Originally Posted by Metarra
Also, the only reason people think Tav is a spawn is because of a dev note saying they are a spawn. However, if you go off how Tav is turned in-game, they are turned differently than how spawn are turned. The blood of the creating vampire is not used to make spawn. It is significant that Astarion gave Tav his blood. The reason it's a small amount of blood is, in vampire lore, giving a newly turned bride too much blood will make them go insane. It feels like the writing of Astarion was handed down from a master to a pupil who isn't aware of the intentions of the original writer, so what we're left with are kisses that don't make sense and lore breaking dev notes.

Yep that was my understanding as well. Its the Ravenloft setting of aDnD 2e I think (which covers Barovia, a place Minsc and Boo have visited and which has a relatively new DnD canon adventure which starts out in Baldurs Gate) and has specific vampire rules regarding a vampire turning someone using their own blood, if the game wasn't referencing those rules it had no need to mention Astarion giving his blood. However he did, he tells you as much if you ask, so he intended more than just making a spawn. A bride (which by the way is a 'role' in those rules and not gender related) is not controlled by the master vampire who turned them, it's complicated and to do with affection/love and wanting a partner rather than some poor shmuck who can be ordered around.

Totally fitted with A Astarion whereas partner abuse does not.
The poor sod who is a recipient of those kisses also doesn't have the red 'controlled' aura at any point - because they aren't controlled - either because still tadpoled or because they are a bride not a spawn (or both) the only way they are controlled is by the animators. There's a document on line with all the details of the bride stuff. I actually downloaded it ages ago for another game. Pretty sure Stephen Rooney was working from it (or at the least knew about it).

Whoever is writing Astarion now is just doing the 'evil vampire lord' trope with no subtlety whatsoever, moralising to the gallery for some unknown reason in a Role Playing Game instead of allowing player agency but only for this one character on this one path - it's very sad.

Last edited by Bethra; 04/03/24 07:19 PM.
# Justice for Astarion