Ionia
Champion Lore

Varus

the Arrow of Retribution

One of the ancient darkin, Varus was a deadly killer who loved to torment his foes, driving them almost to insanity before delivering the killing arrow. He was imprisoned at the end of the Great Darkin War, but escaped centuries later in the remade flesh of two Ionian hunters—they had unwittingly released him, cursed to bear the bow containing his bound essence. Varus now seeks out those who trapped him, in order to enact his brutal vengeance, but the mortal souls within still resist him every step of the way.

Varus splash art
Varus splash art
Origin & Background

The Story of Varus

There are three minds in the body called Varus. The first is the darkin — an ancient god-warrior from a civilization before Runeterra's history, who was imprisoned in a magical bow after a war that nearly destroyed the world. The second is Valmar, an Ionian warrior, and the third is Kai, the man who loved him. When their village of Pallas was destroyed, they made a desperate pact: they merged with the darkin's weapon to gain power enough to avenge their people.

The darkin Varus is the dominant force — ancient, malevolent, consumed by a vendetta against those who imprisoned his kind, seeking to spread the corruption that once characterized his civilization. He is a genuine monster, a being of cruelty that found murder an art form before Jhin was born. But Valmar and Kai are still present, still fighting for control, and their love for each other creates a hesitancy in Varus that pure darkin never show.

The tragedy of Varus is that all three are trapped. The darkin can't fully express his power because Valmar and Kai resist him. Valmar and Kai can't free themselves because the darkin has woven himself into their shared body. Their struggle is constant, quiet, and visible only in the moments when Varus's actions seem to contradict themselves — a hesitation, a mercy, a flash of grief that doesn't belong to a monster.

Key Connections

Relationships

Valmar & Kai
Bound Souls Within
The two Ionians who sacrificed themselves to make the pact with the darkin — still present, still fighting, still in love despite everything.
Xayah & Jhin
Ionian Connections
Ionia produces its own darkness. Varus's corruption and Jhin's artistry exist in the same land that produced Xayah's revolutionary hope.