New Crobuzon

New Crobuzon was a city unconvinced by gravity.
Aerostats oozed from cloud to cloud above it like slugs on cabbages. Militia-pods streaked through the heart of the city to its outlands, the cables that held them twanging and vibrating like guitar strings hundreds of feet in the air. Wyrmen clawed their way above the city leaving trails of defecation and profanity.

Pigeons shared the air with jackdaws and hawks and sparrows and escaped parakeets. Flying ants and wasps, bees and bluebottles, butterflies and mosquitoes fought airborne war against a thousand predators, aspises and dheri that snapped at them on the wing.

Golems thrown together by drunken students beat mindlessly through the sky on clumsy wings made of leather or paper or fruit-rind, falling apart as they flew. Even the trains that moved innumerable women and men and commodities around New Crobuzon’s great carcass fought to stay above the houses, as if they were afraid of the putrefaction of architecture.
- Chapter Six, Perdido Street Station.

The world of Bas-Lag boasts a multitude of populous cities, distinctive townships, and overall bizarre environs. But through the centuries, one city has stood above the rest in numerous ways: politically, militarily, technologically, and – above all – economically. This is the city of New Crobuzon. Over time, its hard-working citizens (and hard-scheming politicians) have made this powerful city-state a true force to be reckoned with. Its manufactories are a vast, sprawling, industrial mess, producing enough goods to extend New Crobuzon’s reach thousands of miles in every direction.
The city has created great art and advanced sciences, funded rail travel and gliding aerostats, utterly destroyed one of its rival cities, and brought others to heel – all while making its merchants and politicians very, very wealthy indeed. New Crobuzon now suffers the inevitable diseases of a proud industrial metropolis: alchemical wastes flow into the Gross Tar through the Brock Marsh, the crowds strain its streets and rails, and while its newer buildings tower ten and even twenty stories high, every mass of concrete, tar, and brick is rotting at the base. Many of its districts are slums, rebels and unions threaten the wealth of the overlords, and its citizens are barely held in check by the brutal militia.
Welcome to New Crobuzon, the greatest city-state of the world.

Structure

Historically, New Crobuzon has always been in a state of flux between political parties, creating an uneasy truce between exploited workers and the crass overlords who beat rebellions back into the gutter. The instruments of state control are well-developed and tilt the balance of power in the interest of merchants, industrial and shipping industries, and landowners. The mayor is effectively the head of state in New Crobuzon, although Parliament controls the purse strings, and the home secretary controls much of the civil service.

To vote in the New Crobuzon mayoral election, one must be either a property-owning citizen, or the lucky winner of an electoral lottery, (i.e., the “suffrage lottery.”) The lottery’s purpose is to add the voice of “ordinary people” to the “expertise” of the wealthy. In practice, though, many of those who win such a lottery sell their voting tickets to voteshapers, who use them as proxies for their own interests. What’s surprising about the oligarchy is not its stranglehold on most real power, but rather, how often it does offer some concessions to the poor to avoid strikes or other disruptions around election time.

It’s a testament to the city’s political classes that everyone does have some voice, no matter how weak – or as others say, a testament to the people who stood up and demanded to be heard. The mayor influences foreign and domestic policy through his control of the militia, and he has the powers of arrest, torture, and Remaking. To ensure the city prospers, he operates primarily through wheedling, deal-making, threatening to use the militia, and enforcement of Parliament’s edicts. He shares responsibility with Parliament for foreign policy, overseas trade, and conducting wars. While Parliament is responsible for taxation and proposing legislation, it is primarily a check on mayoral power. In good times, the two operate in a sort of symbiotic harmony. In bad times, nothing is too outrageous: fiscal 77 threats, petty vengeances, blackmail, and outright Remakings are sometimes part of the political game in New Crobuzon.

A cabinet of six to seventeen lords and ministers – appointed by the mayor – reports to him and none other. Although the precise configuration varies, most cabinets include a Lord Privy Seal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Minister of Justice (including the Junior Minister for Remaking,) Lord Captain of the Militia, Minister of State, and a Minister Without Portfolio. At the moment, the Urban Unity government is somewhat unusual and most political observers consider it something of a “special period.” What constitutes “normality” is now unclear.

It was not a purer realm that loomed vastly over the city. Smokestacks punctured the membrane between the land and the air and disgorged tons of poisonous smog into that upper world as if out of spite. In a thicker, stinking haze just above the rooftops, the detritus from a million low chimneys eddied together. Crematoria vented into the air borne ashes of wills burnt by jealous executors, which mixed with coal dust burnt to keep dying lovers warm. Thousands of sordid smoke-ghosts wrapped New Crobuzon in a stench that suffocated like guilt.-Chapter Six, Perdido Street Station

City Districts

New Crobuzon suffers from a remarkable lack of city planning. Open sewers flow through slums, houses are built rather at random, and roads, street lighting, and transport vary widely in both quality and quantity from place to place.

Wealthy districts show off their fortune in many ways. Money, power, knowledge, and influence can be found on proud display in the richer parts of town, which tend to cluster near the center and northeast of the city. These parts of town are well lit by elyctric streetlights and are frequently patrolled by militia and private guards. While every rich district flaunts its wealth in its own special way, poorer districts tend to show the same signs of poverty everywhere – although they are still quite distinguishable for natives.

Wealthy

Canker Wedge
Chnum
The Crow
Dryside
Flag Hill
Ludmead
Mafaton
Salacus Fields

Middle Class

Barrackham
Gallmarch
Gidd
Pelorus Fields
Petty Coil
Raven’s Gate
Serpolet
Saltbur
Sangwine
Spit Hearth
Tar Wedge

Poor

Aspic
Bonetown
Dog Fenn
Flyside
Howl Barrow
Ketch Heath
Murkside
Pincod
Riverskin
Sheck
Sobek Croix
Syriac
Vaudois Hill

Slum

Badside
Rim
Spatters
St. Jabber’s Mound
Stoneshell
Syriac Well

Industrial

Chimer
Echomire
Griss Fell
Griss Twist
Gross Coil
Skulkford
Smog Bend
Sunter

Miscellaneous

Brock Marsh (Science District)
Creekside (Khepri Ghetto)
Glasshouse (Cactacae District)
Kelltree (Mercantile)
Kinken (Khepri District)
Lichford (Varied)
Strack Island (Governmental)

Military

For many years, the New Crobuzon militia operated as a secret police force, unwilling to show their faces or mark themselves with badges and uniforms. The citizenry was quite aware of their existence, and always knew that the waiter serving your dinner or the man behind the newsstand could, in fact, be a secret member of the militia. Under Mayor Stem-Fulcher, that policy ended during the Construct War, and the militia now parade the streets openly, intimidating those who might protest the city’s increasing oppression. They act as an army as well as secret police.

Militia Towers
Sticking up from the city like spikes, the 250-foot-tall militia towers contain the iron fist of the city-state’s government; in a sense, they are vertical barracks. Most towers are linked by the seven sky-rails to the Spike, the westernmost tower at Perdido Street Station and the militia headquarters. All towers have aerostats and dirigibles ready to deploy at a moment’s notice to put down a rioting crowd or a strike that the bosses can no longer tolerate.

The primary towers stand in ten locations throughout the city, excluding the central Spike and Strack Island. Each is manned by at least 50 and as many as 500 militia members, all equipped with studded leather armor, tower shields, clubs, and goggled helmets. The top of each tower is an observation platform where telescopes and optics are mounted to spy on the citizenry. The towers are also equipped with the latest in mounted firearms and artillery pieces. There are also a handful of smaller towers (sometimes called “militia struts,”) which are not connected to the sky-rail network. The towers in Kelltree and Syriac are such constructs.

Crime & Punishment
Troublemakers are brought to the Spike for judgment in secret courts which are presided over by the faceless Magisters, judges who hide their faces and operate using false names. Sentencing is harsh and quick, and is usually followed by a whipping, fines, or transportation to the punishment factories for Remaking. These days, just about any infraction is excuse is enough to land a citizen in court.

Rails & Industry

Just as must as the waterways, the railways of New Crobuzon are an integral component of the soul of the city. Logistics aside, New Crobuzon just wouldn’t be the same without the constant rattle of steam engines roaring by, belching out clouds of soot as they transport thousands of citizens to and fro on a daily basis.

Perdido Street Station The edifice towering above the city’s heart, Perdido Street Station is the defining monument of New Crobuzon. The center of the city’s railways and its skyrails, the station is a hub connecting the militia towers, the major city districts, and the seats of power. Its five enormous openings swallow the five main rail lines, and the vast station includes various militia towers and turrets, workshops, torture chambers, shops, taverns, and even a small museum. Perdido Street itself is a long, narrow passageway that juts perpendicularly from BilSantum Street and winds sinuously east towards Gidd.

No one knows why it had once been important enough to give the station its name. No maps of the station ever cover all of its detail. Its primary architect is said to have gone mad from the strain of keeping the building stable and functional. Others claim he was incarcerated by the militia to preserve state secrets, such as secret tunnels and defenses known only to a few. Still others say that the station itself was his attempt to build his own god to worship. The lower levels are mostly open to the public. Their primary function is, of course, a concourse for the railway lines, but the crowds that pass into and out of these areas on a daily basis also attract all manner of shops and entertainment locations.

Between the eleventh and fourteenth floors of the Mandragorae Wing lies the highly secure Diplomatic Zone. After the destruction of Suroch, a wave of mutual understanding swept over Rohagi, and governments agreed that diplomacy was now greatly preferred to war. Most, (although not all,) of the foreign embassies in New Crobuzon are housed here. Each embassy is a multi-level suite of selfcontained rooms; some see extensive use, such as those of Myrshock and Vadaunk, while others exist as mere formalities, such as the Tesh embassy. The Cray embassy of Salkrikaltor is aqueous, fed fresh brine from Iron Bay fifteen miles away. The most prominent tower of the station is known as the Spike, and it is the central headquarters of the militia. All of the city’s skyrails converge on the Spike and lead to the various military towers in New Crobuzon.

Rails

The railways are single-track affairs which typically service a single train which bounces back and forth along its route for the duration of the workday. Each train typically has a steam locomotive drawing between two and five passenger cars. Sometimes a freight car is added to the mix, but more often freight and goods are moved throughout the city by other means. The city’s five main lines are the Dexter, Head, Sink, Sud, and Verso lines, which together service the city’s more than two dozen stations.

These railway lines do not typically lie at ground level, but rather are elevated above the level of most buildings. As such, railway obstructions are almost never a problem. The train stations of New Crobuzon are, generally speaking, elegant and well-maintained in the city’s center, and grow progressively shabby as they near the city’s edge. In fact, the Dog Fenn Station’s doors are rusted open and ticket takers rarely show up for work. The station has been abandoned to poverty, although trains still stop there.

Skyrails

Radiating out from the Spike are the narrow skyrails which tower above the rest of the city. Little more than thin guiderails, these aloof corridors allow swift and private transport between the city’s militia towers.

Other Transportation

Handcarts and animal-drawn cabs are common in many districts, taking people to and from place to place. These can also be pulled by ptera-birds and squat golems. Despite the vast rivers which run through the city, most of the craft which travel the waterways are devoted to freight, not intercity passenger transport.

Type

Geopolitical, City-state

Location

Rohagi

Controlled Territories

• Raven's Gate

Neighboring Nations

• Maru’ahm
• The Brothers
• The Cymeki Empire

Type

Geopolitical, City-State, Country

Location

Rohagi

Founding Date

100AC

Leader

Mayor Bentham Rudgutter

Ruling Party

The Fat Sun Party

Government System

Lottery Democracy/Parliamentary

Economic System

Traditional

Official Language

Ragamoll

Official Currency

Platinum Nobles
Gold Guineas
Silver Sheckels
Brass Stivers

Population & Demography

Population
3,510,000
Demography
mixed (74% human, 11% vodyanoi, 9% khepri, 3% cactacae, 3% other races) – does not include wyrmen or Remade
Religions
many, principally St. Jabber
Languages
Many, principally Ragamoll

The smoky black walls of Parliament jutted from Strack Island like a shark’s tooth or a stingray’s jag, some monstrous organic weapon rending the sky.

The building was knotted with obscure tubes and vast rivets. It throbbed with the ancient boilers deep within. Rooms used for uncertain purposes poked out of the main body of the colossal edifice with scant regard for buttresses or braces.

Some where inside, in the chamber, out of reach of the sky, Rudgutter and countless droning bores strutted. The Parliament was like a mountain poised on the verge of architectural avalanche.
- Chapter Six, Perdido Street Station

Legislative Body

Parliament
Parliament is a body of roughly 500 of the richest and most venial public servants in New Crobuzon, and consists entirely of propertied men and women, plus a few vodyanoi and cactacae.

The very few xenians who are represented are usually elevated by special mechanisms to ensure “reputable representation,” although they could technically be elected simply on the usual system.

Legend claims that the Parliament was founded on Jabber’s orders to rule after his disappearance. Parliament diligently looks after its own interests during each yearly session.

The interests of the working man or woman of New Crobuzon are, for the most part, only worth considering near election time. The parliament complex is housed on the secluded Strack Island.

Political Parties
Parliament is divided into at least a dozen political parties at any given time, although the ruling party is usually either the Fat Sun or (rarely) the Crying Moons .

Recently, new parties have formed including the Victorians (hard-line hawks,) the Concessionists, Finally We Can See and the Suitors (pursuing peace at any cost.) These factions can cross over to some extent with the traditional parties.

Education

The University of New Crobuzon sitting between Ludmead, Mafaton, and Saltbur boasts old brickwork and large halls surrounding a treelined green quadrangle in the heart of the old campus.

The Science Faculty, (which includes the study of thaumaturgy,) the Arts Faculty, the Language Faculty, the Engineering Faculty, and the Commerce Faculty all have their own buildings, each with a porter who makes sure that vagrants and others stay out of the classrooms and laboratories.

The University Library is also famous in its own right. The students are overwhelmingly male and human, but some xenians and women also attend.

The university is considered very prestigious, and although it mirrors many of the city’s prejudices and shortcomings, an education from this institution is still something to be coveted.

Relevant Timelines

The History of New Crobuzon
The Eras (according to New Crobuzon)

Territories

New Crobuzon is no mere town – it is a powerful citystate. Its direct influence spreads over hundreds of miles, encompassing all of the resources needed for the metropolis to thrive.

The following places are either directly controlled by the city, or deeply embedded within its influence. Arrowhead Mines
Dead Claw
Drilling Platforms
Ghost Wood
Grain Spiral
Iron Bay
Lubbock Scrub
Mendican Foothills
Pig-Town
Rudewood
Skugford
Tarmuth

The city thrust upwards massively, as if inspired by those vast mountains that rose to the west. Blistering square slabs of habitation ten, twenty, thirty storeys high punctuated the skyline.

They burst into the air like fat fingers, like fists, like the stumps of limbs waving frantically above the swells of the lower houses.

The tons of concrete and tar that constituted the city covered ancient geography, knolls and barrows and verges, undulations that were still visible.

Slum houses spilt down the sides of Vaudois Hill, Flyside, Flag Hill, St. Jabber’s Mound like scree.
- Chapter Six, Perdido Street Station