9/8 PBE Update: Vex, the Gloomist, Night & Dawn, Worlds 2021 Jarvan IV, and more!

In the black heart of the Shadow Isles, a lone yordle trudges through
the spectral fog, content in its murky misery. With an endless supply of
malaise and a powerful shadow in tow, Vex shields herself from the pep
and happiness of the outside world, and all of the irksome “normies” who
occupy it. 

Growing up in Bandle City, Vex never felt she belonged. The whimsy and
color of the yordle realm was cloying to her. Despite the best efforts
of her parents, she never seemed to find her “yordle spirit” or any
like-minded friends, and chose to spend most of her time sulking in her
room. 

There, she found an unlikely soulmate in her own shadow. It was black
(her favorite color), and it didn’t talk—the perfect companion for the
sullen youth. She learned to entertain herself with the shadow,
performing gloomy pantomimes for her own amusement. 

Alas, it was just a shadow, incapable of shielding Vex from the
loathsome cheerfulness that surrounded her. Surely something more lay in
store. Something darker. Something sad. Something just like her. 

That something arrived in the form of a Harrowing, thick clouds of Black
Mist that billowed through Bandle City, stirring its residents to panic.
While most yordles fought valiantly to beat back the Mist, Vex was
intrigued by the foul miasma and began to follow it to its source. 

When she arrived in the Shadow Isles, Vex couldn’t believe her eyes.
Vast tracts of land and sea, devoid of all life and color, stretched out
before her. Here, she could finally sulk, unbothered by the laughter and
merriment of others. 

As the days passed, Vex realized the Black Mist was having a strange
effect on her. Her shadow had taken on a new ghostly persona—much more
lively and expressive than its host—and her benign yordle magic had
transformed into something far more sinister. Vex could now spread her
misery far and wide. 

“Who made this wonderfully awful place?” she wondered. 

Her question was soon answered when the Ruined King, Viego, appeared in
the Isles, seeking to spread his Mist to all corners of Runeterra. Upon
meeting Vex, Viego realized the yordle had a unique ability to spread
despair, making people more vulnerable to his Harrowing. Vex, in turn,
was inspired by his vision for a world covered in Black Mist. The two
became fast allies and set out to turn the entire world into a harrowed
wasteland. 

Before Viego’s vision could be fully realized, Vex discovered his
ulterior motive: to reclaim the soul of his dead queen Isolde, and
reunite with her in matrimonial bliss. She shuddered in disgust, feeling
betrayed that the man she had trusted to kill the world’s happiness had,
in fact, been seeking it himself. Vex left Viego to be defeated by the
Sentinels of Light, his dreams of a ruined world dashed upon the stones
of the Camavoran wreckage. Alone once more, she watched in
disappointment as the world returned to the bright, colorful place she
had always hated. Finding a lasting melancholy was going to be tougher
than she’d thought. 

She knew one last place she could go—a surefire way to achieve the
misery she craved. She paid a visit to her parents in Bandle City, eager
to show them who she had become and bask in their disapproval. 

The young yordle watched as her parents turned dumbstruck, still as tree
stumps. Their expressions changed from shock, to denial, to reluctant
acceptance. 

“Honey. We don’t understand… this,” said her mother, motioning with
her finger at Vex’s entire being. 

“But we love you unconditionally,” said her father. “And if you’re
happy, we’re happy for you.” 

Rolling her eyes, Vex released a loud, exasperated sigh. “You guys are
the worst,” she moaned. 

She trudged out of her parents’ living room, anxious to return to the
Shadow Isles where she could sulk undisturbed.”

Balance Changes