The man who would become Chenwulf was born to an aquatic elf mother, Amilta from the Pirate Isles. His father, a human named Chenre, was a sailor and fisherman around the Amitlan and Terranse islands. He grew up in the village of Luzma in a rough corner of southern end of Azmaaiiy among his twelve brothers and sisters. As a half-elf, he often had to fight the other human and elven boys. His father taught him, in addition to sailing, how to defend himself with whatever was at hand. His time as a boy in Luzma taught him a sense of wonder of Azlant and the Harkuu Cataclysm. He learned stories and language at the knee of his mother.
When he came of age, he set out as a deck hand on the merchant vessel “Hudson” never to return to Luzma. Showing resilience and ability, the coxswain trained him both to fight and run a ship. After about a year onboard however, it was attacked by pirates. During the raid, the entire crew was killed and the ship burned to the water line. Chenwulf escaped on a piece of wreckage with only a boarding hatchet he had taken from a pirate before killing him.
He drifted to a nearby port of Rizak and re-established himself on another ship. He soon learned that piracy and injustice were widespread in this port. He began to hire himself out as a bouncer in brothels and saloons. More and more he saw that many needed a champion and they were the poor, weak and downtrodden. It was unacceptable to him that the rich used their wealth and power to harm. His fists were the only way he could equalize this condition.
After about a year as the equalizer, a ship came into port under an Amital flag that he learned from his contacts was a pirate vessel and slaver. He infiltrated the crew and during the sail out, he sabotaged the ship after stealing their haul and freeing the slaves. During the attack he used two slave chains as weapons. The slaves just muttered about a wolf wielding chains, the "chenwulf" in maori.
Chenwulf used the windfall to acquire a catamaran and began sailing the pirate isles with a mission of justice. He found himself learning long-term navigation among the Maori on the Anacorato archipelago in the Maruss Ocean. During this time among the Maori is clearly marked by the tattoos on his arms, throat, face and chest. Among these islands, he heard rumours of the first effort to colonize Anacorta and then the sudden mysterious disappearance. With the departure of the Peregrine, he had a sense to sail to that end of the archipelago.