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general 7 and story 1 for leon, and general 10 and story 6 for ashtoret :DD

Answers under the cut bc this is rather long!

Leon

General 7

Leon would definitely have a personal quest that covers the whole arc of the game. When you meet him in Act 1, he'd likely just look like an ordinary elf with no special features. Once you got his approval level high enough or just spoke to him enough, likely the next long rest after the first Dream Guardian visit, you'd get the chance to speak with him privately, where he would let his glamour drop to reveal the draconic scales that cover his face. He'd confess that they were always a point of insecurity for him, something monstrous and out of place in the halls of a noble scion, but he trusts Tav/Durge enough to reveal them. This gets him talking about his family, which reveals that he's the firstborn son of one of the patriars of Baldur's Gate. [BALDURIAN: Wait, you're Lord Alejandro's missing son?! All the rumors said that you were dead!] Once that's revealed, it kickstarts his personal quest, The Frozen Heart, the main goal of which is for him to get back home and reunite with his father/brothers. It would somewhat resemble Wyll's personal quest in that his two paths would very much be 'Go back and take your place as the Scion of your Noble House' or 'Dude, fuck your family, you deserve freedom, leave all this shit behind and make your own way.' A major throughline of his quest would be helping him to accept those features for which he was deemed monstrous and an unsuitable heir, as well as assisting him in gaining greater control over the draconic magic that flows through his veins and coming to terms with his past failures to strike out on his own.

If the player chooses to ally with Gortash and never does The Iron Throne or anything that would antagonize him, then Leon would be set more towards his 'You know what, fuck your family' path, because his father would survive the events of the game and going back home would mean being under his thumb again. If, by contrast, the player does fight and kill or otherwise antagonize Gortash, that triggers the event where many of the patriars, Leon's father and brother included, are slaughtered. This would then make him think that he needs to stay behind and take over as head of the household, otherwise the house will fall. You can still sway him to the opposite path, regardless of which track you're on, but it will be a chunky Persuasion check.

Story 1)

Actually got a bit of a scene mapped out for this one, so, enjoy!

--- (Camera slowly pans in on LEON looking away from the PLAYER as they approach from behind. After a moment, he seems to realize they're behind him, and turns to face them.)

LEON: Forgive me, I was lost in thought. I... could not help but overhear the others talking this morning. It seems I was not the only one with disturbed sleep last night. (he pauses, his expression almost pleading Tav/Durge to say 'no') Is it true? Did you dream of a familiar face, a protector last night?

PLAYER (Dream_Guardian_Familiar_FALSE): No, the face wasn't familiar, but I definitely also dreamed about a strange figure promising power and protection... PLAYER (Dream_Guardian_Familiar_TRUE): Yes, I did. Someone I knew long ago came to me promising power and protection, if I accepted the tadpole's powers. (IF_PLAYER_DURGE_TRUE) Though hells if I can place exactly where I've seen that face before...

LEON: I could have sworn I saw my mother's- Ah, but if we all shared the same dream last night, then that is an utter impossibility. It must be. Never mind.

PLAYER: What do you think of the potential the Dream Visitor offered us? LEON: I... am not sure what to think of it. I want to believe that my m- that whoever is visiting us would not lead us astray. And yet, they clearly know enough about us to choose a form we're likely to believe or trust inherently. And anything that may deepen our infection is concerning. However, we might need the power on offer if we are to survive this. I... doubt I have much awaiting me, even once I return home, so if any of us were to take the risk, it ought to be me.

---

Ashtoret

General 10)

Ashtoret has 2 unique NPCs that can show up for them over the course of the game. The first, of course, is their companion wolf Lupus, who basically always vibes at camp once they're recruited. This can lead to a unique scene with Shadowheart where Ashtoret tries to help her overcome her phobia of wolves with light exposure therapy. (Also, you can always pet Lupus bc I say so. He's a good boi, he deserves to get pets.)

The second unique NPC, who you'll only see in Act 3, is their father Sylvaris, a wood elf who serves as a part of the Flaming Fist and is investigating the Open Hand Temple Murders alongside Valeria. He openly disdains Valeria's 'open and shut' solution to the case, and like Devella, is certain that there is more than meets the eye to this vicious killing. However, there is, at present, precious little evidence to refute Valeria's claim, and if she's decreed the case closed, then he cannot officially explore other avenues. So, he encourages the party to do some digging of their own and is at Sharess's Caress with Valeria when you present your findings. He goes off into the city ahead of you and will occasionally pop up during the Investigate the Murders questline. Once Tav/Durge realizes it all trails back to the Cult of Bhaal, you can encourage him to lay off the case before it gets him killed. (Or as Durge, possibly indulge the urge and kill this nosy cop before he sticks his nose in any deeper, though doing that will absolutely cause Ashtoret to turn hostile and trigger a combat.)

Annnd I'll wait on answering Story 6 bc another asker also wanted to know about both characters, so I'll answer that one in the next post!

more questions, as requested :3 general 1 & 3, story 7, 12, & 16, and romance 7 for both? 👀 or feel free to pick & choose lol

Answers under the cut, you know the drill by now. These posts run long. lol

Leon

General 1)

Leon would be encountered in the general nautiloid crash region, likely at the Abandoned Chapel where you encounter that group of brigands set to loot the building for all it's worth. He's being held up by that crew, who think he looks just fancy enough to have some valuables that would be worth something if he parted with them.

When one of them presses in too close to him, a sudden surge of frost flies out from his fingers and freezes the arm of the person in question. Leon looks a mix of terrified and glad to see others have arrived on the scene. The scene proceeds as usual from there, except you have a chance to chat with Leon after the fact once you've saved him, be it through combat or just convincing the group to ditch.

As Tav/Durge chat with him, either graciously extending their help for free or extorting him for money in exchange for their aid, the tadpole link flares up.

You see the canopy of a dense jungle, feel your sweat plastering your hair to your face, hear the shrieks of distant monsters. Fear motivates your steps, even when exhaustion drags you to your knees. Then comes an ominous tentacled shadow and blessed unconsciousness.

Leon is horrified at the sudden ingress into his mind, and even more horrified by the prospect of becoming an illithid before the tenday's out. He offers to join the party if they seek a cure, and apologizes in advance- his command over his magic isn't what it should be, but it should return to him before too long.

General 3)

If you find Leon before Astarion, despite Astarion's less than pleasant introduction to Tav/Durge, Leon will advise them to take him aboard. "He reminds me of someone I once knew... I feel as if we can trust him."

He's also states that, "The Blade of Frontiers is of good stock. His companionship would serve us well." if you meet Wyll after him.

Story 7)

At the tiefling party (Leon categorically will not be present at any goblin party, see previous answers for that.), he can be found by his tent, arms folded behind his back as he watches the rest of the group have fun and start drinking and dancing. When you approach him, he admits that he's always felt rather out of place at events like this.

Yes, as a Noble, he was expected to attend and put his best foot forward, but that always made such parties nerve-wracking. He could never allow himself to enjoy the atmosphere, lest he lose focus on the glamour concealing his scales or else cause some other scandal with his magic flaring at an inopportune time.

Invite him to drink or get extremely forward with him, and he will politely decline the offer. Ask him to dance, and he'll accept, sharing a chaste courtly dance with Tav/Durge. Push him for more than a basic partnered dance, and he'll demur and tell them to seek other company for the night. Surely they wouldn't want to spend their whole evening with someone who wanted to withdraw from the festivities as soon as it was polite to do so and settle in with a book, yes?

Story 12)

Because I love the drama that comes with Orin being able to kidnap people and wish she had more options, of course she can kidnap and replace Leon.

The 'run into the sewers headlong from Elfsong Tavern' version of meeting a false Leon would go something like this:

"Hells... no, not you, not now-! You have to get away from this place. Hurry, before she realizes I've slipped my bonds! (Who?) Orin. She infiltrated our camp. Lured me deeper into the city, then dragged me into the Bhaalist Enclave. She said she'd bleed my veins for every last drop of dragonblood in them, and drain my jewels for every ounce of seed to sire a new generation of draconic Bhaalspawn. I only barely managed to escape, but if you don't flee here, now, you will not. Please... let me succeed in saving someone, if only this once..."

Cue the gross neck-cracking shape-shifting.

If Tav/Durge runs into "Leon" at camp, they find his little area (tent or corner of the Elfsong) iced over. (Not an uncommon occurrence after particularly stressful Plot Events.)

"Is there something upsetting you?" "Ah, it's you. I apologize, I simply could not help but think- it's strange to me, that you're still alive. Do not get me wrong, I am grateful, truly, but... by this point in my prior journeys, I was already alone. My comrades... my friends... all dead, because of me. Because I, for cowardice or incompetence, abandoned them. Led them to their dooms. And I cannot help but think- but fear- that you and yours will be the next to fall to the curse of death that seems to follow me."

Passive Perception rolls in the background and if the check passes, you realize that while you see the glistening of frost on Leon's skin and belongings, you do not feel the bone-biting chill such cold would usually produce.

Whether you point out this discrepancy, try to comfort him, coldly tell him to get over himself, or leave him to work this out in silence, he continues,

"Perhaps it would be for the best if I simply parted ways with you here. Went back home with my tail between my legs and begged my lord father's forgiveness. Before any more lives get dragged down by my lodestone around their neck. After all, what hope have I of saving any of the rest of you, when I am incapable of saving even myself?"

His head drops, his neck cracks, and Orin morphs out of him in all her gross spine-shifting glory.

Once you save him from Orin, Leon is extremely grateful and quick to reassure you that while Orin did make all manner of threats against him and against them, and certainly got more handsy with him than he appreciated, she did not, in fact, er, 'milk him for his draconic bloodline's seed to use as the genesis for new Bhaalspawn', as she threatened.

Story 16)

Leon is utterly horrified and righteously infuriated when he discovers that the Durge has killed Alfira. He is also, as an elf, the first to awaken aside from Astarion, who's presumably away from camp when the murder happens.

He comes upon Durge in the immediate aftermath of their kill, as they're making their judgment call about whether to hide the body, resign themselves to their fate, wash the blood from their hands, or otherwise come up with a lie. Once he gets past the initial shock-recognition-horror, he looks to Durge and comments in a shaky voice, "We have to- her body, it cannot stay here, not like this. If the others awake and see-"

And then, the Durge has choices to make.

Accept the offer of help bc "oh good he's on my side, he'll help me hide the evidence" Accept the offer because "she deserves a more worthy resting place than this" Decline the help because why should you be ashamed, this is... beautiful, this is art Decline the help because no, you made a horrible mistake and everyone needs to know the truth Sit there in stunned, horrified silence

If you elect to let Leon help you hide the body, you get a brief tadpole connection that implies that this is not the first time Leon has helped to conceal a body. Chat with him the next day about it, whether Durge thanks him for his help or condemns him for wanting to help conceal the corpse, and he admits that he had to help his youngest brother, who had fallen in with the wrong crowd, hide a body on more than one occasion.

But there will be no more repeat occurrences. This was the first and final time he was willing to offer such assistance to the Durge.

Romance 7)

Question One: What is Leon's favorite thing to do on a quiet evening? (True Answer) Curl up with a good book of poetry. (True, but Leon Disapproves) Snuggle up close with a loved one. (False) Settle in with a bottle of wine.

Question Two: What does Leon long for most in this world? (True Answer) Family. A place to belong, a home to return to. (False) His title and station returned to him. (False) Love. A great romance to sweep him off his feet.

Question Three: What makes Leon feel the most insecure? (True Answer) His draconic blood. It leaves him feeling isolated and lost when dealing with others. (True, but Leon Disapproves) His past mistakes with his prior adventuring parties. (False) His strained relationship with his family.

Ashtoret

General 1)

You first encounter Ashtoret in between the Blighted Village and the Goblin Camp, where you fight the gnolls who burst free from the hyenas. Shortly after the first gnoll bursts free of the hyena's skin, an arrow comes flying out from the distance, piercing it through and killing it.

"You thought you could escape the sights of the Hunter of Greenest? Think again."

A wolf leaps onto the scene, savaging another newborn gnoll as the camera pans over to reveal a red-haired half-elf drawing back another arrow. "You are my prey," they announce, and combat with the gnolls begins.

Once the combat is over, the wolf rushes over to the party and sinks low into an attacking stance, causing Shadowheart to freak out if she's in the active party. Ashtoret calls out sharply to the wolf, getting it to lay down in a gesture of submission as they approach the party. "Ought to be more careful, friends. Yer in goblin territory, and where there's goblins, there's bound to be gnolls. What brings a motley crew like you all the way out- ARGH!"

Tav/Durge's tadpole connects with Ashtoret's, leading to the following narration:

You wait in breathless anticipation...or utter terror. Your quarry, the killer whose steps you've been tracing for months on end, is just within reach. Your sinews draw as tight as your bowstring as you take off in pursuit of your prey- a pale dragonborn(Tav)/a [GENDER] [RACE] (Durge). This time- *this time*, they will not escape.

Ashtoret is freaked out by the player's sudden ingress into their mind, then asks if they'd gotten themselves tadpoled as well. When the player answers in the affirmative, they ask if they can tag along with the group, see if they can find a healer before the infection takes hold.

If Tav/Durge rebuffs their initial attempts to join the party, they offer their assistance as a hunter to keep the crew well-fed. Between their arrows and Lupus' keen nose, there's little they won't be able to track for the group.

General 3)

The main time Ashtoret really comments when you recruit or try to recruit companions is with Wyll, Jaheira, and Minsc. In all three cases, they express extreme excitement to be traveling alongside a hero of some renown and acclaim. (They're almost as giddy as Karlach if they're in the party when you meet Jaheira at Last Light.)

Story 7)

At the tiefling party, Ashtoret is in the middle of a group of tieflings, about halfway through a bottle of wine and very, very smashed. They raise a bottle in toast to you, the hero of the hour, which gives you the chance to affirm their own heroic role in how events played out, demur, or flirt with them and ask if this is where the hero gets rewarded with a kiss.

If you've already committed to spend the evening with someone else, they'll admit that the offer is tempting, but that you'd better stick with your prior engagement. Don't let them keep you from the one you really want, yeah?

If you've not committed to anyone else, this is where you can get their first romance scene, and they very much jump right in to having sex if that's what the player wants. Dialogue options just determine positioning.

At the goblin party, Ashtoret is halfway through one wine bottle with an empty one lying on the ground next to them. They slur an apology, they're trying to get into the cel- celiba- celebratory, that's the word- mood, but this damn wine's nothing but watered-down piss and won't do the bloody job.

Try to talk to them about what happened at the grove, and they'll shush you and take another massive swig of wine, replying that they'd rather not fucking think about that too much right now.

They then lean right into Tav/Durge's personal space and drunkenly insinuate that they could use a much stronger distraction than a drink, if you catch their drift. Accept, and the first romance scene cues in, but with special narration that makes it clear Ashtoret isn't as deeply engaged as they could/should be. Decline, and they throw their hands up in a defensive gesture, apologizing for being so forward and misreading the signals. Better they find someone else to pass the night with, then. (Lae'zel may sleep with them if Tav/Durge does not.)

Story 12)

As with Leon, Ashtoret can be kidnapped and replaced by Orin. If you run into the sewers from the Elfsong basement, Ashtoret charges up to the door with an utterly panicked look on their face.

"Gods, I barely manage to slip away from one predator, and now my foot's caught in a bloody snare! Get out of here, quickly! (What's going on?) It's Orin. She was impersonating that little girl back at camp! When I gave chase, she had me surrounded, dragged down into the accursed Bhaalist Temple below the city. She threw me into a labyrinth, told me I'd need to hunt my way out, that I was surrounded on all sides by monsters. Beasts. But with each one I killed, what was left behind was... was a human corpse... A child's corpse. A-And at the end stood Lupus, turned feral. He wouldn't listen to me any more, I had to put him down, and I only just barely managed to find my way through these disgusting shit-stinking sewers. I've thrown her off the scent for now, but Orin's a wily predator, she'll find me again ere long. You have to get out of here before we're all caught in the hunter's trap!"

Cue Orin's neck-snapping reveal.

The camp version of a kidnapped Ashtoret would begin with a long shot of Lupus sound asleep, making adorable puppy sleep sounds while Ash looks at him with a pensive expression. When Tav/Durge approaches, the scene proceeds as follows:

"D'ye ever find yourself thinking about what it is that makes a hero? I've been thinking about it a lot, lately. Wondering, now that we're so close to the end of all of this, what sort of heroes we'll be when all is said and done. Because a part of me can't help but wonder if we are the heroes, aye, but heroes of a tragedy, whose pride and fall will be the warning lesson to those that hear the tale."

Stay silent, ask them what in the hells they're on about, or try to refute their words and say you'll be heroes among the greats like Balduran, and they'll chuckle in response.

"I suppose it doesn't exactly matter what we do to see the end of this, does it? The bards will water it down, make it more palatable, more acceptable in the retelling. It's so... easy to find ways to justify almost any action we take, as long as we remain convinced that we're the 'good guys'. You know, I bet, with the right bard at the helm, one could make a saint of even the most heinous Bhaalspawn in existence."

Accept that Ashtoret may be right, and Orin mocks you as she literally breaks character. Deny it, and she mocks you for being naive. Stay silent, and she mocks you for having nothing to say about your role in the grand design. Cue Orin revealing herself with the gross neck cracks.

Once you save Ashtoret from Orin, they tell you that she indeed did impersonate Yenna and had one of her other little changeling bastards follow her in the disguise of Orin herself to lure Ashtoret away from camp/the Elfsong to try and save the child. They admit to having been beaten within an inch of their life and bled until they nearly died, but they had a feeling she wouldn't kill them until she could make a proper Ritual Sacrifice of their death in her Father's name.

Story 16)

Ashtoret doesn't look nearly as disturbed or righteously furious as the rest of the party the morning after finding out that the Durge killed Alfira. In fact, they're remarkably terse and clipped with Durge when conversed with. They offer one-word responses or grunts and 'hmms' to the first few lines of dialogue you have with them before they ask, "That symbol under that poor, innocent bard's body. Do you know anything about it?"

When Durge, due to the amnesia, denies knowing anything about it, or at best admits that it feels familiar but they can't recall where they knew it from, Ashtoret's eyes narrow and Durge feels a sudden, insistent pressure at the edge of their mind, as if Ashtoret is trying to force their way in to get answers.

Durge can call them out, threaten them for poking into their head, or use the opportunity to tadpole into Ashtoret's head instead, which leads to these thoughts echoing in their ruined mind:

That's the symbol of Bhaal. Are they deliberately invoking his name or was it unconscious? Surely they're not just playing dumb, they have to know what that means...

This threatens to shake a memory loose, but doesn't fully manage to do so, and when the connection breaks, Ashtoret is livid that you poked around in their brain, despite their own blatant attempts to explore the Durge's mind. Durge can then, again, call them out and ask for trust, express exasperation with them because they're an amnesiac, Ash, what did you expect to find, or else threaten to stab them right in that wriggling little tadpole of theirs if they try to do that again.

Romance 7)

Question One: What brings Ashtoret the most joy? (True Answer) Spending time with their wolf and lover. (True, but Ashtoret Disapproves) Hearing people sing their praises. (False) A long night in pleasurable company.

Question Two: If Ashtoret were an animal, what animal would they be? (True Answer) A wolf- they love traveling in a pack and will do anything to protect their own. (False) A cat- they're far too curious for their own good and get themselves into trouble. (True, but Ashtoret Disapproves) A fox- they're incredibly cunning and both have red hair.

Question Three: A choice lies before Ashtoret, to stick with their principles or stand at their lover's side. Which would they choose? (True Answer) They would be willing to abandon their principles if the only other option were to stand against the one they loved. (False) Ashtoret would stand for their principles in a heartbeat. Heroes are nothing without them. (False) Ashtoret would kill the one forcing them to make an impossible choice like that.