Larian Studios has offered an exclusive look at Baldur's Gate 3 with an extended narrative excerpt featuring the character Astarion, voiced by his actor Neil Newbon.
The excerpt follows Astarion as he navigates the foggy streets of Baldur's Gate's Lower City, seeking sustenance for his master. His internal monologue reveals a disdain for "skulking" in favor of a more fluid "slinking" movement, differentiating between those who inflict violence and those who move with a more ethereal grace. Astarion surveys various taverns and establishments, including the "Seven Sins," "Hagstone," and "Toad's Ghost," each presenting different levels of risk or unsuitability for his hunt.
The dense fog of the evening becomes a key element, masking Astarion's movements and presenting both opportunities and hindrances. He reflects on the dangers of taking prey from the street due to potential witnesses, a concern amplified by the obscuring mist. The narrative takes Astarion towards the docks, a seedy area he deems a potentially fruitful hunting ground due to the presence of drunken sailors.
During his nocturnal hunt, Astarion encounters a prostitute who reveals she has been observing him. She approaches him not as a client, but with a proposition: she needs his help to deal with a violent individual named Boris, the son of a merchant captain. Boris has been physically assaulting and mistreating prostitutes, including breaking one woman's arm, with local magistrates unwilling to intervene.
The prostitute reveals that three people know she has been looking for Astarion, implying consequences should she not return. She proposes Astarion make Boris "disappear," drawing a parallel to his own methods and the fate of clients she has pointed out to him in the past. Astarion, bound by Cazador's strictures against feeding on intelligent beings, cannot directly fulfill the request himself. The excerpt ends with the prostitute's proposition hanging in the air, highlighting Astarion's complex role within the city's underbelly and the dangerous relationships he cultivates.