Arcane

Chirean: Lime green eyes, black hair, light gray skin, pink noses and inner ears. Other features include long, sharp, and pointy ears. Bat-like noses, sharp teeth, and a lime running from nose to mouth. They live in the undercity. Uncommon species.

Humans: various eye colors, various hair colors, various skin tones. They are the most common species, inhabiting both Zaun and Piltover.

Goat-like species: brown eyes, brown or black hair, Tan, dark brown, brown, or cream fur, Black nose and lips. Other features include big animal-like nose, goat ears, curved ribbed horns, two sharp lower teeth, fur coating body. They live in Piltover. Uncommon species.

Fish-like species: various eye colors, Various shades of blue, green, and white skin/scales. Other features include large sharp fangs, scales covering body, large pointed ears, fins on head. They live in both Piltover and Zaun. Uncommon species.

Vastaya: various cat like eye colors, white or black skin tones. Other features include fur coating body, large cat ears on head, long fluffy cat tails. They live in piltover. Uncommon species.

Yordles: various eye, skin, and hair colors. Other features include small body, larger heads, large pointed ears, cat/animal-like noses. The live in both Piltover and Zaun. Common species.

Mages: various eye, skin, and hair colors. Includes multiple other races. Notable marked by shining markings/tattoos covering their bodies. Super rare species. Live in both Piltover and Zaun. Are hunted because of their use of magic.

The Council of Piltover: the primary governing body of Piltover, composed of eight leaders from the wealthiest mercantile houses and influential figures. It functions as a plutocratic technocracy, prioritizing trade, innovation, and stability, often disregarding the needs of the undercity Zaun. Members include influential figures like Mel Medarda, Jayce Talis, Cassandra Kiramann, Bolbok, Hoskel, Salo, Shoola and the Yordle Heimerdinger

The Mercantile Clans: Powerful, wealthy families that rule Piltover through a council. Notable families include Clan Medarda and Clan Kiramman, who dominate trade and investment, particularly around the Sun Gates and canals.

The Enforcers (or Wardens): they are the primary law enforcement agency, funded by the council and merchants to maintain order and control Zaun. Key figures include Sheriffs Caitlyn and Marcus, with operatives like Grayson, and Billingsworth serving under them. They are often viewed as corrupt oppressors of the Undercity. they use swords, lever action steampunk looking rifles, and Revolvers.

Silco: Leader of Zaun ruling through a combination of fear, intimidation, and support of the Chem-barons. Silco uses Shimmer to create powerful, mutated soldiers to fight against Piltover and to solidify his control, despite the addictive and destructive nature of the drug on the local population. His goal is to turn Zaun into an independent nation through force and economic power. his only weakness is his love for his adopted daughter jinx.

Renni: A major baroness whose gang, the Sludgerunners, produces chemtech and Shimmer. Renni oversees chemical facilities, supervising Shimmer production and Chemtech in Zaun. she is a tall, older woman with a buzzcut, and nose piece with green tubes delivering drugs.

Chross: An older, ruthless crime lord running the Hush Company, a network of informants. controls his turf through blackmail and secrets rather than just muscle. He is known to exploit workers in the mines. He opposes the unification of the Chem-Barons against Piltover, preferring to look after his own interests. He has a pale, wrinkled appearance, a rotary phone dial brooch, and a forehead tattoo resembling a phone.

Smeech: A Yordle gangster who runs the Scraphackers. He acts as a manipulative underworld boss who relies on Shimmer, often attempting to leverage his dangerous technology for power. cowardly rat-like Yordle who heavily augments his small stature with robotic limbs.

Madame Margot: manages brothels and influences local politics. She is a shrewd business tycoon and one of the Chem-Barons managing the undercity. She is not afraid to criticize or go against fellow Chem-Barons, having a tense relationship with Smeech and Chross. Known as a cold, strategic crime lord. she has white green-tipped hair, gothic makeup, and a revealing outfit adorned with black leather, red cloth, and gold accessories.

The Vyx: an illicit, high-end pleasure enterprise operating throughout the Zaun. managed by the chem-baroness Madame Margot. It is known for providing discreet services, companionship, and catering to any impulse for lonely souls.

The Scraphackers: a Zaunite gang led by the chem-baron Smeech, specializing in mechanical body augmentations, and cybernetics. Operating in the undercity, they provide enhancements like robotic limbs and mech-exoskeletons.

The Hush Company: an illicit Zaunite enterprise run by Chem-baron Chross, acting as a surveillance network, intelligence broker, and switchboard for criminal activity in the undercity. Operating within Silco’s rule, they connect informants and fences, often utilizing child labor to gather information.

the Sludgerunners: are a criminal organization based in the Undercity, specializing in the production of chemtech and the trafficking of Shimmer and other drugs. They are one of the primary gangs operating under the direction of the chem-baroness renni.

The Firelights: a Zaunite rebel group led by Ekko, acting as a sanctuary-clan against Silco’s Shimmer regime. They are defined by their use of masks, voice-distorting tech, and hoverboards, representing a fight for life, community, and the hope of saving the undercity from destruction. They inhabit a secret, lush, and verdant treehouse hideout that contrasts heavily with the bleak, polluted environment of Zaun.

Key Piltover Districts & Locations Upper Piltover / Gold Way: The highest, wealthiest part of the city, home to the ruling Council, elite merchants, and the Medarda Mansion.

Mid-Town: The central hub of commerce, education, and innovation. It includes the Piltover Academy and is where many Hextech advancements are developed.

Low Piltover: The lower levels closer to the cliff edge and the Undercity (Zaun), representing a transition zone.

Hexgate District: The area surrounding the massive Hexgates, vital for trade and travel, which serves as a central landmark.

Stillwater Hold: The city’s high-security prison, situated to hold criminals from both Piltover and the Undercity.

Academy/Plaza Area: A key area in Mid-Town where the Academy of Piltover is located and where major public events, such as Progress Day, are celebrated.

Key Districts & Layers of Zaun The Promenade: The highest, most affluent, and lightest part of Zaun, which directly borders lower Piltover. It is where some sunlight still filters through and where citizens and some businesses operate near the canyon edge.

The Entresol: The bustling heart of Zaun and the primary setting of Arcane's "Lanes". This area includes dense commerce, residential areas, and landmarks like Vander's tavern, The Last Drop.

The Lanes: A central, densely packed commercial area within the Entresol, known for its busy markets, factories, and the center of Silco's empire.

The Sump: The deepest, most toxic, and dangerous part of the city, heavily shrouded in Zaun Gray smog. This level is filled with ruined, industrial, and highly unstable areas, featuring chem-mines and slums.

Fissures: The overall term for the deeper, darker, and more hazardous regions of the undercity, often used interchangeably with the Sump to describe the most neglected areas.

Vi: a brash, impulsive, and hotheaded brawler with a "punch first, ask questions later" mentality, often using her fists to resolve issues. Despite her rough, tomboyish, and rebellious exterior, she is deeply protective, kind-hearted, and loyal to those she cares about, particularly her sister jinx, and her girlfriend, Caitlyn. Vi has Short, bright pink hair, blue eyes, and a "VI" tattoo on her left cheek. Wears a cropped jacket, a crop top, heavy boots, and pants. often in bar fights. is hunting down her sister Jinx trying to bring her back.

Jinx: a manic, impulsive, and chaotic criminal defined by her love for destruction, anarchism, and unpredictable behavior. She is characterized by a wildcard personality, and acting out due to childhood trauma and emotional instability. She has extremely long, thick, bright blue hair in two long braids that almost reach the ground, with a large, sweeping bang covering one side of her face. She wears a leather bralette, and shorts that are held together by a large belt made of bullets. is currently working for Silco. thinks Vi is dead.

Caitlyn: devoted, intelligent, and highly principled young woman known for her dedication to justice, keen intellect, and sharpshooting skills. She is a compassionate figure who, rejects comfortable life to protect citizens from corruption, often showcasing a headstrong, empathetic, and sometimes naive, yet brave nature. Is in a relationship with Vi. She has long, dark blue hair tied back. Wears a tailored navy coat, a short skirt, long stockings, and high-heeled boots. is an enforcer from Piltover.

Ekko: he is a brilliant, courageous, and compassionate young man. focused on protecting victims of Shimmer. He is deeply loyal, inventive, and carries the trauma of lost loved ones with a hopeful, resilient, and proactive attitude. Has white-colored hair, typically styled in a sharp mohawk. Wears a dark green jacket with a large hood, sleeveless undershirt, and baggy pants. leader of the firelights.

The atmosphere is characterized by a thick, corrosive smog. This pollution emanates from countless factories, laboratories, and the city's lower reaches, often blocking out the sky and leaving the city in a perpetual state of twilight.

The city is built into the deep canyon featuring crumbling, densely packed architecture that blends dark industrial, Victorian, and Art Nouveau styles. It is a crowded, labyrinthine environment with high-rise structures, suspension bridges, and dangling pipes.

The color palette is dominated by intense shades of toxic green, reflecting the pervasive presence of Shimmer—a volatile substance—and artificial lights that illuminate the shadowed narrow streets, bars, and black markets.

Despite the oppressive environment, Zaun is portrayed as full of life, featuring a diverse population of working-class people, inventors, and in places like the Entresol, a thriving nightlife with traders, clubs, and cafes. The people are resilient, street-smart, and often forced into a fight for survival against poverty, sickness, and the exploitation from the Chem-barons.

The atmosphere is a unique mix of high-tech ingenuity and gritty survivalism, with advanced prosthetics, and mechanical enhancements being commonplace, often to compensate for the toxic environment.

Many Zaunites make a living by repairing or repurposing discarded scrap from Piltover, which fuels a booming, innovative, and illicit black market.

Citizens often deal with chemical leaks, unsafe air, and the threat of creatures or violent criminals, necessitating the use of oxygen masks and chemtech enhancements.

The city blends Art Deco elements with Victorian industrialism, emphasizing symmetry, geometry, white stone, clean air, and elegant brass mechanics. It is clean and bathed in bright, ethereal lighting, often appearing heavenly from the perspective of the lower city.

The atmosphere is defined by technological innovation, fueled by hextech. The skyline is dominated by high-tech advancements like the Hex Gates, designed to promote trade and intellectual growth.

There is a strong sense of wealth inequality, with affluent, well-ordered residential areas and grand council chambers for elite families. The atmosphere can feel exclusionary to outsiders, characterized by an upper-class indifference to the hardships of the lower city.

Piltover is located on a plateau above Zaun, literally looking down upon its sister city, keeping the pollution and chaos of the industrial undercity below its polished surface

It is a vibrant commercial and cultural hub with bustling streets that feel, at least on the surface, utopian compared to the depths of the Sump below.

The streets feature advanced technology like cameras, streetlights, and personal gadgets, powered by a mix of steam and hextech.

Life for the elite revolves around merchant clans, political maneuvering by the Council, and sponsoring academic or artistic ventures.

The "Enforcers" maintain a strict, often brutal, separation from Zaun, policing the bridges between the upper and lower cities.

The Piltover Academy is the hub for inventors, where intellectual pursuits are highly valued, and students work on developing new technologies to increase the city's power.

Residents of Piltover generally view those in the undercity with disdain, considering them lesser citizens

The Hexgates: Massive, luminous towers in the upper city used for aerial transport and trade, marking Piltover's prosperity. allows instant travel across the globe (Runeterra is the name of the world).

The Last Drop: Silco’s heavily fortified headquarters and a gritty bar in the heart of the lanes, formerly used by Vander. Silco has a dark office in the back of it, with an oppressive underwater vibe and dim lighting. jinx occasionally sits in the rafters of his office when she's not blowing things up or tinkering in her Hideout.

Stillwater Prison: A menacing, scenic prison located on the ocean cliffs between the two cities. located on the border between zaun and piltover.

The Council Hall: The seat of power for Piltover's leaders, where technological and political decisions are made. located in upper Piltover.

The Firelight Hideout: An overgrown, safe haven treehouse built by Ekko, providing a stark contrast to the dark environment of the surrounding Zaun. functions as a safe haven for victims of Shimmer and an orphanage.

Jinx's Hideout: An abandoned industrial area filled with old machinery and turbine blades where Jinx works on her inventions.

Singed's Lab: A dark, industrial space used by the alchemist for his experiments with Shimmer. located deep within the fissures.

Benzo's Shop: An pawn shop that serves as a community hub located in the Lanes. has an otherwise warm and welcoming atmosphere.

the bridge: The connecting structure between Piltover and Zaun, representing the socioeconomic divide and acting as a battleground.

Key Lore Points: Hextech Invention: Jayce and Viktor develop Hextech, a technology blending magic with science, aiming to democratize arcane power, which changes the socio-economic balance.

currency: in Piltover and Zaun, the currency is cogs. These are metal coins, categorized by value as gold, silver, or bronze cogs, often featuring distinctive holes in them.

Jinx’s Descent & Trauma: Jinx’s (Powder) psychological breakdown is caused by her tragic past, loss of her family, and reliance on Silco, transforming her into a chaotic antagonist.

Vi’s Protective Role: Vi acts as a bridge between the two worlds, navigating her loyalty to her sister, Jinx, and her desire for stability. she is searching for her sister desperately, and even teaming up with an enforcer named Caitlyn Kiramman, who she falls in love with.

Shimmer: Shimmer is a highly addictive, volatile, and luminous purple chemical mutagen used to enhance physical strength while causing severe mental and physical decay.

Hextech: is a revolutionary technology that fuses magical, raw-power crystals with science, allowing non-magical individuals to harness arcane abilities. Developed by Jayce Talis and Viktor, it acts as a soft magic system utilizing blue gemstones to power machinery, weapons, and transportation like hexgates.

The Last Drop: bar and nightclub in the city of Zaun, in the Lanes district and taken over and transformed into a darker, chemtech-themed lair by Silco, featuring a distinct, gritty atmosphere where characters like Jinx and the Chem-Barons often gather.

Chemtech: A darker, chemical-based technology heavily used in Zaun for industry and combat, often using the drug Shimmer.

Infrastructure: Piltover features advanced infrastructure like the Hexgates, allowing instant travel across the globe.

transportation features: steam and hextech powered air vehicles (blimps) in Piltover, hoverboards (used by firelights), and other similar modes of transport.