PERSONALITY

Astarion's personality is heavily influenced by his background and his time spent as a vampire spawn slave. He is charming, eloquent, cunning, witty, and practical. But, having felt abandoned by the world and its heroes for centuries, Astarion can also be bitter, self-centered, manipulative, distrustful, prejudiced, and vengeful. Driven by fear, Astarion believes the world is divided in a predator-or-prey binary, and as such follows a "dog-eat-dog" philosophy, where his goal is to be on top to avoid subjugation. His main priorities initially are his own autonomy, safety, and revenge on Cazador, though he also prioritizes the party’s safety as-a-whole as a means to these ends. He is largely apathetic toward the feelings of others and typically has little interest in helping for no reward, as he feels if he did not get help (literally for centuries), no one else should. He also holds a grudge against the Gur people and, pereiving them as weak, prejudice against small races such as gnomes.

Despite his confident bravado and arrogant persona, subsequent conversations with Astarion reveal actions and plans that are arguably fear-motivated and reflect low self-worth. Astarion seemingly revels in the physical, and is among the first of companions to offer sexual relations with the player character of their own accord, but this is due to seeking favor with the player character, if for no other reason than to have their protection from Cazador and other powerful enemies. He believes charm, seduction and sexual prowess are effective and proven paths to not only these goals,[6] but also one the of few ways he knows to form relationships with others.

Astarion is willing to go to great lengths to gain power or an advantage, espcially if he perceives such as required to secure his safety and wrest himself from Cazador's control, even if this means harming others or doing things he otherwise finds distasteful. Yet, even with these goals, Astarions's past has fostered a great reluctance for sacrifices involving bodily autonomy, even if it means getting something greater in turn.

Despite his traumatic past Astarion can, depending on how he is guided during his questline, be encouraged to re-evaluate his ethos and develop and change as a person.

If Astarion's beliefs and fears are challenged, he begins to deconstruct his cynical worldview, show empathy towards others and try to make amends, letting himself trust others and form genuine bonds.

Conversely, if Astarion is encouraged to pursue power at the cost of others and his callousness and arrogance remain uncontested, Astarion gains tremendous power and freedom from the shackles of vampirism while reinforcing his starting worldview, motivating him to pursue plans to take over the city and even the world.

APPROVAL & DISAPPROVAL

Astarion approves decisive, inventive and cunning moves.

He likes demonstrating of power and autonomy, and appreciates snarkiness and mocking, unless he becomes the target himself. Astarion values gaining access to areas, items and / or necessary information by outwitting others. He also approves player character's choices that support independence (particularly his own) or lead to obtaining power, even hypothetical. Finally, Astarion is not above cruelty (unnecessary, too), naughtiness and sick jokes. The player character, however, does not have to be utterlly evil to gain his approval - Astarion gladly helps others, if the result is profitable and worth the efforts. He approves when the player character is understanding of his past, makes choices that help him, supports his independence and autonomy, and helps certain people or animals he is fond of.

Astarion dislikes displays of weakness, as well as any acts of kindness or charity that offer no reward. He also disapproves, if the player character tries to rein him in or restrict him in any possible way. He despises moralizing over evil moves (including his own) and setting hopes to the help of any high-order beings. Finally, he disapproves wasting a slightest chance to gain even more power or refusing to do it deliberately.

BIOGRAPHY

Astarion was born in the Year of the Carrion Crow, 1229 DR.

He became a magistrate, but in the Year of Daystars, 1268 DR, he was attacked by a group of Gurs. He was rescued by Cazador Szarr, who turned him into his vampire spawn.

As part of the torture Astarion endured while a slave in Szarr's domain, Cazador cut writing onto his back, which he described as "poems". Little did he know at the time that the inscriptions were in fact part of an infernal contract with the archdevil Mephistopheles, which would allow Astarion's patron to perform a Rite of Profane Ascension. Should Cazador succeed, he would be more powerful than ever, with his strengths amplified and him no longer being bound by the vampiric curses such as hypersensitivity to sunlight or inability to cross running water.

The aforementioned rite would require a sacrifice of seven thousand souls, and unbeknownst to Astarion, he and all the victims he seduced for his lord were planned to be a part of it.

In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, Astarion began seducing a young fellow noble, trying to lure him towards his master. However, he was kidnapped by a mind flayer, placed into a holding pod in a nautiloid, and infected with an illithid tadpole. As the spelljammer passed over Yartar, it was assaulted by githyanki who rode atop red dragons. After the nautiloid teleported through the planes, it crashed, and Astarion ended up somewhere along the River Chionthar.

Upon awaking, Astarion found himself altered, and somehow more powerful; rather than undergoing the process of ceremorphosis, Astarion was able to resist sunlight and could communicate telepathically. He no longer was under Cazador's vampiric influence either, and regained his free will for the time being.