Character from Primal Hunter by Zogarth
The greatest alchemist the Malefic Viper has ever trained — a god who looks like a disheveled grandfather and smells perpetually of soil and reagents.
Duskleaf is the Viper's greatest student and possibly the most talented alchemist in the multiverse after his master. He's reserved, solitary, and deeply irritated by interruptions to his work. The Viper describes him as a struggling student who persevered through constant failure — which means Duskleaf's talent isn't natural genius but sheer, grinding persistence over 88 eras. He teaches the way he learned — through repeated failure and minimal hand-holding. His students either break through or break down. Meira Dawnleaf survived his training and earned his respect. Jake earned it faster by being genuinely, obsessively interested in alchemy in a way that reminded Duskleaf of himself. He doesn't give compliments. A grunt of acknowledgment is the highest praise he offers.
A plump elderly man with a large white beard, messy clothes, unkempt hair, and sharp eyes that miss nothing. Smells faintly of soil and alchemical reagents at all times. Dresses like someone who owns exactly one set of robes and has been wearing them for several eras. His hands are stained with compounds that no amount of washing will remove.
Also known as: Shattered Dusk Emperor, Grand Elder, Principal of the Order