Astra Goldmark

Infobox

Astra Goldmark

General Information

Type	Stat
Type	NPC
Pronouns	She/ Her
Occupation	2nd in Command of The Golden Fleet
Associated Groups	The Golden Fleet
Race	Human
Age	Adult
Languages	Common
Nationality	The Golden Fort
Residence	The Golden Fort

Status

Type	Stat
Status	Alive

Appearances

Type	Stat
First Mention	Session 60
Last Mention	Session 61

Overview

Astra is the second in command of The Golden Fleet, residing in the golden palace found at the centre of the fort. She seems to be sole owner of a mysterious power that allows her to "see through everything" and even lets her see into the future somewhat, showcased when Halfbie through a butter knife at her with her back turned to test a theory and she dodge it with no issues.

Description

Appearance

Astra is described a good looking human with bright, piecing golden eyes (the source of her mysterious ability). She is typci9ally seen wearing black.

Personality

Externally, she is incredibly charismatic being bale to win over a lot of the party almost instantaneously after just a short conversation. Most likely through a combination of her abilities and her station, she has become almost bored of life and what it has to offer. Towards the end of her first meeting ^[1] with the party, Halfbie asks if she would be willing to join them in the OFC, She declined the offer citing that she already had everything she could ever want and more at the fort and that she was confident that they would be unable to destroy the fort.

Despite knowing the party's intentions, she still allowed the party to at least attempt destroying the fort without her hindrance nor her help. She treated the raid as entertainment rather than an actual threat because from her vantage-point the future where the party failed to take over the fort is all but written in stone.

Despite this, she is still genuinely interested in seeing how the party perform. this is best shown when she appears behind Mordecai in the mess hall ^[2] to gloat about her Mordecai had been unsuccessful in convincing any of the guards or workers to sabotage the fort's defences.

Relationships

Halfbie

She seems to somewhat respect halfbie, after they were the only one to resist her charms as well having the boldness to ask her to defect from the fort.

The Party

She seems to have a form of morbid curiosity towards The Party, however in the end she doesn't seem to care either way about them

The Fort

The majority of The Golden Fleet seem to be very aware of her abilities to see through everything and everyone. This has leads to many of them to be very cautious of the commander and some even going as far as to hate her as from their perspective, she seems to very uptight and uncaring about them and the fort.

Trivia

The reason astra allowed the party to go ahead with their plan is because Sam Gallon rolled a Nat 20 on a persuasion check for her join the OFC. James Absolom resolved this by having her remain neutral as in his words: 'there is no way she would abandon The Golden Fleet'.

Appearances & Mentions

§	Interactions
Session 61	The party stood in the middle of the grand room that was Auric Thalassar's bedroom. All that could be heard was the sound of laboured breathing, the distant sound of cannon fire, and screaming. Halfbie shouted 'We did it!!' however the party's celebration was cut short when the body of Astra began to move.
Session 61	There was a long pause. Halfbie's eyes saw read as they were about to speak, but they were cut off by Viktor, who noticed Halfbie's mood change. Viktor tried to negotiate a way that they would leave with money. Astra almost too easily agreed and told him to name their price. Viktor panicked and blurted out '50,000 gold and the ability to choose some magic items' Astra quickly agreed before Viktor could take it back.
Session 61	Viktor returned to the party defeated and making excuses for why he asked for such a low amount of money. Halfbie, who had calmed down now, told everyone not to worry and that they had it handled. They watched with nervous anticipation as Halfbie approached Astra.
Session 61	Astra would I be correct in assuming that you love a good bet?
Session 61	"Good game!" Halfbie exclaimed as their face quickly switched from cold, unrelenting focus to their usual bright self. Astra gingerly shook their hand and gestured broadly to the gold piles that Auric Thalassar once lay atop. Halfbie handed out bags of holding, and the party all began to fill them till they overfilled.
Session 61	Astra nodded stocily, "and with that, I will also take my leave. As promised, here are the items I mentioned earlier." She said she handed over a small bag before vanishing into the tunnels' darkness.
Session 61	They then all boarded the airship. Ringo joined as well, explaining he was going to open a pub in Blackwall with the money he had earned. As the airship rose into the sky, the party saw that on one of the towers was a small group of the golden fleet surrounding Astra. Seeing the airship, the pirates began aiming their cannons towards it before Astra signalled for them to stand down. At their distance, her face was unreadable.
Session 60	The party slowly climbed down the shaft until they reached the bottom. It was noticeably hotter here, as the walls were covered with thick metal pipes carrying lava. The junction needed to be redirect the lava was close by. Seeing it, Mordecai wondered if this was all part of some elaborate plot from Astra to get the party to mess up the raid. Viktor took a closer look at the pipe junction and concluded that changing the junction would indeed redirect the lava from the palace to the outer walls. Leaving it as is would not affect their plan.
Session 60	They soon split up for their various roles. While making his way down to his egg, he suddenly felt an insatiable hunger overtake him. He even killed a nearby rat, but the meal did not subdue his hunger. After trying a few more times, he gave up and kept looking for the egg while his stomach rumbled. He found the egg, and just like Halfbie had instructed him to, he quickly took it out of its cage and put it in his Bag of Holding. upon turning aorund he came to face with Astra, who was twirling their dagger.
Session 60	Viktor awkwardly greated them. Astra cut straight to the chase and asked what Viktor was doing. Viktor stated their intent to take the eggs and save them from their current fate. Astra nodded in understanding before commenting on how they never liked the captain's plan and thought it was immoral. Viktor asked if Astra planned to stop the party, and she absent-mindedly shook her head before wandering off.
Session 60	Mordecai and Drache were the next to find their target. They quickly broke into the incubator and grabbed their prize. They were heading back when they pumped into Astra, leaning against the wall. She explained that she wasn't there to stop the party from grabbing the eggs, but she needed to tell them something very important.
Session 60	"A lot of people are going to die if you don't do what I tell you to. he has done something none of you are going to like" Astra look fiercely at Mordecai when they said 'he'. Clearly referencing Mordecai's father. Mordecai's eyes narrowed as they asked what he had done.
Session 60	Astra said that she was unable to tell them what he had done because it would change the future too much. She then looked at Drache, "When I tell you to, I need you to use it without hestitation" as they handed their dagger over to Drache. Drache nodded solemnly.
Session 60	"I know it's going to be very difficult, especially once you see what he's doing," said Astra, "but you need to pommice me to leave him alone." Don't try to stop him or hurt him. If you do, so many people will die"
Session 60	They both nodded, and Astra walked away back into the darkness. Everyone met up and climbed out of the tunnel in a solemn silence. Breaching the surface, they found Halfbie using Minor Illusion to create a 3D model of the canon system they were proposing.
Session 60	Halfbie nodded, and around 100 feet above them, the workshop, their Mystic mind cast a fire bolt into the air, a single flame to begin the raid. Halfbie made their excuses to join the party, where they were told what Astra had instructed them to do. Halfbie nodded solemnly as they started to prepare for the fight against Auric Thalassar.
Session 60	Everyone followed Halfbie inside. Before crossing the threshold, Mordecai turned and flicked on one of their meteors at Robert, narrowly missing before flipping him the bird. Astra was waiting for them inside he face a mask of her and anger. "Why did you attack?! I specifically told you not to attack him!"
Session 60	"Astra, I hope you haven't betrayed me. What are these insects doing here? Come for gold, have you?" He said. His gargantuan body lay across a huge hoard of gold coins and valuables while his tail flicked back and forth menacingly.
Session 60	It was then that Astra shouted 'NOW' at Drache, who, without hesitation, plunged the dagger into Astra's body. She crumpled to the floor, unmoving.
Session 59	Viktor asked if there was anyone else they both knew, and Sure pointed out that they also knew Astra. They commented that she was nice and would often come down to give them sweets. They explained that she was a very small cog in a very large machine, so they did not hold it against her for keeping them captive.
Session 58	The narrative then cut abruptly to Viktor , who awoke much later in the day, distinctly in the evening, in a golden, ornate room, lying on a comfortable bed, feeling unwell from the cloak that had been making him sick. There was a note from Drake, illustrated with poorly drawn stick figures of the party and a magnifying glass, explaining that the others had gone to investigate and would return later. Astra was sitting in the room, idly twiddling with a dagger, and greeted him with the remark, "Oh. I thought you were never going to wake up." Viktor , still uncomfortable and dryly theatrical, replied that he did not have that joy today, then attempted polite conversation. Their exchange quickly turned toward Astra's unusual perception of time and people. Viktor asked if she had been watching him all day; she answered no, saying she had merely come home for dinner and noticed that one of her doors was still shut. He then asked permission to perform a ritual in the room, which she granted, though only with a slightly hesitant "I guess." The conversation deepened when Viktor asked whether she knew what he was going to do. Astra explained that she did not know everything, but "bits", bits of people, their pasts, and their futures. She likened it to seeing something toppling from the edge of a shelf and simply knowing it would fall.
Session 58	This led Viktor to test the limits of her insight, and Astra replied with a sequence of disclosures that unsettled him more than he initially let on. When asked what she knew about him, she began with the obvious but incisive claim that he was "not having a very good time," then summarised him as scarred "both emotionally and physically." When she moved toward specifics, naming "Shonni" and then identifying "a boy, or… a young one," Viktor sharply shut her down. He did not want her to continue in that direction. Astra then offered to tell him something of the future instead. Viktor initially resisted, saying that sometimes the future was better not known. Still, he was also too curious to refuse entirely. Astra invited him to look her in the eyes. Viktor answered with an almost flirtatious diversion, "you have very pretty eyes", and Astra responded with the blunt prophecy: "You will die." Viktor tried to wave it away as a universal truth, saying everyone dies and that people in their world often die sooner than expected. Still, Astra pressed that his death would come "sooner than you expect." She also commented on the party as a whole, noting that there was "a lot of fog" around them, as though something was blocking both their future and part of their past. Viktor speculated that the others had "pissed off the God of time," then amended that to say he did not think there was a god they had not angered.
Session 58	Astra saw prediction as a reliable extension of ordinary intuition. She said the fun was in working out how events came to pass, whereas Viktor argued that ignorance was liberating and that knowing too much would be dull. Astra, however, remained unpersuaded and stated that he was "not getting out of" his death. Viktor , in turn, replied that he did not necessarily want to escape death if it was his fate. However, he also noted that his companions called themselves "the Fate breakers." Astra left the conversation by dismissing the argument and going to dinner.
Session 58	That declaration naturally led to the next problem: the cloak. Viktor mentioned Astra's prediction that he would die sooner than expected. However, he himself estimated he had perhaps twenty years left, given that he was around 140 and not in good health. Mordecai dismissed Astra's pronouncement as possibly manipulative, but Viktor thought she mainly liked people to know that she knew things. When Mordecai offered something in exchange for the life story he had just given them, Viktor 's answer was simple: help him get rid of "this problem," while pointing to the cloak binding itself to his neck. Mordecai extended their hand; Viktor initially misread the gesture, thinking they meant to hold hands, before realising it was a handshake. After they shook, Mordecai sealed the promise with an ornate little peck and agreed to help. Viktor then suggested that Halfbie be allowed to examine the cloak. Halfbie, who had repeatedly been stifled earlier whenever they tried to investigate it, checked that they were finally allowed to speak and proceed. Mordecai confirmed that "quiet time" was over and that it was now time for them to "be a nerd."
Session 57	The party awoke to a noisy Halfbie shamberling into Astra 's house early in the morning. They were a wreck. Spilt wine adorned their hastily donned clothing as they stumbled their way into the house and onto a nearby chaise longue. Mordecai was the first to poke their head out of their room to check what the ruckus was. a smile infected their face as they saw the haggard and clearly hungover Halfbie lying down in the living room.
Session 57	"That sounds like a good idea!" Astra shouted through the walls.
Session 57	"Not everything, but the walls are thin, and I could hear you when you spoke a bit louder", Astra replied.
Session 57	"Hang on, we'll join there", Halfbie replied as they all got up to see Astra.
Session 57	Leaving the room, they found Astra cooking themselves breakfast, the smell causing Drache's stomach to rumble quite loudly. Halfbie sat at the table and, after twiddling his thumbs, asked if Astra had any interested in documents that they could read to gain a better advantage.
Session 57	Halfbie threw a nearby form at Astra. She disappeared, reappearing behind Halfbie with a fork pointed at their neck. They were very impressed with her speed. "I told you, i see everything," she said. "I can what is happening and what is yet to happen, although not every far into the future mind you."
Session 57	"Oh, I said I'd let you do the raid, even search the place yourselves, but I never said I would help you do it." Astra replied like a lawyer.
Session 57	Astra stood by the pan, frozen, unsure of how to respond. They soon nodded and put a small weight on the food as the watch the bacon slowly get crisper, much to their delight. The rest joined Halfbie by the door where they had cast prestigitation to clean their clothes and get ready to leave.
Session 57	Halfbie 's voice was as cold as ice as they said, "We're here for an inspection. The receptionist didn't look fazed and asked who they were here on behalf of and what they were auditing. "We're here on behalf of Astra Goldmark," they replied, "We're here to do a safety inspection of defences and maintenance; staffing and personal safety, we'll need to rotas and documentation"
Session 57	Mordecai found themself in the mess hall, they confidently strolled over to a group sitting at a table and asked if they could bum a cig. One held out their pack, and another conjured a small flame to help light. Sitting down and thanking them for their generosity, they struck up a conversation, quickly finding common ground with them as they all agreed how annoying Astra was with their cursed eyes.
Session 57	Sam explained that his primary job was moving and maintaining the canons, while he was ft for any smaller, more technical work. He also complained about how he had to keep up his work even though no one had dared invade the fort in decades. however apparently Astra insisted that the fort stayed battle-ready because something would eventually come for them. After some more moaning, Mordecai eventually cast suggestion on the man, hoping to convince him to block the canon barrels so they would miss fire when used.
Session 57	As Mordecai looked for another target, a familiar presence appeared behind them "How's it going?" Astra asked smugly, "I think it'll be tought to find anyone despeatre enough to give you anything"
Session 57	"Well no ones been dumb enough to try in recent memory." Astra quickly finished her fag, put it out, and left. "Keep up the great work!" she said sarcastically.
Session 56	The old man gave a kind smile before opening his ledger and asking if they knew who their supervisors were. Once hearing this, they didn't know this information either, and he started listing names, putting considerable emphasis on Astra Goldmark, who, they presumed from his tone, was of a higher station than the rest. The other names where as follows:
Session 56	Viktor only walked up and stated that they were here to pick up an order for Astra.
Session 56	"Are you sure you wanna piss off Astra more than they already are?" bluffed Mordecai.
Session 56	"Astra can lick my boot, I answer to Rick no'ne else." he man barked "If we're gonna have a problem hear i sugest you bring the form or bring Astra herself, without those, you'll get nothing"
Session 56	Halfbie had spent most of their time analysing the women's eyes, and from what they could tell, it was a rare magical consideration that allowed the owner to see through anything to see someone's true intentions. Viktor had also been thinking and was certain that his person, Astra, didn't have much combat power, but she was clearly incredibly charming.
Session 56	Astra smiled and nodded in agreement. She even offered to host the party at her house since the snowstorm was so powerful.
Session 56	Astra began to give direction to the house not too far from the armoury before beckoning the other to join her. She took them to a large increaibly ornate building. Inside, which was filled with many plush sofas, cushions, and golden statues, she guided them to their own individual room and showed them where to find the facilities. "I hope you enjoy your stay at the Golden Fort", she said coyly before leaving for her own room.