Zev
Names: ZevZev (Admin)Fish Sticksmudskipper Zev
First appears in Book 1: Dungeon Crawler Carl, chapter 35 (35)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: Dungeon Crawler Carl
- Ch 36Zev is a two-foot-tall kua-tin, Borant's Assistant Communications Representative and a Dungeon Admin, wearing a water-filled suit.
- Ch 36Zev becomes Carl and Donut's PR agent under the Crawler Assisted Outreach Program after two dozen interview requests.
- Ch 36Zev says she is on their side; her boss is a Party member and a misstep could get her whole family wiped out.
- Ch 37Zev comments in Carl's chat, revealing she watches him; she says most viewers like the save-the-elderly storyline.
- Ch 39Zev, a kua-tin, drops off the chat after the hallway skirmish, worrying Princess Donut, who had been chatting with her constantly.
- Ch 44Zev was suspended for supposedly warning Carl about the rage elemental; the censure was removed on appeal, but the AI now watches her.
- Ch 47Zev reports a brief outage in Carl and Princess Donut's feed, coinciding with Agatha's visit, and says outages are common.
Book 2: Carl’s Doomsday Scenario
- Ch 4Zev reports that viewers approve of both class choices, which are unique among crawlers so far.
- Ch 9Zev ran Carl's request past the Syndicate AI referee, which will allow it only under very strict circumstances with no help given.
- Ch 11Zev, acting as Carl's agent, accepts the producers' deal and signs on his behalf.
- Ch 12Zev books Carl and Donut on Danger Zone with Ripper Wonton, an uncensored round-table talk show.
- Ch 15Zev wears armor on visits because staff have no system protection on the first three floors.
- Ch 20Zev says rental trailer bookings are public, and no one had ever tried to assassinate a crawler outside the dungeon before.
Book 3: The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook
- Ch 6Zev, the party's PR agent, says viewers find Katia boring and urges Carl and Donut to ditch her or make her more interesting.
- Ch 13Zev books Carl and Donut to narrate a Planet Beautiful segment about beauty pageants and pet shows in two days.
- Ch 18Zev insists the crawlers will be teleported to the show in a few hours whatever they are doing.
- Ch 21Zev complains that Carl's private chat conversations hide half his drama from viewers.
- Ch 25Zev, a kua-tin, still wears her diving suit because protections meant to replace the dual-layer zone after the third floor never arrived.
- Ch 25A tired Zev hints at trouble back home and warns that the crew's chats will become public to paying viewers.
- Ch 35Loita says Zev suffered a personal tragedy and was sent to a 'reeducation retreat'; she will remain their social media manager.
Book 4: The Gate of the Feral Gods
- Ch 12Zev returns only as Donut's social media manager; Loita now handles public appearances, and crawlers can no longer message Zev directly.
- Ch 12Zev passes on audience notes: Carl seems too angry with other crawlers, and Donut should use Mongo and her new spells more.
- Ch 17Zev is no longer the crawlers' social media manager after they buy the social media board, and Loita won't let her say goodbye.
- Ch 18Loita reveals that unspeakable things were done to Zev's mother and aunts to bring Zev back into the fold.
- Ch 19Zev is back as the crawlers' temporary PR agent until things are sorted out.
- Ch 20Zev insisted that Katia wait for Carl and Donut before taking the land quadrant castle.
- Ch 24Zev now speaks in a robotic Stepford Wife voice, though Donut no longer seems worried about her.
- Ch 34Zev feigns outrage at the Larracos flood while actually relaying crucial information, apparently communicating with Donut.
Book 5: The Butcher’s Masquerade
- Ch 6Zev, back as Carl and Donut's contact, tells them they will appear on Odette's show without Katia, under new security protocols.
- Ch 12Carl suspects Zev and Donut are secretly communicating through the social media board.
- Ch 15Zev tells Donut that ratings for Signet's show are just okay, and fans fear Carl and Donut will take over the storyline.
- Ch 17Zev appears in person without her diving suit, wearing only a rebreather, and looks very thin for a kua-tin.
- Ch 18Zev warns that Carl's fan box will take him alone to a fan event where a rival program planned to ambush him about Beatrice.
- Ch 18Zev is trembling and nervous, and quietly tells Carl that Donut is going to need him.
- Ch 30Zev hints Carl should linger at CrawlCon and rest, since others may be waiting where he left when he returns.
- Ch 32Zev says those who stayed on after the change don't know if they'll be welcomed home or executed as traitors.
- Ch 32Zev's entire family was slaughtered because she refused to wear a pin.
- Ch 39Zev warns that Odette's interview with Carl, Donut and Beatrice tunneled, drawing much attention to Carl.
- Ch 40Zev has been promoted and now supervises Skindle.
- Ch 40Zev tells Carl his first replacement sponsor couldn't pay, and the new winner will give him a benefactor box at the signing.
- Ch 60Zev says the Valtay partners show no dismay, but the council and liaisons are nervous.
- Ch 64Zev warns that smuggling Signet into the party would force the production to make her act prematurely.
- Ch 69When Carl asks why children are inside Lucia despite the no-children rule, Zev refuses to discuss it.
Book 6: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
- Ch 1Donut mentions Zev got a promotion because the Borant government lost control of the crawl to the Valtay.
- Ch 9Zev arranges for Carl and Donut to virtually attend a preproduction meeting with reps of all nine Faction Wars participants about Floor 9.
- Ch 15Zev is overworked after losing staff in the Valtay changeover and being unprepared for the eighth floor.
- Ch 23Zev says Titan licensed the story of Mordecai fostering changeling children for a virtual-character vid featuring Mongo.
- Ch 23Zev privately advises against choosing Odette as adjutant, since Mordecai hates his former manager and would attack her.
- Ch 29Zev indicates Carl and Donut will soon appear on Odette's show.
- Ch 32Zev tells Carl and Donut they will go on Odette's show and then straight to the Phase Two onboarding chamber.
- Ch 40Zev says the location glitch affected many crawlers and was not intentional on Borant's side; staff are scrambling to fix it.
- Ch 47Zev confirms everything Carl sees in the trailer is a real recording of that day, up until the timer ends.
- Ch 48Zev reports the production team has been locked out of all its controls as the boss fight begins.
- Ch 49Zev confirms the production team is still locked out of its controls.
- Ch 51Zev reveals Carl's sponsor sent the box before he picked Miami; the box was seized and the whole charity, including Rosetta, vanished.
- Ch 52Zev tells Carl's teammates he is on a short quest and is safe, and asks them not to bother him.
- Ch 52Zev says the AI insists nobody interfere with Carl's trip or its feed, and leaked internal debates, upsetting the real Syndicate council.
Book 7: This Inevitable Ruin
- Ch 11Zev tells Donut the Donut Holes paid the license fee, and she earns nothing from it unless she reaches the tenth floor.
- Ch 35Zev arranges a live roundtable of all remaining warlords, including Juice Box and Ferdinand, during which hostilities freeze.
- Ch 36Zev relays an urgent order from Prime Minister Glory of the Syndicate: Carl must not interact with Agatha.
Book 8: A Parade of Horribles
- Ch 4Zev delivers the floor announcement after the despairing previous announcer breaks down on the loudspeaker.
- Ch 25Zev tells Carl and Donut they must appear on the show Plenty of Plenty before the next race.
- Ch 25The AI forces Zev to read its dungeon announcement from a script because Cascadia is incapacitated.
- Ch 29Zev is juggling nearly everything at Borant on her own, so Lexis has stepped in as an assistant.
- Ch 42Zev announces race winners now get a key to loot one defeated team's garage, possibly gaining a second vehicle or mount.
- Ch 49Zev announces the race twist: each heat randomly rolls a new track for its second half, and quests transfer between mirrored tracks.
- Ch 81Zev is on lockdown at headquarters after Cascadia overdosed and an unknown goddess appeared in the submerged wings.
Connections
- member ofBorant Corporation
- member ofKua-Tin
- friend ofPrincess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk
- related toCarlCarl's agent
- enemy ofLoitarivals for the account
- related toPrincess Donut the Queen Anne Chonksocial media manager
- related toLoitaLoita's assistant
- ally ofBorant Emancipation Front
- leadsSkindle
- ally ofPrincess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk
- related toCascadiaZev's boss
- related toKua-Tinis a
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 35A kua-tin arrives
An admin warning sounds and a kua-tin named Zev teleports into the guild room.
- Book 1 · Ch 36Meeting Zev
Zev appears in the guild, cutting the cameras, and announces she is Carl and Donut's PR agent, booking a round-table show in about forty hours.
- Book 1 · Ch 36Carl's outburst
Carl rages at Zev; she replies that everyone is afraid and she is on their side, and Donut breaks the tension with Gossip Girl talk.
- Book 1 · Ch 37Jack breaks the bathroom rule
Jack urinates on the hallway wall, and Zev urgently warns Carl and Donut to run to the safe room.
- Book 1 · Ch 41Mukta forces an interview
With Zev in a time out, Mukta overrides her booking and sends Carl and Princess Donut to Death Watch Extreme Dungeon Mayhem despite Carl's refusal.
- Book 1 · Ch 44Zev's debriefing
Zev returns from suspension, explains the Maestro's royal family and the Skull Empire, and warns that a viral fan video has made it hostile to Carl.
- Book 1 · Ch 47Agatha descends
Agatha rebuffs Carl's hint about her cart and goes down the stairs; Zev reports a feed outage during the encounter.
- Book 2 · Ch 9Mordecai finds the Water Lily cure
Mordecai learns Satch Toad extract plus a healing potion cures naiad sleep curses, but it isn't available locally, so Carl moves to plan B with Zev.
- Book 2 · Ch 11Carl's deal with the producers
Holding Grimaldi's life hostage with his poisoned blood, Carl forces the Vengeance of the Daughter producers to agree, via Zev, to make him a regular on their show, then cures the vine.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Studio disruption
Mid-show, Manasa vanishes, the trailer bucks violently, the studio disappears and Carl's HUD comes back on as the sea roils outside.
- Book 2 · Ch 20Aftermath of the assassination attempt
Back in the saferoom, Zev reports the Valtay destroyed the royal yacht, and Mordecai forbids Carl and Donut from mentioning any outside entities again.
- Book 3 · Ch 6Zev criticises Katia
Zev messages Carl and Donut that audiences find Katia boring; Donut tells Katia she needs to be more vibrant.
- Book 3 · Ch 25Zev's warning visit
Zev teleports in to congratulate the crew, explains Odette's contract changes, and warns that Loita may take over their account and their chats will go public.
- Book 3 · Ch 34Descent from Floor 4
The group returns to station 36 and heads down the stairwell; Agatha unexpectedly passes them, and Loita summons Carl and Donut to Odette's green room without explaining Zev's absence.
- Book 3 · Ch 35Loita replaces Zev
In the production trailer, Loita announces Zev's 'reeducation' and takes over as PR agent, clashing with Carl and later censoring Odette's interview.
- Book 4 · Ch 12Zev's changed return
Zev messages to congratulate the crawlers, now only as a social media manager who can't be messaged directly, leaving Donut worried.
- Book 4 · Ch 17Zev reassigned
Loita threatens Donut and announces Zev is no longer their social media manager, leaving Donut unable to say goodbye.
- Book 4 · Ch 18Loita's tirade
In an underwater production trailer, Loita rants that human culture is a contagion and reveals what was done to Zev's family to bring her back into line.
- Book 4 · Ch 34Borant's warning
Zev relays a failed Skull Empire lawsuit and a politburo message approving the plan but forbidding future sponsor-harming antics.
- Book 4 · Ch 34Borant's fury
Zev relays that the sponsors are enraged as Larracos floods; Carl insists they approved the plan and descends with Donut and Chris.
- Book 5 · Ch 6Zev's heads-up
Zev contacts Carl and Donut to say they will appear on Odette's show, and that their Vengeance of the Daughter contract still applies.
- Book 5 · Ch 12Donut's panic attack
In a sandwich shop saferoom, Donut breaks down about being left behind; after Zev's pointed interruption, Carl promises never to leave her, even on the ninth floor.
- Book 5 · Ch 17Odette reveals Beatrice is alive
In Odette's trailer, with Zev present in person, Odette tells Carl that his ex-girlfriend Beatrice is alive.
- Book 5 · Ch 18Odette explains Beatrice's rescue
Odette reveals she had Beatrice taken off Earth to keep bounty hunters from selling her to Borant, and asks permission to bring her on the show before a rival program breaks the story.
- Book 5 · Ch 20Donut's confession
Donut blurts out that she smuggled Valtay secret agents to Zev and the Borant Emancipation Front, leaving Carl alarmed.
- Book 5 · Ch 21CrawlCon fan box
Carl opens his fan box and finds he is a special guest at CrawlCon, scheduled for three virtual events without Donut.
- Book 5 · Ch 29Arrival at Alucarda
Rushing south to a saferoom before Carl's CrawlCon transfer, Carl and Donut reach Alucarda and learn Lucia Mar is its mayor just as Carl is transferred away.
- Book 5 · Ch 30Carl taken to CrawlCon
Carl is transferred through an orbital security checkpoint to a Valtay landing vessel on the ocean floor, where Zev tells him Donut fought Lucia Mar but is safe in the guildhall.
- Book 5 · Ch 32Zev briefs Carl on the panel
Zev tells Carl his panel is moderated by Circe Took, mother of Xindy, whom he killed, and hints Vrah may learn when he returns to the dungeon.
- Book 5 · Ch 34Carl coordinates his return
In his last minutes in the green room Carl sends the team a plan; Donut and Samantha report Lucia in the saferoom and hunters fighting outside.
- Book 5 · Ch 39Zev's warning
Zev urges Carl to reach a saferoom for his last CrawlCon appearance and reveals Odette's interview tunneled, adding to attention on Carl.
- Book 5 · Ch 40Replacement sponsor news
Zev reveals Carl's new sponsor was chosen after the first winner couldn't pay, and they will award his first benefactor box at the end of the signing.
- Book 5 · Ch 42Zev explains the warrant system
After Carl stabs Nihit, Zev tells him Nihit wants to press charges and explains how Syndicate warrants and franchised convict labour work.
- Book 5 · Ch 62Carl redirects Signet
Carl warns Signet her attack on Imogen is a trap and convinces her to enter the castle and wait for his signal, despite Zev's warnings.
- Book 5 · Ch 65Signet arrives
Signet unexpectedly appears in the ballroom, saying Apito invited her, upsetting the production and Carl's plan.
- Book 5 · Ch 66Carl points Signet at the judges
Carl tells Signet the judges are outside viewers controlling her world, and she heads off to confront them, to Zev's dismay.
- Book 5 · Ch 69Ferdinand arrives
As Zev deflects Carl's questions, Ferdinand appears on Carl's shoulder, and Carl signals Samantha to go while the cat is distracted.
- Book 5 · Ch 75The Popovs escape the dungeon
Katia finds the Popovs reborn as baby nodlings; Zev reveals children are ineligible, so they are freed to the surface.
- Book 5 · Ch 75The Princess Posse joins Faction Wars
Carl and Donut's team enters faction wars, and Carl gives a broadcast speech attacking the sponsors before being muted.
- Book 6 · Ch 9New interview and meeting scheduled
Zev books Carl and Donut on Shadow Boxer after Odette's show is postponed, and announces a Faction Wars preproduction meeting for Floor 9.
- Book 6 · Ch 14Harbinger as liaison
At the production trailer, Carl and Donut meet the caprid liaison Harbinger, and Quasar arrives by holo to object to his presence.
- Book 6 · Ch 15Harbinger shuts down the interview
Harbinger ends the interview, dismisses Quasar, bans Rosetta for cheating, and tells Carl he is working to have him removed from the crawl.
- Book 6 · Ch 23Zev's secure briefing
In a secure sponsor conversation, Zev explains the adjutant role and urges Carl and Donut not to choose Odette, for Mordecai's sake.
- Book 6 · Ch 40Arrival in the Florida Keys
Carl joins Donut in Monroe County after a selection glitch; the key location from Iowa has been dumped as a huge earth mound nearby.
- Book 6 · Ch 48The AI hijacks the keyholder fight
As the trailer burns, the AI locks out the production team, replaces Carl's father as boss with a nine-headed Reminiscence Hydra of familiar faces, and rants about mantis-made macro AIs.
- Book 6 · Ch 51Zev's warning
As Carl leaves the saferoom, Zev warns him that his sponsor and the entire charity, including Rosetta, have disappeared, and that no one knows what he is heading into.
- Book 6 · Ch 52Zev hints at the Residuals
Zev covers for Carl with his team and says the AI forbids interference; she suggests the errand involves the Residuals but cannot explain them.
- Book 7 · Ch 11Donut discovers the Donut Holes shirt
Donut finds Louis wearing an enchanted Donut Holes fan club t-shirt depicting her backside and is outraged; Zev explains the merch is licensed and Donut earns nothing from it.
- Book 7 · Ch 36Warning about Agatha
Li Jun reports Agatha came looking for Carl, and Zev passes on a direct order from the Syndicate's prime minister that Carl must not interact with her.
- Book 7 · Ch 42Carl's secret about the failsafe
Carl tells Donut privately that the failsafe won't go off, because he is the one who turned it off, and plans to strike the retreating army.
- Book 7 · Ch 49Operation: Snake Pit begins
Zev confirms the warlord council will go ahead in the production facility, and Carl is teleported there as Operation: Snake Pit begins.
- Book 7 · Ch 50The Aryl system goes dark
Zev reveals that triggering the failsafe caused the Aryl system and its tunnel node to go dark, an unprecedented event.
- Book 7 · Ch 85Zev reveals Lucia Mar is a dead man's switch
Zev tells Carl that about 120,000 children on the surface are tied to Lucia Mar and may all die if she does; Lucia is pulled away by an admin to be interviewed.
- Book 7 · Ch 93War breaks out in orbit
Zev reports warships firing on one another and a Syndicate order to self-destruct headquarters that they refuse.
- Book 8 · Ch 4Zev announces the tenth floor rules
After the despairing announcer cuts out, Zev explains the tenth floor: seven races, teams of up to four, last place dies, and upgrades are awarded after each heat.
- Book 8 · Ch 7Audience votes on Otto
Donut is told the audience voted for Otto to be the manatee stand-in in the arena; Elle endures a meet-and-greet with an obsessive superfan.
- Book 8 · Ch 25Zev's scripted announcement
Zev reads the AI's announcement explaining special guest creatures and the 11th floor, A Parade of Horribles; Cascadia is tortured for refusing her catchphrase.
- Book 8 · Ch 42Rules for the jungle race
Zev announces survival containment bubbles, mandatory two-hour pit stops, survival after losing a vehicle, and garage keys for winners.
- Book 8 · Ch 49Race tracks rerolled at the pit stop
Zev reveals that each heat rolls a new track for the second half; Carl and Donut get Satan's Water Park while Elle and Imani get the eternal slum.
- Book 8 · Ch 93Mandatory parade broadcast
Screens everywhere show a tunnel-node map, then Earth near the Juan de Fuca Ridge, then a yellow-brick parade route with a countdown.