#bg3 tav backstory bash

[elspethdekarios]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

Thank you @lolthslover for tagging me in this forever ago!! It had taken me literally a month (or more??) to write all of this, so I'm sorry it took me so long!

I have no idea who all has done this already, so sorry if you're getting tagged again lol. I tag @mumms-the-word @waterdeepwhiskey @loserwitchbitch @lewdisescariot @fantasyfictionfables @orangekittyenergy and anyone else who wants to do it <3

I didn't answer all of the prompts, so make sure you check @kelandrin's original post for all of them!!

Elspeth Dekarios (née Vaidelark)

Age: 35

High Half Elf • Cleric, Corellon Larethian, Nature Domain • Noble • Chaotic Good

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This is long, read under the cut!

Baby:

Parents

Elspeth Vaidelark is the second and youngest child of Lord Rodorick Vaidelark and Lady Selma Vaidelark. A high elf sorcerer born to low-level nobility in idyllic Evereska, Selma always longed to live in the hustle and bustle of a city. So, when a noble family in Baldur's Gate was seeking an alliance via arranged marriage, she volunteered. Selma is a cold woman, and an even colder mother. Rodorick, a human paladin, is a touch warmer than his wife, but aloof and distant from his daughters. He is about 60 years old, and Selma is about 200. They are both more than okay with this age difference, given their marriage has never been one of love, but of convenience and rank.

Birth

Elspeth was born 5 years after her sister Ariadne. Selma's first pregnancy was a breeze--no morning sickness, no swollen feet, and the birth itself was smooth and quick... but her second was not so easy. When she was pregnant with Elspeth, she was constantly sick and absolutely exhausted. Towards the end of her pregnancy, the midwife insisted Selma needed bedrest. When it was time for the baby to come, Selma was in labor for days, in pain and sick as a dog. When Elspeth finally made her appearance, Selma wanted to feel the same motherly love she felt with Ariadne, but when she held her new daughter for the first time, she felt only resentment. She thought perhaps their bond would strengthen later, once the trauma of her pregnancy subsided, but it never did.

First word

The Vaidelark sisters had a private tutor as small children before they started attending school. Little Elspeth's favorite part of tutoring was storytime, and she'd often wobble over to the tutor with a brightly colored children's book clutched to her chest. She'd thrust the book out in front of her, silently asking the woman to read to her. After months of tutoring, Elspeth had picked up a few words, but her speech was mostly babbling sounds, until one day, she handed a story to the tutor with a word, clear as day: "book."

Tantrum

Elspeth wasn't much of a tantrum-thrower--that was Ariadne. Though she did once throw a mighty fit after tossing her favorite doll down the stairs, breaking its ceramic head in the fall. She didn't know it would break, and it was her first lesson in actions having consequences. Her parents offered to buy her a new doll, but she didn't want a new doll. She wanted that doll, unbroken as it was moments before. She screamed and wailed and cried until her red face was wet with tears and snot before eventually falling asleep.

Childhood:

Friends

Elspeth had a consistent group of childhood friends, including her best friend, Hera. They met at school in the Upper City when they were about ten years old, and have been friends ever since, even living together in adulthood. Hera is a high elf with bronze skin and deep chestnut brown hair that has always been impossible to tame. Early in this friendship, Hera chased down a group of boys who were making fun of El's upturned nose, poking their own noses up and mocking her with nasally voices. El turned away, mortified and trying to hide her tears. Hera ran after them, kicking each of them in the shins and dragging the ring leader back to El by his collar to apologize. Elspeth credits Hera with teaching her to stand up for herself.

Siblings

Ariadne is older than El by 5 years. They've never been close. Ariadne was always the golden child in their parents' eyes. She realized quickly that she could do no wrong, and used it to her advantage. Their parents wanted Ariadne and Elspeth to follow in their father's footsteps, so they were both trained to become paladins from an early age. Where Ariadne found sword fighting and shield bashing natural, Elspeth struggled. She became decent with a weapon, but it never came easy, and she would often retreat to her room bloodied, bruised, and crying. Always being compared to her sister, Elspeth grew up knowing she was second best in everyone's eyes but their housekeeper, Tessie.

Getting into trouble

El got in trouble for everything even though she tried her best to stay out of it. Eventually, she realized her parents would find a way to use her as the scapegoat for anything they possibly could, and she stopped trying--though this didn't happen until she was a teenager.

Teenager:

First love

When she was about 15, Elspeth developed a massive crush on a human boy at her school. He was tall with deeply tanned skin and tousled black hair, and he looked at her like no one had ever looked at her before. Like he wanted her. He was the first boy she ever dated. They would sneak out of their upper city homes late at night and meet in the park like some kind of forbidden, secret love story (even though it wasn't forbidden at all). They were only a couple for a short amount of time before the infatuation faded, but she did love him--as much as she knew what love was at that point in her life. It was love in the moment.

Rebellion

Once she realized that she could never do right in her parents' eyes, she stopped trying. This really came to a head as a teenager. El didn't hold her tongue anymore, and she wasn't afraid to speak up for herself any longer. She got in heated arguments with her sister regularly, she stopped her Paladin training of her own accord, and she started spending as much time as she could away from home. As she got further into her teenage years, she started partying. She spent many nights out at dance halls with her friends, indulging in whatever mind-altering substance was offered to her--alcohol, dreammist; she even tried silkroot a few times. As she neared adulthood, these habits imbued her with a bit of a party-girl-socialite reputation in the city.

Reckless behavior

This incident actually happened in adulthood, but it's the most fitting thing for "reckless behavior":

El's partying habits continued into her 20s. Despite her strained relationship with her parents, she was still nobility, and she was a bit naive to the world outside of her upper city upbringing. One night, El and her friends attended a ball in honor of a diplomat's visit. Always looking for an excuse to wear her absolute best clothes, El was dressed in an extravagant lavender gown adorned with silver vines. When she bought it, she knew exactly what necklace she needed to wear with it--the one kept in the family safe, white gold with hanging droplets of shining diamonds and alexandrite. She always loved that necklace and the way it seemed to sparkle the most in moonlight. It was an heirloom from her father's side of the family, and worth an obscene amount of money. She wore it to the ball, got compliments on it all night, and when she and her friends decided to venture to a pub afterwards, didn't think twice about the fortune of gems that she wore around her neck.

She drank far too much wine that night, and possibly indulged in some other things as well. Most of it is a blur, but she remembers ending up in a card game with a stranger--a large man with a scar on his face. She remembers being certain, absolutely certain, that he was bluffing. She remembers being so confident that she would win that instead of betting gold, she bet her family's jewels that adorned her neck. And she remembers losing.

She came clean to her father the next day when the haze of the night wore off with the morning. He sent his toughest men, with the help of the Flaming Fist, the track the man down and pay him off. The jewels were secured and back in her father's safe, but Elspeth's relationship with her family was essentially over. They granted her her inheritance and she was told to leave. She didn't speak to them for years. Painful and embarrassing as the evening was (it landed her on the front page of the Gazette), it was a wakeup call for her to get her shit together.

Adulthood:

Serious relationships

El dated and slept around a little bit during her party years, but she never really fell in love until she met Leon. He was a paladin who trained at the same academy she attended to channel her divine magic (more on that in the next couple sections). Leon was charming, funny, treated her well--she fell in love with the way his auburn hair fell loosely behind his slightly pointed ears, the freckles dotting his skin, the chiseled muscles of his body....

Leon was good for her, she told herself. He encouraged her to try to repair her relationship with her family, and to show them that she'd grown and learned from her mistakes. She was much more mature now that she was in her 30s, and she always hated that her parents still probably thought of her as an obstinate, reckless child. "Redeem yourself," Leon would tell her. "They need to see how much you've changed." So she did. Bit by bit, she began stitching together her family ties until she and Leon were biweekly dinner guests at her parents' table. There was still tension, sure, and she would never see eye to eye with her mother, but her father seemed to actually grow fond of her in those months.

While Elspeth grew closer to her family (even Ariadne was tolerable most of the time), her and Leon began to grow apart. They were both invested in their own work, and their relationship fizzled out. It was an amicable breakup, though it was hard to remain friends, so they mostly avoided each other. El wasn't really hurt by the breakup, but she did miss him. She did feel like second best again, since Leon continued spending time with her family--her father especially took a liking to him. Even though she didn't love him anymore, she still carried a fondness for him... until he proposed to Ariadne.

She was in love with Leon, but she never experienced true, soul-binding, unconditional love until being with Gale. Neither of them had. What she had with Leon pales in comparison to her relationship with Gale. She had to process the betrayal, of course, but she doesn't miss him at all.

Work

Elspeth is a healer and assistant instructor at Ambrose Academy of the Divine--a post-secondary school for clerics and paladins of Seldarine deities to hone their skills and knowledge. Being a healer is her calling (literally lol). More on the Academy in the "Leaving Home" section.

Finding your place

Since Elspeth spent a lot of time with the housekeeper, Tessie, she picked up lots of skills that nobles don't often need to learn. She learned to cook, do laundry, basic cleaning skills--but most importantly, she learned about healing. Tessie worked as a healer for years before she began working for the Vaidelarks, and she was often the person El would seek out after being injured in training with her sister. Tessie would hold her small, work-worn hands over El's bloodied skin, and El would watch in awe as a turquoise light radiated from her palms and warmed her skin as it regenerated. Tessie taught her how to soak her bruised, sore body in a warm bath of epsom salt and herbs, how to make balsam ointment for burns, and how to stop bleeding quickly with pressure and bandages. Healing spells eventually became second nature to her.

Elspeth's mother, hailing from a land of elves, was a devout worshipper of Corellon, and raised her half-elf daughters to be the same. El always found peace at the small shrine her mother had built in the courtyard, and devoted herself to her own private worship for years. One night, as Elspeth kneeled at the stone statue of the Elffather under a clear, crescent moon, she felt a presence of overwhelming peace and certainty envelop her. She was spoken to without words, but somehow knew within her body that this presence was her god, and that he, in that moment, bestowed his favor upon her. The moment felt like it lasted for hours, but it was only a few seconds. When she opened her eyes, her palms were glowing golden and small, white flowers started sprouting from the ground she kneeled upon. For the first time in her life, she knew who she wanted to be.

Leaving Home

When Elspeth told her parents about her divine experience, her mother was--possibly for the first and only time in El's life--happy for her, even if she seemed a bit jealous that the god she spent her life worshipping revealed himself to her daughter instead of her. Regardless, her parents enrolled her in Ambrose Academy of the Divine where elven and half-elven clerics and paladins develop their skills, knowledge, and faith. Ambrose consists of the school, a healing center, and dormitories for students/instructors if they choose to live at the academy. Elspeth has lived, worked, and studied at Ambrose for over a decade, and it has truly become her home. She shares a suite with her best friend Hera, also a cleric of Corellon by coincidence (they've been best friends since childhood). Working in the healing center is her favorite, but twice a tenday she serves as an instructor assistant--something she's learned to enjoy, even if she was unsure at first.

Staring a family/found family

Hera is definitely El's found family, but now, of course, her companions are found family as well. She's especially close with Karlach and Shadowheart (though they had their fair share of arguments before she turned away from Shar). She and Gale have worked tirelessly to find a solution to Karlach's infernal engine problem, and hope to one day bring her home from Avernus for good.

As for starting an actual family, I'm not sure if El and Gale want to have kids. I think if they did, it would be years down the road, and they'd only have 1. I think they would love being parents, but I see them wanting to focus solely on each other for a long time before/if that ever happens.

[astarionancuninslittlelove]

My take on the “BG3 Tav Backstory Bash” by @kelandrin

Please find their original post here.

Elowyn is my first Tav and the inspiration behind the stories in my master list here aka my “Indomitable” series on AO3.

Read on below! 💖

(Introduction/Baby)

My name is Elowyn Prescott. My friends, when I’ve had them, call me Lo. I worked with a group of strangers to help save Baldur’s Gate from something called the Netherbrain, but long before that I was born to two Elven people, a woman named Trystia and a man named Lhen. I like to think that they were in love once, but I am not sure. My mother met my father when his ship crew docked in Baldur’s Gate. She was a barmaid at the Blushing Mermaid, and he stumbled in from a long voyage at sea looking to quench his bottomless thirst, for he was a sailor. She thought that he was funny and goofy when he was drunk. That was before she knew of his gambling addiction and tendency to get mean when he was wasted, but let us not get ahead of ourselves.

His crew was to stay in Baldur’s Gate for two months before their next voyage, so during this time, he got to know my mother. He would find her at work and drink, and when she got off her shift, they would drink together. Under the haze of bubbles, he thought she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen with her pale blonde hair and her warm brown eyes. She thought he was charming and hilarious. They would stumble home together to my mother’s one bedroom, one bathroom flat in the Heapside Strand. It was the rougher part of town, but it was home. During one of these hazy nights, I was conceived. My mother found out two weeks before he was due to leave. He wasn’t disappointed by the news nor thrilled. 

He did what he thought he ought to do. He gave up the high seas, took up as a butcher’s apprentice, and asked her to marry him. She said yes and months later, there I was. Truthfully not much is known about my infant life. My parents were either too drunk, too tired, or too busy fighting or making a living to really remember. All of this could be a tall tale, but this is what my mother recalls: My first steps were when I was 1 year and 1 month old on the upper deck of the Blushing Mermaid as I accompanied my mother during a shift. My mother would often take me to work with her as my father could not as easily do so at the butcher shop. She, in her own words, was my entire world. Whenever she left my side, I would lose my mind either by crying or throwing a tantrum…sometimes both. The first time I got sick, my mother couldn’t go to work for a whole week because I would wail every time she left the room. All I wanted was to be around her. I would often sleep in her bed with her. My father would sleep on the couch. My mother told me something else she thought to be funny too: I would sleep my very best when a huge thunderstorm was rolling through. She found it odd how it would not wake or startle me…instead it lulled me peacefully to sleep. 

My mother’s alleged “watchful eye” for me surely ended as soon as I could speak for myself. I cannot attest to how watchful it was in the earlier years, but after I could “communicate” all bets surely were off. I soon began to notice how my father wasn’t getting up to go to work anymore around age 5. He was due up for work at first light, but he often wouldn’t be up by the time I left to go to school, and with my mother going to work around 10AM. As soon as I was old enough for public school at the age of 5, my mother put me in there. Come to find out it was like free childcare for her. She didn’t have to take me to the bar, and maybe I could learn something.

My father did not take much interest in me. He kept his distance. I remember overhearing him telling my mother how, “Something is off about her. I can just tell by her eyes.” I never found out what he meant by that. I always just assumed that it was due to one of my eyes being red. Maybe he thought that made me evil or something. I have heterochromia. One of my eyes is red and the other is dark brown. But who knows. 

Mother was always working, and father quit working and convinced himself he could make us rich by him being a full time gambler. Cards, dice, bets–he loved it all. He would take most of the money my mom made with promises of tripling it. She fell for it every time. Maybe she was just tired of fighting with him. The more he was out of the house, the less they were arguing. He began to come home less and less. When he did manage to stumble in, he would try to woo my mother for more money. When that didn’t work, they’d argue. She would grow tired and give it to him. Then he would be out the door again. So it goes. 

(Childhood)

At first my childhood was very lonely. Mother was working, trying to keep us in the same one bedroom, one bathroom house in the Strand, and father was gambling, drinking, or both. I later learned that his newest haunt was the Guildhall, where the underworld criminals would gladly take my drunken, idiot father’s money in these gambling “games”. Really, they would rig the game, and he would be too drunk to notice. “Again!” He’d yell to them when he inevitably lost every time. 

School was difficult. I hated it. I would get picked on for my ill-fitting clothes, my unbrushed hair, and the fact that I would come to school barefoot. My mother would tell me she wasn’t going to buy me shoes in the spring and summer because I would “just grow out of them anyway”. I think it was really because she just did not have the money to put towards them. 

One day at recess, I got so fed up with being bullied for being poor. I was going to beat them all up, I thought. And then a girl, who was far taller and bigger than every boy in my grade, stuck up for me. She took two boy’s heads and clanged them together. She knocked them both unconscious. The other kids looked on horrified. 

“Does anyone else have something funny to say about Elowyn?” She screamed. They were all silent.

“I didn’t think so,” She yelled again.

Her name was Zeva, and she was my first and only childhood friend. She took one look at my unshoed feet, took me by the hand, and marched me out of school. I didn’t return to school ever again. Zeva was also a poor, Strand kid. She had a dead dad and a grieving, widow mother. She taught me how to lie and steal–anything for some money. 

At first we were able to use the ruse of being a poor child with nothing to eat. We used this in places closer to the Upper City where people had enough money to pity people. As I got older and bigger, that ruse stopped working. Zeva and I had graduated to petty theft and more elaborate schemes. By the age of 13, I had learned to pickpocket and pick locks to homes with ease.

Zeva and I ran about town having the time of our lives being little outlaws. Sometimes when the fighting at home got really bad, Zeva would sleep under the stars with me at the Grey Harbor Docks. The worst day of my life up to that point would be when Zeva’s mom sent her away to live with her aunt in Amn. I never saw her again. Suddenly, I was alone again. With no siblings, an alcoholic father, and an emotionally unavailable mother, I was truly alone. 

(Teenager)

After Zeva left, I felt very lost. I had managed to gather around $1800 in gold with her throughout our 7 years together. Some of it I spent along the way trying to keep up with life’s essentials like food and clothes, but I always made sure to put some away for the future. Things also turned strange after Zeva left because one day I got so mad at my father for asking me, his 14 year old daughter, for money. In my anger, acid shot from my fingers and hit him. We both looked at each other confusedly, not knowing how to explain what happened. He told me to leave and never come back. I was home the next day. He was too drunk to remember.

I wondered about the acid coming from my fingers. I went to seek answers. I wandered into places like Sorcerous Sundries and Stormshore Tabernacle. At Stormshore, I walked over to Mystra to learn that she was the goddess of magic. The priest there saw how interested in her that I was and came over and talked to me. I asked about my incident, and he told me that it sounded like I was a sorceress, and that I had natural magical abilities that could often be unpredictable to my emotions. He recommended talking to a man named Judd who worked the counters at Sorcerous Sundries. He was apparently very learned in the magical arts.

I met Judd and asked for his help. He talked a mile a minute that I needed him to slow down. He said that it sounded like I was a sorceress like the priest had said. He figured perhaps I was one with a Black Draconic bloodline. He needed to work with me more before knowing for sure. 

My first love became magic. My first official spell I could cast was Firebolt. Judd helped me learn about intuition, intention, and inner power. I was so excited about what I was learning that I went to show my mother at the Blushing Mermaid. Her boss told me that she only worked there sometimes now. I asked him what he meant. He told me that if I wanted to find her that she would be at Sharess’ Caress. I told him that he was lying, and he told me to go see for myself. So I did. Sure enough, my mother had become a woman of the night. She did what she had to do for survival, I guess. 

The only constant in my life was my lessons with Judd. He taught me about different spells, Faerunian history, Gods and Goddesses in the pantheon, and their Chosen. I never went back to school after that day with Zeva, so I learned all I could through reading. I mostly just read about what interested me which was namely the above mentioned. At 15, mother told father to never come back, and she changed the locks. At 16, mother met another man in a ‘whirlwind romance’. She moved away to be with him. She left me with a goodbye note stating she was in love with no return address and a one bedroom, one bathroom flat’s rent. 

I was almost alone again. But I had Judd. I managed to use what I had saved to pay for things. Then I tired of my father knocking on the door thinking my mother was still around. He must have convinced himself that he still lived here, and they were still together in his semi permanent drunken state. I left the Strand at 17. I was tired of its smells, its rowdy crowd, and its incessant memories.

Judd let me stay with him in the Lower City. He quickly became the closest thing that I had to a father figure or family. It was then that I realized that sometimes people’s true families are the ones that they choose, not ones of blood that are thrust upon them. My adolescence was different from most. I did not have the luxury of being reckless; my parents didn’t care enough and since I was taking care of myself so early, being reckless would have only hurt me. I had too much responsibility–responsibility to myself–to be reckless. I had to look out for myself. I wasn’t given a choice.

(Adulthood)

Being of elven descent, an adult elf is not considered an adult until 100 years old. We reach maturity physically early on in our lives at the same rate as humans, and then we do not age physically from there for a few hundred years. Judd was 103 years old when I met him; he was a half-elf. He died when he was 192 years old. He held on longer than half-elves normally live. At the time of his death, I was 106 years old. We got to spend 89 years together.

During that time, all he asked of me was that I was to make an honest living. I was to give up the lying, stealing, and scheming I did for survival. I did eventually, but that way of thinking never quite did leave my head. Judd was able to get me a job at Sorcerers Sundries as an apprentice at the book counter. I would voraciously read to make the days go by when business was slow. 

I took various lovers throughout these years. I found none of them to be very notable. They were people that I met at work or around the city. Most of them were met at bars–just not the Blushing Mermaid, I made sure to steer clear of that foul place. My first time was especially not notable. It was with a man whose name is lost to me as I am sure mine is lost to him. We were both roaring drunk. I would go to the bars when I felt blasé about life and go home with someone. I was beginning to think that I didn’t have the capacity for love. Maybe I was just meant to either be celibate or take random lovers, I thought. Maybe I just couldn’t rationalize the concept of someone loving me, so I never gave them the chance.

Over time, Judd had helped me get in control over my unpredictable emotions, namely my unbridled rage, which was essential to being a sorceress. He encouraged me to trust in myself and in my intuition, and not before long, I was getting control of it. We read about Draconic bloodlines and concluded that it is how I was able to do what I do. I still don’t know the specifics of it all. All I know is that my parents did not have my gifts. I am not sure of my other kin as they are estranged to me. Maybe one day I will know. Judd instilled an inner peace in me. He was like my guiding light. Those years spent with him will always be special to me.

When he died, I was mortified. I stopped showing up to work. I began secluding myself at home. The whole place just reminded me of him…work and home. I only spent 2 months mourning because around that time was when I got abducted onto the nautiloid. And then the quest to save Baldur’s Gate began.

[sav-not-tav]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

Introducing Tavyra - a.k.a, Tav!

Thank you to @darkurgetrash for this tag!! I'm late to it because I was undecided on which Tav I wanted to complete this for. I settled on my most recent Tav whom I'm in progress of writing a fic for :) I tend to write using nondescript characters for reader insert but this is how I played her! Left is her usual hairstyle for day-to-day, right is how I imagine her to look when *relaxing* around camp.

AN: I am writing a fic for her ATM but this should not have much in the way of spoilers. The fic will focus on her journey through the events of BG3 - and her romance - but in a *what if Tav wasn't the group leader* way.

Baby:

Birth/Parents:

Tavyra's parents were Lower City residents who were struggling to make ends meet when they had her. She knows nothing of her parents aside from their low social status, and only has one picture of them from when she was a toddler.

Firsts:

Due to her unconventional upbringing, Tavyra does not know anything about her firsts. She does know that her magic presented itself very early, around 2.5 years of age.

Childhood:

Friends:

She did not have much in the way of traditional friends, as a kid. She was teased by kids in the orphanage for being abandoned by her living parents, and her magical mishaps only increased the teasing. Tav did not begin to make friends with other street kids and locals until she got a bit older.

Siblings:

She did not have siblings - there were plenty of other kids around, but she never formed a close enough bond to consider them found family.

Getting Into Trouble:

She rarely got into any trouble that did not involve her wild magic. On a few occasions, she was caught pickpocketing by the city guard, but was let off with a warning due to her young age (and her tears).

Birthday:

She does not know her true birthday, but has always celebrated on Summer Solstice. She enjoys the warmth of the summer sun on her skin and if she can spare the coin, treats herself to some ripe sunmelon and fresh pastries.

Games:

Tavyra grew up playing traditional games with the local kids. A lot of hopscotch, hide-and-seek, and one-a-cup.

Trauma:

After an unknown magical mishap at a very young age, Tavyra's parents realized more than before that they did not have the proper means to care for her. She was left at an orphanage before she turned 3, and was cast out from there after only a few years, left on the streets by age 6. These events left her without a secure sense of home or self.

Teenager:

Reckless behaviour:

Tavyra had to learn to manage her emotions and avoid magic use from a very early age. Numerous incidents left her out of a job, and many times she had to resort to theft to keep herself housed and fed. She became a good pickpocket during these years.

First Love:

As a teenager, she found herself hopelessly enamored with an Upper City boy who frequented the Elfsong Tavern for dinner during her shifts. She regularly tried to work up the courage to speak to him for more than a passing moment. On the day she had finally built the nerve to approach him, he came in for dinner with another girl. Tavyra's emotions went haywire when she saw this, causing her magic to surge - not only embarrassing herself in front of him, but also losing her job.

Taking responsibility:

Tavyra was forced into taking responsibility for her magic when it kept landing her in difficult situations. Shortly before she turned 6, she got into an argument with a boy at the orphanage, and her she cried so hard she cast 'Fireball' on her bed. Part of the orphanage went up in flames and she was kicked out for being a liability.

She also lost numerous jobs due to surges, so she practiced keeping herself calm and never used magic on purpose.

Adulthood:

Their "first time":

Her first time was with a boy who had been living in the hostel for a few months. She did not enjoy the experience and actively avoided him afterward. His bed was unclaimed shortly after.

Serious relationships:

She has not found herself in any serious relationships. After her "first time", she had a few flings throughout her later teenage years, but never anything lengthy. Due to keeping her emotions tempered, she struggled to build a deep emotional connection with anyone.

Work:

Before BG3, she worked whatever jobs she could find in the Lower City. For a short time, she served and cleaned tables at various taverns or worked the counter at some of the local shops.

She became an adept pickpocket, but her moral compass limited her to only steal from those who could afford the loss. She refused to take from anyone who was not well off, no matter how desperate she became.

After the events of BG3, she travels with Halsin back to Reithwin Town to help care for the orphans and rebuild, until her heart draws her back to Baldur's Gate.

Finding her place:

Tavyra didn't quite feel that she fit in with her group of companions, no matter how much she liked them. Each party member held skills that made them useful while she seemed to keep getting in the way. She finds her place among the tiefling refugees when she is left to remain at camp outside the Emerald Grove, while her companions travel the area.

Her bonds with the refugees grow deeper as she spends time with them at Last Light Inn and during the events of Act 3.

Starting a family/Found family:

Tavyra grows very close to the tieflings, specifically Cal and Lia as well as all the orphaned children. After the events of the game, she travels with Halsin back to Reithwin Town to help establish a home for the orphans. After a few months, she finds her way back to Baldur's Gate to reconnect with the tiefling siblings, finding a home for herself.

Aging:

Tavyra is a human and ages normally like one. In the events of BG3, she is approx. 22-23 years old (which is the age I headcanon Cal and Lia as)

That's Tav! I am super excited about the fic I am writing for her (if I ever get around to posting it) and finishing her playthrough (if I can ever get done with Act 3). <3

[rayadraws]

I finally finished the BG3 Backstory Bash for Cirrus, whew! It can be viewed here if anyone is curious

[kelandrin]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

Baby:

Parents

Birth

First word

When they first walked

Tantrum

First sickness

Thunderstorm

Childhood:

Friends

Siblings

Getting into trouble

Birthday

Games

Learning something new

Trauma

Teenager:

First love

Rebellion

Running away

Reckless behavior

Peer pressure

Growing pains

Taking responsibility

Adulthood:

Their “first time”

Serious relationships

Work

Leaving home

Aging

Finding your place

Staring a family/found family

[commander-krios]

BG3 Juniper/Rolan Masterlist

A masterlist of all fic, art, and headcanons/other stuff for Rolan x f!Tav (she/her, Juniper: afab tiefling bard/wild magic sorcerer).

Juniper's Main Tag Juniper x Rolan Tag Juniper x Rolan Playlist The Wizard of Ramazith's Tower AO3 Series

Fanfiction

Long Rest: G, 2k, Gifts/Flirting/Developing Relationships/Act 2 Spoilers

Nights Like This: T, 3k, Abuse/Healing/First Kiss/Act 3 Spoilers

Better Judgment: [ch1] [ch2] [ch3]; M, 10k, Post-Lorroakan/Fluff/Sexual Tension/Act 3 Spoilers

Juniper's Kitty Catastrophe: T, 8k, Pranks/Post-Canon/Friendship/Love/Cats

With Devotion And A Little Luck: T, 5k, Marriage Proposal/Fluff/Post-Canon

The Things We Do For Love: T, 2.5k, Polyamory/Post-Canon/Multiple Tavs

Headcanons/Asks

Neverwinter Headcanons (Juniper/Rolan)

Get to Know Your Tav

Amorous OC Asks 1

Amorous OC Asks 2

Juniper Romance Ask

Juniper Voice Ask

Juniper Tent Ask

Juniper Animal Ask

OC Questionnaire

Juniper Love Language Ask

Juniper Close Relationship Ask

BG3 Backstory Bash

Juniper Marriage Ask

Juniper Body Type Ask

Unusual OC Associations

5 Songs, 4 Outfits

Juniper Tav Worksheet

Juniper 9 Random Facts

The NSFW Alphabet

Commissioned/Gifted Art

Vicious Mockery (qwiqwiaqwi)

Rolan/Kitty Juniper (thegoblinwitchqueen)

WildThunderForge (mudd-art)

Juniper Portrait (jbnonsense)

Sleepy Time Rolan/Juniper (valkblue)

Juniper OC Kiss Week (finchmarie)

Valentine's Day Smoochy Juni/Rolan (nekrokatart)

Mistletoe Smooch (commander-sarahs-art)

Juni Headshot (catesbeeart)

Juni/Rolan (chaoticcomposition)

Juniper/Rolan Tower (riense)

Juniper Silly Portrait (antivanbrandy)

Juniper Bust Commission (thebunnybutts)

Juniper/Rolan Song (sacherali)

Rolan/Juniper cozy (redreart)

Rolan and Arabella (thegoblinwitchqueen)

Juni/Rolan Flushed Smooch (thegoblinwitchqueen)

Juniper sketch portrait (dilfbuck)

Juniper/Rolan NSFW (amouswolf)

Juniper Closeup Portrait (xanthouransong)

Juniper/Rolan Flower (artmadval)

Bard Juni Portrait (barbwillbrb)

Juni/Rolan Tending Wounds (mostwantedpotato404)

Juniper/Rackal (barbwillbrb)

Other Juni/Rolan

Bard Tav Text Posts 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Tav/Rolan Text Posts 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Rolan Text Posts 1 /

George Taylor cameo

Other Tiefling-centric Fics

Sweet Like Sugar: Bex/Danis, G, 2k, Celebrations/Post-Canon/Romance

A Divine Dream: Dammon/Rolan, T, 5k, Ballroom Dancing/Post-Canon/Romance

Everything: Dammon/Rolan, T, 3k, Romance/Fluff/Post-Canon

[lemonsrosesandlavender]

Introduction

Hello, I’m Cabbage! You can find me as Cabbage_Vampire on AO3. My icon is from Eleanor’s KissCrew Maker! This blog is 90% Rolan (and so is my writing!) but I do love discussing the writing process and reblogging all sorts of wonderful BG3 fan art. Please note my writing is explicit, and this blog is 18+ only. Anyway, on to the master list!

Rolan Fics!

Steel Weave Series (Rolan x f! Human Fighter Tav, E Rated, Second Person POV)

Sharp Teeth 41,316 words, Falling in love with Rolan over the course of the game’s events, and annoying the Hells out of each other. That’s amore! (Complete)

Tail and Tongue 2,475 words. Fluff and smut on the Elfsong roof before the Absolute’s defeat. Will eventually get a second chapter. (WIP, 1/2)

Sharess’s Sundries 10,804 words. Working out the kinks (gags, strap-ons and spankings…) with Rolan, as he explores his submissive fantasies and after a non-zero amount of prodding finally tells you (Tav) what he wants. (Complete)

Laced Close 4,569 words. Inspired by all the wonderful Rolan corset art on Tumblr! A trip to Figaro’s results in some kinky tight-lacing and a very flustered Rolan manning the counter at Sorcerous Sundries. (Complete)

Combat Training 7,572 words. Sometimes the only way to get Rolan to talk about his feelings is to pin him down and threaten him with a good time. After a lot of playfighting, of course. (Complete)

Along the Chionthar 6,654 words. A wedding, a honeymoon, and… watersports. Lots of watersports. (Complete)

Planar Tears (Rolan x OFC (Catrin), E rated, Third Person - Rolan’s POV)

Planar Tears 69,222 words. Isekai romance about an NHS doctor from our plane dragged into Rolan’s, when he uses an scroll of Summon Planar Ally far beyond his ability. There’s no other option than to bring Catrin to Baldur’s Gate with them, hoping Lorroakan can send her back - but getting there involves almost insurmountable danger. And as Rolan’s feelings grow, could he ever ask her to stay? (WIP, 23/35)

In Service of Magic (Rolan x OFC (Phaere), E Rated, Third Person, Royal/Concubine Femdom AU)

In Service of Magic 16,371 words. Rolan has long cherished the dream of being the one to break Queen Phaere’s curse. For her incredible magic library, of course - although her preference for male submission is secretly rather enticing. A shame that his arrogant tongue has already made him enemies in court… (WIP, 4/25)

Fast Times in Faerûn Series (Rolan x OFC (Lennie), E Rated, Third Person, 80s Camp Counsellor AU)

Short Shorts (And Cold Beer) 2,597 words. Lennie has had enough of Rolan’s shirking ways. When she finally confronts him over it, things get a little more heated than expected. (Complete)

Other

As You Wish (Rolan x GN Reader, E Rated) 2,441 words. Rolan wishes to be your obedient service sub… and you take full advantage. (Complete)

Bunchflower and Leeblossoms (Rolan x GN Tav, T Rated) 3,127 words. Rolan wishes to learn Druidic magic, and Tav is very happy to help. More than flowers bloom. (Complete)

Nailed (Rolan x F! Tav, E Rated) 2,003 words. It's hard to get a strap in the Shadow Cursed Lands. Luckily, though, Tav has her trusty warhammer - and its nice, thick handle is just the right size to blow Rolan's mind. (prompted by barbwillbrb <3) (Complete)

Other Stuff!

Sharp Teeth Rolan portrait, commissioned from luinen-bluewater <3

18th Century Rolan feat. ripped stockings, commissioned from orangekittyenergy <3

Phaere x Rolan Portrait commissioned from Goromimii <3

Nailed illustration by Viv/HoldingTwoPens! <3

Steel Weave Tav Backstory Bash.

Rolan, Cal and Lia backstory headcanon

Claws Out! (goofy lil Tara & Astarion fluff, there might be more in future if I’m feeling silly)

Rolan NSFW Alphabet

Rolan Finds Tav’s Sketchbook prompt, GN Tav

Steelweave Tav x Rolan “Ship in 5 Minutes”

Ballet AU Rolan drabble

Talk to me!

I love getting tagged in things, and getting asks. If you want to know why I wrote something a certain way, prompt some Rolan filth, or just want to kick your feet about Rolan together (my number one activity), my ask box is open ✨ or y’know, ask what I had for breakfast. I’ll answer that too lmao.

Request/ask guidelines. In case it’s not absolutely obvious, I’m here for subby Rolan only!

[TEMPORARY UPDATE - prompts closed bc I have an inbox backlog and want to give them all some love! But other asks still very much open <3 ]

If you ever do fan art for my characters or fics, I’d love to see it! <3

generally #cabbage writes and #cabbage answers are where the fun stuff lies on this blog! Or #cabbage trash for some filth ;)

And, as always, there’s much more Rolan writing to come.

[necroticyuzu]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash original post by @kelandrin's

This seems really fun and wanted to give it a try.

Don't wanna bother others too much but hope you who got tagged will have some fun with this, don't feel forced to join and I wish you a continuing great day. @falcatamandarina, @voloslobotomyservice, @fan-tav-stic, @spiritfaredfox,

Tamia Geraldottir

Half-Orc ~ Knowledge Cleric of Oghma ~ Neutral Good

Baby

~Parents~

- Father Gerald Bendalson: A Half-Dwarf (Technically Quarter-Dwarf) from Blackgate in Baldur's Gate who grew up dreaming about working in the famous Candlekeep and was finally able to fulfill that dream in his 50s when his two daughters became independent. Much like his father, and his father before him, he's attracted to big, strong women. So when he saw Vel showing off her amazing strength in a gladiator show he immediately fell for her. How'd he manage to woo this mighty woman who could easily rip him into pieces? Puns! Even the bad ones.

- Mother Vel: A proud Orc from the Cool Woods up in the Silver Marches who enjoys seeking challenges that put her strength and tactical thinking to the test. The more challenging the better and if she gets to show that off for others then that's a bonus. While participating in a gladiator show out in Rivington she managed to catch the attention of a tall dwarf who after the show wooed her with some absolute bangers of puns. Not one for settling down she'd rather keep on traveling around seeking challenges while her partner looks after their two daughters.

~Birth~

- Hammer 23rd 1463, was the day Tamia was born after taking her sweet time by being both an overdue baby and also taking almost two full days of labor which really annoyed her mother Vel who just wanted it over with.

~First word~

- Dada, which really made Gerald's day for sure while he was feeding her usual porridge about a month after her first birthday.

- An update that he made sure to brag about for everyone to hear whether or not they wanted to hear about it.

~When they first walked~

- Much to Daddy Gerald's worries and Mommy Vel's frustration, Tamia's first steps did not happen until she was about 15 months old.

- She was just so damned adamant about either scooting or crawling to move herself around in her little home.

~Tantrum~

- The first notable tantrum that Gerald could remember was when he was gonna head out for work which freaked her as she entered her separation anxiety stage at 10 months old.

~First sickness~

- Breaking out in hives and getting very itchy from trying out eating cherries for the first time around 9 months old. Really freaked Daddy Gerald out at the time until Grandmother Siv calmed him down. Turns out Tamia got that trait from said Grandmother.

Childhood

~Friends~

- Tamia had a fair bit of friends from the neighborhood but very few strong enough to last up until adulthood.

- Ranvia Bronzegrace: The one notable friend that stayed strong was with a Shield Dwarf called Ranvia whose family runs a repair business of wagons with a mix of smithing and carpentry that's doing great thanks to all the trade traffic through the Black Dragon Gate. Once old enough Ranvia joins her parents in the family business and one day will take it over.

~Siblings~

- Sarina Veldottir: Her 2 years younger sister who's a lot more outgoing than Tamia herself and a troublemaker to boot. Always gets herself into trouble one way or another to the point of aging their poor old Dad Gerald at least 10 years. Be it starting fights with older kids (and usually winning while fighting dirty) or trying to steal various random objects or food items from visiting merchants waiting to enter Baldur's Gate through the Black Dragon Gate. Tamia has to often step in to apologize for her antics while their father is off at work. Sarina very much looks up to their Mother Vel and aspires to be as strong and adventurous as she is. Once deemed old enough she went with her after one of her rare yearly visits. Their sibling relationship has gotten a bit better now as adults.

- There may or may not be a half-sibling or two out in the world on her mother's side that they simply do not know about?

~Getting into trouble~

- The most trouble Tamia gets into is when she fails to stop her little sister from getting into trouble. Since she's the older sister she's expected to be more responsible and set an example for Sarina.

- One such instance was when she was supposed to keep an eye on her while the two of them went to purchase some more exotic food from The Wide for the family to celebrate a special occasion around age 9 and Sarina age 7. While in the middle of her purchase, Sarina managed to sneakily getaway to explore on her own and was not found until MANY hours later when the Upper City curfew was about to start.

~Birthday~

- A typical birthday growing up was a very simple celebration with a small batch of their favorite cookies and not too expensive a gift to add to it. Tamia's favorite cookies were Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon and for gift was mostly whatever book Gerald or his parents could find for a good price or just lying around abandoned.

~Games~

- The typical games that most kids tended to play in the neighborhood were hide-and-seek, stick fights, and whatever you could come up with using bean-bags that day.

~Learning something new~

- Tamia just like her Dad Gerald had a thirst for learning growing up as a child with a passion for reading books. Growing up she wanted to be a wizard and be able to use magic. Alas, no matter how much she read up on magic, tried to connect to the weave, and prayed to Mystra herself Tamia could never find the connection she oh so badly wanted. And yet despite that, she kept on trying to learn what she could.

- However little did she know that another god would take notice of her love and ambition to learn. That being The Lord of All Knowledge Oghma himself who would later in her teens send her signs to let her know that she is seen by him and encourage her to keep on learning with his support.

~Trauma~

- The closest thing to a trauma in her childhood was when she was 11 years old. She went climbing up to the roof of the old family house to reach the small bean-bag she tossed up there during a small competition she had with the neighboring kids in 'Who can toss the highest?' To which she won. As she got her bean-bag she lost her footing and went tumbling down, breaking her right arm, her left wrist and earning a concussion. It was also how she earned the scar on her forehead that she would later try to hide with her hair.

- After that incident, she started to fear heights but started to handle it better in her late teens. Until all that progress got tossed out the window at age 19. Literally!

Teenager

~First love~

- Her first love or more accurately crush occurred when she was 14 and it was with her friend Ranvia's cousin who'd temporarily moved in with the Bronzegrace family to learn their trade for 2-3 years. His name was Emdur and like Ranvia was a Shield Dwarf but unlike his cousin he had no interest in their craft.

- The crush lasted for about 3 weeks and ended while she was visiting her friend to ask if she was interested in hanging out. While conversing with Ranvia about possible activities Emdur decided to ask his cousin "Why you hanging out with a Stupid Orc all the time?" To which he then received a mighty punch to the face from his cousin.

- Any and all interest Tamia had for the guy was immediately snuffed out and took some of her self-confidence with it.

~Rebellion~

- Not much rebelling from Tamia growing up. The only time that she would count herself rebelling was when she let her Dad and Paternal Grandparents know that she refuses to take any form of responsibility for her little sister's behavior and antics. They received it loud and clear.

~Running away~

- Does wanting to run away from her sister count?

- Tamia was never really rebellious so the whole 'Running away from home' thing was never her cup of tea. Her family already had to live with an over-energetic, trouble-making, constantly looking for a fight sister, and Tamia simply did not wanna add to that.

~Reckless behavior~

- Growing up everyone in Baldur's Gate knew about Ramazith's Tower, its mysteriously dead owner, and the rumors about possible treasures he's collected hidden behind magical traps. And more importantly to Tamia, Knowledge.

- At the very end of her teens at age 19 which still technically counts as a teenager the talks about this new and young wizard had managed to claim said tower, Tamia who by then had already received Oghmas blessing quickly made her way to seek this wizard out to ask for his permission to create a catalog record of the mysterious content of Ramazith's Tower.

- It took her a little over a month of begging and pleading to finally convince him to accept her Oghma-blessed service much to her joy. Only for him to then send her into areas of the tower that were still trapped without telling her thinking she'd deal with it for him.

- After somehow managing to escape with either dumb luck or divine intervention through the still-active traps Tamia made her complaints known to this very reckless wizard whom she still knows nothing about. His response was to simply have her tossed out the nearest window faaar up in the tower with an air elemental. How fortunate that she's invested in purchasing a Ring of Feather Falling for her fear of heights.

- Lesson to learn from this? Don't trust random new wizards in town to then immediately ask to see their shiny magical collection.

~Peer pressure~

- Tamia's not really one to fall for peer pressure from other people with the exception of her own family to be a good older sister and keep her younger sister in line when they are not around to do so themselves due to work.

~Growing pains~

- Not really pain but there was plenty of growing in her early teens. Her paternal family was sure that she wasn't gonna grow to be as tall as her taller than your average Orc Mother Vel who was rocking 2.06m (6'9) due to her father's side having those strong Dwarven genes with Dad Gerald 1.52m (5').

- Well, they were all in for a surprise as she kept on getting taller and taller than her Dad.

~Taking responsibility~

- If it's something she has either done or said that caused any form of harm, then Tamia will take responsibility for it and admit to her fault.

- However, if it's related to her sister or the other party took offense for the most ridiculous of reasons and blames it on her, then you lose all her attention and get ignored.

Adulthood

~Leaving home~

- Not long after the 'Tower Incident' Tamia had a rather hard time looking at the very prominent tower looming over her every single day. So about a month after it happened, she made the decision to apply any form of work at the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep. She would receive her confirmation after sending them many letters for almost 5 months. As soon as she received this news she packed up everything that she still owed after selling off the rest in order to afford the fee to join a ship heading to Waterdeep at the age of 20.

~Their “first time”~

- Not to long after moving to Waterdeep Tamia started to explore as many new restaurants, bakeries, and taverns. During one of her culinary explorations, she encountered a charming Earth Genasi Cleric of Chauntea who was a regular and took notice that she was a new face. The two got to know each other by random facts the two learned over there years and teaching the other even more random fact. After their 5th outing of food and knowledge sharing they paid for a shared room to get to know each other on a more intimate level.

~Serious relationships~

- Alabaster: The charming Earth Genasi was her first-ever relationship she had and one that she treasures to this day. During their 4 years, he taught her all he knew of nature while she taught him arcana. They had planned to get married and start a family the upcoming spring when sadly tragedy struck. While out to bless the crops for some farmers he unfortunately ran into a group of bandits who were not too happy with how light he traveled with little value and took his life out of frustration.

- After losing her fiance Tamia took her time to mourn by diving into her work more than ever. Didn't give dating another go until 3 years later but was not as lucky with those and they mostly left her feeling uncomfortable afterward to the point that she stopped dating altogether.

~Work~

- From the moment she started working at the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep it's been her one form of workplace. Starting out as a simple novice to eventually earned her current and favorite position as a Record Keeper. For 9 years she worked there and was very much content with it.

~Aging~

- As a Half-Orc she should be aging faster than your average human, though it would appear that the Dwarven genes on her paternal side have managed to get a foot in when the more dominant Orc ones took over. So it would appear that she ages slightly slower than humans would and ages almost similar to a certain Tiefling who's about her own age. A fact that the two don't fully realize until her late 30's.

~Finding your place~

- Who knew that while out during one of her lunch breaks she'd get snatched up by a fly by Nautiloid and toss her life upside down. After the whole Neather Brain business is dealt with and Baldur's Gate is safe from the whole Absolute Cult stuff Tamia has to decide if she wishes to return to Waterdeep or stay in the city of her birth to help build it back up.

- But once Baldur's Gate is built back up, what then? Stay longer or Waterdeep? Feeling bold she wishes to take a rematch at Ramazith's Tower she decides to offer Rolan her years of experience in Record Keeping services and her help in finding each and every secret that the tower has to offer.

- A project that would take them years to fully complete in a safe and methodical manner but suits the two of them just fine. It's during this project Tamia finds herself feeling like she's found her place, where she truly belongs. Working alongside Rolan, making sure he's not burning himself out and taking care of himself with him doing the very same for her.

~Staring a family/found family~

- The weird ragtag of individuals that Tamia traveled with while tadpoled has become this big strange little family in which you are close to some more than others. Which also includes the Tieflings that they helped way back in the Grove. Tamia makes the effort to stay in contact with the majority of them all however with how easily absorbed she can get with her work and family could mean long periods of silence.

- While she and Rolan work on their shared project of unpacking the mysteries of the Tower and its content the two enter into a close relationship that ever so slowly develops into a romantic to eventually turn sexual. Neither knowing when the shift truly happened and yet it feels so natural for them.

- 4 years after the Netherbrain the two receive a much unexpected surprise in their lives in the form of a cryptic pregnancy. Tamia jokes how their son is such an extreme introvert that not even his own parents had any idea he even existed until he was forcefully evicted into the world. Though he may have been a surprise, Derrick Rolansson is very much loved and wanted.

- Another 4 years after they had Derrick the two married and lived a very comfortable but far from boring life in the tower when they learned that they were expecting a second child. However this time they learned about them much earlier, giving them time to digest this news and prepare. They welcomed their second son who they named Aiden Rolansson.

(Edit: Realized someone else already had used the name Nathaniel for their own Child OC of Rolan way before I did, so I'm changing the firstborn's name to Derrick instead.)

[charmedcleric]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I was tagged by @lemonsrosesandlavender , thank you so much <3

Tagging (no pressure of course): @auspex-author @lolthslover @fistfuloftarenths @orangekittyenergy @darkurgetrash and anyone else who would like to do it cause it’s v fun ✨

Athena

This was honestly so fun! I could talk about Athena forever. I also talk more about athena and rolans life together andddd it’s very long so it’s all under the cut lmao oops

Baby:

Parents

- Athena’s parents were Thomas Knight and Elerra Knight (née. Kenafin). Her father Thomas was a human Wizard/Paladin of Mystra (boooooo) who worked for the Waterdeep City Guard and her mother Elerra was a drow cleric of Eilistraee who worked as a healer at the local house of healing.

Birth

- She was born in Waterdeep at the families cottage. Her parents treated her birth as if they had been blessed by the gods themselves (as they should lol) they had been trying to have a baby for a while and were starting to lose hope until Elerra finally fell pregnant with Athena.

First word / Tantrum / When they first walked / First sickness

- Athena’s first word was ma. She didn’t really have tantrums often, and if she did they didn’t last for very long. She was 15 months old when she first started to walk and her first sickness was a common cold.

Childhood:

Friends

- Athena had a couple of friends growing up, as a half-drow she didn’t really feel like she belonged anywhere, some people knew she was half drow and treated her different, others didn’t know what she was but they still treated her with caution. Her best friends consisted of Tyler, a tiefling, and Ari who was a high half-elf.

Siblings

- She had one sibling, a sister called rose. There was a 10 year age gap between them. Her sister rose was actually adopted and was a tiefling. Her parents were struggling to conceive yet again so they decided to adopt instead.

Getting into trouble

- Athena had terrible anxiety growing up so she never really did anything to get into trouble.

Birthday

- Her birthday is Alturiak 20th

Games / Learning something new

- She loved a good game of hide and seek, she was very good at hiding so she always won when she played with her parents and friends.

- Athena loves learning and takes it very seriously, when she puts her mind to something she is determined. Growing up she loved lanceboard and even though she wasn’t good at it to begin with, she stuck it out and learned how to play, it took many hours with her mothers help but she got there in the end

Trauma

- Her family being what they were, were judged by some of the public. She grew up hearing people call her mother an under elf, deep elf etc. her mother always tried to ignore it but Athena could she the heartbreak on her mothers face. If it wasn’t for her father, Athena would have grown up to not trust humans as most of the comments made about her mother were from humans.

Teenager:

First love

- Athena’s first love was her friend Tyler. She loved him very much and he loved her as well. Athena wanted to have something more with him but she also didn’t want to ruin what they already had so they just stayed friends

Rebellion / Running away

- Due to the situation Athena was in she never really had time to rebel. After her parents died and her sister became ill she had to grow up real fast and was essentially a mother figure for Rose. Athena had to work, cook and heal all day, everyday. She barely had any time to herself so there was definitely no time to rebel or run away

Reckless behavior

- When her sister had fallen deathly ill, Athena started to pickpocket/steal food and supplies as she now didn’t have much time to make a living to support the two of them. She did still work but it was very rare.

Peer pressure

- Although no one was pressuring her she still pushed herself. She would push herself so hard to heal her sister that some days it took all her energy and she would fall asleep on the floor next to her sisters bed.

Taking responsibility

- She spent most of her teenage years taking responsibility, between healing her sister, earning a living to be able to feed herself and her sister, She never had time for herself and always had to put her sister first. Athena developed a bad habit that when she eats she tends to eat very fast due to always needing to aid rose. Most of the time when she would sit down to eat, rose would start coughing and need urgent care, so eating fast became a bad habit of hers, one she is still working on today.

Adulthood:

Their “first time”

- Athena’s first time was one she wishes she could forget. At 23 years of age athena had her first time with a man she met at the Yawning portal. It was soon after her sister had died and Athena was not taking it well and she wanted a distraction. She ended up getting drunk and have sex with the first man that showed a slight interest in her. Soon after she started to regret it and when she arrived home she curled up in a ball on her bed and started crying wishing her mum was there to talk to. This experience tainted sex for her for a long time after. The next time she had sex was with rolan after the fall of the absolute, she had filled rolan in beforehand about her experience and rolan made sure that she was showed the up most care and love during their first time together

Serious relationships

- Athena’s first serious relationship is with rolan. Although they had their differences when they first met Athena quite liked rolan, she loved how caring he was for his siblings, how determined he was and she found him very attractive. For a spell she thought he hated her but it was the complete opposite.

After Cal and lia were saved from moonrise, rolan found Athena sitting by the waters edge at last light, where he decided to apologize to her. The two ended up talking for a bit and ended up sharing a kiss, Athena thought rolan would regret it come morning but if he did he never showed it.

They didn’t really discuss their feelings till after the fall of the netherbrain. Athena wasn’t sure what she wanted to do now that the absolute was no more, so she decided to go and talk to rolan just to catch up and to see his reaction to her maybe going back to Waterdeep.

They were having a nice conversation when she briefly mentioned going back to Waterdeep, this made rolan drop his drink and turn to her like umm why???? She explained that she didn’t have anything here or anyone needing her to stay so she might as well go back home. Rolan then said something along the lines of “you’re so selfish you know that yes? You are just going to up and leave when the man who cares and loves you the most is standing right in front of you?” When she goes to reply he cuts her off and basically begs her not to leave. Basically rolan finally tells her he is in love with her and has been for a while and he has a meltdown about it. very dramatic, very much rolan lol

- Her first serious platonic relationship would be shadowheart, although she knew shadowheart was lying to her about something she knew that there was probably a good reason for doing so. The two grew close and are still good friends long after the fall of the absolute. Another platonic relationship dear to Athena is Jaheira, I talk about them more in this post. Jaheira is very much a mother figure for Athena.

Work

- Before she was a cleric she was painter, she had to take a break from painting due to obvious reasons. After the fall of the absolute she takes up painting again and sells them in the lower city, all the money she makes from them is then donated to the local orphanage/s.

She tends to paint a lot of landscapes so when rolan first showed her the balconies of the tower she told him about how much she would love to paint this view. When she had finally moved in to ramazith’s tower rolan pulled her to one of the balconies and surprised her with a new easel, paints and a lot of canvases. She was on the brink of tears, she couldn’t have asked for a more caring partner. Most nights rolan will join her outside and will read one of his many books while she paints.

She still was a cleric of course and offered her aid wherever she could. Rolan cleaned out one of the rooms in sorcerous sundries and made it Athena’s office where she could manage all the paperwork for her patients. She was a call out cleric meaning she would go to the patients house instead of them coming into the sundries. She also helped out around sorcerous sundries. Whether that was scroll sorting or working the counter, she loved helping where she could, especially if it made rolans life slightly easier (the less stressed and busy rolan was, the more time they got together)

Leaving home

- Athena left her family home when she was 24 years old, after falling into a deep depression after her sister died she decided that enough was enough. Athena felt that the only thing she had left was her religion so she decided she wanted to become a sword dancer of eilistraee, after she did this she made her way to the promenade of the dark maiden. She helped and lived there for about a year.

Aging

- She doesn’t really like to talk about aging, from losing her family very young she would rather just live in the now instead of thinking about death, she’s had to much of that in her life. When she starts getting older she spends more time painting and hanging out in the tower with rolan.

Finding your place

- Athena feels she has found her place after the fall of the absolute. She is finally living with rolan (they end up getting married 2 years later), cal and lia, she has amazing friends which she still sees and keeps in touch with. She finally feels happy and feels that life is going her way for once.

Staring a family/found family

- Athena and rolan don’t end up having any children. She realises that she has been looking after people her whole life and she wants a chance to just live and have a somewhat calm life. Rolan, Cal and Lia are her found family along with Jaheira and her friends. Although they don’t have any children of their own, athena ends up adopting Yenna but its more of a sister than mother relationship for Yenna. Their family also consists of grub (yennas cat), two other cats they adopted and scratch.

[voloslobotomyservice]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav's backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

thank you for the tags @rolansrighthorn @charmedcleric @jessfromouterspace @lolthslover @auspex-author ‼️

I asked you guys who I should feature in this post and my girl Mythrae got the most votes! She is my first durge so she's a bit special to me and I'm very glad she was chosen :) some of these questions might have slightly alternate answers bc they don’t exactly fit in her timeline but I’m excited to participate either way! there are a couple triggering sections that have been labeled, so please read with caution!

(I’m too scared to tag anyone in this lol)

Part One: Baby

Parent(s):

Being the child of Bhaal’s own flesh and blood, she is a Bhaalspawn. But as far as who raised her? Well, that would be none other than Lua’nna Helvitlar, a Seldarine drow wizard who fled from Menzoberranzen many years ago.

She fled the city and Lolth due to her brother’s wrongful death, and she found employment with Ramazith Firesinger in Baldur’s Gate.

Birth:

Not much is known about Mythrae’s birth, but in the year 1353, Lua’nna found her as an infant in the sewers of Baldur’s Gate with a piece of paper with just her name (yeah I did this with Salome too I’m unoriginal). Not wanting a drow child to get in the wrong hands and become a servant of Lolth, she rescued the infant and brought her home.

First Word/Tantrum/When They First Walked/First Sickness

Her first word was “mama,” which Lua’nna was overjoyed with. Definitely cried happy tears for hours on end.

She was a well-behaved toddler, who was also very inquisitive and ask a lot of questions. The tantrums she would have would usually be because she got an answer she didn’t like (ex. “Mummy, why can’t the sun stay up all day?” “Why does it get cold outside?”).

Mythrae took her first steps after living with Lu’anna for 10 months, while they were playing together. Lua’nna most definitely cried the rest of the day over it.

She got a cold when she was a toddler, and her mother was worried sick she would pass from her virus. She was sick for two weeks, but with Lua’nna’s thorough care, she made a full recovery.

Part Two: Childhood

Friends:

Mythrae was born with heterochromia (one grey eye and one red eye) and was bullied for it (also for being a drow — they have a bad rep on the surface after all), so it was hard to make friends in school. There was one other drow boy in her class, Kalandrin, who would defend her from these bullies. They became fast friends and stayed close even into their teenage years. (Kalandrin would become her dream visitor later down the line)

Siblings:

Mythrae did not have any other siblings, the only family she had was her adopted mother (and Bhaal plus his spawn ofc but it’s not like she knew that at the time)

Getting Into Trouble:

For the most part, Mythrae was a very well behaved child. But as she began to discover her affinity for magic, especially storm sorcery, she would sometimes pull pranks on Lua’nna that would result in her being punished (ex. putting a cloud over mom’s head and causing it to rain while she was in the garden, using a lightning bolt to help speed up cooking, etc). Sometimes she tried to do these out of a genuine desire to help around the house, but other times… not so much

Birthday:

Though Lua’nna doesn’t know Mythrae’s actual birthday, they celebrate her “gotcha” day on the 7th of Eleasis (equivalent of August in Earth months)

Games/Learning Something New:

Mythrae wasn’t huge on games (unless it was something thought-provoking like chess lol)

Being an inquisitive child, she enjoyed school and learning. Lua’nna, being a studious wizard, helped Mythrae with her schoolwork and also taught her about the many intricacies of magic. She also taught her about the history of drow, which was left out of schoolbooks, because she did not want her child to fall down the wrong path and become a servant of Lolth.

Trauma:

In her dreams (or night terrors?), a large skeleton head or ghastly creature would visit her and tell her to kill everyone she knows and anyone that gets in her way, for her father’s sake. These visions scared her greatly, and made it hard for her to want to fall asleep. Usually, Lua’nna would have to sleep in the same bed as her so that Mythrae felt safe.

Part Three: Teenager

⚠️ TW - mentions of canon-relevant violence and suicidal thoughts ⚠️

First Love:

Over the years, Mythrae developed deep feelings for Kalandrin. Looking back, she suspected he may have felt similar feelings for her, but they never acted on them and thus were never romantically involved. But they were very close, and they even got matching tattoos on their face and neck.

Rebellion/Running Away:

Not long after her thirteenth birthday, the nightmares consuming her were all too powerful, affecting her mood and thought process. She became very anxious that these urges would soon take over, and she would hole herself in her room, away from others. Sometimes she would find herself arguing with Lua’nna, too afraid to confide in her about the visions she was having. This did drive a wedge in their mother/daughter relationship, and Lua’nna tried to chalk it up to typical teenaged hormones.

Otherwise, there wasn’t any specific rebellion or running away that she would do.

Reckless Behavior:

One fateful night, the urges finally took over and she had her first killing spree. First, she stabbed Lua’nna to death while she was sleeping in her bed. She then left their house in the Upper City, electrocuting any passerby that crossed her path. She snuck into Kalandrin’s house by climbing into his bedroom window. She had planned to stab him as well, yet he was awake in his room, reading a book. He thought that she was finally confessing her love for him, but instead, she cut his head off, keeping it as a prize for herself.

Her urge faded as she held Kalandrin’s head in her hands. Appalled by the grotesque scene, she quickly dropped his head, fleeing his bedroom as fast as she could. She didn’t stop running until she was at the docks of the Grey Harbor, debating whether or not she should let herself drown for her crime.

Peer Pressure:

While she was debating whether she should jump into the harbor, Sceleritas Fel arrived, telling Mythrae that everything would be fine, that she was destined to become a cold-blooded killer for her father, Bhaal. He pressured her away from committing suicide, and instead, starting her life anew in the Temple of Bhaal. Knowing that her reputation would be tarnished come morning if she didn’t go with him, she accepted, following him back into the sewers where her mother found her so many years ago.

Taking Responsibility:

In a way, Mythrae never publicly took responsibility for the lives she took that night. If anything, she was encouraged to continue her slaughtering, which she did to please Bhaal. But internally, she knew that she had wronged them — and so many people after — and she hated herself for it. She secretly wished for her old life back, and that her urges could fade away into nothing.

Part Four: Adulthood

⚠️ TW - mentions of rape/sexual assault ⚠️

BEFORE THE NAUTILOUD…

Serious Relationships:

Her first and only serious relationship was with Lord Enver Gortash, who had approached her about hatching a plan between the Chosen of the Dead Three. He had a charm about him that immediately drew her in, and they fell for each other quite quickly while working together to enslave the Elder Brain. He had even proposed to her with a ring she wore throughout most of the game events.

Their “First Time”:

Mythrae has pledged herself to celibacy until Bhaal instructed her to sire a new Bhaalspawn, originally planned to be with Gortash. However, Orin had disguised herself as the Chosen of Bane and attacked Mythrae, taking her virginity in the Temple of Bhaal before knocking her unconscious with her blade.

Work:

Up until Orin had attacked her, Mythrae was the leader of the Church of Bhaal, acting as the High Priestess over the congregation, preaching her father's word and leading various rituals.

Leaving Home:

A bit unique for Mythrae, considering it wasn’t her choice to leave home in the first place. She had no intention of ever leaving Baldur’s Gate or the Temple of Bhaal. So, when she woke up on the Nautiloud flying through the Hells, she knew something wasn’t right and that (at bare minimum) she was not meant to be here.

Aging:

Mythrae never really gave much of a thought to her age. She was young for an elf (around 139), and since elves can live for hundreds of years past that, she knew she had plenty of time to live a full life (devoted to Bhaal).

Finding Your Place

Mythrae was made to believe that the Temple of Bhaal was her place. That she would spend the rest of her days here, following every command her father gave to her. Thought she thought that maybe, just maybe, she was destined to do more with her life.

Starting A Family (Found or Otherwise)

She found family with the other Bhaalspawn in the Temple, however, her relationship with her siblings was very strained. They all wanted to be their father's favorite, especially Orin, who did not think Mythrae was worthy of her title.

Of course, she had planned to have Gortash as her husband when he became Archduke of Baldur's Gate so they could rule together, and also produce as many Bhaalspawn as father desired. Then, Mythrae was to kill Gortash, and become the rightful ruler of the city.

DURING GAME/AFTER THE ELDER BRAIN…

Serious Relationships:

After she escaped the Nautiloud, Mythrae didn't even give any thought to a potential serious relationship, as she was just trying to survive. However, she and Astarion grew very close, sharing similar traumas and feelings about the world. She didn't judge him for being a vampire, and he didn't judge her for the murderous urges, even after she tried to kill him. Their relationship further blossomed into a deep bond and they helped each other become better throughout their journey.

Their “First Time”:

Her first time (that wasn’t part of a planned attack) didn’t even happen until Act 3 with Astarion, after they had defeated Cazador for good. He had tried to seduce her before (Act 1 romance scene), but the trauma of her previous attack prevented her from moving forward, which the memory of it was explicitly shown to Astarion via tadpole connection.

But by the time Cazador was defeated, both of them felt comfortable and ready to share their first time with each other at his gravestone (and it was great. might write about it someday)!

Work:

After she rejected Bhaal, Mythrae found herself with nowhere to go. So, she and Astarion begin life in the Underdark together as mercenaries for hire. With her powerful spells and his sharpshooter skills, they become infamous throughout the land, with some Lolth-sworn drow ending up on the hunt after them. But as long as they have each other, they’ll be more than happy.

Leaving Home:

It wasn’t the easiest decision, but Mythrae's biggest concern is Astarion living somewhere where he did not have to worry about the sun scorching his skin, so she told him that she would be willing to leave Baldur's Gate to be with him in the Underdark, where he would be safe.

Aging:

Nowadays, the thought of her aging comes up a bit more often. She knows that she can still live for hundreds of years with Astarion by her side, but at the same time, one day she will die, and he will live on without her. But she doesn't want him to think about it yet, so she tells herself it's a conversation they'll have further down the line.

Finding Your Place:

At first, Mythrae was cautious to move to the Underdark with Astarion, truth be told. Lua’nna had never taken her there, though she shared her stories of her adventures down there. The only time she had gone were with her other companions on the way to Baldur’s Gate, and it was… a bit much, truth be told. But with her love by her side, they are able to find a home to make their own, getting into the routine of mercenary work and traveling through the lands to find any vampires that might need their help.

Starting A Family (Found or Otherwise):

To her, the party members she’d grown so close to over so little time had become her found family. Sure, she and Astarion may not be able to see them as often as they’d like, but they continue to gather every six months so they can catch up on their lives and remember the good (and bad) times. Mythrae also kept correspondence with Gale often, as he is researching the cure for vampirism at Blackstaff Academy.

Mythrae and Astarion know the risks that having a dhampir child could bring and the potential of bringing about another Bhaalspawn to the world, so they decide to not have children. They do have a sphinx cat, named Fluffington, that they treat like their own child, though. They’re the kind of cat parents to dress their pet up in cute little outfits for holidays and festivals!

[rolansrighthorn]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I saw their post of this and thought it would be fun to do! I am choosing to do Willow Hvithrafn in this post and may do Daryna Stalwart in another post, just as I did for the Get To Know Your Tav post (Daryna's, Willow's) I am going to tag a few people who may be interested in doing this, but this is not a tag game. You don't need to make your own post or tag others. @underdark-dreams @my-favourite-zhent @dustdeepsea @voloslobotomyservice @faerunsbest

Baby:

Parents: Human father named Mathias, high (moon) elf mother named Estre

Birth: A difficult, long labor for Estre in the middle of Spring (sometime in the month of Tarsakh (April in Earth months))

First word: "No"

When they first walked: Trying to go after Estre as she left to relieve some of her wanderlust, which was very frequently.

Tantrum: When Estre left yet again on her fourth birthday.

First sickness: Days after Estre left on her fourth birthday, Willow fell into a serious flu-like sickness for several weeks that left her alone with the healers at Lathander's monastery as her father did not want to "deal with it".

Thunderstorm: She disliked storms only because the stars were hidden, and stars were her only friends growing up.

Childhood:

Friends: Willow was very cold and distant from everyone growing up because of the neglect from her father and perceived repeated abandonment from her mother who was never quite present when with Willow. Due to this behavior, she never had any friends growing up.

Siblings: Willow is unaware, but she has two half sisters and her mother and father has a son who they love after she left home.

Getting into trouble: She often was spoken to and reprimanded for pushing or punching local and school bullies.

Birthday: Sometime in the latter part of Tarsakh in the spring.

Games: Willow has no patience nor any interest in games.

Learning something new: Unless it is related to combat, strength training, or something related, she has little to no interest. She is not unintelligent, but she isn't especially talented at anything either. She is just average.

Trauma: Her father neglected her, her mother was hardly ever around, she was bullied for emotionally struggling and for crying over everything to the point she grew cold and distant and emotionless until she met Geraldus.

Teenager:

First love: Willow never loved anyone until she met Geraldus as an adult.

Rebellion: Her "rebellious" phase was standing up for others to bullies and being physically violent with them.

Running away: Willow hated her mother's wanderlust and leaving so much she tries to suppress that part of her and viewed running away as the same thing. Although, she exhibits similar behavior by walking away/removing herself from uncomfortable situations.

Reckless behavior: Standing up to anyone and everyone who were mean, especially those who physically bullied others. Sometimes she would get hurt trying to defend others.

Peer pressure: She has never been subject to peer pressure as she never cared what others thought after she emotionally sealed herself off.

Growing pains: She had a lot of knee and lower back pain.

Taking responsibility: When it comes to protecting others, she is good with responsibility. But if she misbehaves or hurts an innocent she gets defensive out of embarrassment and will walk away/storm off.

Adulthood:

Their “first time”: Their first time will be with Geraldus, several months or so after they officially get together.

Serious relationships: Her one and only serious relationship will be with Geraldus.

Work: She is a Harper, and growing up she did side jobs (vermin extermination, pet sitting, etc) to get money to pay for a special weapon.

Leaving home: She left home at 20, joined the Harpers at 27.

Aging: Gracefully as she is a half high elf.

Finding their place: She only finds her "place" once she's accepted Geraldus in the others as a part of her life.

Staring a family/found family: Willow does not want to have children, and will never have any. Kava, a Dragonborn who joined the Harpers, is the only one she considers a friend, almost like a brother, and Geraldus is her love.

[coolseabird]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I was tagged by @grenanigans <3

I tag @upturninginkpots and @quantum-dragon No pressure at all though!

I actually finally made a Tav with a backstory recently so this is good timing. Forgive me for getting any Githyanki lore wrong. I'm very new to the Forgotten Realms.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Ga'rak (though who knows what his actual name is)

Yes I just stole his name from Garak. XD I initially took to calling him this half-jokingly since he reminded me of the DS9 character and it sorta just stuck. (Tbh though he is almost more similar to Odo)

Age: 45-50 years old

Gender: Male

Childhood: Born into a typical Githyanki creche, his childhood was far from typical. Early on, he was singled out for his psionic potential, leading to his separation from the other Githyanki children so he never had any friends his age. His training emphasized not just physical combat but also the mental manipulation of others. High-ranking Githyanki, part of a coalition of commanders open to unconventional strategies, decided to use him as a spy to learn about Faerunian society in an effort to learn their weaknesses.

Teenager/Pre-Game: During his teenage years, he embraced the role of an Arcane Trickster and Lore Bard, atypical classes for a Githyanki. He was dispatched to the Sword Coast under the guise of a socialite, With the aid of spells like Disguise Self (to not appear Githyanki), etiquette lessons from a human teacher his Creche had kidnapped, and a generous flow of gold from Githyanki raids, he seamlessly infiltrated the upper echelons of Neverwinter's society. (I imagine his cover persona was a lot like Jay Gatsby) He's never been in love and I don't know if he will ever fall in love in the future to be honest. (At least none of the romance options in this game really make sense to me for him. Maybe Minthara? But eh.)

Here is his half-elf disguise. He used it to trick the Tieflings holding Lae'zel captive. His name when he used this form as a spy was Garret or something like that XD.

His primary objective was espionage, identifying weaknesses for a future invasion and subtly undermining the government. As he immersed himself in the local culture, he encountered lifestyles that were very different from his oppressive upbringing. This exposure "corrupted him" and made him realize over the decades how unhappy he was in this role thrust upon him and how he didn't at all believe in the mission. He is also very cynical about the Githyanki government and doubts that Vlaakith is actually a god worth worshipping but he is too complacent to do anything about it. He is jaded and has resigned himself to this life. After all, revealing his doubts would only get him killed and he had no other paths available to him. That is, until he was tadpoled...

Meeting Shadowheart

Adulthood:

The tadpole's effect caused his Disguise Self spell to be inactive when initially meeting the others, preventing him from concealing his species from this group. As he thought his mission being revealed could endanger him, even to other Githyanki, he concocted a half-truth, telling his companions he was in Faerun as a Githyanki scout, masking his true goals. (Lae'zel doubts his story due to his rustiness and unfamiliarity with Githyanki culture and customs)

Freeing Gale

Having been isolated from other Githyanki for most of his life with his only contacts being his Githyanki handlers, he feels doubly estranged from both his own culture and the broader society of Faerun. (I was very inspired by stories of undercover agents having trouble re-integrating back into their home countries.)

He views others primarily as sources of information. While his main goal is to get rid of the tadpole, he also sees this time as an opportunity to gather more "sources." The tadpole gang becomes his targets, valued only as potential assets (particularly Wyll), yet he ultimately regards them as expendable.

Making Conversation

Even though he can come off as affable and charming, his true personality is almost frighteningly calm and detached, traits that initially put him at odds with Astarion and Karlach, who he views as a loose cannons.

Since he is Gith he is skilled with a blade but he prefers not to get blood on his hands. He is a huge germaphobe. (This makes the tadpole even worse for him. Not to mention camping in the woods every night.)

I think he'll likely get along well with Wyll and the Emperor. He can relate to the Emperor's longing for freedom and level headedness, he also appreciates Wyll's impeccable manners and potential high value as a tool. He and Shadowheart would have a mutual respect despite his being a Githyanki, he and Minthara would be cordial, and he and Gale would enjoy discussing illusion magic together. I also think he has a bit of a soft spot for my friend @upturninginkpots's Tav and will eventually come to see her as something of a little sister, he'll give her advice on questioning her own beliefs.

Here he is with @upturninginkpots's Tav, I'll allow her to introduce her. :)

Lae'zel's aggressive demeanor initially repels him, not least because of his own complicated relationship with Githyanki culture, and due to what he perceives as her "bull in a china shop" personality. She initially thinks he is a puny example of a Githyanki and she finds his cynical attitude to be blasphemous. He sees her as naive and foolish. They may eventually start to realize they have more in common than they think though and he will hopefully become something of a mentor to her in the future.

Githyanki Reunion

Upon discovering more about Vlaakith's plans, I think he will fully commit to defection. I think at this point he would also tell the other companions his true mission. (I know I can't actually do this in the game but it will happen in my head haha) The challenging thing is whether he is willing to put aside his complacency to help free other Githyanki from her grip, potentially betraying the Emperor and risking his own life in the process. Another consideration is whether a certain headstrong Githyanki warrior will start to question her beliefs and defect as well.

Thank you for reading and thanks for the tag @grenanigans ! If anyone sees this post and you end up making your own Tav post please tag me! I'd love to see it. :)

[faundlydreaming]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash: Fi

This is for @kelandrin 's BG3 Tav Backstory Bash! The fist entry I decided to go with was Parents. I figured I'd also write little snippets or include art at times. I'm not sure how far I'll go with this, but for now I'll have my fun. :) Below is the lineart version of the art.

A little bit about Fianna's parents:

Fianna’s parents were of a mindset where to remain busy in their lives was not only admirable, but necessary. To slow down was to show signs of laziness and lack of commitment, something they detested and often judged others of regardless of their reasonings. Her parents coming from a harsh environment themselves, they forced the ideals of ‘remaining positive’ while acknowledging that there were others suffering more so than they. For them, there was no reason to be unhappy when they had shelter, food, and skills. “Push through exhaustion, hard work brings pride”.

 Despite this, Fi grew up relatively happy in their upper-middle class life. Her father owned and ran an Inn, and her mother was a famous bard who’s violin playing was rarely matched by others in Baldur’s Gate. Fianna’s intensive training as a musician began when she was four years old and even though it was tough, she had fallen in love with music just as much as her mother had.

 Voran, a tall, stocky tiefling with hair as white as snow and skin rough and calloused, was strict yet more yielding than his wife. At least in the beginning. He would play hide and seek with Fi and give her rapt attention when she focused on her violin playing, often cheering with other patrons of the inn when playing by her mother’s side. 

Illiana was a beautiful woman even in her middling years with sharp, delicate features and an even, practiced gaze. Her truest love was music, even more so than her family, though she’d never admit it out loud. It didn’t matter, as her actions spoke louder than her words ever could. Although hurt by this, it only drove Fianna to become more skilled at her craft in order to impress her mother.

This small family’s early years were pleasant enough, even with the undercurrent of misery that would rear its ugly head when Fianna was first accepted into the Academy of Bardic Arts of Baldur’s Gate. Illiana would become fixated and obsessed with Fianna’s musical prowess and their social status (wanting to get into the upper elite above higher middle class), pushing Fianna further beyond a ten year old’s physical and mental means until the little girl at last broke at the age of thirteen. 

Pictured above is a family portrait painted in celebration when Fianna got into her exclusive and famous school.

[commander-krios]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

I was tagged by @lemonsrosesandlavender, thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Tagging: @eluvisen, @darth-salem-emperor-of-earth, @mimabeann, @starknstarwars, @greyias, @captainsigge and @fistfuloftarenths

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

Juniper

Baby

Birth & Parents: Juniper was born in Neverwinter to a half-elf craftsman (Feanor) and a tiefling sorcerer (Elara). She grew up moderately wealthy and deeply loved by her parents. Feanor woodworked for a living in a small shop in the city, creating instruments for the wealthy and the poor (most times donating lyres and lutes for free to orphanages). Her mother was a sorcerer employed to a local patriar, mostly making potions or other alchemical things for him and his family. They made good gold thanks to their positions and provided Juniper with the best life they could.

Childhood

Friends/Siblings: No siblings, she is an only child. She had a rather small group of friends, majority because of her heritage as a tiefling. But the friends she did have were some of her favorite people. One in particular, Lymrith, was a dragonborn who was in much the same position of being shunned by many in Neverwinter and they formed a close bond.

Birthday: I don't have an exact date, it's sometime in Midsummer.

Learning and Playing Games: Juniper was given the best education her parents could afford. Elara taught her a lot of magic when she was young and it was apparent that she was a sorcerer as well, but when it was proven that she had wild magic, they opted to train her as a bard, hoping that it would help her control her gift. Feanor sent her to a bard college in Waterdeep for a time when she was a teenager.

Trauma: The biggest trauma of her childhood was losing her mother to an alchemical accident when she was seven. One day, her mother never came home, and it will always haunt her.

Youth

First Love: Her first love was a fellow bard she met in Waterdeep. It was, in the end, just a fling, but Juniper always harbored feelings for the little elven woman who captured her heart for the first time.

Rebellion and Running Away: Juniper never wanted to run away, but she did want to be an adventurer and traveling bard. She wanted to experience the tales that she sang about, wanted to meet people, to be the story. She was a free spirit, always getting into trouble, and was definitely a handful for Feanor when her mother passed, but he encouraged her antics since it brought her joy and didn't harm anyone, much.

Peer Pressure, Risk Taking and Responsibility: Juniper takes risks more often than not, mostly because she believes they are worth the result in the end. She didn't have all that many friends, but it isn't difficult to convince her to do something stupid. She's not into the risks associated with drugs or alcohol (usually) but if something sounds fun, she's usually down. She's also just as likely to accept responsibility. She wants to prove herself and sometimes takes on more than she can handle, but she has good intentions.

Growing Pains: She had a very difficult time after her mother's death. She was young, confused, and all she knew was that her mother was gone. She blamed her mother's employer, blamed her father, blamed her mother, for what happened. It took time for her to come to terms with her grief.

Adulthood

Leaving Home: She left for the first time when she was a teenager, to attend a bard college in Waterdeep, but as an adult, she went from city to city to small town etc as a traveling bard. It was difficult for Feanor who only had her left after Elara's passing, but he also loved seeing her flourish and knew it was in her best interest to leave.

First Time: It was in a tavern after one of her first shows. A younger man, most likely a mercenary or thief, human, moderately good looking. They used each other for a bit of fun and that was that. Juniper didn't put much importance on the act of sex, it felt nice but it was just sex.

Serious Relationships: Platonically, her most serious relationship (besides her familial bond with her father) is probably Karlach. They are ride or die besties, do everything together. Juniper was one of the only people willing to travel to Avernus and fight Zariel face to face for her. Romantically, the only serious romance she had prior to Rolan was her dragonborn paladin bf, Lymrith. Even after breaking up, they are still close and she will always love him. Then, there is Rolan. He is everything to her, makes her try harder to be serious, but also knows that if she can't, he'll still love her no matter what. He is the only person she can ever truly say she's in love with and has been in love with. That earth shattering, world ending love.

Aging: Juniper dislikes aging for how it slows her down. She stays in the Tower more, does less work in the city or with the bard college in Baldur's Gate. And she dislikes it immensely. She's always used to being on the move that when she is forced to sit still by her own body, she goes stir crazy. Thankfully, she has Rolan, Lia, Cal, and her friends to keep her grounded. One of the biggest things that she enjoys about aging, is counting the grey in Rolan's hair (much to his dismay).

Family: Her father, Rolan and his siblings, Zevlor (who becomes a father figure as well), Alfira and Lakrissa, the tiefling kiddos but especially Mirkon, Mattis, Silfy, Ide, and Arabella, Dammon, Bex and Danis, Karlach, Wyll, Gale, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and reluctantly, Astarion. Also Scratch and the Owlbear. Her family is her friends, the people she loves, and she will do anything for them. She never has children of her own, but with all of the tiefling kids around, she doesn't need to.

Work: Bard, of course, but also teaching. In Baldur's Gate, she finally settles down (with the occasional adventure on the side) and teaches at Alfira's college for a time. She also does private lessons and performs at taverns in the city.

Finding Her Place: Juniper was a traveling bard for much of her young life, and while she had a home back in Neverwinter, she never gave it much thought because she loved life on the road. But she found her place in Baldur's Gate after the Netherbrain, with Rolan and his family.

[thetavolution]

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I was tagged by NO ONE. I am unstoppable.

Tagging (no pressure!): @tavsboots @whenwindwhispers @himbo-hunter-hadrian @vatyrie-avaris @durgeteriormotives @fainlin @auspex-author

INGRID SULLENBERGER

Deep Gnome — Druid (Circle of the Spores)

Baby:

Parents

Calvin "Sully" Sullenberger: He's an artificer and he works for the Ironhand Gnomes. He doesn't feel that strongly about their mission statement though. He's more self-serving than that. He believes in it, just not enough to die for the cause himself. He prioritizes his own skin first. He loves the fact his current wife hates his ex wife. He enjoys being fought over, even if it hurts his kids in the long run.

Greta Bloodstone: She's Ingrid turned up to 11. She's far more timid and scared, and she gives into her fears. She's the reason Ingrid refuses to let her fear win. She's seen what a doormat it made of her mother. She's a bard who often sings about other people's accolades, except for her own daughter's.

Anna Sullenberger: She's Ingrid's step-mother and Sully's second wife. She never behaved like an actual parent to Ingrid, but she's here on a technicality. Anna is a forest gnome and she hates living in the Underdark. She's convinced she'll change Sully's mind about leaving someday. She tries to use the fact the kids both left as an excuse to move to Baldur's Gate. She's just as self-serving as Sully, she's just more open about it. Anna is a wizard who focuses on illusion.

Birth

Ingrid was born in Silverdale, a deep gnome settlement in the Underdark. It's largely hidden away which is partially why it's still standing.

Greta had a midwife while having Ingrid and it was a traumatic birth. Both survived, but Greta decided she would not have any more children. She felt it would be too dangerous for her. It was a source of contention between her and Sully.

First word / Tantrum / When they first walked / First sickness

Her first word was "Ada." Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that's the gnomish word for dad. That would have been her first word, just for the man to mostly reject her.

Her first tantrum would have been over a lack of attention, most likely.

She started walking at around 10 months old.

Her first sickness was a cold. She was a baby and miserable, but it wasn't life threatening.

Childhood:

Friends

She didn't have a ton of friends growing up, but she did have some. They send letters to one another.

Bimpnottin Cobblegem (she/they): I saw the name Bimpnottin and decided I needed to have someone in Ingrid's life named this. Bimpnottin is a sweetheart, but naive. They've never left their hometown of Silverdale. Bimpnottin also talks very loudly almost all of the time. She comes from a long line of cobblers and she kept up the tradition.

Gerbo Ironfoot (he/him): He was another childhood friend. He was the kid who talked the others into doing stuff. He wasn't a bad kid, just a little rebellious. He's a fisherman these days and he's married to Orla, a tailor, and they have two kids, Roondar and Dimble.

Umber Rivers (they/them): I'll talk about them in a minute. They weren't a friend in the traditional sense. They were a druid water genasi and the reason Ingrid became a druid.

Siblings

Ingrid has one younger half-brother, Sebastian. His other is a forest gnome and so he looks like a forest gnome. No one immediately pegs them as siblings because of it. I'm still fleshing him out. He is either an artificer, like his father, or a wizard who focuses on transmutation.

Getting into trouble

She rarely got into trouble as a kid. Or, at least, for anything she actually did. Anna was hard on her and would get upset with her over small things, like how she cleaned dishes or something of that nature.

Birthday

I've been waffling on exactly when, partially because I keep forgetting the calendar months in DnD/BG3. I'm officially going on record as making it 22 Alturiak. In her original story, she was born on February 22nd.

She would celebrate as a kid, but they would be small occasions with just close friends and her brother.

Games / Learning something new

She played the same games as many other deep gnome children. She did spend a lot of time alone, so she learned to entertain herself a lot.

She likes to learn. As a kid, she would get excited when she had a chance to learn something new. As a baby, she was a lot more afraid of things. It wasn't until she got older that she deliberately started fighting her fears.

Trauma

Oh boy, her parents did a number on her. Her dad was more excited to have two women fight over him than take care of his kids. He allowed Anna to treat the kids as pawns.

She was neglected a lot as a kid. Her parents were way more into their own drama than the kids.

She and Sebastian were pitted against each other. They have no ill will toward each other, but they never had a chance to grow close. Maybe one day they'll change that.

Teenager:

First love

Her first crush was her schoolmate, Alston Garnet (he/him). He was a deep gnome fighter. She didn't know that much about him because it was a pretty innocent teen crush.

I like to use songs as reference points and my first immediate thought was I'm In A Perfect Relationship from Central Park. It's the perfect sum up of how she and Alston felt about each other.

They both think it's really funny now that they're adults. They aren't close, but do consider each other friends.

Alston is now in a relationship with a deep gnome ranger, Orryn Filchbatter (he/him).

Rebellion / Running away

Her fondest memory comes from the one time she ran away. She was probably around 13, just barely a teen. She left home and traveled the Underdark alone when she was discovered by a druid. The druid guided her home and kept her safe. It left a huge impression on her and it's why she's a druid.

The druid who took care of her was Umber Rivers, a nonbinary water genasi who identified with the Circle of Land (Coast). As a kid, Ingrid fantasized about Umber raising her instead of her parents.

Reckless behavior

She wasn't really a reckless kid. She would sometimes get pulled into things by friends (Gerbo specifically) or her parents. This is when she started to experiment with drugs to treat her anxiety. She eventually found the right mix. It only counts as reckless behavior because she had no guidance while doing it as a teenager.

Peer pressure

She would sometimes give into peer pressure. It was never when it came to hurting other people though. Every time she gave into peer pressure, it was usually just stupid teen shenanigans or trying a drink or drug she shouldn't.

Taking responsibility

She was good at taking responsibility for her actions as a teen. Sometimes a little too much where she'd be held responsible for stuff that wasn't even her fault.

She was often treated like an adult by her parents. Parentification led to her taking responsibility for stuff her parents did, too. It didn't help her anxiety.

Adulthood:

Their “first time”

Donella Underhill (she/her) was her first real relationship and the person she shared her first time with. Donella was a deep gnome cleric, but she focused on becoming a merchant. Donella still lives in Silverdale and sells potions. If someone ever goes to Silverdale, they could encounter her as a potion seller.

The first time was awkward, but they learned a lot from each other.

Ingrid and Donella no longer talk.

Serious relationships

Depends on the universe/AU! In BG3/DnD, her first serious relationship was with Donella. They were young and it didn't end well. Neither of them knew how to navigate relationships and Ingrid didn't know how to set boundaries of any kind.

They have no ill will toward each other, but also have no interest in reconnecting. When they first broke up, there was a lot of raw feelings that turned into "hatred" for each other. Once it subsided, they took a much more nuanced view of the failed relationship.

Donella is now married to another deep gnome named Caramip Sparklegem.

Work

She's a druid, but she also works and makes money as a tattoo artist.

In her original universe, she's a human and a tattooist. It's not the career people expect of her. She loves tattoos and she loves drawing, so it made sense.

Leaving home

She was still a teen when she officially left home for good. She figured if she could take care of herself, she could hit the bricks. She wasn't kicked out, she just didn't want to be around her parents anymore.

Aging

She's a deep gnome so she could live to 350 to 500 years. And that's assuming some DnD shenanigans don't prolong or shorten her life somehow.

Most deep gnomes are expected to ease into adult life by 40 and she's only 28.

Staring a family/found family

Minty, Laura, and Bex are her found family. If you have to compare them to anything, I would say sisters or cousins. In BG3, she also considers her companions found family.

Eventually, she might like to settle down and have children with someone. This could be biological or adopted children. She does fear she'll have a similar birth experience as her mother though.

[my-favourite-zhent]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

I was tagged by @rolansrighthorn and @commander-krios so I'm giving this a go for Isolde aka Izzy of New Tricks. Tagging if you think this would be fun to try: @thisaccountisagainstmywill @littleplasticrat @sunites @killerpancakeburger @cloverthebarbearian

Baby:

Parents: Both humans from Phlan in Thar, north of the Moonsea. They were archaeologists and former professors of archaeology.

Birth: Izzy was born in Eleint just a few days before Highharvestide. Her parents blamed her penchant for fruit on her birthday.

First word: "up" She was a bit of a spoiled brat that liked to be carried everywhere

When they first walked: Following a bird that had been picking at the camp scraps

Tantrum: Lots of tantrums, not having anyone her age to play with meant she was a bit of a high maintenance baby.

First sickness: Since they were out on the road a lot she actually didn't catch ill till she was around six and they were visiting relatives in Phlan. She immediately caught the shaking fever but luckily fought it off after a few days.

Thunderstorm: Rather scared of them when living out of tents. Warmed up a bit after she got to stay in more permanent structures.

Childhood:

Friends: Since her family was always on the road or at various dig sites away from civilization Izzy rarely had playmates her own age. She spent most of her time reading or trying to feed any local corvids.

Siblings: Izzy is an only child.

Getting into trouble: After toddlerhood she was a generally well behaved child. She spent most of her time reading.

Birthday: In Eleint a few days before Highharvesttide.

Games: Enjoys puzzles but is unfamiliar with most children's games. Corra introduced her to darts which she quite likes.

Learning something new: Huge bookworm, loves to learn anything to do with linguistics, ancient history (especially Netheril) and cultural practices. It helps her understand people better as she has very little practical experience.

Trauma: Her parents were murdered when she was 16, though it was written off by the local authorities as an accidental fire. She is still a bit hung up on the fact that she doesn't know who the killer was and what were their motivations.

Teenager:

Growing pains: None, she never grew that much to begin with.

Taking responsibility: Growing up around almost solely adults Izzy took on responsibility as a young age, often helping out on dig sites or translation work for her parents.

Rebellion: Not at all a rebellious. Excepting the incident below.

Running away: After her parents passing she was sent to live with her aunt in the countryside for a time. However well meaning her aunt had no idea what to do with a young girl and thought trying to marry her off would solve that problem. Izzy decided to run off and go to university instead.

First love: Love is maybe a strong word, but her first crush was a boy in her aunt's village. He was very sweet but ultimately loved another girl in the village.

Adulthood:

Peer pressure: Finally among peers for the first time in university Izzy was very desperate to be accepted. She ended up copying her notes and ghostwriting assignments for a pack of shitty noble brats.

Their "first time": Was briefly in a relationship with one of the noble brats. Fairly painful first time as the guy was pretty selfish and inexperienced but she was too in love to know better.

Reckless behaviour: Devastated when she was kicked out of school and the brat pack dumped her Izzy got drunk with Corra at a festhall and slept with an adventurer who was flirting with her. He was a lot better than the noble brat.

Serious relationships: The aforementioned noble brat who dumped her when she was kicked out of school. A banite priest who was just using her for her expertise in archaelogy, ghosted as soon as he got what he wanted. Currently with Rugan the Zhent (New Tricks) we've yet to see if the pattern repeats.

Work: Since she doesn't have a proper degree she mostly uses her linguistic and archaeological expertise to aid tomb raiders with excavating ruins and smaller monasteries with translation work.

Leaving home: Izzy never really had a permanent home having grown up on the road. University was probably the closest she got to having one. She now winters with Corra in Crimor.

Aging: Early thirties but still looks good for her age, not strong but agile.

Finding their place: Still searching, her line of work and previous bad experiences make it difficult for her to form the lasting connections she so desperately wants.

Starting a family/found family: Really wants to find a life partner and a group of friends. She doesn't have any experience with children but would be willing to have them if that's what her partner wants.