League of Legends - Lilymarh

INTRO

As if Runeterra's soils weren't already full of deadly demons trying to feast on your soul, the city of Zaun gave birth to it's own fairy nightmare. One that only manifest in the depths of a drunken slumber - at your local bar or at that very important business ball you needed to attend: This is Lilymarh, the Valoranti version of the myth of the green fairy hidden in that absinth bottle. But here we're  talking about that new Chimer based liquor that everybody in Zaun is so found of ! How convenient ....

Inside every potions of the summoner's rift resides this tiny hellish fairy, who gives her thirsty allies a piece of her magic and put ennemies in a deadly sleep. This mage in a bottle can manifest everywhere and affects anyone, when she wants. 

Design brainstorming

My goal for this project was to create a mage-like champion that would manifest her true power through her allies and a full coverage of the map. 

Design wise - I wanted to translate the famous myth of the green fairy but into the complex lore and universe of League of legends. Create a modern and darker version of the Art-Nouveau phenomenon of the late 19th century and adapt it to a side of LoL that already take inspiration from this time period.

It was very important for me to express this idea of “genie in a bottle“ that comes to life through a thick alcohol cloud. I also wanted to add elements of cabaret and showgirlness into the design as this demon thrive in festive environment.

Going deeper

When it was time to lock on a design, I really wanted to emphasize on the bottle. This is where she comes from and why she exists and needed to have space in her in game model and her design. This is also her source of power and quickly became a key element of the concept

It was also very important that her outfit reflects as many aspects of her region as possible. We could imagine that Lilymarh's appearance is subjective and change depending on who is seing her. She needed to regroup elements of the every day life of a random Zaunian INTO her costume. You can see a lot of green - Metal pieces - glowing and suspicious pipes on her body - Classical decorations - But most importantly the vice and perverted nature of the lanes. 

Power

Lilymarh's power doesn't resides in HER bottle, but on every bottle of Runeterra with enough degree to put you in a drunken state (I wouldn't trust the orange juice either thought). She doesn't need you to be drunk to manifest herself - but the tiny pixie rather wait the big soldier to be asleep to feast on him. 

Most of her power revolves on vapors and gas she creates from the alcoholic cocktail she's emanating from and can affect a whole ballroom if the liquor is abundant. Her ability needed to revolve on that volatile aspect of her magic and the duality ( green and magenta ) of what's inside and outside the bottle 

                                     you can slide the fader to reveal the painting process