Ionia
Champion Lore

Kennen

the Heart of the Tempest

More than just the lightning-quick enforcer of Ionian balance, Kennen is the only yordle member of the Kinkou. Despite his small, furry stature, he is eager to take on any threat with a whirling storm of shuriken and boundless enthusiasm. Alongside his master Shen, Kennen patrols the spirit realm, employing devastating electrical energy to strike down his enemies.

Kennen splash art
Kennen splash art
Origin & Background

The Story of Kennen

Kennen is the Heart of the Tempest — the third pillar of the Kinkou Order alongside Shen and Akali, representing the swift, striking force that the organization deploys when precision and speed are what the moment requires. He is a yordle, which makes him the smallest of the three and also, in combat, the most disorienting to face: he moves faster than humans can track, striking with lightning-quick attacks and literal lightning channeled through his body.

He has been with the Kinkou for longer than most people realize — yordles age slowly, and Kennen has been practicing his role long enough that the institutional memory he carries is significant. He knew Shen's father Kusho. He was there through the events that shaped the Order into its current form. He holds this history with the particular lightness of someone who processes duration differently than humans do, and who has found that too much attachment to the past creates weight that speed cannot carry.

Akali's departure affected him. He did not leave with her, which means he chose the Order — but he understands what drove her to go, understands it more completely than Shen does because his own relationship to the Order's philosophy is less absolute. He remains because the Kinkou is still the best instrument available for maintaining what it was built to maintain. He wishes Akali were still part of it. He does not say this often. He moves too fast to stay still with regret.

Key Connections

Relationships

Shen
Fellow Pillar & Leader
The Eye of Twilight who leads the Kinkou — Kennen's closest companion in the work the Order does.
Akali
Departed Colleague
The Rogue Assassin who left the Order — whose absence Kennen feels and has decided not to resolve by following her.