Merben Ordri Tripfoot Fizzlehide Pennyluck was a Gnome-Halfling Crossborn born in Cliffsunder. Growing up in the shadow of his Nessa Nina Quickpick Rumbauld Pennyluck's reputation as a master thief, he idolized his grandmother; his own mother passed away when he was young on a heist gone wrong, and his halfling father disappeared after. As a crossborn, he often did not fit amongst the groups he was born into, and tended to act out rashly. Though Nessa Nina had long since retired from her thieving days by his birth, the tales of her trickery and gamesmanship still carried through the alleys and taverns, and always reached Merben's ears.
Merben inherited his grandmothers' curiosity and sticky fingers, but lacked her discipline. He was prone to petty schemes, swiping trinkets from sailors, or betting coin he didn’t have in backroom card games. His cleverness often got him noticed, though rarely in a good way, and before long he found himself running errands for the Glitterati, the most notorious gang on the Grandport. His reckless streak nearly cost him everything when he crossed one of the Glitterati’s lieutenants, landing his family in debt to Don Coriander Thorn.
Only Nessa’s intervention and her dwindling savings kept him from ruin. Afterward, she forced him into steady work as a busboy at Glumfall's Luxury Tavern, where he scrubbed dishes and mopped floors while hearing whispers of deals and betrayals made over fine wine. Merben resented the menial work, and severely disliked the proprietor Gorli Glumfall, yet his restless nature drew him to eavesdrop and observe, his mind always spinning on how he might turn what he learned into an edge.