Zaun had always been a land of unchecked development, christened the 'City of Privileges' by many travelers throughout Valoran. The technologically advanced city-state was both supported and ruined by its policies of unchecked industry, mercantilism, and magic simply allowed to run amok. The air was polluted with smog that nearly blocked out all sunlight, a blight called the 'Zaun Gray' by all who breathed in its wretchedness. It was a dirty place, where many of its citizens lived in exceedingly poor conditions, and faced the prospect of untimely death every single day.
The governmental system in Zaun was a useless, exclusively laissez-faire, construct, which expended naught to assist its people in any way, shape, or form. Best described as a form of corporatocracy the key powers in society was laid in the hands of the business owners; such as the College of Techmaturgy, Dr. Mundo's Laboratory, Priggs Industries, Singed's Brewing Company, Sump Works, and Viktor's Laboratory. The people who ran these corporations are known as the Chem-Barons, and they ran Zaun.
Arguably, the most treacherous of Chem-Barons known to Zaun was called Doctor Aregor Priggs. A man with just about the same offenses as most other Zaunites, his most incriminating crime was his self-righteousness and pride. Beyond the crimes most typical of the Chem-Barons, Priggs was guilty of using slave labor, imprisoning business competitors, coercing employees, and abuse of all kinds.
The largest project conducted by Priggs Industries before its fall in late 21 CLE consisted of plans to build an army of bioengineered children. Dr. Priggs' men stole many children from the streets, before it was mandated that even Priggs Industries employees were required to submit their own flesh and blood to the horrendous testing.
Yuri and Nadia Petrov were a hard working couple who came by Priggs' employ. Yuri was a scientist, Zaunite born and raised, and his wife Nadia was a Noxian engineer whom he'd met on a business trip to the capital of Noxus. In order to support each other as a family, they sought work with one of Zaun's many corporations. No more questionable than the rest of the businesses towering over Zaun, Priggs Industries made its use for the Petrov's combined work.
Invaluable workers for the company, Yuri and Nadia were quickly recognized as skilled and necessary. Yuri's scientific exploits aided in the development of various genetic supplements, while Nadia's handiwork built the equipment used to implant them into Priggs' chosen subjects.
The young couple toiled without fail, helping Priggs conduct his strange experiments. When work involving children started in 2 CLE, they pushed their reservations aside to preserve their quality of life – until two years later, when their daughter was born.
Annabelle was a beautiful child, blessed with her mother's raven toned hair and her father's reddish brown eyes. Much as they loved her, Priggs demanded that any child born to his workers be submitted to his wildest scheme yet. Priggs wanted more than anything to bioengineer perfect soldiers, using children he'd stolen from the streets, and even their parents' arms.
Nadia's workshop built the equipment, and Yuri's lab subjected the children to countless horrors using it. This injection was for building strength, that injection was for endurance, the other injection for intelligence. It was their business to personally damage these children beyond repair, as the chemicals invaded their small bodies. The biochemicals worked on some, but made most sick in the younger experimental runs. Though injections delivered to infants were less severe than the ones given to older children, they were surprised when Annabelle's eyes took on a bright magenta hue as an unexpected side effect to the experimentation.
Yuri and Nadia did their best to hold obedience to their work, hoping to keep their family's safety top priority, but parents can only hurt their child so much, and see other children falling to pieces, before their resolves waver. In the autumn of 8 CLE, the Petrov's ran away under the cover of night, taking Annabelle and two other children, named Dominika and Leo.