He doesn't like to talk about the past. In fact, he'd much rather buy you a drink. Probably several, especially if he gets to hear about yours. Nothing better then a drink and a good story. The more embellished, the better.
Tide probably has enough different ways to tell his story that you'll never really be sure if some of it's true or if he made it all up. Just the way he likes it.
His story is the boring kind. Everybody in Shadowshore lives it or a variation of it. A parent ran off or died or worse. And the other didn't really want a kid. Wasn't exactly a planned thing. So you grow up in a house where you're resented at the least if they don't just toss you out into the street with the rest of the urchins. Though you end up falling in with that lot sooner or later. Shadowshore ain't the sorta place you get by in without having friends.
Or money. Money was always the real goal. You pick it up quick as a kid. Money can get you friends, and food. It can also be the only thing keeping that twitcher on black blood from poking holes in your anatomy with that half-rusted knife.
Nobody wants to hear that kinda thing. It's as boring and depressing as an Immaculate sermon. But who wouldn't wanna hear about the courtesan's boy related (distantly of course) to the city founder making his way in the world on his good looks and wits? Or a big shot whaler that almost hauled Leviathan up from the death but nearly had his whole damn boat dragged under the waves for his troubles.
That last one is true though. Mostly. The ship he'd been on (whose name changes with every telling) had managed to hook themselves a whale near the size of an island. The blighter came about and smashed its whole body right through midships and scuttled the whole damn thing. Went down in minutes. A few lads managed to get on one of the boats but the other stragglers got stuck on what bits of floating timbers. Him? Oh he'd almost gone straight to the seabed. A bit of line had coiled around his ankle and dragged him straight down to the depths. If he hadn't been so good at holding his breath and hadn't had that knife on him, Tide would have been food for the siakas.
Nowadays he stays away from whaling vessels. Had mostly enough fun hauling great snapping, struggling things aboard and watching men get torn to bits. Now he's more of a...free agent of sorts. Practicing 'wealth redistribution' as he calls it. He's looking to get himself a good sized boat and staff it with some friends he's made in town. Some old hands looking for a Captain whose not so keen on flogging. Some young bloods with a want to prove themselves hard and quick.
The only problem is getting the money for it...