Colorbomb

A Colorbomb is an explosive device that is notorious for its destructive power. Colorbombs were first recorded as being used in 1545, at the end of the Pirate Wars, by New Crobuzon against the rival city-state of Suroch. The science behind colorbombs was lost in the intervening years, but allegedly rediscovered by Tesh, which used them during the Tesh-New Crobuzon War.

History of usage

During the end of the Pirate Wars, New Crobuzon dropped three colorbombs in an attempt to cover up the effects of the Torque bombing of Suroch. This was only partially successful, as two of the three colorbombs failed to detonate properly for reasons unknown.
Later, around 1804, the city-state of Tesh is suspected to have used at least one colorbomb against the New Crobuzon Militia during the Tesh-New Crobuzon War. At this time, removal of affected limbs from survivors was the recommended treatment for the effects of a colorbomb.

Effects

Colorbombs have great explosive power in addition to other, more esoteric effects. While colorbombs are likely fatal for anyone caught in the center of the explosion, for those caught at the fringes of a colorbomb, effects include one's limbs being bleached grey, along with the loss of function.