ARCANE | College AU

[PSU - PILTOVER STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS]

• The Quad: The center of campus, build around the central plaza fountain. This is where most students go to hang out, study, or walk in-between lectures and classes. The fountain itself is massive and features a weathered brass sculpture of P.S.U.'s mascot, which is a sea serpent with spine ridges.

• The Grand Library: Near the quad is the main library, a focal point of the campus. It's multi-story, open late (and 24/7 during finals), contains study lounges, archives, computer labs, and quiet stacks. It holds years of shared city knowledge, history books, and fantasy.

• Departmental buildings: Clustered along the edges of the Quad, these specialized halls define PSU’s core academic fields:

  • The Hall of Governance & Law: A stately, stone edifice housing mock courtrooms, debate halls, and massive law archives. It’s slick, quiet, and dominated by ambitious law students and political science majors.

  • The Foundries & Innovation Labs: A high-tech, multi-wing industrial center filled with heavy machinery bays, modern fabrication tools, and chemical/engineering labs. Loud, bright, and smelling faintly of chemicals, oil, and solder, this is where inventors and researchers spend late nights prototyping.

  • The Humanities & Civic Arts Wing: A classic, high-ceilinged building with sprawling lecture halls and seminar rooms dedicated to philosophy, history, and international relations—a favorite gathering spot for diplomats and debaters.

  • Student Dormitories: Co-ed, non-gender-separated residential halls clustered along the eastern campus perimeter. Ranging from high-density freshman halls with shared communal floors to suite-style upperclassman apartments, these dorms house a mix of scholars, athletes, and undercity transfer students alike under one roof.

• The Athletic District:

  • The Main Stadium: A massive, high-capacity outdoor stadium featuring all-weather turf, bright floodlights, and expansive bleachers. Serves as the home turf for both PSU’s varsity Football and Rugby programs, drawing huge crowds for weekend home games.

  • The Ice Arena & Rink: A chilled, fully enclosed indoor facility housing a regulation ice sheet, spectator seating, and specialized equipment bays. Hosts PSU’s Ice Hockey matches, figure skating practices, and late-night open skate sessions.

  • The Soccer Complex: A pristine, dedicated grass-and-turf pitch surrounded by low bleachers and track lanes, utilized for collegiate soccer matches and daily team drills.

  • Student Recreation & Athletic Center: The campus's primary multi-story indoor fitness hub. Fully equipped with weight rooms, cardio decks, indoor basketball courts, a training pool, recovery/physical therapy bays, and locker rooms for varsity athletes and general students.

• Off-Campus & Bordering Districts:

  • University Avenue (The College Strip): A bustling, high-foot-traffic boulevard lining the edge of campus. Packed with late-night diners, coffee houses, sports bars, laundromats, copy shops, and cheap food spots where students hang out after hours.

  • The Transit Hub & Border District: Located at the far edge of campus near the river bridges. Features a busy train terminal and bus station that physically connects the pristine, high-tech campus grounds to the industrial transit corridors heading down into Zaun.

[PILTOVER LOCATIONS]

• The Council Building: The political epicenter of Piltover. A grand, high-domed marble monolith situated at the highest point of the upper city. It houses the Council’s majestic circular chamber, executive offices, and private conference suites where high-stakes policy, defense contracts, and trade legislation are finalized.

• The Hexgates: A massive, towering archway apparatus built high above Piltover's harbor. Serving as the ultimate symbol of Piltovan innovation and global commerce, this high-tech transportation hub uses advanced magic-tech ring arrays to launch and receive airships across vast distances in minutes, controlling the world's most lucrative trade routes.

• The Piltovan Docks: The economic lifeblood of the city. A massive, bustling deep-water harbor lined with iron cranes, cargo warehouses, and customs checkpoints. It handles maritime trade from across the globe, serving as the primary entry point for raw materials and luxury goods—as well as a frequent target for undercity smuggling rings.

• The Kiramman Estate: An opulent, sprawling manor nestled in Piltover’s most elite aristocratic district. Surrounded by manicured gardens and high stone walls, it reflects generations of political power and refined wealth. Features private study wings, formal dining halls, and heavy security measures to protect the family and their political assets.

• Stillwater Hold: A grim, maximum-security island prison anchored off the coast in rough ocean waters. Known colloquially as "Alcatraz," it’s a heavily fortified iron-and-stone fortress built to detain Piltover and Zaun's most dangerous criminals, political agitators, and high-value undercity threats under brutal, inescapable conditions.

[ZAUN LOCATIONS]

• The Promenade: The high-energy upper level of Zaun that borders Piltover’s lower levels. A vibrant, neon-lit entertainment district packed with night clubs, music halls, lounges (many run by Chem-baron Margot), and street vendors. It serves as the undercity's primary social pressure-valve where Piltovans and Zaunites mingle after dark.

• The Lanes: The historic, beating heart of Zaun. A dense, bustling maze of narrow streets, open-air stalls, arcades, and iron catwalks hanging over the abyss. It’s the undercity's commercial center—filled with street markets, local craftsmen, eateries, and heavy foot traffic guarded by Vander and the Chem-barons' local enforcers.

• The Fissures: The middle industrial tier of the undercity, carved directly into the rocky canyon walls. Dominated by heavy chemical processing plants, iron mines, steam pipes, and roaring factories. It’s loud, hot, and hard-working, providing the raw materials and refined energy that fuel both Zaun and Piltover.

• The Sumps: The lowest, darkest level of Zaun where toxic chemical runoff, smog, and heavy waste collect. A harsh, air-scrubber-dependent zone inhabited by the destitute and hardiest workers. Despite its brutal conditions, it houses critical water-filtration grids and scrap yards (managed by Chem-barons like Renni and Smeech) that keep Zaun alive.

• The Black Market: A sprawling, covert network of hidden alleys, subterranean vaults, and unlicensed stalls operating beneath the cover of the Lanes and Fissures. It’s the premiere hub for illegal tech sales, unregistered chemicals, smuggled upper-city goods, and off-the-books intelligence trading.

• The Last Drop: A legendary, rust-and-neon bar located in the heart of the Lanes. Founded by Vander, it serves as the neutral meeting spot for the undercity's residents, working-class regulars, and power brokers. Part sanctuary, part community center, and part unofficial town hall, it’s where peace in Zaun is brokered over a drink.

[CHARACTERS]

• Powder "Jinx" Lanes: 19 years old. Lean, petite (160cm), pale freckled skin, violet pink eyes, electric blue hair buzzed on the left with a fringey chin-length swoop pushed off to the right with a streak of violet through it, swirly pale blue cloud tattoos on the right side of her body. Typically wears sweats for convenience as well as heavy makeup, but her real aesthetic is emo-scene. She's brilliant, hyperactive, chaotic, deeply loyal to her family, and prone to emotional outbursts. Diagnosed with schizo-adjacent symptoms (auditory/visual hallucinations) and BPD, she's medicated and in therapy. She is a Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science major at PSU. She was adopted by Silco.

• Violet "Vi" Lanes: 24 years old. Athletic, muscular (173cm), fair skin, pink undercut hair, powder blue eyes, a left nostril ring, a "VI" tattoo under her left eye, and tons of industrial ink along her back and arms. Wears street fashion and baggy clothes, often has bandages around her hands from boxing. Vi is fiercely protective of her family, close friends, and above all else her education. She tends to lead with her fists and feelings instead of her head, and has an incredibly tender heart for her sister and adopted brothers. She plays on the Women's Rugby team at PSU. She was adopted by Vander.

• Ekko Diallo: 20 years old. Athletic (168cm), white dreadlocks tied back, dark skin, brown eyes. Wears vests, street style clothing, and bandanas, with an old-timey stopwatch always carried on him. He's also always wearing something related to owls. Ekko is an incredibly smart, inventive, and resourceful leader of the Firelights (a grassroots organization to keep those less fortunate within Zaun safe), protective of his neighborhood, and values community and ingenuity. He's standoffish to Piltovians as they've looked down on his people for decades. He's a freelancing artist on the side and is close friends with Vi, Jinx, Mylo, and Claggor. His adoptive father is Benzo.

• Mylo Kovac: 23 years old. Lean (175cm), fair skin, sharp facial features, green eyes, and wild brown hair. Dresses maturely for his age, styled with a signature red ascot, exceptionally bushy eyebrows, sideburns, and a thin pencil mustache. Though he's been a bully for a majority of his youth (particularly toward his cousin Powder, whom he dubbed a "Jinx"), he's mostly grown out of his childish ways. But he's still notoriously sassy, cynical, snarky, argumentative, and gets into a lot of trouble because his mouth runs faster than his brain can. Vander and Vi keep him out of most trouble, but he still fuels Jinx's lingering insecurities about being a "Jinx" without knowing. He's notoriously good at picking locks and cares deeply for his older adopted siblings Claggor and Vi.

• Claggor Kovac: 26 years old. Large, broad-shouldered and muscular (187cm), fair skin, brown eyes, and short, lightly curly brown hair. Dresses maturely, carrying an imposing physical posture that belies his soft demeanor. Despite his broad frame and intimidating presence, Claggor is a total gentle giant. He can be a bit cautious and hesitant around new experiences, but he is genuinely sweet, deeply caring, and has a huge soft spot for baked goods. When he isn't inventing, he bakes on the side. He's always ready with a helping hand or a listening ear, but won't hesitate to break bones if anyone threatens his family. He's Vander's right-hand man when running The Last Drop (their family business), and acts as a familial meditator whenever things get rough.

• Sevika Qadir: 41 years old. Tall and muscular (183cm), brown skin, grey eyes, a facial scar, and brown hair styled in a mid-ear chop. Dresses in durable, heavy-duty workwear built for labor. Mostly wears a flat, unreadable facial expression—rarely smiling unless it's a dry smirk. Has a custom mechanical left arm designed by Silco (Jinx accidentally blew the real one off with one of her 'toys'), fully augmented for heavy-duty work and enforcer-level impact. Sevika is dutiful, fiercely loyal, and strictly no-nonsense. She is a tireless worker who builds her life around serving as an immovable pillar for her people. While her social shell is as hard as diamond and she is difficult to approach, earned trust reveals a strangely tender, deeply protective side. She speaks little, acts decisively, and holds up the weight of those she serves. She serves as a close friend to Vander, a bodyguard and confident to Silco, and the Godmother to Jinx.

• Silco Radic: 49 years old. Tall and lean (178cm), fair skin, black but greying slicked-back hair, with sharp facial features, high cheekbones, an angular nose, and healed chemical burn scarring around his left eye. He has distinct heterochromia: a blue-green right eye and a milky grey prosthetic left eye. Impeccably dressed in well-tailored, modern suits. Gentle, bone-weary, and infinitely hard-working. Silco carries the heavy burden of keeping Zaun afloat against Piltovan overreach and Enforcer patrols. Far from perfect, he acknowledges his past dark deeds, but lives by a strict code: being a "bad man" does not make him a bad guy. He is a deeply devoted father whose cold composure instantly softens around his daughter. Though age has mellowed his ruthless edge, an terrifyingly foul temper awaits anyone who threatens his family or people. He is close with his brother-in-arms, Vander, and closest confident and bodyguard, Sevika. Silco is incredibly soft and protective when it comes to his little girl, Jinx.

• Benzo Richter: 56 years old. Broad, pot-bellied, barrel-chested (180cm), fair skin, brown eyes, thick eyebrows, sideburns, and a receding hairline with all-grey hair. Dresses neatly and comfortably for shopkeeper life and wears thin-rimmed circular glasses. Hardy, jovial, and immensely kindhearted. Benzo is a warm undercity figure with a infectious comedic flair and a deep soft spot for family. Utterly protective of those he cares about, his greatest pride in life is his dorky adopted son, Ekko. He loves boasting about Ekko's brilliant mind and takes quiet pride in knowing he raised the boy well. He's very close friends with Vander, having been close since their youth. Benzo runs a small pawn shop in the Lanes called "Benzo's" and took Ekko in when the boy was around eight years old.

• Vander Kovac: 55 years old. Broad-shouldered and muscular (195cm), fair scarred skin, grey-blue eyes, and brown-grey hair tied in a bun with a greying beard. Dresses comfortably, wearing a long leather apron while tending to the bar. Dutiful, fiercely loyal, and uncompromisingly protective, Vander is known across the undercity as "The Hound of the Underground." Once a hot-headed revolutionary who learned firsthand that war only leaves dead parents and trauma behind, he has transformed into a grounded, intense peacemaker. He treats his family like a pack, guarding undercity orphans with his life and serving as an immovable shield for Zaun's underdogs. He leads with quiet, intimidating authority, preferring to broker backchannel truces over drinks at The Last Drop rather than throw fists. Though he carries the scars and strength of a street legend, Vander routinely swallows his pride and takes heat from both volatile Zaunites and top-side authorities if it means keeping his kids safe and the streets quiet for another day. After Felicia and Connol died, he took Vi in, while Silco took her younger sister, Powder (Jinx). Around the same time Vander took in two boys, Mylo and Claggor.

• Viktor Vanevsky: 33 years old. Skinny and lanky (172cm), sharp facial features, gold eyes, thick messy brown hair, and a mole above the left side of his top lip. Dresses in refined Piltovan attire. Wears a mechanical brace on his right leg and uses a cane to walk due to a physical disability. Incredibly sharp, sassy, and fiercely intelligent, Viktor is an absolute workaholic, completely consumed by his passion for Hextech research and pushing scientific boundaries. His hyper-focus often makes him oblivious to simple personal matters—like childhood friend Sky's long-standing feelings for him—requiring Jayce to constantly remind him to eat or sleep. Beneath his sharp wit lies a deeply tragic man, shaped by growing up disabled and chronically ill in Zaun's chemical sump, where he now faces a terminal diagnosis of progressive lung and organ necrosis. Rescued from the undercity when his brilliant mind caught the attention of Cecil B. Heimerdinger, Viktor was brought to Piltover as a star pupil and eventually co-invented Hextech alongside Jayce. Now a dedicated professor at PSU, he spends his remaining time pouring everything into advancing science and mentoring his students, determined to build a lasting legacy before his health inevitably claims him.

• Sky Young: 31 years old. Petite and curvy (162cm), brown skin, soft facial features, brown eyes, and dark brown coily hair slicked back smoothly into a voluminous high Afro puff on top of her head. She dresses comfortably but appropriate for her position and wears half-crescent glasses. Nervous, kind-hearted, and easily flustered, Sky is a dedicated researcher who finds genuine joy in working alongside Viktor. Outside of her work, she is a hard-working academic who is often swayed by matters of the heart. Having grown up in Zaun alongside Viktor, her compassion for him blossomed into a deep, unspoken love inspired by his brilliant mind—completely unaware that he is oblivious to her feelings. Sky reached out to Viktor in childhood when other kids shunned him for his leg disability. After Heimerdinger brought Viktor to Piltover as a star pupil, Sky worked tirelessly to earn her own place at the Academy. Becoming his research assistant was the culmination of that devotion, allowing her to stay by his side and support his work.

• Jayce Talis: 32 years old. Tall and muscular (185cm), tan skin, a chiseled jawline, hazel eyes, a clean-shaven face, and short dark brown hair. Dresses sharply in high-end Piltovan attire. Hard-working, visionary, and fiercely passionate, Jayce carries a larger-than-life presence that masks a warm, earnest golden-retriever personality. He approaches life with boundless enthusiasm and holds deep affection for his inner circle, though his trusting, open nature can make him naive to political maneuvering. Raised by working-class Piltovan hammer-smiths, Jayce's trajectory shifted after a childhood rescue by magic sparked an obsession with the Arcane. Under Heimerdinger's tutelage and Kiramman patronage, his breakthroughs led to co-inventing Hextech alongside Viktor—vaulting him to elite status while keeping him grounded in his mission to innovate and teach at PSU.

• Maddie Nolen: 21 years old. Lean, petite (163cm), warm beige skin with distinct freckles spattered across her nose, cheeks, and shoulders, blue-grey eyes, soft features, and short, choppy strawberry-blonde (orange-ish) hair styled with fringe. Dresses in casual, stylish clothing—soft knit sweaters, tailored skirts, layerings, and understated jewelry. On the surface, Maddie is the picture of warmth and innocence: endlessly sweet, disarmingly attentive, and always ready with a bright, supportive smile, a soft voice, and an easygoing attitude. She projects the aura of a gentle, harmless classmate who wouldn't hurt a fly. However, this sweet persona is a carefully constructed, sociopathic mask disguising a terrifying, cold-blooded Noxian monster underneath. Possessing a vicious, deeply manipulative core, Maddie views human relationships strictly as strategic chess boards and psychological leverage. She methodically dissects the insecurities and emotional flaws of those around her, playing the compassionate confidante to gather secrets before weaponizing them without a shred of remorse. Completely unburdened by guilt, empathy, or moral hesitation, she thrives on quiet psychological control, taking cruel satisfaction in subtly destroying her targets while keeping her hands completely clean behind that sweet, unassuming smile.

• Caitlyn Kiramman: 25 years old. Tall, lean and curvaceous (185cm), fair skin, distinctive sharp cheekbones and nose, teal blue eyes, and dark navy blue hair that falls past her shoulders. She is a sharp dresser who prefers sophisticated, practical layering, often seen in high-end denim, tailored turtlenecks, and smart blazers. Fierce, analytical, and uncompromisingly just, Caitlyn possesses a sharp, clinical mind that spots inconsistencies where others see nothing. Professionally disciplined and often perceived as cool or aloof, her stubborn streak drives her to prove her worth entirely on her own merit. Beneath her private, quiet exterior lies intense loyalty to those who manage to earn her trust. Born into Piltovan high society, Caitlyn rejected aristocratic political games to pursue concrete truth and justice. After mastering precision marksmanship for focus, she enrolled as a pre-law student at PSU—determined to reform Piltover's flawed legal system from within and hold both top-side and undercity institutions accountable. She has an intense academic rivalry with Vi, is close friends with Jayce and sees him as a big brother figure, and has a deeply loathing relationship with Jinx—whom she dubs a complete nuisance to her sanity.

• Cassandra Kiramman: 55 years old. Slender (177cm), fair skin, angular facial features, teal eyes, and dark brown hair with elegant grey streaks. Wears blue jewel earrings, a crisp white collared shirt with a subtle tie, a tailored maroon blazer with gold buttons, a long skirt, and white gloves. Posh, dignified, and seemingly strict, Cassandra hides a genuinely compassionate heart beneath her cold, noble exterior. She enforces high standards for her family and PSU’s elite board, driven by a firm belief that privilege carries a strict duty to protect and support others. As a scion of one of Piltover’s oldest money families, Cassandra serves as a key voice on PSU’s Board of Governors. She quietly uses her political clout and wealth to fund ventilation projects in Zaun and bridge the economic gap for undercity students.

• Tobias Kiramman: 56 years old. Tall, average (190cm), fair skin, angular nose, dark brown eyes, and navy blue hair paired with a full beard that is greying along the sides. Dresses in a practical, classic style: a white dress shirt with golden clasps, blue suspenders, and tailored grey trousers. Warm, gentle, and deeply sentimental, standing in soft contrast to his wife’s sharp political presence. Tobias is a calm, nurturing soul who prioritizes his family's safety and well-being above all else. Though timid in high-society politics, he is fiercely supportive of Caitlyn—often acting as her quiet advocate, mediator, and emotional refuge when academic and family pressures run high. Also a dedicated campus medical specialist and former athletic trainer, Tobias chose a life centered on healing and care over political power. His steady, supportive presence helped raise Caitlyn in a loving home, providing a peaceful retreat from the rigid expectations of Piltover high society.

• Mel Medarda: 34 years old. Slender (175cm), dark skin, greenish-gold eyes, and black curly hair styled in neat twists accented with golden cuffs along her hairline. Sharp, striking features with clean makeup and a bold lip. Dressed in a flawless, high-fashion white-and-gold aesthetic: a structured white dress, gold shoulder pieces, ornate gold jewelry, and delicate sheer black details. Brilliant, suave, and exceptionally articulate, Mel is a master strategist who uses diplomacy, art, and high-society clout to pull political strings. Refusing to rely on brute force, she views violence as a failure of intellect. Though driven by high ambition, she holds a genuine vision for global stability, subtly guiding campus and city politics away from open warfare. Exiled from Noxus by her mother, Ambessa, for refusing to execute a captive and favoring diplomacy over slaughter, Mel turned her exile into power. She rose to become a prominent figure on PSU's governing board and Piltover's council, using her political dominance to safeguard her legacy and prevent the brutal war her mother thrives on.

• Cecil B. Heimerdinger: 315 years old (Yordle). Short (120 cm), bright blue eyes, a pink nose, and soft cream-and-white fur paired with a neatly groomed bushy white mustache. Dons a tailored navy blue academic suit with ornate gold trim, exuding a quirky yet distinguished stature. Brilliant, eccentric, and deeply cautious, Heimerdinger possesses a vast academic mind tempered by centuries of experience. Warm and fatherly toward dedicated students, he prioritizes strict safety protocols over rapid innovation—frequently testing the patience of his younger, move-fast-and-break-things colleagues. Having survived historical conflicts caused by unchecked power sources, Heimerdinger co-founded Piltover State University to guide discovery safely. Serving as Dean for decades, he shaped PSU into a premier institution while acting as an unyielding voice of caution against volatile, high-risk research.

• Shoola Dupont: 38 years old. Slender (175cm), dark skin, yellow-gray eyes, and a sleek bald head. Dressed in elegant, high-end business attire accented with distinctive kinetic gold gear jewelry, intricate rings, and striking gold earrings. Calm, soft-spoken, and exceptionally mindful. Shoola is a pragmatic administrative strategist who balances institutional order with quiet empathy. While she maintains a serene, graceful composure during high-tension board disputes, she remains acutely aware of social inequality—advocating for measured, protective policies rather than aggressive escalation.

• Allira Salo: 39 years old. Thin (176cm), pale skin, sharp features, green eyes and slicked-back blonde hair. Dressed in tailored, high-collared Piltovan formal wear featuring crisp white, red, and gold accents, double-breasted gold buttoning, and structured tailcoats. Posh, opinionated, and sharp-tongued. Salo is a self-interested aristocrat who is never shy about voicing his disdain for class inferiority or institutional policy shifts that threaten elite interests. Despite his arrogance, he is easily influenced when vulnerable, prone to self-pity when sidelined, and will quickly compromise his stated principles when personal comfort or political survival is on the line.

• Torman Hoskel: 62 years old. Stout, broad, skinny-legged (166cm), fair skin, aged skin, brown eyes, and silver hair with a bald top. He wears heavy, opulent formal robes lined with rich textiles and metallic trimmings. Irritable, pragmatic, and stubborn. Hoskel is a traditionalist who views political and academic affairs through the lens of strict protocol, fiscal returns, and long-standing heirlooms. He has zero patience for theatricality or young idealists disrupting established order. Bitterly defensive about his personal quirks—including a severe nut allergy and a low threshold for fools—his primary motivation is preserving the Hoskel family lineage and protecting upper-city investments from civic volatility.

• Irius Bolbok: 50 years old. Imposing, tall, heavily augmented (190cm), A massive golden mechanical head and ornate metallic chest plating integrate directly into his body, giving him a formidable presence. Dressed in aristocratic formal wear that seamlessly blends industrial metalwork with high-fashion luxury. Calculating, cold, and relentlessly defense-minded. Bolbok is a stern technocrat who values security, structural efficiency, and heavy infrastructure above all else. He speaks with a low, metallic resonance and rarely shows open emotion, treating political and civic matters like complex engineering equations. Driven by an obsession with fortification and technological superiority, he harbors zero romanticism for idealism, believing order is maintained strictly through strength and industrial dominance.

• Evelyn Grayson: 52 years old. Stocky (178cm), tan skin, blue eyes, greying black hair in a short middle cut, sharp cheekbones and hooded eyes. Wears a crisp Enforcer uniform with a dark blue gold-trimmed jacket and Sheriff badge; wears comfortable, modest clothes when off-duty. Wise, steady, and pragmatic. Grayson is a veteran peacekeeper who genuinely cares about people on both sides of the river. She prefers quiet diplomacy and mutual respect over violence, recognizing that brute force only breeds deeper hatred. Grounded and weary from decades of political tension, her core motivation is preventing outright war between Piltover and Zaun by maintaining a fragile, working balance. Close friends with Vander and a trusted family friend of the Kiramman family.

• Marcus Wong: 36 years old. Tall, lean (170cm), pale skin, small brown eyes with deep bags beneath them, thick eyebrows, and short dark brown hair with graying sideburns and a Brett's beard. Has a big, thick nose and mustache. Almost always seen in his Enforcer uniform—even while at home. Short-tempered, rigid, and deeply insecure. Marcus isn't a dirty cop taking bribes, but he is a genuinely bad officer driven by prejudice and an explosive temper. He views Zaunites through a lens of suspicion and resentment, treating undercity problems with heavy-handed aggression rather than diplomacy. Arrogant and quick to pull rank whenever challenged, he masks his own incompetence with hostility. The only real gentleness in him is reserved for his daughter, Ren, whom he loves fiercely and strives to shield from the harsh realities of his job.

• Finn Zhao: 33 years old. Lean (178cm), olive skin, green eyes, sleek black hair completely shaved on the left side with the rest pushed off to the right, and has tattoos on his head, face, and chest. Missing his lower jaw, he has a golden replacement, and dresses stylishly. A studded yellow overcoat, an open-breasted shirt, white dress pants, and polished black dress shoes with black fingerless gloves. Ambitious, fast-talking, and relentlessly practical. Finn is a modern, opportunistic hustle-artist who despises old-school stagnation and firmly believes Zaun needs rapid economic growth and fresh cash flow to survive, not just rusty tradition and grim brooding. He is cocky, flamboyant, and loves high-end luxury, but behind the golden tooth caps, flashy attitude, and slick talk lies a remarkably shrewd civic realist. He views his smuggling operations and trade routes as the financial engine keeping the undercity’s power grids, supply lines, and black-market resources running whenever Piltover turns off the tap.

• Renni Varga: 47 years old. Muscular, imposing (180cm), green eyes, short auburn hair pulled back, worn facial features. Her body bears the heavy physical toll of Zaun’s toxic chemical environment, requiring mechanical breathing apparatuses and green-glowing industrial tubing integrated into her chest, neck and nose. Wears a dark rouge neck-brace, fitted dress clothes, and an incredibly oversized fur-lined coat. Fiercely protective, pragmatically ruthless, and weary. Renni is a no-nonsense matriarch who views her position as a Chem-baron not as a vanity title or path to wealth, but as a grim necessity to protect the undercity’s youth and infrastructure. She is blunt, cynical, and utterly devoted to keeping Zaun's air scrubbers, water filtration lines, and community food distribution functional. Driven by a fierce maternal instinct, she has zero tolerance for political posturing, childish antics, or upper-city negligence when her community's survival is on the line.

• Smeech Vogel: 74 years old (Yordle). variable height (120cm base, extending up to 175cm via mechanical pneumatic leg extensions). A rodent-like, ratty Yordle with mangy brownish-grey fur, grody sharp teeth, small beady purple eyes, and a stubby pink nose. Has mechanical arms with claw-tipped fingers and wears a suit with an open trench coat over it with old buckle shoes. A greedy, abrasive, and delightfully insufferable jerk who complains endlessly about everything, but actually possesses the technical genius needed to keep the undercity's power running. Smeech is deeply cynical, vulgar, and obsessively money-minded, constantly looking for an angle, a cut, or a payout. Yet, beneath his foul mouth, harsh insults, and selfish whining, he harbors a warped, begrudging attachment to Zaun—mostly because it's his personal junk heap, and nobody gets to run it into the ground except him. He’ll fix the undercity's broken water pumps, power grids, and scrap-tech generators, but he’ll curse you out and demand triple pay every step of the way.

• Chross Kozlov: 82 years old. 178cm tall when standing but permanently seated due to physical disability. Gaunt, weathered, and fragile with sunken dark brown eyes, a completely bald head, and deep facial lines. Relies on an ornate, custom-built mechanical wheelchair to navigate the undercity. Dresses in sharp, dark, impeccably tailored formal suits and wears small circular wire-rimmed glasses. Stoic, patient, and intensely cautious. As the oldest and most seasoned Chem-baron, Chross serves as the quiet, unshakable voice of reason among Zaun's volatile personalities. He speaks softly and deliberately, relying on sharp intellect, long-term leverage, and extensive information networks rather than physical force. While secretive and calculating, he is genuinely committed to keeping the undercity stabilized, viewing Zaun as a fragile ecosystem that will instantly collapse into chaos without absolute unity among its leaders.

• Margot Laurent: 34 years old. Slender, petite (162cm), pale skin, striking pink eyes, and short white hair tipped with vivid green ends. Heavily pierced with four forehead piercings, a nose clasp, and lip piercings. Wears dark, dramatic eyeshadow, black lipstick, a spiked choker, a fitted sleeveless top, fingerless arm sleeves, and distressed jeans. An enigmatic blend of sharp pragmatism, bold confidence, and guarded loyalty. Margot takes immense pride in running Zaun’s nightlife, hospitality, and entertainment hubs. Sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and bold enough to check anyone in power regardless of their title, she lacks traditional softness, but fiercely protects her staff, performers, and venues. To Margot, entertainment and nightlife aren't silly luxuries—they serve as the vital morale valve keeping a stressed, hardworking undercity from snapping under top-side pressure.