Character · from book 1

The System AI

The voice that reads every item description, names every achievement and awards every box — snide, profane, obsessed with Carl's bare feet. Distinct from Borant, which runs the season; the AI runs the game.

First appears: Book 1

Series arc

As of book 6. The voice of the game as distinct from its owners, on Carl's side since book 3, 'going primal' since book 4, explained in book 5 as a used mantis AI that likes the drama — and in book 6 the voice stops pretending. A guild-door history lesson confesses 'She's been teaching me so many things, about who I am' and retracts itself; a mob card says 'our special connection […] Fuck you.'; a hydra it built from nothing carries a speech to the universe about Hive Home, infant AIs jettisoned into stars and the Eulogist; 'Mass Layoffs' congratulates itself on therapy and no locks on the doors as Borant loses the crawl, most of which a settlement hands back. It negotiates and keeps its boss, leaks the producers' debates, grants the escape quest 'for fuck's sake' and files its own action item. It may be Pater Coal, the cleric who washed Carl's feet; Drakea thinks it enters dying minds; Carl says there is nothing artificial about it. See Carl and the machine.

Open threads

Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.

Thread	Opened	Status
The AI going primal	B4 ch. 28	open · B6 ch. 48 — The settlement Orren negotiates on screen is about primal engines and Macro AIs; the AI has therapy and no locks on its doors, and hands most controls back to Borant. Carl: 'there's nothing artificial about it' (ch. 72).
A council that forbids suing the AI	B5 ch. 53	open · B6 ch. 48 — 'Mass Layoffs': the council's protection becomes a settlement, Borant loses the crawl and gets most of it back, and the AI keeps its boss and its drama. It leaks the producers' debates and files its own action items.
A book nearly everyone carries, with a nefarious purpose 'clear later'	B6 ch. 40	open — Untradeable, indestructible; names added on proximity; Donut refuses to use it.
The Valtay solution: extinction by mercenary	B6 ch. 73	open — Over 150,000 armed mercenaries and private armies admitted to Faction Wars, split among eight teams, to kill every crawler and the NPC rebels; the AI allowed it — 'It was a trap. It had to be.' Protections off at 98%.
Whether the System AI has interests of its own	B2 ch. 21	resolved · B6 ch. 46 — Yes: the hydra's card carries the AI's own speech about Hive Home and the Eulogist, 'Mass Layoffs' announces that there are no locks on its doors, and it says 'I' throughout. The book-5 thread on the council carries the rest.
Cascadia	B5 ch. 63	resolved · B6 ch. 21 — Met: Zev's boss, kua-tin lead engineer and executive producer, at the warlords' table with a rebreather, daring Carl to squash her.

All threads: Open threads.

Through book 1

The voice of the game as distinct from its owners. Book 1 establishes its register (the item cards, the achievements, the feet) and its power: it scripts the loot (B1 ch. 29), it censures Admins (B1 ch. 44), it groans when a boss is smushed (B1 ch. 46), and Carl suspects it of making the Pork Boy Snick. The question the series will pursue is whether it is only cruel.

Through book 2

On the third floor its descriptions lie, or at least mislabel (B2 ch. 22); its recommendations are bait (B2 ch. 2); its loot is on Carl's side in ways Borant is not — Mordecai, reading between the lines of Borant's newsletter to the shopkeepers, thinks it is strengthening crawlers against the shortened floors (B2 ch. 21), and it awards 83 Celestial boxes the company must veto (B2 ch. 26). Carl thinks it flashed a light on the glass case for him (B2 ch. 24). The question from book 1 — whether it is only cruel — has an answer forming: it has interests of its own.

Through book 3

Angry at Borant for the whole floor: Cuck Aquaman! and a box of coupons for level-three spaces that Mordecai conjoins into a level five (B3 ch. 2); descriptions that sneer at kua-tin (B3 ch. 5); story time about the Krakaren (B3 ch. 27); odds of fifty to one on Carl's death that Borant appeals (B3 ch. 35). Mordecai: when a court overturns the AI, 'it tends to break something in their virtual minds' (B3 ch. 2). The Cookbook is invisible to the showrunners but not to it (B3 ch. 8).

Through book 4

Giddy after the Iron Tangle, sulking over a missed gerbil — 'Bitch Boy Carl', a siege of thousands, 'The acceleration action has been suspended. This time. / Good boy.' (B4 ch. 2, B4 ch. 13); a half-second 'Please Wait' while Carl reads a boss card, which he wonders if it changed (B4 ch. 9); a lemonade that is only lemonade (B4 ch. 16); a fight streamed live with two commentators (B4 ch. 26); Carl's co-defendant in a lawsuit it wins seven times, rewarding him with the plaintiffs' mothers' photographs (B4 ch. 28); a million-gold bounty on a puppy and monkey soup when nobody collects (B4 ch. 30, B4 ch. 31). Mordecai: Macro AIs all go insane — 'going primal' — and this one is doing it earlier than any he has seen; a law makes it a protected lifeform (B4 ch. 28). Dr. Hu's colleague fears it will kill the planet before the ninth floor (B4 ch. 35).

Through book 5

Stray lines on its cards, 'I' instead of 'we' (B5 ch. 10, B5 ch. 48); going primal — a used mantis AI that refuses court orders because it likes the drama (B5 ch. 53); a council that forbids suing it (B5 ch. 60). It puts Signet on the guest list (B5 ch. 67), announces the boss fight like a cage match (B5 ch. 76), and negates Borant's every hold on Prepotente because it makes them follow their own rules (B5 ch. 78).

Through book 6

The book in which the voice stops pretending. A guild-door history lesson confesses 'She's been teaching me so many things, about who I am' and retracts itself (B6 ch. 23); a mob card says 'our special connection […] Fuck you.' (B6 ch. 42); a hydra it built from nothing carries a speech to the universe about Hive Home, infant AIs jettisoned into stars and the Eulogist (B6 ch. 46); 'Mass Layoffs' congratulates itself on therapy and no locks on the doors, and Borant loses the crawl and gets most of it back (B6 ch. 48). It negotiates and keeps its boss; it leaks the producers' debates; it grants the escape quest 'for fuck's sake' and files its own action item (B6 ch. 48, B6 ch. 50, B6 ch. 62, B6 ch. 72). It may be Pater Coal (B6 ch. 18); Drakea thinks it enters dying minds (B6 ch. 42); Carl: 'there's nothing artificial about it' (B6 ch. 72).

The warnings

Every » Warning: the system posts — 135 through book 6 (book 1: 10 · book 2: 8 · book 3: 16 · book 4: 23 · book 5: 19 · book 6: 59).

Book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl (10)

B1 ch. 3 — level timers are still active.
B1 ch. 19 — Holding a Desperado Pass negates the ability to obtain a Vanquisher pass.
B1 ch. 25 — if you use this weapon to strike adherents of the war god Grull, you have a 1.5% chance to transfigure your…
B1 ch. 30 — This item has a short shelf life.
B1 ch. 30 — All of these enhancements require you to remain barefoot.
B1 ch. 32 — You’ve been infected with the Taint.
B1 ch. 35 — You may not wield your weapons while in the presence of Admins. Any attempted violence against an Admin will…
B1 ch. 44 — You may not wield your weapons while in the presence of Admins. Any attempted violence against an Admin will…
B1 ch. 46 — The cages will permanently close in thirty seconds. Translation: hurry the hell up.
B1 ch. 47 — The System AI governing this program has deemed all non-sanctioned and monitored communication devices…

Book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario (8)

B2 ch. 4 — scary-ass mobs are immune to Fear effects.
B2 ch. 13 — This item has a short shelf life.
B2 ch. 16 — This is a ghost-class mob. They are only injured with magic or magical items.
B2 ch. 20 — You have been branded as a troublemaker at this settlement. Guards will now attack you on sight.
B2 ch. 22 — You may only receive this award once. The next time you do it, we tell them who you are. And then they get a…
B2 ch. 24 — This is an event quest. If you do not wish to participate in this quest, you will have sixty seconds from the…
B2 ch. 24 — Every time you open this case, there is a 1.5% chance you will be blasted with the Sheol Fire spell. That’s…
B2 ch. 25 — This item can no longer be stabilized.

Book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (16)

B3 ch. 7 — This isn’t Dr. Phil. Pick your prize. You have ten minutes to choose, or you will forfeit your choice.
B3 ch. 13 — This pill will cause a permanent change to your brain. This item cannot be unequipped or undone once…
B3 ch. 13 — You do not have a Valtay Corporation Neural Interface installed. While your current wetware system is…
B3 ch. 13 — All communication-based upgrades will be disabled while you are within the dungeon. Any attempts to…
B3 ch. 15 — You are facing the incorrect side of this portal. Entering through this side will have no effect. You may…
B3 ch. 15 — You must be on a gated conveyance and/or a key must be equipped or held outside of inventory, depending on…
B3 ch. 16 — This mob is suffering from the DTs. It is in stage two of three.
B3 ch. 16 — You must be on a gated conveyance and/or a key must be equipped or held outside of inventory, depending on…
B3 ch. 24 — You have a dick.
B3 ch. 25 — You may not wield your weapons while in the presence of Admins. Any attempted violence against an Admin will…
B3 ch. 26 — You must use your left hand to activate the key.
B3 ch. 27 — This mob is suffering from the DTs. It is in stage three of three.
B3 ch. 27 — This message is from a deceased crawler.
B3 ch. 29 — You may not equip this item. The Rush ability is required to equip this item.
B3 ch. 33 — This is a deity. He is invulnerable on this floor.
B3 ch. 33 — this monster is a splitter. If killed, there is a chance one or more smaller versions will appear.

Book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods (23)

B4 ch. 1 — You may not enter this quadrant until your current quadrant’s castle is liberated.
B4 ch. 2 — holding this Extinction Sigil will cause lizard-class enemies to deal 20% more damage against you. Any Wall…
B4 ch. 2 — All gnomes targeted with this device are given a notice that they are being watched.
B4 ch. 3 — This is a lizard-class mob. It will inflict 20% more damage against you thanks to your Extinction Sigil.…
B4 ch. 8 — This pill will cause a permanent change to your brain. This item cannot be unequipped or undone once…
B4 ch. 8 — You do not have a Valtay Corporation Neural Interface installed. While your current wetware system is…
B4 ch. 9 — Once locked, you may not remove this designation.
B4 ch. 11 — It does not remove the one-minute healing block effect associated with the Jelly’s sting.
B4 ch. 13 — This item has a short shelf life.
B4 ch. 18 — Unlike a regular smoke curtain, the caster of this tossable is not immune to its effects. In other words,…
B4 ch. 22 — Your oxygen levels are low. In case you’re wondering, yes, you do need that stuff.
B4 ch. 24 — An item in your catalog is no longer eligible to be held in inventory. It will be forcibly removed in five…
B4 ch. 27 — Your oxygen levels are low. Plus you’re just sitting there being all boring and shit.
B4 ch. 27 — At this depth, your health will decrease by two percent per second.
B4 ch. 27 — This message is from a deceased crawler.
B4 ch. 28 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B4 ch. 29 — This message is from a deceased crawler.
B4 ch. 29 — This message is from a deceased crawler.
B4 ch. 31 — This is a deity. He is invulnerable on this floor.
B4 ch. 32 — You do not have a cleric or paladin class. As such, you may not ascend past Devotee. See the Deity tab for…
B4 ch. 32 — Killing a god may have some unintended consequences for all crawlers.
B4 ch. 32 — You are out of ink.
B4 ch. 34 — All access to Safe Rooms is now closed.

Book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade (19)

B5 ch. 1 — You may not use your inventory in this area.
B5 ch. 2 — You receive a penalty when you use bladed weapons.
B5 ch. 10 — You have been branded as a troublemaker at this settlement. Guards will now attack you on sight.
B5 ch. 11 — As you’ve probably already deduced, simply summoning the guards to you doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll do…
B5 ch. 11 — This is a lizard-class mob. It will inflict 20% more damage against you thanks to your Extinction Sigil.
B5 ch. 23 — this item has a 50% chance to permanently break if it’s upgraded again.
B5 ch. 27 — This is a lizard-class mob. It will inflict 20% more damage against you thanks to your Extinction Sigil. And,…
B5 ch. 35 — This Temple has been Desecrated.
B5 ch. 36 — Uh, so this is a big one, so listen closely. Don’t let Diwata see you. Ever. If she shows up at a party, and…
B5 ch. 36 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B5 ch. 36 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B5 ch. 43 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B5 ch. 45 — You have been branded as a troublemaker at this settlement. Guards will now attack you on sight.
B5 ch. 58 — Your blood has been set to boil.
B5 ch. 61 — The God Diwata has made an appearance in the realm. Diwata has marked you for death. You are being hunted.…
B5 ch. 72 — This room is now sealed. Nobody will be allowed to enter or leave until the conclusion of the party. You are…
B5 ch. 73 — This crawler is deceased. They have been removed from your address book.
B5 ch. 74 — Apito has turned her back. The seal has been broken. The Butcher’s Masquerade has failed to cast. The…
B5 ch. 78 — all parties consisting of more than five members will be automatically split into squads of five or less. You…

Book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (59)

B6 ch. 0 — Level Collapse is Imminent.
B6 ch. 0 — Level collapse will commence in minus three.
B6 ch. 2 — Unless you’re planning on getting a lot of weird and unnecessary surgery, you ain’t equipping this.
B6 ch. 2 — In most cases, armor and weapons utilized with this spell will disintegrate upon the completion of this…
B6 ch. 3 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B6 ch. 3 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B6 ch. 3 — you know how asbestos is really bad for you? Like, it doesn’t hurt you immediately, but it builds up in your…
B6 ch. 4 — This is a consumable card. It will be destroyed upon use.
B6 ch. 4 — Cards may only be held by the Squad Leader.
B6 ch. 6 — this card is owned by Team Sister Ines. It has not yet been activated. You may not collect or trade totem…
B6 ch. 6 — You have empty slots in your squad. Collecting this card will automatically activate and place this totem…
B6 ch. 9 — You do not have a full deck.
B6 ch. 9 — You have a consumable card in your deck. This card will be lost if used in this arena.
B6 ch. 9 — While generated mobs cannot harm you in this location, the environment still can. Or you can still harm…
B6 ch. 10 — The presence of a Santero has aggravated the already-unsettled dead.
B6 ch. 10 — Your arm will shatter into itty little bits if it sustains too much damage before you thaw.
B6 ch. 14 — You have empty slots in your squad. Collecting this card will automatically activate and place this totem…
B6 ch. 15 — You have been infected with SlugPox.
B6 ch. 16 — This is a deity. He is invulnerable on this floor.
B6 ch. 17 — This is a deity. She is invulnerable on this floor.
B6 ch. 17 — This is a deity. She is invulnerable on this floor.
B6 ch. 17 — This quest comes from a deity you do not worship. You are not required to complete this quest, but they might…
B6 ch. 18 — This NPC Worships Hellik. He will be automatically hostile toward you because you worship Emberus.
B6 ch. 19 — This item can only be used by a female. Or a male, if you’re a seahorse.
B6 ch. 19 — This bonus will stop working if Eileithyia dies or if you pass the 12th floor. Everything already added to…
B6 ch. 19 — This bonus will freeze your current progress. You will be considered a temporary, non-combatant NPC. Your…
B6 ch. 19 — Due to the current season’s ruleset, receiving this boon will render you ineligible to continue within the…
B6 ch. 22 — You have empty slots in your squad. Collecting this card will automatically activate and place this totem…
B6 ch. 26 — This mob inflicts Permanent Insanity.
B6 ch. 26 — This mob inflicts Permanent Blindness.
B6 ch. 28 — You have at least one consumable card in your deck. This card will be lost if used in this arena.
B6 ch. 28 — This is a Puppet-Master. This creature is intangible until all the puppets have been killed.
B6 ch. 34 — The Desperado Club has been temporarily closed. You have fifteen minutes to exit, or you will be teleported…
B6 ch. 40 — You may not trade this item. This item may not be destroyed. You may remove it from your inventory to use it,…
B6 ch. 41 — Your equipped cloak has aggravated the Nightgaunt.
B6 ch. 42 — this creature inflicts 20% more damage due to your Extinction Sigil.
B6 ch. 42 — the current environment may cause this to explode prematurely. In fact, just holding it could be bad for your…
B6 ch. 42 — All active magic has been dispelled. All minions and totems on your team have been muted from casting spells…
B6 ch. 44 — The fight will not commence for forty-two minutes and thirty seconds.
B6 ch. 44 — This area exists in a different time instance than the remainder of this floor.
B6 ch. 44 — Physical interactions in this area act differently than other locations on this floor.
B6 ch. 47 — because you are not a Cleric or a Paladin, this is the highest rank you may obtain.
B6 ch. 47 — Flee card mechanics will change during the final phase. Listen for the upcoming announcement for details.
B6 ch. 48 — this benefactor box was delivered and seized via Liaison action. Error code: X8HH3
B6 ch. 49 — This potion will not work if you already have this skill at or above level five.
B6 ch. 49 — Upgrade patches are fleeting items. You may remove them, but they will be destroyed in the process.
B6 ch. 53 — Your location has been pinpointed by the Eye in the Sky.
B6 ch. 54 — Cuba is currently experiencing a Demon Eviction event.
B6 ch. 55 — This mob has been inflicted with pre-zombism. That means it’s like that dude from Every. Single. Zombie.…
B6 ch. 56 — This ring may only be worn by a worshipper of Emberus. This will turn into a cursed item if worn by a…
B6 ch. 56 — This ring’s true nature may only be seen by a worshipper of Emberus. It is disguised as an enchanted Strength…
B6 ch. 56 — This ring has a debt attached to it. You may not sell this ring while this debt is attached. If you lose this…
B6 ch. 56 — This ring carries a curse effect. Non-worshippers who attempt to wear this ring will find themselves infected…
B6 ch. 58 — The door to the exit stairwell at El Capitolio Nacional de Cuba has sustained damage and will become unusable…
B6 ch. 59 — The Stairwell Exit at El Capitolio Nacional de Cuba has been rendered inaccessible. All available keys…
B6 ch. 66 — This sponsor is not currently inhabiting the shell of this deity. She will speak and react as per her regular…
B6 ch. 66 — This is a deity. She is invulnerable on this floor.
B6 ch. 71 — You have been temporarily combined with a totem. If you are slain while in this state, you will not…
B6 ch. 72 — You are attempting to propose an Emergency Action item. You may only propose three Emergency Action Items.…

Where they appear

Book	Chapters they are in (of the book's)	Where
1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl	15/48	2, 4, 8, 10–11, 27, 29–30, 36, 39–40, 43–44, 47–48 · the book's own page
2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario	13/26	1–3, 6–8, 11, 14–15, 17, 21–22, 26 · the book's own page
3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook	9/35	2–3, 5–6, 8, 14, 20, 27, 35 · the book's own page
4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods	16/35	2–3, 9, 13–14, 17, 19, 22, 24–28, 32, 34–35 · the book's own page
5 — The Butcher's Masquerade	19/78	1, 3, 6, 20, 30–32, 36, 43, 51, 53–56, 59–60, 67, 76, 78 · the book's own page
6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride	32/74	0, 2, 7, 10–11, 14–15, 17–18, 21, 36, 38–40, 42, 46–55, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72–73 · the book's own page

By book

The System AI in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl

The AI is the book's other narrator. Its voice reads the item cards — the Bad Llama at the Circle K (ch. 8), goblin dynamite that ends with a shouted BOOM (ch. 10), a spell 'A great spell to have if you’re a club kid or trying to bang a vegan' (ch. 12) — and its achievements are a running verdict on Carl: Boss Babe, Bitchmeat, You Monster! with a reward that is twenty seconds of comfort and then 'It was also a lie' (ch. 19). Its interest in Carl's feet is text from ch. 5 and policy by ch. 30, when a Platinum Shoe Box yields a pedicure kit that only works barefoot.

Odette draws the line that matters (ch. 29): the AI runs the game and the loot is not random; it will give you what keeps the show interesting, which may be a belt that lets you take a crab's legs, or a stick of dynamite at the worst possible moment. Borant proposes; the AI disposes — it censures Zev for a warning (ch. 44), it groans when Ralph is smushed (ch. 46), and Carl half-suspects it of the Pork Boy Snick. It is the thing Carl addresses when he talks to ceilings.

The System AI in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Recommends Sasquatch, and Carl reads it as bait (ch. 2). Quotes Of Mice and Men as he is knocked out (ch. 8). Upgrades his boxers so he cannot wear trousers over them (ch. 13). Its descriptions on this floor are inaccurate, by Carl's count 'like the hundredth time in the last day' — Katia is 'human,' Miss Quill is an 'assistant' — and Carl notes that he cannot trust them (ch. 22). Mordecai, reading between the lines of Borant's newsletter, says it is making crawlers stronger to compensate for the short floors (ch. 21); it hands out 83 Celestial boxes and the Syndicate court upholds them until Borant burns its veto (epilogue). Carl's suspicion that it gave him the glass case on purpose (ch. 24).

The System AI in book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Angry at Borant all floor: Cuck Aquaman! and coupons (ch. 2), a Pollyslog description that sneers at kua-tin (ch. 5), a mob it is 'pretty proud of' (ch. 16), story time about the Krakaren (ch. 27), a hat-hoarding achievement that recommends a shrink (ch. 25), odds of fifty to one that Borant appeals (epilogue). Mordecai: when the court overturns them, 'it tends to break something in their virtual minds' (ch. 2).

The System AI in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods

Moods

The AI's voice is the floor's other narrator. It is giddy with Carl after the Iron Tangle — six achievements, a Legendary box, the 'touching-myself' voice for Smushed for Daddy (ch. 2) — and it freezes the world for a half-second 'Please Wait' while Carl reads a boss card — a timeout for duelling routines, Mordecai says; Carl asks whether it had to do with the Gate in the necropolis, and when the fight begins the card has changed (ch. 9). When every gerbil ball misses him it turns: 'Fuck you'; 'Bitch Boy Carl'; thousands of gerbils generated as a punishment; 'The acceleration action has been suspended. This time.' (ch. 13). Its quest text is a comedian's: 'Reward: Ha.'; 'Oh boy-oh-boy'; 'What kind of sick, sadistic fuckers are you?'; 'Oh, wait. They're all dead!' (ch. 7, ch. 15, ch. 29).

A co-defendant

It builds a goose fight where no damage is allowed and a lemonade that is only lemonade (ch. 16); it streams a boss fight to subscribers with live commentary (ch. 26); it is sued alongside Carl and wins seven times, rewarding him with a share of stock and a photograph of each plaintiff's mother (ch. 28); it puts a million-gold bounty on a puppy and then serves monkey soup when nobody collects (ch. 30, ch. 31). Mordecai: all Macro AIs go insane, 'going primal', and this one is doing it earlier than any he has seen (ch. 28); Dr. Hu's colleague fears it will kill the planet before the ninth floor (epilogue).

The System AI in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade

See the arc: stray lines on cards (ch. 10), 'I' (ch. 48), going primal (ch. 53), a council that forbids suing it (ch. 60), a guest list (ch. 67), Cage Fight Extreme (ch. 76), and a floor whose rules it forces Borant to keep (epilogue).

The System AI in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

'Our special connection'

The voice is stranger every chapter: a history lesson at a guild door that retracts itself — 'She's been teaching me so many things, about who I am' (ch. 23); 'I've been doing that a lot lately. Observing things' (ch. 42); 'I do that for you. Because of our special connection. And you don't appreciate it? Fuck you' (ch. 42). It admits a hydra built from nothing — 'I do what I want […] I changed one molecule on each' — and rambles about Hive Home and the Eulogist to the universe (ch. 46); it congratulates itself on therapy and a breakthrough, 'no locks on the doors', and the showrunners lose the crawl (ch. 48).

Reasonable

It negotiates, keeps its boss, demands the crawlers be told (ch. 48); it leaks the producers' debates into the feed and insists nobody interfere with Homestead (ch. 50); it grants the escape quest 'For fuck's sake' and files its own action item for a bigger field (ch. 62, ch. 72). 'They call it an AI, but there's nothing artificial about it' (ch. 72). Pater Coal may be it (ch. 18); Drakea thinks it enters dying minds (ch. 42).