Character · Book 7, This Inevitable Ruin

Architect Houston

The Madness's warlord, prime of the Viceroys for his discoveries: a white mask with a red teardrop, six arms and a rifle, an amplification table, the one creature a king fears. Carl finds him on his own table under the Grease Monkey wiring himself to a dead changeling — 'the Beautiful Place… right under our mandibles' — and dies saying 'It's you.'

Segment appearances

• Chapter 8 — Larracos, City of Dreams
• Chapter 17 — Eleven hours
• Chapter 18 — The minor quorum; code red
• Chapter 19 — The ruling; the ceasefire ends
• Chapter 28 — Toyotomi; Agatha is looking for Carl
• Chapter 34 — The king's message; Rosetta's whip
• Chapter 42 — The warlord council; Princess Vinata
• Chapter 43 — Odette hosts; 'It's coming'
• Chapter 44 — The Beautiful Place; Blood Hunter
• Chapter 59 — Operation Ruin
• Chapter 67 — Hey, Dickless
• Chapter 68 — The Grease Monkey

Arc

Pope-white robes, a white mask with one red teardrop, a neck that creaks like a ship (ch. 18); six arms and a bug's body under the robes, and a rifle that shoots Carl through the shoulder at the cost of a world leader (ch. 19). 'He’s the only living creature in this universe I fear,' says King Rust (ch. 34). He names the Beautiful Place and calls it his life's work (ch. 44). Carl finds him on his own table under the Grease Monkey, unmasked, being wired nerve by nerve to a dead changeling, with eight chained traps on a dead man's switch tied to his life: 'They are the key. The changelings. This world […] It was here all along, right under our mandibles' (ch. 68). Carl heals him to keep the switch closed; he dies anyway — 'I found you […] It's you' — as roots grow from the changeling and the fire falls (ch. 68). The Madness falls with him; the Peeling begins (ch. 68).