Sundren

Somewhere far to the east, the Sunbeam Ruins hold Sornieth's largest archive. It contains more than enough knowledge to make any arcane dragon overcome with jealousy, which is why its location is kept a carefully guarded secret. The Order of Archivists doesn't let outsiders browse their collection under any circumstances, as anyone could be a thief scouting out their mark. Heists are bad news in general, but when it's arcane dragons turning to thievery, things tend to get rather messy. Books are of no use to anybody when they've been reduced to their component elements.

Sundren is an agent of that archive, one of many dragons sent to live out in the rest of Sornieth, who only return to deliver whatever scrolls, tomes, and other forms of knowledge that they've managed to collect. This can be lonely work, though archivists are encouraged to find another clan to use as a personal base of operations. And as far as Sundren is concerned, the south-west of the Starfall Isles only has one clan big enough to be worth using as a base.

Now if only there were any other clan.

Being assigned to the outskirts of the Isles isn't so bad by itself. Honestly, Sundren prefers it to somewhere with many larger clans. Instead of endless negotiating with the self-important leaders of big clans for their books, she gets to explore the ruins of old, forgotten clans for lost knowledge. (Along with the sort of ruins that are neither old nor forgotten.) The dragons of most clans usually work together, or at the very least share some common goals. But not in Clan _______. Here it's every dragon for themselves... as far as Sundren can tell.

That makes it rather difficult to archive the clan's knowledge. It's obvious that Invernale is in charge of the library, so all Sundren should have to do is convince her that taking specific tomes back to the archive is for the greater good. But if Sundren even so much as puts a claw on one book, four other dragons crawl out of who knows where claiming they need it. She's fed up with it. Especially when those dragons are someone like Primacy. Sundren's not convinced he even knows how to read.

And so, Sundren instead focuses her efforts outside of Clan _______. Old ruins, even when they're haunted, radioactive, cursed, or any combination of the three, are far less frustrating than the dragons of Clan _______. Sundren's superiors won't be too annoyed by that, as the knowledge hidden away in those ruins is also in greater danger of disappearing from the world. Well, that's what she tells them, anyways. In truth, such lost writings are only in danger of slowly rotting or crumbling away over many, many years. Clan ______'s collection is at risk of being destroyed at any moment. Incineration, flooding, interdimensional horrors, or careless dragons folding an old manuscript into a paper hat, those books could be destroyed at any moment! Even their leader wears absurdly rare scrolls around his neck where anything could happen to them, Eleven help her! Such disrespect for knowledge brings Sundren's blood to a boil.

(The day she leaves the island, Silas's spellscrolls are coming with her, even if she has to steal them.)

Those dragons who have seen Sundren working off her anger often suggest she should join the clan guard, but Sundren's loyalties lie with the archive. She would never fight for anyone else. But that's not to say she doesn't do any fighting, even when she's a world away from the order. Whenever Sundren learns of a clan being raided, whether it's beast or dragon, and especially if it's at risk of being destroyed, she'll fly there as quickly as possible. Even is that requires flying through the night, as joining the battle before any books are damaged is of utmost importance. Sundren doesn't help the defenders. In fact, she doesn't help anyone. She only wants to stall the conflict, and so anything that moves is getting blasted with a beam of sunlight. Sundren barrels directly through the conflict, sending both invaders and defenders scattering as she grabs any scrolls or papers she can find. Often she'll take entire bookshelves and chests without looking at what they contain – pulling out their contents would waste valuable time. Once her bags won't fit any more, she leaves the clan to its fate. Whether it survives or is reduced to rubble, Sundren doesn't care. As long as a clan's knowledge is preserved, it has done its duty to Sornieth.

Sundren takes quite the interest in Lumisa and her creations. While not as perfect as a good book, the pearlcatcher's mechanical dragons are inspiring in their own way. Perhaps one day, in addition to writing, the archive could expand to dragons as well. Whether those dragons should be real or copies is something she hasn't quite decided on.