Born to common parents in the land of [kingdom] along the border. Rafford [last name] grew up tending the fields, his early childhood years were filled with long and tedious days of herding pigs, sowing seeds, and milking cows. His father was a sot, drinking from dawn 'till dusk all the while beating Rafford for minor mistakes or mishaps. Rafford's mother worked tirelessly to accomplish all that she could for her small family.  In his fourteenth year, his village was attacked by bandits and burned to the ground but he managed to escape the carnage by hiding behind bales of hay and barley in the cellar of the town granary. After several days of hiding, not wanting to emerge before the bandits had departed, he stepped out into the sun and saw everything he knew reduced to ash. After choking down the tears and sadness he buried the bodies of his parents and set out for [capital city].

At the completion of his journey, he began to explore the city looking for any work that needed to be done. His stomach empty, and his thirst unquenched he found a local Innkeep that needed working hands to unload casks of wine and crates of foodstuffs. While working at the inn, Rafford became infatuated with the Bards and Minstrels that would come around to perform for the guests. The coin they earned didn't elude his eye either. One morning, after earning the coin required, he set off to join the local Bardic College.

It was there that he was trained in his art from the age of fifteen to the age of twenty-two. He chose to follow the path of the Maestro Muse and to master the art of musical performance and singing. His weapon of choice was the lute, and he began to hone his fingers and voice into instruments. It was from the Bardic College he learned to speak the Celestial, Draconic, and Sylvan tongues. After his years of study, he set out to earn not only fortune but fame. He traveled across the land, playing in alehouses and royal mances for three years before he came into the employ of a gnome named The Marvelous Marty.