Tavelia

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Tavelia is a NPC and villain from the 2nd Edition and Third Edition Ravenloft product line. Exact details of her nature and origin somewhat vary according to the source material, though across sources she is generally depicted as a human female and a vampire. In universe, she is generally acknowledged to be in later sources a (former, in her 3rd Edition appearance) leader of the Kargat, a resident of Martira Bay[1], and founder and charlatan priest of the Faith of the Overseer.

Sources

Tavelia was first mentioned in the TSR Collector Cards. She later appeared in Bleak House: Heroes, Monsters, and Settings, where she is shown in power prior to her fall from grace. (The Bleak House boxed set is current as of 750 BC.)[2] Tavelia was to feature as a hidden antagonist in the module Death Undaunted where she tries to enslave Azalin Rex, but that product was never released canonically or in complete form. A few of the details of Tavelia's scheme, her failure, and her ensuing fall from grace were made canon in Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II. (The contemporary year of the timeline for Gazetteer II is implied to be 757 BC.)[3]

Biography

Tavelia was the leader of the the Kargat in Martira Bay and unofficial leader of the Faith of the Overseer, a false religion she created to serve as a front for the covert activities of the Kargat[1], to ensnare would be heroes, and for general social control.[4] She posed as a cleric at the Temple of the Overseer, using High Cleric Derakoth as a figurehead.[1][4] Tavelia acted as a mentor and teacher to newly inducted Kargat during her time in Martira Bay, though she eventually began constructing a network of her own agents more loyal to her than her king. She established this power base well before 750 BC. It was a wonder why Azalin did not put a stop to her operations.[1]

In 744 BC, the Kargat called Lady Kazandra to use her as a tool for gaining control over the local criminal underworld. Tavelia, the then Kargat leader, wanted to keep own hands squeaky clean as second-in-charge of the Faith of the Overseer. Unfortunately for Tavelia, Kazandra proved an able manipulator in her own right, setting up the influential Cosmopolis Club and subverting the local Kargatane as her own person minions and pawns during the Grim Harvest.[5] By 751 BC, Lady Kazandra had the Kargatane effectively wrapped around her pinky figure, as they obeyed her in Azalin's absence.[6] In response to Kazandra's potential threat to her power, Tavelia commanded Kazandra to assassinate the meddling detective Alanik Ray. The assassination plot failed, but Alanik Ray became spooked enough to flee the domain. For her part, Lady Kazandra's eye was maimed and healed back with a peculiar disfigurement, one that she keeps covered to this day.[5]

During the Shrouded Years following Azalin's disappearance in the Requiem, Tavelia became involved in the plot to restore Azalin to corporeal form, yet she also schemed in secret to make him her puppet.[7] Though her strange behavior showed signs something was amiss,[8], the usually quite astute Lady Kazandra failed to detect Tavelia's conspiracy until it was almost past the point of no return. Still, once she discovered it, she worked with adventurers to defeat Tavelia and restore Azalin to power in the late summer of 755 BC.[7]

Following Tavelia's failed coup, Tavelia disappeared. Azalin appointed Kazandra as her successor as the leader of Kargat activity in western Darkon and (in official rank at least) of the entire organization.[7] Her disappearance put High Cleric Derakoth in a deeply heartfelt, if misguided, state of grieving.[9]

Questionable Details

Tavelia appears on one of the TSR Trading Cards, with some contradictions to her later appearances. According to that source, she is a rather young vampire, having been transformed into one by a powerful curse. Tavelia broke the heart of a young man she cared nothing about, and he threw himself from the church tower in misery. His mother in her grief and rage cursed Tavelia with undeath. (These details are not mentioned in later sources). While Gazetteer II describes her as Lawful Evil and a Mature Vampire Expert, the card says she is Chaotic Evil and and a wizard.[10] Bleak House lists her as Neutral Evil.[1]

In Death Undaunted

Death Undaunted was an unreleased module intended to address the reemergence of Azalin Rex from his seeming destruction during the events depicted in the Requiem: The Grim Harvest boxed set adventure. It was never finished, though an unfinished manuscript was released by John W. Mangrum to the Fraternity of Shadows website in September of 2006.[11] If the module had seen official release, Tavelia would have served as a secondary antagonist. Whereas Death (Lowellyn Dachine), Azalin's clone negative energy elemental and seeming personification of the grim reaper, sought to usurp Azalin's power by utterly obliterating Azalin's essence, Tavelia sought to usurp Azalin's essence by his restoration- in a fashion that he would return at half strength and under her control.

Noncanon Information

The fan group known as the Fraternity of Shadows (Real World) included some details on Tavelia's fate after her disappearance in their Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer netbook. After her failed takeover of Darkon, Tavelia resurfaced on Liffe, where she assumed a false identity as Baroness Liae Tva Kolsson, wife of Baron Rognavold Kolsson. Like with Azalin, Tavelia conspired to take over the barons as a demilord. However, she discovered after their wedding that she was cursed to obedient subservience to the baron as his ideal wife. The Mists had claimed her as a Demilord of Liffe.[12]

Stats

Chronology

  • 595 BC Malamere turns Tavelia into a vampire. Tavelia is enslaved by Malamere, but her contributions speed her up the ranks. Eventually at some later date, she received her freedom for her efforts, and Azalin eliminates Malamere.[13]
  • 640 BC Azalin appoints Tavelia as Kargat leader in Matira Bay.[13]
  • 650 BC The Kargat establish the Faith of the Overseer in Darkon.[14][15] Tavelia is the one most responsible for its creation, having woven the dogma of the church from bits of various outlander religions and stuck them into the Doctrinae.[4]
  • 744 BC Lady Kazandra is sent to Matira Bay. Through her, the Kargat achieve more of a hold on criminal activity within the Bay. Tavelia keeps the Faith of the Overseer from getting mixed up in Kazandra's affairs.[16]
  • 747 BC Alanik Ray becomes Chief Constable of Martira Bay.[17] His actions within the City Constabulary prove a thorn in Tavelia's (and the Kargat's) side.[18]
  • 750 BC (Or shortly before) Prior to the Requiem, Tavelia tries to dispatch Lady Kazandra and Alanik Ray by sending Kazandra to dispatch Ray. The effort fails, and Ray flees Darkon. However, Kazandra fails to take notice of Tavelia's traitorous plan against Azalin.[18]
  • 750 BC Tavelia has built (and continues to build) a large Kargat network of agents loyal to her first.[1]
  • 755 BCSummer Tavelia hatches her plans to enslave Azalin.[19]
  • 755 BC Tavelia's plans to take control of Azalin fail with his restoration to power.[20] Following Tavelia's fall from grace, Kazandra becomes leader of the Kargat in Matira Bay.[18]
  • Sometime between 755 BC and 760 BC Tavelia resurfaces on Liffe under the guise of Baroness Liae Tva Kolsson, wife of Baron Rognavold Kolsson. Becoming a Demilord of Liffe hinders her schemes both there and in Darkon.[12]


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Bleak House: Heroes, Monsters, and Settings p. 31
  2. ↑ Bleak House: Sea of Madness p. 3
  3. ↑ Gazetteer II p. 3; "S" was contracted by Azalin to travel and document the dread realms the year prior, which was 756 BC according to Ravenloft Player's Handbook p. 20
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Gazetteer II p.32
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gazetteer I p. 147-148
  6. ↑ Domains of Dread p. 137-138; p. 18 lists 751 BC as the then-current year.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Gazetteer I p. 148
  8. ↑ ("S" note in retrospect that Tavelia may have, after the Requiem, tried to hatch a plot to bring him back has her thrall. As the Shrouded Years were wrapping up, she exhibited strange and unpredictable behavior, such as talking about marrying some well-established gentleman whom she would not specify the identity of.See Gazetteer II p.24 for details
  9. ↑ Gazetteer I p. 32
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 TSR Trading Cards
  11. ↑ [[Death Undaunted p. 1
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer p.41
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Death Undaunted p. 4
  14. ↑ Ravenloft Third Edition p.17
  15. ↑ Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.19
  16. ↑ Gazetteer II p.147
  17. ↑ Champions of the Mists p. 57
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Gazetteer II p.148
  19. ↑ Death Undaunted p. 3-5
  20. ↑ Gazetteer II p.24

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Bleak House

Bleak House:Heroes, Monsters, and Settings - p31

Bleak House:Heroes, Monsters, and Settings - p29


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