Zaun

Zaun, also known as the City of Iron and Glass, is a large, undercity district, lying in the deep canyons and valleys threading Piltover. What light reaches below is filtered through fumes leaking from the tangles of corroded pipework and reflected from the stained glass of its industrial architecture. Zaun and Piltover were once united, but are now separate, yet symbiotic societies. Though it exists in perpetual smogged twilight, Zaun thrives, its people vibrant and its culture rich. Piltover's wealth has allowed Zaun to develop in tandem; a dark mirror of the city above. Many of the goods coming to Piltover find their way into Zaun's black markets, and hextech inventors who find the restrictions placed upon them in the city above too restrictive often find their dangerous researches welcomed in Zaun. Unfettered development of volatile technologies and reckless industry has rendered whole swathes of Zaun polluted and dangerous. Streams of toxic runoff stagnate in the city's lower reaches, but even here people find a way to exist and prosper.

Interesting Things About Zaun

• While known to be a notoriously self-centered people by other nations, the denizens of Zaun collectively take great pride in themselves and their city. To them, their right to do as they please is what makes Zaun the freest city in Runeterra.
• Zaun's markets are a great place to get items that might be deemed to dangerous by their Piltovan counterparts. Shopkeepers with a variety of eccentric items can be found at every corner of the city, with the dark and seedy alleys overflowing with ambitious individuals willing to give their all for a profit. It's also said that corporate rivalry is the very spirit of competition that defines Zaun as a city-state. Nevertheless, both espionage and sabotage are considered common practices when doing business with Zaunites.
• An alliance of Chem-Barons, individuals that each control an area of the city, make up the loosely defined leadership of Zaun. They are factory owners, business owners, landlords, and resource owners that have large amounts of money and influence. They use these to hire thugs to enforce their rule and halt the descent into total chaos.

Zaunite Characters

• Practical. Whether it's about fashion, food, or conversation, the Zaunites tend to be pragmatic. Why spend a fortune on a fancy meal when a simple meal will serve just as well. You can use whatever tool or material to get the job done, and you can find flair with out the shiny bells and whistles.
• Street Gangs. Zaun is a hard place to live and a harder place to grow up. Most find sanctuary in one of the many gangs as makeshift families to help them survive the polluted streets. While there are those that look down on street gangs for the distractions they cause, some leave a positive impact on their members as they do what they can to help each other out.

Structure

Zaun's powerful Chem-Barons keep a loose alliance that prevents the city from descending into chaos. This has allowed their researchers and inventors the leeway to push the bounds of their experiments at an accelerated rate, for better or worse. Some say the city is run more like a corporate business with no restraints rather than a society of law and order.

Technological Level

While Zaun's ambitious patrons do much to advance the field of science on Runeterra, their research and inventions often push the boundaries of morality on a daily basis.
Denied the funds and means to craft hextech, Zaun's researchers instead use potent chemicals to power their creations. The combination of machinery and equipment with a compound that has been produced artificially, that harnesses the power of both. Used to create utilitarian/practical artifacts that can be used by anyone. It harnesses chemical energy to power machinery, and produce light and heat. This Chemtech performs like the synthetic hextech that has been developed above, but is much more volatile and dangerous.

Religion

There are also many who have come to pay respects to an ancient and mysterious wind spirit, Janna, who has come to protect the dispossessed of Zaun. At one point, her power was once felt all throughout Shurima, with her aiding the vulnerable of the continent, especially those of the seafaring land of Oshra Va'Zaun. She protected the people of the region during the Great Darkin War, and was instrumental in saving the people of Zaun when it sunk. In modern times, she is seen a deity to many in Zaun, and protects many from the toxins of the sump.

"Progress doesn't belong to one city."

— Silco

Alternate Names:
City of Iron and Glass
The Sunken City
The Fissures
The Undercity
The Underground
Government System:
Industrial Oligarchy
Legislature(s):
Chembarons
Founding Date:
772 AN (Reconstructed), Roughly 3000 BN (Original city)
Location:
Isthmus between Shurima and Valoran
Demographics:
Humans 49%, Yordle 22%, Other 25%
Attitude Towards Magic:
Exploit
Level of Technology:
High
Prominent Religion(s):
The Blue Bird of the Sea, Janna
Common Languages:
Common, Ionian, Noxian, Shuriman, Valerian, Yordle
Notable Organizations:
Academy of Techmaturgy
The Firelights
H.I.V.E
Chembaron Alliance
Lost Children of Zaun
Chem-Punks
Sons of Ur
Demonym(s):
Zaunite
Sumprat