Alferris

Alferris, the Little Crystal, is a small crystal dragon associated with Fernando whose greed for gems and magic items coexists with real skill in illusion and supernatural investigation. (Chapters 327–420, 530–679, and 781)

Biography

Treasure, service, and covert work

Alferris first offers a century of service for Lucien's Holm Crown ring, only to be reminded that it has already sold itself. Its appetite makes it an eager guardian of Lucien's equipment during a soul rite, while its role as the “demon” in Fernando's Castle Bertren test gives it firsthand evidence about projected negative emotions. Later it volunteers to infiltrate Martha's treehouse, explicitly citing its seventh-circle illusion magic. Greed repeatedly motivates it, but those same interests place a capable scout and keeper beside the Congress's dangerous work. (Chapters 327, 365–420, and 679)

Appearance and abilities

Alferris is a dog-sized dragon with translucent crystal scales and amber eyes, able to shrink and appear unpredictably. It casts seventh-circle illusion magic and convincingly impersonates a demon. Its compulsive attraction to anything shiny is a behavioral weakness: treasures can distract it and objects entrusted for “appreciation” may be difficult to recover. (Chapters 327, 365, 403, 604, and 679)