Grippsly’s childhood was an unfortunate series of devastating events. When his home of Kerebrihn was sacked by the Violate King, he was forced to flee with the mass of refugees attempting to brave 'The Crossroads'; a forboding no-mans land of horrors. In deep orange fog, Grippsly witnessed men and women torn apart by fast moving shapes cutting through the dense mist. Grippsly survived, but his parents did not.

The surviving refugees made it to Voltaine, where hastily contracted camps were erected. The conditions in the camps were abhorrent, and like many of the children from the orphanage, Grippsly dreamt of a better life. The children roved the camps in gangs, stealing food, causing mischief, and occasionally, sneaking into the city itself to steal exotic goods. Grippsly fell in with a crowd of misfits, and due to his affable nature, swiftly became the leader of 'Grippsly's Gang', despite the opposition of his then rival and later friend, a bossy know-it-all girl named Elimarah.

Their deeds grew as they did, culminating in the infiltration and disruption of a Barony wedding. Grippsly became a legendary figure among the children, when he 'bluffed' his way out of an encounter with Herald Rohktar himself during this wedding.

As they grew into young adulthood, many of his friends took up jobs, and the gang slowly splintered apart. Grippsly, who had been working on a fishing boat for a number of years now, began to consider a life on the waves, where he felt true thrill in the spray of the sea, away from the land and all of its problems.

Using what little he had saved, he began to build a boat in secret, using what he learnt and whatever improvised tools he had on hand to build it. After a year of constant work, the boat was ready, with just enough room for two.