The Black Rose is a League of Legends deep cut, but it’s making itself known in Arcane

(Image credit: Fortiche, Riot Games)

What is the Black Rose in Arcane season 2? Throughout the show, a mysterious cabal has been causing problems for Mel Medarda and her mother Ambessa, revealing itself in the first act of Arcane season 2 as the Black Rose. But even for dedicated League of Legends fans, the Black Rose is a pretty deep cut into the lore, a group whose history and motivation can be hard to pin down. So what exactly is the Black Rose?

This article contains spoilers for Arcane Season 2.

The Black Rose is a secret society led by key members of the aristocracy from Noxus, the warmongering nation that Ambessa and Mel come from. While the country is best known for its extreme aggression, the Black Rose operates somewhat differently, utilizing magic, subterfuge, and statecraft – tools not always associated with some of Noxus’ more militaristic tendencies.

The Black Rose is similar to Dune’s Bene Gesserit – a group that has been quietly guiding the nation’s fortunes for several centuries, unnoticed by many as it adjusts policy to its own end. Its history stems from the reign of Mordekaiser, a necromancer who ruled over Noxus but was eventually brought down by the combined efforts of two other League of Legends champions; the illusory sorceress LeBlanc and the vampiric Vladimir.

Over the years, the Black Rose would influence the lives of several other League of Legends champions. Most notable among those is Swain, who was manipulated by LeBlanc into destabilizing Noxus’ former ruler, but was eventually still able to pull off a coup and insert himself as Grand General. That move kicked off a rivalry between Swain and LeBlanc that has run quietly in the background of League of Legends lore for nearly a decade, with some an theories suggesting that Noxus’ ongoing rivalry with another nation, Demacia, is all part of a plot by LeBlanc.

Who is the Black Rose in Arcane?

(Image credit: Fortiche, Riot Games)

In Arcane, The Black Rose is hinted at in the title sequence, with Ambessa crushing a flower in her hands. The Black Rose in Arcane is part of a smaller story than its empire-shifting arc in the main universe lore. Keno, Mel’s brother and Ambessa’s son, is revealed to have crossed the faction as part of the ongoing feud between Swain and LeBlanc. Ambessa tells Mel that her brother has died, seemingly by the hand of the Black Rose, which is why Ambessa comes to Piltover.

The Rose finally reveals itself, however, in the third episode of season 2, when a member of the Piltovan merchant guild shows herself to be a member of the group in an attempt to assassinate Ambessa, despite the latter’s protestation that her son’s death should serve as enough punishment. When Ambessa and her bodyguard are able to overpower and kill the would-be assassin, Ambessa uses her death to scapegoat Zaun and elevate Caitlyn to Commander of Piltover.

In response, The Black Rose moves against Mel instead, capturing her and appearing to kill her assistant, Elora, binding the pair in those thorny chains and teleporting them into a mysterious realm. Eventually, Mel finds herself in some kind of prison, plagued by strange visions until she’s snapped out of them by a figure who’s eventually revealed to be her brother – thought dead, but also apparently imprisoned in the same place as her. As she tries to escape, however, Mel realizes that this figure is another illusion, and attempts to dispel it as the figure takes on the appearances of Mel’s family and friends, before binding Mel in the same chains that held Elora.

Who is LeBlanc, Matron of the Black Rose?

(Image credit: Riot Games)

LeBlanc still leads the Black Rose, known to many only as ‘The Pale Woman’. Specializing in illusion magic, she’s able to take on different appearances and create clones of herself. In League of Legends, she’s also able to ensnare enemies with magical chains, which likely explains the thorny bindings that can be seen throughout Arcane season 2 when the Black Rose chooses to make itself known.