Between the vast deserts of Shurima and the northern continent of Valoran lies a bridge of land. Here, twin cities have emerged and become a bustling metropolis of invention, productivity and subterfuge.
These two cities are known as Zaun and Piltover. Since the creation of League of Legends' very own Panama Canal, these cities have lived in symbiosis with one another. We're going to go into some details about Piltover in particular that you may never have realized.
8 Zaun Came First
Zaun may seem more like the underground, criminal network sprung from the backs of hardworking Pilters, but in fact it's entirely the opposite. Zaun was a smaller city on the land bridge between two continents. Looking to create a shipping route and make some money, the people of Zaun set up a long trail of chemtech bombs in order to destroy the sliver of land. Things went horribly awry (as they are wont to do when controlled explosions are involved) and huge chasms developed, swallowing the old city of Zaun underwater.
What was left clung to the cliff face they had created, leaving the Conquerer's Sea to fall over the lip of their civilization. Matters weren't helped by the chemical bombs they'd set off, filling the crevices of their world with noxious gas.
7 Janna Saved Zaun From Total Destruction
Following this devastating collapse, more than half of Zaun's population had been lost, and the rest were at risk of dying to the smog. This is the point Janna came to the rescue and secured herself as the deity of Zaun and Piltover.
Up until this point, she had been revered by sea-faring folk and those living at Bilgewater. Her favor meant helpful winds when sailing and could save (or doom) whole crews from impending natural disasters. At Zaun, however, Janna sent torrents of wind to disperse the toxic gas, thus saving the remaining occupants of the crumbling city. Not all of this poison has gone, and most settles into the cracks at the Sump Level.
6 Piltover Is For The Elite
The day of total mess-ups and catastrophe has come to be known as the Birth of Progress Day. With this new waterway flowing from West to East, Zaun had to find a way to allow ships to cross it safely, and so the Sun Gates were constructed. This sudden access and influx of merchant ships meant a lot of money coming into Zaun. The clans that formed and financed this project become very wealthy, and grew to despise the noxious shanty town they lived in.
This began another construction project: Piltover, a steampunk-influenced city on the highest side of the weir, built along the canal. It's said the streets are paved with gold, though any that have made their way up to Piltover have been disappointed.
5 The Piltover Empire
With money comes power, and with power comes greed more often than not. The connections made by the most wealthy clans meant that scarce resources suddenly became much more available, and well-funded individuals set off to scavenge other civilizations.
Such individuals included Ezreal's parents, archeologists who traveled far and wide to "collect" ancient items from sealed temples and burial sites. These would then be placed in Piltover's prized museums and galleries for the local historians to study. Anyone reminded of The British Museum? Countries such as Ixtal don't take too kindly to the Piltover Explorer's Guild, and the members visiting tend to go missing within days.
4 Home Of Hextech
Another family that stole finite resources from Shurima were the Ferros clan, who delved into secluded mines and hacked off Namestones from living creatures. The brackern are a species consisting of a crystaline exoskeleton that burrowed underground to hibernate through the Rune Wars. When Camille's great-great aunt Elicia hunted down these animals and "bravely" cut off their skins, sacrificing her arm in the process, the family came up with their own motto, "For family, will I give". What a hero.
These crystals have since been tinkered with, resulting in Hextech power. This infinite power source is the reason Camille has lived so long (she's 80!), and Viktor and Jayce have their fancy weapons. It's hugely sought after, and artificial crystals have been invented to feed the demand. To the brackern, these crystals are part of a hive mind, and their screams can still be heard by Skarner and his family today. But fun jewelry and trinkets, right?
3 Lady Gray Tea
There is a short story starring Camille, who interrogates a couple of bandits while brewing a pot of tea. It emphasizes just how classy she is, as well as being incredibly dangerous. Camille's role in her clan is the "fixer", and she plays a similar role for other wealthy families who need a problem solved. Powered by the Hextech machinery her family invented, Camille is technically 80 years old and has many steampunk modifications. Body augmentation is pretty common in Piltover and Zaun, but even the locals consider this crime-fighting aristocrat extreme.
Her heart was removed at 26, after her parents were assassinated and her brother faked his own attack. The only person she'd ever loved replaced the organ with a crystal, and then fled the city out of grief. Since that day she has had many more operations in an attempt to make her the ultimate judicator, keeping Piltover in power, and stamping out any potential rising up from below.
2 The Sun Gates Fed Worldwide Progress
With the Sun Gates of Piltover suddenly providing easy access to the Eastern continents as well as quicker travel along their own coastline, Noxus could freely move their armies and engage in espionage on a much grander scale. Of course, this came at a special fee. The elite couldn't have militia roaming the seas without cashing in on it.
A similar operation is set up with Bilgewater and their pirate community. Hextech weapons are sold into the black market, and can be picked up by a discerning merchant visiting their island. The shipping routes and trade centers are mapped and jealously guarded by the wealthiest families, only handed down to the most trusted of heirs. Somehow, the pirates seem to have these maps memorized already as cargo ships are regularly looted along these routes.
1 Heimerdinger Helped Found The City
Similar to Zaun, Piltover doesn't technically have a ruling council. The clans decide what happens in the upper city while chem-barons rule down below. There is still a board with eight seats, of which one is permanently reserved for Professor Cecil Heimerdinger. He arrived in Zaun before the disaster occurred, and was there to design and construct the Sun Gates on the first Progress Day. Each year the Piltovians celebrate this day as the first step towards future, whereas Zaun remembers it for those lost to the seas and the ensuing poison.
Another member of this board is Jayce, brought on by Heimerdinger himself, as a respected Hextech researcher. The other members mostly consist of, you guessed it, more rich people, who continue to drag Piltover to a brighter dawn, while kicking Zaun back into the chasm.