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Piltover Awaken concept 04.jpg|Piltover SWAT Warden Gear 3
 
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The Wardens are the men and women tasked with maintaining the rule of law in Piltover. The organization is funded by trade taxes and 'voluntary' contributions from the mercantile clans, outfitting the Wardens with uniforms and equipment. Many of these donations take the form of unique hextech, such as specialized weaponry or other devices.
 
The Wardens are the men and women tasked with maintaining the rule of law in Piltover. The organization is funded by trade taxes and 'voluntary' contributions from the mercantile clans, outfitting the Wardens with uniforms and equipment. Many of these donations take the form of unique hextech, such as specialized weaponry or other devices.
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Revision as of 06:05, 20 April 2020

For the Legends of Runeterra regions card set, see Piltover Zaun LoR Region Piltover & Zaun.
Piltover Sidereal Avenue
EditImageReference

Piltover Crest icon

Faction

Piltover

By Unknown Author

Thriving coastal city
Governance: Attitude towards magic:
Aristocratic oligarchy Commodify
Level of technology: General environment:
High Coastal metropolis
  "For Piltover!"
Jayce Jayce
Separator

Piltover, also known as the City of Progress, is a thriving, progressive city whose power and influence is on the rise. It is Valoran's cultural center, where art, craftsmanship, trade and innovation walk hand in hand. Its power comes not through military might, but the engines of commerce and forward thinking. Situated on the cliffs above the district of Zaun and overlooking the ocean, fleets of ships pass through its titanic sea-gates, bringing goods from all over the world. The wealth this generates has given rise to an unprecedented boom in the city's growth. Piltover has - and still is - reinventing itself as a city where fortunes can be made and dreams can be lived. Burgeoning merchant clans fund development in the most incredible endeavors: grand artistic follies, esoteric hextech research, and architectural monuments to their power. With ever more inventors delving into the emergent lore of hextech, Piltover has become a lodestone for the most skilled craftsmen the world over.

Lore

Piltover is a thriving, progressive city overlooking the ocean. Fleets of ships pass through its titanic sea-gates, bringing goods from all over the world. Merchant clans fund incredible endeavors, including artistic follies and architectural monuments to their individual power. With ever more inventors delving into hextech, Piltover has become the destination for the most skilled craftspeople from across Runeterra.[1]


Champions of Piltover

Other Related Champions

  • Akali Akali tries to track down Jhin Jhin in Piltover and Zaun Crest icon Zaun.
  • Blitzcrank Blitzcrank keeps the city streets of Zaun and Piltover safe.
  • Graves Graves managed a successful heist of The Clockwork Vaults.
  • Janna Janna is a Spirit that protects Zaun and Piltover.
  • Jhin Jhin has an assassination mission in Piltover-Zaun and clashes with Camille Camille.
  • Jinx Jinx is a Piltover criminal and an adversary to Vi Vi.
  • Shen Shen tries to track down Jhin Jhin in Piltover and Zaun Crest icon Zaun.
  • Shyvana Shyvana was born in Piltover.
  • Skarner Skarner is searching for his people's crystals.
  • Twisted Fate Twisted Fate managed a succesful heist of The Clockwork Vaults.
  • Viktor Viktor is an adversary to Jayce Jayce.
  • Zed Zed tries to track down Jhin Jhin in Piltover and Zaun Crest icon Zaun.

History

Birth of Progress Day

Zaun finalized its plans to destroy a portion of the isthmus connecting Valoran and the Southern Continent, allowing for safe sea passage between eastern and western Valoran. The plan involved using thousand of chemtech bombs to crack open an area of the land so that a cavern could be created, but the results were catastrophic, as in what seemed to be an accident, the bombs triggered a series of earthquakes that completely destroyed the isthmus and sank large districts of Zaun and thousands of its citizens, while also leaking poisonous gas into the city's surviving areas.

Janna Janna, empowered by the prayers of Zaun's people, arrived and blew away the gas, saving many lives and being eternally remembered by Zaun's denizens, converting her from a goddess of faith for sailors to a guardian deity for Zaun. She has yet to leave Zaun following this event.

Eventually Zaun was rebuilt. In order to regulate the oceanic passage they were built over, the Sun Gates were constructed, forcing all transport through the waters to be regulated by Zaun. This brought immense wealth to the city and likely led to Piltover's construction and elevation from Zaun, as the ruling families were in control of the taxes and trade produced by the Sun Gates, leading to the formation of the actual merchantile clans.

Construction of the Sun Gates led to great changes in eastern Valoran and the eastern seas, as Noxus was from this point on able to more easily pool together resources from across its empire without needing land travel, and Bilgewater's pirates found the seas brimming with trade ships waiting to be plundered, feeding in to the criminal underbelly of the city.

Discovery of the First Hex Crystals

The Ferros family gained most of its wealth through a rare crystal harvested from a creature native to the sands of a distant valley. These first hex-crystals, or “first crystals,” contained power normally reserved to those born with innate magical ability. Camille's Camille's Great-Great Aunt Elicia lost an arm, and nearly her life, during one such early expedition. Her sacrifice was celebrated, and it set an expectation that is still reflected in the Ferros family motto today, “For family, will I give.”

The creatures Elicia Ferros found, the Brackern, were not an unending resource, and Camille's family had to look for ways to augment the crystals they had accumulated. Utilizing certain shadow investments in chemtech and runic alchemy, the Ferros family brought to market the less powerful, but easier to procure, synthetic hex-crystals. Such power often comes with consequences, and the production of synthetic crystals is rumored to be a heavy contributor to the Zaun Gray.

Hex Crystal Destruction

Clan Giopara’s explorers discovered a raw, blue crystal deep within the Shuriman desert. Jayce Jayce, one of their youngest apprenta, volunteered to experiment on it, though his lack of tact in doing so prompted Clan Giopara to give it to their better-mannered scholars as a form of punishment. Yet, after many months, the scholars reached a unanimous conclusion that the crystal was worthless. The disappointed clan leaders finally handed the crystal over to Jayce, assuming that even he wouldn’t be able to learn anything from it.

Jayce spent many months running every variety of test on the crystal. Deciding to not give up in his efforts, he approached the problem from newer different angles, which later proved promising.

Viktor OriginalSkin

Viktor, the Machine Herald

Shortly before that, a toxic event in the Sump levels of Zaun transformed thousands from the Factorywood into rabid psychotics. Before that situation Viktor Viktor, a brilliant Zaunite inventor skilled in cybernetics and robotics, used a powerful soporific to sedate the victims and bring them back to his labs to try and undo the damage. The toxins had begun to eat away portions of their brains, but Viktor was able to slow the degenerative process by opening up their craniums and employing machinery to slowly filter their bloodstreams of poison. The technology available to him wasn’t up to the task, and Viktor knew many people were going to die unless he found a way to greatly enhance his purgative machinery.

As he fought to save these people, he detected the surge of Hextech energy coming from the lab of his former associate, Jayce.

On the following day, Viktor appeared and told Jayce that he only needed one thing for his Glorious Evolution – a power source like Jayce’s crystal. Jayce disagreed, informing Viktor that what he truly needed was a moral compass. Viktor, who had long grown tired of Jayce’s rudeness, leapt upon him, grabbed the crystal and knocked Jayce unconscious with it. When Jayce awoke hours later, he noticed that though the Shuriman crystal was gone Viktor hadn’t seemed to notice or care about the smaller shard.

He returned to Zaun and hooked the strange crystal to his machinery, readying a steam golem host for each afflicted person in case their body gave out under the stress of the procedure. Empowered by the new crystal, Viktor’s machines went to work and, gradually, the damage from the toxins began to reverse.

Jayce OriginalSkin

Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow

After Viktor Viktor stole a Brackern crystal from Jayce Jayce, Jayce raided Viktor's lab with his newly made Mercury Cannon Mercury Cannon powered by a shard of the same hex crystal. He made his way into the heart of the lab. Due to a misunderstanding, they both ended up fighting fiercely, suffering severe injuries. In the end, Jayce managed a desperate strike at the crystal. He shattered it and escaped as Viktor's machines and laboratory were destroyed in the aftershock of the explosion.

Get Jinxed!

Jinxing Piltover

Jinx bombards the city

Piltover has been known as the City of Progress for the countless technological advancements it has made, but Jinx Jinx found a way to halt progress entirely for some time: anarchy! Chaos, buildings crumbling, people dying, painted animals running rampant, and the city in constant gunfire... it was Jinx's dream. Piltover's Finest, Caitlyn Caitlyn and Vi Vi, attempted to track her down to no avail.

As Jinx's rampage escalated, Caitlyn declared a city-wide manhunt for her. Jinx responded to this by marking the treasury with a challenge to Vi, saying that she would attack the place at the time and date she had written there. When the time came, she showed up and began to wreak havoc as usual. Vi began chasing her, smashing through every wall along the way. Eventually Jinx was cornered, but she let loose a barrage of rockets, destroying the building. When the officers had awoke, all the gold was intact still remained and Jinx had spelled out something in the sky using the city's lights: "YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!".

Progress Day

Three Noxian spies, Gysbert, Tamara, and Colette, infiltrated Piltover for many months in hopes of placing an agent inside Clan Medarda. They used the annual Progress Day to showcase their technical skills to the clan's masters and apprenta.

Tamara Lautari showcased her Hex-Armillary Amplifier invention. It worked by harnessing the properties of a crystal and exponentially increasing its output. However, the invention itself proved to be dangerous as it almost destroyed the entire hall due to its faulty construction - which was intended to sabotage the proceedings.

Later on, after leaving the Medarda mansion, Tamara was apprehended by Caitlyn Caitlyn, who had discovered her true identity and purpose in the city. She was subsequently banished and sent back to Noxus.

Both Tamara and Gysbert failed to become Medarda apprenta, but Colette succeeded. Some time after, Colette would obtain a Medarda trading map, which she would relay to Noxian intelligence.

Locations

Piltover is a city-state located on an isthmus between Valoran and Shurima. The current well known locations (not counting Zaun) in Piltover are:

Connected Cities

Dual city-states that control the major trade routes between Valoran and Shurima. Home both to visionary inventors and their wealthy patrons, the divide between social classes is becoming more dangerous.

Piltover Zaun Connected Cities

North Piltover

  • Bluewind Court: The most influential individuals of Piltover live in Bluewind Court, located in northern Piltover. The north of the city is where the bulk of the clans have their mansions and heavily guarded workshop compounds, such as the mansions of clans Arvino, Cadwalder, Ferros, Giopara, Holloran, Kozari, Medarda, Morichi and Torek.
    • Jayce's Laboratory: As part of the Giopara Mansion, the lab the work area of the city's famous guardian, Jayce Jayce. It is the place where he himself made his famous Mercury Hammer, which was later used against Viktor Viktor.
    • Workshop of The Horological Institute: Workshops of hextech researchers are magnificent examples of what a wealthy patron can do for an inventor.
  • Count Mei's Menagerie: A type of Zoo, funded by Count Mei, that housed a large assortment of flora and fauna from across Runeterra. It was recently vandalized by Jinx Jinx.
  • Drawsmith Arcade: A vaulted structure of colored glass and ironwork columns.
  • Heimerdinger's Pyrotechnic Provisions: The workshop of the yordle inventor; Cecil B Cecil B. Heimerdinger's many inventions have been imagined, created, tested, and sold in this establishment.
  • Mainspring Crescent: The fashionable promenade of cafes, bistros, and supper clubs. The Drawsmith Arcade contains small theatres.
  • Reveck House: Residence of Corin Reveck, the city's famous clockwork inventor. He lived there by selling a collection of clockwork figurines left behind by his daughter, Orianna Orianna, before she gave into the sickness for the benefit of others and was replaced with hextech.
  • The Explorers Guild House: The House of the Official Piltover Guild for explorers, they are tasked at funding, monitoring, and acquiring archaeological artifacts from its guild members from across Runeterra. These artifacts are later used for research or placed in one of many Piltover museums.

South Piltover

  • Ezreal's House: One of the cities most famous residence, the house houses a large assortment of artifacts found by the explorer himself.
  • Sidereal Avenue: The streets of Piltover are rumored to be paved with gold, but to the disappointment of many a hopeful traveler, that is simply a metaphor. However, the city’s most wondrous structures and streetscapes are funded by the merchant clans, who flaunt their wealth as much as possible. Such place is the Sidereal Avenue, home to the Piltover Treasury.
    • The Ecliptic Vaults: Located in Sidereal Avenue, were once considered to be Piltover's most secure bank, before Jinx Jinx breached their heavily reinforced walls.
    • Clockwork Vault: Located at the Southern part of the city. This bank was considered secure as well, only to also be broken into, this time by Twisted Fate Twisted Fate and Graves Graves.
    • Zindelo's Incognium Runeterra: Zidelo's Incognium Runeterra is located in the Incognia Plaza, connected to the Sidereal Avenue in southern Piltover. The lifetime's work of Valentina Zindelo, the Incognium Runeterra is a device she claimed was able to locate any individual in the world. Since Zindelo’s mysterious death, many believe her alchemical formulae to have been stolen. The contraption is left inoperable.
  • Sapphilite Row: A street where Zalie's is located in.
    • Zalie's Expeditionary Outfitters & Haberdashery: Subscribed by Ezreal Ezreal as one one of the best outfitters in Piltover, the shop is outfitted with a wide range of clothing for every need.

Hexdraulic Conveyors

Hexdraulic Conveyors are scattered across Zaun, connecting it with Piltover and its numerous city levels. Some conveyors are for public use (those that can afford it), while some for private, used mostly by Chem-Barons and wealthy Piltovans.

  • Rising Howl: A large multi-tiered rack-and-pinion Hexdraulic Coveyor supported by three vertical structural beams which span the height of the city, from the Sump to the Boundary Markets. Its ovoid shape and curved top side are constructed of thick glass and an elaborate ironwork baroque latticework frame with ratcheting endless gears. At the top sits a howling wrought-iron wolf, the elevator's namesake, and a set of steam whistles. It’s the primary Hexdraulic Coveyor for transporting crowds between the levels of Zaun and Piltover. Conductors' voices are magnified by a flexible speaking tube connected to a bell-shaped sonophone.

The Cliff

The most important location of all of Zaun and Piltover, it was the epicenter of a massive man made geological disaster that sunk most of old Zaun. Currently, it is the location of massive spires jutting upwards towards Piltover as an arrogant testimony to Zaun's resolve to survive. One such building is the College of Techmaturgy. The Sun Gates are built above The Cliff.

  • Boundary Markets: The levels where division between Zaun and Piltover blurs are home to thriving markets and Commercia Halls. Boundary Markets areas are the most cosmopolitan of the city, where people from all walks of life and levels of society can be found for the purchase and sale of goods.
    • First Assemblage of the Glorious Evolved: Located at the end of the Boundary Markets in southern Piltover, the Church is the main location where worshipers of the Glorious Evolved from both Piltover and Zaun come to worship their deity, the Gray Lady. Its is also a place where the disenfranchised come to seek refuge, and where the crippled come for techmaturgical miracles.
  • The Sun Gates: The most important location in all of Piltover, the construction of these huge accessways made Piltover a hub of mercantile trade between Valoran and Shurima. They were named 'The Sun Gates' to honor the region's Shuriman heritage. They were constructed as a necessity of the city, but unfortunately, an accident during their construction sank large chunks of Zaun into the sea. In Piltover, Progress Day marks the anniversary of the day the Sun Gates opened for the first time, allowing trade to pass easily through the city, bringing unimaginable wealth to the city's rulers. In Zaun, it is a day to remember those lost in the geological upheaval that created the east-west passage and submerged entire districts underwater. It enabled the rapid expansion of the Noxian empire along the coast, although Piltover charges truly staggering hazard rates for the transport of all military assets.
    • Wharfside Docks: Located at the lower end of the Sun Gates, the quaysides of Piltover are always busy, with ships from every major port passing through the Sun Gates every day.


Culture

  "Heh! Piltovans! Always think they're the center of the universe."
Ezreal Ezreal
Separator

Trade is the lifeblood of Piltover, and its command of the main sea-route between east and west has seen its coffers swell with gold. A consequence of this has been the rapid expansion of the Noxian empire, whose armies and supplies can now travel the length and breadth of Valoran with relative ease. It has also allowed Bilgewater to prosper as a haven for pirates and reavers who prey on ships traveling to and from Piltover. The climate around Piltover is generally balmy, but when the temperature changes rapidly, sea fogs often envelop the docks and warehouses. The quaysides of Piltover are always busy, and anyone with a strong back and the will to work can easily find employment. A hundred accents are heard on the wharfside streets at any given time, and scores of ships from every port pass through the Sun Gates every day.

Piltover Trade And Progress

Trade And Progress

The cosmopolitan nature of Piltover makes its inhabitants as varied as their city, but there remains a particular character to its people. A citizen of Piltover is typically self-reliant, does not expect handouts, and always aspires to do better. They are averse to meddling from outsiders, and see an open and free market as essential to the city's continued prosperity. As much as the citizens of Piltover and Zaun like to pretend they are separate entities, both are far more intertwined than they might openly admit, having strong biological and cultural ties to one another.

Language Slangs

Due to Piltover and Zaun being international trade ports, every type of language can be heard around its docks.

Over the course of its history, Zaunites / Piltovans have formed their own terms and slang:

  • All-night bender - Phrase describing one who has spent a long night under the influence. "Bender" is also real-life slang.
  • Apprenta - Apprentice.
  • Bells - Term for the hour. Example: Eight bells = 8:00
  • Burn-off - Smoke from combustion.
  • Chem-burnt - Experiencing negative effects from being exposed to toxic compounds too much.
  • Chem-fumes - Chemical gas, smoke, or vapor.
  • Chem-stunted - Experiencing negative effects from being exposed to toxic compounds too much.
  • Crawl-hatch - Opening in the sides of pipes or ducts for maintenance and manual cleaning.
  • Chem-punk - Derogatory term used for a trouble maker, or gang member from Zaun.
  • Dram-dealer - Person who sells dram.
  • First rule of the Sump - Only marks go in through the front door.
  • Foundlings - Orphans.
  • Foundling home - Orphan Home.
  • Go pound a sump - An insult.
  • The Gray - Term used to describe Zaun's thick chemical atmosphere.
  • The Gray Lady - The holy patron saint of the Glorious Evolved.
  • Grayout - Massive pollution of The Gray.
  • Grey-pox - Illness caused by The Gray.
  • Head up top - Phrase meaning "Go to Piltover".
  • Hereabouts - Phrase used to describe a person's current location.
  • Hex-mechanics - People who work with hextech.
  • Horticulturalists - People that tend to cultivairs.
  • Janna’s mercy! - A Zaunite exclamation used in cases of extreme danger, a plea for help.
  • Lung Blight - Illness caused by The Gray.
  • Mark - A thief’s target.
  • Name day - Birthday.
  • Not even a plague rat’s brown cough - Basically so silent you could hear a pin drop.
  • Orderly - A caretaker.
  • Physicker - phyiscian, or doctor.
  • Piltie - Derogatory term for Piltover natives.
  • Pipework - pipes that make up a network.
  • Sawbones - Zaunite doctor.
  • Skirl - Term used to describe a shrill, wailing sound from pipes.
  • Snipe - A derogatory term for a Zaunite child.
  • Stilt-walking sump-scrapper - A salvager who uses stilts to stay above the toxic gases and sludge of the Sump.
  • Sump-raker - A derogatory term for a person from the Sump level.
  • Sump-scrapping - The act of salvaging items from the Sump level.
  • Sump-snipe - A derogatory term for a child from the Sump level.
  • Sump-scrappers - People who make a living salvaging items from the Sump level. Also known as a Sumper.
  • Sump-sucker - A derogatory term for a person from the Sump level.
  • Sure as gray follows day - Phrase signifying certainty.
  • Tallyman - Person who sells merchandise on credit, especially from door to door.
  • The cliffs are muttering - A reaction to small earthquakes.
  • Techmaturgy - Field of study combining technology and magic.
  • Toxic runoff - Poisonous liquid drainage.
  • Uppside - Term for Piltover.
  • Well-heeled - Phrase used to describe those well off, named for their state of the soles of their shoes not being worn down, or the type of shoes that wouldn’t last long in the muck below.
  • You ken? - You know?

Writing and Numerals

Being connected, both Piltover and Zaun have formed similar writing systems and numerals used throughout the two cities. While having a common writing system used for general communication, a specific writing system, both elegant and rough, is used for numerous applications. Its symbols are used for alchemical works and scientific equations.

The cities use several different numerical symbols for its mathematical and time measurements. This is due to Piltover and Zaun being key trading hubs for both north and south continents. However, the common numerals used in Piltover and Zaun resemble that of Roman numerals.

Architecture

Piltover's newer structures are graceful mixtures of polished marble, latticework bronze and shimmering glass that sit alongside older building of hewn stone and weathered timber. Fluted towers inlaid with gold and silver reach for the clear skies, as arching bridges span the chasms between the clifftops. The entrances to mercantile buildings are often incredibly elaborate. Even those dwellings that predate hextech have since been ornamented with elaborate details to further reinforce the impression that Piltover is a city drowning in gold. The interior of Piltover's buildings are no less ornate than outside, and are often marvels of technological ingenuity in their own right.

Clothing

Fashions quickly rise and fall in the salons of Piltover, and while most tastes tend toward formal and functional, there are those who push the boundaries of good taste and common sense with their overly elaborate displays of wealth. There are also those that augment their bodies ether from necessety or for showcasing their progressive and/or wealthy status in the community. There is a distinct difference between the appearance of Piltover and Zaun augments. Piltover's are more flamboiant in their craftmanship, often adorned with elements of gold and blue arcane crystals, while Zaun's were born more of the neceessity and practicality of its environment and often have crude details, with the elements of toxic green colours heavily featured in the most augmented individuals. For those that live in the city for a very long time, its easy to distinguish true augmented individuals from those that arent. The non-augmented individuals are refered to as "fleshies" by the followers of The Gloriously Evolved.

Currency

Golden Hex

A Golden Hex

Wile the nation trades with all kinds of currency from all corners of Runeterra, it also mints its own currency within the city region. The main currency of Piltover are Golden Hexes (the name originates from the word Hextech), Silver Cogs (or Silver Gears, both are slang terms for 'money' / 'cash'), and Bronze Washers. Due to the cities importantce as a trade hub, the currency has a very strong economic power around the world.

Merdarda Heirloom

To the wealthy clans of Piltover, sea-borne trade is key to their continued wealth. Detailed knowledge of the ocean’s many trade routes and city ports (as well the people who control them) is jealously guarded and passed down only to worthy heirs. Over the many years of his life, Jago Medarda has sailed far and wide to secure Clan Medarda’s fortune, and his well-traveled - and oft-amended - map offers many clues to those seeking their fortune upon the high seas.

Runeterra Medarda map

Technology

Piltover and Zaun do not have mass production or factories for their most stellar inventions - hextech in particular is made by talented craftspeople who have studied for years. But not all creations from both cities are genuine in design or function. Some inventions are fraudulent knockoffs designed to extort the naive and gullible.

  • Hextech: A is the newly emergent fusion of magic and technology used to create exquisite artifacts that can be wielded by anyone, not just those few with a natural aptitude for the arcane. It harnesses the magical power contained within extremely rare crystals, and its power is limited only by the imagination of their users. It is capable of amazing feats, from powering machinery to creating beams of light capable of cutting the strongest steel. The process of crafting hextech is a closely guarded secret, and no two artificers work to the same methodology. As such, each item of hextech is a unique artifact of rare beauty, a bespoke creation that will likely have taken years to craft.
    • Atlas Gauntlets: Exceedingly rare and powerful hextech augments created by Vaido Violante that considerably boost the wearer's strength and dexterity. Continued usage has resulted in skeletal damage to the wearer, but this has not halted demand for such items. Stabilizing the energy outputs of the renowned Atlas Gauntlets is at the top of Vaido Violante's list of priorities. Vi actively uses prototypes of the Atlas Gauntlets.
    • CH-1 Concussion Grenade CH-1 Concussion Grenade / CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade: Explosive electro-grenades that, when tossed on target, emit electrical shockwaves which impairs sensory capabilities and neural overload that effectively damage and shut down enemy's response rate. For crowd control, the CH-3X Lightning Grenade CH-3X Lightning Grenade: protocol allows the use of the bigger and superior version which feature wider area of disruption and "bounces" over solid surfaces for up to thrice times.
    • Ekalavya's Hexbow: The power of the hex-coils in this bow make its bolts so powerful that they can punch through cold forged iron.
    • H-28G Evolution Turret H-28G Evolution Turret: Portable and collapsible stationary automatons capable of continuous rapid-fire of techmaturgical bullets and unleash concentrated laser beams after a brief charging time. This semi-intelligent contraption requires a spotter for accuracy and relies on nearby remote power source to function. Advanced protocols allow the deployment of H-28Q Apex Turret H-28Q Apex Turret: which is a heavier armament version capable of collateral damage-shells and stronger laser strikes before its batteries give out.
    • Hextech Cube Battery: The first attempt to capture crystalline power in portable form was the Hexahedral Configuration, with shards cut from the Odyn Valley.
    • Hextech Micro-Rockets Hextech Micro-Rockets: Unguided mini-warheads capable of striking multiple enemies or single-target concentrated fire, making up for its relatively smaller damage compared to standard warheads with sheer numbers. Enemies of high priority can be eliminated swiftly with the Hextech Rocket Swarm Hextech Rocket Swarm protocol, firing wave after wave of micro-rockets with superior munitions.
    • Mercury Hammer Mercury Hammer / Mercury Cannon Mercury Cannon: Transforming weapon created by Jayce Jayce in order to assault Viktor's Viktor's laboratory and retrieve the hextech crystal he stole.
    • Star Rods: A Hextech devices which is used to emit light in the richer streets in Piltover, these lights pierce the darkness (and rising Zaun Gray) with ease.
    • Techmaturgical Repair Bots Techmaturgical Repair Bots: Self-operating, semi-sentient nano-machines capable of administering swift repair to nearby mechanical devices and wounded friendlies.
    • Vault Breakers Vault Breakers: Heavy gauntlets modified by Vi Vi from mining equipment to escape a collapsing mine shaft, later used to break open bank vaults until given a deal by Caitlyn Caitlyn. She later on started using Atlas Gauntlets.
    • Vishlaa's Hexlyene Caliver: Originally manufactured for the Piltover Wardens, the designs for this hex-powered weapon have since been locked away as being too dangerous.
  • Disk-Runner: A one wheeled vehicle with a built in seat, controls, and lighting.
  • Piano: A musical instrument used for both public and private entertainment.
  • Pneuma-Tube Conduit: Used for transporting sealed messages between the Commercia Halls, a tangled network of vacuum pipers threads the city, allowing extremely rapid communication across Piltover.

Church of the Glorious Evolved

Ekko Seconds Concept 04

Statue of the Gloriously Evolved
(by Riot Artist Gabriel Yeganyan)

▶️  "Join the glorious evolution."
Viktor Viktor
Separator


The Church of the Glorious Evolved is popular in both Piltover and Zaun. The church, views flesh as inferior to steel and metal and advocates the use of techmaturgy to purge the weakness and inefficiency of flesh.

Some members of the church (and Zaun in general) see Viktor Viktor as a messianic figure, however he couldn’t care less for them, viewing their quasi-religious cult as an aberration and as another reason to eliminate emotional foibles and the belief in that which could not be empirically proven).

Although it's unclear if she's a member, Camille Camille is a respected individual by many in the church, which gives her leeway within it.

The Church often takes in the sick, seeing the removal of dying flesh as a key to transforming a person’s life and faith through technology.

The Gray Lady is the patron saint of this religion. Her stained glass window is the main focal point of the First Assemblage of the Glorious Evolved; her cloak is a mosaic of ash-violet glass, oxidized cogs, and blackened pistons. Her epithet is often invoked when an inventor feels at a loss. Hers is a blessing that often requires sacrifice. The Glorious Evolved celebrates the old Zaunite tradition of sacrificing something personal for Progress Day in the hopes the next iteration of invention will be better. This is a practice that can be traced back to the old days of the city, when the people of Zaun had to rebuild their lives after the devastation of “the incident.” The wealth and growth of Piltover on top of those scarred ruins served as evidence to many that the tradition had merit.

Camille has adopted the moniker of “The Gray Lady” but she is not to be confused with the figure.

Jubilee

Piltover The Jubilee

The Jubilee

A local festival dating back several thousand years, the Jubilee has been celebrated every quarter century to give thanks for the sea and the bounty it brings. For modern Piltovans, this is a quaint and happy excuse for traditionally themed feasting. For Zaunites, it has become a more somber observance.

Progress Day

Progress Day is an annual festival of Piltover and Zaun. The main focus of this event is the celebration of the city's technological progress. On this day, many awards and promotions are given to the brightest minds from all across Runeterra who are willing to contribute to the advancement of the city, as well as the showcase of new innovations all across the city.

In Piltover, Progress Day marks the moment the Sun Gates opened for the first time, allowing trade to pass easily between the east and west of Valoran. It also marks the moment when taxation on that trade turned the trickle of gold entering the city’s coffers into a fast flowing river. But below in Zaun, it is a day to remember those lost in the geological upheaval that created the east-west passage and submerged entire districts underwater.

This day is also when Piltover's apprentas are received on auditions in the Mercantile Clans, the best of the best are selected to join the rich positions of the clan, working with the best Piltover can offer.

Roguery Night

Roguery Night is a barely tolerated annual tradition where youthful girls and boys throughout Piltover play practical jokes on their family and neighbors.

Government

Piltover Council

Piltover is run by a council of the richest mercantile clans. In order to improve the city-state's social and environmental well-being, clans constantly strive to implement their nation's rapid scientific innovations. While a greater flow of traffic and profit may not be their sole motivation, more recently Clan Medarda has convinced them to invest a fortune into harnessing the power of hextech, to speed the opening and closing of the Sun Gates. Since the citizens tend to be keen and idealistic, to date there has been little opposition voiced.

Piltover is also one among Valoran's least militarized city-states, and also one of its most trusting. Despite that, the city boasts a warship squadron for the protection of the Sun Gates.

Mercantile Clans

Merchant Clans
Arvino
Arvino Clan Crest icon

Lord Arvino's untimely death thrusted his sheltered daughter Sofia into leading one of the richest families in Piltover. She had fallen in love with Marko Volkage, a Zaunite chem-baron trying to gain power in Piltover. They planned an engagement in a Zaun cultivar, but it was cut short when Camille Camille assassinated Volkage. Camille then made a deal with the intelligencer of House Arvino, Adalbert, to keep Sofia out of trouble.

  • Adalbert
  • Sofia Arvino Sofia ♔
Cadwalder

Uberti was the first to design the self-locomotor, but rumor has it that one of Clan Medarda's agents stole some schematics of this project, leading to the creation of a self-locomotor in Clan Medarda's mansion. Clan Torek also tried to convince Uberti to join it, and it is unknown which clan she is in.

  • Uberti
Ferros
Ferros Clan Crest icon
Colors: Blue
"For family, will I give."

Clan Ferros gained most of its wealth through a rare crystal harvested from the Runeterra Crest icon Brackern of Shurima. Utilizing certain shadow investments in chemtech and runic alchemy, the Ferros family brought to market the synthetic hex-crystals: less powerful, but easier to procure. Such power often comes with consequences, and the production of synthetic crystals is rumored to be a heavy contributor to the Zaun Gray.

Giopara

Jayce earned the honor of being the youngest apprenta to ever be offered patronage by Clan Giopara, one of Piltover's most respected ruling clans. He spent most of his early years constructing potential hextech devices and designing transformable multi-tools for Piltover's working class. Ferros would later outbit Giopara and take Jayce as their apprenta.

Holloran

A well known clan that refused a Zaunite boy for apprenticeship, after which Boswell Holloran almost died from a fall from a mysterious gust of wind mysterious gust of wind that launched him off his balcony.

  • Boswell
Kiramman
Kiramman Clan Crest

The Kirammans are a wealthy and influential family of hextech artificers. They are also known for their lavish lifestyle of hunting in the wilder lands outside of Piltover.
In the Arcane 2021 profileicon Arcane event, they have funded the study and research of hextech with their apprenta Jayce Talis Jayce Talis.

Medarda Colors: Red

The Merdardas command great prestige and influence due to their efforts in constructing the Sun Gates. With the revenue generated by his father's piston patents, Master Jago funded research into using hextech to speed up the operation of the Sun Gates.
Heir apparent Jae preferred hunting ancient artifacts over managing the family business, much to his father's chagrin.
In Arcane 2021 profileicon Arcane, Clan Medarda has family ties with Noxus.

Tariost
Colors: Blue, Gold

Clan Tariost is a powerhouse in the shipping trade. Lady Aurelie fell in love with Karvyq the Silverhanded during the last Jubilee, but the clan did not approve of his low standing. After Aurelie passed away, Karvyq stole her ashes to honor a promise he made that day.

  • Aurelie
Morichi
Torek
Unaffiliated

It is unclear from what clans these individuals come from. They have currently only appeared in Arcane logo icon Arcane.

Academy of Techmaturgy

The Academy is an institution that formed and controls the College Of Techmaturgy.

Piltover Wardens

The Wardens are the men and women tasked with maintaining the rule of law in Piltover. The organization is funded by trade taxes and 'voluntary' contributions from the mercantile clans, outfitting the Wardens with uniforms and equipment. Many of these donations take the form of unique hextech, such as specialized weaponry or other devices.

  • SWAT Wardens: A special tasks group trained for the cities most dangerous assignments. They are usually outfitted with the most advance technology Piltover Wardens have in their arsenal.

Piltovan Bureau of Safety Inspections

This Safety Bureau is tasked at monitoring and regulating all building activities within Piltover. Unregulated hardware is confiscated and the individual is fined and/or imprisoned by the Piltover Wardens depending on the severity of the crime.

Piltover Explorers Guild

A guild meant for those Piltovians who hunger to see Runeterra and it's wonders for themselves. In order to get an official membership, one must present great archeology works, long lost artifacts or journals detailing journeys thoughout Runeterra most mysterious places.

They are tasked at funding, monitoring, and acquiring archaeological artifacts from its guild members from across Runeterra. These artifacts are later used for research or placed in one of many Piltover museums.

Relations

To the wealthy clans of Piltover, sea-borne trade is key to their continued wealth. Detailed knowledge of the ocean's many trade routes and city ports (as well as the people who control them) is jealously guarded and passed down only to worthy heirs. Over the years, Jago Medarda has sailed far and wide to secure Clan Medarda's fortune, and his well-traveled - and oft-amended - map offers many clues to those seeking their fortune upon the high seas.

Aurma

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the city-state nation of Aurma, such as Clan Medarda with Mistress Arathmae. One of the nations more well known exports to Piltover are Roes and leathers.

Bilgewater Crest icon Bilgewater

As Runeterra’s biggest black market, Bilgewater trades all manner of illicit hextech pilfered from Piltover. The Sun Gates allowed Bilgewater to prosper as a haven for pirates and reavers who prey on ships traveling to and from Piltover.

Demacia Crest icon Demacia

Piltover and Demacia may have their differences, but the two nations are on relatively friendly terms. Scientists from the City of Progress are usually welcomed inside Demacia. However, should the scientists wish to perform experiments there, they must first get clearance from Demacian officials.

Holdrum

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the city-state nation of Holdrum, such as Clan Medarda with Lord Brannin of Sea. One of the nations more well known exports to Piltover are pearls and fish sauce.

Ixtal Crest icon Ixtal

In recent times, Ixtali have had an unwelcoming contact with the nation of Piltover. The Piltover Explorers Guild has delved into the Jungle in search of arcane treasures, only to vanish without a trace (due to the wildlife, or the Ixtali defending their borders). However, due to the actions of Qiyana Qiyana, Piltover has found out about the existence of this hidden nation.

Kumangra

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the city-state nation of Kumangra, such as Clan Medarda with individual known as Panaris. One of the nations more well known exports to Piltover are Song birds from the famous Kumangra Song-Market District, though trading families have a hard time at holding contracts in this nation due to the fickle nature of Kumangrans.

Mudtown

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the city-state nation of Mudtown, such as Clan Medarda with individual known as Sallie One-Eye. One of the nations more well known exports to Piltover are materials for red-shale bricks as well as Nirpooti fruit.

Noxus Crest icon Noxus

As the most expansive nation on Runeterra, Noxus heavily relies on the crucial port of Piltover to connect its land in Valoran and its territory in northern Shurima. Due to the neutral city's strategic location, many Noxian shadow agents have infiltrated all levels of Piltover's society in order to prepare the empire for a possible future invasion.

Palclyff

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the city-state nation of Palclyff, such as Clan Medarda with Foreman Piarre Yaeshiff. One of the nations more well known exports to Piltover are weapons, armor, and Honeyfruit Honeyfruit.

Shurima Crest icon Shurima

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the cities of Shurima, such as Kalamanda, Urzeris, Nashramae, Tereshni, and Bel'Zhun. The City itself was built on top of an old Shuriman outpost known as Oshra Va'Zaun. Individuals, organizations, and trading families have frequently exploited the nations natural resources such as Hextech Crystals and Ancient Shuriman Tombs. The Piltover Explorers Guild is infamous for hiring explorers in search of old Shuriman artifacts and relics.

Stonewall

Piltover trading families have close trading ties with the city-state nation of Stonewall, such as Clan Medarda with Councilman Aj Ni Noorin. One of the nations more well known exports to Piltover are Dunpor milk and curds.

Zaun Crest icon Zaun

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. Smuggling campaigns are frequently orchestrated by Zaunite thieves; the valuable technologies obtained are then later sold on the black market all across Runeterra. The two cities also share deep historical, social, and cultural connections, as Piltover (literally and figuratively) rose from the foundations of Zaun.

Trivia

Piltover profileicon
  • Piltover was inspired by Decopunk and Steampunk fantasy genres.
    • Most of Piltover's interiors have a distinct Art Deco style to them, while the exterior architecture is a mix between Art Deco and Steampunk. This mix between artistic styles can clearly seen on the crest of The Piltover Police Department.
    • Other video game cities that share the same fantasy genres and similar designs are Rapture and Columbia. Both of which are from the Bioshock series.
    • The Debonair and Hextech skin lines reflect this artistic design choice. It is also noted that Error: Skin Mafia for Jinx is not specified in Module:SkinData/data. follows this trend as well.
      • Piltover may be a wordplay on Poltava (variants: Vltava, Ltava, Fuldaha, Moldau, etc.), loaned into Common Slavonic from Old High German wilt ahwa "wild ea" (stream).
Season 2019 - Silver 1
  • In Season Nine, the ranked emblems for the League system were redesigned. Piltover represents the emblem for the Season 2019 - Silver 1 Silver rank.
  • Hextech Revolver Hextech Revolver, Hextech Gunblade Hextech Gunblade, Hextech GLP-800 Hextech GLP-800, Hextech Protobelt-01 Hextech Protobelt-01, Oblivion Orb Oblivion Orb (also Murksphere Murksphere/Oblivion Orb Oblivion Orb/Swindler's Orb Swindler's Orb, and Globe of Trust Globe of Trust/Spellbinder Spellbinder) are hextech inventions.
  • Piltover has even made huge strides in developing Golems Golems and machines that make life easier. However these contraptions are not quite robotics in the modern sense- these golems aren't programmed with code, and they are each bespoke, one-of-a-kind creations made by expert artisans.
  • The clans of Piltover jealously guard their secretes, their supplies and the craft for making machinery around tapping into magical power.
  • Residence of Piltover are referred to as "Piltovans" or "Piltovians".
    • Some of Zaun's citizens refer to Piltovans as "Pilties".
  • The sea level is different on one side of the channel that divides Piltover. For ships to cross from one side to the other an impressive contraption capable of lifting and lowering boats was constructed.
  • In an effort to find new wealth in foreign countries the Ferros Clan led by Elicia Ferros (Camille's Camille's ancestor) went on an expedition to Shurima there they found crystal Lifestones Lifestones. Only a few were brought back to Piltover and then used to fuel early Hextech devices.

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