As a young boy, Xephraim grew up in a small village, far from the main thoroughfares of Faerun.  His mother had always told him that there was something special about him.  Everyone in the village knew that there was something different about the boy aside from his hair, but no one really seemed to know what it was.  The other boys often teased him for his green hair.  He would retreat into the swamps near the village, walking and exploring, drawing comfort from the warm, wet surroundings.  He felt a strong connection to the swamps, still not knowing why.  As he grew older, odd happenings started to happen around him:  insects swarming nearby, odd appearances of lightning or thunder when there was no storm, among other things.  One day, while walking in the swamp, he was confronted by a large snake that lashed out toward his leg.  Without thinking, he imagined the toughness and durability of the tree his hand was resting upon.  Suddenly, his whole body was covered in tree bark, the snake, foiled, slithered away to seek other prey.

When Xephraim mentioned this to his parents, his mother finally confided in him that, long ago, she had met a mysterious, unnaturally handsome stranger who was traveling through the swamp.  She was helpless to resist the man as he moved with blinding speed toward her.  She felt herself seized and bent forward over a felled tree stump, her tight leather breeches slid downward to the middle of her smAfterward, the stranger revealed his secret and his true shape to her, an adult green dragon who had polymorphed himself into the form of a human to experience the world through human eyes.  She hid the secret, never telling Xephraim's father.  Some months later, young Xephraim was born, the son of a human mother and green dragon father.

Now Xephraim knew why he was special.  He knew why the boys hated him.  They were jealous.  He would show them.  The next time the group of boys started teasing him, Xephraim turned and leapt upon the boy, beating him mercilessly.  The others were in such shock that they did not intervene until it was too late.  The boy lingered several days before he finally succumbed to his injuries.  Now it was time to go.  To go out into the world and find his destiny.  Xephraim has traveled extensively, reading tomes on nature lore and unarmed combat, learning from various teachers along the way.  While he is charismatic and friendly, the blood of a green dragon flows in his veins.  He can be both covetous and cruel when the mood takes him.