#spawn!tav

An intense anxiety washes over him as more unfamiliar eyes fall on him and, barely excusing himself, he bolts for the exit, nearly knocking several people over.

He can't do this.

Tav doesn't have time to react when the doors of the palace slam open and shut behind them before they are nearly tackled to the floor in a tight hug. A familiar sob reaches their ears, calming the quelling rage, and bared fangs at the idea ANYONE had the gall to attack them and they immediately turn as Astarion buries his face in their neck. His fingers bite into their clothing as his knees give way, taking both of them to the floor as he hyperventilates, trying to tell them what happened.

"I knew it was too soon for you to go back to that..." they sigh, running their hand through his hair and rubbing his back while leaving gentle kisses anywhere they can reach. "Calm down, Starlight. It's not the end of the world."

It takes some coaxing but they're able to get him to his feet and guide him back toward their bedroom. Astarion keeps his head down and refuses to look Tav in the eye as they draw him a bath.

"Relax, my heart. All in due time," they whisper as he settles into the tub and they wrap their arms around his shoulders from behind, nuzzling him as they run a hot washcloth over his pale, heaving chest. "You have the first part of your wish. The second part will take time and work. You're rusty with socializing, crowds especially, and a lot has changed in two centuries. You only have to brush up on some of the newer norms, that's all... We can make a day of looking for books and scrolls that can help with that. You'll have Baldur's Gate in the palm of your hand in no time, Darling."

After some time and the tub water cooling, Astarion gives a deep, stable exhale and turns his head to lean against his consort's, his hand wrapping around the one holding the washcloth. This earns him a kiss on his temple.

"What would I do without you?"

"Go cry in a corner somewhere and lick your wounds until you get angry and sassy enough to try again," Tav sighs, making him roll his eyes.

From time to time, he'll reach in and gently pet them and chuckle if they start chittering at him, telling them they'll be heading home soon. They weren't exactly dressed for public appearances when they changed into a bat to come out in humanoid form. Once at home, they fly out of his coat and change back, still in their sleepwear.

Everything seems to grind to a halt. The wine glass in their hand slips from their fingers and slowly falls to the floor as their eyes move toward the pain in their abdomen. Out of the corner of their eye, their silver-haired husband turns, horror growing on his face and his lips part to let out a bellowing fanged scream. The figure before them, wearing a skull mask in an elegant black suit, drives a stake into their chest in the center of the ballroom. The look in his eyes and the way he is positioned tell all. He didn't reach his intended target. They had unknowingly stepped in the way. A sea of masked faces turns in their direction and the room falls silent from a dull roar as their glass shatters on the marble floor, spilling its deep red contents everywhere.

Tav's legs shake under them as their hands find their way around the wood sticking out of their ribcage, hands becoming bloodier by the second, staining their evening wear. Their mind fogs over with pain and they sink to the floor onto their knees, their mask clattering to the floor. The room erupts in screams and time catches up as those around Tav start panicking and rushing about. Moments pass and a crush forms at the entrance, panicked nobles and servants pressed against one another in a desperate bid to escape. Those unlucky enough to fall didn't get back up.

The assassin, upon realizing he missed his target, stumbles back. He seems alone, or he was looking for those who were in on it as well and sees no one. A swear is uttered as he looks for a way out but is swiftly snatched up by the throat by an enraged vampire. As Astarion brandishes a blade from his coat and begins to enact revenge on the assassin, not enough to kill but enough to force information out of him, the urge to pull on the stake compels Tav. Slowly, painfully, they watch as the would-be murder weapon exits their body. The gasp Tav makes causes the Vampire Ascendant to pause and turn to his dark consort.

Shakenly, Tav rises from their knees, their eyes on the wound as a rush of energy fills them. The entry point slowly closes under their clothes. They let out a nervous chuckle which becomes stronger and more manic when it dawns on them that the stake didn't hit where it was meant to. Astarion scoffs in disbelief with a hint of relief, dropping the heavily injured man to the floor.

"Tav..." he moves forward but falls short when Tav takes a step toward him.

"I'm okay, my love. I'm okay..." they pant, flashing him a reassuring smile. Tav's eyes slide in the direction of the assassin as he tries to crawl his way toward the now-cleared doorway, ignoring the unmoving guests and bloodied dance floor. Striding forward, their smile widens, exposing their fangs. "In fact... Next time you want to kill a vampire, aim a bit higher and more to the left."

As they speak, they kick the assassin onto his back and place a foot on his stomach. Their hand clutches the stake tightly and in one swift and brutal move, they bring it down, piercing the man's chest.

"Right about... there!"

The man tries to scream but nothing comes out besides a slight gurgling noise. After watching the life drain from his eyes with sick delight, Tav turns their attention to their evening wear, their fingers tugging at the hole the stake created.

"Starlight, that bastard ruined the outfit you got me-" they whine and turn to Astarion who immediately crushes them into a hug.

"I'll get you another!" his voice quivers between heavy kisses delivered to Tav's head, face, and mouth. His hand immediately grips the now healed area as a sob shakes Tav's mind, causing them to return the affection to try to calm their husband. "Gods, I thought he killed you! I-I thought-!"

"I did too... but I'm okay...! He missed..." they breathe, nuzzling him heavily as they try to not get upset themselves now that the event has passed. "He missed, I'm still here. I healed completely."

"I-I saw... I saw. Thank the Gods..."

"No, thank you," Tav whispers. "It's because of you I can do that..."

"I know..." he gives a quiet chuckle, planting a kiss on their forehead, their head cupped in his hands. "We are no longer in constant danger... it's easy to forget..."

Astarion, once he is content with how much affection he showered his dark consort with, escorts them toward their bedroom, giving orders to any remaining servants to clean the ballroom, bodies and all. Any survivors need to be tended to.

Tav spends the rest of the night in trembling hands, from a warm bath to wash away the filth the assassin left behind on them to being dressed and placed in their large, lavish bed like a living doll. Knowing that Astarion would chide them if they protested, Tav allows him to dote and get it out of his system. Settling in bed in the tight embrace of the now-calming vampire lord, they are lulled to sleep by him viciously plotting with the information he was able to pull from the would-be killer.

As Astarion goes on his tirade, Halsin and Wyll carefully approach Tav who is now hugging themselves and staring at the floor in shock and confusion.

"Did... Did I die?" they whisper, turning their crimson eyes up to Halsin who flinches. "A-All I remember is... pain... Then..."

"Gods dammit," Wyll groans, turning away with a hand rubbing his chin with his free hand on his hip. "Not this..."

"My stomach hurts... It feels like I haven't eaten in ages..."

"It's okay," Halsin forces a smile. "W-We'll get you something to take care of that soon. I promise."

Karlach steps forward, her hands up in defense.

"Okay, you've gone a bit mad with grief, so maybe you don't realize what you've done here, Fang," she speaks calmly. "Let's just take a deep breath and-"

"No! No, I know exactly what I've done! I saved Tav! I saved them from Cazador!" Astarion insists and continues to do so which makes Shadowheart storm past Karlach. A loud smack turns everyone's attention toward the source to see the cleric gripping the vampire's collar, her hand in the finishing position of a slap and Astarion's head turned as he stares off blankly.

"Snap out of it!" she screams at him with a swing going in the opposite direction. Another smack makes Karlach wince.

"That's a bit much, Shad-"

"I say not enough," Lae'zel appears beside the tiefling with her arms crossed. "The bloodsucker should be thankful it's her. I would have torn this room asunder with his body for what he's done to our leader. This is a crime."

"Well, if we wanna get technical, it wasn't him that killed Tav. It was Cazador," Karlach rubs the back of her head.

"Ah, but Astarion finished the funeral ritual by the looks of it," Gale looks over both Tav's and Astarion's clothes. "Ergo, he's damned Tav to the same existence as himself, a life shackled to the darkness, a slave to sanguine hunger. They will never see sunlight again once their tadpole is removed. It would have been more humane to let them remain the way they were, not that anything could be done about it now."

"Wait, shouldn't the tadpole be dead?" Shadowheart raises a brow, dropping Astarion to the floor.

"Ah... it WAS surrounded with Netherese magic so I doubt it would have died in such a small window," Wyll crosses his arms, glancing toward the vampire who seems to now grasp the situation at hand. "Besides, these things are worse than cockroaches. I don't think they're going anywhere long after we're dead."

Shakingly, Astarion pushes himself to his feet, his eyes wide as he turns to Tav.

"Tav, I-I..." he starts but goes quiet when their upset gaze meets his. A wave of sickness falls over him upon realizing he will never see their normal coloring again. The red was different from all others. It was clear as day what Tav had become. Covering his mouth, he rushes for the nearest window, flings it open, and throws himself halfway out to empty the contents of his stomach. After the final violent heave, he pulls himself in and sinks to the floor, resting his forehead on the wall with a sob, his hands nearly breaking the sill.

"Idiots. Though I wont lie, they nearly had me. I'm sure that was nothing for you, Tav," he turns a playful smolder over his shoulder just to realize at the same time as the others that Tav was gone. The smolder disappears and dread sets in.

-

The image of Tav motionless at the feet of his tormentor sent fire through his veins. The commotion of Halsin turning into a bear and the anguished cry from the other team members didn't help. It only made him snap and rush the vampire lord in hopes of landing a blow. Then another. And another, over and over. But it was no use. He was stopped mere inches away from Cazador's face as the vampire chided him then taunted him about Tav and how they fought him tooth and nail mere moments before they entered as he drained them off every last drop. They were gone and Astarion had no one to blame but himself. It was his fault.

-

There is no celebrating once Astarion drops to his knees, the blade of Woe falling from his fingertips as he wailed, not only for himself but the cooling body next to him. Tav's eyes were half-lidded when they perished and Astarion musters enough energy to close them.

Halsin had to be the one to remove the body back to the Elfsong Tavern, suggesting that Tav be buried back in the land that they helped clear of the shadow curse. Everyone seems to be in agreement but they do not get an answer from Astarion, who just stares at the body.

-

Halsin and the others wake to Astarion hastily talking to someone in a low loving tone with slight panic the next morning. A soft sob follows which the vampire tries to stifle with gentle cooes of encouragement.

The first thing anyone sees is Astarion covered head-to-toe in dirt, his once-perfect appearance in shambles, his hair and nails that he prides himself on a mess. The look in his eyes and the shaky smile on his face tells one that he may have lost his mind. He's startled at first at the sight of his companions up so early and tries to hide someone from view who is sitting on Tav's bed with their head in their hands. After a moment of panicked rambling, Astarion stops, takes a deep breath, then turns to the person, taking their hands and pulling them to their feet. The crew is greeted by the terrifying sight of their fallen party member with brilliant red eyes, the armor they were to be laid to rest in soiled in dirt. Gale turns a glare to Astarion.

Imagine Tav doing the same. Vampire Spawns are supposed to be changed to align with evil in DnD, but let's set that aside and address the elephant in the room, something I have not seen brought up in any of the tags:

Tav may have gone through the bridal ritual, but they are not a normal vampire "bride" as Astarion is not a normal vampire lord. He's the Vampire Ascendant, a new creature that is found nowhere else. Anyone bitten by Astarion wouldn't be a normal spawn regardless and shouldn't there be some indication of that?

The ritual itself was supposed to be vile, and yet, we don't see much of that past the sacrifice of seven thousand and seven spawns. There are more pros than cons to ascending Astarion if I'm honest and that's somewhat broken if the ritual was supposed to be horrific. I think the use of spawn as a currency somewhat dampens the moment as they're already begging for death AND would be considered too much of a liability to release when someone is playing a good character with all of Baldur's Gate on the table. No "good" aligned character would do this. We've already talked about how a good chunk would most likely not go into the Underdark and try to cause chaos out of anger, frustration, and frenzied hunger yet this was considered the "good" ending for the Pale Elf quest. As I pointed out in another post, you aren't told that you can kill them after talking Astarion down either. Perhaps if they used living beings as the exchange since vampires are technically not supposed to HAVE souls, the choice would be harder.

Anyway, my idea is that Tav may be a step above vampire spawn even as a normal "spawn" of Astarion's, perhaps even above a vampire lord which could have consequences if the bite causes their entire demeanor to change. It could be for the better, aligning them further with Astarion with no interest in pulling away, or for the worse and they could end up trying to rival him rather than fall back on the idea of "good" as very few vampires tend to be "good". What if it gave Tav the ability to create spawn of their own or stuff a vampire lord should only have access to since Astarion is more powerful?

Immediately thought of this for Tav and Astarion greeting Strahd before everything goes down:

"Why do we have to do this again!?" Astarion practically growls under his breath as he escorts his dearest dark consort to the dining room with their visitor trailing behind.

"You need a support system if you are to take over larger areas," Tav whispers. "I know you have an issue with him being a vampire lord, but you do have the upper hand here, my heart."

Astarion grumbles to himself as he stops at Tav's seat, pulls out the chair for them to sit down, then takes his spot at the head of the table, Tav to his right. He then forces a smile as his eyes turn to the pale, dark-haired gentleman at the end of the long table.

"Please, have a seat, Strahd."

"Count Zarovich is fine, Astarion," the figure gives a melodious hum as he sits down at the far end. This causes Astarion's eye to twitch.

"Lord Ancunín, thank you," he bares his fangs slightly in a grin, his tone close to dripping poison. Tav reaches over and takes his hand as if to remind him of his plans. This immediately catches Strahd's attention. Astarion clears his throat and begins to lay out a carefully crafted offer of alliance that he (mostly Tav) had put together before the dinner event. As he goes through the papers with the proposition, Tav notices their guest almost leering at them from behind his goblet. They quickly turn their attention back to their husband, trying to ignore it. When Astarion finishes, he drops the papers and sits back in his chair. "Well, what do you say?"

He pauses at seeing Strahd's gaze on Tav and he looks between the two.

"Tav, my dear, how would you like to see Barovia? We could leave tonight if you wish," Strahd sighs before sipping at the liquid. Tav's head snaps in his direction in shock.

"Excuse me?" they blink. In their peripheral, they can see Astarion is about to lose his mind.

"What?!" Astarion throws himself to his feet, his hands on the table."What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The vampire lord looks him directly in the eye.

"I'm taking your spouse," he states plainly and then turns back to Tav. "Come now, I think you're wasting your time here with the nouveau riche. Someone like you should know what true power and luxury are on the arm of a real vampire."

Tav's jaw drops at the mere suggestion.

"Count Zarovich-"

"Please, Love. Call me Strahd."

What happens next happens so fast that Tav did not have time to react. The entire table is flipped by their husband, who squares his shoulders and bares his fangs at their guest.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" he bellows. Without warning, both vampires lunge at one another as Tav sits there, stunned. It passes quickly, and they let out a hard sigh.

"Well, this was a bust," they sit back, picking up a wine bottle from the ice bucket on a nearby cart. Instead of pouring it into a glass, Tav opens the bottle and drinks directly from it.

Tav watches a brutal fight between the two men with Astarion pulling daggers seemingly out of nowhere as he screams that Tav is his and no one else's. After finally pinning the Count to the floor, his clothes and hair a mess, Astarion breaks off the leg of a discarded chair to stake him as the daggers didn't do the damage he wanted. Strahd hisses at him before disappearing into a black cloud of bats that fly toward one of the exits.

"TACKY BASTARD!" Astarion screams after him before storming over to Tav, who offers him the bottle. He takes it and downs more than half of the vintage liquid.

"Well, you'll get your wish, Starlight. No more vampire lords," Tav shoots a glare toward the door. In one swift motion, the bottle is tossed aside with a shatter and they are scooped up and carried toward the back of the palace.

"Mine!" Astarion grunts. With a giggle, they nuzzle their face into his neck.

Well, I'm a sucker for Astarion taking care of a sick Tav regardless, and vice versa XD We all know he'd be a dramatic queen about it if it's him, though Tav may be used to that if they remember having to deal with a sick Gortash after getting him to break that tough guy act of pretending to be perfectly fine to push through his work when he's burning up.

Though, imagine he calls off all plans to stay with them.

The bed becomes a nest of sorts with more pillows and blankets added to make it as comfortable as possible. Astarion remains in his loungewear, curling himself around his poor consort. He refuses to leave for more than short sprints to other parts of the palace as he doesn't want to keep waking them by re-entering the bed.

No one is allowed near Tav when they're vulnerable like this. Gods help anyone who comes through those doors uninvited.