Tavanna ⚡masterpost
Finally, 84 years later, I've finished the masterpost for my main girl. This will be very long, but it will serve as my character sheet + full lore for her, since I have only been sharing bits and pieces all these months.
CW: non-graphic mentions of sexual assault
Basics
Name: Tavanna Age: 35 Birthday/Zodiac: Flamerule 20, 1457 DR / Cancer Gender: Nonbinary/agender; uses she/they pronouns – does not particularly mind being perceived as female Sexuality: Pansexual Place of Birth: Candlekeep Race: Tiefling Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Occupation/Specialties: Evocation wizard, specialized in lightning magic Background: Sage High Stats: Intelligence, Wisdom Low Stats: Dexterity, Constitution
my playlist for her
Appearance
Defining Features: Ram-like horns; a jagged scar running across her cheek and neck, left behind by a deflected lightning bolt; sun-kissed skin with an apricot-orange hue and naturally flushed cheeks, elbows, and knees; arcane tattoos that can illuminate and serve as a focus for her magic; curly brown hair; storm-gray eyes tinged with blue; round spectacles; and a septum piercing
Characteristic Traits: swishes her tail when agitated, her arcane tattoos begin to glow when she overexerts herself or casts particularly powerful spells
Height, Build, and Body Type: 168 cm (5'6"), due to chronic pain and recurring health issues, Tavanna appears somewhat frail, with prominent joints and a slight frame
Clothing style: Dusty librarian 😁 Dark academia, if you will. She is far more likely to be found in a loose shirt and trousers than in a gown.
Personality
Defining Traits: hardworking, incisive, articulate, stoic, thorough, witty, ambitious, irritable, sarcastic, stubborn, asocial, blunt, clumsy, cynical, impulsive, neurotic, quirky, moody, melancholic, protective, genuine, clever
Personality Type: INTJ
Relationships
Family: Believes she's an orphan (more on that later), was raised in a series of foster homes
Friends: Jonathan, a half-elf artificer from Candlekeep, who designed and built Tavanna's armor, which, through a combination of craftsmanship and enchantment, helps compensate for her otherwise poor constitution.
Past and Current Partners / Love Interests: Tavanna is a romantic at heart, though she hides it behind a hardened exterior. Slow to trust and even slower to open up, she nevertheless forms fierce, enduring loyalties once someone earns her affection. Before the events of BG3, she had a variety of lovers — most often feminine-presenting individuals — but the relationships rarely extended beyond brief one-offs. The aftermath of an assault by a warlock from her own cohort left her wary of intimacy and hesitant to pursue anything serious, preferring fleeting connections (at the cost of self-destructive behaviors) over emotional vulnerability.
Background
Tavanna was raised in Candlekeep by monks, scribes, and wizards. She never knew her parents and was told only that she had been found at the gates during a storm before being taken in by one of the keep's scribes. She never experienced a stable family life, passing between caretakers and tutors even within the confines of the fortress. As a result, she grew up sheltered and wary of outsiders. For much of her youth, she knew little of the world beyond Candlekeep and its emotionally reserved scholars, making her both naïve and deeply curious about everything she had yet to experience.
Hyperlexic from an early age, Tavanna buried herself in books long before most children could properly read. She compensated for her lack of social connections by studying spells, enchantments, and magical theory. While she showed talent across many disciplines, she possessed a particular affinity for lightning magic and the raw elemental forces of storms. Her power was volatile and difficult to control in her younger years, prompting her to spend countless hours in the greatest library in Faerûn searching for ways to master it. As Tavanna grew older, she became increasingly troubled by sudden surges of anger and frustration that seemed to erupt without warning. Her temperament stood in stark contrast to the disciplined environment around her. She desperately tried to become the sort of quiet scholar Candlekeep valued, eager to fit in and prove she belonged, yet another part of her chafed against its expectations and longed to rebel against them. The contradiction left her feeling caught between worlds, never quite at home within the keep but unable to imagine herself fully outside it either. Ironically, those same qualities made her exceptionally useful as a wizard frequently dispatched on assignments beyond Candlekeep's walls. While many scholars preferred the safety of their studies, Tavanna's restless nature drew her toward the wider world, and the missions that took her there gradually became the foundation of her growing reputation.
It was during this period that she befriended another outsider – a half-elf artificer named Jonathan. Employed to create magical equipment and supplies for Candlekeep's inhabitants, Jonathan quickly became one of Tavanna's closest companions. Just a few years later, he would craft the enchanted light armor that helped compensate for her frail physique and better channel her abilities.
During her late teens, Tavanna acquired the arcane tattoos that now cover her arms, chest, back, and abdomen. More than a simple tattoo, the intricate lines serve as a permanent magical focus woven directly into her body – because of them, she has little need for a traditional staff or wand when casting spells.
In early adulthood, persistent health problems began to emerge. Aching joints, relentless fatigue, sharp muscle pain, and frequent headaches became constant companions. The condition imposed limits on nearly every aspect of her life, ensuring she could never quite reach the full extent of her potential. Yet despite these setbacks, she steadily advanced toward becoming a trusted right hand to the First Reader, a position on a par with that of a powerful archmage. Her natural talent, combined with relentless dedication and years of study, made her a formidable wizard even when her body struggled to keep pace. Potions, enchanted equipment, and careful preparation often allowed her to accomplish what physical strength could not.
Though she frequently clashed with the rules and expectations of Candlekeep's monks, Tavanna always returned to the keep. During her travels, she often threw herself into reckless distractions — fleeting romances, intoxicants, and impulsive adventures — only to retreat back into her books afterward, attempting to convince herself that she was, in fact, nothing more than a quiet scholar content to spend her life among dusty shelves.
Whilst carrying out a mission on behalf of the Avowed, Tavanna was sexually assaulted by a warlock who had been part of her adventuring party. The experience left lasting scars, deepening her already cautious approach to relationships and further reinforcing her distrust of humans. It also intensified her frustration with her own body, whose limitations had long felt like a burden but now became a source of anger she struggled to escape.
In the years that followed, she found it easier to lean into anger than vulnerability, a pattern made all the more dangerous by the nature of her magic. She became increasingly withdrawn and frustrated by the realization that her most devastating spells emerged only when she surrendered herself to fury rather than conscious control.
A lot of this starts to make sense later on, when Tavanna discovers she is, in fact, a daughter of the god of destruction, Talos.
She was conceived when Talos, in a rare act of taking mortal form, raped a powerful wizard devoted to Oghma while she traveled aboard a ship caught in a storm. Oghma's faith stood in direct opposition to Talos' nature, and the act was born from cruelty, spite, and impulse. Tavanna never knew her mother, who died shortly after childbirth. Before her death, however, she did everything in her power to protect her daughter from the legacy she carried.
The enchantment she placed upon the child became both a curse and a blessing. It suppressed the storm raging within Tavanna, manifesting as chronic pain, exhaustion, and physical frailty. Without it, the destructive power inherited from Talos might have erupted unchecked, leaving devastation in its wake. Every limitation she spent her life resenting was, in truth, a safeguard against becoming something far more dangerous.
It remains unclear whether Talos possesses any genuine interest in his mortal offspring. Given his chaotic nature, it seems equally likely that he would ignore her existence entirely or appear solely to make her life more difficult.
Eventually, as he reveals himself in a dream, taunting her with promises of greater power should she embrace the storm within. He offers freedom from pain, release from every physical limitation that has burdened her since childhood, and the chance to become a wizard whose name would eclipse all others. Those who doubted her, pitied her, or dismissed her weaknesses would be forced to witness the full extent of her power. Yet the offer comes with a price: her autonomy. Though Talos never states it outright, Tavanna understands what he truly seeks. She would not be a daughter, heir, or chosen champion, but a living storm unleashed at his whim, appearing where he desired and leaving death and devastation in her wake Because, unlike the Bhaalspawn, there are no known children of Talos, it makes her fate even more unpredictable – her heritage is born of violence and destruction; she understands the source of her relentless anger, emotional volatility, and attraction to destruction...
What she had always assumed were personal failings are revealed to be symptoms of something far older and more powerful than herself. She faces a choice – embrace the lightning, wield unimaginable power, and become an instrument of destruction, or continue battling the limitations of her failing body while pursuing knowledge through discipline and perseverance.
During the battle against the Netherbrain, Tavanna briefly touches the full extent of the power sleeping within her. Yet rather than pursue divinity or greater strength, she rejects both Talos' influence and the ambitions that had driven her for most of her life. She also refuses to turn the Crown of Karsus to Mystra, allowing it to sink into the Chionthar instead.
More importantly, she defies her father's legacy through the most mundane act of rebellion imaginable: choosing to settle down.
The choice leaves her suspended between life and death in the aftermath of the battle, enduring unimaginable pain as she refuses to surrender herself to rage and destruction. Strangely, the decision seems to amuse Talos. Whether out of spite, his propensity for mayhem and disarray, or simple appreciation for chaos – who's to know – he leaves her alive and untouched.
She will never entirely escape what she is. Violence, upheaval, and misfortune seem destined to follow her throughout her life. Yet by turning away from ever-greater power and sacrificing the ambition that once defined her, she finally finds peace. In the end, she embraces the quiet life she once tried so desperately to escape, accepting that peace is not a failure of ambition – and living the dusty librarian lifestyle might just be the safest boring outcome.
BG3 events
Tavanna arrives in Baldur's Gate on official business from Candlekeep, tasked with delivering a missive and coordinating with several merchants and allies in the city. She is thoroughly miserable about the entire affair. While she occasionally enjoyed escaping the keep's walls, this particular assignment offered little more than crowds, negotiations, and endless opportunities for people to disappoint her. She would much rather have spent her days hidden among bookshelves than navigating the chaos of the city.
The role itself is a familiar one. Tavanna is frequently entrusted with leading expeditions and representing Candlekeep beyond its walls, a responsibility she accepts with mixed feelings. The confidence placed in her is gratifying, even if she would never admit it aloud, but the expectations that accompany it often feel exhausting. She craves recognition far more than leadership, and would happily surrender the latter if it did not so often serve as proof of the former.
Then she gets abducted by mind flayers, and everything goes horribly wrong.
Despite her terror, Tavanna quickly becomes fascinated by the mystery surrounding the tadpoles, the nautiloid, and the strange connection between the infected survivors. The chaos, danger, and sheer absurdity of the situation jolt her out of the apathy she has been living with for so long. Fueled by adrenaline and an obsessive need to understand what is happening, she pushes herself far beyond her usual limits. That does not mean her condition disappears. As the journey continues, she is eventually forced to confess a secret to her companions. While everyone else fears the tadpole transforming them into a mind flayer, she has spent years fearing her own body. She lives with constant pain, worsening fatigue, and the knowledge that if she pushes herself too far, eventually she will collapse. The possibility of ceremorphosis only adds another ticking clock. She learns about her heritage later in Act 2, after defeating Ketheric, as Talos appears to her in a dream and reveals himself as her father. Rather than providing answers, the revelation only deepens her fears. Throughout much of Act III, she becomes convinced that she is destined to follow in his footsteps, and that sooner or later she will lose herself, surrender her free will, and become another instrument of destruction in service to a god she despises.
The truth behind the Crown of Karsus only complicates matters further. Following Gale's audience with Mystra, Talos visits Tavanna once again. This time he offers a bargain. He promises power beyond anything she has ever wielded and freedom from the pain that has plagued her entire life. All she must do is help him bring down Mystra and her Chosen. Yet by then, Gale has become far too important to her to simply accept Talos' version of events. More importantly, she has spent her entire life being pushed and pulled by forces greater than herself — by gods, by fate, by her own blood. In the end, Tavanna's rebellion is directed at both deities. She refuses Talos' temptations, but she refuses to become Mystra's obedient pawn as well.
After the Netherbrain's defeat, she returns to Candlekeep. For a time, it feels strangely anticlimactic. The companions who fought beside her scatter: Lae'zel departs on dragonback to wage war against Vlaakith, while Karlach and Astarion journey to Avernus in search of a way to repair Karlach's failing heart. Wyll remains in Baldur's Gate to help rebuild the city, and Shadowheart leaves to build a life free from Shar's influence. One by one, everyone moves on.
Tavanna expects to do the same.
Instead, she eventually follows Gale to Waterdeep – what begins as a visit turns into something permanent. She remains there, continuing her magical research and trading one library for another. Among her many pursuits are the study of infernal contracts and engines in the hope of aiding Karlach's search for a cure, as well as the mysteries of vampirism and its possible reversal. While some questions prove beyond her ability to answer, others yield results, and for the first time in years she finds herself pursuing knowledge not for ambition's sake, but to help the people she cares about.
Relationships with the companions
Tavanna is distrustful of nearly everyone at first, particularly Lae'zel and Shadowheart. Still, she quickly realizes that survival is easier as a group, especially given her own physical limitations. What begins as reluctant cooperation gradually turns into genuine friendship.
She finds Astarion fascinating from the moment they meet, though she keeps her distance from his relentless flirting, convinced he is mocking her rather than expressing genuine interest. Over time, they become very close friends, bonded by a shared understanding of trauma, bodily autonomy, and disdain towards authorities.
She develops a great deal of respect for Lae'zel and frequently seeks her counsel, while her relationship with Shadowheart improves the moment she stops prying into secrets the cleric is not ready to share. Karlach's honesty is a constant source of relief, and while Tavanna finds herself slightly smitten with the tiefling, their relationship never becomes anything more than a close friendship. She's utterly blindsided when Wyll expresses romantic interest in her, having assumed he was simply being polite. What puzzles her even more is how little anger he seems to harbor toward his father, given the circumstances. She remains largely indifferent toward Halsin, but admires Jaheira immensely and considers earning the legendary druid's trust — and eventually recruiting her — one of her greatest accomplishments.
Though she often ends up leading the group, Tavanna never truly enjoys it. She takes charge less because she wants to and more because she trusts herself to make difficult decisions when no one else will.
Gale
Tavanna's relationship with Gale begins with equal parts fascination and irritation.
As a wizard herself, she finds his habit of explaining magical theory to her deeply aggravating. Yet she cannot help being drawn to him. To her immense frustration, his presence has a calming effect unlike anything else in her life. Where enchanted armor, potions, and magical foci help her manage the strain on her body, Gale somehow eases the strain on her mind. Their growing attraction becomes impossible to ignore after the celebration following the defeat of the goblin leaders. Through the tadpole connection, Tavanna catches a glimpse of what their future together might look like. Rather than encouraging her, the experience terrifies her. Gale's hesitation only convinces her that she has misunderstood everything, and the two spend weeks awkwardly avoiding a conversation neither wants to have. As their journey continues, she becomes increasingly convinced that Gale is perpetually disappointed in her. This reaches a breaking point when she uses the Shadow Weave to craft a shadow lantern despite his objections. She expects the decision to destroy whatever trust exists between them. Instead, it forces both of them to confront the fact that they care far more about one another than either is willing to admit. As they draw closer to the city, the forced proximity and mounting tension between them eventually become impossible to ignore. After one particularly vicious argument, Gale nearly drowns when a sirine lures him into the water, suspiciously wearing Tavanna's likeness to draw him closer. The incident rattles both of them more than either is willing to admit, and before long they find themselves gravitating back toward one another once again.
Their relationship finally shifts after Gale makes the questionable decision to stumble into Tavanna's room while thoroughly drunk and insists that it is, in fact, his room. Any attempt at a sensible conversation quickly proves futile, and Tavanna eventually resigns herself to sharing the bed with an intoxicated wizard who seems inexplicably determined to remain exactly where he is. By morning, after a long and sleepless night spent pretending not to think too hard about the situation, she is far too frustrated and exhausted by months of avoiding the obvious to let the matter go. She confronts him directly and, to the surprise of both of them — and absolutely no one else with functioning eyesight — they finally admit how they feel about each other.
The relationship is deeply affectionate and physical, though neither of them always knows what to do with that fact. Tavanna struggles to express her emotions openly and has spent most of her life expecting abandonment or disappointment. Gale, meanwhile, is far more willing to wear his heart on his sleeve. His certainty in his feelings often leaves her completely speechless.
Gale provides the care and stability as he reminds her to eat, sleep, drink water, and generally behave like a person rather than an overworked magical experiment. She, in turn, encourages him to challenge the expectations placed upon him by others and to find value in himself beyond his usefulness, his magic, or Mystra's approval.
Their relationship is built on mutual respect, intellectual curiosity, and an occasionally alarming amount of competitive wizardry. They argue, tease, challenge, and support one another in equal measure.
After the defeat of the Netherbrain, Gale is crushed that Tavanna seemingly has no intention of joining him in Waterdeep. In reality, she is obsessively making certain she has access to every book, archive, and research project she might conceivably need before agreeing to relocate her entire life from the citadel, knowing that she will not be able to truly return there once she really leaves.
Against all odds, they eventually find themselves living the sort of absurdly happy life neither of them ever expected to have.
