Quick Ben & Kalam did have a conversation about why they followed Tavore in TCG. They agreed that it was because she asked, honestly and without any subtext. It was her honesty.& integrity which made people follow her.
I'm still not really clear on her motivation for doing this all in the first place. The talon did seem important at the end. She gave her sister the bodyguard ( name escapes but he was pretty kick ass). Which may have made her time in the mines just physically demanding but would have saved her from the abuse had she not gone there herself.