Qell (short for Q'ellorn Garvin Evenflame) is a half elf who's pretty much had life handed to him like a sock full of rocks to the back of the head. He was born into virtual poverty, and his elven mother left in his very early childhood (or at least, that's the story Dad's always told).
Dad was a crook, and raised his son to do the same; having a lookout or decoy was a great asset when undergoing burglary or con games. Dad fell out of the picture, though, when he got caught and thrown into prison, leaving Qell alone on the streets, a virtual orphan forced to fend for himself.
Turns out that mom had one last gift for him, though... a magical spark within him that he soon learned to... well, perhaps not channel, but at least "aim and pray." He quickly gathered a bit of renown for his innate mystical talents, but never stayed with a group long, as they weren't a fan of just how "wild" his magic could be.
Sure, let's talk about my third idea for an upcoming D&D short-story... this one i played a while back, in a campaign that ultimately fell apart.