#random syrips rambling

[syrips]

religion ramble below, not trauma/negative stuff, just a random reflection on something i noticed, with a mix of a dnd thing i love

kinda long. tl;dr at the bottom

so, i dont consider myself religious but i consider myself spiritual, i like to read religious, philosophical, sentimental texts/art. i like to enjoy the potential meaning, lesson, and purpose behind them; and, regardless of what i do/dont believe, it makes me feel a personal, human connection with people, in the past, present, and future, that will read/see the same things i did. and, just maybe, they will connect or experience it in a similar way that i did. but, even if they didnt, especially if they didnt, it just reminds us of how unique each of us are

but anyways, the above was just for context. the main thing i wanted to talk about was related to dnd, the deity ilmater. i know fictional deities are based/similar to religious figures irl, (so im not viewing ilmater as a 'real' religious figure,) but there's something that deeply connects me spiritually to the entire concept of ilmater and the fictional religion.

the act of wanting to take away people's burdens, the act of wanting to ease their pain and suffering, even at the point of lying to them to ease their pain. even at the point of sacrificing yourself for the sake of others, no matter how evil, cruel, wicked, irredeemable they are. if anything, it is especially because of how evil, cruel, wicked they are, that you wish to take away their pain. to ease their pain, no matter how cruel they are. no matter how intentional their evil deeds are. and yet, i cant help but be in awe of that level of spirituality. (i know ilmater has limits, but i think i would seek peace for everyone, even if it is a pipe dream.) it soothes my irl heart and, even if i were to be hurt from it, it feels nice to be at such a level of peace and kindness.

obviously though, the irl world is too complex for such a 'simple' plan of easing everyone's suffering instantly like that. but still, it's nice to dream, or try, with the things that i could control. maybe i cant help someone undo something toxic, but i could help take an animal/insect out of my home and place them back in their own home. i could clean up litter without minding how or why the previous people left it there. i could thank the cashier and wish them a nice day. i could smile at everyone, greet everyone, treat them kind. not because of who they may potentially be, but because of who i know i am

but, i dont know, back to the dnd thing. im surprised at how 'small' / 'mortal' ilmater seems to be seen compared to other deities (in the fictional world). and yet, it feels even more niche and personal to me because of that. ilmater's entire concept (as well as their stereotyped followers) feel like they are the 'doormat', the 'pushover', the 'weak', the 'pathetic', the 'ignorant', the 'naive'. etc. but what's wrong with being the pathetic, weak, naive? what's wrong with seeing the best in people, even if - especially if - they don't even see that in themselves? what's wrong with having rose colored glasses, and tending to them as if they were the roses i see them as? what if i'm okay with getting pricked by their intentional thorns, with the chance to help them just to grow a little bit?

obviously, for my own health and the health of others though, i cant do that safely irl. i can't let a dangerous person roam freely in anothers' safe place. but, i can wish and direct them to how they can take accountability for themselves, to wish them to rehabilitate safely into society. to wish for them to smile, laugh, and feel peace, by doing actions that harm no one, not even consequently themselves. to love them from afar, not excusing their behaviors, but bringing awareness to their actions, to help them become better people, if even, by just a little

ok i rambled far enough to not remember the point of this post, goodbye hehe

tl,dr - gonna self insert SO hard in my ilmater PCs

[syrips]

well..

the dude's whole theme is centered around the fist...

who said that, anyways. i think gort is more 'devilish' than raphael in terms of seduction because gort uses all of himself to get what he wants, more than raphael has. he learned, whether or not he means it, that intimacy/physical seduction is just another additional tool in his growth in power. but what makes him additionally charming (to players and npcs alike) is when he puts his honesty/vulnerability open for others to see (hence the 'whoretash' thing). we see a little bit of this when orin gets angry and kills/sabotages gort's allies. why would he dislike her if she was just wiping evidence of his networks clean, if they were just mere 'allies'? he should be relieved, right?

but no, orin likes to target and strip away gortash's beneficial connections. and what better power are from those that genuinely like him. or even worse, those that he genuinely likes back? why would he tell you, the player, about orin's murdering if he did not benefit in you stopping her? he wants to make people genuinely like him. to genuinely submit or work with him. he likes when people like him. and he would do any shameless act without hesitation, regardless of the ethics, to be portrayed as likeable.

gortash is seen as a genius, and the fact he's so young (yes i said it im sorry but he is) for how quickly he's grown in power is honestly only evidence of how dude has great use of his charm. the fact he's able to smooth talk every single type of powerful individual and faction, even contradicting ones, show it too. he has literally put himself in every situation as every faction's potential new partner (business and/or otherwise). he's not a shapeshifter, not a devil, not an immortal. he's just a guy barely a few decades old. yet, look how far he's gone, even before he became a chosen? he doesn't need a vampire, incubus, or devil's charm. he uses his wit and knowledge to know how to seduce anyone.

it's not that he's going after 'easy targets', but rather that using this intimate/sexual charm on these individuals is the easiest method. gort doesnt go for what is cold-blooded and efficient like devils in avernus do though. no, not unless as a last resort. gort is a human, with emotional intelligence and experience - he first goes for warm, human-appealing actions (even if it is coercion/blackmail). 'ill spare them if you do this.' 'we dont need blood shed.' 'we can work together.' because he, to a degree, is not aiming for violence, fear, or death. instead, he tugs at people's hearts, bodies, and heads - for dominion. power. control.

he wants to dominate, he wants to 'hold the leash' - he expects it. so why wouldnt he be good at physically dominating others, to sway them into obeying him? he knows how creatures' bodies work. he knows how far to push creatures' limits, with and without the tadpole. he knows how science, psychology, and physiology work. when he traded away karlach, he wasnt being cocky about 'karlach's body can handle it.' he was right. it was no accident that his parents were able to be conscious about their tortured situation. it was no accident that he slept with a wealthy woman born in a family lineage known to have a shady financial and political history. he knows how to make people suffer, or be happy, or sway their bodies and emotions into actions that benefit him. even more of a win if it benefits both parties.

he knows that making people feel good is the best way to dominate them.

I know we like calling him Whoretash and accusing him of having unimaginable manipulative rizz, but when you think about it, is it really true, based on canon Gortash lays?

Lady Jannath is a desperate milf with a bloodline notorious for accidentally supporting the most villainous people imaginable, we don't know if Franc Peartree was actually charmed by Gortash or simply putting up with his fruity ass love letters, and the Dark Urge is the fantasy equivalent of a repressed Catholic schoolboy who's never held someone's hand before, or at least, never a hand that's been attached to a body.

That's not really so much skill as going after easy targets.

[syrips]

'you wouldnt like villain blorbo if they were officially redeemed/romanced because the excitement is in the mystery and how canonically it wouldnt make sens-'

wrong.

ravenloft i10 (1e). DoD (2e). VRGtR (5e).

thank u

[syrips]

thinking about the poll/post (omg i found it!!) asking about if strahd would be a vampire ascendant and i decided to ramble about it along with other random things because dont mind if i do indulge!! hehe

shoutout to @/thecatslug for inspiring me to colorcode my rambles because oh my god i love colors. also sorry the color code might not make sense its just syrips color coded my brain likes it gfdgdfg

ravenloft / bg3 spoilers below:

so, im not sure if the question meant 'would strahd be considered a vampire ascendant' or if it meant 'could strahd become a vampire ascendant', so i decided ill try to answer this: would strahd be considered a vampire ascendant? sorry if this wasnt the original question i just wanted to ramble honestly

before we get into the fancy nitty gritty stuff, let's take a look at the details of four main things apparently i cant count heh, get it, count? anyways im not fixing that four sorry numbers are hard

Vellioth the Martinet

Baldur's Gate's Master Vampire List

The Black Mass Scroll As A Whole

Cazador and Jander (what?)

Strahd

-----

Vellioth the Martinet

so, random fun theory that no one asked but i just wanna ramble it. did you know that 'vellus' means fleece or wool?

just gonna leave this here. unrelated to anything else btw i just wanna ramble it.

random wiki stuff:

"vellus / villus / veillier = fleece, shaggy tuft hair, wool villi = in france, to watch over martinet = wikipedia: 'in English, the term martinet usually refers not to the whip but to those who might use it: those who demand strict adherence to set rules and mete out punishment for failing to follow them.' vellus hair = 'peach fuzz'"

🩸✨💛 random theory no one asked for 💛✨🩸

vellioth has hair with:

color range: peach (fuzz) to wheat blonde

length: medium to long

type/shape/texture: curly to kinky; 'shaggy/woolly sheep' texture

anyways back to the actual stuff.

... hi.

so! the narrator/cazador describe Vellioth as 'ancient', or at least they call his skull ancient? which is very strange to me for two main reasons. Vellioth isn't old. and i know, 'but syrips, you say everyone isn't old because strahd's a big old dusty super elder!.' and yea. hehe youre right. but for now, just remember this - Vellioth was Baldur Gate's Master Vampire from 1204 DR to 1276 DR. this will be important in a moment, not even because of the age, but because what ill describe below.

-----

Baldur's Gate's Master Vampire List

so. one thing that i see thrown around a bit, is that people may assume that the vampire list left by Lady Incognita is based on birth and death or other stuff, but! i will clarify it a bit:

the title of Master Vampire does not mean the previous one's destruction or death. it only means their defeat upon someone else taking the throne. sure, they may occur at the same time, but one can take over without killing the former.

the master vampire list is a self-proclaiming title, and one that others can attempt to contest

each city/point of interest has their own master vampires fighting in their own little territories. we only see those of baldur's gate. not of waterdeep. not of other towns or cities or locations. if you're feeling the vtm clan vibes/drama, then youre absolutely right! cazador penpalling another master vampire to brag about his master vampire status in baldur's gate is both him bragging and him potentially preparing to claim other places once he ascends

the master vampire title gives no actual vampiric, magical, or physical power. it's an entirely a social construct, in the most literal way possible. it provides social influence, social intimidation, etc. but, it's just like putting on a mundane tiara. grats, i guess.. its shiny at least-

anyways, this stuff is mostly put down just to say - nothing about this "Master Vampire" status is about ascension, power, and/or 'special abilities'. it's a moot point/status. which leads to why the master vampires need other ways to gain power.. which is why.. woah! cool transition to-

-----

The Black Mass Scroll As A Whole

if you got this far then thanks for reading. sit up and hydrate because it's time to talk about the black mass and why you need to be in tip top shape for reading this part. ahem:

the black mass scroll is not just one ritual, it is a collection of Vellioth's schooling, a list of rites/rituals, details of soul, divine (good, neutral, and evil) magic, and the methods of manipulation of the soul, divinity, and magic.

tl;dr - the black mass scroll is a list of lists. a collection of collections. the black mass scroll is.. an archive!

one could say it is massive. heh. anyways yea, the mass is a double meaning - a mass in the ritual sense, but also the meaning of 'a bunch of somethings.'

why is this important though? well. because this black mass has 'all the ways death can be turned to one's advantage or made more interesting', such as 'The Rite of Perfect Slaughter' and the 'Rite of Profane Ascension.'

so, let's talk about the Rite of Perfect Slaughter, which is actually fairly easy - Cazador killed Vellioth in the Rite of Perfect Slaughter. yet, Vellioth, who should be 'dead,' is recalling this. we should note, both of these people are undead. and undead death doesnt always work in the same way as complete removal/destruction. literally look at the other undead/'dead' in bg3 itself. look at those who 'died' in ravenloft. yet, some return, despite being 'killed' in the human perceived way.

either way, all we can confirm, based on this Rite of Perfect Slaughter, is that it removed Vellioth's authority/status as a Master Vampire. that is literally all the information we have right now. anything else is speculation, theory, or even deception by an undead or someone affiliated. which makes me wonder, who came up and formed that name, the "Rite of Perfect Slaughter"? cazador and vellioth both have a distorted view of what 'perfection' means, and we've seen cazador lie/hide information that will work against him. and also, Vellioth was laughing as cazador did the Rite on Vellioth. why didnt cazador and astarion laugh together when astarion performed the Rite of Ascension? because cazador didnt want the rite used on him. i guess the point of all of this is, who originally discovered or created the Rite of Perfect Slaughter? because, we dont know! for all we know, Vellioth couldve wanted to be 'killed' to give his soul to someone else, to preserve his vampirism/unlife or something. afterall, the black mass has 'all the ways death can be turned to one's advantage.' it doesnt say by who benefits from it. but anyways. the origin isnt really relevant for this, i just wanted to point out that these Rites are all a various and mixed collection of times, rituals, affiliations, and intentions - most that we dont even know fully, if at all of who benefits from it. and, considering we dont even know what some mean, or who made them, the original people who discovered them may not even be Cazador or Vellioth.

why? or how?

because, the line Astarion says when he picks up the Black Mass Scroll: "[Cazador] stole everything, even [Vellioth's] precious rules."

it doesnt matter who made the rites, rituals, weird strange description/stuff. all that matters is that Cazador has the entire bundle of stuff that is from previous vampires and creatures. and, the symbolism that Astarion picks it up and takes it, means the collection of potential power - of The Black Mass Scroll - Astarion is the current inheritor of potential power.

-----

Cazador and Jander (what?)

now, reader. you might be like. 'syrips, what does this have to do with if Strahd is considered a vampire ascendant? why is jander being brought in here?? im so confused, just answer the question about strahd!' well, too bad! you gotta wait! into the sealed tomb with leo dilisnya you go!

anyways! what we learned so far (as well as random rambling cuz why not):

cazador literally takes things that aren't his

cazador learned this from 'ancient' vellioth

Vellioth become a master vampire at 1204 DR of baldur's gate

Cazador became one at 1276 DR of baldur's gate

but! let's take a quick look and compare this to our beloved Jander Sunstar's lore:

they are incredibly weak when compared to an already existing Jander and strahd, as Anna has existed on the sword coast beginning around 970 DR

not only does time work differently in barovia, but in Toril / DR time, strahd already exists at this point as The Vampire. he is already the ruler of barovia, as well as the center of attention in the domains of dread

time isnt really important here, but its worth noting this because of Jander. not only did he kill his vampire master (which can be considered a 'vampiric ascension,' as you break the chains and limits of your master and are now free to grow in vampiric abilities), but he literally wielded an ancient and holy relic that vellioth and cazador could not even imagine to do.

and, not only did Jander do that, but he challenged the cause of vampirism and was brought by the mists into barovia. he was a candidate to challenge the master, founder, and origin of vampirism - strahd. Jander had the potential to ascend. to break free from the true master and curse, of The Vampire.

anyways, jander (and astarion) is a great reference character for vampire ability when comparing vellioth and cazador to jander/strahd.

but yea. tl;dr - jander makes vellioth and cazador look really pathetic. like baby levels pathetic. vampire ascension is about going 'backwards/upwards' on the vampiric bloodline tree, gaining your agency back so that you can climb up the ranks to more 'potent/ancient' generations. basically, it's about being free to go as far/deep as you can attempt. ascension is not about 'the removal of weaknesses', it's about 'the reduction of vampiric inferiority'. and, being unable to be in the sun is not of inferiority. they can go in the sun, but it will hurt. what one cannot do without suffering, teamwork, pacts, and/or luck, however, is breaking their seal on the master they're forced to be inferior to. even in the cazador fight, the only thing that saved astarion was literally the tadpole helping to reduce his inferiority with cazador. on a side note, vellioth laughing at cazador during the rite of perfect slaughter makes me believe that vellioth benefitted and only caused cazador to descend deeper, instead of ascend.

anyways. back to cazador. the only way that he can reduce the vampiric inferiority (as well as ascend himself) is for him to confront more and more ancient vampires, you know. like what jander attempted. but, cazador doesnt want to do that. instead, he works with an archdevil to attempt a cheap temporary bandaid/loophole around the wrong problem. instead of focusing on his own inferiority complex heh pun intended, he focuses on how to get a tan and how to be less thirsty..? like. what? either he has no idea what hes doing, or he believes removing all weaknesses and flaws will make him a more perfect vampire. what a silly head.

anyways. the rite of 'ascension.'

yea, let's go into that!

what is the Rite of Ascension??

here you go, reader!

---

🎇🩸🏹 The Rite of Profane Ascension 🏹🩸🎇

Oh, piteous dead! Oh, ravenous dead!

syrips translator: oh pathetic hungry un/dead people!

Immortality is your gift, but darkness is your prison and hunger its gaoler.

syrips translator: you can't be out in the (sun)light, and your hunger imprisons you because youre in denial of how to manage your vampirism.

The Rite of Profane Ascension will release you. Walk in the sun. Suffer not from hunger. Grow your power beyond anything you imagined.

syrips translator: with just 7 payments of 999.99 souls, you too can remove the ailments of sun allergies and midnight cravings! call now to receive your 'ascension' kit!

A pact has been made with the Lord of Hellfire. Deliver unto him seven thousand souls, each bearing an Infernal mark, and you shall be free of your chains. You shall know true power.

syrips translator: -fast disclaimer speak- your sun and anti-hunger status is not actually included or garaunteed. you are agreeing to the terms and conditions that you are only receiving the kit to build and perform the sun and anti-hunger ritual. 'free of your chains' is only used to describe the 'chains of darkness and hunger' and nothing else. purchase not necessary to be 'ascended.' call now and begin your journey!!

Deliver the souls.

syrips translator: i really dont care who gives me the souls. just gimmy. thanks

Speak the words.

syrips translator: okay the actual pact is below. everything else was just to hype you up and was just the advertisement, hehe! anyways. anyone who says the ritual below with the right components is all i care about. because the stuff below is the actual trade. and no, you didnt get scammed. this isn't a vampire ascension, it's just an advertisement targetted towards a vampiric audience. you read the terms and conditions correctly, right? silly guy.

Ecce dominus,

syrips translator: "(google translate) Behold, the Lord" / 'uhh hi -opens trade window-'

Has animas offero in sacrificio,

syrips translator: "(google translate) I offer these souls in sacrifice," / -puts 7k stack of souls in trade window- 'here's the actual trade that you wanted -presses confirm trade-'

Nunc volo potestatem quam pollicitus es mihi.

syrips translator: "(google translate) Now I want the power you promised me." / -presses accept- so this trade goes against the ToS but.. youll give me the power i asked for, right?... oh thank god i was so afraid. illegal ingame-to-irl-currency trades are so scary.. thank god, or thank meph in this case haha get it- oh okay im leaving.. s-sorry.. thanks..-

-----

Strahd

wooo hooo! we made it back to the original question!! we did it!!

now, lettuce answer this question that we we've been waiting on for so long. i dont want to leaf you hanging.

would strahd be considered a vampire ascendant?

big drum roll! bhrrrbhrbrhbhrr!!

-cough-

..

no.

...

-leaves-

-returns-

okay so. why isnt strahd considered a vampy ascendant?

well, before we talk about that. let's consider what a 'vampire ascendant' is considered, by Vellioth, Cazador, and the Rite of Profane Ascension's terms:

an 'ascended vampire' is just one who has the ailments of sunlight and hunger removed by the process of this specific ritual. remember that line i said of a Master Vampire being a moot point? well.. to burst the blood bubble, the "Ascended Vampire" line isnt a literal 'vampire ascension'. it's also a moot point, in its own way. but not as mooty, it's more of like a half-truth. like something an archdevil would do to tempt someone into doing something for a small dose of infernal - not raw vampiric - power in return. take note that nowhere in the actual ritual lines does it talk about ascension, let alone vampiric ascension. all it talks about is to say the words 'you made a promise.. i hope you keep it..pls gimmy Infernal powers..'

you know how raphael is making a deal with you and how off it feels? that's because youre not ascending when he mutes your tadpole. he's just using his abilities to manipulate/mold something in you with his powers. that's how this ritual also is. it's just a half-truth, unempathetic advertisement, masked as a pact so that the one who does it feels satisfied, despite the archdevil just receiving much more power than the one who sacrificed all the souls.

but, let's say this ritual is legitimate, and one does 'ascend' by the archdevil's abilities to remove the ailments. so, they are technically 'rising,' in a way. they are becoming a 'stronger infernal-gifted vampire' because of less weaknesses. but, what are they trying to ascend to? what is the purpose of removing all of these weaknesses? why go through all of this?

because. they hunger. they want power. they want true immortality. they want to remove all weaknesses in mortal life and immortal unlife to have free agency, without inferiority to anything. they want to be able to transcend time, space, and death, to be on a level of the highest peak of vampirism.

and, of course. who would that be? who would be the most ancient, powerful vampire, cursed and imprisoned by their own success in achieving what other vampires can only dream of?

who was imprisoned not from failure, but from succeeding too well that something else had to intervene?

anyways, as much as i love stroking strahd's ego LOl i keep going tho, his novel-canon potential is severely higher than the CoS potential. but, through all the modules, novels, and other media, it's still heavily implied that strahd's major weakness is tatyana. if he had tatyana, or felt he was losing the chance to pursue her, if he lost this weakness, he would unironically be scarily unstoppable. the only thing stopping strahd from being a huge dictator or even more power-hungry tyrant is literally because of his obsession/'curse' with wanting to have a bae. which i find very hilarious but focus syrips that part isnt the point-

anyways. tl;dr - strahd has nothing to ascend to. he has no vampire that he's inferior to. if anything, he wants to descend. he wants to be 'less' of what he is now, to be with tatyana. or, to ascend tatyana to his vampiric level. it's his entire curse. and, because of this, he also cannot descend. if he does, he will either lose himself, or he will lose tatyana. and he will not dare to risk that.

he also has nothing that he has or can ascend from. he is the 'original'. at most, he just ascended from 'himself.' but, that's not really an ascension more than just a transition. (and, moving from the material plane to the domains of dread kind of shows that he's not really ascending/rising, more than he's just moving into a warped/slanted plane that operates differently in time and space.) and, unlike in the Rite of Profane Ascension, strahd used himself (and everything affiliated to him) as both the component and result, because no other method existed. he is the origin and reason that rites/methods to 'becoming a more powerful vampire' even exist. he's the reason that vampires exist. when strahd says he's the ancient and land, he's not just saying it for the cool monologue phrase even though we all know he totally enjoys saying it everytime. he's also bluntly saying, 'i am the ancient because i, with barovia, transcend time. i am the land because i, with barovia, connect with the domains of dread. and, the domains of dread, connects with all planes. i am beyond 'a vampire.' i, strahd, am the concept and definition of the vampire.'

everything that all vampires do, by definition, are mock versions, mock attempts, and mock methods that strahd has already mastered, influenced others to do, or that he has knowledge/creation of. everything all vampires do, is attempting to do what their masters had done. with every new spawn, they start at the bottom, trying to climb to their master's level. and even more rarely, attempting to climb to their master's master's level. but strahd is at the top of the MLM vampire pyramid. he has no master to climb up the ranks to. he's already the CEO, founder, etc. (idk how business works), he can't out-climb himself. -strahd pompous voice- 'ouhhh.. it's so lonely being at the top, ouhhh..' but anyways, he can ascend or assist others, since he's a patron. but most power-hungry vampires wouldnt want to do that, especially because they're probably trying to climb up just to compete or be on strahd's vampiric level. and yet, asking strahd for ascension is incredibly easy - all it would mean is making an eternal pact to always be subservient and inferior to strahd.. he'd gladly ascend you, you'd have the potential to be superior to all other vampires.. the only one above you would be personally him. and.. suddenly, a deal with an archdevil who doesnt care about the pettiness of vampire superiority, kind of sounds safer in comparison now..-

or idk. i could be wrong. just a ramble i had fun doing. hehe ty for reading

references/sauces:

bg3

bg3 wiki

wikipedia

wiktionary

google translate

ravenloft novels/modules/games/media/editions from like everywhere

[syrips]

not to be a cazador apologist i mean i kinda am but that's irrelevant to what im gonna say but cazador's tone and treatment of you (as Tav) is pretty interesting based on your options and how/when you speak to him

spoilers below

when you derail from the 'expected' options/route, as in, intentionally going to cazador without astarion, or agreeing to help him, etc. cazador obviously talks 'kinder' to you because youre helping him. but that isnt what i want to focus on, nay nay-

for me, the interesting and crazy part is how even when he's impatient, literally threatened by you, and potentially afraid of astarion in this moment, he still tries his best to sound soothing and charming to you. you, who is one of the biggest threats in his plans. it's unnecessary, yet, he still takes the time to do it. in a weird way, it's cazador showing you a moment of his 'attractive mask' side, even if he flips out of it almost immediately.

but, if he has a moment of that much control/manipulation even in a highly suspenseful and serious moment as this, it's easy to imagine how charming and alluring he can mask himself to be when he is in a full controlled and non-stressful environment. he'd definitely be 'kind', 'polite', and even 'complimenting' you for not being as stupid as the others! he would behaving attractively to you, because you are not giving him a reason to show you his unattractive side in this time and moment.

and speaking of behaving attractively, cazador's accent is very similar to astarion's. or, a better way to describe it, astarion most likely adapted to cazador's accent/speech, due to everything cazador put astarion through. we see cazador's voice as cranked to like 500 compared to astarion's accent, yet a better way to describe it is that astarion's accent is like 5% of cazador's influence. i dont know much about the other spawn's accent/style of speaking as much as astarion's, but for cazador and astarion, considering that this game was developed originally in english, it feels like the voice acting similarities between cazador and astarion are intentional

people say they like astarion's accent, but, take note of the way cazador speaks to you when luring you - in a similar accent that even astarion uses when flirting/alluring you. it might be cringey cuz of how overwhelming cazador's feels when compared to astarion's, but i think that's the point. either way, idk if it's a subtle thing, but it shows the contrast between cazador to tav (alone when you are accepting him) versus cazador to tav when with astarion (when both of you are refusing him)

but this was just something i wanted to ramble about hehe ok goodbye

(info referenced above is going back to my other cazador random syrips theory post explaining how most ppl see him as unattractive cuz his first impression to the player is like literally at one of the most ugliest/exposed moments in his unlife.)

[syrips]

cos/ravenloft / random syrips theory below!!

idk it someone else responded already but yea rambling below hehe

hii! main reason ppl draw him in pointed ears is because in many of his official art, and novels, he is depicted with both round and pointed ears! the creators of strahd also seemed to mention that the cos art of strahd holding the wine glass near the mirror is one of the ones they actually contributed to his character design (slightly pointed or a rounded point)

vampires also can shapeshift so strahd can also be 'human-like' with his skin/teeth/ears/nails/eyes matching his human form/s.

but most of his 'prime vampire' forms have him with pointed (or roundish pointed) ears

strahd is a very dynamic character so he's like 5 people in terms of how he does/can look. none are really wrong, just depends which sources you're referencing, and official sources actually contradict so anything can pretty much work-

highly recommend browsing through mx-lamour's post for a very convenient thing of official strahd art- (there's more official art out there but you can tell immediately how some official art 'contradict' each other)

there's also other official art where in the same source he has round ear art and pointy ear art!

Why does everyone draw Strahd with elf ears. Vampire or not he was human, no? Not stopping y'all, but I was curious if like half of his fan base just got confused or refuses the truth.

[syrips]

random syrips theory/excited lore rambling below about bhaal hehe!!

bg3/dnd bhaal spoilers below

oh god one of my favorite tropes in media/games is 'all powerful being that specialized/is known for X thing but their downfall is them trying to prevent their downfall by creating the very thing that is against their X thing'.

like for bhaal. the entire 'lord of murder, violence, rituals for killing'. i find it so juicy and great that he tries to prevent his downfall by making children. like. a ton of children. that's like the most 'lord of birth, rituals for creation' thing ive ever seen. and the best part? the bhaalspawn is his entire downfall. i can see why other deities are like 'wow you dead three are pretty dumb'. cuz like. YEAH. but like. god i slurp that trope up so much its so great-

[syrips]

me: -rambles for 30 minutes for random syrips theory-

also me: no one made a strahd padoru?.. -sighs- guess i gotta make it myself..

[syrips]

doing an ascension astarion route because i desire the l o r e and to connect/compare to ravenloft lore because its fun and anyways godd some of the lines astarion says is like prime darklord material

spoilering it below for both ravenloft and bg3 spoilers but also a ramble

also, it l o n g so be double warned!!

considering how many darklords we have, so many of them have done seemingly less depraved things than cazador/ascended astarion are doing.. and some darklords become darklords because they 'took over' a heinous act and committed it themselves.. the fact that of all people, raphael calls it a disgusting and terrible act, means that it is pretty low, even for a devil's view of the law. and obviously raphael couldve just said it to say it but, i kinda believe that raphael saw it as ridiculous because of how unbalanced the ritual is against a 'natural order'

and by 'natural order', i mean a process in which people commit morally-fitting actions with the use of nature, divinity, magic, energy, etc.; so, an evil person following an evil god is a natural and expected process; and if they fall, that power/balance would restabilize (aka fall back to the deity/power that caused it to rise to begin with). but a ritual involving an archdevil exploiting rules on a realm, race, souls, and deity level, is kind of a multi-leveled thing that can cause many huge layers of problems.

on a side tangent, because of (and in contrast to) this, i kinda believe the chosen three would not become darklords because they're following instruction, delusion, or motivation to a 'natural order' - their superior deity. they're doing it within a reasonably fitting method, even if that method is pretty evil. (the punishment/retaliation of the 'natural order' would then be expected towards the deity, which, i mean.. yea spoilers for endings here but its pretty fitting, isnt it?)

but back to the topic of the two darklord candidates.. cazador wasnt doing that - if he was, if, hypothetically, he went through a vampire or deity/power related to vampirism (which he COULD have, based on my other random syrips theory post), he wouldve been fine. but instead, he tried to loophole even that. instead, he went through an archdevil who (the candidate and the archdevil) are exploiting through a multi-'meta' level of even more loopholes. it's no longer about 'serving a god' or 'contracted to someone' (cuz cazador didnt contract himself to the archdevil, but rather created a ritual contract with the assistance of the archdevil; mild difference being, the ritual can be committed by anyone, as long as the components are all in place)

this means that, if anyone completes the ritual, they are committing the act of the entire process, as though they gathered, sacrificed, and performed all the rites for it to be complete. because, in a way, they did, they pressed the shiny button, pressed yes to continue, even if they do not think their hands are dirty to it

but anyways, i find it interesting because ascended astarion (or cazador) both qualify to be darklords, and it would be incredibly interesting for us to fight one of those or even end up having a domain of dread where they are trapped in for their actions

since we also have shar and the shadowfell (and other bits of ravenloft/vrgtr compatible source stuff in bg3 already), it seems like it can already be done through canonical means through just bg3's in-game lore alone

but yea thats just a ramble i wanted to do ok bye

[syrips]

random syrips theory time!! and unorganized rambling

tl;dr to the last sentence - yea!

this is my own opinion but in votm its implied that strahd's fluffy gf's major complaint ignoring the jealousy part wasnt necessarily 'kill all spawn', but rather 'stop turning vampire spawn directly from you, because being a spawn of you, is much more dangerous than a spawn of... like an 11th generation-turned spawn.' laughs at cazador from the distance

it's also a parallel to jander killing his own sire and basically the spawn becoming more powerful than the direct sire.

strahd kind of lets his spawn (and flings/lovers, according to him) roam around, and most of their deaths seem to be from hunters or from competition/others. he seems not to really care, unless they hold a deeper romantic/intimate/possessive affiliation to strahd. (on a side note, in all media ive seen across editions/lore/etc, he does seem to be upset at the act of anyone hurting/killing what is his, regardless if he cares about their personality.) but even then, it seems like he doesnt honestly care or consider the risks of his spawn (or is neglectful at best, to) both spawn that are against or with him.

he does seem to 'improve' and hold a higher attachment to his spawn in future media, and shifts from a less chaotic/disorganized style to a more lawful/organized method. he becomes more selective and careful, and we see this in i, strahd 2 and the transition from 1e to 5e.

in the earlier versions (novels/books/games/etc), he seems to be more focused on the stereotype of a monster vampire. he is messy, sloppy, and technically the 'first/origin' of what defines a vampire as a vampire. and it makes sense, as he has no one to learn what to do except for himself.

as he learns how to become "The Vampire", he also learns how to intertwine his own personality back into himself. aka, we see the blend of his human strahd's connection to his dark magic studies intertwine with his vampirism abilities. this gets very difficult to distinguish, and i think it's intentional, between both vampire, and strahd. oo silly ancient land quote here. but, yea. i think he intertwines his necromancy, dark arts, forbidden arts, invented/discovered arts, mist manipulation, discoveries, and "The Vampire" abilities together, for this chaotic concoction of stuff that, i dont even think he fully knows what stuff roots from.

which is why i believe he starts noting that he begins to toy with living bodies and corpses, either literally or figuratively for learning purposes rather than entirely 'pure sadism'. he learns about torture, about mortals' physical/mental/emotional limits, etc. and he seems to be aware of when to convert someone into a vampire, a vampire spawn, a zombie, or a corpse. i still think he's sadistic, but i think he was being genuine with his morbid curiosity for the purpose of also learning from it, and also of himself.

he seems to be aware of how to control a body/soul, regardless if this is learned and done subconsciously or not. he seems to use enchantment spells or his charisma/manipulation to get what he wants, regardless if it is accidental or intentional. he also seems to be able to cast spells he's never done before. and he seems to know how to make someone stay alive, be killed, or converted into any type of undead of his choosing.

but anyways, to wrap this all up, i think his own direct spawn are just lurking, hiding, or attaching themselves to strahd for their own safety. spawn that interest strahd, like adventurers/npcs, are most likely going to be crypted/imprisoned (i believe we see this in i, strahd 1 and cos module too).

forgot which book it was, knight of the black rose? but he also seems to know when to turn someone into a zombie versus a spawn (hehe silly zombard..). he seems to know that if a body is too 'broken', their soul/awareness would be lost. it seems like if he wants a puppet, he knows how far to destroy the body/mind for a zombie. but if he wants them aware, he is careful in the ritual. considering in i, strahd 1 how he prepares one for vampirism.

but yea ima go eat tacos goodbye

So, my continuity brain is still trying to put together how some vampire rules work, and tbh there isn't going to be great continuity, but hear my rambling thoughts:

In Vampire of the Mists, when a vampire fully drains a person of their blood, to the point that they die from this, the person becomes a vampire spawn. It's pretty clearly stated and shown in that story, that this is what happens.

In I, Strahd (1 & 2, so far anyway), there is no mention of this. There is no direct mention (yet) of Strahd creating spawn at all, although he will drink from people and, in some cases, drain them dry.

There have only been two particular instances of this in I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin. In one, he also cut the guy's head off, so I'm guessing that's that either way. (If you drink them nearly dead, and then technically kill them a different way, perhaps the supernatural rules are flummoxed and no spawn is created.)

With the second, it's just never mentioned what happens to the body after Strahd kills him. Strahd doesn't necessarily collect him for zombie material or anything. That one's just kind of left in limbo. Did that boy come back as spawn? Does Strahd even know? Does he care? Is it useful, because having spawn out and about might lure suspicions away from himself?

I want to know.

Since VotM happens in the timeline between the events of I, Strahd 1 & 2 it is possible that he had a phase in which he created a bunch of spawn and has since "downsized" and gone back to being a careful lonely boy.

It's also completely entirely possible that spawn are around, and he just doesn't mention them in his writings because they aren't important enough.