It's a great dilemma indeed, but I find the psychological aspect even more fascinating. As remorseful as he feels about his unwilling actions, it seems to me that he's still more worried about what it means for him personally, and how it all makes him remember his years of anguish. He says looking at the spawn reminds him of his own pitiful state and he loathes that feeling of powerlessness. He desperately wants to leave his past behind. For the first time he has the freedom to do something about it. If he doesn't help the spawn, then he becomes complicit in Cazador's cruelty and can be likened to him. He hates him, but also doesn't want to be compared to him. It's a moment of realisation of his own darkness and capabilities. Does he accept or reject this side of himself? If he ascends and you call him a tyrant after becoming his spawn, he will agree ('Precisely!') and tell Tav that he's not ashamed.
Ah, I was wondering if the Ascended path had a "bad ruler" line somewhere, to oppose "good ruler" Astarion when he goes to govern the spawn in the Underdark with or without the player. It surprised me how grim that particular epilogue was, it must be one of the most unhappy endings you can possibly get.
I like that Spawn Astarion gets comfortable with the darkness inside and around him, while also finding some joy in inspiring people for a change. It's a bit like Ascended Astarion is a spot of darkness in the sun, while Spawn Astarion is a bit of light in the darkness - Gale even calls him a "ray of metaphorical sunshine amidst the darkness" which I might have quoted before but it's just adorable so there .... XD I hope that maybe Astarion's romanced dialogue also gets expanded. It feels like there is a part missing - and you again have to make a choice between hugging him and other good interactions ... really.
Originally Posted by Ametris
Originally Posted by Anska
It would be funny if by killing all the spawn in the cells, you killed all the spawn linked to the ritual - Astarion included. ^^ I mean, if you want to be morally righteous, be completely morally righteous, no?
I can only imagine the gargantuan mountain of salt this would create. xD
Ha, yes! XD It's probably the ending I like least. (Along with the Underdark one) When he talks with Ulma after killing the spawn, it sounds like he made that big, hard choice that was ultimately the right one - but it rings a bit shallow because he passed judgement over others that by rights should have also included him and the other six spawn. (You can't tell me that Petras won't do stupid things in the near future - and Leon and Dal will probably be at each other's throats very soon too.) And it's the one that makes no sense to me.
But the first time I reached that point I wondered if choosing to kill the prisoners didn't have the potential to backfire horribly, simply because of how the ritual was explained before. X)... Apart from the whole thing lacking logic of course. Did Cazador have to open all cells, each time he threw a new person into one of them? That does not sound like a very clever locking mechanism for a prison system.
The "you want what's best for me" video. I wished for an option to a) threaten to just blow up Cazador with the orb in that situation or b) tell him that this trick doesn't even work for Tara anymore. ^^ It just begs for a cat-dad response.
