A child of Talabheim’s streets, Adalham, also known as "Chuckles", grew up in the Tallows, where food and light are always in short supply. His mother died when he was five, and lacking any other family, he was forced by circumstance to make do with his own talents. Unfortunately, he didn’t have many. He was small, not very athletic, and didn’t know the first thing about pinching purses. What he did have was wit, and people who met him both liked and trusted him immediately. Bigger street children started watching out for him, taking him under their wing and teaching him the ropes, until he was just another one of the bravos that prowled the streets.[1a]
In the weeks leading up to the current outbreak of the plague, a rival gang descended on Adalham’s gang, almost wiping them out. Since it’s survival of the fittest in the Tallows, no one blinked. Once again, Adalham was on his own, but this time he was armed with a few more skills than he had in his youth.[1a]