Characters / The Scar

The characters in China Mieville's fantasy epic The Scar, the second book of the Bas-Lag trilogy.

Bellis Coldwine

The main protagonist of the novel, she's a brilliant linguist who is press-ganged into the city of Armada after fleeing from an unspecified incident from her home city in New Crobuzon. She soon becomes homesick for the very place that threatened to kill her.

• The Ace: She is a very talented linguist, and her skill with said art eventually earns her good graces with Armada.
• Break the Haughty: Bellis Coldwine, possessed of a contemptuous demeanor and somewhat of a surly Deadpan Snarker. She jots down snide remarks about most people she meets, looks down on most of them, and appears to be more than a little xenophobic—and that's before being press-ganged, whereupon she starts displaying some understandable resentment toward Armada.
• Chekhov's Skill: Her skill as a linguist proves key to the Armadans figuring out how to find the person who raised the avanc so that they can do it themselves.
• Cunning Linguist: Bellis fills this role on the ship, complete with being both cunning and unapproachable.
• Deadpan Snarker: She mostly keeps to herself, but she has wry lines for the people she travels with on her initial journey.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the strong, independent female protagonists that has become popular in epic fantasy as of lately. Bellis is a strong and compelling character for sure, but despite her aloof nature she decides to trust Silas Fennec and eventually Uther Doul, which goes disastrously and she's left completely shaken by the end of the book.
• Horrible Judge of Character: For all of her cold and aloof attributes, Bellis proves to be stunningly naive when it comes to judging people. She finds out the hard way that Silas Fennec is a Manipulative Bastard who was using her to get out of Armada, and that Uther Doul was also using her for his own ends, though she doesn't quite know what.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Bellis can come off as cold and aloof to some people, but she generally means well and does show kindness such as when she teaches Shekel how to read, her growing friendship with Carrianne, and her relationships with Silas and Uther Doul... though those don't end well.
• The Mentor: She becomes one to Shekel as he comes to her in order to learn how to read and write. She is left saddened when Shekel is killed in the grindylow attack.
• Pyrrhic Victory: Bellis fails in almost every endeavor she sets out to accomplish, which includes preventing the avanc from being summoned, saving New Crobuzon from an attack (which actually didn't exist), and preventing a civil war from breaking out between the citizens of Armada. She does manage to get back to New Crobuzon by the end, and she has shuffled off a lot of her unconscious, self-interested naivety in the process. As a plus, she's pretty much the only character who interacts with the Grindylow and doesn't end up brutally murdered. This is the happiest ending of the three novels.
• The Stoic: Bellis is generally reserved and keeps to herself. It becomes justified as when she does let down her walls, she gets screwed over.
  • Not So Stoic: Bellis hardly ever shows any outward emotion, except for one scene where she suddenly breaks down and starts crying upon the realization that she won't be able to get a message to her home warning them of an invasion, much less be able to return there. She is also genuinely saddened by Shekel's death.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She can be rather cold and surly towards people. But she does showcase a softer side with some people such as Shekel and Carrianne, and it proves detrimental when she befriends Silas and Uther Doul.
• Unwitting Pawn: Boy, is she ever. She gets played like a fiddle by not just Silas, but Uther Doul as well.

Tanner Sack

A Remade and former prisoner who was about to be sent off to a New Crobuzon colony before he is made a part of Armada's egalitarian society, quickly becoming loyal. He becomes one of the major characters in the novel.

• Ambiguous Situation: It's never explained why Tanner was Remade in the first place. Though, due to the ironic nature of the Remade process, it could be he was a smuggler of some sort.
• The Everyman: Despite the fact that he is a Remade and was a freed prisoner, Tanner is still a perfectly relatable and normal everyman who just wants to get on with his life and spend his time with his friends and people he cares about.
• Heroic BSoD: He suffers through one for the rest of the book after Shekel's death, his heartbreak is so severe that he doesn't want to forget it.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Shekel. It ends on a heartwrenching note when Shekel dies.
• Like a Son to Me: He feels this way with Shekel, which makes it all the more tragic when Shekel dies in his arms.
• Nice Guy: For a former prisoner and Remade, Tanner is a surprisingly genial and kind person. He's probably one of the nicest people in the story.
• Regretful Traitor: He unwittingly helps Bellis, who was also an unwitting pawn in Silas' plan to get out of Armada, which causes the battle. He feels great shame for his mistake, and willingly takes the punishment he was given.
• Unwitting Pawn: Along with Bellis, he inadvertently gives New Crobuzon the location of Armada, leading to a battle which claims many lives. Tanner is devastated by his mistake.

Shekel

• Book Dumb: He is illiterate, though he ends up learning how to read and write from Bellis.
• The Cabin Boy: Downplayed, as he is given responsibilities on Armada that aren't just running errands. But he counts since he's the youngest member of the cast.
• Constantly Curious: Despite his illiteracy, Shekel proves to be an inquisitive and curious kid who wants to learn more and Bellis is all too happy to teach him.
• The Cutie: Despite being a street-wise kid with a troubled past from New Crobuzon, Shekel is probably the most innocent of the cast of The Scar.
• Dark and Troubled Past: It's revealed that he was a part of a gang in New Crobuzon who attacked and raped Remade women. Disgusted and horrified by this, he fled the city.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: He dies in Tanner's arms after the boy is attacked by the grindylow.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Tanner Sack, who comes to see the boy as a son figure. It ends tragically when Shekel dies during the Grindylow attack.
• Kill the Cutie: Despite his past in New Crobuzon, he is probably the most innocent character in the story. Of course, that means that he has to die in the most heartwrenching way possible.
• Never Learned to Read:...Until Bellis starts teaching him.

Silas Fennec

A mysterious man from New Crobuzon who is harboring a few secrets of his own...

• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He seems like a charming, friendly guy who wants to help his city. But it is soon revealed that he is anything but.
• The Chessmaster: ZigZagged, he's a competent schemer and a cunning manipulator. But his plans eventually blow up in his face, and he is captured by the grindylow, and carried off to an unknown fate.
• Consummate Liar: He lies as easily as he breathes...as Bellis finds out the tough way.
• Evil All Along: Silas and Bellis form a Friends with Benefits type of relationship, and things go along swimmingly until Bellis realizes that Silas is a swarmy bastard using her for his own ends.
• False Friend: He and Bellis strike up a Friends with Benefits type of relationship, but that ends when it turns out he was just using her as a part of his plan to get out of Armada.
• A Fate Worse Than Death: Silas is spirited away by the grindylow and never seen again. Given that they swam thousands of miles just to catch him, whatever they have planned is unlikely to be pleasant.
• Faux Affably Evil: He can be quite charming and amiable, but it's an act as he'll happily betray or screw over anyone who gets in his way.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: The Grindylow hunting Silas had been unable to find him in Armada, until Silas called down the New Crobuzon fleet to rescue him and destroy the city. They are able to follow the fleet right to him, with terrible consequences for Silas.
• Humiliation Conga: His plan backfires, he gets captured and tortured by Armada, and then he is taken by the grindylow to an unknown, but probably nasty, fate.
• Invented Individual: He also goes by Simon Fench, which he uses for his aims by spreading malcontent throughout the Armada populace. The Fench persona eventually becomes an underground hit in Armada.
• Laser-Guided Karma: He is captured and tortured by Armada, which is made even worse when the grindylow kidnap him and take him back to their home, to an uncertain fate.
• Lovable Rogue: He acts like he'll be this, but it's ultimately subverted as he reveals himself to be a treacherous manipulator who's out for his own interests.
• Manipulative Bastard: Boy is he! He manipulates both Bellis and The Brucolac for his own ends without much trouble. It blows up in his face eventually and is captured and eventually kidnapped by the grindylow.
• Meaningful Name: Silas Fennec: Fennecs are foxes known for their large ears. Silas is a sly person known for dealing in information.
• The Mole: Since he's an intelligence agent, he takes the alias of Simon Fench and spreads discontent among the Armada citizens. He also manipulates The Brucolac's disdain for The Lovers for his own ends. He also leads New Crobuzon right to Armada, leading to a battle where numerous people die.
• Smug Snake: He tends to overestimate his abilities as a schemer and manipulator, and he fails in his ultimate plans.
• Too Clever by Half: Silas is a clever guy, and a competent schemer and manipulator. But he overestimates his own ability and inadvertently leads the grindylow right to him.
• Uncertain Doom: He is carried off by the grindylow to an uncertain fate, and considering how far they went to capture him, it's unlikely what they have planned for him will be pleasant.

Uther Doul

• The Ace: A brilliant archeologist and scholar, one of the deadliest combatants alive, a shrewd schemer, and he manipulates and schemes his way into being the leader of Armada.
• Ambiguously Gay: His interactions with The Brucolac seems to suggest that there's something more going on than them being friends.
• Ambiguous Situation: Was he a manipulative Opportunistic Bastard wanting to take over Armada for his own aims? Or was he merely a Well-Intentioned Extremist who was forced to manipulate his way into becoming the true power in Armada? Or is he a Magnificent Bastard? The book ultimately leaves it up to the audience's interpretations.
• Anti-Villain: One way you could look at it. In his own way, Uther Doul is looking out for Armada's interests and doesn't want anyone to get killed because of the female Lover's plans.
• Badass Bookworm: Despite being possibly the most deadly thing alive, he is an archaeologist, the authority on the history of the Ghosthead Empire, and a master of probability theory.
• The Chessmaster: He's a brilliant planner and manipulator who eventually ends up becoming the de-facto leader of Armada.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He tells Bellis a little bit about his past. But being who he is, a lot of what he tells Bellis is put into question.
• The Dragon: To The Lovers, but by the end of the book, he basically becomes the leader of Armada and calls the shots from behind the scenes.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: He's The Lover's attack dog, but he proves to have schemes and machinations of his own...and he has his own plans for what Armada should be.
• Empowered Badass Normal: He's a normal man, though he's empowered by his mastery of Possibility Theory and the use of the Possible Sword.
• Everyone Has Standards: He's quite disgusted by The Brucolac's state while tied to the top of the mast, and orders him to be cut down.
• Foil: To Silas Fennec. Both of them are calculating schemers who use people for their own ends. The only real difference is that Fennec was just trying to save his own ass, while it could be argued Uther Doul was only looking out for the interests of Armada.
• Genius Bruiser: One of the most skilled combatants in Bas-Lag, but also a respected archeologist and scholar of The Ghosthead Empire.
• Lightning Bruiser: Due to his mastery of probability theory, his strikes are extremely fast and graceful. Bellis even believes that his style of fighting is beautiful.
• Manipulative Bastard: He plays Bellis, The Brucolac, and The Lovers like a fiddle and becomes the major power in Armada.
• Mysterious Past: Despite the bits we learn from him when he tells Bellis, much of his past is a mystery and based on on his manipulative tendencies, much of what he says is left ambiguous.
• Pet the Dog: When he orders The Brucolac to be cut down from the top of the mast where he was trapped.

The Lovers

• Ambiguous Situation: Despite their creepy appearance and...proclivities, it's never shown on if The Lovers actually meant any harm to the people or if they were just caught up in Doul's machinations. It's ultimately left up to the reader.
• Conveniently Common Kink: They're really into knife play, much to Bellis' disgust.
• Creepy Twins: Downplayed, as they're not actually related. But they're so similar to each other one would be forgiven for mixing them up.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The female anyway, she was once the servant of a noble family sailing on a sloop. They were all killed, but she and the other servants were spared and press ganged into Armada's ranks.
• Fatal Flaw: For the female one, it's her lust for knowledge, which leads her to hatch a plan which puts most of Armada's citizens at risk. For the male one, it's his inability to make a decision and act on his own initiative that leaves him to be prey for the female Lover and Doul's manipulations.
• Fetishes Are Weird: As mentioned before, they're very much into knife play and Uther Doul uses this fact in order to sway Bellis to his side.
• Nightmare Fetishist: They're into knife play, and they view the cuts on themselves as being 'beautiful.'

Johannes Tearfly

• Chekhov's Skill: His skill as a naturalist is why the Terpsichoria was targeted in the first place and one of the core elements in capturing the avanc.
• Endearingly Dorky: The man just really loves science damn it! It's hard not to be charmed by it.
• Kidnapped Scientist: He ends up taking it very well, and becomes a loyal citizen of Armada
• Nice Guy: He's generally a decent man who is friendly with everyone, Bellis even warms to him though that ends when she realizes it's his fault she's on Armada.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It was his skill as a naturalist that caused the Terpsichoria to be targeted and captured in the first place.

The Brucolac

• Ambiguously Gay: His conversations with Uther Doul make him sound like he's a jilted lover, and the two seem to be close in some way. But it's never explained.
• Bad Boss: He's often unpleasant and abrasive with his employees and underlings.
• Good All Along: Kind of. His attempt at a revolution had understandable reasons, even if he went too far with it.
• Jerkass: He's a rather abrasive asshole.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: Zigzagged as he is right to be wary of The Lovers' plan to go into The Scar, but this leads to him being fodder to Uther Doul's manipulations.
• Not Always Evil: He is built up as a major antagonist, and even seems the part. But it's subverted, as it turns out that The Brucolac is just another Armada citizen who does what he thinks is right for the nation.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He might be an ill tempered Jerkass, but he is genuinely concerned about Armada's safety and the direction that The Lovers are taking the city in.
• Your Vampires Suck: The Brucolac sneers to himself at the merchant-riding representatives' terror when he kicks them out of his office, musing that they may be gullible and ignorant enough to believe he can turn into a bat.