Family History
Jakob’s grandparents absconded from Chelexian slavery to Andoran and eventually settled in its capital, Almas. Their surname, Butler, originates from his grandpa’s role in a Chelexian noble household, and the name fit in their new country as several human families freed during the Andoran revolution also carried the name.
Childhood
Jakob’s older brother, Boram, was bold and stupid. He enjoyed fighting folks of the larger races and returning home with bruises and stories. Their father insisted that Boram must be part dwarf or human, an accusation their mother would respond with a smirk and a shrug.
Jakob, thinking himself a clever and furtive fellow, stole a masterwork dagger from a young half-orc thug. One of the thug’s gang members saw Jakob in the act and Jakob was later confronted by a posse. Boram came to the rescue armed with only his fists and teeth. Jakob fled home, dropping the dagger in the fray.
Later that night at his family’s dinner table, Boram was late—even for Boram. It wasn’t unusual for him to come home past dark, but to miss supper was unheard of. The Butler’s waited anxiously for Boram to stumble through the door with a black eye and a new tale about a drunken half-orc brawl.
But that moment never came. Pa Butler, sensing a secret, forced an answer from Jakob. Jakob led Pa to the alley where he last left Boram only to find a battered halfling corpse covered in rats.
Boram’s death left a scar on each Butler, to varying degrees. To the younger siblings he became a mythical creature, a being they could never live up to or replicate the achievements of. Pa Butler became a gambler and this vice would eventually destroy the family forever. Ma Butler began collecting items. Now, trinket and bauble collections are not unusual for halflings but Ma filled the void with large heaps of human garbage. She would babble on about a cracked glass plate imported from Tian Xia, but most could clearly see it was more likely from the local glassworks. Jakob, well, to this day Jakob carries a burden of guilt uncommon among halflings. The last time he saw his brother, it was during a burst of fear and excitement, a moment that Jakob can relive only through a life of thievery and adventure.
Pa Butler’s gambling problem resulted in a large debt. His debtors repossessed Ma Buter’s “collections” and their home was burned to the ground. Pa Butler, disgraced, abandoned his family. Ma Butler lives in squalor, still collecting garbage, and marginally supported by her grown children.
Present: To Falcon’s Hollow!
Jakob has vowed to build his mother a domicile to be proud of. One that could easily replace and help her to forget the life from before. He plans even for large storage houses for Ma to continue her questionable collecting.
This dream remains as such—a dream—as Jakob works at the docks for a menial wage and moonlights as a petty thief. After a successful job, usually one in which the lady of the house has left her jewelry in a predictable location, Jakob devoutly conducts a religious rite to Cayden Cailean: as many drinks as it takes to floor a human.
One day, however, a dwarf at the tavern boasted of his newfound riches plundering dwarven ruins in the area of Falcon’s Hollow. Plenty moar! Plenty moar where tha’ came from! Jakob departed for Falcon’s Hollow the next day with an appetite for riches and a dream of his Ma occupying a halfling domicile fit even for human royalty.
After spending a great deal--okay, all--of his savings on the trip to Falcon's Hollow, Jakob quickly discovered that any treasures were not easily accessible. The town being a bit too small to support another pickpocket, Jakob currently works part time in a lumber mill, usually fixing equipment in areas where humans can't get to.
Jakob can't wait to leave Falcon's Hollow. Where? Doesn't matter. As long as there's a chance for treasure and adventure. Some of his younger siblings, however, have followed him to Falcon's Hollow and have settled in with the small but close halfling community.
