About Tavick TarkerTavick Tarker
Backstory Meeting the intrepid reporter Tavick Tarker on the streets of Sharn, one would never guess that his story first began in distant Riedra. Born in the metropolitan city of Dar Jin to a spice merchant and his wife, the infant Tavick seemed to be haunted by strange forces from the moment of his birth. It didn’t take long for the boy’s parents to realize that whenever a door slammed shut by itself or phantom sounds echoed through the air that their newborn was special. Since he was not born into a family of the Chosen, Tavick’s powers meant that—should the Inspired ever learn of them—the Thousand Eyes would abduct the boy in the dead of night and he would never be heard from again. Fearing that he would never be safe in Sarlona, Tavick’s parents used their connections in the Gate to flee Dar Jin with their infant child, traveling as far as their gold would carry them until they eventually arrived at Tavick’s Landing in Sharn, the City of Towers. Taking it to be a sign, they named their son Tavick, hoping that he would feel as much a part of their new home as the city ward that was his namesake. Though Tavick’s parents had put down roots in the Adaran community of the Overlook district (where he could learn to hone his gifts and still engage with the less sinister aspects of his birth culture), the entire city of Sharn was available to the headstrong and adventurous youth. He grew close to a small, tight-knit group of friends in his adolescence scattered throughout the city, but the escalating pressures of the Last War conspired to take them all in different directions. As an aspiring chronicler with only modest self-preservation instincts, Tavick took on freelance work with the Korranberg Chronicle to report the events of the Last War from the front lines—though he often fed his intelligence to the Brelish Crown first. Tavick was embedded with a small skirmishing unit on border between Breland and Cyre, writing up dispatches when he wasn’t dodging artillery fire or escorting Cyran refugees after the Day of Mourning. Then, all of the sudden, it was all over: Tavick’s contract with the Korranberg Chronicle came to an end and he found himself on a Lightning Rail bound for Sharn once more. As a vetted chronicler, Tavick quickly found work as a journalist for the Sharn Inquisitive under the watchful eye of its publisher Haftak ir’Clarn. Though he had hoped his journalism might serve to unearth the corruption of the city’s politicians or expose the existence of the Boromar smuggling ring, Tavick found himself reporting on the tawdry escapades of Dragonmarked playboys and other members of Sharn’s idle rich. It paled in comparison to the sense of purpose Tavick felt when he was embedded on the front lines. That, more than anything, was why when he heard of the old detective agency for rent, Tavick decided to put his ambitions to be an investigative journalist—and his psychic powers—to the test. Personality Tavick Tarker fits the pulp-noir trope of the intrepid reporter to a T, from his commitment to freedom of the press to doing whatever it takes to get the scoop. Unafraid to rush headlong into danger, Tavick selflessly puts the safety of others before his own, but cares more about uncovering the truth than doling out vigilante justice. Sometimes in the thick of battle, however, a dark side of Tavick takes over, using its psychic strength to lash out at his enemies with an almost instinctual cruelty. He doesn’t quite understand the nature of these episodes, but they trouble him deeply and shake his otherwise steely resolve. His greatest fear is that this side of him is the truer aspect of his being and that all of the goodness to which he aspires is just a lie he tells himself. Appearance Though not a strongman by any stretch of the imagination, Tavick has a nevertheless athletic physique thanks to his time embedded with the Brelish troops. During the Last War, he became accustomed to wearing a vest of chainmail links discretely concealed by fabric, so as not to appear as more than a civilian on the battlefield. He usually wears sensible if somewhat stylish clothes: collared shirts, dark neckties, serge pants, and leather boots. He wears eyeglasses to offset his near-sightedness and is usually seen with his leather satchel so as to keep his chronicler’s kit close at hand. NPC Contacts Haftak ir’Clarn (Sharn: City of Towers, p.69): Gossipmonger and publisher of the Sharn Inquisitive, Haftak ir’Clarn is Tavick’s former employer. A minor noble with a surprising amount of wealth at his disposal, Haftak seems more interested in sensational headlines and soft journalism than reporting on anything actually newsworthy. Demanding, loud, and overbearing, Haftak seems to combine the worst qualities of a man with too much money and the executive authority of an editor-in-chief. Though loathe to admit it, Haftak can’t deny that Tavick was one of the best damn reporters he ever had. Havakhad (Sharn: City of Towers, p.56): Though now a frail elderly man, the kalashtar seer Havakhad is a powerful psychic whom Tavick has the honor of calling his mentor. Often couching his lessons in the philosophies of il-Yannah, Havakhad instilled in the Tavick the unrelenting commitment to rooting out truth wherever deception would aim to conceal it. Had it not been for the old seer and his teachings, Tavick’s belief in the people’s right to know would likely have never formed. Havakhad is the only one who knows that Tavick’s powers are the result of an abominable Quori spirit imprisoned in the chronicler’s psyche. Tavick’s Parents, Heruun and Jhalaar: Tavick’s parents live in the quiet Overlook district in Upper Dura, surrounded by the Adaran and kalashtar culture that reminds them so much of home. Together they run a small shop that specializes in Sarlonan imports, catering to both the local community and visitors to the district alike. Shrewd, friendly, and visibly immigrants to Khorvaire, they are pleased with the life their son has managed to make for himself, despite whatever misgivings he may have about his own achievements. In recent years, Tavick’s mother Jhalaar began suffering from a degenerative illness that Jorasco healers have so far struggled to treat. |
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