Character · from book 2

Scolopendra

The monster at the bottom of the volcano in the Over City's founding story, whose nine-tier poison cloud transformed ninety per cent of the kingdom; named, never seen. Every mold lion, clown and city-elf superstition on the third floor traces back to the cataclysm.

First appears: Book 2

Series arc

Through book 7

'Warning: Scolopendra Stirs' at a council, for the first time ever (B7 ch. 42); 'It is all connected' (B7 ch. 54); its magic in two newborns (B7 ch. 82); awake when the Nothing breaks (B7 ch. 87).

Open threads

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

Thread	Opened	Status
A memorial crystal for Apito, who is not dead	B5 ch. 77	open · B7 ch. 78 — The crystal blazed a beacon from Osvaldo's hands (ch. 64) and passed to Prepotente; Emberus fears the Epicure.
Justice Light's trap: the Nothing broken into the Ascendency, Sheol and Scolopendra's lair	B7 ch. 87	open — A bijou trap and a demon trap dropped into a permanent portal made from the Gate's winding box; four planes fold; 'Scolopendra has awakened'; the Club told to flee to an empty sixteenth floor through the seventeenth. Porthus and the Apothecary knew; the survivors will suffer for it.
The failsafe, and who is trapped in orbit	B6 ch. 49	resolved · B7 ch. 41 — Disconnected by Carl on Christmas morning (ch. 20); Formidable's crew pressed the button anyway and the Aryl system went dark instead (ch. 41). Formidable was dropped in the ocean (ch. 37).

All threads: Open threads.

Through book 2

The volcano's monster (B2 ch. 3), the source of every transformation on the floor, and the model for Miss Quill's Final War (B2 ch. 24). Unseen; presumably below.

Through book 4

'Scolopendra will never be defeated now' — Tish (B4 ch. 21); woken at the volcano's base by the Semeru dwarves' tower — Priestly (B4 ch. 33).

Through book 5

The nine-tier attack, Holger says, was everything ever fired at her reflected at once (B5 ch. 16); something in the elf castle protects against it (B5 ch. 28). Her passing turned the female Ursine to dinosaurs and spared the pious (B5 ch. 44); a potion undoes her transmutation, but not for Tina (B5 ch. 57). She dreams on the ballroom dome, a black centipede in a golden geode strangling a white tree — 'when she finally awakens, she will destroy everything and free us all' (B5 ch. 66); soul crystals are the souls filtered through her (B5 ch. 69). A tattoo dragon shatters the mosaic (B5 ch. 75). Prepotente wants the crystal he says protects against her.

Through book 6

The Scolopendra Club holding half the galaxy's wealth (B6 ch. 73); a centipede in the skulls of Carl's jacket (B6 ch. 72).

Where they appear

Book	Chapters they are in (of the book's)	Where
2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario	4/26	Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Ch. 17, Ch. 24 · the book's own page
4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods	2/35	Ch. 21, Ch. 33 · the book's own page
5 — The Butcher's Masquerade	16/78	5, 10–11, 14, 16, 24, 26, 28, 44, 53, 56–57, 66, 69, 75, 77 · the book's own page
6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride	4/74	Ch. 32, Ch. 46, Ch. 64, Ch. 73 · the book's own page
7 — This Inevitable Ruin	14/89	7, 13–14, 20, 37, 42–44, 54, 69, 74, 78, 82, 87 · the book's own page

By book

Scolopendra in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario

The great monster at the bottom of the volcano (ch. 3), named by Signet as the source of a Nine Tier attack (ch. 8) and by the city elves' theology as the origin of the earthbound's hatred of angels (ch. 17); Miss Quill's Final War is modelled on the cloud (ch. 24). Never seen; every monster on the floor is its aftermath.

Scolopendra in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods

Tish's letter: 'Scolopendra will never be defeated now. We needed that artifact' (ch. 21); Priestly's note: the Semeru dwarves' tower to the Celestials below woke it at the volcano's base (ch. 33).

Scolopendra in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade

The nine-tier attack, Holger says, was everything ever fired at her reflected at once (ch. 16); something in the elf castle protects against it (ch. 28). Her passing turned the female Ursine to dinosaurs and spared the pious (ch. 44); a potion undoes her transmutation, but not for Tina (ch. 57). She dreams on the ballroom dome, a black centipede in a golden geode strangling a white tree — 'when she finally awakens, she will destroy everything and free us all' (ch. 66); soul crystals are the souls filtered through her (ch. 69). A tattoo dragon shatters the mosaic (ch. 75). Prepotente wants the crystal he says protects against her.

Scolopendra in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Grimaldi was turned into a vine by Scolopendra (ch. 32); the AI says the Reminiscence Hydra used to be called a Scolopendra Nymph (ch. 46); Allister's note: some say the Vinegar Bitch is the reason for the nine-tier attack, and dwarves call her the centipede's daughter, or sister, or mother (ch. 64); the skulls of Carl's jacket show a centipede (ch. 72); Prime Minister Glory says over half the galaxy's wealth is trapped in the Scolopendra Club, his own children included (epilogue).

Scolopendra in book 7 — This Inevitable Ruin

'Warning: Scolopendra Stirs' at the council, which has never happened (ch. 42); Hellik: 'It is all connected' (ch. 54); Akuma wants Elle alive to face it (ch. 78); the twins carry its magic (ch. 82). When the Nothing breaks it stirs, and then awakens, and the Club is told to run (ch. 87).