Tal was found by the Shor'len Talmore elves as a seven year old alone in the woods. They would have either left him to die or killed him themselves but that they noticed he had a way with animals. They seemed to understand him and protect him. He could not speak much in the common tongue and this, at first, they thought to be a sign of simple-mindedness. But they realized that he must have been living in the forest for some time, for he communicated with the creatures of the wild as one of their own. So, it was just his lack of exposure to language that had kept him from learning their tongue.
So, they took him in, and that was when they discovered his elf heritage, hidden under the long shaggy mane of black hair. They understood now what must have happened to him. Born of a human female, he must have been outcast in the human society. Whether his mother went with him and died or he was cast out on his own, they never discovered. All they had to go by was a strange birthmark. It was a dark patch of skin on his upper right arm and it seemed to be in the shape of a wolf. It could be nothing, or it could mean a great deal. They just didn't know.
Since he was already one with the forest, they taught him the ways of being a ranger, so that he could learn to protect himself and the forest that had raised him. They taught him the wasy of plants and trees. Of animals, until he could walk up to a deer without frightening the nervous creature. All of these things he learned. He was like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge and training they offered. He took most readily to the bow as a weapon, and was, by the end of his training, able to send a second arrow at another target before the first one even hit. During his training, they discovered that he had a great voice, and that he could sing a song that could call whatever animal to him that he wanted. To human ears, it sounded like a melody in the wind that could not be traced, but the animals knew.
By the rough age of 23, he had learned all that they could teach him. He spent his last two years learning about the outside world, the politics of the cities and the ways of man. He was not happy with what he learned, for it seemed that humans were a greedy and selfish race. But he also learned of their good qualities. So it was with mixed emotions that he set forth into the world to protect.
He spent a couple years on the road. He stayed to himself at first, preferring to watch and not openly speak with the humans, for although the elves had taught him the common tongue, he did not feel comfortable using it. So, at first his encounters led to him being laughed at and made fun of, but he was taught well and held his anger in check. He became known as the Foolish Woodsman, for few ever saw him in a fight. He kept his pointed hat on and low to cover his ears, even though he was proud of them. The elves had warned him that the outside world distrusted them, for the outside world did not truly know them.
His lonely wanderings ended when he met Kona, To'Darc, and Roald. The four had become close friends despite, or maybe because of, their differences.
Tal's Dream of the upcoming adventure.