This is a little rough (I'll smooth it out for the actual post), but this is what I was thinking for a background. If it doesn't suit the campaign, let me know and I'll change what I must.
Toriah has lived in Verbobonc his entire life. His mother was an adventurer, human, and his father was a half-elven man she met in the town. The two settled in long enough for Toriah to grow up a bit, but in his thirteenth year they left, following the call of treasure and further adventure. He never saw them again, though he listened to every bit of gossip that came in. Some days he wishes they are dead, upset for leaving him alone, and some days he hopes they are out there still, amassing their fortunes. He has pretty much given up hope that they are going to return to him, but that possibility has crossed his mind once or twice. When they left him, he had a decent education and the attractiveness of a half-elf in a mostly human town. However, restless and angry after his parents' departure, he dropped their surname and took to petty thievery. His parents had left him a small inheritance with a neighbor, who was to hold it until he came of age. He spent several weeks with the neighbor, until the disillusionment drove him into the streets, where he commenced his petty larceny. A minor figure in the local Thieves' Guild took Toriah in and taught him a few basic skills. After some time scraping by and paying dues to the Guild, Toriah struck out on his own, leaving the Guild with no hard feelings between them.
He spent a few years on his own, cheating and swindling the upright citizens of Verbobonc until he received an unsigned message from a friend in the Guild. Leave town, it read. You've well and truly done it now, and you've seriously annoyed Someone Important. I have an insider in the constabulary and you should have at least a week, but I wouldn't outstay my welcome if I were you. Toriah was not alarmed, having been in tight places with the law before, but he was smart enough to heed the anonymous message. He returned to the neighbor, thanked him for his care and his concern, received what was left of the inheritance (some of it having been used already, for Toriah's care while living with the neighbor), gathered up what belongings he had, buying what he thought he might need, and after three days of preparation, is now ready to leave Verbobonc.
