Motif · from book 1
The Valtay Corporation
A name Carl finds in his inventory's history tab attached to a pulse pistol, a personal shield and an illegal communications relay that passed through his hands inside Agatha's shopping cart. Odette says they are a parasitic corporate government with a fleet parked outside the Borant system, and the next season will be theirs.
First appears: Book 1
Series arc
As of book 3. Three item names in book 1; a parasitic worm race, a dead pop star's owner and a dreadnaught in Earth orbit in book 2; and in book 3 Carl's sponsor, a corporation Borant hates, with a slogan — 'Keeping the Best of You Alive' — and a benefactor box holding one pill: a permanent neural enhancer that lets Carl see and analyse portals, which is how the hat-key and the way home are found. Tin's note in the Cookbook lists the Valtay among the races that wear bodies. What they want for the pill is unstated.
Open threads
Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.
| Thread | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Borant's bankruptcy and the Valtay fleet at the door | B1 ch. 36 | open · B3 ch. 25 — Hinter refused Borant the cores for the pocket system; 'Something happened back at home.' |
| Agatha's cart and the Valtay hardware | B1 ch. 47 | open · B3 ch. 34 — Level 8, no class, the cart, a ramp, and Carl stopping Imani from asking. |
| Whether Manasa's death served Borant | B2 ch. 20 | open · B3 ch. 33 — The Maestro says he was never on the yacht; 'rest well, mom.' |
| What the Valtay want for their pill | B3 ch. 13 | open — A permanent neural enhancer that sees subspace portals; 'Keeping the Best of You Alive.' |
All threads: Open threads.
Through book 1
Three item names and a warning. Whatever Agatha is, the Valtay are behind it, and they are the next season's operator.
Through book 2
Through book 3
Carl's sponsor, a corporation Borant hates (B3 ch. 11, B3 ch. 12); a pill that rewrites his interface to see through portals — which finds the hat-key and the way home (B3 ch. 13, B3 ch. 15). 'Keeping the Best of You Alive.' Tin's note in the Cookbook: the aliens wear gods the way the Valtay wear bodies (B3 ch. 32).
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 1, Ch. 47 | "Listed at the very top of my menu were three items I'd never seen before. I clicked over to make sure I didn't have them now. I didn't." | The first sign: three items in Carl's inventory history that were never his. |
| Book 1, Ch. 47 | "Warning: The System AI governing this program has deemed all non-sanctioned and monitored communication devices illegal, and they will not work within the dungeon." | The relay is contraband by the game's own rules, and it was in Agatha's cart; Carl cannot tell whether she knew what it was. |
| Book 1, Ch. 47 | "I had taken her entire shopping cart into my inventory during that boss battle with the Ball of Swine." | Carl connects the items to Agatha's cart, and decides not to get involved. |
| Book 1, Ch. 48 | "They're one of the most powerful entities in the universe. The next season is going to be run by them." | Odette names them as a parasitic corporate government with a fleet at Borant's door. |
| Book 2, Ch. 2 | "I wondered if they were the same creatures who ran the Valtay Corporation, but I was afraid to ask." | A parasitic worm race on Carl's list of playable bodies; he connects it to Odette's description and says nothing. |
| Book 2, Ch. 19 | "The real Manasa perished long ago, but she contracted with the Valtay Corporation to keep her career going once she died." | A pop star as a Valtay asset — their entertainment holdings are worth more than their technology. |
| Book 2, Ch. 19 | "The Valtay are claiming one of their dreadnaughts in earth orbit has destroyed Prince Stalwart's yacht." | The Valtay also have a dreadnaught in Earth orbit, and it fires on an ally over one singer. |
| Book 3, Ch. 11 | Sponsor’s Name: The Valtay Corporation. | Carl's sponsor, one Borant hates; a chapter later Carl's chat says 'Not a word about them out loud.' |
| Book 3, Ch. 13 | It read The Valtay Corporation, Keeping the Best of You Alive. | The slogan on a benefactor box that holds one pill. |
| Book 3, Ch. 13 | While your current wetware system is compatible with this Neural Enhancer, it is recommended you visit a Valtay Corporate Outreach Center to discuss upgrade options. Payment and Legacy plans available. | The pill's warning: an interface Carl does not have, and plans for after death. |
| Book 3, Ch. 32 | So when the aliens inhabit the bodies of the gods, they do so like the Intellect Hunters, the Scree, and the Valtay. The aliens are wearing the gods like clothes. | Tin's note in the Cookbook lists the Valtay among the races that wear bodies. |
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl | 2/48 | Ch. 47, Ch. 48 · the book's own page |
| 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario | 3/26 | Ch. 2, Ch. 19, Ch. 20 · the book's own page |
| 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook | 6/35 | Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 30, Ch. 32, Ch. 35 · the book's own page |
By book
The Valtay Corporation in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl
Three item names in a History tab (ch. 47): a Trans Tunnel 7C Orator Relay (illegal), a Perso-Shield Platinum Edition, a Mag 3040 Pulse Pistol — all Valtay, all from Agatha's shopping cart. Odette (epilogue): a parasitic corporate government that prefers aquatic hosts, with a fleet parked outside the Borant system to collect a debt, hours from a collection action when the kua-tin started the season early; the next season will be theirs. Carl decides not to get involved and does not tell her about Agatha.
The Valtay Corporation in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Everywhere and unnamed as a threat: an Intellect Hunter race Carl suspects is theirs (ch. 2); Manasa, a Valtay 'worm head' whose career outlived her body (ch. 19); the bankruptcy debate on Danger Zone; a dreadnaught in Earth orbit that destroys a Skull Empire royal yacht (ch. 19). 'Their entertainment assets' bring in more than their technology. Agatha, whose cart held their items in book 1, is named twice on this floor (ch. 8, ch. 14) but never with them.
The Valtay Corporation in book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
Carl's sponsor, a corporation Borant hates (ch. 11, ch. 12); 'Keeping the Best of You Alive'; a pill that rewrites his interface so he can see through portals (ch. 13) — which finds the hat-key, the yard, the mimic and the way home (ch. 15, ch. 28). Tin's note: the aliens wear gods like the Valtay wear bodies (ch. 32). They wiped out the H'lene with the orcs (ch. 30).