Bas-Lag

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Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is influenced by the themes and tropes of multiple genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Miéville's second New Crobuzon novel, The Scar, strongly hints that Bas-Lag, unlike other worlds in the same universe, is flat.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Politics and society 3.1 Known states 3.2 Known languages 3.3 Known races 4 Partial list of significant characters in the Bas-Lag novels 5 Science, technology and magic

[edit] Geography

Bas-Lag possesses an unknown number of continents. Only two — Rohagi and Bered Kai Nev — are named in the three novels, though numerous other landmasses, mostly islands, are alluded to by various characters.

The exact proportions and geography of Rohagi are unknown. New Crobuzon lies about ten miles inland from its eastern coast, which borders the Swollen Ocean. Immediately south of New Crobuzon is the Rudewood, beyond which lies the Mendican Hills. North of New Crobuzon, along the coast but separated by the Bezhek Mountains, are the ruins of Suroch. To the west, about a thousand miles from New Crobuzon and far beyond the Dancing Shoe Mountains, lies the four-hundred mile wide freshwater lake called Cold Claw Loch. The Loch connects with the vast, inland Cold Claw Sea, eight hundred miles to the north, via a natural channel called Cold Claw Sound. The Cold Claw Sea is talon-shaped, and its "point" stretches eastward a great distance, almost connecting with the Swollen Ocean before curving southward for about two hundred miles, finally ending about seven hundred miles north of New Crobuzon. The "tip" of the "point" is called The Gengris, and is described in The Scar as an "extraordinary, dangerous place," populated by the savage grindylow.

According to a protagonist in Iron Council, both Cobsea and Myrshock lie about 750 miles southwest of New Crobuzon. Myrshock lies on the northern coast of the Meagre Sea, which roughly "divides" Rohagi (as the Mediterranean Sea separates Europe from Africa). Southwest of both Myrshock and Cobsea lies the Cacotopic Stain, an impenetrable badland plagued by the chaos-energy known as "Torque." This region is so dangerous and untraversable that it effectively prevents almost all communication and trade between the eastern and western halves of Rohagi. Maru'ahm, The Brothers and Vadaunk are all found west of the Cacotopic Stain.

Shankell is located on the southern shore of the Meagre Sea. Beyond this lies the Cymek desert, which is populated by garuda and cactacae. Somewhere beyond the Cymek desert is The Witchocracy, which controls the Firewater Straits. The Firewater Straits seem to constitute the only reasonably safe means of reaching western Rohagi from the east, and vice versa. Near the end of Iron Council New Crobuzon is rumoured to have captured the Firewater Straits in a naval battle and renames them the Sanguine Straits. Tesh is described as lying on the western end of the Firewater Straits.

The Swollen Ocean is dotted with many islands. Two thousand miles southeast of New Crobuzon is found the island of Gnurr Kett, which itself runs a thousand miles from north to south. A hundred and fifty miles south of Gnurr Kett is found the tiny, unnamed island-prison of the anophelii, which marks the border between the Swollen Ocean and the Black Sandbar Sea. Somewhere east of Gnurr Kett is the island of Dreer Samher.

Closer to New Crobuzon are a series of small islands controlled by that city-state. Among these are North Morin, Cancir and Dancing Bird Island, where is found the fishing port of Qé Banssa. Farther to the east are the islands of Bartoll and Gnomon Tor, in between which is situated the Cray Commonwealth of Salkrikaltor. Slightly southwest of Salkrikaltor is an archipelago called The Fins, where New Crobuzon maintains secretive maritime industries.

The continent called Bered Kai Nev lies some five or six thousand miles across the Swollen Ocean from Rohagi. It was originally the home of the khepri. At a similar distance across the Swollen Ocean is the unnamed continent or island on which is found New Crobuzon's colony of Nova Esperium.

[edit] History

[edit] Politics and society

[edit] Known states

Armada 

Armada is the primary setting and plot device in The Scar. It is a floating pirate-city comprised of countless ships and boats all joined together. It plies Bas-Lag's open seas, raiding outlying settlements and hijacking vessels for such resources as it cannot provide for itself.

Armada's origins are unknown, but it has existed in one form or another for at least a thousand years. At the opening of The Scar, its population is said to number in the hundreds of thousands. The city itself is only about a mile wide, though one character claims that "there are probably as many miles of streets here as in New Crobuzon" owing to all its "layers and layers of decks."

The Brothers 

In Iron Council, The Brothers is said to lie on the western side of Rohagi, beyond the Cacotopic Stain. It is referred to as the "crocodile double-city."

Cobsea 

Cobsea is found on the southwestern plains of the Rohagi continent, about 750 miles from New Crobuzon. The two cities are trading partners. In Iron Council, a wealthy industrialist named Weather Wrightby attempted (and failed) to construct a transcontinental railroad line between New Crobuzon and Cobsea.

Dreer Samher 

Dreer Samher is an island-nation, far south of New Crobuzon. Descriptions in The Scar imply that it is a nation of cactacae pirates or privateers.

Gharcheltist 

In Iron Council, Gharcheltist is referred to as "the aquapolis." The name suggests vodyanoi.

Gnurr Kett 

The island-nation of Gnurr Kett is located somewhere to the west of Dreer Samher. Its capital is the city of Kohnid. Gnurr Kett controls access to the anophelii island, and permits the cactacae of Dreer Samher to trade with the mosquito people for a share of the profits.

High Cromlech 

Almost everything that is currently known about High Cromlech is derived from Uther Doul, one of the primary characters in The Scar. Doul was born and raised in High Cromlech. He describes it as a caste-based nation ruled by undead nobility, called "thanati." These he describes as "liches with sewn-shut mouths, with beautiful clothes and skin like preserved leather."

The living (called "the quick") are a minority in High Cromlech. Most are apparently bred and raised on "farms", and are eventually "snuffed and recast as zombies." Some are reared by the thanati, who are "slain and welcomed to dead society" once they come of age. A small fraction of the living are born free, however, and these survive by doing work that is too skilled for semi-sentient zombies. Zombies would seem to be High Cromlech's primary workforce.

At the bottom of High Cromlech's social ladder are the "vampir", which are referred to as "ab-dead" to distinguish them from the thanati. Based on Doul's description, the vampir are apparently considered little more than vagrants and addicts. He depicts them as living in shanty towns, coming out at night to beg the living for blood.

Khadoh 

Khadoh's merchants trade with New Crobuzon.

Maru'ahm 

Maru'ahm is apparently found on the western side of the Rohagi continent, beyond the Cacotopic Stain. In Perdido Street Station, it is said to be ruled by a casino-parliament, "where laws were stakes in games of roulette." This rumor is affirmed in Iron Council, where a character who visited Maru'ahm claims he played for such stakes as property laws and "a whole pot of legislation." This same character mentions a queen and "cardsharp senators", implying that Maru'ahm's government is some form of constitutional or elective monarchy.

Myrshock 

Myrshock is located on the coast of the Meagre Sea, about 750 miles southwest of New Crobuzon. As with Cobsea, it is one of New Crobuzon's trading partners, and was supposed to be linked with both cities via Wrightby's transcontinental railroad.

A group of characters visit Myrshock in Iron Council. They describe it as an "ugly port" surrounded by wheat fields and possessing minarets. The city looked "thrown together", "old but without history." Its population was a mix of humans and other races, including cactacae, garuda and vodyanoi.

Neovadan 

A protagonist in Perdido Street Station claims the people of Neovadan eat goat porridge.

New Crobuzon 

The city-state of New Crobuzon is a major plot device for all three of the Bas-Lag novels, and a substantial part of the Bas-Lag setting. It is situated at the confluence of the Rivers Tar, Canker and Gross Tar, about ten miles west of the Swollen Ocean. Though a self-styled parliamentary republic, New Crobuzon's government more closely resembles an oligarchy with strong imperialistic ambitions.

The protagonist in The Scar calls New Crobuzon the greatest city in Bas-Lag, but her opinion is substantially biased. Nevertheless, New Crobuzon is certainly one of Bas-Lag's most economically and militarily powerful states. In The Scar, it is capable of dispatching a fleet halfway around the world to combat the pirate-city of Armada. In Iron Council, it carries out a protracted war with the distant city-state of Tesh, and crushes an internal rebellion through force of arms.

Nova Esperium 

New Esperium is a penal colony of New Crobuzon's, located on an unnamed continent or island across the Swollen Ocean.

Qé Banssa 

Qé Banssa is built upon the sloping peaks of Dancing Bird Island. It is called a "poor, ugly little fishing port" by a protagonist in The Scar. As with Tarmuth, Qé Banssa seems to survive by dint of New Crobuzon's good will.

Salkrikaltor 

The Cray Commonwealth of Salkrikaltor is found beneath the waves of the Swollen Ocean, far east of New Crobuzon between the islands Bartoll and Gnomon Tor. Salkrikaltor and New Crobuzon are described in The Scar as being trading partners on amiable terms.

The capital of the Commonwealth is Salkrikaltor City. Most of Salkrikaltor City is located underwater, though there is a "topside" district for non-aquatic creatures that seek to do business with the cray. The submerged part of the City is described in The Scar as "convoluted and interconnected", with "little squares of seaweed topiary" and "coral courtyards." The above-water district is described as consisting mostly of towers carved from rock and coral, "a mass of contrary styles", with floating platforms and buildings suspended by struts and columns.

Shankell 

Shankell, also called "The Corkscrew Citadel", is located across the Meagre Sea from Myrshock; the Cymek desert lies to its south. Yagharek, one of the main characters in Perdido Street Station, visited Shankell on his way to New Crobuzon. He calls it the "cactus city", suggesting that is populated or ruled by the cactacae. Propaganda spread by New Crobuzon's government claims that people fight "like animals for sport" in Shankell, and based on Yagharek's account of his time spent there, that depiction seems fairly apt.

Suroch 

Suroch was a city which fought and eventually lost a series of wars against New Crobuzon known in the latter as the Pirate Wars. Throughout the time period covered by the plots of the Bas-Lag novels, Suroch has already been destroyed and rendered uninhabitable by the effects of magical weapons of mass destruction, the "colorbomb" and devices making use of the Torque.

Tarmuth 

Tarmuth is situated at the mouth of the Gross Tar River, on the coast of the Rohagi continent about ten miles east of New Crobuzon. The protagonist in The Scar describes it as "an ugly, violent town" used by privateers and freebooters as safe harbor. Besides "prostitution and piracy", Tarmuth survives by manufacturing ships, and exists thanks to New Crobuzon's patronage.

Tesh 

Little is known about the "shadowy city-state" of Tesh, though it is mentioned in all three of the Bas-Lag novels. It is located thousands of miles south of New Crobuzon, across the Meagre Sea, beyond Shankell and through the Firewater Straits. In Iron Council, it is called the "City of Crawling Liquid", with "moats and glass cats ... and tramp diplomats and the Crying Prince." In Perdido Street Station, the Tesh ambassador to New Crobuzon is described as living like a vagrant, communicating all official business through the mail. The people of Tesh wield strange, powerful magic that is unknown in New Crobuzon. The crews of their "arcane ships" wear henna and file their teeth.

Troglodopolis 

Troglodopolis is referred to in Perdido Street Station as a "chthonic burrow."

Vadaunk 

Vadaunk lies somewhere south of New Crobuzon, beyond the Cacotopic Stain. According to government propaganda in Perdido Street Station, the changing seasons "bring an onslaught of superstitious repression" there. In Iron Council it is called "the mercenary kingdom."

The Witchocracy 

The Witchocracy is located near the Firewater Straits, which it controls, and neighbors Tesh. It is a mysterious place that is apparently known by many names: a character in The Scar refers to it as Shud zar Myrion zar Koni, the City of Ratjinn and the Hive of the Jet Sorrow.

Yoraketche

[edit] Known languages

Ragamoll is the common tongue of New Crobuzon. It seems to be widely spoken throughout eastern Bas-Lag by members of all races. Likewise, Salt is the language of the Swollen Ocean, spoken by pirates, sailors and other maritime-peoples.

The anophellii maintain a written language called High Kettai, which is used by various scholars and publishing houses. It is implied that high Kettai is inflected, and it is known to possess an "ironic case." Base Kettai is High Kettai's more widely-understood cousin.

The khepri communicate through sign language and scented chemicals, since their insect-heads do not permit vocalization. They also maintain a written language called High Khepri.

The vodyanoi speak at least three different languages: the primary one being Lubbock and the others Fellid and Southern. The traditional language of the Cactacae is Sunglari. The garuda of the Cymek speak an unnamed language. The people of Tesh, the people of Khadoh, the Salkrikaltor Cray, and the hotchi of the Rudewood all speak their own, eponymous languages.

[edit] Known races

Main article: Races of Bas-Lag

[edit] Partial list of significant characters in the Bas-Lag novels

• Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin
• Derkhan Blueday
• Teafortwo
• Lemuel Pigeon
• Yagharek
• Construct Council
• The Weaver
• Mayor Bentham Rudgutter
• Mr. Motley
• Montjohn Rescue
• Lin
• Cutter
• Judah Low
• Pomeroy
• Elsie
• Ori (later Toro)
• Weather Wrightby
• Drogon
• Ann-Hari
• Uzman
• Toro
• Spiral Jacobs
• Bertold Sulion
• Jack Half-a-prayer
• Thick Shanks
• Old Shoulder
• Qurabin
• Mayor Eliza Stem-Fulcher
• Oil Bill
• Place How
• Baron
• Tanner Sack
• The Lovers
• Bellis Coldwine
• Silas Fennec
• Krüach Aum
• The Brucolac
• Uther Doul
• Hedrigall
• Shekel

[edit] Science, technology and magic

The technology on Bas-Lag is wide and varied and evolves over the course of the books. In Perdido Street Station the primary piece of weaponry is the flintlock musket; by the time of Iron Council militia are armed with what appears to be percussion cap weaponry in the form of steam-powered machine guns and pepperpot revolvers. On pg. 229 of PSS Isaac states: "That's where they dropped the colourbomb in 1545. That's what they said put an end to the Pirate Wars, but to be honest with you, Yag, they'd been over for a year before that [...]" The obvious comparison is with the dropping of the A-Bomb in WW2 - both from the date (1945/1545) and the comment that the 'war had been over for a year': it is arguable that Japan's hope at avoiding complete defeat had been completely destroyed in the series of naval and land defeats that was 1944. Interestingly, in Iron Council, the science behind colorbombs is referred to as a "lost science." Another power source is The Torque, mentioned on pg. 225, a mysterious energy plaguing the Cacotopic Stain that might be compared to radiation. Torque leads to strange mutations, altering both living creatures and the inanimate environment: for example, during Iron Council, a railway carriage and its three occupants are transmogrified by the Torque into a blob of semi-solid matter containing three nuclei. Another implication of dropping the colourbomb is that it was done to hide the extent of the torque weapon's devastation of city of Suroch, which later revealed to be the unamed opponent in the Pirate Wars.

Novels of China Miéville
King Rat (1998) | Perdido Street Station (2000) | The Scar (2002)
Iron Council (2004) | Un Lun Dun (2007)
Collections
Looking for Jake (2005)
Related articles
Bas-Lag | New Crobuzon | Races of Bas-Lag | Remade