Aerel was born an orphan to unknown parents on the streets of the city of Korvosa. He was taken in and raised in an orphanage run by a kindly elf, who gave him an elven name. Aerel was very mature for a child, and always insisted on following the rules and behaving, often to the annoyance of many of the other orphans, but to the benefit of his caretakers, who often had their hands full with the other children. It was this love of the law that led Aerel to join Korvosa's city guard when he reached adulthood. Despite his orcish ancestry, he was not very physically strong, but possessed a keen mind and quick hands. As a result, Aerel was trained not as a soldier but instead as an investigator and covert operative for the guard. He served well in this capacity for the Korvosan guard for several years, until the day he dug too deep into a particular case. What seemed at first a mere series of petty thefts led him to uncover a web of corruption, bribery, and collusion between a powerful crime lord and several high-ranking officials in the Korvosan guard. Knowing the extent of the conspiracy meant he could not reveal what he knew without retaliation, Aerel posted his findings in a public place and fled the city. Aerel has been on the move ever since, passing through the rival nations of Nirmathas & Molthune, and most recently arriving in the town of Breachill in Isger.
