Astarion/romance: Difference between revisions

==Storyline==

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*After the cutscene of Astarion sneaking away at night triggers, the player can find an exsanguinated boar at the bridge before the [[Blighted Village]], to the far right path of the signpost saying 'Moonhaven' (north of the village), or just after the dialogue with Auntie Ethel at the entrance of Sunlit Wetlands (south of the village). The following long rest, the player will wake up to Astarion trying to drink their blood. He will approve of the player saying they trust him, and further approve of them letting him drink their blood. Note that if the player doesn't successfully stop him the '''second''' time the choice is presented, the player will die. They can simply be revived using a revivify scroll later. Note that players do not need to be aware Astarion is a vampire to sleep with him later on; not triggering this scene will not affect the romance.

*If the player has already slept with Astarion, then talking with Astarion at the party will result in a much more familiar conversation, where he can even tell the player he loves them, though he is just using shallow charm (no approval changes). Agreeing to sleep with him again will result in the dialogue choice "Astarion" becoming available once you head to bed, and the player then seeks him out. There is no additional sex scene, it's simply implied.

Heading into Acts 2 and 3, it is important to note that some choices you make, Astarion will disapprove of, but they may be for the 'better'. Disapproval of an action will not lock you out of romance scenes, and he may even change his outlook on your actions later on.

*Once the party successfully completes [[Kill Raphael's Old Enemy]], Raphael will inform Astarion about the nature of his scars and the player can then talk with Astarion about the information revealed. It is important to ponder how you want to proceed with this, as it will change Astarion's fate and the dynamic of his relationship with the player.

*At [[Circus of the Last Days]] there is a dryad, [[Zethino]], who will conduct a love test for the player for a fee. You can ask Astarion to take part in it and you will be transported to a woodsy area and asked questions about him. You may choose to respond however you wish, but choosing two or more from 'I don't think he's ever been happy.', 'He's happy right now, look at that smile!', 'Me', 'A nice, tasty rat.', and 'Sharp, wooden sticks.' will result in Astarion being upset. Note that picking more 'genuine' options 'Freedom', and 'Forever feeling like a slave to someone', will result in an 'Astarion Disapproves' message popping up, but are still considered correct answers.

*Once the player confronts Cazador, they may choose what outcome they want. They can convince Astarion to simply kill Cazador instead of performing the rite himself, or he can perform the rite and become a Vampire Ascendant. Note that if he goes through with the rite, everyone in the cells will die.  

*After the conclusion of the rite, a scene with Astarion will be triggered depending on the outcome. If he went through with the rite, the player can tell him they would like to be a vampire like him, and he can and will turn the player into his spawn. The player is, as always, free to choose whatever options they want following, but becoming Astarion's spawn means you can no longer break up with him. The option is there to try, but he will not let you go. If you choose to spend one last night alive with him (become his vampire spawn and sleep with him), you will get the option to kick him in the balls when he tells you to get on your knees. Doing so will result in him permanently leaving the party.

*If he did not go through with the rite, he will tell the player he would like to show them something outside the city, and take them to see his grave. You're free to choose any options you want, but note that accepting to sleep with him will result in an extra bit of dialogue where he tells the player he loves them.

This section contains information regarding the unique in-game mechanics and interactions for Astarion's romance.

Like the other major romance options in the game, Astarion's relationship progression can be divided into specific stages: friendly, flirting, partnered, and ex-partnered:

# '''Partnered:''' In Act 2 with high enough approval, and if the player is not in the partnered stage with any other companion, you will be able to partner with Astarion during the long rest following speaking with [[Araj Oblodra]] at [[Moonrise Towers]] if you do not coerce him to bite her. This stage comes with unique party/camp interactions.

# '''Ex-Partnered:''' Once partnered with Astarion, the player can break up with him anytime by selecting the appropriate dialogue option. Astarion handles the break up with more grace [[Gale/Romance|than Gale does]], with the player returning to the friendly stage with Astarion as far as greetings/interactions.

====Greetings====

Players who romance Astarion will hear unique greetings dependent on the stage of the romance and approval/game progression:

:* (As the Dark Urge) "Precious little Bhaal-babe!"

If broken up with (ex-partnered), Astarion's greetings return to his regular, friendly greetings.

While in the partnered stage (following his relationship progression scene in Act 2), Astarion 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, which can be instigated by selecting "Can we talk about the two of us?":

* The player can inquire about Astarion's feelings regarding the relationship ("What are we to you?"). His response will vary depending on recent major events in his questline.

* The player can break up with Astarion ("Whatever is between us, we need to end it").

If the player breaks up with Astarion, or if Astarion breaks up with the player for whatever reason, these options will no longer be accessible when speaking with Astarion.

This section contains information regarding how the player's relationship with Astarion impacts other romance options/scenes and vice versa.

The player can be in the flirting stage with other companions while in the flirting stage with Astarion (typically encompasses all Act 1 romance scenes and minor flirting scenes during Act 2 prior to the companion's major romance progression/partnering scene). Astarion considers the player to be in a relationship (partnered) with him after his relationship progression event in Act 2 (following meeting [[Araj Oblodra]]) if the correct options are selected during this interaction. If you have entered the partnered stage with another companion prior to this scene triggering, the player will need to interact with Astarion in camp (prior to meeting with Araj) to trigger the dialogue where you must choose between the partnered companion and Astarion if the player wishes to pursue a romance with Astarion. While Astarion is not a monogamous companion, the player can only be in the partnered stage with one origin companion.