League of Legends season two is Spirit Blossom Beyond, set in Ionia

After spending a few months in Noxus, League of Legends players will be moving on to a new season, which means new lore, a new champion, and a new look to Summoner’s Rift. On Monday, Riot released a cinematic that revealed the theme of season two: Ionia’s Spirit Blossom festival. On Tuesday, the developer followed up with some more tangible details on what players can expect during this Spirit Blossom-themed season, dubbed Spirit Blossom Beyond.

Season two will include a new in-client metagame, similar to the recent release of the card game Demon’s Hand, a new Ionian champion, and a new game mode called Brawl. Brawl is a fast-paced 5v5 game mode set on a Bandle City map, with a focus on skirmishing and combat over tactics and objectives. The trailer also shows a glimpse at the game’s next champion, Yunara.

Spirit Blossom skins in League of Legends take champions and cast them in the role of characters from these old Ionian stories. Thresh, for instance, is changed from a skeletal jailer from the Shadow Isles to a demon of obsession, haunting the afterlife and luring curious souls off the path of salvation. This year, we can expect new Spirit Blossom skins for Ashe, Irelia, Bard, Varuys, Zyra, Lux, and Ivern.

Much like Noxus, Ionia is one of the regions that make up the fantasy world of Runeterra. Ionia is inspired by various strains of Eastern mythology, and is one of the most obviously magical parts of the setting.The Spirit Blossom festival is a celebration Ionians hold, beckoning creatures from the spirit realm forward while the veil between life and death is thin. The Ionians swap stories of legendary figures, like the benevolent Spirit of Salvation who guides those who have recently died to a safe resting place.

While the Ionians celebrate, we know that LeBlanc and Vladimir are staging a secret operation in search of a cursed weapon, and that storyline may pay off later on in the season.