Astarion Ancunín, was a high elf rogue and vampire spawn who dwelt in Baldur's Gate during the late 15th century DR.[1]
Description[]
As an undead, the noble high elf had very pale skin, short silver-white curly hair, bright ruby eyes, an attractive athletic build, and, by human standards, appeared to be in his late 30s. Other distinguishing features included the twin scars on the right side of his neck, a "gift" from his master, and the scarification of an infernal pact covering the whole of his back, caved into Astarion's and his spawn "siblings" by Cazador Szarr.[1]
Abilities[]
He was a talented rogue who was skilled at using the bow.[1]
After being infected by a modified mind flayer tadpole, Astarion became unaffected by the daylight, able to move through running water unharmed, and enter homes uninvited, none of which a vampire or their spawn could naturally be able to do. While his companions, who were afflicted by the same infection, sought to rid themselves of the parasite, Astarion sought to control it and gain mastery over his new powers.[1]
Personality[]
Astarion was eloquent and charming, typically valuing showmanship and finesse over strict rigor. His wry, cheeky wit made banter appear effortless. Still, he was well accustomed to violence and cruelty, often using his alluring charisma to manipulate and deceive. Cazador's sadistic treatment made Astarion slow to trust, as he often expected others to try to use and abuse him as Cazador did. As a vampire spawn, Astarion had a cynical outlook, seeking pleasure and power wherever he could find it, with little regard for the well-being of others once he had escaped Cazador's influence.[1]
Relationships[]
Astarion's vampire lord patron was Cazador Szarr, a member of the Baldurian patriar Szarr family. As Cazador's vampire spawn, Astarion was compelled to lure or abduct thousands of unfortunate victims, men, women, and children, back to his master's dungeons for Cazador to feed on, torture, and imprison. Astarion underwent many forms of torture while under Cazador's control, such as being unmercifully beaten, having his bones broken repeatedly, being trapped in the solitary confinement of a buried tomb for a year, and being starved and forced to sustain himself on mere rats.[1]
Astarion targeted men and women when he was under Cazador's sway. Victims of his seduction were many, including a young noble Sebastian, who, unbeknownst to Astarion, was kept alive as a vampire spawn himself in Tourmaline Depths for years.[1]
History[]
Astarion was born in the Year of the Carrion Crow, 1229 DR.[1]
Eventually, he became a magistrate in Baldur’s Gate, but, in the Year of Daystars, 1268 DR, he was attacked and almost killed by a group of Gurs supposedly unhappy with one of his rulings. Astarion was "rescued" by a cruel vampire lord, Cazador Szarr, who offered the dying man a way in which to escape his impending fate by accepting the "gift" of immortality. As Astarion unwittingly accepted his "salvation," Cazador drained the dying man of his blood, feeding the elf a single drop of his own vampiric blood to initiate the turning, and threw his soon-to-be undead body into a nearby open grave. Several days later, after having been discovered and buried under a dedicated headstone, the newborn vampire spawn awoke in a coffin, being forced to dig himself out from under several feet of soil. Once Astarion emerged, his new master was simply waiting at his grave to claim Astarion as soon as he resurfaced.[1]
Astarion's back, covered in Cazador's "poems".
As part of the torture Astarion endured while a spawn in the Szarr Palace, Cazador cut and re-cut symbolic writing into his back throughout a full night, which he later described offhandedly as "poems." Little did Astarion know over the next two centuries, the inscriptions were, in fact, part of an infernal contract with the archdevil Mephistopheles, which would allow Astarion's patron to perform the 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 vampiric curses, such as vulnerability to sunlight or the inability to cross running water.[1]
The aforementioned rite required a sacrifice of seven thousand souls, and unbeknownst to Astarion, he and all the victims he and his six "siblings" seduced over the centuries, for their lord, were all a planned part of it.[1]
In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, Astarion was well on his way to seducing a young noble, luring him towards the Szarr Palace, when 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 (along with several new companions of various races & abilities, more of which would be met with along the road to being able to deal with the impending illithid takeover) ended up somewhere along the River Chionthar, well east of Baldur's Gate and west of Elturel.[1]
Upon waking, Astarion found himself changed and somehow more powerful; rather than undergoing the process of ceremorphosis, Astarion found himself rid of typical vampiric weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Astarion and his new companions could communicate telepathically with each other and, later, with the True Souls of the Absolute, the newfound religion that plagued the land. He also discovered that he was no longer under Cazador's thrall and that he had, after 200 years of servitude, finally regained his free will, at least for the time being.[1]
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Video Games
Card Games
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
Astarion Ancunín article at the Baldur's Gate 3 Community Wiki, a community wiki for Baldur's Gate 3.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
- ↑ Codename Entertainment (September 2017). Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. Codename Entertainment.
Connections[]
Astarion • Gale • Halsin • Jaheira • Karlach • Lae'zel • Minsc • Minthara • Shadowheart • Wyll
Followers
Florrick • Glut • Halsin • Hope • Losiir • Omeluum • Sazza • Ulder Ravengard • Us • Zanner Toobin
Camp Followers
Alfira • Arabella • Aylin • Barcus Wroot • Elminster • The Emperor • Grub • Isobel Thorm • Mizora • Oathbreaker Knight • owlbear cub • Quil Grootslang • Raphael • Sceleritas Fel • Scratch • Tara • Thaniel • Ulder Ravengard • Volothamp Geddarm • Withers • Yenna
Hirelings
Eldra Luthrinn • Brinna Brightsong • Zenith Feur'sel • Danton • Varanna Sunblossom • Sina'zith • Kerz • Ver'yll Wenkiir • Maddala Deadeye • Jacelyn • Kree Derryck • Fuzzalump