Acanthus

Originally sent to Etherlight to gather intelligence on their research and activities, Acanthus found himself more interested by this strange clan than by whomever first paid him to spy on them--a person or organisation he claims to have long since forgotten, having little interest for who hires him and more in where he gets to go and explore in the process, citing the sense of excitement and adventure being a driving force in his life.

A dragon of questionable commitment to his work, Acanthus is more widely viewed as approachable than his similarly-employed comrade Nhariva. His demeanour is far more friendly, if not a little more than most dragons would be comfortable with. A notorious charmer and 'dashing swordsman' as he so humbly puts it, Acanthus is a good-natured coatl even if his character is more than a little unorthodox given his profession. Many dragons are fond of him for bringing much-needed levity into the clan through his personality quirks and comments during even the darkest of times. He is often one to make young dragons laugh, and females rather flustered, by his wit and charms. Some question how he ever managed to be a professional spy at all, given his apparent lack of seriousness in any matter.

In clan Etherlight, Acanthus aids Nhariva in gathering intelligence, but he is also tasked with the more personal role of keeping familiar with most clan members and how they're doing; where Nhariva keeps track of the bigger picture, Acanthus is a living dossier on most of the clan's members. His memory is acute and reliable, despite his penchant for getting absorbed in irrelevant details. Even when he paints himself as a frivolous man who could never take his work seriously, when it comes down to it, Acanthus can very much do what needs to be done quickly and reliably. In his words, "life's too short to act stuck-up because of your job." So to the bewilderment of many, he remains close to hand for Eleuthia and Nhariva and is considered an asset to the clan. There's some suspicion among the Council that his jovial attitude doubles as a convenient means to conceal just how much he is keeping track of its members.

A hopeless romantic, Acanthus is known to gift roses to women throughout the clan by means so stealthy that they just seem to turn up randomly. Roses and rose petals are often his calling card and even if the coatl is too good at stealth to ever be caught in the act, their sweet scent tends to indicate he hasn't gone far. Born of his love of flowers, Acanthus also spends some of his free time tending the sunlit gardens of the lair's caverns. In those caves which have fallen through enough to let in rays of sunlight to support life, the coatl has cultivated many flowers, herbs and other flora for the clan's use--although red roses forever remain his favourite.

It was in tending these plants that he met the imperial Libra, whom to nobody's surprise he made advances upon in his signature methodology; but to the clan's surprise, the coatl did more than just flirt with her, formally making a commitment to be her mate. The two are now a living example of an unlikely pairing, but their gifts of flowers to hatchlings and the sick, as well as sprucing up the lair, are always appreciated.