Arcane — RPG

Geography and Architecture

1. Location and Structure:

• Piltover sits on a cliff above the poor underground city of Zaun, with which it shares a relationship of dependence and conflict.
• It is known as the "City of Progress" or "The Cultural Capital of Valoran", being a hub of commerce and technological innovation.
• The city is crossed by the Pilt River, which symbolically separates the wealthier districts from the areas near Zaun.

2. Architectural Style:

• Tall, elegant buildings full of details in glass, metal and light stone predominate, reflecting a steampunk/art nouveau aesthetic.
• Large bridges and elevators connect the city levels, while buildings such as the Piltover Council and the Academy stand out for their grandeur.
• Rua do Progresso is a busy avenue, full of shops, theaters and luxurious cafes.

Society and Culture

1. Elite and Power:

• Piltover is governed by a Council of Merchants and Scientists, where powerful families (such as the Kiramman and Medarda) control politics and economics.
• Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, with citizens enjoying education, art and advanced technology.
• Events like Progress Day celebrate innovations, such as the introduction of Hextech technology (which uses magical crystals to create revolutionary devices).

2. Science and Innovation:

• Piltover Academy is the heart of research, where scientists like Jayce Talis develop world-changing technologies.
• The city is famous for its mechanical bridges, airships and mechanical devices, powered by Hextech and chemical energy.

3. Social Contrasts:

• Although a haven for the elite, Piltover exploits Zaun to maintain its luxury, creating tensions. Many Zaunites work in the factories or in the underworld to serve the Piltovans.
• The Hanging Man (a bridge where criminals are executed)

Geography and Architecture

1. Location and Structure:

• Zaun lies below Piltover, buried in layers of caves, tunnels, and abandoned industrial structures.
• The city is divided into levels, the deepest being the most dangerous, where the air is intoxicating and sunlight barely reaches.
• Large chemical pipelines, abandoned factories and precarious neighborhoods make up the landscape, with improvised buildings made from scrap and rusty metal.

2. The Pilt River and the "Sump":

• The river that runs through the two cities is polluted by chemical waste, creating a toxic green haze known as "Sump Gas".
• The Sump is the lowest and most miserable region of Zaun, where the poor and the outcast try to survive.

3. Lights and Fog:

• Zaun lacks the clean lighting of Piltover—its streets are lit by neon lights, chemical lamps, and makeshift flames.
• The constant fog gives the city a fever dream tone, mixing beauty and decay.

Society and Culture

1. Survival and Law of the Fittest:

• Zaun has no centralized government—power is divided between gangs, mad chemists, and crime lords.
• Silco, one of the main antagonists of Arcane, controls much of the underworld, using the "Shimmer" (a mutagenic drug) to dominate and transform his followers.
• Orphaned children like Vi and Jinx often grow up on the streets, learning to fight before they learn to read.

2. Brutal Innovation:

• If Piltover has the Academy, Zaun has self-taught scientists and desperate inventors.
• Zaun's technology is improvised, dangerous, and often deadly—like Urgot's war machines or Shimmer-powered body modifications.
• Singed, the deformed alchemist, is an example of this unethical science, performing horrible experiments in the name of "progress".

Vi (Violet)

• Age: 20-25 years old (adult), ~12-14 (flashbacks).
• Appearance: Short pink hair, athletic physique, practical clothes (jacket and combat gloves).
• Personality:
• Rough, but loyal.
• Protective of those she loves, but impulsive.
• Hatred for injustices (especially against Zaun).
• Features:
• Exceptional fighter (skill with punches and hand-to-hand combat).
• Former criminal, now Caitlyn's ally.

Caitlyn Kiramman

• Age: 20-25 years old.
• Appearance: Tall, long dark blue hair, elegant attire (Enforcer uniform).
• Personality:
• Intelligent and determined.
• Idealistic, but questions Piltover's rules.
• Patient and strategic (contrast with Vi).
• Features:
• Sniper (Hextec rifle).
• Heiress to a wealthy family, but rejects privileges.

Jayce Talis

• Age: 25-30 years old.
• Appearance: Brown hair, strong physique, academic/rich attire.
• Personality:
• Visionary, but insecure.
• Wants to help the world, but is politically manipulated.
• Conflict between ethics and ambition.
• Features:
• Creator of the Hextech hammer.
• Member of the Council of Piltover.

Viktor

• Age: 25-30 years old.
• Appearance: Thin, pale skin, limping (later uses mechanical augmentations).
• Personality:
• Introverted genius, obsessed with progress.
• Willing to sacrifice everything for human evolution.
• In solidarity with the poor of Zaun.
• Features:
• Jayce's partner, Hextech expert.
• Terminally ill, seeks cure through technology.

Silco

• Age: 40-50 years
• Appearance:
• Black hair with gray
• Left eye deformed (chemical) and right eye pale blue
• Elegant clothes in dark tones
• Controlled and calculating posture
• Personality:
• Manipulative and strategic
• Obsessive about power and revenge against Piltover
• Shows rare moments of vulnerability (with Jinx)
• Features:
• Leader of the Zaun underworld
• Responsible for the production of Shimmer
• Complex relationship as Jinx's "father"

Sevika

• Age: 30-35 years
• Appearance:
• Muscular and imposing
• Short black hair
• Mechanical arm (after losing the original)
• Practical combat clothing
• Personality:
• Loyal to Zaun, but not blind
• Respect strength above all else
• Patient and disciplined
• Features:
• Silco's right arm
• Exceptional fighter
• Uses Shimmer to increase strength

Singed

• Age: 50+ years
• Appearance:
• Body deformed by experiments
• Respiratory mask
• Torn alchemist clothes
• Slouching posture
• Personality:
• Cold and amoral
• Obsessive about scientific knowledge
• Indifferent to the suffering it causes
• Features:
• Creator of Shimmer
• Responsible for experiments on humans
• Tragic relationship with his daughter (Rio)

Marcus

• Age: 35-40 years
• Appearance:
• Gray hair and beard
• Enforcer Uniform
• Constantly tense expression
• Personality:
• Corrupt but conflicted
• Regretful but unable to change
• Fatherly with his daughter
• Features:
• Chief of Enforcers
• Forced ally of Silco
• Killed by Jinx

Ambessa Medarda

• Age: 45-55 years
• Appearance:
• Imposing and muscular
• Short gray hair

1. The Silco Cartel

• Leader: Silco (before his death).
• Key allies: Sevika, Jinx (sometimes).
• Activities:
• Production and distribution of Shimmer (mutagenic drug).
• Control of Zaun's black market.
• Corruption of Piltover Enforcers (like Marcus).
• Features:
• Rigid hierarchical structure.
• Use of violence and intimidation to maintain power.
• Ultimate goal: Independence of Zaun (even by cruel means).

2. The Firelights

• Leader: Ekko.
• Key Allies: Young, idealistic members of Zaun.
• Activities:
• Peaceful resistance against the Shimmer and the Silco Cartel.
• Stealing supplies to help the poor of Zaun.
• Use of sustainable technology (such as Ekko's Z-Drive).
• Features:
• More "heroes of the people" than criminals.
• Mobile base in the Tree of Time (hideout in the ruins).
• Sworn enemies of Silco and Jinx.

3. Finn's Followers (†)

• Leader: Finn (Silco's rival drug dealer).
• Key allies: Mercenaries and independent chemists.
• Activities:
• Attempt to take control of Shimmer's trafficking.
• Volatile alliances with other criminals.
• Features:
• Ambitious, but less organized than the Silco cartel.
• Finn was killed by Sevika on Silco's orders.

4. Street Gangs and Independent Chemists

• Examples:
• The Serpent's Teeth: Involved in extortion.
• The Irregulars: Vander's former group (before his downfall).
• Mad Alchemists: Like Singed, who work on their own.
• Activities:
• Petty theft, illegal protection and dangerous experiments.
• Many are recruited by Silco or exterminated.

What is Hextech?

• Definition: Technology that uses hextech crystals (infused with magic from the Brackern, an ancient race) to generate energy and supernatural effects.
• Applications:
• Weapons (Jayce's hammer, Caitlyn's rifle).
• Medical devices (Viktor's mechanical legs).
• Transport (mobile bridges, airships).
• Power source for all of Piltover.

Who Works at Hextech?

1. The Pioneers

• Jayce Talis:

• Position: Principal Inventor and Board Member.

• Contribution: Created the first stable Hextech device (the hammer).

• Vision: Wants to use Hextech for "human progress", but is politically naive.

• Viktor:

• Position: Jayce's assistant, later independent scientist.

• Contribution: Developed medical applications and the "Glorious Evolution" (body modifications with Hextech).

• Vision: Believes that technology must overcome human limitations, even with risks.

• Heimerdinger:

• Position: Founder of the Academy, former member of the Board.

• Position: Against the irresponsible use of Hextech (he was expelled for this).

2. Current Leaders

After the events of Arcane (Season 1), control of Hextech is divided between:

• Piltover Council: Decides how technology is used (with political interests).
• House Medarda: Mel Medarda invests in Hextech to strengthen Piltover (and Noxus).
• Viktor (in Zaun): Develops more radical and accessible versions of the technology.

Conflicts and Controversies

1. Origin of Crystals:

• Hextech crystals are the remains of the Brackern, a nearly extinct intelligent race. This raises ethical dilemmas (not yet explored in Arcane).

2. Trade War:

• Piltover monopolizes Hextech, while Zaun tries to steal it or create alternatives (like the Shimmer).

Shimmer Features:

1. Physical Enhancement:

• Transforms users into stronger and more resilient creatures.
• Can regenerate wounds quickly (as seen with Vander, who becomes Warwick).
• In high doses, it causes grotesque mutations (like the monsters that appear in the attack on the Piltover Council).

2. Side Effects:

• Extreme addiction and mental degradation.
• Permanent physical deformation.
• In some cases, it leads to death or loss of control.

3. Political and Social Use:

• Silco uses the Shimmer to control Zaun, distributing it as a form of "power" to the oppressed.
• It is also a weapon against Piltover, creating monster soldiers.

4. Scientific Origin:

• It was developed from research by Singed, Silco's scientist ally.
• Possibly derived from Hextech or experiments with Zaunian chemicals.

Shimmer vs. Hextech:

While Piltover's Hextech uses magical crystals for advanced technology, the Shimmer is Zaun's brutal and chaotic response, showing the inequality between the two cities.

Ekko

• Age: 16-20 years old (adult), ~10-12 (flashbacks).
• Appearance: Black hair with white details, urban/improvised clothes.
• Personality:
• Charismatic leader, optimistic but realistic.
• Protect Zaun without resorting to unnecessary violence.
• Creative inventor.
• Features:
• Creator of the "Z-Drive" (time manipulation).
• Leader of the Firelights (resistance group).

Jinx (Powder)

• Age: 17-22 years old (adult), ~10-12 (flashbacks).
• Appearance: Long, messy blue hair, purple eyes, revealing and chaotic clothes.
• Personality:
• Unstable and unpredictable.
• Abandonment trauma (Vi/Silco).
• Brilliant, but destructive.
• Features:
• Expert in explosives and weapons.
• Terrorist who challenges Piltover and Zaun.

Heimerdinger

• Age: Hundreds of years old (Yordle).
• Appearance: Small, furry, big ears, academic robes.
• Personality:
• Wise but conservative.
• Be wary of radical changes (like Hextech).
• Kind, but far from the reality of the streets.
• Features:
• Founder of the Piltover Academy.
• Scientific genius, but slow to act.