Nastrond

Nastrond

The Spirit of Darkness. CE greater power of the end of the world, Ragnarok [He/Him]

Pantheons: Norse, Celtic, Xvart

Symbol: A grey wolf, or a fanged skull with a red eight-armed symbol of Chaos on its forehead

Realm: Abyss / 4 — Grand Abyss / Abyss of Ragnarok

Known Proxies: Some mara (MC11), and the Morthbrood, a cult of witches

Nastrond, the Spirit of Darkness, is a hungry shadow that slumbers in the blackest reaches of the Abyss. He’s a being so ancient and malevolent that he causes even the arrogance of the tanar’ri to falter, and they speak his name in hushed tones—if they dare to speak it at all. Nastrond’s prison-lair lies in a sublayer of the Grand Abyss, a chasm within the chasm, where light itself is devoured and sound dampened to naught. Here, the darkness is palpably alive, writhing and pressing like a predator circling its prey.

Nastrond was banished long ago, they say, by a mortal king whose name was long lost to the ages. The power was bound to the deepest depths of the Grand Abyss, not out of mercy, but because no other place in the multiverse could contain his hunger for oblivion. But it turns out this was a foolish place to banish the Spirit of Darkness, for Nastrond doesn’t merely languish here—no, he has turned his prison into a forge for his power. He devours every one of the wicked souls that falls into his realm, and his influence is slowly oozing into the other layers of the Abyss layers like ink in water. His ultimate goal? Chant goes it’s to usher in Ragnarok, the End of All Things, a cosmic conflagration that would sweep away powers, planes, and mortals alike. Unlike the more straightforward demon lords, Nastrond doesn’t seek domination—he craves annihilation.  

Fragments of Nastrond have manifested in in many forms, for many cultures. The Norse know an aspect of this power as Fenrir the Wolf who will usher in the Apocalypse. The Celts say the multiverse will end when the Otherworld opens and fire and water overcome all—and you guessed it cutter, Nastrond has a hand in that too. On Golarion they call him Groetus, and this aspect manifests above the skies of the Boneyard. There are countless myths on countless primes about the end of their worlds, and often as not, it’s Nastrond whose tendrils are all over it. Well, perhaps it’s Nastrond. Or perhaps Nastrond too, is just an aspect of something else…

Nastrond’s philosophy is darkly simple: That all creation was a mistake and the multiverse’s only redemption is its destruction. He doesn’t just want Ragnarok to come—he schemes tirelessly to hasten it. Through his Morthbrood cult, which is thinly spread across the planes, and his alliances with kindred spirits like the Morrighan, he manipulates wars, disasters, and apocalyptic prophecies. His influence isn’t subtle; it’s more like a hammer, smashing civilisations, collapsing alliances, and driving the desperate under his shadow.  

To the tanar’ri, Nastrond is a mixed blessing. His power is undeniable, and some demon lords have sought out his favour as a weapon to use against rivals, offering him sacrifices or artefacts in exchange for his whispered guidance. But such alliances come at a cost—his aid always seems to turn on the receiver in the end, sowing ruin and leaving their domains vulnerable. Still, the Abyssal Lords are always just hubristic enough to assume they will be different. Less arrogant demons refuse to tread near his lair, for the mara he commands—nightmare spirits of dark terror—prowl the darkness, devouring the unwary.  

For mortals, dealing with Nastrond represents the ultimate gamble. Out of desperation or wickedness, some will try to bargain for with the spirit for forbidden knowledge or power. Cutters of the Doomguard faction are naturally drawn to his teachings, although Nastrond himself does not care one iota for faction politics. It’s thought he’s the dark force behind many a prime material cult or witch’s patronage. Nastrond grants such boons sparingly, and always at a horrific price: a soul pledged to the Morthbrood, a life of ceaseless torment, or worse, a mission to carry his destructive chaos back into the multiverse. Most who make promises to Nastrond are never the same again, consumed by cynicism or driven mad by shadows. But for those few who survive, the knowledge they gain can set entire worlds aflame.  

Beware, cutter: Nastrond is a being of cataclysmic nihilism. He doesn’t destroy for sport or glory—he destroys because he believes it’s the only fate the multiverse deserves. And the closer you tread to his lair, the more his whispers will take root in your own thoughts. How certain are you, after all, that he’s wrong?

Source: Alex Roberts, Jon Winter-Holt, inspired by The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. I have no idea whether or not Garner invented Nastrond, although the name itself is from Norse mythology, being the name of Hel’s hall in Niflheim. Weirdstone lore: Its nature is revealed when the children are hunted by the minions of the dark spirit Nastrond who, centuries before, had been defeated and banished by a powerful king. 

See Also: Fenrir the Wolf on planewalker.com