A study on the dynamics of Piltover and Zaun

So if you know me, you'd probably be aware that I'm a huge fan of the technology cities of League. Piltover and Zaun are two of my favorite places and Riot hasn't done much about them lore wise. With that in mind, I've written up some (somewhat lengthy) studies on the culture, society and people of both these cities. Bear in mind that much (read: everything) of this will be headcanon and drawing on similar sources from other works of fiction and games. With that in mind, let's get started.

http://i.imgur.com/K7Rc9GG.png?1 #Piltover

Piltover. The shining beacon of Runeterra and the hub of all things hextech and techmaturgy. I'll be breaking these down into a few categories and styles that relate to what Piltover is, how Piltover acts and the general way they exist in the world.

##City itself

_"In a world of castles, kings, magical mountains and aspects of the world? We're almost a city in the sky." _ -

As the most advanced nation of Runeterra, Piltover has access to technology and skills that other nations only dream of. Whereas places like Noxus and Demacia make do with cobblestone roads, stone castles and the horse/buggy combo, Piltover has towering skyscrapers, asphalt roads and even some actual vehicles. Simple cars, sure, but they're still head-and-shoulders above other nations. With this in mind, Piltover's fashion is also far more advanced than other cities. Steampunk wins the day here and the model of victorian era clothing is king. We all make jokes about the belts, top hats and general englishman attire but it's a mark of fashion to them.

Some key landmarks I envision Piltover having are the Piltover Precinct, a simple and shabby two-story among the skyscrapers of Piltover. They never really needed anything bigger considering Caitlyn's strong leadership and crime-busting talents. Mercury Tower dominates the skyline and is home to Jayce, the hero-turned-celebrity who is known across the land, a cultural icon stretching even beyond Piltover. Heimerdinger's workshop serves as the secluded and hard-to-find workplace of the grand inventor himself, preferring to keep hidden. Town Square is similar to times square, a massive hub of all things PIltover and across the world. The academy is the biggest university of both magical study and techmaturgy, also boasting one of the hardest inclusion rates of any city. The Piltover Zoo houses all manner of animal from across the land, a wonderful distraction for children. Finally, the grand Piltover Bank serves as one of the largest money-holding and trade-industries in the world...well, second best anyways.

##Technological Influence

"Zaun may have invented the bomb but Piltover invented the fuse, the gunpowder, the casing and basically everything else." -

Comparative to Zaun, Piltover's inventions have always run the gamut of weapon, device, doohicky and general life improvement too. The crowning achievement of Piltover would have to be the hexnet: A massive database connecting Piltover, Zaun and nearby cities. It serves as Runeterra's (Far more limited) version of the internet and a way to connect the masses. Now, this does exist in other places. It's just extremely uncommon. That's not to say other nations don't know of it either. They just don't see the benefit of setting up a giant infrastructure that only a handful of people will use to brag about conspiracy and who their favorite celebrity is.

The far-more-widespread version of this is the television, a hextech marvel that beams information directly into the homes of those who have the device and a hexcore to boot it up. The channels of information are limited, yes, but thanks to the ease of use and only requiring a hexcore it's possible to put your device anywhere. On top of that, Piltover is the leading hub of broadcasting and news relay in the world. Chief among these worldwide phenomenons is Jayce and the Defenders of Piltover , an animated series aimed at ages six-to-fifteen documenting the adventures of Jayce and his band of super friends. Such media is how Piltover was able to establish itself as both the city of progress and the cultural powerhouse that many consider it to be.

##Culture and Point of View

_"If these bastards were half as concerned with how well I did my job instead of who I love, maybe they'd see some ***ING RESULTS." _ -

To say that Piltover is whitebread would be an understatement. With a predominantly British/Caucasian (Using our terms anyways) populus, Piltover has two very problematic character traits. First and foremost is the arrogance. While it is somewhat justified in how much Piltover has changed the world and shaped the face of techamturgy, Piltover's citizens are quite nationalistic and arrogant. Rival nations such as Zaun and Noxus are backwards savages who couldn't tell a sword from a screwdriver. Allied nations like Demacia benefit far more from Piltover than Piltover does from them. It's a very terrible worldview that sees little merit in how Piltover can learn from other nations. Even at their darkest hours, Piltover would rather burn in flames than admit they need help.

Second problem with Piltover is the incredible, almost comically oversized bias they have against those who don't fit the very clear guidelines Piltover has for what a citizen is. The most popular example people can attribute is Vi: Brash, rude, rough and not the proper lady Piltover expects, she's been the subject of controversy among them. Bear in mind, Piltover would never stoop so low as to call her out directly. Rather, their displeasure is underlying and passive-aggressive. They don't respect her as they do Caitlyn. If there's a police error, it's Vi's fault and nobody elses. She's the subject of problematic talks in almost every aspect of her life: What she wears, eats, says and who she loves.

In a world of such varying landscapes, Piltover is the utopia. It is the shimmering, golden palace in a world filled with righteous and zealous nationalists (Demacia), backwards savages (Noxus), money-grubbing scum (Zaun), superstitious fools (Ionia) and everyone in between. However, beneath that utopia lies a nation that judges all who cross its gates harshly. They are not people who tolerate even the slightest bit of stepping out of line and while they won't say it outright, Piltover has a thousand ways to make you feel unwanted.

http://i.imgur.com/2ynGhkf.jpg #Zaun

If Piltover is the utopia that Runeterra wishes a technological paradise to be, Zaun would be the girm reality and what ends up happening when people are given free reign to do as they please. Which is both good and bad, regardless of how negative people paint them.

##City Itself.

"A zaunite would boast that our buildings go even higher than Piltover's. What they don't tell you is that we need to build them so high to get out of the smog." -

If Piltover is Dubai, a bustling and beautiful place (Ok kinda exaggerating but roll with me), Zaun would be Detroit. Most buildings are vacant and congregation spots for the homeless. Skyscrapers reach into the smog-covered skies and glow ominously in the distance. The entire city is covered in metal, pipes and grim from an industrial era that never truly ended. There are some shimmering beacons among them, sure, but primarily the city if ten percent government-or-private-business buildings and ninety percent slums, homeless centers and seedy businesses you wouldn't take your mother to even if you were held at gunpoint...which you might. It is Zaun after all.

Key landmarks of Zaun include Mundo Tower, the glorious centerpiece of Zaun's landscape and the main home of the mad doctor himself. Singed's workshop is among the privately own buildings, a comfortable little zone where Singed can work in peace. The Zaunite bank serves as the largest fund management sector in the entire world, catering to the richest people in Zaun and across the globe. The Zaunite slums stretch across the entire city, filled with homeless and orphans who strive to one day work those precious nine-to-five jobs for a boss who wouldn't care if they died. Finally, on the very outskirts of the city just outside the smog sits Windforce Industries. Here, Janna surveys Zaun from afar and wonders to herself just how she could fix this decrepit and rusty hellhole.

##Technological Influences

"You'll find no nation better at engineering new ways to horrifically and brutally kill people." -

Zaun has always played second fiddle to Piltover's more safe-for-people inventions and it's driven them rather mad. Now, that's not to say Zaun hasn't made any progress. Their hextech munitions and prototype robotics far outclass anything PIltover could do. However, this is only by suspending any and all rules/regulations related to techmaturgy. The biggest claim-to-fame that Zaun can make is the creation of artificial and sentient life. Twitch, Blitzcrank and Zac all greatly outclass anything Piltover has done. Even Orianna pales in comparison to creatures like Zac who have transcended mere imitation and, some may argue, embrace full humanity.

Thanks to their heavy emphasis on weapons and ways-to-kill people, Zaun inventions are far more widespread. Go to Bilgewater and you'll be liable to find a thousand crates of munitions and ten thousand bottles of neurotoxin made in laboratories. That's not to say Zaun purposefully lets these things loose. No, they just happen to slip into the hands of those who really SHOULDN'T have them. But the question becomes how these things slip out and reach those who really don't understand the first thing about hextech. Well....

##Culture and Point of View.

"ZAUN IS BEST CITY. HAS NO PROBLEMS. STOP ASKING MUNDO QUESTIONS OR I PUNCH YOU!" -

Zaun is a city that welcomes anyone and anything. Murderers, scientists, even those homeless orphans who have nowhere to go. In that regard, Zaun doesn't judge anyone at all. After all, if you don't have a skeleton in your closet in Zaun you're either lying or it's at the bottom of a river somewhere. No, Zaun's problem is the lie they perpetuate about how open they are and how anyone can grow as a person there. Foremost, people don't advance in Zaun. The rising scientists by his own will is a fairy tale. If you want to advance in Zaun, you ally yourself with a company or person. If you don't chances are you're going to get your stuff stolen or wind up dead.

Secondly, Zaun holds zero political morals. Murder isn't a felony, it's just another tax to pay. Can't pay the tax? Off to jail you go. Oh, sorry, we don't have COP-cops, we have private company police that deal with this sort of thing. It's why people like Mundo can rise to the top and stay there: Anyone who says otherwise gets bought out or mysterious disappears. Environmental problems go unchecked, orphans are abducted for experiments and overall the status quo goes unchallenged. Part of this is why people like Ekko struggle so hard to fix Zaun: He wants to make Zaun the competitior to Piltover it can be but truly laments the things that Zaun has to do to be on top.

Zaun is a tragic city, both in what it could be and what it is. Zaunites smile and boast about how great their city is but everyone knows about the true underbelly. In a way, it is more honest than Piltover. It wears what it is on its sleeve and proudly taunts the world about the advances they make they Piltover never could. It all comes down to what you value in Zaun: The idyllic lie that you know is a lie or the honest truth that has SOME manner of merit to it.

#Comparing the two (TL;DR)

_"This is my home, my city. I'll keep it safe...even if we are not as progressive as we boast." _-

Piltover is the bureaucratic utopia with a lot of underlying problems that they mask under layers of culture and personal grievances.

_"This is my home, my city. I know it can be even better but we need to stop accepting what we are and instead what we can be." _-

Zaun is the capitalist wasteland with tons of problems out in the open. However, they're not the utter savage brutes many make them out to be.

"I may be a citizen of Piltover but....well, sometimes I wish they were about as judgemental as Zaun. Y'know. Not at all." - ???