Born in squalor and raised in worse, Howard III is the youngest of eight children. He was raised to be streetwise, with numerous brushes with the law. When escaping a local constabulary, he was observed showing great footwork. One of the Halfling Half Biscuit coaches grabbed the young Howard from the street into the team coach. He offered the young Halfling a place on the team and a meagre wage. This was still more than he had ever seen before, so took up the job offer.