Well, no use dwelling on the wasted potential of the simple-minded terrestrial born. It’s not entirely their fault. Evolution does seem to have a difficult time gaining traction on this world.
But alas, the novelty of such infantile antics has worn thin. The grasping energies of my magical bondage have dragged me from one paltry world to another for centuries. Now it has led me back to this familiar and unpleasant rock. The star that floods its surface with light was one of my earliest creations, a confluence wrought of love and radiance. Ah, that cherished moment when she flared to life with colors only her creator could see. How I miss a star’s crackling new energy warming my face and trickling through my fingers. Each star gives off a unique energy, precious and reflecting its creator’s soul. They are cosmic snowflakes burning in defiance of the infinite dark.
Unfortunately, the memories I long to dwell upon are tainted by betrayal. Yes, this was the place where Targon lured me into servitude. But now is not the time to linger on past mistakes. Those musty Aspects want me to seal yet another breach… in their name of course.
Then, I see her. This world’s imbued warrior is alone at the peak of one of the smaller summits, brandishing a starstone spear. She watches me through a veil of annexed flesh, a mere spark masquerading as lightning. A thick braid of auburn hair is draped over her shoulder, falling over a golden breastplate that covers pale, freckled skin. Her eyes, the only bit of her face not shielded by a battle-worn helmet, flash a jarring shade of red.
She calls herself Pantheon—the warring fury of Targon incarnate. She is not the first of this world to wear the Pantheon mantle. Nor will she be the last.
Her glittering cape flaps out behind her as she raises her muscled arm and makes a motion like she’s pulling on a great chain. The tug on my crudely enchanted tether wrenches me off course, toward the mountain upon which she stands. And she’s yelling at me.
She cries outs with a voice that booms inside my head, transmitted through this insufferable star-gem coronet. All sounds fade as she invades my mind.
“Dragon!” she says, as if I am a weak-winged beast of base orange flame, lucky if it can ignite a tree.
“Seal their gate!” she commands, gesturing to the bottom of a rocky crevasse with her pointy little spear. I don’t need to see the violet erosion of reality swirling below. I could smell the festering miasma that poisons this world before I even arrived. I fix my eyes on Pantheon instead. She expects me to fall in line like a dog on its leash. Today will be different, for I’ve learned from my mistakes.
“Dragon,” I purr. “Are you sure commanding me with such a low name is wise?”
Pantheon’s grip on her spear loosens just enough for her to fumble the weapon for a fraction of a second. She takes a step back, away from me, as if a single stride’s distance could protect her from my ire.
“Seal their gate,” she says again, barking louder as if perhaps the previous command went unheard. Her volume does little to mask the quiver in her voice. She thrusts her spear toward me, as if such a tiny weapon could pierce me.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen an Aspect of Targon shaken. She is not used to having to tell me twice.
“I will deal with those chittering horrors in due time, dear Pantheon.”
“Do as you are commanded, dragon” this Pantheon shouts, “or this world is lost.”
“This world was lost the moment Targon surrendered itself to arrogance.”
I feel Pantheon’s seething mingle with confusion as she struggles to grab hold of my immaterial reins. She’s only just now sensing what I have come to learn. Targon is distracted and does not sense its magic faintly ebbing from my bonds.
Pantheon bellows once more, and this time, I cannot resist. The crude enchantment regains sovereignty over my will. I turn my attention toward the source of the breach, nestled in the basin of the once-verdant valley, now strangled with creeping, purple miasma. I sense the Voidborn perversions of life tunneling through reality’s firmament, sending tides of unseen energy coursing through the aether. They shred the veil that separates nothingness and form with their unwelcome passage.
They’re drawn to me, those multi-eyed, carapaced abominations. They seek to devour me, the greatest of their threats. From the reaches of my mind, I conjure an image of the solar furnaces I kindled, before my fettering, which once ignited the hearts of stars. I lance out beams of pure starfire and incinerate wave after wave of those gnashing horrors, driving them backward into their oblique infinity. Smoldering husks rain from the sky. I’m a little surprised they aren’t wholly disintegrated, but then again, the Voidborn don’t know how things work in this universe.
A pulsing sickness lingers in the air. From the epicenter of the corruption, I feel a will… hungry and indomitable, and far from the typical mindlessness I’m accustomed to from these Voidborn aberrations. The pulsating wound on reality yawns and buckles, distorting and warping all it touches. Whatever exists on the other side is laughing.
Pantheon shouts another command at me, but I ignore her words. This anomalous fissure in the universe entrances me. This is not the first of its kind I’ve had to deal with, but this one feels different, and I can’t help but admire the marvelously terrifying manipulation of the barriers between realms. Few beings could fathom its complexities, let alone possess the sheer magnitude of power needed to rend the fabric of existence. In my heart, I know a wound so exquisite could never be orchestrated by scuttling creatures. No. There must be more behind this intrusion. I shudder at the thought of what kind of entity is capable of inducing such a volatile rift. I don’t need Pantheon’s barked orders to tell me what do next; her array of requests has always been of a rather limited imagination anyway. She wants me to hurl a star at the rift, as if one can simply cauterize such moldering inter-dimensional abrasions and be done with it.
These obtuse demigods are my captors?
Fine. At least they’re not too far off in their “logic” by thinking a few searing cosmic wonders will remedy this problem. I will play the role of the obedient servant just a little while longer.
I enjoy what I do next, partly because they’ll remember it, partly because it feels good to let a little of the old power loose, but mostly because I wish to remind whatever intelligence that controls this Void incursion that nobody laughs at me in my plane of existence.
The base elements in the atmosphere rally to my cause, accreting into a plasmic anomaly. The swelling stardust detonates at my unspoken command. The result is a dwarf replica of one of my majestic glories burning in the depths of space. After all, I can’t fling a full-fledged star at this fragile world.
The young star’s shimmering brilliance flies from my hands. It’s joined by two sisters, always by my side. They careen around me in a radiant ballet, their white-hot cores devouring the gathering clouds of dust and matter I draw toward us. We become a storm of stars, the night sky incarnate, a maddening gyre of starfire. I conjure eddies of searing stardust, exhaling a heat so pure and dense it collapses the aura of this world just the tiniest bit, forever marring the planet’s curvature. Coruscating strands of stellar flame pirouette from the center of the rift. Gravity melts in undulating waves of color most eyes will never be able to witness. My stars warp matter as more fuel coalesces into their cores, causing them to shine brighter, burn hotter. The whole spectacle is breathtaking, a cascading dance of blinding light and searing heat so hot that for a fleeting moment, new spectra are birthed into existence. My spine tingles just a little bit at how good it feels.
Trees splinter. Rivers evaporate. The mountain walls of the valley crumble in smoky avalanches. The tireless laborers erecting their Sun Disc, the soldiers taking the hill, the stargazers, the worshipers, the terrified, the doomsday prophets, the hopeless, the rising kings… all those who beheld the streaking comet with selfish eyes witness the ensuing supernova as an early dawn. Across this pitiful globe, my radiance turns darkest night to blinding day. What fictions will they conjure to explain this phenomenon?
Even my Targonian masters have rarely witnessed such a display of my power. Certainly, no terrestrial world has ever born scars as severe as what is left of that once-verdant valley. When I am finished, nothing remains.
Not even this incarnation of Pantheon. I can’t say I’ll miss her or her mindless barking.
In the glowing aftermath of my carnage, the smoldering once-mountains collapse into the molten rubble streams now flowing through the valley. This is the scar I have left upon this world. A surge of damning pain shoots through my body, radiating from that infernal crown. I am about to pay.
My head snaps up, and my eyes drink the bitter sight of a dying star. My hearts clasp shut. My minds reel. An overwhelming sense of despair ricochets through my very soul, emanating from a deep and immediate sorrow, like the pulsing realization you’ve lost something precious and know it’s all your fault.
Some curious life forms I met long ago once asked how it was possible for me to remember every star I’ve created. If only they could feel what it was like to create a single star, they would understand the sheer irrelevance of that question. That’s how I know when even one of my darlings winks out from existence, ejecting jets of energy and, with it, the very substance of my own spirit. I see her death knell in the heavens above. She shines brightly one last time in a pyroclasm that momentarily drowns her brothers and sisters. My heart shatters as the heavens are diminished in brutal retribution for turning my power on one of Targon’s own.
A sun is the price of a single Pantheon. This is the cost of my unfettered wrath. This is the kind of boorish sorcery I must deal with.
Within seconds, they have regained control of my reins and call me to a new task. On no other world have I exhibited such a display of freedom, no matter how fleeting it was. What’s more is that I have learned from their mistakes. A bit of me is free now, and in time, I will return to this world, tap into this mysterious well of energy and cast off the rest of my tether.
I tune into that essence of war, twisting and contorting within fleshy vessels scattered across the cosmos. It wasn’t happy about losing its mortal avatar on this world. Already, a new doomed host has been chosen to transform into the next iteration of Pantheon – a soldier from the Rakkor, a tribe who cling to the base of Targon’s mountain, siphoning off its power like barnacles. One day, I shall meet this new incarnation of Pantheon. Perhaps he will learn to find a new weapon and abandon that ludicrous spear. I sense Pantheon’s celestial kin, scattered across the cosmos. In a single instance, all of their attention is focused on this world, where one of their earthly Aspects was vaporized by their own weapon. Their confusion is mingled with a growing desperation as they contend with each other to regain their control over me. How I wish I could see their faces.
As I launch myself from the gravity of this world, this Runeterra, I sense an emotion I have never felt from Targon before.
Fear.

Aurelion Sol Quotes:

• "In a constantly shifting cosmos, a world this static is... refreshing."
• "Cower, worship, beg, they're all valid reactions."
• "There simply are no other dragons like me."
• "Hope. Wonder. Insignificance. Imagine what they'll feel when I complete the stars."
• "They call me a comet. They call me a dragon. They have no words for my true form."
• "Ah, the joys of lesser organisms rising up to slay their betters! If only they were aware of the impermanence of being... or the permanence of me."
• "The stars look very different today."
• "Why does anyone wish upon a star?"
• "Perhaps there is more to this world than I thought... not much, but enough."
• "This world holds the key to Targon's undoing."
• "Darkness is my only true enemy."
• "I grieve for every star never born."
• "A star is so much more than a luminous sphere of wonder."
• "My works are revered by worlds I have never even visited."
• "Targon has used me as its weapon for far too long."
• "All beings are made of the same stardust."
• "If you ask me, we have set the bar too low for sentience."
• "My stars shine for all."
• "Only when darkness overwhelms the heavens will Targon realise its folly."
• "I see a universe drained of light and heat, where not even a story will survive."
• "I've waited millennia to watch Targon fall."
• "The stories they tell about me? They're probably true."
• "Targon will be the pyre from which I forge a new heaven."
• "Stars are wonder and love ignited."
• "The heavens diminish without my attention."
• "Nothing kindles wonder like the beauty of stars."
• "This sun could do with a new core."
• "My home is in the cosmos, amongst my stars."
• "All terrestrial dragons are but pale imitations of my kind."
• "Celestial dragons live and die by our own beautiful rules."
• "Sometimes, the stars gaze back."
• "Each star is one of my hearts."
• "I wouldn't navigate by the stars. They are a work in progress."
• "This sun is off its axis. It's been driving me crazy for eons now."
• "I would burn the cosmos to catch Targon in the flames."
• "Planetary life... the insufferable byproduct of dim stars."
• "Love is as real a force as gravity. Try it once in a while."
• "Any relevant species has been knocked back into the Stone Age once or twice."
• "I kindled the furnaces of wonder."
• "With a few more basic elements I could really make this place shimmer."
• "Stars never align for anyone... except me, of course."
• "Wherever I am is the fashionable part of the universe. Even here."
• "Stars are not born, they are made... by me."
• "I spark passion into star fire."
• "There are countless colors, but I suppose a single rainbow is a good start."
• "The stars are not to thank for any 'good luck' one may experience."
• "Targon's magic is crude, but potent."
• "As Targon's influence wanes, mine grows."
• "Whenever I think my work is complete, I end up back here, under this sun."
• "The depths of space crawl with terrible entities. Pray they ignore this world."
• "A star's birth is as violent as it is breathtaking."
• "Humanity, surprisingly adept in the art of wrestling survival from the clutches of extinction."
• "As far as fauna goes, humans strike a firm... middle."
• "Ah, mankind. Ever fumbling from one brink of cataclysm to the next."
• "I will cauterize Targon with star fire."
• "The Aspect of Targon? Sparks masquerading as lightning."
• "Your demise will be sung about for ages to come... only thanks to its proximity to me, of course."
•  "What is the definition of underwhelming? Oh, right! You."
• "I shall be the last thing you see. Lucky you."
• "Make a wish. See if the stars answer. I'll wait."
• "I used to wander the stars. Now I'm stuck down here, with you."
• "On other worlds, there is emerging life more complex than you."
• "Your survival is not impossible, only very... very... very unlikely."
• "Which star is your favorite? I made that one."
• "Of course I love Runeterra! You have buildings and... more buildings."
• "A sun is unimaginable celestial power, and thrilled mortals use theirs to coordinate this 'lunch time.'"
• "Few can impress me. That is a compliment." 
• "I made the stars to illuminate the perpetual nothing, and mortals use them for 'relationship advice.'"
• "Runeterra? I mean the name of this world literally means 'magic earth.'"
• "I made the stars, but you... inspire me to make more."
• "I make entropy look good."
• "First you start with some matter, then add star fire and voilà! It basically does the rest itself."

Interactions with other characters

• Ahri - "You aspire to be human!? Oh, darling, there are so many other variants on mediocrity!"
• Amumu - "I am overwhelmed by an emotion when you are not around. It is called... happiness."
• Annie - "Mages are infants grasping at the machinery behind reality. At least you have a plausible excuse."
• Azir - "You Ascended certainly know how to pick an animal totem." -"Your immortality is but a grain of sand in time's vast desert."
• Bard. - "Were you born this flat, or did you work at it?" - "Pick a dimension, Bard, you're confusing them!"
• Caitlyn - "The funnier the hat, the greater the prestige, right?"
• Diana - "It is always a moon's role to envy the stars." - "You and Leona embody the same light. Typical Targon redundancy."
• Draven - "You would make an interesting dragon."
• Ekko - "Made a mistake? Better rewind and repeat until you achieve mediocrity."
• Fiddlesticks - "Fear? Generic."
• Garen - "Idealism? Hilariously outdated."
• Gnar - "Rage? Cute."
• Graves - "Gunpowder and metal sticks? Enchanting."
• Illaoi - "I've seen the main act. You're only a third-rate cover band." - "You do not understand your god, Illaoi."
• Jhin - "Imagine what you could do with a larger canvas."
• Jinx - "Life is short, go crazy once in a while, I get it."
• Leona - "The sun? This sun? Oh, darling."
•  - "You and Diana embody the same light. Typical Targon redundancy."
• Lux - "All dazzle, no brilliance."
• Malphite - "There is a saying on this planet: 'dumb as a rock.' It's not a compliment."
• Miss Fortune - "You are going to kill me? Dressed like that?"
• Nasus - "Bravo, Nasus, you've ascended yourself into a dog! Now fetch me something more interesting." - "I could teach an old dog millions of new tricks, but I simply don't like you, Nasus."
• Pantheon - "Your fate was sealed the moment you picked up Targon's spear."
• Rammus - "Are you burdened by your own monotony? Because I am."
• Renekton - "That whole practice of Ascension is adorably amusing, like a kitten trying to walk upright."
• Ryze - "True magic is beyond language. Writing merely butchers the intent." - "Magic tattoos? Where did you get those, magic prison? ...Oh."  - "Ah, Ryze, I see you've brought paper to take notes."
• Shyvana - "Medium flame, and that is me being generous." - "Almost interesting. Almost." - "Darling, you have but set my hearts free." - "A dragon's loyalty is a priceless gift. Do not waste it in the service of fools." - "Unfitting of the draconic lineage."
• Soraka - "Twinkle, twinkle, little star... do you wonder what you are?"
• Tahm Kench - "The heavens drag on endlessly, much like a conversation with you." 
• Taric - "You're an Aspect? Let me guess... tackiness."
• Tryndamere - "Galaxies exist by my will... but, yes, that is certainly an impressive sword."
• Vi - "You are going to punch a star dragon. Good luck with that." - "Hm. Punching?"
• Vladimir - "Blood magic? How tragically primitive."
• Zac - "I empathize with your life as a weapon, but have a little backbone." 
• Zilean - "You bend time the way a child folds origami—cute, but nothing special."

hi

Divine Classification

God

Realm

The Celestial Realm