Mordecai

First appearance: Book 1 - Dungeon Crawler Carl · Class: Former Crawler (reached Floor 11) · Race: Skyfowl by birth; Changeling by choice

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Who is Mordecai?

Mordecai was born a skyfowl, a winged race whose members read as anthropomorphic golden eagles, and took the Changeling race during his own crawl. He was once a crawler himself, reaching the 11th floor in a previous season before his crawl ended. The shapeshifting is the Changeling race, not his birth species, and he no longer controls it: signing a guildmaster contract took that away, so the dungeon hands him a new form at the start of every floor. Now he operates a tutorial guild on Floor 1 and serves as a game guide for the crawlers assigned to him. He was assigned to Carl and Donut, which he has described, through his actions if not his words, as the worst thing that has happened to him since the dungeon itself.

Carl almost dies in the first five minutes because Mordecai didn't know the dungeon was opening that day and wouldn't open the tutorial guild door while mobs were nearby. This sets the tone for their entire relationship: Mordecai follows the rules, Carl creates situations where the rules become suggestions, and Mordecai has to figure out how to keep everyone alive within the gap between those two approaches.

What does Mordecai do?

Mordecai is the group's strategic advisor, rules expert, and adult supervision. He explains dungeon mechanics, coaches race and class selection, and helps navigate the increasingly complex political landscape of the crawl. He shapeshifts between forms depending on the floor -- appearing as a rat-like bugaboo on Floor 2, among other forms.

His dedication to keeping the party alive goes beyond combat strategy. He handles everything from Donut's increasingly dramatic personality to Carl's tendency to solve problems with explosives. This is not the action of someone who has given up on his crawlers.

Mordecai's patience

Mordecai's patience is a finite resource that Carl and Donut deplete at an alarming rate. His signature energy is the weary exasperation of someone who has explained the same thing three times and is about to explain it a fourth time because Mongo just ate the notes.

When Mongo crapped in Mordecai's mother's ashes, his response was: "This is so not worth it. Not worth it at all." He stayed anyway. He always stays. That's who Mordecai is.

In the audiobook

Jeff Hays voices Mordecai with a tone that suggests a man who took a job he thought would be straightforward and has been regretting it every day since. The weariness is palpable. The moments where Mordecai's competence shows through are some of the most satisfying in the series.

For spoilers about Mordecai's role in later books and his history as a crawler, visit the spoiler zones.

Key relationships