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

Zuan criminal organizations

### **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.

Hextec

## **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.