Motif · from book 1
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.
First appears: Book 1
Series arc
As of book 2. An enemy acquired on a talk show. By the end of book 2 its crown prince has tried to execute Carl from orbit and killed a Valtay singer, its queen consort and disgraced prince are dead in the reprisal, and its king has bought a god. Carl is its public enemy and, in his own reading, someone else's instrument.
Open threads
Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.
| Thread | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The Crown of the Sepsis Whore and the ninth floor | B1 ch. 7 | open · B2 ch. 25 — The tiara is ash under wild magic; the description said she would still be a princess. |
| King Rust's deity sponsorship, and the Grull gauntlet | B2 ch. 26 | open — A god bought to get at Carl — probably Grull, whose gauntlet Carl wears. |
| Carl's challenge to Prince Maestro | B1 ch. 43 | resolved · B2 ch. 20 — The Maestro is reported dead on his brother's yacht; the Empire's enmity stays (see King Rust's deity sponsorship, and the Grull gauntlet). |
All threads: Open threads.
Through book 1
An enemy acquired by accident on a talk show. King Rust is in orbit at the end of book 1; the Maestro means to be on the ninth floor.
Through book 2
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl | 4/48 | Ch. 43, Ch. 44, Ch. 47, Ch. 48 · the book's own page |
| 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario | 3/26 | Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 26 · the book's own page |
By book
The Skull Empire in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl
Introduced through its least impressive member (ch. 42–ch. 43): Prince Maestro, whose family were 'there when the Syndicate created the crawl,' whose Skull Clan has won six of the last ten Faction Wars, and who will lead them on the ninth floor. Zev sizes the thing (ch. 44): the Orcish Supremacy is a lemonade stand and the Skull Empire is Wal-Mart, one of the oldest Syndicate governments, not known for measured responses. By the epilogue King Rust is in Earth orbit and his spokesman is asking the galaxy to stop calling his son Carl's Naughty Little Piggie.
The Skull Empire in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario
The Maestro disowned (ch. 19); unrest at home over the Pork Boy Snick (ch. 19); Carl's frog speech; a pulse from Prince Stalwart's yacht that kills Manasa; the yacht destroyed by the Valtay with Queen Consort Ugloo and the Maestro believed aboard (ch. 19, ch. 20); King Rust with one heir left and a deity sponsorship bought, 'an attempt to get to you' (epilogue). Mordecai's plan to keep the Skull Clan targeting the Sultanate has become something else.