Riot published three new stories today on Universe, the official League of Legends lore platform.
Two of those stories were about Nunu, with one detailing his relationship with Willump and the other with his mother. And the third story is a retold version of Gnar’s bio. What do the three have in common? Yetis, snow, and a whole lot of cute.
We won’t get into many details, due to there being three stories, but there’s a lot we liked in all of them. The fact that each one focused on a different relationship or point of view provided multiple perspectives around the developing story of the Freljord and its Void problem. Having that depth gives new life to the Freljord, an area which was previously just a vague story about warring clans and Watchers.
The first story, Stone Cold, dives into Nunu’s relationship with Willump and, likewise, Willump’s relationship with Nunu. The story is split into two parts, the first being from the point of view of the child, capturing his childlike voice and imagination with lines like, “‘Naljaäg’? That can’t be its name. How would anyone know how to spell that?”
The second half gives Nunu a voice for the first time. We already knew from previous stories that he’s an ancient and powerful being, but up until now, we’ve only heard his grunts. The tale was a lively story, intended to put one of the duo’s many adventures on display, and it included a glimpse into the importance that Nunu has on the fate of the Freljord.
The third one is a bit of a bummer, focusing on the bond between Nunu and his now-missing mother. In the story, she sounds exactly as we imagined—as a mysterious nomad, speaking in rhythmic metaphors. The third and final story was of Gnar, and apart from his adorable views of the yetis (he’s the Yordle equivalent of a kitten, and he thought the yetis were just giant Yordles), his obliviousness to the tragedy enveloping the Freljord made him even cuter.
With Nunu and Willump’s release planned for later this week, we expect the recent influx of Freljord stories will soon come to a pause. But we’re hoping Riot kicks it back up when the next champion update or new champion are revealed.
