Gunnolf was born in Alliria to a housewife mother, and a shop keep father. Unfortunately, Gunnolf's mother died while giving birth to him, and his father passed away when he was still a young boy. This left Gunnolf to fend for himself in the streets, often getting into trouble with the law. One day Gunnolf tried to pick the pockets of a stranger in the streets. The man caught Gunnolf in the act and grabbed him by the arm as he tried to get away. This man was a pirate, who was visiting the city to spend some gold he had made from his criminal activities. He took Gunnolf back to his ship, and they set off towards Cerak At'Thul. The pirate initially intended to sell Gunnolf off as a slave, but along the way he began to pity the boy, and instead took him under his wing and taught him the ways of the pirate lifestyle. This man became Gunnolf's mentor, and taught and cared for him until he was 18, at which point Gunnolf set off to live his own life on the waters.