Editing Halsin/Romance

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'''Halsin''' can be [[Romance|romanced]]. He is a polyamorous, a relationship anarchist, and the only character with whom you can have two committed partners, as long as your first partner is either [[Shadowheart]], [[Astarion]], or [[Karlach]].

==Storyline==
Halsin cannot be romanced until [[Act Three]], due to his desire in the first two acts to only focus on breaking the Shadow Curse. However, the player can flirt with him in certain dialogues and in his [[Campsite|camp]] conversation of [[Act Two]]; this will have no impact on existing romantic relationships.

=== Act 3 ===
Halsin's romantic scene can be accessed with high enough approval and/or by camping in the [[Lower City]] '''only if the player has successfully completed [[Lift the Shadow Curse]] before embarking on the Road to Baldur's Gate.'''

While he is eager to be intimate with the player after losing the burden of the Shadow Curse, he will always encourage them before this scene to speak with their partner for consent if they are already in a relationship. [[Shadowheart]] agrees enthusiastically and asks to hear how it goes, [[Astarion]] consents as long as the player affirms that they're still happy with him as well, and [[Karlach]] is skeptical but supportive of the player's desires. [[Lae'zel]], [[Gale]], [[Wyll]], and [[Minthara]] will always decline, however, and a player dating one of them is required to either leave their partner for Halsin or reject his advances.

If the player accepts Halsin's offer for a night together and has either stayed single, broken up with their partner, or gotten Shadowheart/Astarion/Karlach's consent, the player will meet up with him by a secluded tree during their next long rest. Any choice but the last can be selected for the first two dialogue prompts to progress a scene where Halsin strips and the pair shares their first kiss, but eventually, when the player strips, Halsin accidentally turns into a bear out of excitement. If the player then selects "I'm flattered I have that effect on you. Now come here" on the next prompt, Halsin will maintain his normal form and give the player a blow job (if nudity is turned on) or resume making out against the tree (if nudity is turned off). Otherwise, if the player selects "Don't apologise. I like it", followed by either of the first two options in a fourth prompt, Halsin will turn back into a bear and begin mating the player as a squirrel living in the tree watches in shock. The player then sleeps in camp as normal either way.

After either version of this scene, the player and Halsin will immediately be in a "relationship", though he will tell you that he prefers for what they share to be fluid and non-exclusive. If the player asks to kiss him while [[Jaheira]] is in the party, she may jokingly commend the two for their bravery because she gets bad breath after assuming her own [[Wild Shape]] forms. Additionally, kissing Halsin in front of Shadowheart while not also partnered to her has her tease their relationship with a hint of envy, as her consent dialogue implies that she has a crush on Halsin as well.

Being polyamorous himself, Halsin's relationship with the player will not be affected by any other romances, and he is one of the few partners that can join the foursome with the drow twins at [[Sharess' Caress]]. If Halsin participates, he will be heard turning into a bear once again and carrying the player around, much to the shock and amusement of the twins. If the player is also dating Shadowheart and both she and Halsin are in the party, the player can choose to have a fivesome with both partners ''and'' both twins. This version of the scene plays out similarly to a foursome with only Shadowheart, but she admits that she has fantasized about Halsin as well, and he says that the pleasure of a woman is one of nature's greatest gifts. The player can also have a fivesome with the twins, Halsin, and Astarion, in which case Halsin compliments Astarion's body as a beautiful work of nature's powers and Astarion teasingly asks Halsin if he's comfortable being kissed "with teeth". However, after the fivesome with Astarion, Halsin will also share with the player that he spent several years when he was younger as a sex slave in the [[Underdark]], but this experience reminded him of his youth and gave him pleasure.

Like the other romance options, Halsin and the player can take [[Zethino]]'s love test together at the [[Circus of the Last Days]]; his response is positive if the player answers two or more questions correctly.

''<nowiki/>'Listen. Think. When is he most comfortable?'''
# While in the form of a bear, clad in nothing but fur. ★
# After a supper large enough to induce hibernation.
# Comfort doesn't come naturally to him - he's restless and roaming. ★
# At his study in the grove.

''<nowiki/>'We strive to do our utmost - to prove ourselves worthy. Tell me - of what is Halsin most proud?'''

# His physique. Who can blame him?
# Saving his friend Thaniel and banishing the shadow curse. ★
# Protecting his grove from those who threatened it. ★
# An impressively-notched bedpost. 

''<nowiki/>'Life is full of victory and loss. You cannot have one without the other. Halsin - what is his greatest failure?'''

# Appointing a fanatic second-in-command at the grove. ★
# Allowing the shadow curse to blight nature for a hundred years. ★
# That he somehow let some scrawny goblins capture him.
# Rejecting an amorous she-bear's affections.

=== Epilogue ===
If the [[The Netherbrain|Netherbrain]] is defeated while the player is partnered with Halsin, the two will be seen spending the night together, where Halsin shares that he needs to return to [[Thaniel]]'s [[Shadow-Cursed Lands|realm]], help the residents and nature heal, and care for the hundreds of displaced children there. The player can offer to travel with him and help him rebuild, but if they choose to stay in Baldur's Gate, go to [[Avernus]] with Karlach, or travel with their other partner, it is implied that they maintain a long-distance relationship in the six-month time skip.

If the player chose to stay in Thaniel's realm with him, he asks if they're sure about their choice of a quiet life over an adventurous one and expresses concern over whether the children will be safe, as this is his first time leaving his duties since the Netherbrain fight. If the player ''only'' romanced Halsin and did ''not'' stay with him ''or'' go to Avernus, it is possible to receive invitations to [[Withers]]' reunion party with him and still enter the [[Campsite]] as a couple (due to a glitch that sometimes skips Halsin's romance ending if he was not in the party against the Netherbrain); otherwise, the player enters with Karlach (if they went to Avernus) or alone. Other than being able to ask for kisses, Halsin's dialogue then remains the same as if they were friends or exes: he shares about his efforts in the realm, asks the player what they've been up to for bedtime story ideas, gives them permission to visit and tell the story themselves, and offers the {{SmItemIcon|Whittled Duck}} as a parting gift.

== Romance Mechanics ==

=== Unique Dialogue ===

==== Greetings ====
Players who romance Halsin have a few unique greetings that are unlocked after Act Three's romance scene:

* "My heart soars just to look upon you. What do you need?"
* "What word, my love?"
* "You wish to speak? I am here for you."
* "All of nature's bounty pales next to you. Do you need something?"
* "Speak to me, lover."
* "Nature has been most kind to let me share in your heart. What do you need?" (If spoken to immediately after love scene)

==== Party/Camp Interactions ====
Following his love scene in Act Three, Halsin will have the following unique dialogue options that are always available when interacting with him both in camp and while he's in the player's party.

# The player can ask Halsin how he's feeling about everything. ("I just wanted to see how you were faring.")
# The player can ask about the relationship status, and Halsin will reaffirm his open-ended view of relationships and encourage the player to share their love with others. ("How do you see our relationship?")
# The player can ask for a kiss, and Halsin will happily oblige. ("May I kiss you?")
# The player can break up with Halsin. ("I think our relationship has run its course.")
#* The player has a chance to back out of breaking up with Halsin if this option is chosen.

If the player breaks up with Halsin, these options will no longer be accessible.