Soothers

Story so far

A soother attorney handles Porthus's exit interview at the Outreach Guild on the eleventh floor, appearing virtually rather than in person. He is the second soother Porthus has met, and in two meetings he has not once looked the elf in the eye. He is large, with saucer-like eyes that hold no emotion at all, and long alien fingers he uses to bring snacks to his mouth while running down the list of indenture offers. He yawns. He does not notice, or care, that his client is shaking uncontrollably and covered in blood.

When their eyes do meet, for the briefest moment, there is nothing there. He is professionally competent - he recommends against the undead offer, recommends the Game Guide deal, warns that outreach guilds do not reopen until just before the Collapse, and reminds Porthus that surviving the eleventh floor is no small feat and next time the offers may be worse. Whatever else the name implies, soothing is a job here, not a kindness.

Appearance

Large aliens with big, saucer-like, expressionless eyes and long fingers; they attend meetings virtually, eat snacks through them, and yawn at their clients.

Role

The bureaucratic face of the crawl's exit machinery - the species that turns a crawler's worst moment into a contract negotiation over stipends and seasons.

Relationships

Earlier in this series

Also appears in books you've already read — spoiler-safe to their endings:

• Carl's Doomsday ScenarioBook 2
• The Gate of the Feral GodsBook 4
• The Butcher's MasqueradeBook 5