Nostoc

mate- none
nestmates- none w/in the clan
close friends-
((bonded familiars- death's head stag, graveyard guardian))

local mortician and head of corpse disposal, Nostoc leads any funeral rites and services that dragons and/or beasts of the area bring to him. over time, he's accumulated knowledge of many types of funeral procedures for various flights, breeds, and beasts (particularly those of Centaurs and Talonoks). after proper rituals are performed, he also disposes of the bodies of Aceraceae clanmembers (and any other willing non-clanmembers) in a community compost pit, which he oversees as well. Nostoc's Plague talents work wonders here, breaking down organic matter at record speeds and producing rich soil/mulch for gardening. he's even able to work against the Imperial knack for fusing post-death, and can safely dispose of multiple Imperials within the same pit, if need be.

this pit was established by Eclypse, who originally pitched the idea to the Roaan long before Aceraceae was established. it didn't catch on, however-- Centaur are more keen on leaving their dead to particular ley-line crossings and letting their bodies return to the earth without assistance. Eclypse retained this knowledge and applied it to her clan's compost pit later on, laying it out at a particularly strong crossing of ley-lines so as to absorb and disperse the spiritual energies of the dead. bodies were originally left to decompose in the pit at a normal rate, until Nostoc arrived in Aceraceae soon after Eclypse stepped down as leader. he claimed he was looking for more of a challenge to his talents, and figured Nature would provide the opposing force he yearned for. Eclypse introduced him to the pit, and he got to work without a second thought; Eclypse didn't even have to ask before he set to enhancing the decomposition.

while still open to the community, the pit is now unofficially considered Nostoc's personal plot; unless they are paying respects to the dead, most clanmembers just leave him to his own devices. considering the pit is one of Eclypse's favorite spots-- for both its spiritual energy and ecological importance-- she is one of the few to make frequent visits, and enjoys Nostoc's companionable silence. she used to excitedly show off the pit to visitors, but they sadly weren't as impressed by Aceraceae's particular brand of graveyard. Nostoc was quietly thrilled when Eclypse stopped trying to show off his humble patch of land to strangers.

since most dragon burial rituals don't require viewing of the body as it is disposed, most don't actually see the bodies enter the pit. otherwise, they might notice that the bodies tend to be a little hollow, or missing a few more limbs than before. the question of what happens to the missing parts is held under an unspoken, "don't ask, don't tell," policy, but one could say that Nostoc's flight affiliation has... shifted his appetite a bit. his bleeding bandages, and twitching, parasitic, questionably-sentient companion are held under the same unspoken policy.

Nostoc is reserved, calculating, stoic, and somewhat unnerving to others, for his apparent lack of emotions. he's not fond of visitors, as he covets his solitude above all else. he will, however, tolerate quiet visitors, such as Eclypse. beyond testing his Plague abilities in the pit or preparing bodies, Nostoc quite enjoys a good book. thus, he frequently visits Millie's collection of books and scrolls; Nostoc, as it turns out, is one of the few dragons Millie trusts to properly care for the delicate materials, and she often loans the works out to him. he otherwise rarely visits Aceraceae inner territories.

Nostoc's vision is farsighted, possibly due to long nights of his youth spent reading in the dark of night.