Once ruler of a long-lost kingdom,  Viego perished over a thousand years ago when his attempt to bring his  wife back from the dead triggered the magical catastrophe known as the Ruination. Transformed into a powerful, unliving wraith tortured by an obsessive longing for his centuries-dead queen, Viego now stands as the Ruined King, controlling the deadly Harrowings as he scours  Runeterra for anything that might one day restore her, and destroying all in his path as the Black Mist pours endlessly from his cruel, broken heart.

Viego was born centuries ago to the royal family of Camavor, signficantly later than his brother. Due to being the second born son of the king, he was largely neglected in favor of his brother and spent his childhood in his shadow. Viego was tutored by the greatest minds in the land and learned swordsmanship from his father’s generals. Viego’s best friend was his own niece,  Kalista, and she would end up becoming his most trusted general.

When his brother had passed, Viego was crowned the king, despite being unprepared. Shortly into his reign, Viego had fallen in love with a peasant seamstress named Isolde. The two had a whirlwind romance and were quickly married. Viego had begun to neglect his kingdom in favor of his queen and his enemies began to conspire against him. They had sent an assassin to kill the wayward king, but they were intercepted by general Kalista. However, Isolde was poisoned in his place and Viego began a dark descent. He ordered the nation’s greatest healers and scholars to find a cure for the queen, but to no avail. He sent Kalista to scour the world for a cure, while he tended to her needs. While the king was preoccupied with keeping the queen alive, the kingdom continued to be neglected and uprisings plagued the country. He ordered commander  Hecarim and his knights to quash these insurrections and hundreds were put to death. Eventually, the queen would pass and the king further sank into his depression. Hecarim proposed invading foreign lands as retribution for the queen and Viego approved. As the armies of Camavor prepared to set sail, Kalista had returned with word of a cure.