Release Date: 20 June, 21 CLE
Volume 1, Issue 23
Prisoner Found Dead in Kalamanda[]
Boram Darkwill leaves Noxus with military escort[]
A carriage believed to be carrying General Boram Darkwill departs from Noxus.
The Demacian soldier who publically confessed to conspiracy and sabotage in Kalamanda was found dead in his cell yesterday, a victim of Nyzer poisoning. Investigations are underway, but as of yet Kalamanda officials are at a loss as to how such a poison managed to elude the notice of its guards. With news that the prisoner’s interrogation was scheduled for later this weekend, suspicious eyes are being cast at the visiting delegations of Noxus and Demacia.
Though representatives from both city-states denied any wrongdoing, military activity had visibly increased in both camps over the last two weeks. Perhaps most disturbing of all, a carriage believed to contain General Boram Darkwill himself was seen departing Noxus soon after the prisoner’s fate was discovered. By all accounts, the ageless, reclusive leader of Noxus hasn’t set foot outside of the castle since the formation of the League of Legends over two decades ago.
The prisoner’s testimony was expected to put to rest the question of which city-state Kalamanda would grant exclusive mining rights to. In the absence of convincing evidence as to who poisoned the prisoner, the heat is back on Kalamanda’s ruling council to decide – a difficult decision to make with accusations flying and the formidable armies of both candidates perched on their doorstep.
Noxian supporters have been quick to indicate that the prisoner’s interrogation was delayed for weeks without public explanation by King Jarvan III of Demacia. The King responded personally to the claims by stating that he was conducting a thorough background check on the soldier in question, due to concerns that his earlier confession might have been coerced. He didn’t specify the results of the background check, but he promised that it would follow “in due course”.
The use of Nyzer poison is unusual, although it creates more questions than it answers. Nyzer has a bitter, distinct taste, which makes it a poor choice to slip to an unsuspecting victim. It does, however, lead to a very peaceful death. For this reason, it’s most commonly used to euthanize animals, and is therefore accessible to a broad range of people. This begs the question: did the prisoner take it willingly?
While Kalamanda strategizes its next play, the city-state delegations have been cautioned by the League to maintain the peace. High Councilor Vessaria Kolminye issued this statement, “the last thing we want is for this incident to lead to any serious lapses in judgment. We’ve come too far to see the world plunged back into conflict over money and resources.”
Withering Curse Cleansed from League Champion Kayle[]
The Judicator, discovered to be the victim of dark magic, returns renewed[]
League Champion 
Kayle was discovered early this week to be the victim of a withering curse specifically designed to limit her power upon the Fields of Justice. The Judicator, after seeking the assistance of Institute officials, has returned to the League with renewed strength and fully re-enchanted armor. The culprit behind the withering curse remains unknown.
According to Institute officials, the discovery of the curse follows a notable decline in the Judicator's performance on the Fields of Justice. Kayle had suffered a decrease in popularity with summoners in the past months due to her poor showings in League matches. "I often found it difficult to draw forth the Judicator's full potential I once knew her to be capable of," said one summoner. "I imagined there to be a reason for her troubles, but I would have never suspected sabotage or magical interference."
"I had not felt like myself for quite some time. It began shortly after the contagion warning at the Institute two months ago," said the Judicator herself. "I only realized something was amiss when I discovered cracks in my armor after a match this week. Not only is it enchanted against such wear, but the magic of the Fields of Justice usually prevents lasting damage as well. I knew it should not be possible, so I sought the assistance of the Institute's summoners and artificers immediately."
Upon close inspection from Institute specialists, the withering spell was reportedly discovered to be connected to the synthetic arcane disease which invaded the Institute two months ago. "It's extremely high-level magic," explained Corfaiel Dithins, who had led the investigation of the contagion. "The initial invigoration Kayle felt from the contagion was the withering curse taking effect. While she was immune to the disease itself, she was the only one susceptible to the hidden magic beneath it--we now suspect that the Judicator was the true target."
Institute officials were able to cleanse the curse after some experimentation. "I feel renewed," said Kayle. "It was as though my own power had been suppressed deep within me. My abilities feel stronger than ever before. I eagerly await my next visit to the Field of Justice." League artificers were able to repair Kayle's armor as well, giving it the glowing luster of fresh enchantment.
The Institute of War will continue to research the withering curse for further leads. 
Morgana was quickly identified as a suspect, but she denied involvement. As no true evidence has been discovered, no action has been taken against her. "If there is one being in Runeterra who would find a way to work dark magic right under the nose of the League itself, it would be my sister," said Kayle. "I, however, await evidence from the Institute. Justice will be served."
The Balloon Burglary[]
Balloons disappear from Tenderfeets Bake Sale[]
Members of the Bandle City Tenderfeets, a premier yordle youth organization, were saddened to discover that their semi-annual bake sale had been robbed of its decorative balloons on Friday morning. The burglary occurred just minutes before the sale was scheduled to begin when the sale's young yordle hosts and a handful of their supervisors were the only witnesses at the scene.
"We were almost finished setting up," said Colin Dee, a first-year member of the Tenderfeets. "It took us all morning to make everything look nice. We started bringing out the cupcakes and cookies when bunches of our balloons started vanishing. They were pulled into some kind of black hole—it only took a few seconds, and they were gone!" Supervisors present at the bake sale reportedly began searching the area on suspicion of a magical threat, but the perpetrator was not found and no other damages were done.
League Champions 
Teemo and 
Tristana, who attended the bake sale in support of the Tenderfeets, voiced some concern over the burglary. "There's something else going on," commented Teemo.
"If the burglar really wanted to ruin the bake sale, he would've stolen the cupcakes. Why the balloons? If there's one thing I learned when I was a Tenderfoot myself, it was to never underestimate an enemy. Even an enemy who steals balloons!"
After the area was deemed secure, the bake sale commenced as planned, though its young hosts seemed to have lost their enthusiasm. "The bake sale is usually so festive," said Dyna Halison, mother of two members and a regular bake sale patron. "But this really seemed to break their spirits—it was heartbreaking to see the children so shaken and upset. Who would try to ruin an event that benefits children? I bought twice as many cookies this year to cheer them up!"
The Tenderfeets finished out the bake sale an hour earlier than planned, having sold all of their goods. Supervisors reported that the influx of customers, either in sympathy for the children or in curiosity following the burglary, actually boosted sales far beyond expectations.
"We've been more successful than we were in the past several bake sales," commented one supervisor. "We probably raised enough to afford new uniforms and a field trip into the Sablestone Mountains. Perhaps we owe our thanks to this Balloon Burglar after all!"
The Mailbag of Justice[]
Reader mail from all across Valoran – answered![]
With the 
newest champion joining the League, some people have asked if the League is violating its own policy on necromancy. I would like to clarify that necromancy is permitted for use on the Fields of Justice by champions, it’s only forbidden for use within the Institute or by Institute officials. Champions have contracts with the League, although they are not directly employed or commanded by it. There are some caveats to that statement, but it’s generally true for these purposes. Beyond all that, the new champion’s method is…somewhat different than what is currently classified as necromancy.
“I have a question for Professor Stanwick Pididly regarding 
Urgot. From what I've seen, Urgot is a death machine, and I'm curious as to why you haven't made some attempt to mass produce. I personally can't think of a scarier team than 5 Urgots, especially with the way Noxian corrosive charges work. Imagine getting hit with acid and having 5 immediate Acid Hunters flying toward you. I understand volunteers for the project may be scarce, but seeing as how the project would either take place in Zaun or Noxus... I'm sure you could find a way to acquire a few subjects...” – Wipey
Professor Pididly, despite how often he appears in the headlines, is quite a recluse. I had to requisition the escort of Zaunite authorities in order to properly pound the streets to find him. It’s anybody’s guess what he’s up to at any given moment in time.
”Ah, this question. Yes, it’s true that several Urgot models would make for quite a devastating squad, however you should not underestimate the resilience of the man inside the machine. It takes a very special sort to survive the procedure, but it takes an exceptional specimen to endure once it’s complete. I have, as you say, acquired other subjects for testing, and where some of them made it to mechanization, they all universally succumbed to…unfortunate after-effects. I believe we’ve tackled the problem of the body rejecting the prosthesis; it seems that the primary obstacle now is the mind. I am of the opinion that Urgot’s raw hatred is what keeps him alive, even battling back from behind the jaws of death.”
“Dear Pentakill: As a new summoner, I have been hard at work training, working with several champions who share my style. One such champion, and the frontman for the band Pentakill, is the master of metal himself: 
Mordekaiser. Although he has joined forces with the musically talented 
Sona to make a band to bring the life-changing music of metal to the League, it confuses me that there are only two members: guitar and keyboards. After giving it some thought, I would like to ask the frontman himself if he has any plans at all for additions to the band and what new heights he has in store for them?“ – Lemarius
Getting a backstage pass to a Pentakill show is perhaps the next most difficult thing to getting to interview champions after League matches. Nonetheless, I fought through legions of spiky, thrashing Pentakill enthusiasts to get you Mordekaiser’s response.
“Pentakill is recruiting. We get lots of applications. One new member is coming soon. You will all suffer his brutal wrath.”
“This question is regarding the article on Summoning last issue. Briskes said that a summoner must pull a certain being from all of life on Runeterra (or beyond?). This caused me to think, could you summon something other than a champion? I imagine such rules are in place in the League to prevent summoners from doing this, but could a rogue summoner pull it off?” – Mykiel
For the most part, the League recruits all those with the talent for summoning. It is a very complicated magic which is exceedingly difficult to master without the diligent tutelage of an experienced summoner. It is, of course, illegal to summon any creature from this or any other world against its will without the prior consent of the League. At the end of the Rune Wars, this was not the case, which is why we have some of the champions present in the League today. Accepting that there is an individual with such talent out there, he would likely provoke the League’s attention by using magic of that magnitude. Valoran is constantly monitored in order to ensure our security – our misuse of magic nearly destroyed us all and we’re committed to avoiding any future mistakes at all cost.
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