Lynx

Even to those who've heard of the stoic and blunt owner of Delver's Paradise, new customers are usually surprised at the sight of the towering dragonborn, up until her equally-frightening rough voice instructs them to get a move on or buy something.

In sharp contrast to the warm and inviting demeanor of the previous owner of Delver's Paradise, Lynx isn't known to waste words with pleasantries, owing to her early life living among the Amalji' tribe, a rugged group of dragonborn nomads living outside of civilisation. Around her youngest son and close friends however, a deep sense of warmness and care can almost be seen exhuding from the woman.

The Amalji'
Among the Amalji', a child is raised by the entire community rather than predominantly by those who conceived them. As such, Lynx never truly knew who her parents were, and instead had her skills and beliefs imprinted by her tribe's core values; strength, self-sufficiency and proving one's worth. These attitudes that were held by those around her, as well as the chilly mountainous region the Amalji' had made their stomping grounds instilled in Lynx a tough and practical outlook on life at a young age. When following her tribe's tradition of picking an animal to take on to represent yourself, she chose a lynx, an animal she enjoyed observing as they stalked the very same mountains as her tribe. She admired their ferocity, cooperation, and the way they'd adapted to such a tough climate.

By her early teens, she was outperforming her friends and rivals when it came to tasks requiring athleticism and sheer strength, as well as possessing a potent instinct for survival both in and out of combat. By the time she reached maturity, she'd more than proven herself to her tribe. When she'd managed to complete the hardest tasks with relative ease however, she found herself wanting. Surely there were greater trials out there that would force her to even greater heights. And so she set out with nary a farewell, having gained everything she thought she ever would from her family. Among the Amalji', self-improvement is seen as the most noble life goal one could undertage, and her decision was honoured.

Adventuring, Clobbering...
Taking to life on the road like a duck to a pond, Lynx travelled among like-minded explorers, dungeon delvers and monster killers for many years. During this time she learnt an important lesson; not everyone can survive as many fireballs, arrows and impalements as her. Across the years as an adventurer she'd experienced, much of her group had perished. It frustrated her to see so many under her care fall, individuals taken out of her life by blows that'd merely make her stumble. After almost a decade of this cycle of meeting new excited party members only to see them perish, only one man had remained a constant in her group.

At first, Lynx couldn't care less for the red dragonborn who'd dubbed himself the face of the party. Where she preferred a simple, practical approach to adventuring and fighting, Bermon was a trickster, a charmer, and something of a coward at times. Where Lynx would be right in the fray of a dangerous situation swinging her weapon wildly and commanding all focus onto her, Bermon would be in the back, flinging fireballs and words of advice forward. In addition, he'd constantly try to talk down a dangerous situation she knew she could solve with just a few swings of her maul. Needless to say, they argued constantly about eachothers methods with no small amount of venom.

...and Romancing
After nearly ten years together, Lynx found herself starting to respect the man. Even with only a fraction of her size and strength, he'd managed to keep up with her for all this time. His ability to think, to manipulate, to charm, to survive... she began to see that she'd misjudged the man. He was just as competent as her when it came to survival, even if their methods were different. With a certain level of guilt, she could also admit that her bullheaded approach to planning and strategy had lead to the deaths of some of their party, where his caution and kindness never had. It was clear to her that he'd make for a better leader than she was, and that if she wanted her current group to survive, she'd have to leave them to him.

On the night she'd chosen to leave her group however, she was snared by one of Bermon's magical wards laid out for intruders. When smugly asked what she was doing by the man, she bit back an angry response and, for the first time, extended a level of trust and vulnerability to someone and explained her failings, his competency, and why she had to leave. It was the first time she'd seen the dragonborn rendered speechless. A few moments later he responded, still somewhat stunned, that he hadn't realised she cared about the group. He greatly respected her skill and the selflessness she displayed in combat. Her strength and resourcefullness were a large part of why he was still alive. He explained that the only reason he bickered at her with any amount of venom was because outwardly, she hadn't shown any remorse for their dead friends, or doubt in her own methods. Until now.

The exchange ended with, for the first time, friendly remarks, the air evidently cleared between each other as she agreed to stay. That night would lead to a fierce and close friendship between the two dragonborns. Where they once clashed over their different methods, they leaned on eachothers skillsets when needed, allowing the other to shine where they lacked. Together they became the heart of their adventuring party, and an unimageably fierce duo to those who stood against them. While they still bickered, it was usually with a smile on their faces, with a hearty laugh following any particularly pointed statements. To members of the party, it was obvious that while these two were made for their group, far more than that were they made for each other. After a few years of beating around the bush, they declared their love for each other, as well as something their friends actually hadn't seen coming; the intention to begin a joint business venture in a nearby city.