# Asti — Short Fiction character guide

> Asti in Short Fiction by Andre Norton.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0012-the-gifts-of-asti

## Snapshot

A cowled stone figure in the temple whose cupped hands hold a miniature sun and planets, a relic Varta lifts to light her descent into Erb's depths.

## Who they are

Asti stands as a carved presence in the temple, an inner heat in its stone hands and a tiny solar system spinning above its palm. When Varta draws the sun away, the virtue departs the statue and it becomes mere rock, a transaction that marks the end of one service and the beginning of another. The relic becomes Varta's diadem and lamp as she descends into the mountain, leaving behind Asti's silks for scaled skin and a road of yellow vapor.

## Relationships

### [Varta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_3_se/characters/varta)

_professional_

Colleagues bound by duty, often working together on critical tasks with mutual respect.

### [Varta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_3_se/characters/varta)

_professional_

Colleagues bound by duty, often working together on critical tasks with mutual respect.

## In the story

### [The Gifts of Asti](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_3_se/chapters/the-gifts-of-asti)

The god whose temple Varta serves; the miniature sun and planets are taken from His statue.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_3_se/characters/asti
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_3_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_3_se/characters