Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Ascended Astarion - headcanons, content, and chatter

“Scented candle” - ha-ha (*bury yourself in silky white curls and savor the scent...)


Oh, yes! (in my head now revolves fantasies of a trip to the sea with Astarion...).


Such a little cutie! The wings are adorably folded... Lord Cuteness and Cutie Junior. I love how Astarion looks at his son with a cheerful and playful smile (it seems that Junior had been mischievous somewhere before, but now he's sitting on his daddy's shoulder, portraying the most innocent charm).


Oh, I loved it! It's beautiful...


It's funny, I never thought anyone could demand that a humorous tale on the subject of post-game events be considered canon. Or perceive it that way. Only what is directly reflected in the game itself - in scenes, lines, plot - can be canon. Larian themselves used their own headcanon for the DU in the game, because the Bhaalspawn in the canonical version (BG1, BG2) would never have been able to give up Bhaal. And is that a bad thing - no, BG3 has its own story for the DU who rejected Bhaal, which would not have been possible without departing from the original canon. Our story is based on a fictional ending in which the DU doesn't reject Bhaal, but destroys the Brain in doing so. In the game, the canonical ending is different - DU goes insane, and it's not clear why Bhaal would want to do that (okay, let it be for a bad ending and “drama”, I just don't choose that ending in the game). The option where the DU stays in their mind, but due to hyperfertility (which is just canon for the Child of Bhaal) gives birth to other Bhaalspawns and Bhaal can get his in the future, fits well with the overall lore of the BG world (given the very concept of Bhaal and the previous games in the BG series). Astarion is the first Ascended Vampire, there is no canon in DnD lore yet about a living vampire, and canon can only be considered what is in the plot of the BG3 game. In-game:

“If he completes the rite, he will become a new kind of being - the Vampire Ascendant.”

“All the strengths of his vampiric form will be amplified, and alongside them he will enjoy the luxuries of the living.”

“The arousals and appetites of man will return to him, and unlike Astarion, he will have no need of a parasite to protect him from the sun.” (Raphael about the ritual, from these lines we can infer how Astarion will feel after going through the ritual).

"I feel alive"= “The arousals and appetites of man will return to him” + “he will enjoy the luxuries of the living.” After undergoing the ritual, Astarion ceases to be “undead” and becomes a new type of vampire - a living vampire. In Astarion Origins, you can hear the narrator line that “your heart is beating again”. In fact, Astarion now has a living body, can he become a father? There's nothing in the game specifically on this topic, but unless there are some hard contradictions or facts in the lore indicating that this can't happen, then the headcanon in which this happens doesn't contradict the lore. At least until a creature type like the Ascended Vampire appeared in the official DnD rules, where it was stated otherwise. Combined with the hyperfertility of the DU - the possibility exists. The percentage of its likelihood? That's enough for a fanfic, I suppose. And... Gosh, the little copy of Astarion is just so cute! I've been dreaming a bit about a similar story since before our story even started, to be honest. And a comedy about a fun villainous family is also just fun (I bet Minthara's fans could come up with their own funny family stories about life with Minthara and the kids too, just like with Gortash such a thing can be imagined, if you want). Our story contradicts the canon of the game, because in the game you have to reject Bhaal in any case and without options, otherwise everything will be bad. But abandoning Bhaal in BG3 is also an authorial change that contradicts the canon of previous BGs. If Larian wrote such a story and decided it would be more interesting that way, what could be wrong with stories based on the events of BG3 with the same departure from some canon events in the game?


Wow, ha-ha! That's awesome, I laughed for a long time! And your disclaimer is super, I'm finally relieved, now we know for sure that Sceleritas likes it all and we don't have to worry about him! And the little bats in the “filming process” were treated with all the loving care, fed from a pipette and their tummies scratched!