Astaroth was created to be the perfect warrior by the grand priest
Kunpaetku. Kunpaetku served the god of destruction Palgaea, who desired to
possess the demonic sword Soul Edge. Astaroth was created in the hellish
heat of Palgaea's shrine under the god's protection. Feeling hatred from the
moment he was born, Astaroth was commanded to find Soul Edge at all costs.
Kunpaetku had his own secret motives, however. He desired the blade so he
could attain the status of a god.
Astaroth, with giant ax in hand, left the shrine in search of Soul
Edge. A mighty and savage warrior, he soon came to the notice of an azure
knight called Nightmare, who had in his possession
the legendary sword. Nightmare offered Astaroth a position as one of his
henchmen, and the giant accepted. Astaroth had no intention of remaining
Nightmare's servant. When the time was right, he would slay the azure knight
and take Soul Edge for his own. Unbeknownst to Astaroth, Nightmare planned to
devour the souls of all his accomplices once he regained his full strength.
Astaroth and his new companion Lizardman
proved to be perfect for Nightmare's unholy cause. The two slaughtered dozens
of innocents so that Nightmare could feed off the souls and regain his
strength at no risk to himself. Astaroth carried out the massacres like a
cold-blooded executioner, much to the dismay of his other "ally," Cervantes,
and also knew that she was linked to Soul Edge. He remained cautious of her,
especially after Nightmare's army reached Ostrheinsburg castle, the
destination of their journey.
One night, while Astaroth and his army of clay golems were on patrol
outside the castle, Astaroth witnessed Ivy leaving the castle via an underground tunnel.
Astaroth confronted Ivy, and a battle began. Despite her skill, Astaroth defeated her easily and left
her for the golems to finish off. Feeling the time was right to confront Nightmare,
Astaroth returned to the castle to find the possessed knight and claim Soul
Edge. He reached the castle only to find that Nightmare was gone and with
him all trace of the sword.
Astaroth searched for months for Soul Edge, but to no avail. The
trail was too far gone, so Astaroth returned to the shrine. On the way, he
received a vision from Palgaea that detailed Kupaetku's treachery and gave
him a new set of orders. Kunpaetku greeted Astaroth once he returned to the
shrine, and began to berate him for not finding the sword. In accordance with
Palgaea's instructions, Astaroth grabbed the priest and dragged him down into
Palgaea's dark domain. The two have not been heard from since.... |