Netflix's Arcane has drawn upon its source material of League of Legends to make us obsess over an array of characters, both well-intentioned and evil. A range of conflicts have already been established in Season 1, from the overarching tensions between Piltover and Zaun(as well as the internal disputes) and the more intimate tumult between Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell). Season 2, Act 1, introduces another antagonist to be wary of that many League of Legends fans may immediately recognize. During a critical scene in Episode 3, Ambessa Medarda (Ellen Thomas) finds herself fighting for her life as an assassin manipulates her way into Ambessa's meeting room and confronts her. Instead, the assassin is killed by a well-placed thrust of Ambessa's dagger, leading to their security being tripled and us wondering what the Black Rose is.
Who Is the Witch, Amara, in ‘Arcane’ Season 2?
Image via Netflix The scene opens with Ambessa questioning her unexpected visitor, Amara (Salli Saffioti). Amara is part of the influential Merchant Guild in Piltover and is generally permitted to trade across the border without much backlash after gaining the council's respect by donating to the academy. While she is considered a respected member of the community, Season 1 of Arcane revealed a more shadowy side to her. She made an under-the-table deal with Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) to invest in his evolving Hextech, which was slowly beginning to give her own business trouble.
Arcane Season 2 uncovers more of Amara's character, though not necessarily in the way we expected. She persistently needles her way into a clandestine meeting with Ambessa and claims her intentions are to "settle a debt." However, things take a drastic turn as she uses a red form of the arcane and pins Ambessa and her bodyguard down, threatening them. She insinuates that Ambessa has something she and the organization she works with, the Black Rose, need, further hinting at a feud between them as Ambessa yells about them already killing her son. Knowing who the Black Rose is in League of Legends sheds a bit more light on this situation, so before you read further, be warned of potential spoilers.
Who Are the Black Rose in 'Arcane' Season 2?
Image via Netflix It is clear that Amara is working on behalf of another organization that has a feud with Ambessa. The Black Rose in League of Legends is a covert syndicate of witches that secretly manipulates politics from the shadows in favor of arcane wielders. They are from Noxus, which is also where Ambessa and Mel (Toks Olagundoye) hail from, and access the arcane via the Immortal Bastion there. Infamous in League of Legends lore, the mention of the Black Rose is also associated with the name LeBlanc, a powerful witch who also founded the organization.
The Black Rose witches are also known to have the ability to transform into others. As such, this raises the question of whether we saw the real Amara trying to assassinate Ambessa and it turns out she just had Black Rose affiliations, or if a Black Rose witch transformed into the Merchant Guild member to gain access to Ambessa. It seems that Ambessa has something in her possession that the Black Rose is continuing a feud over, one that likely originated in Noxus. This also may have spurred Ambessa away from her hometown and toward Piltover, where she is gradually placing her stakes.
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The effects of the elusive feud between Ambessa and the Black Rose also ripple down Ambessa's family tree, as she has already lost her son to it and may potentially lose her daughter too. Later in Arcane Season 2, Episode 3, we also witness Mel getting kidnapped by the Black Rose. While she is standing in the council chambers with one of her fellow councilors, red arcane spreads over the walls and floor, enveloping her in a sinister space. A black rose appears on her colleague's face, confirming the witches' involvement as they whisk the panicked Mel away.
What Are Ambessa's True Intentions in 'Arcane?'
Amara also threatens Ambessa with knowing what her true intentions are — ones that are slowly being unraveled as Season 2 of Arcane progresses. By the end of Act 1, it is clear that Ambessa is stoking the fire between Piltover and Zaun, and successfully incites a war between the two divided cities. She was responsible for facilitating the memorial attack by instructing her bodyguard to send an invitation to the perpetrators so they could take their revenge on the council. She tries to lodge her claws into one of the remaining council members, Salo (Josh Keaton) but soon realizes there is someone who hates Zaun more. In the final scenes of Act 1, Ambessa gathers the major houses of Piltover and declares martial law until the war with Zaun ends. She declares Caitlyn Kiramman (Katie Leung) as the leader under military rule, believing her hatred for the other city after her mother's death and their failed mission has boiled over enough. Ambessa is clearly in an immensely influential position in Piltover, making decisions and moving around chess pieces to further her ulterior motive.
Considering that Ambessa is running away from someone or something back in Noxus, she may be creating a stronghold for herself in Piltover for when it inevitably catches up to her. This may be the Black Rose witches, who are from her hometown and are violently against her. Ambessa's position of power also gives her access to the highly dangerous Hextech, which would further strengthen her stance against Black Rose. While nothing concrete has been confirmed yet, the Black Rose's introduction to the world of Arcane promises us even more bewitching and thrilling conflicts, as the stakes ramp up even bigger than before.
Set in Utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League Of Legends champions and the power that will tear them apart.
Release Date November 6, 2021
Directors Pascal Charrue , Arnaud Delord
The first act of Arcane Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
English (US) ·