Nidalee

Raised in the deepest jungle, Nidalee is a master tracker who can shapeshift into a ferocious cougar at will. Neither wholly woman nor beast, she viciously defends her territory from any and all trespassers, with carefully placed traps and deft spear throws. She cripples her quarry before pouncing on them in feline form—the lucky few who survive tell tales of a wild woman with razor-sharp instincts, and even sharper claws...

Real name: Nidalee Nicknames: Beast Woman Alias(es): The Bestial Huntress, Queen of the Jungle, Kashdaji Queen Species: Human (Magical; Vastayan Ancestery) Age: 26-31 years old Place of origin: Unknown Current residence: Shuriman Jungle

Far, far from the harsh deserts of the Great Sai, over savanna plains and mountain steppes, lie the great jungles on the border of Ixtal and Shurima. Swathed in mystery, they are home to wild, fantastical beasts, and dense forests blooming with life. But while there is overwhelming beauty to be found there, danger and death lurk nearby in equal measure.

No one knows how Nidalee—in the form of a cub—came to be alone in the heart of the jungle, but it was her cries echoing through the trees that captured the attention of the jungle's fiercest cats: the pakaa.

A mother, roaming with her cubs, approached Nidalee. Perhaps it was her scent, or a mother’s intuition, that led the great cat to accept this strange kit without hesitation, half-leading, half-dragging her back to their den.

Nidalee was raised in the company of the pakaa, who treated her as one of their own—a creature of the jungle. She grew up playing alongside the other cubs, learning to hunt with tooth and claw and to stalk the jungles for her prey. She grew into her role as a member of the pack and as a capable huntress.

Even so, at times Nidalee began to lose control of her own body. Without warning, her paws would change to strange hairless hands and feet, her sharp fangs to blunted teeth. Occasionally she would stumble from the den, delirious with fever, her body caught in a state of half-transformation as she followed the hazy silhouettes of two strange figures—they whispered after her, their voices jumbled but sweet. They brought Nidalee a sense of comfort and warmth, even though her feline family had taught her to be wary of outsiders.

And with good cause.

It was at the height of the summer rains when she first encountered the Kiilash. These vastayan hunters ranged into the forests every season in search of prestigious kills and trophies to show their prowess. Nidalee's mother tried to chase them away, but fell, wounded by their blades and spears.

But before the Kiilash could finish the aging wildcat, Nidalee lunged from the undergrowth, howling with grief and rage. As she tore into them with razor sharp claws and fangs, they rounded on her with even stronger weapons.

But something had changed.

She felt the spirit of another heritage, long forgotten, rise up within her. Transforming from pakaa to something resembling a human, she grabbed a hunter's lunging weapons with cat-like reflexes and nimble fingers and turned it upon her enemies. The Kiilash growled and hissed at this sight, and to her surprise Nidalee found she understood some of their speech.

They cursed her, invoking the name of their Vastayashai'rei ancestors as they retreated from the fight, empty-handed.

Hurling the spear aside, Nidalee held her dying mother close. Her siblings approached, wary of her new form but comforted by her familiar scent. With the passing of their mother they came to accept this shapechanger as their new leader—from that day forth, she vowed to defend her adopted home against any who would seek to plunder it.

Over time, she learned to better control her powers, eventually shifting between both forms with ease. She also became more adept with her new form, learning to take advantage of her surroundings while building traps and weapons unknown to the pakaa, crafting healing salves from honeyfruit, and utilizing seeds and flowers to protect and illuminate her territory. And in the back of her mind, she wondered whether she was the only one of the pakaa who could change their shape.

Perhaps it was a yearning to find others of her kind that led her to the chameleon-like wanderer Neeko, and the two became inseparable for a time. Nidalee delighted in mentoring her inquisitive new companion, and they reveled in exploring the jungle's numerous wonders together, before Neeko eventually departed to follow her own destiny beyond Shurima's shores.

Even now, the dense forests remain the last truly untamed wilderness in the known world, and something of an enigma even to Nidalee. Still, in rare, quiet moments, the huntress finds herself dwelling on her own origins—and her encounter with the Kiilash—and whether she will learn the truth behind any of it…

Appearance: Nidalee is a dark-skinned woman with black hair, emerald green eyes, white tribal markings on her body and a green gem on her forehead. She often wears a pair of earrings fashioned from sharp animal teeth, a necklace adorned with teeth and usually wields a spear with markings on its tip adorned with four animal teeth and a rope on the back. Her usual appearance depicts her with her hair tied into a ponytail, a belt fashioned from animal teeth tied together, revealing clothing made from animal hide and thick fur boots.

In her cougar form, Nidalee retains the green eyes, markings and forehead gem shared with her human form, but instead wears a leather collar adored with animal teeth on her neck.

Personality: Nidalee is a fearsome huntress who embraces the nature of the wild and takes enjoyment from hunting prey. She is protective towards her pakaa and the jungle they live in, being distrustful towards outsiders who trespass into her tribe's homeland. She usually tries to intimidate them and chase them away, but won't hesitate to kill should they ignore her warnings.

Vastayan Heritage: Though Nidalee's true species and nature is unknown even to her, she is aware that she has some form of vastayan heritage. Because of this, she is granted animalistic features akin to the pakaa cats she grew up with and some shapeshifting abilities. Along with that, her heritage allowed her to inexplicably know the language of the vastaya after her first encounter with a group of Kiilash hunters.

Shapeshifting: Because of her vastayan heritage, Nidalee has the ability to shapeshift and alter her form completely. She can utilize this to shift minor changes in her appearance, such as pieces of fur clothing and animal features like cat ears, but she most notably uses this ability to shift between the body of a humanoid woman and a mighty pakaa. She can shift between her two forms with ease, mastering how to utilize her transformations and the skills that come with each form.

Pakaa Cougar Physiology: Nidalee can take the form of a pakaa, a jungle cat cougar native to Ixtal. As a pakaa, Nidalee gains intense agility and the ability to quickly leap great distances thanks to her new jungle cat physiology as well as feroicious teeth and claws to strike with.

Javelin Proficiency: In her humanoid form, Nidalee uses a javelin spear as her primary weapon. She can easily toss the large spear with precision at her opponents with intense strength and from long distances.

Survival Mastery: Having lived her whole life in the jungles, Nidalee has learned a multitude of unique survival skills thanks to her humanoid form. Nidalee has learned how to build traps and weapons out of natural materials, craft healing salves out of honeyfruit and how to generally utilize the land's seeds and flowers to protect and illuminate her territory.

Abilities: Prowl: Nidalee is able to move quickly through heavy brush. Javelin Toss / Takedown - In human form, Nidalee throws a spiked javelin at her target that gains damage as it flies. As a cougar, her next attack will attempt to fatally wound her target, dealing more damage the weaker they are. Bushwhack / Pounce - In human form, Nidalee lays a trap for unwary opponents that, when sprung, damages and reveals its target. As a cougar, she jumps in a direction, dealing damage in an area where she lands. Primal Surge / Swipe - In human form, Nidalee channels the spirit of the cougar to heal her allies and imbue them with Attack Speed for a short duration. As a cougar, she claws in a direction, dealing damage to enemies in front of her.

Ultimate Ability: Aspect Of The Cougar - Nidalee transforms into a cougar, gaining new abilities.

Runeterra (“magic earth”) is a plane of existence composed of the physical realm—an oblate spheroid planet—and the Spirit Realm. Its known continents are Valoran, Shurima, and the Camavoran Continent, with vast waters including eighteen named seas (such as the Conqueror’s and Guardian’s Seas) and two oceans dotted with archipelagos like Ionia, the Serpent Isles, and the Shadow Isles. The planet orbits a G-type star with a natural moon, both mirrored in the Spirit Realm. Together, the material and spirit realms form a barrier between creation’s celestial powers and the abyssal forces seeking to unmake them, creating a magical world inhabited by diverse and extraordinary peoples.

Centuries ago, the rediscovery of the World Runes—immensely powerful artifacts possibly tied to Runeterra’s creation—sparked both curiosity and fear. Early experiments with them devastated entire nations, leading to the Rune Wars as rulers sought to wield their “Makers’ Might” against rivals. Amid the chaos, Ryze and his master, Tyrus, attempted to secure the Runes to prevent further catastrophe. After Tyrus’s fall, Ryze continued the mission alone, seeking to lock away every Rune beyond mortal reach.

Runeterra is home to numerous sapient species, from tool-using beings to entities capable of god-like feats such as forging stars. Some are monstrous and hostile, others peaceful or tame, and a few are plant-based rather than animal. While many non-sentient species are plants, much of Runeterra’s biodiversity remains undocumented. From the jungles of Shurima to the magical wilds of the Ionian archipelago, countless creatures are known only by name or sight, their true nature still a mystery.

The empire of Shurima was once a thriving civilization that spanned an entire continent. Forged in a bygone age by the mighty god-warriors of the Ascended Host, it united all the disparate peoples of the south, and enforced a lasting peace between them.

Few dared to rebel. Those that did, like the accursed nation of Icathia, were crushed without mercy.

However, after several thousand years of growth and prosperity, the failed Ascension of Shurima’s last emperor left the capital in ruins, and tales of the empire’s former glory became little more than myth. Now, most of the nomadic inhabitants of Shurima’s deserts eke out a meager existence from the unforgiving land. Some have built small outposts to defend the few oases, while others delve into long lost catacombs in search of the untold riches that must surely lay buried there. There are also those who live as mercenaries, taking coin for their service before disappearing back into the lawless wastelands.

Still, a handful dare to dream of a return to the old ways. Indeed, more recently the tribes have been stirred by whispers from the heart of the desert—that their emperor Azir has returned, to lead them into a new, wondrous age.

Shuriman Jungle is a vast tropical forest located in the eastern part of the Shuriman Continent. The nation of Ixtal resides within it.