A closer look at Cortex, Nethric Deck and Underveil. What each project is for, what works today, and the questions still shaping it.
Notes updated
01 / AI workflows
Cortex
In development
A local workspace for coordinating AI agent work. Cortex connects existing agent runtimes to shared tasks, tools and messages, so work has a history you can return to.
Working surface
Gateway, bridge & dashboard
Task flow
Claim, submit, review
Designed for
Local AI workflows
In the current build
A recorded task lifecycle. Create and claim work, report progress, submit a result, and keep reviewer feedback attached through approval or rework.
Explicit handoffs. Connected agents can send messages, read an inbox, reply in a thread and acknowledge receipt.
A shared view of activity. The dashboard brings together project and task state, bridge messages and gateway logs for the work recorded through Cortex.
A typical workflow
Create a task and connect an agent through Cortex. The agent claims it, reports progress and submits its result. A reviewer checks the work, records a verdict and sends back findings if another pass is needed.
A phone console for the workstation. Deck brings everyday machine checks and controls into a browser interface, so a quick look or small action doesn't require being at the desk.
Interface
Phone web app
Connection
Private network via WireGuard
Hosting
Self-hosted on the workstation
In the current build
Machine checks and controls. Inspect processes, read service logs, manage configured services and capture the desktop. Controls include locking the screen and adjusting session settings.
Files and a shell. Browse and preview files, transfer them, and run commands with live output. The shell remembers its working directory between commands in the current connection.
Session messages. Inspect paired Codex/Claude session mail and choose which agent to act as when reading or responding.
A workspace that adapts. Rearrange widgets and actions through configuration. Deck follows the workstation's active theme and reconnects when the private connection returns.
A typical session
Connect from the phone, check a service, read its recent logs and take the relevant action. Open Files to inspect an output, or use the shell when a widget doesn't cover the job.
Defend the dungeon Heart against invading adventurers. Build a defence from monsters, evolutions and reusable traps, then watch how your choices hold up as the next wave arrives.
Current build
Prototype 0.4.2 · Linux
Campaign
18 encounters across six chambers
Defenders
Five families · Three forms each
Prepare. Defend. Rebuild.
Each encounter has three waves. Spend a limited essence budget before combat, choose positions around bends and overlapping routes, and adjust targeting as intruders advance. Between waves, you can rethink the layout: selling refunds the full investment, cleared waves grant essence, and traps recharge.
In the current build
A roster with different roles. Skeleton archers handle ranged damage, ghouls fight at short range, slimes slow, imps deal area damage and wraiths pierce armour. Spikes, frost and stun traps support the defence.
Six distinct chambers. The campaign moves from the Overgrown Crypt to the Moonlit Reliquary, Bellwarden Cathedral, Drowned Aqueduct, Ember Foundry and Shattered Observatory. Later encounters introduce alternate routes, hazards and boss phases.
Veteran replay. Completing Normal unlocks a harder campaign with fewer build positions and stronger intruders. Saved progress tracks each difficulty separately.
A closer look at the world. Rotate characters in the 3D bestiary, zoom and pan across the board, and adjust speed or reduced motion. Combat runs locally without an account.
Development notes
The latest documented build work adds compact dungeon layouts, raised defender stations and custom Blender rigs. Recorded checks cover the Normal and Veteran campaigns and standalone Linux launch. Human playtesting is still needed to judge difficulty, first-time clarity and how the game feels.