Born of an affair between her Human mother and a yet unknown Elven father, Talia was never fully accepted by her mother or her mother’s husband. Followed by several children conceived between the married couple, Talia was view more as a burden and, later, free labour, rather than a member of the family. This is reflected in her true Elven name of Talia, which in Common, translates as ‘It’.
 

 
Talia’s adoptive father was a merchant, son of a long line of merchants, but he himself proved successfully unadept at the family profession. Following a series of poorly judged investments, the family lost everything except their boat, which they needed to continue trade in the heavily maritime region of Mitzu. The family were forced to make the boat their home as well as their place of business. Based in the port town of Takoyenka, it is from here they conducted their mercantile business.
 
Though hating her circumstances, Talia found she loved her time at sea. It captured her imagination and, whenever meeting new people or arriving at a new port, she sought out more stories and legends of the seas. This lead to her discovering the story of a great hidden treasure and of a map purporting to lead to it.
 
She pleaded with her father to follow this map, hoping that its endpoint would transform the family fortunes and win the long-sought respect she desired. However, her father simply dismissed the map as a ‘foolish trick for tourists’ and instead punished her for her impudence.
 
This final slight proved enough to give Talia the push she needed. Gathering what she could, that night she slipped from the family boat and stowed away aboard the nearest large ship she could find, seeking the adventure and fortune she had found in her stories.
 
The ship, The Umberlee's Howl , belonged to a pirate crew under Captain Odessa Zaine , smuggling being their trade of choice, but not adverse to a little thievery from time to time. Talia was soon discovered but convinced them to allow her to stay aboard by providing information about the local merchant traders and their routes. Working aboard the ship she added to her considerable sea-faring knowledge and became a loyal member of the crew, and due to her unfortunate habit for cards and dice earned the nickname Gamble, something she embraced as a way to rid herself of her hated Elven name.
 
After nearly two years of sailing, this habit lead to her downfall. While waiting for a simple break in job in the town of Coldport, she was spotted pocketing a card and jailed overnight. Her absence meant a quick get-away was needed by the crew and they set sail without her. Alone again, and preferring anonymity, she adopted another alias, Spray. She made for Kelador , where she had heard there was a library which might provide her with the information she required to start the quest with her treasure map and find the famous hoard of Captain Thorne. It is en-route to the city that she encountered the members of the party that she now travels with.