Motif · from book 4
The death of Geyrun
Emberus's quest to find who killed his son: Hellik denies it, Vinata worships Khepri to get into his temple, the memorial crystal shows itself, and Samantha says out loud that she may have had a hand in it — because the doggie would go to the Nothing, and she does not know who the guy in the hoodie was. Sixty-six minutes.
First appears: Book 4 · Seen for what it is: Book 8
Series arc
In hindsight, after book 8
A puppy's card, once he is out of the Nothing — 'This is a bereft pet of Geyrun' (B4 ch. 29) — and a quest with a father's one clue (B4 ch. 32) become, across five books, the mystery under the pantheon: a crystal that might bear on it (B5 ch. 77), a cleric with no clues but the dog (B6 ch. 18), a prince of Sheol who says he witnessed the deal (B6 ch. 69), Samantha's admission (B7 ch. 83), and in book 8 Carl's answer to Emberus's face — Khepri, then himself — which he knows is not true (B8 ch. 95). What he carries out of the arena is 'a sneaking suspicion that one of the key details of the whole mystery was a lie' (B8 ch. 95).
As of book 8. Emberus's god quest since the fifth floor: his son murdered, his brother Hellik the obvious suspect and alibied. Book 8 makes it the hinge of the arena: Quemada takes it as her task; Carl lays out what is known — Samantha was there when someone was hired, Amayon claims to know — and suspects the murder is the key to everything; he messages Emberus 'I know who killed your son', tells him Khepri and then himself, and privately concludes that 'one of the key details of the whole mystery was a lie'. The trace below follows the quest from a puppy's card to the arena.
Open threads
Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.
| Thread | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| The quests past the eleventh: the Nine-Tier Attack, and a murder with no answer | B8 ch. 81 | open — The Nine-Tier Attack, part one, is open with seven attacks waiting and a boss who can neither die nor be left behind; Find Out Who Killed My Son is not mentioned again after Emberus dies; Carl means to find the answer anyway, 'something—if I survived this—I would still have to figure out'. Whether the twelfth floor has quests at all, and who sets them now the AI is 'losing control'. |
| Who killed Geyrun: Carl lied to Emberus, and suspects a lie in the mystery | B8 ch. 95 | open — Carl named Khepri, then himself; 'I actually had no idea for certain who killed Geyrun'; 'one of the key details of the whole mystery was a lie.' Emberus is dead and his memorial crystal is in Carl's inventory (B8 ch. 98). |
All threads: Open threads.
Through book 4
Emberus's two quests at his shrine: Geyrun was murdered — 'Find out who did it and why. My only clue is that the most obvious suspect, my brother Hellik, was in council with the rest of us when it happened' — and Kill Hellik (B4 ch. 32).
Through book 5
A new step: obtain the Memorial Crystal of Apito and 'See if this has any bearing on Geyrun’s murder' (B5 ch. 77).
Through book 6
The high cleric of Emberus in Club Vanquisher massages Carl's sole: 'We have no clues as to who killed Geyrun other than the dog' (B6 ch. 18); a chance to question Amayon, one of the four princes of Sheol, 'as to who murdered my son, Geyrun' (B6 ch. 58); Samantha: 'That was Geyrun. He got murdered' — Orthrus's daddy (B6 ch. 69).
Through book 7
Amayon wants his brothers dead for what he knows (B7 ch. 2); Hellik denies it (B7 ch. 54); Emberus may kill Amayon's brothers for the truth (B7 ch. 57); Apito's memorial crystal shows itself (B7 ch. 64); Samantha admits she had a hand in Geyrun's death, and Emberus enters the realm (B7 ch. 83). She tells him she helped because the dog would go to the Nothing, and that she does not know who the man in the hoodie was (B7 ch. 86).
Through book 8
Quemada's task is the other quest, killing Hellik (B8 ch. 35); the Kill Hellik quest falls due at the eleventh floor's end (B8 ch. 67, B8 ch. 69). Carl lays out what is known: Samantha was there when someone was hired to do it, her memory is spotty, one of the four sons of Sheol was possibly involved, and Amayon claims to know — and he suspects the murder is the key to everything (B8 ch. 70). In the arena he messages Emberus 'I know who killed your son' (B8 ch. 94), tells him Khepri and then himself, and privately concludes that one key detail of the whole mystery is a lie (B8 ch. 95).
Trace
The thread line by line, in reading order: its presence before anyone could see it, and the lines that made it legible. Each line is verbatim from the cited book.
| Where | The line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Book 4, Ch. 29 | » This is a bereft pet of Geyrun. | Orthrus's card, once he is out of the Nothing: the first the series hears of Geyrun. |
| Book 4, Ch. 32 | » Geyrun was murdered. Find out who did it and why. […] the most obvious suspect, my brother Hellik, was in council with the rest of us when it happened. | The quest as given. |
| Book 5, Ch. 77 | » Obtain the item: Memorial Crystal: Apito. See if this has any bearing on Geyrun’s murder. […] speak with the high cleric at the Emberus Shrine in Club Vanquisher. | The quest's new step ties the murder to Apito, whose pieces are the arena's business in book 8. |
| Book 6, Ch. 18 | We have no clues as to who killed Geyrun other than the dog, […] He has searched the puppy’s mind, […] his time in the Nothing has made his memory unreliable. | The high cleric, massaging Carl's foot. |
| Book 6, Ch. 58 | You have a rare opportunity to question Amayon, one of the four princes of Sheol as to who murdered my son, Geyrun. He may have some insight into the matter. | A witness named; in book 8 he still 'claims to know who did it' (B8 ch. 70). |
| Book 7, Ch. 83 | I may be a neglectful mother. I may have had an indirect, possibly direct hand in the death of Geyrun, but a girl can find forgiveness, right? | Samantha, while the others work to save Louis; Emberus enters the realm moments later. |
| Book 8, Ch. 95 | I actually had no idea for certain who killed Geyrun, […] I was starting to have a sneaking suspicion that one of the key details of the whole mystery was a lie. | After naming Khepri to the god's face, and just before naming himself. |
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods | 2/35 | Ch. 29, Ch. 32 · the book's own page |
| 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade | 1/78 | Ch. 77 · the book's own page |
| 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride | 4/74 | Ch. 18, Ch. 38, Ch. 58, Ch. 69 · the book's own page |
| 7 — This Inevitable Ruin | 9/89 | 2, 49, 51, 54, 57, 64, 78, 83–84 · the book's own page |
| 8 — A Parade of Horribles | 7/99 | Ch. 24, Ch. 35, Ch. 67, Ch. 69, Ch. 70, Ch. 71, Ch. 95 · the book's own page |
By book
The death of Geyrun in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods
Emberus's two quests at his shrine: Geyrun was murdered — 'Find out who did it and why. My only clue is that the most obvious suspect, my brother Hellik, was in council with the rest of us when it happened' — and Kill Hellik (ch. 32).
The death of Geyrun in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade
A new step: obtain the Memorial Crystal of Apito and 'See if this has any bearing on Geyrun’s murder' (ch. 77).
The death of Geyrun in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
The high cleric of Emberus in Club Vanquisher massages Carl's sole: 'We have no clues as to who killed Geyrun other than the dog' (ch. 18); a chance to question Amayon, one of the four princes of Sheol, 'as to who murdered my son, Geyrun' (ch. 58); Samantha: 'That was Geyrun. He got murdered' — Orthrus's daddy (ch. 69).
The death of Geyrun in book 7 — This Inevitable Ruin
Amayon wants his brothers dead for what he knows (ch. 2); Hellik denies it (ch. 54); Emberus may kill the other Sheol princes for the truth (ch. 57); the crystal shows itself (ch. 64); Samantha says it aloud, and a god enters the realm (ch. 83). A doggie to the Nothing and a guy in a hoodie (ch. 86).
The death of Geyrun in book 8 — A Parade of Horribles
Quemada takes the murder as her task (ch. 35); the quest falls due at the eleventh floor's end (ch. 67, ch. 69). Carl lays out what is known: Samantha was there when someone was hired to do it, her memory is spotty, one of the four sons of Sheol was possibly involved, and Amayon claims to know — and he suspects the murder is the key to everything (ch. 70). In the arena he messages Emberus 'I know who killed your son' (ch. 94), tells him Khepri and then himself, and privately concludes that one key detail of the whole mystery is a lie (ch. 95).