Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion All the things we want to chatter about Astarion & other stuff, without hijacking another thread :)

Here's the complete conversation after Astarion drank me dry.



I make Astarion drink my blood every night so he can get his buff. Can he drink your blood?

Personally, I differentiate between being Tav or Dark Urge. As a Dark Urge, I definitely understand Astarion. As a Dark Urge, I don't mind him drinking my blood. He is killing me, okay ... we live in a world full of magic and strange creatures. As a Dark Urge, I've been revived so many times that I'll pass it off as a minor accident. Especially since the Dark Urge definitely takes pleasure in pain and death, especially in himself. For my Dark Urge Astarion is initially nothing more than a path to immortality (being immortal is always relative) after knowing he is a vampire and I'm thinking about what price Cazador is willing to pay. I just don't like the point about being spawn and him having total control.

I really wanted to save Alfira... I guess Astarion didn't switch to non-lethal damage... it couldn't have happened otherwise

Wow, ok so this is another moment where he mentions that he was a magistrate in the past! I only knew about the one time he says it when you first meet him, and again after meeting Gandrel. This would be the third time that I know of. I also never saw him mention before that he doesn't remember much of anything of his past life before becoming a spawn. Thank you for sharing!

In my last playthrough, for some reason the dialogue option to invite him to feed on you doesn't appear. I think it's either a bug, or it doesn't appear because I told him he can feed off of the enemies we come across.

Oh no... I think Astarion wasn't paying much attention when you were discussing your plan with him.

Yes, I think Astarion will start to use the blood lakes as his personal wellness spa and to take his nightly baths in. Sceleritas scowls as he has to stand beside him, serving him wine. *Astarion leisurely sips through a straw*

Lol the official explanation of ruined brain.^^; My DUrge goes to sulk in a corner, feeling hopeless. If anyone is seen making fun or giggling at her behind her back, Astarion and Sceleritas will nod at each other and throw that person straight into the oubliette. One of the very rare times that the two of them team up.

It's so cool to see our lovely butler there along for the ride^^

You can basically trigger the moment whenever you want, you just can't tell him that he should talk about himself. For me, this is the perfect moment to let him tell his story. Otherwise he just says his one-liner.


Yes, you can't tell him that. I would always forget his buff, so I let him drink my blood just for practical reasons. And like I said, I'm the Dark Urge, why do I care about a little blood? As soon as I'm a spawn, I bite everything and everyone. ^^


Yes, that was apparently too much information with the non-lethal damage. Not that this has ever happened to me. The gloves that cause lightning damage are also dangerous, ask Minthara or Minsc. Of course I had nothing to do with it.


As soon as Sceleritas is out of sight, one of Astarion's scented candles comes flying from the background and lands in the middle of the puddle of blood. Sceleritas calls out to Astarion "Sorry Master, it slipped out of my hand".


In a pink nightmare full of rainbows and unicorns ... There must be something like that in Avernus.

Almost forgotten ...

I don't know where to go with it.

Thanks Larian, here's a little dance of anticipation from Dark Urge & Sceleritas on Patch 7... but in World of Warcraft, there was no dancing Dark Urge & Sceleritas emoji.

Thank you.

"We are coming home"

Dark Urge & Sceleritas dances in WoW ... Youtube Short

Wow, so many interesting things have happened here! This is gorgeous, great fun to read you all! <3


Oh, what a touching shot! Thank you, I've added it to my collection! Someone should show me that Astarion photo whenever I misbehave, hehe... I'm imagining my DU getting into a fight with some nobleman at a ball, and has already started a duel of honor, putting her opponent's face on the feasting table, but suddenly sees Lord Astarion's gaze like this, gets embarrassed, lets the victim go, quickly realizes she's a lady, adjusts her dress, and then throughout the dinner expresses herself in an extremely refined manner, observing all the rules of cutlery etiquette without fail.


About the friendship type of connection with spawn Astarion, I agree. When I played this version for a bit, in addition to the sadness, it also felt like something... Gone irrevocably. Compared to what started in the second chapter between us. With the Ascended, it seems to me that this passion is more than carnal, it is an all-encompassing passion. Both spiritual and physical union. Like some higher level of relationship development, like a fusion. By the way, in ancient times there was no such concept as “trauma”, but there were concepts of “suffering”, “humiliation” and “revenge”. Revenge is also a step towards healing, revenge erases the past humiliation, elevates over the former tormentor. The avenger can regain his appetite for life, he no longer feels insignificant.The Ascended Astarion gains appetites on a concrete, physical level as well. Of course, abandoning all of this, Astarion will feel regret and sadness, and will suppress them. Tav, who didn't help him Ascend - yes, they are still the only close person in the world, but they are not the person to whom Astarion can fully open up, with whom Astarion can be himself, show himself as he is. This is not the person who understands him, and so Astarion suppresses his feelings and continues to play the role, he becomes “better”. For others. When the larva is gone, all his senses are dulled (except hunger), as a vampire spawn should be.


The boy smiles sweetly whenever Sceleritas' story reaches the description of the final blow in that battle. He is proud of his mother, and then he sleeps sweetly, curled up in a ball under the blanket, and he dreams that he is the true incarnation of Bhaal, that he is Bhaal himself, and he walks through the world, and the world shudders at his footsteps.... When he wakes up, he thinks about wanting ice cream and fireworks from Felogyr's store, and needs to sneak into his sleeping parents' bedroom to wish them good morning, starting to jump on the bed and loudly shouting out his grand plans for the day.


Oh yes, great reaction... I love it! I laughed for a long time when I was in that situation myself, hehe. Makes me want to keep doing wacky things for the sake of his outrage.


Awesome!


When I see Astarion screaming and outraged, it makes me want to squeeze into my chair, apologize and reboot, and then I realize it's a video, hehe. One of his most vivid reactions.


Dark Urge should start running after him (if he can keep up with the bat) and lecture him on vampire physiology, explaining that an Ascended vampire can't get fat, and that he: “Perfect every time!”


Oh, that's great! Thanks for the tip, now I'll definitely let Sarevok live! I didn't think of that myself, and fought as usual. I'll have to experiment with non-lethal strikes with different opponents in general, maybe something else like that will work!


Yeah, during the mirror scene, I remember. But he gets so animated afterward when you start telling him how handsome he is! <3 I wish I could tell him something in the style of Shakespeare: “Thy eyes are nothing like the sun, in them beats like a moth a living fire...” I'd write him wreaths of sonnets if I were Tav/DU. After Ascension, I love his lines at the mirror so much, taking him to each mirror along the way so Astarion can admire the beauty in between bloody fights and reckless adventures.


Yes, that's the most interesting way to conduct this fight!


I agree, it's good that it didn't come into the game. It's pretty disgusting, and the shock factor would work a bit wrong in that case in my opinion. The new endings for Dark Urge in patch 7, though, I think will be very interesting! It's good when bad ideas go away and better ones come in their place.


Oh, awesome! The cutest family of villains in all of Faerûn! <3


How wonderful! They are so beautiful and cute! <3 Thank you, this will be one of the warmest art in my Astarion collection!


I always fool the spawns in the cages that we'll save them. But it's also for rational reasons - Sebastian might put a curse on Astarion if we told the truth. And besides, why should they suffer while waiting for death that's inevitable? With Nettie and her poison, I too wish I could just trick her, take the poison and just use that poison as a resource, for example by smearing it on a weapon. It's unfortunate that I can't explain this to Astarion, and he would then think I'm a fool to actually be willing to take that poison, and give disapproval.


A pink little girls' room with soft walls, toy ponies and princess dolls (enchanted so they can't have their heads ripped off). And a soft toy dagger that they cannot cut with, but whenever they try to stab one pony or princess with it, the dagger sings silly children's songs about being a good boy.


I also prefer the option of letting Astarion drink all my blood to the end and not throwing any checks, the only pity is that in that case I lose his line of thanks when he turns around, saying “That was a gift. Thank you, I won't forget it.” The first time he bit me, I really wanted to feed the vampire properly, I think there is a special connection that happens during the bite. I wish I hadn't blamed him for finishing me off, but I wish I could say I let him. After all, what is death and resurrection in this world? 200 coins? Astarion will get it back soon enough by emptying someone's chests or pockets. At least he ate properly for the first time. To me, there's no difference between Tav and DU. My Tav has also been killed in battle and resurrected multiple times, so it doesn't cost anything for her to die a much more pleasant death once. I always play as a DU now because, DU has more plot, more story, more interactions with Astarion, and with Tav I just screwed up the first time I mistook DU for a companion. The difference between the two is that with Tav I can imagine a separate story of her past, while the DU has her own story. I got a tougher and more evil DU than past Tav, and my Tav didn't love Astarion right away, but over time, found him quite problematic at first because of his disapproval. And with DU it already turned out that as soon as Astarion put a dagger to her throat, so everything - “I want, my boyfriend, you, sweetie, will be mine, what eyes, what a nice evil face!”. Astarion still worries that the others will find out that he is a vampire, and is not aware that he has practically fallen into the clutches of a passionate and evil woman. My character doesn't worry much about control - it's something like: “Once upon a time there was a vampire, and he was angry and hungry. He was fed once, fed twice, fed three times... And then - bang! Ascension and he is already married. And most importantly, he wanted it, he's happy with it, and he thinks he's in charge of the family! Great plan!” Astarion, too, takes his “leap of faith” at this. He binds himself to his beloved forever, and if she ever wants to betray him, to leave him, he will be very unhappy, because this person is the only one in the whole world for him, the one he wants to be close to forever. I think they are both connected. Astarion is strongly attached emotionally. Also, I prefer a vampire bride over a spawn (although I really like Astarion's line, “My little spawn!”), and it's a mutual bond. The bride will also develop vampiric powers with her lover. The conversion ritual goes as a bride ritual by all rules, and the animation of the conversion scene matches.

I wished the game could regularly let Astarion finish my blood to the end like the first time, because paying 200 coins is more to my liking than going around all day with an anti-buff because I'm bitten.


Yes, it's because of the enemies! I had the same puncture the first time, there was no dialog option, I was biting myself with Astarion without dialog, just applying his bite on Tav. You need to be sure to tell him after the first bite that he can bite you (so there's a line).

In the new game I discovered a bug or not a bug, but a feature:
- If you let Astarion finish you drink it all down, then, after resurrection when selecting a dialog, you can agree to the suggestion that he will feed on enemies and he happily approves. And then, approach him again (or the next day) and activate the "about the time you bit me" dialog and offer yourself. Then you'll have both approval and the ability to feed the vampire.

+ Found a new dialog about the ability to not enter other people's houses. It activates when you enter a kargi's house. (I never had it before).
+ If you do not pester Astarion with questions in the beginning, then later he will tell a little more than one phrase that he immediately gives out on the shore that he was a city judge, boredom and all. And, again, if you don't ask him much about his vampire life, and reach the hunter, then in the dialog to the question "how do you become a vampire", there will be a new phrase that "it turns out he's need to bite Kasador" and his new answer.

About the de-buff, in the Druid grove, at the lonely bear, who catches fish, there is a stone, under it amulet sylvanus, they can remove this de-buff or the ability of the priest (Shadowheart).

Maybe this information isn't new to anyone, but it was new to me)).

The funny thing is, if you let him kill you, you can remind him of it twice later. Like a vindictive, grumpy wife. (he-he)

Oh thank you, I didn't know that, interesting to see!

Thank you especially for this:


Yay, all problems with biting are solved! I found this amulet, but I didn't use it... I didn't realize from the description that it can remove the de-buff. And this de-buff is a nuisance, especially when you fail a check just because of this -1. In honor mode, for example, so in general every bonus is important and every minus can bring trouble. Enemies are not so easy at the beginning of the game either, while Astarion is still quite vulnerable, at the beginning I always have him as an archer until we raise AC, and you have to get close to them to bite them, and Astarion can get a nasty hit because of that. Now we'll just start every morning with a good breakfast, use the amulet, and everyone will be fed and happy.

Welcome back Marielle, I hope you are well. *consorthug*



That's cute, Sceleritas will definitely jump out of his fruit crate bed and start running. But stays in front of the door, Astarion has forbidden him from ever entering the bedroom and since the time he taught the boy to say "Gortash" when asked about his father, Sceleritas has become a little cautious. Astarion killed him for hours for this, it was of course a great pleasure, but you don't have to anger him again straight away. Sceleritas throws the delicious blood candies on the ground and lures the little screamer to him. "My sweet little master, you shouldn't do that. We'll fulfill your wishes later and if you're a good little master, we'll play pranks on a few more townspeople."


Sceleritas always tells the boy how lucky he is to have such parents and that this makes him something very special and when he grows up, Bhaal will give him unique gifts of his power.


She is so talented, I hope she will show us more of her drawings. I'm hoping for Nanny Sceleritas, which several little white bats have latched on to. His life doesn't get any easier...poor Sceleritas.


I always kill Nettie because she wants to poison me and I'm a Drow and I don't like the whole situation there anyway.

I always go to her with Astarion (he might empty her pockets first :))


You are so evil darling.


For me personally there are differences. Personally, I wouldn't play a Tav like a Dark Urge. Because yes, the Dark Urge has a backstory but also a completely different approach to power that Tav doesn't have. Of course Tav can also be extremely evil, but I would never be able to do it in the way that a Dark Urge allows me.



The conversation is very interesting, unfortunately you have to play very strangely for it and in doing so you block other story texts, depending on how many long breaks you have taken and you also trigger the Auntie Ethel event very quickly and she disappears from the grove.

That's the conversation.



I love the part of telling Astarion over and over again that he ended up killing me. He apologizes every time, it's really cute.

I don't have the right dialogs blocked, though, I just probably already know by heart which one will pop up when. So, the game was running normally, but with something new. I like finding the new dialogue ones that you wouldn't normally call out in a "normal" game (Like, oh, there's of those in here?). (That's if you go down to the dungeon before the bite, go straight to the hunter before the bite, etc.).
So, this time I decided not to pester him with questions, and he gave me something new, this is cool).

I now give him answers that you wouldn't usually choose, but he usually reacts very relaxed and he seems to enjoy being easily annoyed. I think everything is ok, unless you act completely against his interests. As a Dark Urge, I plan my long rests differently because you need 2 more nights, so I pay close attention to my long rests at the beginning of the game, otherwise too much story will build up or get lost.

Yeah, everything's fine, I was just on vacation. I was very happy to hear that they're definitely going to fix our kissing facial expressions. *consorthug*


- Yeah, Scel! Come on! It'll be fun... - Astarion Jr. grinned predatorily, rubbing his little hands together, wrinkled his nose, checked his fangs (they were in place) and, grabbing Sceleritas by the arm, dragged him outside. After exposing his face to the morning sun, he squinted contentedly, laughed, and turned into a small bat. Sceleritas in invisibility followed him. In the square, the herald was climbing the platform, preparing to read an announcement to the small number of gathered citizens.

- Aha... - the bat took out a scroll of illusion spell from his inventory (as we remember, Astarion and Dark Urge had magical pockets through which they could transfer items to each other and carried a great number of useful things in their inventories, so it's not surprising that their son inherited this ability as well). He applied the illusion to the scroll in the herald's hand and...

The herald unfolded a sheet of paper and began to read out:

- Citizens of Baldur! This week, the city council decreed that everyone, from small to large, must wear their pants backwards! Honorable citizens, nobles and merchants must wear gold pantaloons on their heads only! No pantaloons - no head! Taxes will now be paid with live mice! The mice are to be brought in sacks to Baldur's bank and released without waiting for their turn. W-what? - The herald turned pale, hiccupped, and looked around at the bewildered townspeople.

- Finally, these stupid lords have come up with something good! My pants are tattered anyway, they can be changed backwards either way...” came from the back rows, and then from there came the shouts of a lady who had become an unwilling spectator of the process of changing the pants backwards. - Hey, Joe, let's go get some mice, we've got a barn full of them, at least we won't have to pay those assholes any money!

The bat chuckled and flew onward. At the marketplace, he used his magic hand spell to reach into the thief's pocket, took out a lockpick, and in return he put a love note from a noble lady with a meeting place. The lord from whom he took it, the kid put a rotten tomato, which perfectly matched his fancy suit. He cracked the cellar of a tavern with a lockpick, letting in a group of sad, hung-over alcoholics and three cats. Then, Ast Jr. scared the pigeons, the pigeons scared the dozing guard by hitting him with their wings, the guard's cry scared the thief, the thief recoiled from his victim and stamped on the foot of the editor of Baldur's Mouth Gazette. The editor of the Baldur's Mouth Gazette, cursing, waddled back to the print shop to scare the townspeople with the bad news.

- Scel, carry me home, I forgot to eat breakfast! - The little boy landed in the palm of Scleritas' hand, -Because my mom says that it's forbidden to bite strangers, because they don't wash their necks, and children shouldn't take anything dirty in their mouths...


He's going to grow into a handsome guy!


Wow, I would love to see that! <3


Yeah, interesting, I'll give it a try.


Actually, yeah, Dark Urge has a lot more potential for evil roleplay. Tav might want to become a vampire's bride for the sake of immortality, though for me it was more of a nice extra gift, with the added possibility of being free of the gods. The main thing was for Astarion to gain power and have the ability to protect himself from all the “goodness” that there is too much of around. DU has her own power and the main motivation for turning would be to be able to bind himself to Astarion forever.

Joining in with a *consort-hug.* Welcome back Marielle and I'm happy that you got to come back to such great news. <3 I was so elated about it.

Oh how convenient. The one time he talks is when he wants to get us in trouble. *eyeroll*
I guess Sceleritas didn't even do anything wrong, if they can't die anyway. Maybe they'll even learn a life lesson about standing too close to chasms.


I love this, he's so sweet to her. He can accomplish many things with only that one patiently disapproving look.
"Really, darling... Must you do this now?" *gives the look* "Well. Not to worry, he will pay for this... when the time is right. You just relax now and let me take care of it."

So many great points. About the passionate connection with AA, yes, I believe it's much more than just that. They become deeply bonded – sharing each other's blood, giving everything to one another, sharing an everlasting bond, literally until the end of the world (just like he says). This requires an immense amount of trust. I would also describe that as being a love/bond that goes way beyond the ordinary; fusion is a good word to use to describe this, especially after the vampire bride ritual. The vampire bride now has a part of his essence. How it feels to me is the two of them don't really need anyone else in their life, except for each other.
Very interesting about the different concepts under trauma in ancient times. Revenge often tends to be seen by people as something that has a negative connotation, but I can see it as a part of the healing / empowerment process for Astarion as well. There is not only one set path to achieve this for him.
That hits really hard, thinking about how his senses are dulled after the tadpole is removed. I personally don't want to play a character who influences him into not doing the ritual. The whole time he wants to do the ritual and he doesn't change his mind when the time comes to do it. I would feel guilty about playing a part in him losing out on so much that he could have gained. The ritual was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he will now never get again. I wouldn't be happy about this.
I see the Ascendant route as Astarion staying true to who he always was - and now he really gets to indulge and enjoy the full range of his emotions and pleasure and everything else in the world. "Tasting everything that Faerun has to offer."

Too cute^^ I can imagine his parents' sleepy and mildly annoyed faces. <3

Hehe, it was a happy accident in my case. I think I forgot to turn off non-lethal damage.^^; And then got this as an interesting "reward."
I think it ties in really well with some of Jaheira's lines (during the game you can ask her if Bhaalspawn can have children; then during the epilogue, she mentions the subject again).

I love how happy he is that he can finally admire himself again after ascension. He really looked upset during the mirror scene, thinking about how his reflection was another thing that he's lost. He does seem so satisfied after you cheer him up. And I like the way he says, "Veeerry good," if you say something that pleases him. Lol

Thank you so much! That makes me happy.

Agree with your thoughts. It's easy to forget that Astarion also takes a leap of faith here. He doesn't just turn you into a spawn, you're basically getting married during the turning night. You're precious to him, his favorite person in the world (I personally think that's what he means by "You are my favorite"), his treasure. He means it when he says he wants to share it all with you (until the world falls down).
Yes I love how he says "Hello, my sweet little spawn." There's something special about how he says that hello.

Thank you! And that's a clever workaround! Why didn't I think to make him bite me instead? ><
But yeah, it feels like it's really easy to miss out on the "Feed on me" dialogue option.

I need to reload an old save and try this!

This is new to me, I've definitely never heard him talk about the ability to enter people's houses!

Going to try this too

I need this in my life.

I'm still dying at Sceleritas' fruit crate bed.

Thank you darling. Your ideas are so fun and inspiring.

Consorts are so creative. <3 This is just too cute! We're creating a whole book about Scel and Jr.'s adventures.

Yeah, it's great! We can play with mods for now, and in the fall it will be very interesting to see what kisses will be. And new modding tools - I think modders will create something awesome with them eventually!


Poor Doni went through stress and learned to talk. It's a good thing they can't die. I remember in the Witcher 3 game, you could accidentally kill a cat in combat - they would run underfoot and random damage would go through them. It was horrible - after a difficult battle and defeating an enemy to see two cat corpses lying on the ground. I restarted and agonized over how to somehow lure the enemy away to where cats don't run. It's a good thing that in BG3 they reinsured and made the kids immortal for such cases. By the way, in BG3 I didn't have a single instance where I ever killed someone randomly who I didn't intend to kill.


The blood has a rejuvenating effect, Sceleritas has fewer wrinkles and is more refreshed.


Mmmm, it's nice to be around such an Astarion, “You just relax now and let me take care of it”... Rare man, DU is very lucky to have him... <3

Dark Urge sits down at Astarion's right hand, smiles placatingly, and whispers affectionately in his ear:

- How good I feel next to you, my love... I feel I have nothing to fear anymore.

Astarion took her hand and intertwined their fingers tightly:

- My powers grow stronger every day, I can protect you from any threat. What were you afraid of before? - Astarion squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow, as if preparing to deal with some unseen threat.

- The existential emptiness associated with the absence of determinate values. - Dark Urge whispered in his ear, kissing the tip of his ear a final gentle kiss. - You've already dealt with it, my joy...

Astarion laughed, a sincere and ringing laugh of joy, and, still without unclasping their hands, led his consort to dance.


Yes, that's right! They are completely happy dissolving into each other, complementing and filling each other. The vampire and his bride have a mental connection, they can mentally communicate, just like with the tadpole before, only they don't need any tadpole for that. If one of them feels some very strong emotion, the other will automatically feel it too. Fear, pain, threat - and will be able to quickly come to the rescue, before the first one calls for help, while feeling where he is. Well, they don't go far away from each other anyway. Joy, love, pleasure - this will also be felt by the other, and it can be shared, as if doubling and multiplying these feelings. Emotional and spiritual merging is a greater pleasure than just physical intimacy. And with physical intimacy under such circumstances, with the ability to feel what your partner feels, it's probably just something fantastic, inaccessible to ordinary mortals, unless they are powerful psionics. Maybe I'm fantasizing a lot, but it seems to me that the bond between a vampire and his bride would develop and strengthen just like that.


Healing and empowerment - that's very well said. Healing on a physical level as well - Astarion no longer suffers from any of the problems associated with vampirism, he gets only the bonuses of it. He is no longer dependent on anyone, he doesn't have to adjust to anyone, he becomes the complete master of his destiny.


Because the tadpole brought him to life, awakening his senses. An Astarion spawn with a tadpole is completely different from a regular vampire spawn. Aside from the sun, after getting rid of the tadpole, Astarion will no longer be able to taste, he can only drink blood, but he will feel vampire hunger. In fact, hunger is the only problem the tadpole didn't fix, so the disappearance of constant hunger is the first thing Astarion felt after Ascension. The spawn's emotions are also blunted. The undead odor will also return. I, too, when I played with the Unascended Astarion, felt guilt and furious helplessness, from the impossibility to fix anything, I couldn't finish the game and I don't want to, I'd rather watch a video than mock my Astarion and myself in my game. This may sound silly, but I have a special affinity for “my” Astarion. I love learning his character and watching his different reactions and videos of him, but “my” Astarion on the PC in my house was born to love him. So no matter what the roleplay is, other decisions I may make may be different, but with Astarion I still have the same decisions and the same lines in many places.


Awesome! I first discovered non-lethal damage when I encountered hostile gremishka in the game. They look a lot like cats (well, cats are cats in general, monster cats) and figuring out about non-lethal damage for their sake helped a lot in many other places. For example, fighting Viconia, even though it's a completely different Viconia from the one that traveled with me in BG2, but still killing my old friend wouldn't have been fun at all.


Yeah, love that line! And admiring Astarion's narcissism is a special thrill.


Hehehe, it makes me want to cuddle up to him and purr afterwards. I have never met in any game such devotion from a beloved companion and such a strong attachment.


Astarion bit all the companions in my game, just for fun. Just don't bite Gale, he's toxic, he makes Astarion sick!


I love children's mischief and little hooligans! I used to sometimes think, I wonder what an adorable mischievous little prankster elf Astarion must have been when he was little? Knowing his character... That might be embodied in his son.

I'm glad to hear that. Yes, it's so nice not to have to look like that anymore.


Does Jelliwig, Dolly Thrice's friend, still work there?

Once Jr. found the bell and kept calling the poor Dolly Thrice. At first she let the cheeky little guy get away with it, but after the tenth time she was annoyed. "Be happy that we Pixies haven't killed children for a long time. When your mom comes, look at her happily with your pretty face and tell her that the Pixie rewarded you just like your Mommy did back then. If you're really good now and if you leave Dolly Thrice alone, she will definitely show you your reward. Give her a nice greeting from Dolly Dolly Dolly, but she will know that I was here."

With that, Dolly Thrice disappeared and the little prince is excitedly waiting for his mommy to show him his reward.

Sceleritas sees it the same way. It's not his fault, why is Doni standing there?

He doesn't want to be punished by the Dark Urge again because he was nice, even Sceleritas immediately gets sick. "Master, please kill me just for thinking I could be nice."


Sceleritas looks much better afterwards, he almost thinks Astarion might be right about his wellness spa. Bhaal still won't like this idea... and who will have to pay for it? Poor Sceleritas of course!


We inspire each other

The underwear problem is now solved, so I can move on to the next thing.

If we want to play together with Patch 7, we definitely need a lot more glitter, perfume mist, pink bombs... and dance battles!!! lol

Yes I understand, I would reload a fight to save an animal or person I didn't intend to kill. In DOS2 I spent some time moving little rabbits out of an area so that they wouldn't accidentally get killed during a fight there. In BG3 I reloaded the circus fight a few times when any of the bystanders got killed. But yes, I don't remember anyone getting randomly killed by me on accident in BG3. I think it is a good thing overall, but then there are a few instances where they can still be killed by other characters.

Sceleritas feels so bad about this that he runs off and buries himself in the garden as punishment.
Dark Urge is confused, not realizing what Scel. even felt so bad about in the first place.

Lol. Vampire facial for the whole body.^^

Aww the way you write Sceleritas as a character, you make him sound so endearing. I feel for the poor guy when I'm seeing things from his point of view.

Yes I think Dark Urge is very lucky to have someone who is so unwavering in his devotion. All he really wants is for you to be by his side, and he would do whatever he can do keep you there. I believe you are the first person he's ever really loved, let alone to that extent. I think they're both very lucky to have each other; they both understand what it's like to walk a dark and lonely path under the thumb of someone controlling their actions. They find comfort and understanding in each other in a unique way that they couldn't quite get with anyone else.
And imagine what a good dancer Astarion must be! I'm hoping we get to have a lovely dark waltz with him in the palace at some point. <3

I think this is a poignant and beautiful way to describe the union/connection between them. The true depth of this feeling would be supernatural or otherworldly to us. My impression of their bond is one where they become so intertwined, to the point where it would just be pure agony for one to live without the other. That would be another reason why they always want/need to keep an eye on each other and protect one another from any threat. "All of this would be nothing without you."

I do not think it's silly at all, I think we all have "our" own versions of Astarion (or whoever we romance) or interpretations of him to complement our character and our unique motivations. As long as we're happy in the end is what I think is important.
Yes, I agree. I don't like that I have to feel guilt (or that I get told that I should feel guilt) for finally freeing Astarion from the torment of that eternal hunger, and allowing him to live again. Because I hate the thought of making him live an eternity as numb and suffering from the hunger. The things he did while under Cazador's control were not his own sins and I wouldn't want to see him punished for what he had no power over. Alongside all of that, the romance with AA feels more substantial to me and more complete than UA -- that was my experience.

Yes, to me it is really the best dark romance I've ever played. Not sure if there's any I can think of that even come close to it. Good ones of this quality seem to be very few and far between.

I love the way that you bring his mischievous little self to life! All the little details you add, his expressiveness, and how sweetly precocious he is. He's for sure a little Astarion and so precious! You can just feel how energetic he is and how much fun he's having bringing all the chaos to his surroundings. It's so lovely and such a pleasure to read!<3

Sceleritas is already hard at work with all the preparations.^^ He's also practicing his best death stare while dancing.
I can't wait to see what new clothes he's stitching together for us.

Short video with two of my favorite Astarion banters/quotes:


1. "No doubt they found me too intimidating." (Banter with Lae'zel at the creche. I like his self-confidence here^^)
2. "Call all the friends you want, bird! It won't save you." (Loaded an old save. First time ever hearing him say this )

The way that Astarion says "It won't save you" sounds the same to me as how Orin says this line in Act 3.

How am I supposed to explain something like that to Bhaal *sigh*... I'm more morally flexible, but I never kill Scratch and the owlbear cub. I also hate killing Bex & Danis. I would have to test whether I can knock them out in Act 2 and then put them in the inventory to put them in a safe place ... something like that. Trying to save all the Tieflings before I kill ...sounds like a challenge.


Because I know his voice and how he speaks and what he says, I can put myself in his shoes.

I always imagine that I have to write text as if tiny Sceleritas would say it. As an unworthy but absolutely loyal and unprincipled servant, he doesn't want to upset his beloved and revered master, even if he gives him bad news. He feels honored to die by his hand and do any menial work for his master.

For me it also works with Astarion by adding as many actually unimportant details as possible.


That's the only crucial point, we should all have fun playing the game. Who wants to judge what is wrong or right about my playing style or from which perspective or motivation I prefer certain things.

The game allows many different perspectives on certain situations.


I haven't heard that before, I'll have to trigger it lol


Btw trigger ...Was anyone able to trigger this scene with Astarion after patch 6? If so, under what conditions? I've tried different ways but this choice just doesn't come up. If it has disappeared or been bugged, it should definitely find its way back into the game.

Suddenly, something landed beside the prince, apparently jumping from the nearest fence, and mewed in displeasure. The huge black cat shook off the dust, stretched, yawned, and headed down the road toward the market.

- Kitty, kitty, kitty... - Ast Jr. reached for this imposing furry stranger with a smile.

- You say to me, “Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty,” but you do it without respect. - The cat turned around, stopped and sat down opposite the Little Prince, keeping a watchful eye on him with his cunning green eyes.

- Uh...” The little boy froze in surprise with his hand outstretched in the air. - Well, I wanted to pet you... Ahem... Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself, Astarion II, son of Lord Astarion I and his consort, Lady Dark Urge. May I offer you a promenade, or invite you to dinner at the castle? There's a soiree tonight that will be attended by some of the most... prestigious people in the city. - The boy stuck his nose up, proud of how beautifully he could introduce himself and mimicking his father's trademark grin.

- Dinner, pur-mur-mur... Noble faces, expensive shoes... I have not yet had the honor of sending my natural needs into expensive shoes... It's a worthwhile proposition, I'll think about it. - The black cat tilted his head to the side and began to actively scratch his ear with his hind paw, it seemed to symbolize his thought process. - Look, Prince Astarion, is the flea still there? These little creatures have gotten cocky.

The heir leaned toward the cat.

- Nah, I don't see it...

- Uh-huh. It's on my paw, I clawed it. That's what you should do to them, you know?

The boy nodded seriously. He saw no reason to do anything differently with the fleas yet.

- Do you want to be my partner? Do you want to be a loyal henchman of the predatory, dangerous and ruthless Murrleone? Then tell me, what are you capable of?

- I can bite, I can turn into a bat, I can spit out of a tube, more...

- Hush, hush... - the cat raised his paw, stopping the Little Prince from enumerating his virtues. - Biting is a good thing. I respect that too. But without claws, - Murrleone abruptly released the claws on his raised paw, showing them off in all their glory. - Biting would be wasted labor.

The boy stared slightly disappointedly at his fingers with their neat aristocratic manicure.

- A bat will do, you can infiltrate the ranks of the enemy and give them a wonderful prank... - the cat with a snide chuckle, rubbed his front paws together, - But not a bat, better a regular mouse, these primitive idiots do not like those who stand out and fly too high, they will start laughing at you, and the operation will fall apart.

- But I'm a vampire... Vampires turn into bats, not regular mice... - Ast Junior widened his eyes in surprise.

- Vampire? Do you know how to scratch furniture? Scratch it to shreds? And how to scream at night so everyone comes out cursing at you? Vampires, from what I hear, hunt at night. And I like to hunt at night. And then scream. No, don't think I'm asking for anything from anyone, - Murrleone made a skeptical face and waved his paw dismissively, - this world has been rotten for a long time. Don't believe, don't be afraid, don't ask. - The cat looked at the boy with the look of a weary sage. - Yelling should be for pleasure, for self-expression. Yell in a way that no one likes it.

- And how do you yell so that no one likes it? - the little boy squatted down and stared attentively at the cat.

- Well, I'll teach you. - Murrleone sucked in a deep breath of air with his nose and pressed his ears against his head, - MYA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U!

Poor Dolly Thrice jumped out into the street again with terror on her face. The guard dog from the neighboring house whined and hid in his box. The pigeons synchronously pooped on Balduran's statue. The little prince jumped and clapped his hands in joy.

- Awesome! Awesome, awesome, come on, come on, come on, come on! Come on, let's go to the castle, I'll tell mom and dad I invited a real bard to dinner, not like those boring bards and their incessant howling! Hooray!


“Sceleritas is bad!” - The little boy said in a confident voice, patting Sceleritas on the shoulder, trying his best to justify his playmate. “He's really bad! He brought a cat into the castle, the cat ripped up the wallpaper and ate all the food off the table, left and promised to come back! You can't bring home cats, Sceleritas, you're no nice at all!”


Yes, it's such a happiness! <3 Astarion will never betray or abandon, they can both be themselves around each other, understanding and accepting each other real.

Oh, maybe with the new modding tools after patch 7, Astarion can add Will's dance, that would be so cool!



“All of this would be nothing without you.” - truth. It's like a title, or like an epigraph for the whole Astarion romance. And that to live one without the other would be pure agony. I've always been annoyed by this: “When you ask for freedom, Astarion will blah, blah, blah...” What, in the name of all the devils of hell, freedom? It's like: “When your character jumps from the highest roof upside down...” In the case of the roof, at least it won't hurt as much. They're happy together and they're both watching out for each other. <3


We have nothing at all to owe anyone except our loved ones, and “you should feel guilty” - in real life these are the words of manipulators, something you should never fall for. “If you don't want to see my middle finger, put away your index finger” is a good saying to that effect. Of course, the game has nothing to do with reality, that's just me for the sake of example. I completely agree with you, and the only real guilt I will feel is if Astarion is forever suffering for being a spawn forever. If you purposely fail this manipulative persuasion check, which is needed to refuse the ritual, Astarion will tell you how he feels about it. Too bad I couldn't find a video on the subject, you could try it in game if you have a close save. And look at the look on his face during the ritual rejection scene.


He just looks plain exhausted and depressed in this scene. Even without the moment where he cries horribly painfully and bitterly. If you watch that scene frame by frame, honestly, it's far preferable for the Astarion-loving DU/Tav to unpack their BFG (“big f**king gun”, and every mighty hero has one, hehe ;)) and deal with any accusers with it (Gur is a great excuse to do that and appreciate the Ascendant's Bite). Because we can do that together with him...


And later like this...


The romance with UA in general feels more like some kind of friendship than true love.


Yeah, there's no one better than Astarion. His movements, his facial expressions, his voice... I liked the romance with Daeran in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous a lot too, but Astarion hooked me much stronger.


Thank you!!! <3


Ha ha, he pronounces it “ bird” so cool! I think I'll attack that bird one time now, it's fun.


Oh, your Sceleritas evokes genuine sympathy! He makes me want to take him in my arms and tell him that he's... very bad? Being nice is definitely not something he likes...


What great dialog... I've never seen it before. Why, for the sake of getting it, do you have to necessarily start a relationship with Karlach, only to dump her for this dialog? It's so hard and unpleasant to flirt with someone other than Astarion, and I really don't want to do it. How I wish I could have these extra dialogs without any relationship with others, especially since if you take out the line about Karlach, his other lines would be perfect for talking to him about relationships, for example. “Still, if you insist on adoring me, then who am I to stop you?” - how this line would be great for a situation where Tav/Du, for example, rejects someone's advances, Astarion notices it, asks a question and you could say something like “I don't need anyone but you”. That dialog is something I'd really like to see in my game. Without Karlach. Sure, when you pick Astarion and get great dialog, that's great. But when you pick Astarion a priori, and are loyal to him from start to finish, you get... Nothing. That's not fair. Especially since the dialog is already written, they could have added it, just with some minor changes.