Totally supportive!
The story of Astarion's past before Cazador is practically hidden from us now, I remember how, before I reached chapter 3, I dreamed that when I was in Baldur, I could at least dig into some archives and learn more about Astarion.
Astarion, In the artbook that was released in time for Early Access:
„Dangerous and Decadent. Two hundred years ago, Astarion was a corrupt elite of Baldur's Gate with a taste for power and a hunger for eternal life”.
If this idea is revealed in more detail in the game, it will explain the reason for the tragedy that happened to Astarion (his capture by Cazador), bring an additional emotional note to his story (the desire for eternal life is fulfilled in such a twisted and horrible way) and perfectly complement the finale of Astarion's Ascension (after going through hell and many obstacles, Astarion fulfills his dream, getting everything he wished for in the past and even more). It would certainly make Astarion's storyline more cohesive, rich, and logically complete. Astarion's story has both strong drama and a great culmination, but it's a little lacking in backstory.
I get the impression that his dark side leads the way throughout the game, especially if play the path of evil. There is a culmination, the Ascension. But there's no deepening, no clear exploration of its dark complex side that people saw at EA and still in release. Therefore, the endings look abrupt, and the subtlety can be noticed by people who play EA and\or deeply understand the inner evil of Astarion.
At this point, in order to gain a deeper understanding of Astarion, you need to gather more information about him (for those players who haven't had a chance to play EA) just playing the game wasn't enough for me personally.
I loved your ideas and of course, if even a fraction of what you suggested was implemented in the game, it would be a great gift for me as a player.
