Astarion Ancunin

Astarion is a high elven vampire spawn who appears to be in his late 30s despite being centuries old.[3]

He is approximately 5'11" tall,with a medium build and sharp facial features. He has pale skin and red eyes, as well as smile lines and a faint mark on his left cheek. Jaw-length silver hair curls around his long, pointed ears. He has a bite-mark scar on the right side of his neck from when his old master, Cazador Szarr , turned him into a vampire, as well as a myriad of scars carved by Cazador covering most of his back. Astarion is very interested in his overall appearance. Favouring extravagant attire, he wears an elaborate doublet, leather chaps and embroidered leather shoes when recruited. He takes meticulous care to maintain and repair the clothing that he owns. He is very mindful of his hygiene, especially his hair, nails, skin, and clothing. Default animations in camp regularly show Astarion tending to his appearance.

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-centred, manipulative, distrustful, prejudiced, and vengeful. Driven by fear, Astarion believes the world is divided into 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 prioritises 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 that if he did not get help (literally for centuries), no one else should. He also holds a grudge against the Gur people and, perceiving them as weak, has a 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[5] and is among the first companions to offer sexual relations with the player character of their own accord, but this is likely due to seeking favour 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, but also one of the few ways he knows to form relationships with others.

Astarion is willing to go to great lengths to gain power or an advantage, especially if he perceives it 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, Astarion'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.