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 7. Rust's empire since book 1; in book 7 its Bone Clan comes with a king who wants to die with honour and loses his head to a whip, a prince torn apart by his own war mages — 'My sister was right' — a daughter dropped in the ocean, backdoors in every satellite it builds broadcast to the Syndicate, a yacht of its children vaporised by a poet in orbit, and the Maestro claiming the crown.

Open threads

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

Thread	Opened	Status
King Rust's deity sponsorship, and the Grull gauntlet	B2 ch. 26	open · B7 ch. 34 — Rust came to die with honour and lost his head to Rosetta's whip; his ring, eye and password emptied his bank; his harem escaped to the eighteenth.
The Maestro is alive, and drives Grull	B3 ch. 33	open · B7 ch. 86 — Claiming the crown with his father beheaded and his brother's children dead in orbit.
Li Na: every base stat maxed, three marks unpaid, no healing ever	B7 ch. 82	open — She marked everyone in the ball and three of Rust's harem reached the eighteenth through the Cosmic Lounge; the AI on 300s: 'we don't actually have a plan to deal with this'; her brother's eye in her socket; she blames Donut and does not speak.
The war outside the dungeon: a yacht, an armed freighter, a nova	B7 ch. 88	open — York vaporised the orc yacht of children with the new king aboard; the Homecoming Queen has enhancement-zone weapons green across the board; a Dream cruiser is down over Australia; Hive Re-Population Center 51's star went nova the moment Gustavo died; Prime Minister Victory.
The Crown of the Sepsis Whore and the ninth floor	B1 ch. 7	resolved · B7 ch. 86 — Closed: the Sepsis Whore fell to a sluggalo's hatchet (ch. 55), the last of the line was marked (ch. 58), and Katia ate the orchid (ch. 84) and was taken by Eileithyia — human, pregnant, gone (ch. 86). Donut leaves the floor.
Carl's challenge to Prince Maestro	B1 ch. 43	resolved · B3 ch. 33 — The Maestro was never dead; he loses to Carl a third time, from inside a god.

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

Its crown prince tries to execute Carl from orbit and kills a Valtay singer; its queen consort and disgraced prince die in the reprisal; its king buys a god (B2 ch. 19, B2 ch. 20, B2 ch. 26). Carl's speech has made him its public enemy and, in his own reading, its dupe's dupe.

Through book 3

A sister who sponsors Katia and sends a bolt that pauses a god's invulnerability for fifteen seconds; a brother everyone thought dead who drives Grull (B3 ch. 12, B3 ch. 29, B3 ch. 33).

Through book 4

Both princes sponsor Maggie; a grenade for the god of pain; their sister's bolts against it (B4 ch. 14). Plaintiff #1; a losing injunction; a target announced and not used (B4 ch. 28, B4 ch. 33, B4 ch. 34).

Through book 5

Orc hunters in the southeast with Carl and Katia on their list (B5 ch. 15); three at the all-tree, all dead — 'Thousands.' 'Including you, that was three' (B5 ch. 25); a prince franchised through shells (B5 ch. 42). The only other yes vote on the safety protocols; its Queen Consort's photograph (B5 ch. 77).

Through book 6

Stalwart's codpiece; Formidable's scroll and her failsafe (B6 ch. 21, B6 ch. 19, B6 ch. 73).

Through book 7

A king beheaded by a whip (B7 ch. 34); a prince torn apart (B7 ch. 61); a yacht of children (B7 ch. 88).

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
3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook	5/35	Ch. 6, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 29, Ch. 33 · the book's own page
4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods	6/35	Ch. 14, Ch. 19, Ch. 28, Ch. 31, Ch. 33, Ch. 34 · the book's own page
5 — The Butcher's Masquerade	10/78	1, 3, 15, 22, 25–26, 42, 55, 59, 77 · the book's own page
6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride	8/74	Ch. 4, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 19, Ch. 36, Ch. 54, Ch. 72, Ch. 73 · the book's own page
7 — This Inevitable Ruin	11/89	14, 31–32, 34–35, 37, 43, 56, 61–62, 69 · 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.

The Skull Empire in book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Princess Formidable sponsors Katia and sends a bolt for a god's eye (ch. 12, ch. 29); the Maestro is alive and drives Grull (ch. 33); 'rest well, mom.' The Skull Empire's expansion, in a mob card, hunted the Lepus to near-extinction (ch. 6).

The Skull Empire in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods

Both princes sponsor Maggie My, a scroll to choose a god and a Celestial Grenade to summon Algos on Carl; their sister's emergency box counters it (ch. 14). Plaintiff #1 in the suit over the Gate, whose mother's portrait Carl now carries; a Skull Empire company's share in his inventory moves his case to a different court (ch. 28, ch. 34). The King's Point castle is the announced target (ch. 33, ch. 34); the Empire's last-minute injunction fails (ch. 34); 'King Rust's children are all trying to murder each other' (epilogue). Carl throws the Maestro's grenade at Quan Ch instead (ch. 31).

The Skull Empire in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade

Orc hunters in the southeast with Carl and Katia on their list (ch. 15); three at the all-tree, all dead — 'Thousands,' hisses the last, and Carl answers 'Including you, that was three' (ch. 25); a prince franchised through shells (ch. 42). The only other yes vote on the safety protocols; its Queen Consort's photograph (ch. 77).

The Skull Empire in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

A jerk from the Skull Empire as an insult (ch. 4); the cheat who helped Maggie My, with the orcs' help, and the bribed admin who still has a job (ch. 12, ch. 13); a scroll of worship from Princess Formidable's sponsor box (ch. 19); Crown Prince Stalwart at the table — 'We know who you are, you fucking imbecile' — and Juice Box wearing his face with an arrow in the eye (ch. 21, ch. 22); Stalwart's codpiece (ch. 21) and 'Captain Enormous' (ch. 35); a Skull Empire orc among the adjutant candidates (ch. 36); Formidable's failsafe (epilogue).

The Skull Empire in book 7 — This Inevitable Ruin

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).