Zaun

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zaun (扎恩)
Alias(es)	Old Zaun; New Zaun 421 521
Affiliation	Wind Taker Association 260 265
Occupation/Role	Independent industrial city-state; headquarters and first practical model of Janna's Ideology 260 310
Political Leader	Li Wei, Chief Executive of Zaun 265
Population	More than two million, predominantly industrial and commercial workers 33 120 266
Status	Independent and governed by the Wind Takers 260
First Appearance	Chapter 4 4

Background / History

In the ancient Shuriman era, Zaun was a prosperous commercial city and an important northern-coast trading stronghold of the Shurima Empire. 463

Following the Twin Cities’ split, Zaun and Piltover were initially not rigidly separated: residents could cross the canal freely to work in Piltover and return to Zaun at night. Piltover corporations increasingly hired cheaper Zaunite labor, while Piltover civilians faced unemployment and wage cuts. The resulting class conflict was redirected into a Zaunite–Piltovan ethnic division through political and economic manipulation. 58

For over two centuries, Piltover capital controlled Zaun’s factories, trade routes, and access to higher-value industries. Zaun’s Chem-Barons acted as comprador rulers, profiting from cheap labor, mineral extraction, chemical raw materials, and mechanical-part production while remaining economically dependent on Piltover. 29 34 57

Old Zaun was divided among Chem-Baron territories rather than governed by a unified public authority. In areas controlled by figures such as Takeda Saito, corporate groups functioned as de facto governments, controlling employment, housing, utilities, medicine, food, and even access to clean air. 163 311

Li Wei and the Wind Takers identified Zaun as the most viable starting point for their movement because of its concentrated industrial workforce, large population, and heavy-industrial base. They set Zaunite independence and autonomy as their immediate objective while treating it as the first step toward a broader global movement. 33

The Wind Takers conducted detailed social surveys before pursuing full independence. Their findings showed that Zaun relied on Piltover and Noxus for raw materials, export channels, machinery, and food; a blockade could rapidly close factories and trigger mass unemployment. 119 120

After taking Takeda Saito’s territory and expanding their influence across the city, the Wind Takers confronted the remaining Chem-Barons. Silco ultimately betrayed the Chem-Baron coalition to the Wind Takers, allowing Li Wei and Seraphine to annihilate the gathered leadership and end Chem-Baron rule in Zaun. 163 222 224

Zaun was officially independent by the time of Swain’s visit, a little over two months after independence. 260

Geography & Cityscape

Zaun is part of the Twin Cities and lies across the Sun Gate Canal from Piltover. Its position is geographically constrained: it is bordered by seas to the east and west, Piltover and northern mountains to the north, and mountains and the Kumungu jungle to the south. 58 120

• Sun Gate Canal Bridge — formerly a heavily guarded Piltover border crossing for Zaunites; after independence, Zaun operated entry checks for Piltovan visitors. 58 260
• Undercity — a district that collapsed dozens of meters underground after a canal explosion more than two centuries earlier. Piltover subsequently discharged sewage and garbage into it, making it Zaun’s harshest and least-populated area. 105 260
• Zaunite Community — a former Piltover slum beside the Factory District, inhabited largely by Zaunite apprentice workers and impoverished naturalized immigrants. It lacked basic public services, schools, hospitals, road maintenance, and regular Enforcer patrols. 22
• Industrial landscape — Old Zaun’s infrastructure primarily served factories and ports; ordinary residents often lacked reliable electricity, roads, sanitation, and adequate housing. 261
• Polluted land — its limited wilderness areas were rendered unsuitable for agriculture by alchemical contamination, leaving Zaun without a viable agricultural base. 120

Society & Economy

Old Zaun

Zaun was a heavily industrialized city with severe inequality. More than 95% of its population belonged to an impoverished proletariat, while both the ruling class and middle class were exceptionally small. 163

• Chem-Barons maintained power through armed enforcers, augmented warriors, slave labor, Shimmer addiction, and monopolistic control of local necessities. 104 163 221
• Zaun’s industrial output was extensive but concentrated in low-value work such as garment manufacturing, mining, steelmaking, chemical production, and parts processing. 113 119
• Piltover and Noxus controlled Zaun’s raw-material imports and export channels; Zaun often retained only a small fraction of the final value of goods it produced. 119
• Zaun had no rural population or meaningful agricultural sector, making food imports essential to the city’s survival. 120

Wind Taker Reforms

The Wind Takers redistributed wealth and productive capacity previously concentrated under the Chem-Barons and Piltover capital. Zaun’s industrial foundation allowed living standards to rise rapidly once distribution changed. 312

Early Reconstruction Measure	Documented Result
Sanitation and waste management	Half of the Undercity’s accumulated garbage was cleared, and three centralized landfills were built. 265
Public infrastructure	Two coal-fired power plants, schools, hospitals, roads, housing projects, and other urban facilities were constructed. 261 265
Household welfare	Average income rose tenfold and meat consumption increased fivefold during the first two months of Wind Taker rule. 265
Housing	Large collective apartment projects were built to address an earlier average living space of only four square meters per person. 261
Business policy	Small property owners received protection, while larger enterprises could be placed under “joint operation” arrangements intended to limit capitalist expansion. 262 313

Zaun later adopted a housing system combining public rentals, low-rent housing, and affordable homes for workers and low-income residents. Affordable housing was priced at 100 Silver Wheels per square meter, while high-end commercial housing was priced at 1,000 Silver Wheels per square meter. 450

To manage immigration and employment, the Wind Takers established vocational training programs and planned to send trained workers to industrial-development projects in other regions. 450

Environmental Recovery

Zaun remains dependent on Chemtech and other polluting industries because hundreds of thousands of workers rely on them for employment. The Wind Takers therefore pursue pollution reduction rather than immediate deindustrialization. 260

Measure	Implementation
Worker protection	Factories began providing improved production conditions and personal protective equipment for workers in highly polluting industries. 260
Pollution-control research	Scientists were tasked with developing wastewater-treatment and exhaust-emission-reduction technologies. 260
End Piltover dumping	Sewage pipes leading from Piltover into Zaun were blocked, and Piltover was prohibited from dumping garbage in Zaun. 260
Citywide sanitation	The Wind Takers organized garbage removal, hygiene campaigns, plague prevention, and rat extermination throughout the city. 260
Daily air clearing	Zaunites’ collective faith in Janna can summon a citywide storm that disperses smog and alchemical odors each day. 261

The reforms made Zaun visibly cleaner, with clearer water, reduced wastewater odor, organized sanitation workers, and fewer garbage-filled streets. However, industrial smog and the scent of alchemical production remain part of the city’s environment. 260

Governance

Li Wei serves as Zaun’s Chief Executive and leads the Wind Taker Association’s program in the city. 265

• The Wind Takers combine open political discussion with a highly centralized authority whose prestige and decision-making power exceed that of merchant councils, noble assemblies, or traditional autocracies. 291
• Public political education is widely available through newspapers, radio broadcasts, community meetings, and texts on Janna’s Ideology. 312
• Zaun’s administration relies on mass participation rather than coerced labor; construction workers volunteered overtime because the housing projects were intended for their own families. 261
• Li Wei opposes permanent “Zaun-first” politics. He treats Zaun’s prosperity as a temporary foundation for aiding other regions and advancing global unity under Janna. 266 312

Relationships

• Piltover — Zaun’s counterpart in the Twin Cities; Piltover historically controlled Zaun’s economy and treated it as an industrial colony and dumping ground. 29 58 260
• Wind Taker Association — Zaun’s ruling organization after independence; it dismantled Chem-Baron rule and directed the city’s reconstruction. 224 260
• Janna — the goddess whose faith empowers the Wind Takers and enables Zaunites’ collective storm magic. 33 261
• Chem-Barons — Old Zaun’s territorial rulers and industrial monopolists; their collective rule ended after the Wind Takers’ operation against their leadership. 163 224
• Noxus — a major external economic and strategic pressure on Zaun, with influence over trade routes, raw materials, and the canal’s wider importance. 119 146
• Shurima — Zaun’s ancient regional origin and a later partner in Wind Taker-led development and alliance efforts. 463 450

Notable Quotes

“From today onwards—Zaun will no longer have Chem-Barons!”
— Li Wei 224

“Zaun can lead temporarily, but it will never, and should never, come first.”
— Li Wei 266

Trivia

• Zaunites historically did not celebrate New Year’s because life under the Chem-Barons left little room for festivals or leisure. 421
• Bog Toad sashimi, usually served with alchemical dipping sauce, became a recognizable Zaun food specialty. 310 422
• By the end of the story, the former Piltover–Zaun checkpoint system on the Canal Bridge had been removed, turning the old boundary into a thoroughfare. 524