Astia

Astia
Character Information
Allegiance(s)	none
Occupation	Knight of Darkness
Race	Demon
Birthday	September 25
First Appearance	Zill O'll ~infinite~

Astia (アスティア) is a background character who originally appeared as a footnote in supplementary material for Zill O'll. She makes her first on-screen appearance in its revamps. The player can miss her entirely if they do not select the proper origin story for their protagonist.

She is known as "The Informer" (告げるもの) with her fellow demons.

Role in Game

Astia was once the goddess of the solar eclipse during the age of gods and once ruled the underworld with her older twin brother, Vashtar. The twins swore loyalty to Ulugh and served as his trusted generals during Vyashion's ancient wars. When her lord became the God of Destruction, Astia became a commander for demonic armies and sought to obliterate anything which opposed her lord's conquests. Her Weapon of Darkness –or demonic artifacts– are the Earrings of Impatience. Its function is never explained within the game or supplementary material.

Before the war with Solias reached its conclusion, Vashtar entrusted Astia the task of resurrecting him if Ulugh's forces were annihilated. If she were to raise him at the proper time, he could then open the gates between dimensions to retrieve Ulugh's soul. Astia obeyed her brother's wishes and concealed her identity by posing as a human for countless centuries. She created the remote town, Oswald, over the seal for her brother's soul. She lured humans to live within it and discreetly sacrificed them to fuel Ulugh's impoverished soul. The demon murdered any adventurer or spirit who had discovered her identity and was clever enough to remain unnoticed by residents.

As she observed the humans thriving in her village, the demon was charmed by the simpleness of their everyday lives. She eventually grew tired of her decades of bloodshed and desired to live as a normal human. Astia believed she had her chance when she found an abandoned infant near Oswald. Her initial impulse was to kill the child on the spot, yet she tamed her instincts and chose to mimic humanity's reactions instead. She sought to provide for her new family by running Oswald's inn and pub. The villagers soon adored the innkeeper for her charming smile and delicious cuisine. Through time and patience, Astia loved her peaceful human life and child and ignored her demonic duties for sixteen years.

Her appearance in the revamps is limited to "Starting Grounds" protagonists only. He/She is Astia's adopted child and is completely unaware of his/her foster mother's true identity. Astia knows that it is time to awaken her brother even before Baltzer comes to visit her, but she refuses to revive him for her child's sake. Since she is the only demon who has the powers to awaken Vashtar, Astia believes she can prevent the prophecy of the world's end with her idleness. Shali somehow performs her task for her. Before the risen Vashtar can eliminate her child, Astia teleports them to safety and uses her powers to give him/her her fondest farewells. Vashtar swiftly punishes her disobedience to Ulugh by eradicating her mortal body and imprisoning her soul inside of himself.

These protagonists can choose to save her if they have harnessed Ulugh's soul and defeat the Dragon King. After parting ways with their comrades, he/she uses Ulugh's soul to track Vashtar at Dark Gate Island for their true final battle. He/She duels the demon to free their mother's soul.

If Vashtar is vanquished, Astia is instantly reborn as a normal human and the family returns to their previous mundane life in Oswald. She retains her memories of her past life and is aware that she can no longer expect to be resurrected should she perish. Even so, Astia has no regrets and is pleased to have the privilege of once again being a mother for her precious son/daughter. She remains in Oswald to wait for her child to return home from his/her adventures.

Personality

Calm and gentle, Astia is a homely woman who shares jokes with neighbors and warmly greets strangers. If it weren't for her wizened knowledge of ancient texts and familiarity with demons of yore, it would be hard to believe her past cruelty towards humanity. She doesn't hope to be saved or forgiven by abandoning her duties and blending in with humans; she merely wishes to enjoy a happy life. Astia is grateful to the protagonist for teaching her the joys of human love and companionship.