Zaun

This Article is in accordance with the version 0.94 of Runarcana RPG

“Zaun is an undercity district at the bottom of the large canyons that threads Piltover. The few glimpses of light that reach down there are filtered through the fumes and smokes that tangles out of the corroded pipework and reflected from the stained glass of its industrial architecture Zaun and Piltover were once one, but now they are as symbiotic as they are different. Though it exists in a perpetual twilight filled with smog, Zaun now prospers with his vibrant people and rich culture. 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, most of the hextech inventors who think that the restrictions that Piltover enforces too rigid often find that their dangerous experiments are welcomed in Zaun. Unfettered development of volatile technologies and reckless industry has rendered whole swathes of Zaun polluted and dangerous. Streams of toxic waste have stagnated in the lower parts of the city, but even with that volatile environment, some people found ways to thrive and prosper.”

Zaun and Piltover share the same geographical area and could even be considered the same city, but it would be viewed as a mistake as soon as you enter the town. Zaun's atmosphere is full of a chemical burning taste: Zaun's Gray. For the locals, Piltover's air is too clean and without substance.

The trip between Zaun and Piltover typically requires a strenuous and long climb. For those who can pay for it, the journey can be made by buying a ticket for these enormous elevators, allowing a much faster trip.

Though many parts of Zaun are nothing less than polluted slums and others being totally taken by stone and steel, living beings have found ways to thrive and grow. The rich zaunites have isolated houses made of glass called cultivairs, containing trees and plants that give life, both as a symbol of power and a source of clean air.

The levels where Piltover and Zaun merges are the home of vibrant markets and commercial saloons. These areas are the most cosmopolitan of the city, where people of many different lifestyles can be found.

Most of Zaun's structures are crafted from lattice ironwork, either forged in the many seething foundries or wrought from scavenged material discarded from above. Though there is brutal functionality to the bolts-and-rivets of Zaun's structures, its inhabitants still manage to craft breathtaking wonders that pierce the smog and reach for the sky.

Although many parts of Zaun being covered by gigantic cliffs, it isn't a city of darkness. Chemical lights burn in lamps, and through the creative use of stained glass, wheels of light bring a gleam to the darkness.

Characters

When creating a character from this region, you gain the following traits:

Languages. Choose one between: Zaunite and choose one between: Demacian, Ionian, Noxian, Bilgewatrian, Shurimane, Zaunite Piltovian

Skill. Choose any skill.

Activity. Choose two proficiencies from the following options: Light crossbow, short sword, longsword, glaive, warhammer, gauntlet, rapier, hand crossbow, heavy crossbow, net, a firearm or a craft

The Levels of Zaun

Promenade Level: The upper reaches of Zaun exist alongside the lower districts of Piltover, though the differing architecture means the two could never be confused. This is where the wealthy of Zaun gather to shop, dine, and trade goods and supplies from below.

Entresol Level: Deep in Zaun, brokers, dealers, traffickers, and entertainers mingle in cliff-dug trading posts and workshops. This is where the Zaun Graytends to linger most. Most zaunites that live here say it is the level that most of the work is, making it one of the most populated districts of the cities.

Sump Level: Even deeper in Zaun lies the most squalid and vibrant parts of the city. It is here that the Zaun Gray is formed, rising through the pipes and the wind.

Life in Zaun

The low life expectancy of the Zaunite workers results in a significant number of orphans that populate the city. Sump Riders can be found exploring, robbing, or working to receive where their small size is an advantage.

When the pipes of Zaun get clogged by the toxic slug, the sumpgas nebulizer is used with their corrosive rods to unclog them. Face protection is needed since all the hospitals are filled with blind and burned sump-plumbers.

The vigilnauts are workers that are hired by the Chem-Barons to watch the sump-scrappers who walk on stilts and the workers of the factories, the ensure that those unfortunate souls don’t try to keep something valuable to themselves.

Nothing is wasted in Zaun, even the toxic wastelands of the Sump Level can be searched seeking something worth being taken. The toxic environments are too hostile for an unprotected human, so the Sumpscrappers work walking through the sewer with stilts made of metal.

Chemtec

Denied the funds and means to craft hextech, Zaun's researchers instead use potent chemicals to power their creations. Chemtech performs like hextech but is far more dangerous, toxic, and explosive.

Chem-Barons

A loose alliance of convenience exists between Zaun's powerful ChemBarons, powerful individuals who control each an area of the city. It is they and their thugs who keep Zaun from descending into chaos.

Baroness Velveteen Lenare

A chem-baron with many business interests in Piltover, Lenare deals mainly in research into golem technology. Her ravaged body was dying, so she had her head transplanted to a hextech-powered replacement. She visits Piltover regularly for fluid baths and blood/oil transfusions.

Baron Petrok Grime

Grime lost both his arms in an explosion at one of his chem-refineries. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, his chemtech stock is some of the most sought after blends.

Baron Saita Takeda

Takeda has made no secret of his disdain for his fellow chem-barons. Claiming lineage from an exiled caste of warriors from a distant land, he has plans far beyond his own territories and interests.

Baron Wencher Spindlaw

Once a lowly lieutenant, Spindlow murdered his boss and took over his empire. Armed with a pair of shock-batons, he is a ruthless killer who sees murder and mayhem as tools of the trade.