Everytime I look at Astarion and Wyll I am reminded of Bane and Torm.
Because honestly? They are so similar, it's not even funny anymore. Just tragic, really.
For those that don't know, both Bane and Torm were mortal once and lived during the many years of Netherils slow collapse before ascending to godhood around the same time.
And for those that don't know Torm: he is the right hand of Tyr, a patron deity to paladins, and the god of duty, courage, self-sacrifice and loyalty.
And I can't help but compare Wyll to Torm and Astarion to Bane. Like I really can't.
Bane, like Astarion, was a slave once, beholden to a being that they could not help to face alone. They both struggle with intimacy of any kind (especially the healthy, non-sexual one), fear others having power over them and have questionable morals. Astarion, like Bane, shows glee when you make others grovel before you (goblin camp), exults in shws of force and domination (tadpole, goblin-camp etc.) and will mock those he perceives as helpless and weak. Both also show a conflict regarding their moral compass: They want to be treated with kindness, yearn for affection, yet are afraid to show it to others. Because that would mean making yourself vulnerable. And weakness is something they have been taught to avoid. They had to else they would have never survived the years of slavery they suffered.
Torm and Wyll on the other hand fight for what they call the "greater good". They have a purpose, they know what they want and they are not afraid to stand for that. Nor will they lie about it. Wyll will never, under any circumstances, stand with cruelty. Slaughter the tiefling groce and he will turn against you. Become Bhaals chosen in his presence and he will fight you no matter how high your approval is. Insult him and he will take it in stride. Mock others, especially thise that can't defend themselves, and he will tell you that this was wrong and cruel. Torm, as a god of self-sacrifice, who views Tyr, the god of justice, as his spiritual father, is much the same. He will always be on the side of those that can't protect themselves or have been wronged. And both, as mortals, are beholden to a "higher power": Wyll to Mizora through his pact, Torm to Tyr through his oath.
And yes, warlock pacts are usually eyed with suspicion, distrust even, and called evil because fiends are classified as lawful evil. But Wyll makes the best of it. He has to serve but he also fights against it. Constantly. The sheer fact that he is bold enough to argue against Mizora, straight up curse her name even, is both admirable and baffling. Usually warlocks that dare, in any way, act against their patrons don't survive for very long. Especially if you are bound to a devil. Torm apparently made an Oath towards the king he served as mortal (in Chalsembyr). I would guess it was a Oath of the Crown but I cannot say for sure, before joining a paladin order dedicated to Tyr. Like Wyll he is bound by whatever tenets his oath hold. Do you guys remember the Oathbreaker paladin? Paladins, while generally regarded as more good-aligned, can stumble and break their vow. They can turn towards darkness. And warlocks can be easily swayed towards evil as well. Yet neither did it. Wyll kept to his morals and Torm never seemed to have allowed himself to be "blinded by his lords light" (like the Oathbreaker did), else his relationship with Tyr would, probably, be a lot more strained. And it's fascinating to me that Wyll clearly invokes the Triad from time to time (no, he is not a godly man) while Torm and Tyr are part of it.
Astarion views Wyll as a hero, even if he despises that. He tells himself, during act 1 and half of act 2, that the pursuing of glory and honor are selfish acts and completely forgets that most of the time those are just byproducts of your actions. Wyll isn't a hero because he wanted to be one, he is a hero because his choices made him one, even when almost all odds were against him. And the line in which Astarion says that he once dreamed to be loved by a man like Wyll or even just be saved by one like him during his slavery just breaks my heart and makes their dynamic very interesting as well. Theoretically speaking Wyll should kill Astarion once he finds out that he is a vampire. He is a monster hunter who has vowed to rid the sword-coast of all evils and guard its people. Astarion is clearly a threat. He is a vampire, he can be pretty ruthless, and is only concerned with his own safety (in the beginning). But he doesn't, because he knows that that wouldn't be justice. It would be cruelty. Wyll recognizes that this is the first time in 200 years thst Astarion has the chance to choose for himself, to be someone different then what Cazador made him to be. And he encourages him as well, especially in an origin playthrough. He wants for Astarion to be free and will attempt to, somewhat, guide him as well. He will stand at his side.
Wyll can succeed in that. Sure, Tav pulls their weight as well, but undoubtedly Astarion noticed Wylls behavior, listened to what he says. He may never acknowledge it openly, but Wyll does influence him. Wyll is the living proof that anyone can turn an evil sitting upon their shoulder into something good.
That being said I cannot help but look at Torm and Bane. Bane is similar to Astarion, Wyll to Torm.
We do not know if Bane and Torm ever met each other during their mortal lives, but I would not say no. Bane was once, together with Bhaal and Myrkul, hailed as a hero, albeit shortly. And the Dead Three performed incredible feats together and Torm, as the head of a paladin order and one of Tyrs most trusted worshippers, would definetly hear about the trio that slays ancient evils and assembles an army to strike against them.
I truly do wonder if they ever crossed path when there was still hope for Bane, and the thought of how Bane could have turned out if he had been accompanied by Torm during his mortal years instead of two other, completely ruthless, men, saddens me. If Wyll influenced Astarion, at least to a certain degree, could Torm not have done the same?
Astarion, when he ascends, just follows Banes path down to ruin: He gains power and influence, true, but pays a price far worse. He looses himself completely, while his insecurities remain. And Astarions spawn ending very much reflects what Bane could have had, if he had allies that weren't also seeking power out of fear.
A Tav that urges Astarion on to go through with the Ascenion ritual just represents both Bhaal and Myrkul. But Wyll? He will always speak against it. And Torm would never have endorsed Banes search for power if they had known each other and actually spoken about the reasons behind that (which might even have happened. Bhaal and Myrkuls voices would just have been louder).
And Bane and Toem mirror each other so perfectly as well:
Black Gauntlet vs. White Gauntlet
A man that served a god unwillingly vs. One that served a god out of his own choice
Strife vs. Loyalty
Tyranny vs. Duty to another
A man that us loud vs. Obe that is always calm
A man that wants to serve no one at all vs. One that has no reluctance doing so if he believes the cause just and rightious
Torm is everything Bane could have been. Just like Wyll is everything Astarion once wanted to be.
This is just tragic, although I am glad that we, as the player, can help Astarion make the choice that would save him from himself. It's a pity that Bane, most likely, never had anyone who told him that seeking divinity would ruin him. And if he did, maybe even Torm, then that Bhaal and Myrkul were more convincing.