System Message. Posting Book 8 spoilers will result in "acceleration" per our rules.
Scolopendra's poison cloud was a Nine Tier attack. It attacked you in nine different ways. The lucky ones simply died. The others were transformed, all in different ways.
-- Tsarina Signet (Book 2, Chapter 8)
System Message. This page is separated by book. Each section contains significant spoilers for said book. Read at your own discretion.
Scolopendra is a giant centipede supposedly "sleeping" on the Eighteenth Floor of the Dungeon.
Book 1
Zev mentions that floors “three, six, nine, twelve, fifteen, and eighteen, all come into existence at the same time” and are "linked in a way that will later become clear." She can't give much more information at the time. [1]
Book 2-3
While introducing Carl and Donut to the Third Floor, Mordecai describes "a great monster" who, in a children's story common in the universe, lived at the bottom of a giant dormant volcano. The volcano contained a six-layered magical world but, one day, the great monster killed or transformed 90% of those living in this world by breathing out a poison gas.[2]
Scolopendra is first mentioned by name during the Vengeance of the Daughter quest. The System AI, describing Mold Lions from Grimaldi’s Circus, mentions the great cataclysm which resulted in many transformations, and names Scolopendra as the cause.[3] Tsarina Signet claims that the cataclysm is the result of Scolopendra's nine-tier attack, which attacked citizens of the Over City in nine different ways; those who survived were transformed into monsters.[4]
Later, the System AI refers to the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th floors as "The Scolopendra Lair" levels.[5]
Book 4. The Gate of the Feral Gods
Ghazi left the Larracos College of Magecraft to seek the Gate of the Feral Gods because he had been fooled into releasing Psamathe from the nothing. The College told him to use the Mysterious winding box to banish himself and Psamathe back into the nothing. Ghazi's friend Tish tells him that Scolopendra will never be defeated now as the college needed "that artifact."[6]
Priestly, Author of the 14th edition of the Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, speculates in relation to the city of Larracos:
"I still don't fully understand the fable with the volcano and the centipede at the bottom... My culture has a story of a people who built a tower to reach the gods before the gods struck it down and scattered them all. I believe that legend is what this city represents.
The Semeru were attempting to reach the Celestials who live not above, but below them. This action somehow awakened Scolopendra at the very base of the volcano."
Book 5. The Butcher's Masquerade
Forkith, Author of the 20th edition of the Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, in relation to Larracos and The hunting grounds:
"This world, according to the story, was half metropolis and half jungle before Scolopendra's nine-tier attack, whatever that even means. After the attack, most everyone died, and the jungle ran rampant, swallowing the ruins. However, after a few hundred years, the survivors have started to rebuild."
The System AI mentions the nine-tier attack a few times in relation to surviving species such as bugbears, Ursine and bush elves.[7] He also mentions that dinosaur-class monsters didn't exist in the area before the Nine Tier Attack.[8] We later discover that at least some Mongoliensis are transformed Ursine.[9]
Holger explains that those of his people who survived Queen Imogen's attack were mostly unaffected by the Nine Tier Attack. He thinks this is because the Transfiguration spell making up one of the Tiers was the same one that Queen Imogen had previously used on them. He describes two of the other tiers as spores and a rage spell.[10]
When Carl asks how the high elves coped with Scolopendra's attack, Clint Smashgrab explains that they hid in the High Elf Castle, protected by something that they had stolen. He says that they stole Soul Crystals from Scolopendra while she slept and that, as she was waking, they stole something else which protected them from her multi-attack.[10]
Holger then claims that Queen Imogen tried to cast a Transfiguration spell on Scolopendra, that this didn't work, and that this is why the Nine Tier Attack included a Transfiguration spell. He says it was like a damage reflect, but one that took a long time to get ready. Clint disputes this, saying that Queen Imogen is old, but not that old.[10]
Another captured hunter, Iota, tells Carl and Donut that the Eighteenth Floor is called "Club Scolopendra" and that "the assholes partying it up" there have private security in orbit.[11]
Inside the High Elf Castle, there is a giant mosaic featuring a glittering black and gold cave dotted with sparkling crystals like the inside of a geode. In the center is a curled up black centipede whose form is continually twisting like a hypnotic spiral. From the center of the mosaic sprouts a white tree which Scolopendra appears to be trying to strangle.[12] An unknown voice says:
"This is a depiction of Scolopendra. She's dreaming. It's said when she finally awakens, she will destroy everything and free us all."
Mordecai tells Carl more about Soul Crystals, saying that they are mined from Scolopendra's lair after being created when certain types of people die and have their souls filtered through Scolopendra's body. Memorial Crystals are similar but are created fallen gods or demigods.[13]
Book 6. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
In Donut's introduction and recap, she claims that Scolopendra is the final boss of the World Dungeon.[14]
When the System AI introduces the Reminiscence Hydra of Malicious Compliance, it states that in the very early days of the Dungeon Crawler World, larger versions of the monster were the final boss of the Dungeon and were called Scolopendra Nymphs. He then says that this name is not entirely accurate, heavily implying that it is somewhat accurate.[15]
A passage by Allister, Author of the 13th edition of the Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, discusses Ysalte AKA The Downward Spiral/The Inevitable/the Vinegar Bitch in relation to Scolopendra:
"Some say she is the reason for Scolopendra's nine-tier attack. I've heard one dwarf say she is the daughter of the great centipede. Another say she's the sister. Another claimed she's the mother. I doubt any of those are true." [16]
As Carl and Donut prepare to join the Ninth Floor, Donut realizes that the glow she has been seeing from the Scavenger's Daughter Upgrade Patch when it's fully charged was not an aardvark as she had supposed: "It's a giant centipede! The image is of a centipede crawling through all the skulls! It's disgusting!" [17]
Prepotente, who fought for the memorial crystal dropped after Queen Imogen was defeated at the Butcher's Masquerade, reveals that he specifically wants the memorial crystal to protect himself from Scolopendra's attacks so that he can defeat her.[18]
Book 7. This Inevitable Ruin
System Message: Oh boy. Do not read this section if you don't want spoilers for Book 7
During the Warlord Council, the System Message notifies that "Scolopendra Stirs". [19]
Trivia
- "Scolopendra" is a genus of tropical centipedes known to be among the oldest living venomous predators on the planet. They are nocturnal, and have strong mandibles and venomous fangs. Recommend the reference article if you want to develop a new phobia.[20]
- Priestly's story bears interesting similarities to an account in Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which giants attempt to reach the Greek gods by piling up mountains, are struck down by thunderbolts, and the giants' blood create humankind. This is particularly interesting because Ovid later calls the giants of Gigantomachy "serpent-footed", suggesting that they were hundred-handers (AKA hecatoncheires): basically, picture three godzillas with fifty heads and one hundred hands each.
- In Japanese mythology, the Ōmukade is a legendary giant centipede that lives in mountains.[21]
Speculation
- It's likely that "the artifact" Tish said is needed to defeat Scolopendra is the Gate of the Feral Gods.
- It's very likely that the "something else" the high elves stole, which protected them from the Nine Tier attack, would have been the Memorial Crystal.
References
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Chapter 44)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Chapter 3)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Chapter 7)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Chapter 8)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Chapter 19)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Gate of the Feral Gods (Chapter 21)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 10)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 11)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 44)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 16)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 53)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 66)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 69)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Chapter 0)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Chapter 46)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Chapter 64)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Chapter 72)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. The Butcher's Masquerade (Chapter 77)
- ↑ Dinniman, Matt. This Inevitable Ruin (Chapter 42)
- ↑ Puzzo A, Pari C, Bettinelli G, Raggini F, Paderni S, Belluati A. An unusual two-stage infection following a scolopendra bite. Acta Biomed. 2020 Dec 30;91(14-S):e2020009. doi: 10.23750/abm.v91i14-S.10783. PMID: 33559643; PMCID: PMC7944685.
- ↑ Ōmukade. Wikipedia. Accessed March 30, 2024.
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