Tavenlan Myani was born to a human mother and drow father, in the city of Prastuil in 1436 DR. His childhood was relatively sheltered and owing to his mixed heritage he did not have many friends once the small family moved to Baldur’s Gate when he was six years old. Tav was well-educated as a child but sadly did not put that education to use in the way that either of his parents might have hoped as he got older, instead turning to petty crime to find his amusements.

He was 41 years old when his mother passed away due to illness and his father returned to Dambrath in grief without a word to his son. The next twelve years were spent between adventuring and criminal activity, the latter for which he spent no small amount of time in the Basilisk Gate jail cells, before he decided to quit Baldur’s Gate altogether and strike out across the Sword Coast.

It was three years after this that Tav was abducted and had a Mind Flayer tadpole stuck in his head. Though he had never been the kind of person who looked for a position of leadership and had grown used to being distrusted or outright reviled by the common folk of the Sword Coast due to his heritage, he found himself suddenly in charge of a ragtag group of misfits who, for the most part, were all in the same unfortunate situation that he was in. At first Tav was cautious of this very novel position, not only because of the looming threat of becoming a Mind Flayer but also due to his life having left him guarded against most other people. He was careful to gain their trust without giving too much of himself away, but as the circumstances became more dire and he actually started to like them all, he did start to let his guard down.

Beginning with his approach to resolving the situation at the Druid’s Grove, Tav’s approach to their enemies - particularly the more powerful ones - was always to use his high charisma to make them think he was on their side… only to backstab them at the first good opportunity. He showed himself to be a powerful wordsmith, convincing some opponents to stand down and more than one to simply… do the job for him. He did struggle, though, with the growing sense of danger and the pressure of being looked to for leadership, and it was in the people he had now come to see as his friends that he finally accepted the role. He allowed himself to become somebody that their growing group of allies could rely on and while not every choice he made was the right one any missteps did not change the outcome - the Sword Coast was saved and, somehow, a half-drow bard had become one of its heroes.

A charismatic, opportunistic, and often duplicitous half-drow who moved to Baldur's Gate from Prastuil with his parents fifty years ago. Considers himself Baldurian and holds the memory of his now deceased mother very close to his heart. Tav did very little in his early years to make his parents proud and ended up falling fully in with the criminal elements of Baldur's Gate after his mother passed away and his father subsequently returned to Dambrath.

Loyal and compassionate to his friends and with a vicious streak that will see him stick a dagger into anyone who causes those he cares for to come to harm. He has a soft spot for children, particularly Mol's group of tiefling thieves (as they remind him of his own childhood). Often gets himself into trouble but is very good at talking himself out of it. During the Absolute crisis he made several deals with very powerful people along the way and stabbed almost every one of them in the back to get closer to his own end goals.

Though he can often be selfish, his tadpole adventures altered his mindset from doing the right thing because he can get something out of it to doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do.

He strikes a fine line between caution and curiosity when it comes to most things, though sometimes veers towards the careless in the execution of his plans. His self-confidence can come close to being his undoing in moments like this (though, he would argue, it has yet to actually cause any lasting problems).

Charming and with an easygoing demeanour once you get past how he can initially be guarded against new people, Tav is outgoing and friendly to most. He gives respect where he believes it to be due and does not easily grant his trust to others, and his compassion for those he cares about and how fiercely he cares about those he loves can sometimes drive him to irrational actions if their safety is on the line. He will not hesitate to stick his neck out for his friends and those he trusts and he expects people who call themselves his friends to do the same for him.

Tav is bold and confident, as befits someone of his chosen profession, and he will not hesitate to use his wit and charm to his advantage. He is an attractive person and he knows it, and he will use that to his advantage as well should the situation call for him to do so. When initially meeting somebody he will often adjust his personality in order to gain their trust, taking a little time for his guard to come down.

On the other side of the bard’s personality there is a distinct dislike of liars (hypocritically, given his own tendency to do so) as well as some deeply buried abandonment issues stemming from his father up and leaving without a word after his mother died, and then going on to ignore any letter he sent in the following fifteen years. Though he acts like he doesn’t care about this, he definitely does. When he’s upset or unsettled he will deliberately put his hands behind his back instead of folding his arms, not realising that in trying to avoid a tell he’s creating a new one.

Following the conclusion of the game’s story, Tav developed an uncharacteristic quick temper that flares up when he feels like he’s being backed into a corner. He hasn’t identified this as relating to post-traumatic stress, though it most definitely is.

Skills:
❥ History, literature and religion - Tav was well-educated by his parents while he was growing up and has a working knowledge in these three areas to a point
❥ Arcana - despite being a bard he does have a working understanding of magic
❥ Music - he plays several instruments proficiently, notably the lute, lyre, flute and violin, but he can also turn his hand to most others with a little practice
❥ Light fingers - his criminal lifestyle has made him good at picking the odd lock here and there
❥ Persuasion - Tav is very charismatic and charming when he wants to be (though it is mostly a front to cover his real personality, which is far more gentle than how he usually first presents himself)
❥ Languages - he speaks Common (Calant dialect), Illuskan and Drowic
❥ Swordplay - as a bard from the College of Swords, Tav is handy with several finesse weapons and can handle a shield as well as crossbows and shortbows

Canon Abilities:
❥ For a full list of passive features, learned magic, cantrips and descriptions see here under ‘abilities’.