Ryllae was raised by a pair of human parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Woodskin, after they found him on the edge of the forest, just outside of Ebonwood. Though of Moon Elf decent, he has no idea who his parents are, or what his heritage truly is, all he knows is that he stands out compared to his adoptive parents. His pale skin almost shone in the moonlight, and his light blue hair made him easy to spot in the town regardless what he was doing.
He grew up a normal life for Ebonwood, though he didn't do much logging; in fact, more often than not he was in the way of something and had to jump out of the way to make sure no one would get hurt. When he wasn't in the way of the loggers of the town, he was usually helping his mother tend the garden, or reading what books he could learning mostly the ways of reading others and their emotions.
He did grow up a little lonely, not knowing where he came from and who his people are, he loved his parents of course, but it always felt like something wasn't quite right. His ears were too pointed, his skin was too light, little things that over time added up. However, he did have one close friend in Ebonwood, a halfling by the name of Garner Leahollow. When Ryllae wasn't tripping over his own feet, or trying to people watch, he and Garner were usually getting into trouble somehow. Garner was the one who brought archery into his life, he couldn't explain it, but something about a bow in hand felt right. They'd race off to the edge of town, near the woods where no one was watching, and would practice firing the bow over and over, seeing who would get the better shot. During some of these practice sessions, Garner, in his excitement, would yell out hurrahs in Halfling. Ryllae would eventually start to follow suit, and the two of them turned the shooting sessions into an archery and language lesson for the both of them, where Ryllae would help Garner with his form and Garner would teach Ryllae more about the Halfling language.
Around age 28, Ryllae's father left the material plane in the middle of the night, on the 14th of Ferax. Peacefully, silently, he had lived a good life, and he was ready to move on. The news devastated Ryllae's mother and she followed suit not a month later. Ryllae took his time to grieve and ensured both his parents had a proper burial in the town's cemetery. In the note his mother left behind, she laid out all the information that she knew of Ryllae: that he was found on the edge of the woods, and that he was most likely of elven decent. The Woodskins never looked the gift horse in the mouth, seeing Ryllae as a blessing of the Gods for the child they had lost earlier in life, and as such, never looked deeper into his heritage, as selfish as it was to do so. She apologized for such and reassured him that they loved him as the son they always wanted. The deed to the house was left to him, and as such, he put it up for sale to fund his new life as an adventurer to find out more about elves, and to become the world renowned archer.
On his way out of Ebonwood he said his goodbyes to Garner, not sure when he would be back in Viridiem, and thanked him for all the time and knowledge. Ryllae left the bow with Garner as a symbol of appreciation as well, and also because it was a bit small for an elf, but just the right size for a Halfling. He then stopped by the town merchant and bowyer to equip himself, stopped by the his parents' graves on the way out to say his thanks to them, and made his way towards Keygarde, the shining capital of Vistem. If he could find work there, he could make connections, and learn more about the elvish ways.
Keygarde just about overwhelmed poor Ryllae, coming from the small logging town of Ebonwood, but the sights and sounds of the big city excited him just the same. He made his way to the local library almost every day, pouring into books about Elves and their traditions, seeking the truth of who they are and learning more about them. As he learned he used what funds he had left to have a traditional Elven traveler's outfit made for him. In his pursuit of the truth of his heritage, he found comfort in finding the facts and figured he could help others do so, and set up a small private investigator's service, The Wood's Eye, after putting up a small sign in a local tavern.
The investigator service proved to bring in a small flow of cash, enough to live comfortably and provide for the new clothes Ryllae wanted. There was a rival investigator, The Hard Truth, ran by an Earth Genasi, Ignis, who had a similar skill set to Ryllae: kept their distance from fights, would try to fast talk their way into anywhere if they thought it would bring the truth to light, even used a crossbow as their weapon of choice. The competition between the firms was fierce, in a friendly way, and on more than one occasion the two would meet over drinks to outdo each other's stories and successes. Ignis was the reason Ryllae pushed himself with reading and practicing, always wanting to prove he was the better investigator, and the longbows still out-shot crossbows any day, and that he could do it in traditional garb, that Ignis called a dress (rude).