“Who cares if anyone’s name means anything? It means you, and that should be good enough.” - Tainan Lavellan
Overview[]
Physical Appearance[]
Tainan is easily recognizable by their mass of untamed flaming red hair, always worn tied back into a ponytail, messy bun, or collection of knotted braids. Their eyes are naturally a blue-green, although their green vallaslin tattoos make the green more prominent.
Standing at the taller end of average for an elf, Tainan has broad shoulders and muscular arms from a lifetime of archery training.
Personality[]
Despite a kind nature and being generally liked by everyone in the clan, Tainan is a deeply lonely person. They spent most of their youth desperate to earn the attention and approval of their father, a quest that was ultimately futile. However, Tainan never allowed this or any other rejection keep them down. They are nothing if not persistantly optimistic, occasionally to their own detriment.
Tainan is an incredibly social person who enjoys meeting new people and making new friends. At times Tainan can be remarkably insightful about the thoughts and feelings of others, and they are often willing to give advice or support to a friend in need. Above all, Tainan dislikes seeing people suffering, and will always try to help if they can.
Talents and Skills[]
Tainan is an accomplished archer and hunter quite skilled in tracking and trapping. They're also competent in hand-to-hand combat, and trained in basic herbalism.
Biography[]
Tainan's parents did not particularly want children, but they did their duty to the clan and to the Dalish. Tragically, Tainan's mother died in childbirth, and their father could not bear to raise an infant on his own. So Tainan was taken in by the clan's then-First, Istimaethoriel, who cared for the cast off child as though it were her own. From then on, Tainan's only interaction with their father was while training to be a hunter.
Tainan was a friendly, easygoing kid who was well liked by most of the clan, but always a little bit odd. When they began insisting at an early age that they were neither a boy or a girl, Tainan cemented their place as the clan's eccentric.
However, Tainan's percieved eccentricities and unsual upbringing left them feeling as though they never quite fit in with the rest of the clan. Always something of an outsider despite the close-knit community, it was little surprise anyone when Tainan took an interest in Idhren.
When Idhren joined the clan Tainan was immediately curious about the Tevinter runaway. It did not take long for that curiosity to turn to romantic interest and eventually a marriage proposal. Six marriage proposals, to be exact. None of which Idhren rejected outright, and in fact the pair were married in all but name for years.
Relationships[]
- Tainan's relationship with their father, Varnehn, ranges from rocky to non-existent. After being present but hands-off during Tainan's infancy, Varnehn began to train Tainan in archery as soon as they were big enough to hold a bow. Although Tainan idolized their father, Varnehn struggled with the concept of fatherhood and the reminder of his late wife that Tainan represented and eventually left the clan entirely. Tainan perceived this as an abandonment, of blame for their mother's death, and evidence that Varnehn did not love them.
- In the absence of their birth parents, Tainan was raised semi-communally among Clan Lavellan's adults, but the bulk of his care came from Istimaethoriel, who treated Tainan as if they were her own child. In return, Tainan considers her if not quite a surrogate mother, then a very close aunt, despite that they have no blood relation.
Miscellaneous[]
- Tainan's full first name is "Tarasyl'inan", which they find embarrassingly poetic and long, and would be hard pressed to share this information with anyone.
- Although Tainan's name translates to "eyes like the sky", they're eyes are actually more green than blue.
Links[]
AO3 / Tumblr[]
Gallery[]
