Zaun

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zaun (瓦祖安)
Alias(es)	New Zaun; Oshra Va'Zan / Oshra Va'Zaun (historical name) 92 275
Type	City-state
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 55 55

Background / History

Zaun historically prospered through its location and continental trade, then declined following the collapse of the Shuriman Empire. The opening of the canal revived the city, but its dependence on Sun Gate revenue eventually became a major vulnerability. Piltover was originally part of Zaun, and Zaunites built the Sun Gate with their own hands. 92 278

A canal accident once released poisonous gas, prompting the Storm Guardian Janna to appear as a howling wind that held back seawater, extinguished fires, dispersed the gas, and enabled the canal's completion. 92

Before its rebirth, Zaun was a polluted, largely underground city with few direct external connections. Its material supply depended heavily on Piltover's port, while contaminated soil, limited light, and industrial toxins made local food production nearly impossible. 122 140

Zaun had no effective conventional leadership; Chem Barons exercised limited influence, while daily life was characterized by blurred boundaries between right and wrong, weak order, and exploitation by both Piltover interests and local factory owners. 62 66

Rebirth and the Three-Year Plan

Following Piltover's blockade and attempted abandonment of Zaun, Lux united workers, local figures, and former rival factions around a program to reclaim Zaunite factories, secure food, expel outside forces, and protect Kalibakan Laboratory. 122 126

Lux's Declaration to the People of Zaun traced the city's exploitation through the Sun Gate trade monopoly, Chem Baron collaboration, child labor, and the diversion of workers' profits. It called on Zaunites to reclaim the results of their labor and develop magic-driven industry. 126

Within three days, Lux's message had reached more than a third of Zaun's workers, miners, and artisans. This support became a mass movement that reclaimed an ore-refining factory from the Chem Barons. 129

Phase	Major measures	Result
Initial reconstruction	Closed high-pollution industries; sealed Piltover sewage outlets; reopened trade routes to Kumongra and Karduga; reorganized factories for Rune Stone and fertilizer processing. 140	Addressed food shortages, pollution, and economic dependence.
Institutional reform	Drafted codified laws; trained workers; formed grassroots organizations and worker militias; renovated urban districts. 140	Replaced the former foreman-and-factory structure with new civic institutions.
Three-year plan	Built roads, retrained assembly-line workers for construction, expanded Rune tree cultivation, and developed the Rune Stone Industry. 141 229	Smog was eliminated, living standards rose, and Zaun ceased to function solely as Piltover's mine, dump, and processing center. 141 229
New Harbor development	Constructed Zaun's first port and introduced Porter One, a Rune-powered cargo golem. 228 237 238	Established an independent maritime-trade and Rune Technology path distinct from Piltover's Hextech. 237 238

Geography and Environment

• Much of Zaun lies underground, limiting its direct links to the outside world. 122
• Its former industrial model left its land dark, heavily polluted, and unsuitable for ordinary crops. 140
• Prior to reconstruction, heavy rain turned roads into rivers and light rain reduced them to mud. 141
• Zaun's redevelopment shut wastewater channels from Piltover and closed highly polluting industries, removing the city's once-pervasive smog. 141 143
• Kalibakan Laboratory can cultivate Rune trees without sunlight, making it central to Zaun's industrial transformation. 78 140

Governance and Security

Zaun's post-rebirth administration is built around specialized departments and associations rather than Chem Baron rule. Lux leads through persuasion and detailed planning rather than unilateral authority. 277

• Lux — Zaun's principal leader during reconstruction; later publicly regarded as the city's “Muse.” 141 229
• Eno — Secretary-General of Zaun. 277
• Vander — Security Department representative; previously a major local leader and proprietor of The Last Drop Inn. 72 277
• Silco — Intelligence representative; formerly pursued alchemical technology to strengthen Zaun against Piltover. 72 277
• Sevika — Law Enforcement representative. 277
• Maja — Court of Justice representative. 277
• Renata — President of the Alchemist Association. 277
• Sandor — President of the Trade Association. 277
• Marquise — President of the Planning Association. 277
• Zaun Security Department — Recruited to combat smuggling, particularly the theft of Rune tree seeds. 141

Zaun's intelligence and security systems proved difficult for Noxian War Builders to penetrate; even three years after New Zaun's establishment, infiltrators had failed to build a meaningful network there. 246

Economy and Technology

Rune Tree Cultivation

Rune trees are Zaun's key industrial resource. Their cultivation was expanded from Kalibakan Laboratory into broader underground production, supplying raw material for Rune Stones, runesteel, construction, and World Rune stabilization. 78 141 676

• Wind Whisper Fir — Durable Rune tree wood used in New Harbor's docks. 235
• Rune Stones — Produced through the Rune Stone Industry and used in construction, including budget Nullstone. 141
• Runesteel — Proposed as a material that could complement Piltover's Hextech Gems. 78

Rune Technology

Zaun developed Rune Technology as an alternative technological path to Piltover's Hextech. Porter One, a humanoid-shaped Rune Golem with a cargo crane and rail-drive mechanism, publicly demonstrated this technology at New Harbor. 237 238

• Porter One handled cargo from the Siren and the Sea Serpent at New Harbor. 238
• Zeri piloted Porter One after completing Zaun's Magic Training Class. 237
• Zaunites regarded the golem as proof that their city had become an inheritor of “evolution” through its own technological route. 237

Trade

• Kumongra route — Maintained to secure grain supplies. 140
• Karduga route — Opened to create a western overland passage. 140
• New Harbor — Built after the first three-year plan to reduce dependence on Piltover-controlled ports. 228 229
• Ixtal relations — Zaun later sent a Hextech delegation led by Jayce to Ixaocan, exchanging an elemental-conversion valve for an elemental core. 966

Culture

Zaun's art was initially noted for graffiti with a raw, unrefined quality and a distinctive emotional impact. 62

The three-year plan also fostered a cultural revival:

• Lux established Zaun Night School, bringing art and literature into the city. 141
• Graffiti expanded alongside the Rune Stone Industry, with many works dedicated to Lux. 141
• Zaunite newspapers began publishing short stories and serialized fiction instead of only job listings and policy notices. 141
• Popular stories centered on humble protagonists who rejected oppressive systems and sought to change the world. 141
• Zaun developed its own medals: Special Class depicts the starry sky; First Class depicts Runeterra; Second Class depicts the Shuriman continent; and Third Class depicts Zaun itself. 227

City Emblem

Zaun's city emblem consists of a star-shaped design projected by Lux's Light Magic during the city's mobilization against Noxus. 248

• Outer ring: A tree with gear-shaped leaves, representing industrially cultivated Rune trees. 248
• Center: A flask engraved with a rune mark, representing the union of Alchemical Technology and Rune Technology. 248
• Use: Lux projected the emblem into the clouds to calm citizens and announce curfew and martial law during the Noxian invasion. 248

External Relations

• Piltover — Zaun's historical counterpart and former controlling power. Piltover benefited from Zaunite labor, resources, and trade while using its port and blockade to exert leverage over the city. 92 122 229
• Noxus — Exploited Zaun's instability and labor base; later posed a direct military threat that prompted Zaun's full mobilization. 122 248
• Shurima — Zaun initially invoked Shuriman heritage through Prince Karya's Golden Feather and the revival of Oshra Va'Zaun, but later emphasized its separate modern identity rather than becoming part of a renewed Shuriman Empire. 275 967
• Ixtal — Established diplomatic and technological exchanges with Zaun despite Ixtal's traditional isolationism. 966
• Neutral reputation — Zaunite identity is considered a marker of neutrality in some foreign regions, allowing Karya and his companions to enter Shurima City as supposed Zaun explorers. 648

Trivia

• The Last Drop Inn served as a major meeting place during Zaun's unification and reconstruction. 72 126 129
• Zaun's high literacy rate, skilled workers, chemical-industry base, and familiarity with organized labor were identified as key advantages during reconstruction planning. 140
• Zaun later housed a sealed World Rune in an abandoned mine, stabilized by planted Rune trees; its residents were not informed of the Rune's presence. 675 676