For the duration of Marrali's childhood, there was very little that mattered in life. With disease and starvation claiming her parents very early in her memory, there was no education, no bonding, no joy, and no tight-knight community. A halfling living among non-halflings rarely enjoys the sense of extended family that their kind are used to. For Marrali, there was just survival. A loaf of bread here, a carrot there, or slice of melon, on rare occasions, was her idea of a feast. When the cities proved unserviceable or too vigilant, she would turn to the outdoors for nourishment. the trees never struck her when she plucked an apple, nor did vines call the guards over their lost berries.
As she matured, however, she soon found that the scraps she could steal were better guarded, and her belly was harder to silence. She needed better fare to stave off hunger. Noting the venison, pork, and various meats brought in by hunters and rangers on regular times, she began to think of the bigger picture. Turning her larceny towards tools proved to be rewarding; a crossbow here, some bolts there, a knife, new clothes...inspiration bloomed once she realized that food was not all she could take. Once she began to discover the hunting grounds of the various woodsmen that brought game in, she also began to steal the greatest treasure of all: knowledge.
From her excursions she began to notice habits and patterns in the hunters and their prey. where to stand, where to shoot, how to track, and when game was plentiful. Once she was confident in her basic techniques, she sought out a spot where she had seen various creatures pass, and waited. When it happened, it was the most tense moment of her life. Eyes on the rabbit. right hand on trigger, left hand to steady. Inhale. squeeze. exhale.
No meal has yet matched the pure satisfaction of that first rabbit.
Now, armed with new knowledge, new perspective, and new ideas, Marrali realizes that cities are not so different from the woods. When you want something, you just have to wait for the right moment to strike. When you want to learn how to do something, watch someone else do it, and pay attention. locks? watch a locksmith. ropes? watch a sailor. athletics? watch a monk in training. Simple observation has opened the way to vast skills, and now Marrali stands ready to make -or take- her place in the world, however she can.
