Motif · from book 1
The clock
The countdown in the corner of every crawler's vision: 'Time to Level Collapse', five days on the first floor, read out by the system at the head of chapters and by Carl whenever he has to choose. On the second floor a second timer appears beneath it, counting down to the closing of the safe rooms an hour before collapse, and Carl waits for the level timer to reach six hours before he takes the stairs.
First appears: Book 1
Series arc
As of book 8. The countdown in the corner of every crawler's vision. Five days on the first floor, six on the second, eight, ten, fifteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty-one, and for the war thirty 'or 90 hours after a winner is declared, whichever is sooner'; under it, floor by floor, a second clock — the safe rooms, the stairwells, the hunt, the masquerade, phase two, the ceasefire. Book 8 suspends it for the races and brings it back for the eleventh floor at three hours and fifteen minutes, and the arena ends with the AI's announcement that every collapse timer past the eleventh is suspended until the Ascendency has a winner. The readings below are every one the text prints.
Open threads
Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.
| Thread | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The clock: suspended past the eleventh floor | B8 ch. 98 | open — Every floor so far has ended on a countdown; the AI's last system message suspends every collapse timer past the eleventh 'until a winner is declared in the Ascendency battles', after which 'dungeon-closure procedures will commence' — twelve hours, by the rules it read out for a Scolopendra kill. What the twelfth floor looks like with no clock, and whether the ninety-hour-after-a-winner clause of the war floor is the shape of the ending. |
All threads: Open threads.
Through book 1
'Time to Level Collapse: Five days' on the first screen (B1 ch. 2), and Mordecai's rule that the clock only starts 'until the previous floor collapses' and grows by about five days a floor (B1 ch. 4). The system reads it at the head of chapters — four days, 20 hours (B1 ch. 8); 47 hours (B1 ch. 21); 6 hours 30 minutes (B1 ch. 26) — and 'the timer finally ran out' as the next episode premieres, 700,000 dead in the second the floor goes (B1 ch. 31). The second floor gets six days, not the ten Mordecai predicted (B1 ch. 31) — five days and ten hours on the next morning's screen (B1 ch. 32); 'You said it'd probably be ten days, but it's six' (B1 ch. 35); a second timer, Time to Safe Room Closure, appears an hour ahead of it (B1 ch. 39); and the party carves toward the stairwell at ten hours and waits for six (B1 ch. 47).
Through book 2
'We only had eight days to complete this next level' — and Mordecai's forecast: 'If they keep this up, the sixth floor is only going to be open 11 or 12 days. The factions are going to be pissed. It's usually open for 30' (B2 ch. 2). The system reads 6 days, 23 hours (B2 ch. 8), 5 days, 10 hours (B2 ch. 13) and 3 days, 16 hours (B2 ch. 18); Carl asks what a short floor means for the Over City's natives when it collapses (B2 ch. 7).
Through book 3
Ten days for the fourth floor (B3 ch. 1) and a rule for this level only: 'You may not go down early this level. The stairwells will open six hours prior to collapse, and that's it' (B3 ch. 3). Brandon's last message is timed against it — 'The floor timer is down to ten minutes, and that stairwell is twenty minutes away' (B3 ch. 3). The readings run 8 days and 18 hours (B3 ch. 7) to 3 days, 3 hours (B3 ch. 25) to 17 hours, with a second timer, 'Time to the Opening of the Stairwells: 11 Hours', below it (B3 ch. 32), and Five Hours as the party runs (B3 ch. 34).
Through book 4
Fifteen days (B4 ch. 1); 13 days, 13 hours (B4 ch. 8); 10 Days and 4 Hours (B4 ch. 17); then 4 Days and 22 Hours when the interface comes back after Loita (B4 ch. 20) and 'just over four and a half days' when Carl checks it (B4 ch. 23). The last day is read to the minute: 7 hours, and 'Two seconds after it hit six hours until level collapse, phase three would be implemented' (B4 ch. 33); five hours, 30 minutes; 1 hour; 21 minutes (B4 ch. 34).
Through book 5
Two clocks from the first line: 'Time to Level Collapse: 17 Days' and 'Time Until the Hunt Begins: 30 Hours' (B5 ch. 1), the hunt's read down through 21 hours (B5 ch. 4) to 3.5 hours (B5 ch. 9). The floor's runs 11 days 8 hours (B5 ch. 24), Six days, fifteen hours (B5 ch. 48), Five days and 21 hours (B5 ch. 52); a third clock counts to the masquerade — 70 hours (B5 ch. 56), 62 hours (B5 ch. 59), 60, then 10 against 'One day, 10 hours' (B5 ch. 60), 1 hour against 31 (B5 ch. 64). Prepotente refuses to wait for six hours before the stairs (B5 ch. 77), and the seventh floor opens on 20 Days (B5 ch. 78).
Through book 6
'Time to Level Collapse: 21 Days' over 'Time until Phase Two: 14 Days', with the rule that an unfilled squad 'will be filled randomly' when the second runs out (B6 ch. 1). Phase two is read down — eight days, one hour (B6 ch. 20); 40 hours, and the teleport 'When the timer hits 12:01 AM on December 24th, regardless of where you are or what you're doing' (B6 ch. 27); Six hours (B6 ch. 30) — then the floor's: 6 days, 22 hours (B6 ch. 38), 4 Days and 17 Hours (B6 ch. 52), 4 days, 12 hours (B6 ch. 57). The Amayon quest timer, set at ten minutes (B6 ch. 66), stops 'with just two seconds left' when Paz Lo slays the goddess Ysalte, not because of anything Carl did (B6 ch. 69); then Amayon's ascension gets a thirty-minute timer of its own: 'When that timer reaches zero, the heavens above you will open, and all living things and items and structures will be sucked upward into the portal' (B6 ch. 72).
Through book 7
A clock with a condition: 'Time to Level Collapse: 30 Days or 90 hours after a winner is declared, whichever is sooner' (B7 ch. 1), and Mordecai's 'three scenarios where the ceasefire time is shortened' (B7 ch. 2). The war runs on phase timers — the ceasefire at 52, 33, 31 and 20 hours (B7 ch. 12, B7 ch. 15, B7 ch. 16, B7 ch. 17); 'Time remaining in Phase One: 180 hours' (B7 ch. 20); a capture timer that 'has not started as this room is occupied by multiple factions' (B7 ch. 26); 'Time until Phase Three: Two Hours' (B7 ch. 56) — and ends on the system's countdowns the party races: the War Mage Rebellion winning the castle in 5 hours, 57 minutes, the city defenses activating in 27 minutes (B7 ch. 69), the towers in 13 (B7 ch. 70), and Emberus's countdown to the destruction of the ninth floor, 66 minutes, then 32 (B7 ch. 84), 21 (B7 ch. 85), 8 (B7 ch. 86) and three (B7 ch. 87).
Through book 8
'Level timer has been temporarily suspended for this floor. Please wait for the announcement from that inebriated fish' (B8 ch. 1) — the floor runs on heat limits instead: 6 hours (B8 ch. 3), 3 hours, halved (B8 ch. 6, B8 ch. 17), 20 minutes (B8 ch. 22), 20 hours (B8 ch. 33), 30 minutes (B8 ch. 51), 2 hours (B8 ch. 67), and Cascadia's word that the eleventh has 'a time limit of three hours for the whole thing' (B8 ch. 68). The eleventh opens on 3 hours, 15 minutes (B8 ch. 88); 'Warning: Time to Level Collapse: 45 minutes' as the arena door opens (B8 ch. 93); the AI's rules for a Scolopendra kill — 'Level timers will cease to exist, and floors after this one will no longer collapse on their own' (B8 ch. 94) — and at 30 minutes the announcement: 'all level collapse timers past the 11th floor are suspended until a winner is declared in the Ascendency battles. When this happens, dungeon-closure procedures will commence' (B8 ch. 98).
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl | 14/48 | 2–3, 8, 10, 15, 19, 21, 26, 31–32, 38–39, 41, 44 · the book's own page |
| 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario | 3/26 | Ch. 8, Ch. 13, Ch. 18 · the book's own page |
| 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook | 12/35 | 1, 3, 7, 13–14, 19, 21, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34 · the book's own page |
| 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods | 9/35 | 1, 8, 17, 20, 23, 28, 32–34 · the book's own page |
| 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade | 11/78 | 1, 4, 9, 24, 48, 52, 59–60, 63–64, 78 · the book's own page |
| 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride | 7/74 | Ch. 1, Ch. 20, Ch. 27, Ch. 30, Ch. 38, Ch. 52, Ch. 57 · the book's own page |
| 7 — This Inevitable Ruin | 7/89 | Ch. 1, Ch. 12, Ch. 14, Ch. 15, Ch. 16, Ch. 20, Ch. 56 · the book's own page |
| 8 — A Parade of Horribles | 5/99 | Ch. 1, Ch. 88, Ch. 93, Ch. 94, Ch. 98 · the book's own page |
By book
The clock in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl
'Time to Level Collapse: Five days' on the first screen (ch. 2), and Mordecai's rule that the clock only starts 'until the previous floor collapses' and grows by about five days a floor (ch. 4). The system reads it at the head of chapters — four days, 20 hours (ch. 8); 47 hours (ch. 21); 6 hours 30 minutes (ch. 26) — and 'the timer finally ran out' as the next recap premieres, 700,000 dead in the second the floor goes (ch. 31). The second floor gets six days, not the ten Mordecai predicted (ch. 31) — five days and ten hours on the next morning's screen (ch. 32); 'You said it'd probably be ten days, but it's six' (ch. 35); a second timer, Time to Safe Room Closure, appears an hour ahead of it (ch. 39); and the party carves toward the stairwell at ten hours and waits for six (ch. 47).
The clock in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario
'We only had eight days to complete this next level' — and Mordecai's forecast: 'If they keep this up, the sixth floor is only going to be open 11 or 12 days. The factions are going to be pissed. It's usually open for 30' (ch. 2). The system reads 6 days, 23 hours (ch. 8), 5 days, 10 hours (ch. 13) and 3 days, 16 hours (ch. 18); Carl asks what a short floor means for the Over City's natives when it collapses (ch. 7).
The clock in book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
Ten days for the fourth floor (ch. 1) and a rule for this level only: 'You may not go down early this level. The stairwells will open six hours prior to collapse, and that's it' (ch. 3). Brandon's last message is timed against it — 'The floor timer is down to ten minutes, and that stairwell is twenty minutes away' (ch. 3). The readings run 8 days and 18 hours (ch. 7) to 3 days, 3 hours (ch. 25) to 17 hours, with a second timer, 'Time to the Opening of the Stairwells: 11 Hours', below it (ch. 32), and Five Hours as the party runs (ch. 34).
The clock in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods
Fifteen days (ch. 1); 13 days, 13 hours (ch. 8); 10 Days and 4 Hours (ch. 17); then 4 Days and 22 Hours when the interface comes back after Loita (ch. 20) and 'just over four and a half days' when Carl checks it (ch. 23). The last day is read to the minute: 7 hours, and 'Two seconds after it hit six hours until level collapse, phase three would be implemented' (ch. 33); five hours, 30 minutes; 1 hour; 21 minutes (ch. 34).
The clock in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade
Two clocks from the first line: 'Time to Level Collapse: 17 Days' and 'Time Until the Hunt Begins: 30 Hours' (ch. 1), the hunt's read down through 21 hours (ch. 4) to 3.5 hours (ch. 9). The floor's runs 11 days 8 hours (ch. 24), Six days, fifteen hours (ch. 48), Five days and 21 hours (ch. 52); a third clock counts to the masquerade — 62 hours (ch. 59), 60 hours, then 10 against 'One day, 10 hours' (ch. 60), 1 hour against 31 (ch. 64). Prepotente refuses to wait for six hours before the stairs (ch. 77), and the seventh floor opens on 20 Days (epilogue).
The clock in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
'Time to Level Collapse: 21 Days' over 'Time until Phase Two: 14 Days', with the rule that an unfilled squad 'will be filled randomly' when the second runs out (ch. 1). Phase two is read down — eight days, one hour (ch. 20); 40 hours, and the teleport 'When the timer hits 12:01 AM on December 24th, regardless of where you are or what you're doing' (ch. 27); Six hours (ch. 30) — then the floor's: 6 days, 22 hours (ch. 38), 4 Days and 17 Hours (ch. 52), 4 days, 12 hours (ch. 57). The Amayon quest timer, set at ten minutes (ch. 66), stops 'with just two seconds left' when Paz Lo slays the goddess Ysalte, not because of anything Carl did (ch. 69); then Amayon's ascension gets a thirty-minute timer of its own: 'When that timer reaches zero, the heavens above you will open, and all living things and items and structures will be sucked upward into the portal' (ch. 72).
The clock in book 7 — This Inevitable Ruin
A clock with a condition: 'Time to Level Collapse: 30 Days or 90 hours after a winner is declared, whichever is sooner' (ch. 1), and Mordecai's 'three scenarios where the ceasefire time is shortened' (ch. 2). The war runs on phase timers — the ceasefire at 52, 33, 31 and 20 hours (ch. 12, ch. 15, ch. 16, ch. 17); 'Time remaining in Phase One: 180 hours' (ch. 20); a capture timer that 'has not started as this room is occupied by multiple factions' (ch. 26); 'Time until Phase Three: Two Hours' (ch. 56) — and ends on the system's countdowns the party races: the War Mage Rebellion winning the castle in 5 hours, 57 minutes, the city defenses activating in 27 minutes (ch. 69), the towers in 13 (ch. 70), and Emberus's countdown to the destruction of the ninth floor, 66 minutes, then 32 (ch. 84), 21 (ch. 85), 8 (ch. 86) and three (ch. 87).
The clock in book 8 — A Parade of Horribles
'Level timer has been temporarily suspended for this floor. Please wait for the announcement from that inebriated fish' (ch. 1) — the floor runs on heat limits instead: 6 hours (ch. 3), 3 hours, halved (ch. 6, ch. 17), 20 minutes (ch. 22), 20 hours (ch. 33), 30 minutes (ch. 51), 2 hours (ch. 67), and Cascadia's word that the eleventh has 'a time limit of three hours for the whole thing' (ch. 68). The eleventh opens on 3 hours, 15 minutes (ch. 88); 'Warning: Time to Level Collapse: 45 minutes' as the arena door opens (ch. 93); the AI's rules for a Scolopendra kill — 'Level timers will cease to exist, and floors after this one will no longer collapse on their own' (ch. 94) — and at 30 minutes the announcement: 'all level collapse timers past the 11th floor are suspended until a winner is declared in the Ascendency battles. When this happens, dungeon-closure procedures will commence' (ch. 98).