campspawn

Born in the Year of the Carrion Crow, 1229 DR, Astarion would go on to become a magistrate in Baldur’s Gate. In 1268 DR, he was assaulted and left for dead by a group of Gur unhappy with a ruling he had handed down. Cazador Szarr appeared just then to chase off his attackers, and offer Astarion a choice: Die bleeding in the streets, or be given the gift of eternal life as a vampire spawn. With such an impossible choice, Astarion was turned. Under the thumb of his new sadistic master, Astarion suffered nearly 200 years of torture and forced servitude. He was used as a seductive lure to bring back unsuspecting victims for his master to feed on, along with 6 other spawn referred to as his ‘siblings’ that also did their master’s bidding.

Starved, mutilated, and confined within the kennels of his master’s palace, Astarion’s new eternity was a torturous existence that he resented. One of Cazador’s more unusual torments was to one night carve part of an infernal pact with the archdevil, Mephistopheles, into his back. He would later be used as a diabolical sacrifice, along with thousands of other souls, to secure a ritual that would grant Cazador powers beyond that of any known vampire.

At least, that was his master’s plan. But in the year 1492 DR, Astarion was taken captive aboard a mind flayer ship that eventually crashed along the banks of the Chionthar. With a strangely altered mind flayer tadpole placed behind his eye, Astarion was temporarily free of his master, and many of the weakness of a normal vampire. While infected, sunlight no longer scorched him, running water no longer burned like acid, and he was able to enter homes uninvited. Unfortunately, he was still susceptible to the curse of a vampire’s hunger for blood, but it felt a small price to pay for a reprieve from the horrors of his unlife.

Boiling seduction and charm down to a fine art, Astarion has an eloquence about him that leaves victims unsuspecting of his motives. His wits and charm can slide on and off like a perfectly sculpted mask. The real him is fearful and slow to trust, but never allowed to be seen. Fearing weakness and vulnerability as a gap in his defenses, Astarion resorts to cruelty and violence when his showmanship proves ineffective.

While he sometimes describes his kinder emotions and empathy as dulled as a rusty parring knife, his tongue is always as sharp as a razor. His love for banter and poise can often lead to intense cynicism, but he is also quick to seek power in a bid to guard himself. While his thorny nature can be off-putting, a touch of patience and empathy goes a long way with him. He refuses to forget a favor owed, and is capable of caring intensely for those he deems friends.