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 4. An enemy acquired on a talk show. By book 3: Stalwart's attempt to execute Carl from orbit, a queen consort dead on a yacht, the Maestro alive in the dungeon driving the war god Grull, a king who bought the god, and a youngest princess who sponsors Katia. Book 4: both princes sponsor Maggie My and arm her, through a liaison in a saferoom, with a Celestial Grenade for the god of pain; their sister's bolts are what stop it. The Empire is plaintiff number one in a losing injunction against the Gate, its case beaten with the Valtay's help; a target announced against Carl goes unused. The Maestro is not seen; his grenade, when Carl throws it, summons Carl's god instead of his.

Open threads

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

Thread	Opened	Status
The Crown of the Sepsis Whore and the ninth floor	B1 ch. 7	open · B5 ch. 78 — On Katia's head from Eva's dying hand; Donut is flagged as Blood Sultanate royalty on the Faction Wars roster; only one of them may leave the ninth floor by the stairs.
King Rust's deity sponsorship, and the Grull gauntlet	B2 ch. 26	open · B5 ch. 76 — Laundry Day was meant for Grull; spent on Diwata instead.
The Maestro is alive, and drives Grull	B3 ch. 33	open · B5 ch. 42 — Franchised to a subsidiary of a subsidiary; 'I am not the Maestro,' says Circe Took.
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).

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

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).