Zaun

Zaun is a city-state on the north eastern part of Valoran.

Lore
Zaun is a city-state both supported and ruined by unchecked industry, mercantilism, and magic run amok. The pollution from the countless factories and laboratories are constantly spewed into the environment. The urban heart of the city-state is often choked with smog that blocks the morning sun and drains the sky of its pastels. Visitors have coined a name for the shaded sky, the "Zaun Gray", and describe staring up at it akin to seeing the beginnings of a cosmic disturbance. As polluted as Zaun is above-ground, its subterranean levels are far worse. All of Zaun's runoff waste pooled together in its sewers, mixing together into toxic and mysterious concoctions.

Culture
While known to be a notoriously self-centered people to other nations, the denizens 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-state on Runeterra. As a result, the streets of Zaun are a constant hive of activity. Shopkeepers with a variety of eccentric items can be found at every corner of the city-state, with the dark and seedy alleys overflowing with proud individuals willing to give their all for a profit. Both espionage and sabotage are considered common practices when doing business with Zaunites.

One example of the denizens' love for freedom of expression is the unlawful synthesizes of "Shimmer", a corrosive techmaturgical waste substance that has become popular among Zaun's rebellious youth. When slathered onto the skin the Shimmer stimulates intense emotions in its subject. The Shimmer then creates an assortment of shining colors that corresponds to the emotion the subject is feeling. Though frequent application of the caustic glop can result in progressive degeneration of the skin and muscle tissue, a rumor that Shimmer can grant its wearer unnatural abilities has simply increased its demand.

To cheer for their favorite League champions, Zaunite fans can go to the Vaskervon Coliseum. There the League of Legends Visiopathic Service displays key battles featuring their city-state representatives, such as the matches between Zaun and their rival Ionia (or "those peaceniks"). Afterwards the fans will gather together for their post-game celebratory feast, a newly adopted tradition in Zaun.

Government
The city's governing body, the liberal Council of Zaun, are extremely lenient with their restrictions. 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 would say the city-state is run more like a corporate business with no restraints rather than a society of law and order. Zaun’s Chief Executive, Chairman Magnus Dunderson, is said to have had a relatively long reign.

Notable Research
While Zaun's ambitious scientists do much to advance civilization on Valoran, their research and inventions often push the boundaries of morality on a daily basis.


 * The nation is particularly famous for its Alchemists, who often alight the city with their magical concoctions. Their most renowned member is known as, who has implemented his chemical inventions for war, creating genocidal toxins potent enough to wipe out an entire village.


 * The advanced College of Techmaturgy resides in the city, a forefront in the study of hextech devices. The doctorate students there are usually credited for creating the first intelligent steam automaton, which they called.


 * Through his tremendous knowledge of the human anatomy and its tolerance to pain,, strives to some day create the perfect science-enhanced killer. As a result, there are few household pets left in the city due to Dr. Mundo's appetite for live experimentation.


 * Seeking to understand magic and its mysteries, the infamous Dr. Xavier Rath conducted a risky experiment that would allow non-magical individuals the power to control magic. With a great deal of luck the experiment was a success for one participant, granting, the ability to teleport.


 * , has publicly stated that his goal is to gather enough of the materials needed to recreate the strange process by which he gained his sentience. Were he to succeed, it would mean a bold and brazen step forward in the evolution of life on Runeterra.

Ties with Noxus
The city shares a friendly relationship with the city-state of Noxus. The Noxian High Command often summon Zaunite champions to fight in the League on their nation's behalf. In addition, Noxus assists Dr. Mundo, the Madman of Zaun, in his ambition to create the perfect science-enhanced killer. They have provided the doctor a laboratory within their city and have given him free reign to pursue his life's work in his spare time. Mercenaries from the city were also recruited by Noxus during their invasion of Ionia, the two most heinous of them being Singed, the Mad Chemist, and. The brand of mass death and destruction these two madmen unleashed remains a festering scar on Ionian history. When the necromantic reanimation of, proved problematic for Noxus due to his lifetime of injuries, a prevailing scholar of Zaun named Professor Stanwick Pididly provided the solution by forging a new body for the headman.

At the base of the Ironspine Mountains, along the main trade route between Zaun and Noxus, there lies two smaller villages: Askay and Meland. For generations the people of those villages had been embroiled in a bloody feud. The lawlessness of the region had complicated the development of trade agreements between the two city-states, limiting their interaction to wartime pacts serviced by mercenary contracts and alchemical weapons. However, after some Noxian intervention, both Askay and Meland have put aside their differences and declared their allegiance to Noxus. With the conflict resolved, Zaun and Noxus are now free to pursue more thriving peacetime trade relations.

Relations with Piltover
As the two leading city-states in the development of hextech, Zaun and Piltover have a deep competitive rivalry, both vying to be the ones directing the future of techmaturgy on Runeterra. League matches between the two nations have a tendency to begin with their champions exchanging contemptuous banter and moody glares.

Festival of Flight
Tensions between the Zaun and Piltover have been fully renewed as the 16th Festival of Flight race drew near, marking the beginning of the annual Techmaturgical Conference. The city of Zaun, having been named victor of the symbolic event for the last four years running, showed a great deal of trepidation towards the upcoming match after the unveiling of Piltover’s new secret aircraft, the "Tailwind". The zeppelin will be piloted in the race by, who was once one of Zaun’s most promising mage talents before defecting from the city-state several years ago. The starting point for this year’s race will be in Piltover. The course will direct the contestants to Zaun, where they will then circle the entire perimeter of the city before returning to the docking pier at the top of Piltover’s central spire.