Get to know Veryn (Tav)
Basics:
full name: Veryn Shadewalker
titles: None
nicknames: Ver (by his mother), my Sun/little sun (by his companion)
gender: Nonbinary, presents masc
pronouns: He/Him or They/Them
sexual orientation: Pansexual, Panromantic (he's a lover AND a fighter)
marital status: Unmarried/Single
age: 30
place of birth: Baldur's Gate, Lower City.
residence: Pre-Nautiloid incident, Baldur's Gate. Post-game, the Underdark (with Astarion)
occupation: Entertainer and thief (by trade and necessity)
species: Half wood elf, half human
known languages: Common, some Elvish, Thieves' Cant, bit of Gnoll (he's got a soft spot for animals and dangerous, misunderstood things)
Appearance:
height: 5'11"
build: Slender, athletic
eyes: Ersatz Eye (blue), otherwise "Elf Summer" (gold/hazel)
hair: "Feywild Trickster" in blonde strawberry 3 with a touch of neutral grey highlight
tattoos: Beholder Gorgon on his throat
other distinguishing features: Pierced ears with a couple cartilage cuffs on the right ear. Typically seen with a cat eye deftly smudged on his eyelids in a color called "Justiciar" (a pigment his mother often used)
style: Not a lot of baggy clothing, and not a lot of exposed skin. He isn't a prude, just finds that bulk can slow one down, snag on things, be easily grabbed. Rogue gear pretty standard. He isn't vain when it comes to clothing but he keeps his face pristine. It's quite literally been his money-maker.
Personality:
positive traits: Bold, compassionate, empathetic, cheerful, adventurous
negative traits: Risk-prone, avoidant, emotionally evasive when it comes to himself, overconfident
likes: Stealing, the arts, commonfolk, nighttime, heights, eating
dislikes: Slavers, gods, pursuit of power, people who don't like animals, tradition for the sake of it, group think
fears: That no one will ever truly know him.
phobias: Sickness/disease, extremely confined spaces
hobbies: Reading voraciously, eating (I guess he's a Faerun foodie, robbing people gave him a distinguished palate), fishing
skills: Stealth, dual wield mastery, performance (music, singing, acting, you name it), sleight of hand "magic" tricks on bystanders
quirks: Obviously needs little sleep but overheats easily and likes to keep Astarion by his side through as much of the night as he can manage (letting Astarion feed nightly helps). Talks to animals by any and every means. Can't whistle.
pet peeves: Being asked to do things for free. Animal cruelty. Wasted time. Being bored.
Family:
mother: Van Essa de Vannedicque (human)
father: Alfyr Shadewalker (wood elf, clan elder)
siblings: Only child of Van Essa. His father likely sired others before him, though.
spouse/lover: Astarion (spawn)
children: None, and while they tend to like him, he doesn't want any of his own.
pets: Scratch & Owlbear cub, literally any animal that will be nice to him
notable close relatives: He knows no family other than his mother and deceased father. Because of how he and his mother were forced out of the wood Alfyr called home, he assumes he'll never know how much family he has kicking about in Faerun. Van Essa may have descended from a respectable house, but she never talked about her own family. It was as if her ties were severed and she only really had Veryn. Veryn was always too afraid to probe further, and she died before he got the chance to overcome that fear.
best friend: A Tiefling child who lived in the wood of his people, oddly enough. He never saw her again once exiled, and never knew how she came to live with a relatively small clan of elves. He can no longer remember her name, but he has an odd affinity for Infernal creatures because of her. As an adult, no one in particular. He had many friends and some lovers, but had a way of keeping them at arm's length. During the Elder Brain fiasco, Lae'zel was definitely his closest confidante other than Astarion, and Astarion took a bit longer. They were both playing each other for different reasons, which was never the case with Lae'zel. Call it a poor sense of self-preservation, but much like with Astarion, Veryn liked her from the moment their eyes met. Draw a blade on this guy and he's all in...
rival/nemesis: Haarlep, post-game (more rival/annoyance)
Faves:
time of day/night: Nighttime, preferably from outside the Gate.
weather: Cool and still at night, sunny with a slight headwind at daybreak.
breakfast food: A porridge or curry, anything from a bowl that can be proper stuffed in his maw.
dinner food: Expensive meats (nicked, of course).
snack food: Bread, fried things on sticks, sweet buns
colours: Shades of blue
songs: Nothing like belting The Elf Song to a bunch of drunkards for coin before you rob them blind later
Other random stuff:
a cherished item: He forces himself not to be sentimental, but he'll hunt his mother's favorite makeup (the aforementioned pigment called "Justiciar") down to the ends of Faerun as if his life depends on it.
first love: Probably Astarion. Definitely has had at least one previous "lover," he's not a prude or standoffish, but that's probably why Astarion is the first. Nothing he's ever experienced can compare to what they've been through, and he's still a young man, even by human standards. It made him realize what romantic love really feels like (and it's beautiful and terrifying).
usual mood: Calm, contented, perhaps a bit mischievous
defining moments: His most defining moment is the one thing he never utters to anyone until Astarion is able to get it out of him once the bond between them has progressed in strength. His father was a bizarre elf—a strange obsession with dark arts had taken him over in his late age and he was twisted by it. Veryn doesn't fully understand the degree to which he held power over his mother, but it was enough to have her visiting the wood despite Alfyr's increasingly erratic and abusive behavior. For whatever reason the other elves in the clan grew cold toward them, and a fateful incident left a young Veryn with no choice but to murder his father. They only escape the wood by the grace of what good temper remained in some of the other elders who didn't buy their cries of innocence and banished them from the High Forest forever as a result, essentially stripping Veryn of his Elvish identity. After the Elder Brain, his most defining decision is to stay with Astarion in the Underdark and work to find a way to help him return to the sun safely. He also entertains Astarion's reverse determination to extend Veryn's lifespan by some magical but non vampiric means.
