Hollyhock Barrowes was born to a Halfling father from the town of Phyracress and a Gnome mother, who later returned with her to her colony in the Murkmire Marshlands. As a Crossborn, her childhood was divided between cultures but never fully claimed by either. Among the Murkmire gnomes, she did not fit easily, lacking interest in fine tinkering or communal craft and instead favoring outdoor labor and simple, practical work. This sense of disconnection followed her into early adulthood, and she eventually left the swamps for for a bigger city in search of purpose and stability.
In Cliffsunder, Hollyhock came into contact with Don Coriander Thorn, who convinced her to join the Glitterati. Though smaller than the mostly-Human city, she served as the Fairy gang's most physically imposing member and was used as protection and leverage during thefts. During a heist-went-wrong of the Port-Lord's Manor, two Pixie companions abandoned her, turning invisible and fleeing while she was left to face capture. Hollyhock refused to name the Glitterati or Don Coriander under questioning and was sentenced to twenty years at Bleak End, as prisoner 185. She endured the sentence without incident and was recorded as a model prisoner throughout her incarceration, being released early due to "good behavior" - in truth, she cut a deal to keep tabs on the Glitterati and act as an informant.
Hollyhock chose not to return to Cliffsunder and instead settled in Farrozandmar, where she had been deposited at after release. There, she built the Plot and Hook near the Far Sands Market; using salvaged ship timbers, barrels, rigging, and old casks, she assembled the scrap parts into a tavern that felt deliberate despite its origins. Hollyhock ran it herself, keeping regular hours that matched the rhythms of the market, quiet during the day and loud at night. The tavern became both her livelihood and her home, offering her a place in the town even as she remained visibly apart from it.
Though the Plot and Hook gave Hollyhock a measure of independence, it did not free her from old ties. As she expected, the Glitterati maintained in contact, and Don Coriander continued to exert pressure through favors and quiet threats; however, he did not know that his actions were being recorded. On occasion, Hollyhock assisted with smuggling or theft, often using the tavern as cover or conduit, though she rarely understood the broader purpose of the tasks. She accepted these demands without protest, believing that survival in Farrozandmar, like everything else in her life, depended on knowing when not to ask questions.