Astrid Nash
The Basics
Name: Astrid Nash
Gender: Female
Age: 20
The Physical
Height & Weight: 5'3'' 115 lbs.
Hair & Eye Color: Red hair/ Grey Eyes
Physical Description:
Eccentric. Generally speaking most that meet Astrid will come to that conclusion long before the hour is out. Astrid is a mixed bag of different tastes and styles. Red head and glasses are the only solid icon of her identity. One day she might be wearing a tank top and short shorts as she works the collection, and the next day she might be sporting a pair of baggy jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid flannel shirt. She can move between a frilly dress to wearing leather pants. Every morning Astrid wakes up, reads her horoscope, and tailors her look based on what she reads.
Regardless of what she's wearing, Astrid is remarkably perky. Her walk and her general stance is usually filled with some what of an energy. She will twirl a pen at rapid speed when she is thinking.
It is not uncommon to find her in roller skates in the archives in order to get to places rapidly. She has a wide variety of them in different colors and styles. When not wearing roller skates, there is a 2/1 chance of finding her in Converse high tops.
Questions
1. Do you work for the Magnus Institute, or do you simply work alongside it? If the former, state your current position at the Institute (Archive Assistant, Field Agent, Artifact Containment). If the latter, detail your relationship with the Institute, why you choose to help them and in what capacity you do so.
Answer: Astrid works in Artifact Containment.
2. Do you have any connections to the various Entities? Do you follow any of them out of respect, or due to religious reasons? Do you hate them all? Detail your feelings about the Entities below.
Answer: Astrid does not have any connection to any of the Entites as a follower; however she knows them. She has had fourteen siblings and each has died to one of the Entities- the only one that remains is The Extinction. So Astrid is aware that for the cycle to be complete, she will face it someday. She is part of the Magnus Institute partly to help them understand this new Entity.
3. How long have you been working for or with the Magnus Institute? If you have worked for the Institute for longer than six months, state whether you consider being transferred to the smaller New York branch a punishment for past mistakes on the job, or an opportunity to further advance your career.
Answer: Astrid began working for the Magnus Institute when they came investigating her rather strange family lineage of death a year and a half ago. She proved adept at the collections and simply stayed on after the investigation ended. Perhaps she is an artifact- perhaps she's just a bit of bait. Either way- she enjoys curation and has no intention of leaving.
Talents
Education:
Astrid has a general High School diploma and a degree in Art History and Library Sciences.
Computer processing.
Over the past year she's done a lot of training about artifact discovery, identification, and storage. Consequently she's spent a lot of time researching the occult and various creepy things in history.
Skills:
She's a whiz at gaming, organizing data, and creative problem solving.
She is a natural when it comes to computers. Anything informational seems to happen easily for her.
While she hasn't taken a programming class- she programs- and she can't explain how or why it works.
Artifact:
????
Under The Hood
Personality:
Astrid is odd. Okay in her estimation everyone is a little odd, but she's very odd. That comes from being from her family. Having been born in Provo, Utah, being a the youngest of a family of 15 kids was not uncommon. Course there were two sets of twins in there, but still- traditional Mormon family- except they weren't very traditional- in life or in death.
She is strangely brave since she believes that she knows who is going to end her. The irony of it- is Astrid is remarkably adept at using computers. She understands them, and is a little frightened that she believes they might understand her right back. She's created an AI program that helps her with research and the curation. They're a connected duo- that may or may not be connected to the Extinction.
She is an avid geek of all things nerdy. She will play video games in order to get her mind off things. Truthfully she might have become a little insane after 14 of her siblings met very disastrous ends. That insanity is more of a bit of hyperactivity and a strange attitude toward the artifacts, that they are living creatures. The positive aspect of this- is they tend to be secure once she's settled them in- or restrained them, depending on their mood.
Those that meet her though will find her warm and interesting, if not a little dizzying. Her intelligence tends to move like Knights on a chess board- three steps forward and then a step to the side.
Fears:
As many as she has siblings. She is a little nervous about going out into the world. She believes that the Magnus Institute is the only thing that is holding back her rather horrible death- She has currently survived for a year and a half.
She knows she should be afraid of computers, but moth- flame.
Backstory:
Her father, Ammon Nash, a professor of Occult studies at the University of Utah- was always sort of looked at askance by the general population. His wife, Becca Nash, was a known Wiccan and not a member of the predominant religion. Many believed that Ammon Nash simply joined the LDS church to get a look at the artifacts that the religion supposedly held.
When Astrid was two years old, her father was removed from the records of the LDS church and the family moved to Chicago, where Ammon took up a position at the University of Illinois. Whatever happened there- changed the family. Astrid does not know what her father did- but he left one night, during a storm, and the next morning he was found in pieces all over the Graceland Cemetery. Some pieces such as his right eye, his heart, and his liver have never been found. (Chicago, IL 10/31/21)
Two days later her mother went to Lincoln Park and never returned. Her body was found resting on the rebar sticking out of the water where the Bridge of Sighs used to be located. (Chicago, IL- 11/2/21)
It took a week and the first of the Nash children- Ethan Alexander Nash-to be effected. He died at the hand of the Buried. He was found in a fetal position- crushed. (Salt Lake City, UT- 11/9/21- Attributed: The Buried)
One week later Benjamin Joseph Nash- was killed by the Black Plague. (Silicon Valley, CA- 11/16/21 Attributed: The Corruption)
Three weeks later- the twins Philip Michael, and Calyn Dominque were dead- Philip drowned the the sewer in the dark and Calyn burned to ashy bones atop the man hole cover. (New Orleans, LA- 12/7/21 Attributed: The Dark/The Desolation)
Three days after that- Brittany Nichole Nash- was found dead skinned in the same cemetery where her father was found. (Chicago, IL- 12/10/21 Attributed: The End)
A week later- John Christopher- was found dead having stabbed his own eyes out- sitting in front of his computer. (Salt Lake City, UT- 12/17/21 Attributed: The Beholding)
The next day- Christian Jacob Nash, was found in the Chicago Zoo- in pieces. The body had been thrown to the bears. (Chicago, IL- 12/18/21 Attributed: The Flesh)
Christina Marie Nash, Christian's twin, was found in the zoo as well, having been torn apart by wolves that inexplicably got out of their enclosure and apparently hunted her through the zoo until she was eventually run down. (Chicago, IL- 12/18/21 Attributed: The Hunt)
It was at this time that the Magnus Institute took a vested interest in the family. The youngest members of the family were the only ones left. It was clear that something strange was going on with the household.
After meeting with the emissaries, Juliet Benedice spent two days in her room refusing food. When the family broke the door down- she had hung herself. (Chicago, IL- 12/20/21 Attributed: The Lonely)
That night- Laura Elizabeth, Maria Valentina, and Nathaniel James escaped out the back of the house intent on running away. No one is sure what happened, but authorities say that Maria for some reason killed both of her siblings and then destroyed herself. Autopsies said- contrary to first impressions- that Laura Elizabeth died of a heart attack before the final blow was dealt, and it seemed that Nathaniel James had attacked two bystanders who claim that he was calling them monsters, before his sister took off his head with a bat. (Chicago, IL- 12/20/21 Attributed: The Slaughter/ The Spiral/ The Stranger)
The remaining children were taken into custody away from locations that they frequented. A sort of supernatural witness protection program. Unfortunately it failed-
Zedia Madelline fell down an elevator shaft when getting ice at the hotel where they were sequestered. (New York, NY- 12/21/21 Attributed: The Vast)
Charles Anthony was found in the morning, swollen with large sores- a series of black widow bites all over his body. (New York, NY- 12/22/21 Attributed: The Web)
Only Astrid remains.
Writing Sample:
"HOW How How is this safer?" Astrid narrowly stopped herself from screaming and brought her voice down to a reasonable tone.
"Just relax." The agent was calm. Way too calm for the three remaining Nash children.
"ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION!? WOLVES! Brittany was skinned... There is a lot not to be relaxed about!"
Charles slammed his fist into the drywall leaving a large dent. Astrid looked at it. That would be extra on the hotel bill.
"You seem to have an idea about what's going on," Zedia, always the pragmatic one sat on the bed folding her hands. "Care to share it with us? I mean it can't hurt can it. Charles is right- Wolves- bears are one thing but Johnathan dug out his eyes when he was alone as was Juliet. Perhaps it is time to give us a little knowledge. If this is a serial killer-"
"No, no that's not it." The agent looked uncomfortable and proceeded to text something on his phone.
"You don't think its a serial killer?" Charles said. "What you think these are accidents?"
"Not at all..." the agent frowned as he messed with his phone further.
Astrid frowned too. They'd taken all their phones, computers, games... she felt twitchy. Walking over to the small, round table, she pulled out the room service menu.
"Can we get something to eat. Starving."
The agent looked at her his eyes narrowing and then he looked back at the phone. "Food... should be safe," he said and then nodded.
"Should?" Astrid asked.
"Yeah," the agent nodded. "Just stay away from the windows... and um..." he looked around eyes going to the corners of the room.
"Windows- you're kidding right?" Charles walked to the window of the hotel room and banged on it with his knuckles. The agent winced. "I could throw a chair and I doubt it would break it."
"For the sake of safety, let's not," the agent responded. "Come away from there please."
"Gawd."
Astrid looked at the window and then the Agent. She wanted to grab his phone and do so many google searches.
"Well," Zedia said, standing. "I'm going to go get some ice- unless you're finding that as a no no on your phone?"
The agent, despite Zedia's sarcasm, looked at his phone. "Um..."
Zedia folded her arms. "Really? Ice?"
"Well, no not ice."
"Good," Zedia lifted the bucket, walked to the door, and opened it. She flipped the door block so the door would remain open. "Three minutes. I'll be fine. Anything vegan on the menu?" she asked Astrid.
Astrid looked down. Charles was coming over to stand by her shoulder. She looked as her sister moved through the door and down the hallway. Vaguely in the distance she heard the ding of the elevator...