Motif · Book 7, This Inevitable Ruin

The Skull Empire

One of the oldest and largest Syndicate governments, orcish, mawkish, and — through Prince Maestro's show and his boast that his family's Skull Clan has won six of the last ten Faction Wars — the first outside power to take a personal dislike to Carl. King Rust is in Earth orbit by the end of the book.

Segment appearances

• Chapter 14 — The flag room and the Ramp-Up
• Chapter 31 — Drop troopers; Tripper
• Chapter 32 — King Rust arrives
• Chapter 34 — The king's message; Rosetta's whip
• Chapter 35 — Volteeg; the dwarves' tunnel
• Chapter 37 — Growler Gary, and Princess Formidable's four choices
• Chapter 43 — Odette hosts; 'It's coming'
• Chapter 56 — Justice Light; the Nest
• Chapter 61 — The War Mage Rebellion
• Chapter 62 — A non-team entity
• Chapter 69 — Interlude — Several days earlier; Interlude — Rosetta; Zarogoths

Progression

The Bone Clan's thousand in black flags with a silver skull (ch. 32); a king who comes to die with honour and loses his head to a whip (ch. 34); backdoors in every satellite they build, broadcast by a daughter (ch. 34); a fleet's hardware deactivated by the Dream (ch. 43); a war chief torn apart by his own war mages (ch. 61); a yacht of children vaporised, and the Maestro claiming the crown (ch. 86, epilogue).