BAS-LAG: Das China Miéville-Forum

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New Crobuzon

Vast, swelling city at the confluence of the Tar and Canker. Home of the diverse and dangerous, the fabulously rich and desperately poor; metropolis of commerce, breeder of despair.

New Crobuzon, one of the greatest cities of Bas-Lag, on the eastern coast of the continent of Rohagi. Agressive, mercantyle, colonising, her power stretches across the Swollen Ocean as far as Nova Esperium.

Key sources regarding New Crobuzon and Bas-Lag are Perdido Street Station and The Scar, as well as http://www.chinamieville.com

Geography

New Crobuzon lies on the eastern coast of the continent of Rohagi, on the world of Bas-Lag.

Nearby regions include Shankell (home of the worship of Sanshad), Myrshock, and the Jhesdull Islands. Inland regions of Rohagi include the vast desert region of Cymek, home of the garuda.

To the east, across the Swollen Ocean, lies the continent of Bered Kai Nev, and the Crobuzoner colony of Nova Esperium.

The Salkrikaltor Cray Commonwealth lies in the Swollen Ocean, east of QŽ Banssa on Dancing Bird Island, and between Bartoll and the Gnomon Tor islands. The Fins lie along the southern edge of the Commonwealth.

To the north lies High Cromlech, home of the thanati; and the Cold Claw Sea, home of the Grengis.

Politics

New Crobuzon is a Parliamentary Oligarchy, dominated by the Fat Sun party.

Species

Many species, including humans, call Bas-Lag and New Crobuzon home.

The xenian species include the insect-headed khepri, the 'cactus-man' cactacae, the waterloving vodyanoi, the avain garuda, and the sea-dweling cray, among many others.

Other feared, scarcely named beings include the Weaver, vampir, the anophelli, and perhaps most terrifying of all, the gindylow.

Whilst not another species, the Remade deserve special mention. Persons (human and xenian) 're-made' through bio-thaumaturgy as punishment for various crimes in combinations of the biological and mechanical.

Languages

The language of New Crobuzon is Ragamoll. Many other languages are spoken within its bounds, and countless more across the face of Bas-Lag, both human and xenian tongues.

A common tongue across the eastern Swollen Ocean is Salt, a language formed from many languages of the Basilisk Channel, Ragamoll and Perrickish, the language of the Jhesdull islands.

Religion

Bas-Lag has a complex religious diversity. Some of the popular deities include:

Sanshad - a sun god, originally worshiped in Shankell.

Insect Aspect - the 'god' of traditionalist khepri in New Crobuzon.

Palgolak - a human / vodyanoi god of knowledge. Runs many libraries across Bas-Lag.

Technology / Thaumaturgy

New Crobuzon is a centre of technological development, particularly steam technology and bio-thaumaturgy.

Khepri technology incroporates significant elements of bio-technology, including the home-grubs and bettles.

Other techniques include vodyanoi watercraeft the use of a "hydrocohesive/aquamorphic energy field of minor diachronic extension".

Calendar

The New Crobuzon calendar is currently Anno Urbis 1779.

History

New Crobuzon is an old city - but Bas-Lag's history is older.

Ancient terrors such as the Ghosthead Empire are just a memory, but are nightmares none-the-less.

More recent horrors, such as the Ravening which drove the khepri from Bered Kai Nev one hundred years ago, leading the khepri broodmothers of New Crobuzon to deliberately forget ten thousand years of khepri history, and the dream-invading slake-moths, have troubed the people of New Crobuzon.