Aster

**Aster** was one of the seven Blackblood Gods, a former Master of the Kahvi population, the patriarch of the Blackblood species, and a former host of the blue kinj. Aster betrayed his fellow Gods which resulted in the creatures being placed in a slumber that latest many lifetimes.

## Biography

Similar to that of his siblings Tera, Vorta, Janya, Kultor, and Levare, Aster ruled over the Kahvi in the Plane of Ashes until the world was nothing but ash and dirt. Aster traveled to the Green World to find a new realm for the Gods to occupy, and found that the Human residences were weak which was perfect for their settlement. The seven brought their people to the Green World, at which point, Aster grew to care for the intelligent beings that inhabited the realm. They became his friends, and when he saw what his kind was doing to the world and the people that belonged there, he couldn't watch his brothers and sisters erase them as if they were nothing. Vorta and the others viewed this as a betrayal and named him "The Betrayer".

Aster cared for one particular woman named Tallya, and fell in love with her. He fathered their child, a black blooded being that was half-human and half-Aster. His siblings plotted to kill the object of his affection - Tallya and their newborn child. Golu manipulated the woman into raising a knife above her child, and would have orchestrated the murder if Aster had not returned from fetching wood in time to stop him. Aster attacked Golu and ensured the safety of the child and mother. Aster decided to separate his siblings from their Kinjes - the keys to their souls, their being, and sources of strength, and put them to sleep. Because he cannot work against the collective decisions of the group when in close proximity to them, he worked with the humans instead. He gave them each a weapon capable of putting his siblings to sleep, though each blade could only be used once.

The humans succeeded in their mission, and Aster collected their kinjes and brought them to Vor-Anden where he sealed them away. He never intended for them to wake again, and never thought he would awaken either. He chose to pass his Asterkinj onto a Guardian to protect it and keep its power safe. These Guardians would pass the kinj throughout their bloodline. Aster was buried with honor in Vor-Anden, under a seal that could only be opened with the blood of a Blackblood, while a message was left in a crystal clutched in his hands. The crystal also contained a small portion of Janya's power, just enough to awaken him in case his siblings returned.

## Throughout The Outpost Series

In "*Something to Live For*", while searching for a way to destroy the so-called Gods and protect the realm, Janzo uncovers a map that points to the location of all seven bodies. Notably, Aster is underneath the shrine of Vor-Anden. Talon and Zed remember the location from their trip to find the Golukinj, as all seven kinjes were once kept there. Talon decides to venture to Vor-Anden with the help of Luna to destroy Aster's body before he has the chance to awaken and reunite with his companions.

In "*Guardian of the Asterkinj*", at Vor-Anden Talon and Luna have trouble locating Aster's sarcophagus. Talon asks Luna to use her Dragman abilities to find anything they can't see. Luna is quiet for a moment as she concentrates, then hears a faint whisper coming from the ground. She drops to her knees and pulls away piles of sand until she finds a mechanism on the floor, coupled with what appears to be a lock. The spirals on the device are engraved in Blackblood language. Talon reads the engraving aloud, "*Here lies the one whose blood forged our souls and made us stronger. Sleep in peace, Great Father, for all eternity. Only if black blood adorns these words do we call upon your soul to rejoin this world.*" Luna thinks it means Talon must bleed on the words to activate the mechanisms.

Talon slices her palm and presses it against the lock, triggering her blood to run through the slits in the floor and open a mechanism. From the floor rises the body of **Aster**, not in a sarcophagus like his companions, but on a slab with a black veil covering his body. Talon notices the differences as it's almost ritualistic the way he's posed and kept. Luna identifies the crystal in Aster's hands as the source of the whispers. When Talon takes the crystal, she is given a vision of Aster. He tells the Guardian of the Asterkinj that if they've come searching for answers then a time he hoped would never come has arrived, and he must be awakened with the return of the Asterkinj. After some debate, Talon and Luna decide to awaken Aster. He breaks the crystal to release a portion of Janya's power.

Still groggy from his sleep, he is bombarded with a message from Vorta, who is surprised by his awakening but warns that he will pay for his sins soon enough. When the vision ends, Aster rises from the table and becomes aware of his surroundings. He explains to the sword-drawn women that he isn't their enemy. He convinces them to lower their weapons. Talon presses him for answers and he explains that he shouldn't be awake, nor should his siblings. He came to Vor-Anden long ago to hide the kinjes, gazing back at the podium as he remembers placing them in the compartments. He notices the compartments are empty and pieces together what must be happening. Talon questions why he's called the betrayer of his kind, with Aster simply stating that if she'd met his siblings she would understand. As he gains his footing and dodges her questions, he walks to a wall that illuminates blue in his presence.

He calls Talon to the wall, revealing hundreds of names carved there. He asks if the last name, Talia, is hers, but it's not as Talia was her grandmother. Aster explains that the Guardians of the Asterkinj were meant to protect it from falling into the wrong hands, and would carve their names onto the wall to mark their service. He commends her in doing a great job of protecting the kinj. He agrees to help her defeat his siblings by eliminating them altogether, something he should have done originally. They must find a new way to destroy his siblings so they can never return. The trio then leave Vor-Anden.

They take camp for the night with Luna and Talon on-guard as they watch Aster seemingly sleep. He suddenly calls out to Vorta to hear his message and she obliges, asking if he's ready to pay for his sins. He states that he is and to meet him at Skevikor where they will converge. When he ends the message, he sees Talon and Luna with their blades drawn, demanding to know what he's done. Aster states that he put the wheel in motion, as the end is about to begin.

In "*The Betrayer*", he is first seen in the woods with Talon and Luna. While he is very vague on his plan on defeating his siblings, Talon presses and demands more answers from him. This led to her grabbing him, which in turn lead to her seeing his soul. This causes her to pass out and Aster holds her from falling.

He then explains that because his kinj/soul was inside her head for years, their souls are entwined. He likens this to being family, while Luna believes he is trying to seduce her. While on the way to the outpost however, Aster goes to the burial site of Tallya. He then explains that beneath the ruins of the Blackblood stronghold lies the love of his life. Talon wonder if he was alive when the ruins were at their prime. Aster then says that it was made after his time and by his children the Blackbloods. Both women are confused by what he means by this, making sad to know that so much knowledge and history has been lost throughout time. He then explains the origins of his betrayal and the Blackbloods. This makes both women realize that he is indeed their ally. That night after a brief history lesson on what has happened in the thousands of years he slumbered, Aster reveals that he left seven weapons with the Guardians of his kinj. He had hoped that Talon had them, but he was disappointed to hear that her mother's blade is the only one left.

Once they are inside Gallwood Outpost, Garret Spears stops them. He hugs Talon, before asking her if she had successfully completed her mission of destroying the body of Aster. She reveals that she instead gave up her kinj and awaken him, before he reveals himself to Garret. Scared, Garret draws his sword and immediately assumes that Aster is with the other Masters/Seven seeking to awaken their slaves. Talon assures him that Aster is on their side and that he was the one that put the other six to sleep. When Garret ask if he can trust Aster, Aster replies that while Garret shouldn't trust him, he should trust Talon as she loves him. Using his kinj, he accesses her memories and recounts all their times together, until he is stopped upon describing the first time they made love. Talon reveals that the Asterkinj has them counted. Garret then advices to stay with Talon or Luna at all times, and that he should keep his hood down as the very sight of him will scare people.

The trio then proceed to Talon's Place for Aster to continue his work. Talon inquires about what he is doing when he mediates, and he answers her question. Stunned by the depth of his powers she wonders why she couldn't do it when she had his kinj. He replies that she did when she first summoned Baphnoro. They are then interrupted by a knock on the front door. Talon then introduces Zed and Wren to Aster. While he doesn't show it on his face, Aster proudly states that he is happy to meet more of his descendants/children. This confuses the two Blackbloods, but Aster only disregards it and states that he has work that he needs to do and would prefer to work in silence. Leaving Luna to watch over Aster, Talon brings the two into The Nightshade Inn and tells them and Janzo about the origins of the Blackbloods.

That night as Aster continues his work, leaders of The Coalition discuss their doubts and mistrust towards Aster. Though Talon asked the others to trust her because she knows him best. They reluctantly do, and they plan on evacuating Gallwood Outpost as the other Six are heading towards the Skevikor. As the evacuation takes place, Wren interrupts Aster and ask him some questions. She wonders if it is possible to make the Kahvi go back into their slumber, but Aster says that it is impossible without the other six at The Skevikor Altar, and they want to awaken the Kahvi instead. Finding out that there is no point to continuing their conversation, Aster returns to his mediation and Wren leaves. As Garret and Zed delay the six's approach with a forest fire, Talon goes to Aster with her concerns. She then ask him what exactly he is doing. He then tells her that he is searching for another world to send the Six. A place so barren and cold that nothing can survive there.

After Garret and Zed return from their task, Wren and Janzo have the group brought down to The Skevikor Alter, with Aster. They then tell the rest of their adjustment of the plan, however Aster reveals a major flaw with the plan/himself. As he can't physically act against the other six, he had humans put down his other siblings centuries ago, and since there is only one Ahl-Kora Blade left, that limits their options and plans.

Afterwards the group returns back to the surface. After a while Aster finally finds The Void with his powers, just as Talon appears asking him the exact plan of his. He then reveals that while he can't open the portal to the void, she must use the remaining Ahl-Kora Blade on him so she can open the portal and kill the remaining six.

In "*Nothing Lasts Forever*", Aster opens the portal to The Void. He also stop Talon from putting her hand near portal and explains the dangers, as the breeze from the portal instantly freezes objects in the room.

## Personality

Unlike the rest of his siblings, Aster has developed into an altruist towards the natives of the realm and even fell in love with one of them. He tried to make his siblings see what he sees in humans, but they were more obsessed with their immortality. After the failed attempted of killing his child, Aster decided to put his sibling to sleep. After he and the rest of his kind are awakened, he sees that he was too merciful. He believes that the natives and his descendants should be free to roam the realm and the rest of his kind, including the Kahvi should either be removed from the realm or die. However, after finding out that one of the Kahvi, Marvyn was awaken and had family of his own, Aster became sympathetic to them.

Aster is a master strategist, able to plan centuries ahead given proper time and planning. When Aster had betrayed his siblings, he used humans to help him remove the powers of his siblings into kinj form. Aster then gave his children seven blades made of Ahl-Kora in case any of the six were ever awaken again, before being laid to rest. Even when time is not on his side, he is able to remain calm and come up with a good plan. More importantly he is able to change strategies on a whim. When he found out that there was only one Ahl-Kora blade left, he then decided that it should be used on him, with Talon taking his kinj to kill his siblings. While the original plan was for his siblings to be killed before they entered The Skevikor Altar, after Wren and Janzo insist that the Kahvi be saved, he was able to adapt to this new change (though it should be noted that he was less optimistic about it).

## Physical Appearance

As a member of The Seven, Aster has black spikes located all over his head, particularly located on his ears chin and top of his head. On the back of his head, he has blue strips that reaches just above his neck. Because of his black spikes he also doesn't have any hair located on his head. His face has wavy patterns on it, making him easily identifiable to being one of the Seven. His forehead has a large blue oval, containing his Kinj and power.

He wore his traditional gray robes like his siblings when he first came to the realm. However, after spending time with humans and Tallya he wore primitive human clothes over his robes, which were essentially animal pelts sewn together.

## Powers and Abilities

As one of the Seven, Aster possesses extraordinary powers that earned him the title of a God. His kinj carries a portion of his power - the ability to open portals to other worlds, such as the Plane of Ashes. He can also search the cosmos for other worlds to either visit or observe from a distance. In order to do this however he must meditate in silence to help him focus on his search.

## Appearances

**Season 4**

* Someone Has to Rule (Indirectly Mentioned)
* The Pleasing Voice of the Masters (Mentioned)
* They Bleed Black Blood (Mentioned)
* The Power of the Masters (Mentioned)
* The Pleasing Voice of the Masters (Mentioned)
* The Price of Immortality (Vision/Flashback)
* Something to Live For (Mentioned)
* Guardian of the Asterkinj
* The Betrayer
* Nothing Lasts Forever

## Notes and Trivia

* Aster's kinj was the first to ever be named, as The Smith identified the blue-tinted kinj in Season 1.
	+ Because of this, the name "Aster" has been referenced several times over the course of the series.
	+ Despite being the first named of the Seven, he is amongst the last two of the group to be awakened. He shares this title with Golu.
* Aster is the progenitor of the Blackblood species and is related to every Blackblood in the series.
* Despite doing everything he can to be separated from his siblings, he ironically ends up in the same place and planet as them.