HISTORY
Born in Minrathous, Tevinter. At some point in her early teens, her family sold her into slaverly.
The slave ship carrying her to Carastes was boarded by Qunari, and slaves and slavers alike were taken to Qunathras to be reeducated into the Qun.
She almost faced qamek - being turned into a mindless labourer - due to her headstrong attitude. Sallit, a high ranking member of the Qunari's secret police, the Ben-Hassrath - stepped in and suggested she would be perfect for the role of a Tallis, and mentored her in her new role.
Tallis remained a spirited member of the Ben-Hassrath, always completing her missions, but never to the letter. The Qunari would rather a mission be abandoned than completed imperfectly, and saw Tallis' actions as prideful and troublesome.
When sent to steal a Qunari artefact possessed by Count Valmont - a mission which required her to make no sign of her entry. To take the artefact and vanish as if she was not there, Tallis met her undoing. She saw that Valmont was keeping children as sex slaves. She freed the children, then killed Valmont and a few of his guards.
Her actions nearly incited a war between the Qunari and Orleasian Empire. She was demoted to 'Athlok' a simple labourer, and was sent to work on a Qunari trading vessel docked in Kirkwall harbour. Sallit was also demoted, thanks to his pupils disobedience.
After two years, she was offered the role of Tallis again, and given the mission to track an escaped Saarebas, a Qunari mage, who had escaped from the Templar prison in Kirkwall.
She met up with Cairn, the Templar tasked with tracking the Saarebas, a reaper named Nyree and Dalish elf, Josmael (who's betrothed had been captured by the Saarebas). Together, they tracked the Saarebas to Sundermount, where he planned to use a Dalish artefact called the Mask of Fen'Harel to tear open the veil and bring untold chaos to Thedas.
Cairn revealed that he wanted to kill the Saarebas, as he had murdered the Templar's family before being captured. He tried to convince Tallis to join him on the run, kissing her. They decided they would duel once the Saarebas was stopped, to decide which of them could have the Saarebas - Tallis to take him back tot he Qunari, or Cairn to have his vengeance.
Despite trying to stay to the mission, Tallis agreed to try to save Josmael's betrothed- who alerted the Saarebas to their attack (turned out she wanted to be there the whole time, who knew). Josmael accidentally stabbed her, her blood activating the Mask of Fen'Harel and starting to open the veil.
Tallis managed to break the Mask, and in the battle to neutralise the Saarebas, Cairn took a lightning bolt aimed at Tallis, being killed instantly. Tallis, going back on her mission, killed the Saarebas in cold blood, to avenge Cairn's death. She buried him on Sundermount, and the left the party.
At some point, she sought out Hawke, pretending she was trying to steal an artefact called 'The Heart of the Many' from Duke Prosper, and needing Hawke's invitation to the man's Wyvern hunt in order to get at it. Hawke agreed and many adventures involving hunting Wyverns and breaking and entering were involved.
Prosper recognised Tallis for what she was, and revealed it to Hawke, having both of them captured. Here, Tallis came clean, saying she was trailing her old mentor, Sallit, who was going to use a 'great weapon' which would put countless innocent lives at risk. Hawke agreed to help her, and they broke out.
Prosper and Sallit met, and the great weapon was handed over, a list of names of Qunari sleeper agents stationed throughout Thedas. Tallis, Hawke and his gang interrupted and were attacked by Prosper and his pet Wyvern. Sallit was killed in the battle, as was Prosper.
Tallis explained that the list of names in human hands would have meant the agents and their families would have been killed. Sallit had turned away from the Qun, and become Tal-Vashoth, and this was his final act of rebellion. She didn't do this for the Qun, but for the innocent lives that would have been lost with the names on the list.
She left Hawke's party and headed back towards Par Vollen to put the list back into Qunari hands.