Born to a sailor and his wife in Pelagrir, Nathion would be hard pressed to remember a time when his feet were not on a ship. His father taught him to sail small fishing boats before he helped get him board a larger trade vessel when he was twelve. By age fourteen he was running the rigging and knew many different jobs on the large ships. His travels now broadened his horizons and he was gone for longer periods of time, much to his mother's worry. When he was home, he was running with the dock urchins, learning to live by the swiftness of his fingers among the merchants. His mother lamented her son would die in a rusting cage hanging over the harbor, like other thieves. Nathion understood that he must quit while he was ahead. He saw a friend get caught by a patrolling Watchman and given lashes, thus ending his career as a dock rat.

By sixteen his father had vanished, lost at sea no doubt in a storm but the ship was never found. Nathion tried to stay onshore and worked on the docks at his mother's behest, helping her raise his younger siblings, a sister and brother. 

However, the sea called to him as did the chance for better pay than heaving freight. He took a chance and boarded a vessel that seemed like any other merchant ship but was paying higher wages than the rest. He found out why when they turned south towards the hot lands of Harad, running low and fast to keep out of sight from both Corsairs and patrolling Gondorian Navy ships. This was his first taste of smuggling and it tasted of fine rich wine and exotic spices. Nathion had found his calling and learned under the captain until he saved for his own ship. 

The vessel was not much to look at, rather dumpy and ancient, she was still quite seaworthy and faster than she appeared. A perfect disguise for running the smuggling routes and he soon found he had an uncanny nose for finding the best trade. He listened and let others talk, men like to boast, especially when drunk and women like to talk, especially in bed.