Hi, so.
I'm here to discuss some major VALORANT lore updates including the new map, "ABYSS," and some of the lore that's come to life regarding it. As always, this post is a mix of headcanon and my personal interpretation, so please do not take this as absolute law or finalized explanation of everything. This also includes several new emails and voicelines posted today, linked and cited in the post!
-There is an organization called the Scions of the Hourglass. This organization has previously employed Iso and Omen of the VALORANT protocol prior to their joining. Their work included assassinations--which included the attempted assassination of Viper, to halt and stifle the studying and mass-report of radianite as a material and power source.
-Viper fought back against this, leading to Omen's disfiguration into the current shadow-esque form he holds today.
-Fast-forward to today: Clove, Iso, and Omen lead an infiltration into Abyss; a headquarters of the Scions of the Hourglass. This headquarters includes many secrets kept by the Scions, like artifacts and notes, radianite, and more--they seemed to have a particular interest in radianite itself and radiants.
-(Sources: OFFICIAL VOICELINES AND EMAILS POSTED ON TWITTER AS OF JUNE 11TH, 2024)
-Centuries of Radiant history are found within Abyss' caves. Artifacts, mementos, notes, journals, etc. The Scions had been actively stifling Radiant history, the known proof that Radiants have existed for LONG before the First Light, and even going so far as to potentially murder Radiants themselves. Radiants have existed far longer than previously thought to have been, but the Scions were working this entire time to stifle their history, development, and keep them as a relatively oppressed population.
-Understandably so, Reyna is PISSED. And who knows how the other Radiants are feeling?
-(I'll be entirely blunt and say this is more-or-less the systemic oppression and attempted genocide of Radiants as a whole, which is an incredibly sensitive topic in general, but especially during a time like this. I have no idea how deeply Riot plans to delve into this plotline and detailing, but it certainly contradicts my previous understandings of why Radiants were oppressed and came a little out of nowhere for me.)
