Asterion/History

The first signs of his influence appeared through the rapid spread of cults, most notably the Church of the Moon, which initially seemed harmless by offering blessings to travelers in the name of the Moon rather than the Beast God. What stood out was the unusual speed with which the cult grew in influence, despite people of the Nightmare Spell era typically resisting superstitions. Further investigation revealed similar sects across all three Quadrants, the River of Tears basin, and the former Sword Domain, with the possibility of other hidden groups such as gangs or underground enterprises also serving as sleeper agents. Outwardly, these sects engaged only in benign activities like community building and sermons, though minor vandalism was sometimes reported. The disturbing discovery was that this vandalism often took the form of graffiti bearing Asterion's name. While the graffiti itself carried no power, the name of the Dreamspawn did — it spread like a virus. Once someone learned it, the name rooted itself in their mind, compelling them to repeat it unknowingly and transmit it further to others. In this way, the Dreamspawn's name propagated exponentially, turning anyone who heard it into a carrier. Though Sunny's allies detected this phenomenon early, the infection had already reached countless people, and no cure existed since the name functioned as an idea that acts as a virulent virus. Cassie described the situation as a pandemic.^[5]

Asterion is a Supreme and inheritor of a divine lineage, possibly several, though he is not known to wield a Divine Aspect. He has been sealed on the Moon for two decades, his survival already considered miraculous. Knowledge of him is scarce because Ki Song and Anvil eradicated nearly all traces of his existence, making even the danger of his name unclear. Cassie observed that not everyone is equally susceptible to his influence: the stronger a person is and the greater their mental fortitude, the less frequently they mention his name, which may indicate resistance rather than immunity. It is uncertain whether his power grows through those infected by the idea of him or if he is rebuilding the foundation of his Domain that way. Mordret, who once referred to Asterion as his caretaker, was deeply unsettled by him, which caused Sunny to remain cautious despite believing that Asterion could not match him or Nephis in raw power. Nephis rejected the idea of culling the infected, a method once used by Song and Valor, and instead gather intelligence about Asterion. Nephis also grew troubled by her inability to sense the sparks of certain humans within her Domain, suspecting that some of those thought dead had instead become part of someone else's Domain.^[6]

His return was anticipated immediately after the end of the Godgrave War. Sunny and Nephis considered him a major threat and devoted significant resources to preparing for his eventual emergence, including searching for information that Anvil and Ki Song had attempted to erase, creating a network of informants across both worlds, and strengthening themselves as Supremes. Despite these efforts, their preparations proved insufficient once Asterion's influence began to reveal itself.^[7]

Asterion's spread of his name and knowledge functions as a form of mental corruption. The Shadow Clan and Cassie identified multiple cells of his newly initiated followers, but eradication was deemed impossible and ineffective, as awareness of his name had already spread beyond those groups. Individuals infected by the knowledge of Asterion exhibited a single consistent symptom: they actively helped spread that knowledge further. These individuals did not engage in violence or criminal acts, did not undermine the Human Domain, and did not disrupt the existing balance of power; some were described as more selfless and altruistic than average.^[7]

Investigations into Asterion yielded limited results by design, as very little information about him exists. Partial knowledge was obtained from Old Jest, Morgan, and most critically from Seishan, who inherited part of Ki Song's legacy. Seishan revealed why the Sovereigns chose to seal Asterion on the Moon rather than kill him. Asterion could not be killed because, during his ascent on the Path of Ascension, he became a unique existence—more an idea than a being of flesh and blood, described as a "demon of thought". As long as the idea of Asterion existed in human minds, he could not be destroyed.^[7]

Anvil and Ki Song themselves carried knowledge of Asterion, creating a paradox: to kill him, all carriers of that knowledge would need to be eliminated, including themselves, or the knowledge erased from their own minds. Erasing their memories would cause them to forget both the necessity and the method of killing him. Unable to resolve this paradox, they instead trapped Asterion on the Moon by culling those who formed his Domain and suppressing his influence over decades.^[7]

The precise purpose behind the spread of Asterion's name remains unknown. While the infection appeared mundane and outwardly harmless, it was widely believed that the propagation of his name served a deeper, undisclosed function.^[7]

Main article: Asterion's Plague § Bet

• Jest's Memories
• Sovereigns
• History of Sovereigns
• Domain War