Astrid Myriad
Astrid Myriad
Blue Tiefling • Great Old One Warlock • Survivor of the Soul Harvest and Archon of Hope
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Overview
Astrid Myriad is a tiefling warlock whose pursuit of forbidden knowledge brought catastrophic consequences to his homeland of Corinth and nearly to all of Westwynd. His brilliance, curiosity, and arrogance drove him deep into occult study — ultimately binding him to the entity known as the Lord of Faces / Microphone.
With the effort of the The Runaways, Astrid was able to separate the yolk of Microphone from Westwynd and break free of the pact that once defined him.
His powers previously manifested violently: when casting spells, his body would erupt in unstable, violent black flame, a visible sign of the warped magic flowing through him when he was tethered to the Lord of Faces.
Physical Description
Astrid appears in their early twenties, slight of build, with distinctly fiendish tiefling features and faint arcane scars burned into their skin from the failed ritual that cursed him. Their eyes glow with an unnatural intensity, and when channeling eldritch power, they become engulfed in roiling black fire that distorts the air around them.
Personality
Astrid began as a quiet, intensely introspective figure whose pursuit of knowledge often overrode caution and empathy. He valued precision and truth above diplomacy, and early on he was intentionally cruel and emotionally withdrawn.
Meeting The Runaways challenged both his worldview and his emotional detachment. Forced to trust others to survive, Astrid learned that the true worth of people was not in knowledge, skill, or power — but in the ability to endure hardship, confront fear, and continue forward.
He ultimately came to live by the philosophy:
“This too shall pass.”
Early Life
Astrid was born in Corinth to loving parents, Cryo and Mina. He grew up beside his younger brother, Lear, whose small but natural magical talents Astrid envied yet adored. Their days spent fishing at the lake and experimenting with Lear’s dancing lights remain Astrid’s most cherished memories.
Astrid’s insatiable curiosity led him to topics most considered dangerous: gods, forbidden histories, and the nature of mortal belief. Under the influence of his enigmatic classmate Myth, Astrid pursued knowledge outside the Weave, unknowingly inching toward the being that would destroy his home.
The Catalyst Event
Astrid’s desire to comprehend what should not be comprehended brought him into contact with the Lord of Faces. This first brush shattered his worldview and began the spread of the Soul Harvest across Corinth.
His parents fell ill, and Lear’s magic — then his mind — dissolved before Astrid’s eyes. Astrid alone survived, burdened with guilt that would shape every choice that followed.
Abilities & Powers
- **Former Thrall of the Lord of Faces:** Astrid was bound involuntarily through exposure and forbidden study.
- **Black Flame Curse:** Not a weapon, but a catastrophic self-inflicted curse from a ritual born of arrogance. When casting spells, Astrid erupted into unstable black flame that harmed his body, mind, and surroundings.
- **Vast knowledge of rituals, curses, and forbidden runes:** Much of this knowledge was gathered under Myth’s guidance or through fragmented eldritch texts.
- **Resistance to Soul Harvest corruption:** Not immunity, but a hardened tolerance that allowed him to survive exposure that killed others.
- **Ascended Insight:** After becoming custodian of the Ethereal Realm, Astrid created a vast library recording the lives and stories of mortals, observing without interfering — a deliberate rejection of the Lord of Faces’ possessiveness.
Relationships
- **Cryo & Mina:** Astrid’s loving and inquisitive parents, both lost to the Soul Harvest.
- **Lear:** Astrid’s younger brother, whose fall to the corruption remains Astrid’s deepest wound.
- **The Lord of Faces:** His former patron, captor, and cosmic tormentor.
- **Isaac Neeman Blackburn:** Astrid once saved him from suicide. Isaac now carries a watch that preserves an aspect of Astrid’s soul.
- **Jane:** Astrid’s lover. Her tethering to the Soul Harvest and their final encounter haunt him.
- **Myth:** Tutor, betrayer of the Lord of Faces, and Astrid’s closest intellectual companion.
Major Story Arcs
The Journal Years (Ages 17–20)
Astrid’s journals detail his descent from prodigy to cursed warlock.
Early Obsessions
At seventeen, Astrid questioned the nature of gods, fate, and mortal worship, believing truth could be grasped through study alone.
First Contact
Despite Myth’s warnings, Astrid sought deeper comprehension of the entity that empowered them. Curiosity became fixation; fixation became infection.
Lear’s Fall
Lear loses his magic, then his autonomy, then himself. Astrid witnesses the Soul Harvest consume his brother — a trauma central to his character.
Study of Wards & the Black Flame
Astrid learned to hide thoughts from the Lord through Wards taught by Myth. He later discovered fragmented texts describing the ‘‘Black Flame’’ — a ritual he arrogantly believed could free him.
The Jane Incident
A defining tragedy in Astrid’s life.
Tethering
Jane read Astrid’s tome in desperation while he slept, unintentionally exposing herself to the Lord of Faces. A Soul Harvest parasite attached itself to her.
Myth’s Warning
In a vision, Myth warns Astrid that Jane is tethered and that the Lord despises her influence.
The Black Flame Outburst
Astrid attempted to execute a controlled spell to kill the parasite. Instead:
- The curse ignites uncontrollably
- His flesh burns to ash
- His voice is destroyed
- Their home is obliterated
His final message to her, pushed into her mind:
+JANE, LEAVE.+
It is the last time he sees her.
Before Runaways
Astrid wandered Westwynd, cursed and unstable, still tethered to the Lord of Faces. He sought ways to sever their bond, unaware each attempt only deepened his corruption.
Sparkborough
In Sparkborough, Astrid encounters Isaac, scarred by the Lord’s influence. This awakens Astrid’s desire to protect others from suffering the same fate.
World Tree
Astrid learns the metaphysical structure binding the Lord of Faces to Westwynd’s planar fabric. This knowledge becomes foundational to his eventual ascension.
The Death of Myth
Following events beneath the World Tree, Astrid believes Myth has been killed by the Lord for his betrayal and replaced by a false tutor named Doc. The loss pushes Astrid further toward self-destruction.
The Black Flame Rebellion (Corrected Canon)
Astrid’s final attempt to use the Black Flame was not a rebellion — it was a catastrophic miscalculation.
During the ritual:
- The two realms blurred
- Geometry distorted
- Sanity strained
- The Black Flame surged uncontrollably
- Astrid’s body decayed into living fire
The ritual did not harm or even touch the Lord of Faces. Instead, it left Astrid permanently cursed, broken, and closer to death than ever before.
The Corellite Era & The Error Project
In the Corellite Empire, Ovina attempted to elevate Astrid to godhood by isolating and amplifying the ‘‘Error’’ — a fractured mind-piece of the Lord residing within Astrid.
Astrid writes a mental note urging himself to:
- Protect Ragnar
- Protect Marco
- Protect Ausmund
- Trust Merridoc
- ‘‘Break the chain, even if it means breaking yourself.’’
This marks the beginning of Astrid’s internal rebellion against destiny.
Myth’s Perspective
In his private writings, Myth classifies Astrid as a ‘‘3b Warlock’’ — one who knows the truth of the Lord yet continues to struggle against it.
Myth does not view Astrid’s Black Flame ritual as defiance, but as tragic hubris. Yet he admires Astrid’s refusal to surrender his identity, even as he destroys himself.
Current Whereabouts
Maintaining stability in the Ethereal Realm. He has chosen to refrain from influencing the Material Plane so as not to mimic the actions of the Lord of Faces.
Notes
This page reflects only the most commonly accepted version of Astrid’s history. Competing records, magical distortions, and unreliable narrators may alter or contradict certain details.
