#nine hells

Childhood/Upbringing: I don't think Zevlor had any biological family he knew of or could remember. Probably orphaned early/at birth and likely left to one of Elturel's holy orders to raise, as opposed to an orphanage, which might indicate at least one noble born parent - a headcanon I like, even if there's literally no evidence for it except his accent. Received pronunciation doesn't make much sense for an enlisted sort of soldier, that's well-bred officer material (although in reality, I think it has more to do with the fact his character was originally a schoolteacher in Beta). The orphan thing I had to surmise to make his having no family name make sense, because that's maybe my greatest complaint in all of BG3. Most DnD universe tieflings (all tieflings literally everywhere except BG3? Prove me wrong?) give themselves last names if they don't inherit a family one. And that seems like such a paladin thing to do! Name himself Zevlor Oathborn or something like that even if he didn't have any sort of known parentage. I can't fathom why Larian, in all their efforts to prove Tieflings are totally just like every other race, wouldn't give even one of them a last name! It seemed so unlikely to me that in all my original drafts of Nine Hells I said fuck it and gave him one, but I chickened out in the final version because I worried it was just too far from canon 😓

Relationship Experience: A 50 something year old (also my headcanon) military man is going to have sexual experience, that's pretty much given. But the Hellriders are a Spartan-esque organization. Members are expected to put their cause first and their personal lives way, way second. And Zevlor, a ride-or-die Hellrider and oath-bound paladin to boot, is going to take that super seriously. So, I personally don't see him as ever having had an actual relationship. Maybe he fucked the same dude in the barracks two or three times? Maybe he had a inn-girl he visited once or twice a year for a bit in his youth? I can see that. But I think on becoming a commander, he would decide such indulgences were for lower ranked soldiers and he would basically devote himself to his job fulltime. Meaning by the time he meets Tav, it's been... a while. And I do think Tav would be the first person he was ever in love with. He's an 'all in' kind of guy, and he spends most of his life 'all in' for Elturel. So with Tav, I think he's doing a proper relationship for the first time, and as an orphan/lifelong soldier I doubt he had much experience even watching real relationships, which means all he has to fall back on as far as method is probably what he's heard in tales or read in books. Which makes his idea of romance, well, romanticized, idealised, and probably more than a little old-fashioned. Which, in turn, explains why I don't think he would jump into bed with Tav right away, even if that's what he's used to doing. He's very much a 'good things have to be earned and deserved' sort, and the idea that he can just be given demonstrations of love without putting in the work first (gifts, outings, etc) just feels initially wrong to him. Tav really has to work to convince him it's ok to just have sex since they're facing down the end of the world, but once things have calmed down, she would definitely let him backtrack and 'earn his claim' to her to make him feel more comfortable in their relationship.

Sleeping Arrangements (in a relationship context): I think Zevlovers are all agreed that Zevlor wants, and in many ways needs, to be a little spoon. But what gets overlooked is the long journey it would take to get him there. Because no high-ranking career officer/soldier/male is going to be able to articulate “hold me, I need to feel safe right now.” They are the ones who make other people feel safe. It's a comfort zone that becomes a compulsion. Is it healthy? Nope. Does it leave Zevlor stressed and strained in the long run, even in peace time? Yep. Does it make it hard to relax and make sleep less enjoyable/often difficult to achieve if there's no one around he feels like he is guarding? 1000% The brain business is done, everyone's about their lives again, it's Zevlor's first time since he was a child not sleeping in barracks or tents surrounded by people he might need to defend from harm at a moment's notice, and he finds he's actually sleeping worse than he did when he was on the road! Fortunately, Tav is a bard very good at reading people. She figures this out about Zevlor quickly and begins a mission to subtly disrupt improve his sleeping routine. It starts with actions, not a conversation. They’ll be reading together in bed. Zevlor will always tire first and put his book away, and since he can sleep through anything, Tav can keep reading by candlelight while he sleeps at her side. Or curled into her side, his head on her chest, to make it easier for her to run her fingers through his hair which she does so love to do. Then it’s a hop, skip, and a jump to falling asleep in Tav’s arms on the regular. And then eventually, even when it’s Tav drifting off to sleep on his chest first, it somehow turns in the night to him on his side, her arms around him, her breathing just behind his ear. He'll wake in the night to discover this, and initially feel a bit of consternation or prick to his pride, but he'll tell himself he doesn't want to disturb her, and maybe be just sleepy enough to admit to himself it does feel good so he'll allow it just this once. And then "just this once" is years later and he can't remember how he ever slept any other way.

Does love an audience (NSFW): The sex headcanon I will die for. Zevlor has learned propriety and discretion as method in both private and professional life. He is disciplined and has good manners. But he also has a deep-seated need to be externally validated. He is a man who wants to be seen doing what he's good at it. And there's no way that doesn't bleed into his sex life. He will tell himself early in his relationship with Tav to be on his best behaviour: which to him means little to no PDA beyond hand-kissing/arm-holding. But Tav is 100% going to pick up on this (the little smug smile he can't suppress when he catches someone staring at them when they're out together; the hand on the small of her back, that subtle sign of possession, when they're in a group with others), and, being no stranger to the eyes of the world herself, she is going to have so much fun drawing this side out in him. They'll be drinking at the Elfsong and friends/acquaintances/fans will arrive who want to join them. Not enough chairs? Tav will graciously give up hers and deposit herself in Zevlor's lap. This blatant, public sign that they're together will have him instantly hard. He knows Tav can feel it. But it doesn't stop her shifting every so often during the conversation, playing with the ends of his hair or the tips of his horns apparently absently. None of it is overdone - most people won't give it a second glance in a crowded pub - but it drives Zevlor to distraction. The first few times she pulls this stunt, he'll make an excuse for them to leave early and head home. Or, if he can't wait, upstairs. Or, the time there's no rooms available and Tav's teasing was extra underhanded and Zevlor's had one too many pints, into the dark of an adjoining alley. Where he'll endure one second of inner turmoil that he's reducing Tav to this, and Tav, skirts already hiked up to her waist, will breathe in his ear how much she wants to be reduced to this. And who is he to deny Tav anything she wants? He will fuck her up against the dirty brick wall. And if he registers the doubletakes of the occasional passersby, he can't pretend he doesn't really fucking enjoy them. He will make the effort to cover Tav's mouth (Tav is incapable of being quiet), but he doesn't stop or stop whispering in her ear the whole time, look what she's made him do, look how needy she is for him (which is the absolute limit of Zevlor's ability to be anything like degrading). They walk home after, and Tav will have to stop to greet one or two people on the way, and the knowledge that she's dripping his fluids down her leg the whole time has Zevlor has hard and ready to go as before as soon as they make it through their door.