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 :)

He looks a little like his school graduation photo



Here's something from our Lord again (The wolf has to let the new cheeky cat show him what a dangerous look looks like.)

Have fun.

Yes, that's right! A red diploma from the Academy of Awesome Evil Lords.


Wow, that's cute! Yes, Astarion can subdue bats and wolves, so you can pet them and cuddle with them all you want! (cats are not included, so you can pet the new cheeky cat now, but he still won't obey and the wallpaper in the castle will soon gain some artistic value due to the unique pawmade design in “scratching” style ).

The two fluffies will eventually find common ground and become friends:

Your Durge looks so powerful holding Woe next to Astarion.🥰 Those are two people who trust one another completely. And those piercing red and blue glowing eyes. Awesome work!


They're gorgeous! I'm dreaming of cuddling a bunch of little fluffy baby bats now, though. We really do get spoiled, don't we? 🦇💕💍🎁
And I loved each and every one of those quotes you shared. Thank you for taking the time to put them all together for us

Oh yes, this is the cat of the Lord.

I can already see Sceleritas trying to remove the cat's decorations from the wallpaper with a glue stick, while the cat purrs past Sceleritas legs and then uses a claw to decorate the wallpaper again.


Oh, the little cutie seems to have had too many candies.

I can clearly see this little owlbear backpack in front of me, of course it is made from the best materials.


Thank you darlings for liking my images There is so much to learn and you are always confronted with problems that you then try to solve somehow. Luckily I'm exchanging experiences with someone very nice. She likes more the realistic style, she is very good at creating sunlight in Blender. She takes pictures with Spawn Astarion, I take pictures with Lord Astarion. Maybe she'll show you the images she made.


Snippet for Celesti:Since Sceleritas has cheated on the pictures too many times, they now have to sit in plain sight. If you follow the wolf's gaze, he will look in the direction of Sceleritas and Junior. The two sit on the sofa next to Oskar Fevras and tease the wolf with the candies they eat in front of him. But Sceleritas doesn't notice the cat behind him... will she push him to the wolf's paws?

Thank you! Yes, we're very spoiled...

Oh, the consort can take care of the little furry bat cubs and watch over them while their parents help Astarion with the lord's business:


Or spread your wings and fly yourself:


And I think Astarion himself can transform not only into a serious big bat vampire, but also into such a white sunshine (only in private, of course, so as not to drop the Evil Lord's reputation):


Oh yes, and I would feel maximally spoiled with happiness in this beautiful eternal life when there is a chance to walk into the throne room/bedroom and see there:



Hehe, it would be naive of Sceleritas to believe that you can have a beautiful cat in the house and not have beautiful wallpaper at the same time... Decorating the wallpaper is a free exclusive addition and a bonus that can't be refused.


Oh, Dark Urge is a very good mom - knows how to calm the little one down and encourage him to learn to find his own stuff. The cat's sniff can help with that, as can Sceleritas' attentive eyes (make peace with the cat, at least for a while).



Oh, good idea to invite Oskar Fevras to visit! He can paint a beautiful portrait of Lord Astarion:


Besides, Oskar's wife, Lady Jannath, is a very pleasant woman with exquisite artistic taste, and she would make a fine company for Dark Urge. After all, Lord and Lady Ancunín had renovated the castle not so long ago, threw out and burned all the crap that had hung in the castle before, and now they have empty walls and a lot of space in the castle, which would be good to fill with decent paintings, and advice from an art connoisseur would be very useful to them. The cat, however, was not happy with the result of Lady Jannath's visit, he meowed loudly, trying to draw attention to his avant-garde paintings in the style of “scratching” on the wallpaper, and after that he complained to the wolf for a long time, lamenting that “these closed-minded traditional art critics do not understand anything about the deep philosophy of real modern art".

And after this they smile so in love and happy.

What a touching and happy moment! I would love to steal this and keep it as a keepsake... They look at each other with such love and adorable gentle smiles... Astarion is definitely .


"My sweet"…

Oh, this one is so so good. He looks like he means business 😏Very regal and serious. Looks perfect with the bats behind him, it captures him so well.^^

Bahaha omg I LOVE that artwork! 💀<33
Whoever made this or commissioned it seems very creative and has an adorable sense of humor.


Oh my goodness His little face literally looks like this: :3
My heart just melted; that sounds like pure bliss to me. I envy my Durge...sigh^^

This is so cute! They always look beautiful together.
And the "My sweet" lol😏🤭

I made my first drawing of my character together with Astarion, incl one of his sweetest quotes. I didn't get it done in time for Valentine's Day unfortunately but I hope you darlings still enjoy it 💗 I'll add a colored version once it's done! [TW: a bit of blood/gore?]


🦇

Just wanted to say that I love Astarion. I think Astarion is such an interesting character and his ascended vampire ending is my favorite. I think it's great that he gets all of the power, especially the power to turn into a bat. I never completed the game since I keep starting over, but I usually just play as Tav. I imagine Astarion's deceitful comments encourages Tav to become less selfless throughout the journey. Tav is often treated as the therapist of the camp and grows tired of running into dead ends in order to find a cure. I always liked the idea of my character just being somewhat altruistic at the start and slowly falling into cynicism until she finally snaps. Astarion approves.

Hello and welcome

Pretty much all of us know that thing about always restarting, then you have another new idea and suddenly a new game is created. But that's completely ok, the main thing is that you have fun with what you do and there are always funny details to find in the game or have "stupid" ideas that you absolutely have to share with the world.

I think it's good that you're playing your story with Tav, I've become far too much of a Dark Urge now, I would miss it . The bat is such a cute detail that Larian gave the Lord (even though it only has 1 HP ). Cynicism is something that Astarion certainly likes. I love his humor and I don't want to miss it in the game. You can definitely give Astarion answers that you think he'll react angrily, but he almost always takes them with humor.

You are invited to join our stories, experiences and “bullshit” chatter.

Have fun.

Speaking of funny details, I hope Astarion isn't that forgetful.





OMG darling, this is so cute. I love everything, the faces, the postures, Astarion's nose (bite ). Your Tav with she present with "My beloved consort" ... I'm melting

You also have to post the picture of Eden+Astarion+ photobombing Sceleritas again... unfortunately the original is no longer visible







Thanks darlings, but the picture wasn't a 5 minute thing, not too much fame for it. Of course you can steal it Marielle. I can also take the picture for you with your characters, I just need the screenshots or better a video of the kiss and I'll take the screens myself. You know where to find me.

And now should I tell the story of where the babies come from? You are real minus friends to me. I'll have to think about that for a moment.

I also got that bat-consort association with your DU, probably because of the purple hue of her coat and the color of your Durge's hair.


Oh my goodness they are so cute! Thank you Celesti, you paint so beautifully! I am excited to keep it as a keepsake!


Yeah, I agree, especially the bat, the bat is just adorable! If you go through the game before the party in the epilogue, you can see him flying (Astarion has a lot of awesome animations in the epilogue in general). I can recommend a good mod that improves the romantic epilogue: Vampire Lord Astarion - Epilogue Party Affection Dialog. And I also really like Nightingale's Lord Astarion - Ascended Astarion Hugs Kisses Voiced Dialog mod (lots of romantic kisses for Astarion + hugs).

I too really like how my character changes her view of the world under Astarion's influence, through relating to him and looking at the world through his eyes. If I start out as a CG, fun-loving and reckless Tav, who is willing to go anywhere just for adventure, and for free (which Astarion disapproves of), and as time goes on, Tav sort of has an “epiphany” while traveling with him, realizing what the world is really like, realizing the price and value of power (Astarion's story can change the way a character in love with him looks at the world) - it makes for an interesting and realistic story.

About the search for a cure - in my case it was funny, especially in the first playthrough without spoilers, Tav resisting with all her might to get rid of the tadpole, contrary to the given storyline, specifically because of Astarion, because without the tadpole, Cazador will be able to take control of him, he won't be able to walk in the sun, he'll be a common vampire spawn again, etc. Only Omeluum I allowed to examine the tadpole, and Volo allowed to pick at my eye (it's obvious that he can't do anything with the tadpole, he'd rather dig out the eye, I thought I'd load up later and won't allow it, because it's not logical and too reckless, but Volo gave me such a cool implant with “see the invisible” that I left such a roleplay of crazy Tav and kept it :D). And to everyone else who offered to get rid of the tadpole, I refused under any plausible pretexts, if the other companions knew what was in my head and what the real reasons were, they would probably hate me.


Haha, good example of forgetfulness!


Oh, thank you so much! Now I have to think about which of my characters to consider the main one, the warrior-jock - usually constorts are nifty, but in theory, this option of bride + vampire knight in one (in DnD Vampire Lords sometimes create a vampire knight for themselves - kind of like a general, the right hand and protector of the lord, also a special kind of vampire, often connected by a close or loving relationship with the Lord, usually vampiresses seduce paladins for this purpose, but a male vampire is also not prevented from doing so as well) can be somewhat original. Or a more graceful lady DU.

P.S. Beautiful and deep art with Astarion:

Batstarion is the best! 💗 : D
I like your idea of Tav becoming more cynical bit by bit with his influence.

I'll write a bit more later when I have more time 🦇

You are welcome. Whatever you want, can do both. Tell us more about the Vampire Knight, that sounds very exciting. I like playing Paladin.


I love this representation. Very beautiful. <3 <3


Before I forget ... where is Crimsom? Miss his funny stories and pictures. Hope he's well. Would have liked to hear more about his amazing first experience of romance with Astarion and his love for Dark Urge and Minthy.

Lmao I never even noticed this! xD What the hell, Danis?

Thank youuu ;-; 🥰🌹 I'm happy you approve of the nose, that means it was a success.^^
Oh no, I'm not sure why the Eden+Astarion drawing isn't showing up anymore. I did have some issues with my previous image host. I'll have to re-upload it to the new one.

Thank you darlings ;-; 💗I'm so happy you liked it, and that you want to keep it stoppp I'm blushing.


This is so beautifully done. <3 Those striking red eyes really suit him. I love how the bottom version visually turns into a smile...😊

And I agree the Vampire Knight sounds intriguing!

Speaking of the cynicism thing.. One of my favorite quotes by Astarion that made me stop and think was when he scoffs at so-called 'heroes' and people who have a narrow view of 'good and evil' and 'right and wrong.' Things are usually not so black and white, they lay somewhere in the middle, in a grey area. Oftentimes a person on their high horse about something for example can no longer see nuance or grasp things from another's point-of-view.

Ha ha, great story! I especially liked, “...face to face, eye to eye.... thinking.” Although... What if the constort was turned into Mephit and she is incapable to tell about it? Then it really needs to be face to face and checked out.


A Vampire Knight is a humanoid warrior who is a loyal guardian of the Lord, but is not undergoing transformation into the undead. They retain autonomy, but gain powers from the vampire through the Ritual of Binding. This ritual is painful, unlike the Bride's ritual, but its peculiarity is that the vampire themselves do not drink the knight's blood, but infuse them with their own blood. A Vampire Knight is considered a True Vampire and has the appropriate class features, but they require practice to develop the power of the vampire blood flowing through their veins. A Knight only gains immortality when they reach level 18, not immediately like a classic Vampire. But they don't burn in the sun, but only have sensitivity to it - it interferes with attack rolls and checks, they get darkvision, it's a bit like the drow's sensitivity to sunlight, and they're also vulnerable to radiant damage and resistant to necrotic damage. I like this vampire knight ability like this (at level 20):

“Vampiric Ascension

Starting at 20th level, once in each of your turns when you use your blood magic, you can spend additional hit points up to your proficiency bonus to increase the Save DC of the spell or to gain a bonus on your spell attack roll.

In addition, whenever you cast a spell, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the number of hit points you have spent to cast the spell.

Finally, you no longer have to spend hit points to cast any spell targeting yourself of 2nd-level or lower. You can't have more than one spell active at the same time.”

The bond between the Bride and the vampire-creator is stronger and more romantic, it is exceptionally a love bond. In the case of the Vampire Knight, love is also often the reason for conversion, when a vampire falls in love with a warrior and offers him/her this variant, but in this case love is not necessary, but a certain amount of trust must be present for the warrior to receive this gift. Vampire knights are commonly part of large vampire noble clans, they are members of the clan, they are those who have shown an aptitude for the sword and martial arts since childhood. He-he, I just had that association when I was researching vampires in DnD, and I called my Tav a Vampire Knight, since she considered herself Astarion's shield and sword the entire game. Eh, I'd love to be able to get down on one knee and kiss his hand in a chivalrous way, Astarion would probably relish that...


Joining. I sincerely consider him one of the best post writers on the forum, whose texts were always really interesting to read.





+100

“Heroes are half the damn problem. Fools that believe in right and wrong - good and evil.” Yes, they are. I recognize Wyll and Karlach. Gale is more difficult - he can't be denied intelligence, and he's more of a hypocrite, but more flexible. And, unfortunately, that Astarion line fits not only the game world, it describes the realities quite well.

“Heroes didn't save me from Cazador: mind flayers did.” As well as their gods: “I tried them all. None of them answered.” And really, who Astarion and Tav should thank is the mind flayers. Without them, it would have been very, very bad.

I also like his line on this topic: “It's nice to see heroes are as awful as the rest of us.” (At Jaheira's house, after meeting her family). It was just really cute and funny, once again I couldn't help but laugh, Astarion's comments make everything better!

My favorite quotes about cynicism (I think Astarion would give approval):

“Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are not as they ought to be.”

Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

“A sense of objective perception of reality is often called cynicism by people who do not possess it.”

George Bernard Shaw

I love Bex & Danis, I ever try to save them and get her cookies as reward, but at that moment I was really unsure and had to check.


As we've discovered, some of us have a tendency to want to bite, kiss, or nudge his nose. So it's a compliment, his nose turned out great and the rest of course too
Thank you darling, for upload it again. I hope we see a lot more of your pictures.



Part of his personality is certainly cynic. The sentence about his view of the gods always makes me shudder. In my opinion, this sentence is the essence of his story. I love how he wraps his pain in humor. Personally, I like to annoy him a little and that seems to please him. After all the suffering, I am even more pleased with Astarion's comment that you receive from him as a Dark Urge after the conversation with Gortash.

I've noticed that as a Dark Urge I seem to have a strange sense of humor (black tongue humor), which Astarion also confirms if you're a Sorcerer. I'm happy to read that my character in the game seems to have a sense of humor, even if I wonder how worrying I should consider this as a Dark Urge, but that's a problem for others.


Thank you. He has to look through your eyes deep into your soul.
It can take a long time until he finds his consort. (I see a speech bubble far away saying "Help! Help!", a little Princess Peach). Perhaps he should give a more detailed description of his consort. “Has hair and a cute face,” so the next person will, in the best case scenario, show him a cat or something similar. If he shows him a rotten banana with a face painted on it, then everything is completely wrong.