Whoonakoo was abandoned by his parents when they were no longer willing to care for him. They were part of a traveling band of inventors - going from town to town, setting up tents and selling the newest gadgets they've developed. Whoonakoo was able to keep one small trinket which he kept close to remind him of his parents. It was a small tinkered calculator very indicitive of his tinkering upbringing.
Whoonakoo had to use his guile and deft hands to stay alive in the busy, diverse city of Waterdeep without a family. Often, he'd traverse the city by climbing to the top of a local inn, Hadrikk's Hovel, and running along the rooftops where the buildings were built adjacent to one another. His favorite escape lay in a nook in these rooftops, and he would often nap the day away here in total serenity. It was during one of these rests when he heard it for the first time. It was a sweet sound, a quiet sound. A sound which shook Whoonakoo to the core. Little did he know, the local theater was hosting Sapphire Melody, a pair of musicians as adept with stringed instruments as they were with voice. This night, the theater needed to bar open the windows since the heat was too intense that summer evening. The song drifted through the air and every bit which exposed itself was absorbed by Whoonakoo.
Sure, he had heard the bar performers, street bands, and the occasional singer as he walked past the theater, but this was different. The music was alive, and the musicians - perfect. Whoonakoo felt drawn to it more than he had ever experienced before. After this performance he found himself sitting outside the theater almost every evening, trying to find the euphoria he had experienced before. One of these nights, a silhouette in a nearby trash grabbed his attention. It was the neck and head of an old and poorly treated lute. He ran over and yanked it from the trash. All the strings were missing, two tuning dials had been broken off and a sizable crack ran through the body with some pieces of wood completely missing.
It was about time Whoonakoo's tinker blood came to use. It wasn't 2 days and he had the lute tuned and in a playable state. Had he ever gotten any training with the instrument, his teacher might've called him a prodigy. Whoonakoo could call forth any melody, chord or rhythm within weeks of obsessively playing the lute. Soon he found the vibrations of the strings had special properties. He could calm a bar brawl or street fight, encourage the growth of a flower in the alley, or hasten a horse's stride. His lute, and later his flute would from then on grow to be his closest lifelong friends.
Along with learning to become an accomplished entertainer, Whoonakoo also had a large amount of curiosity which isn't foreign to the Gnomish race. Hs curiosity drove him to see distant lands. Through tips earned from performing at the local taverns he acquired enough gold to set out on his own away from Waterdeep with his eyes set on adventure. He made his way north toward Neverwinter when he was accosted and robbed by a band of brigands near the Sword Mountains. Everything was taken from him save his lute which the band of brigands had no use for. Whoonakoo was severly injured and unable to finish the 50 mile trek to Neverwinter.
Several parties passed by Whoonakoo without any consideration while he lay there. A whole day and night passed and he was abandoning hope when a caravan approached traveling north toward Neverwinter. The caravan was host to a hooded halfling named Milboe Flancin who took pity on him. Milboe assisted Whoonakoo in getting to Neverwinter where he would have to start completely over barring his newly acquired halfling friend, Milboe.
Through this trial, Whoonakoo acquired a need to gain skill in protecting himself. He attended duels and fights trying to glean any knowledge of the art he could. He eventually considered himself a novice with a light crossbow and wasn't completely uncomfortable with a dagger in hand.
Milboe and Whoonakoo also remained friends. They were adept at pickpocketing, stealing and general terrorizing of the public while remaining almost invisible. His night life as a troublemaker didn't stop him from making honest coin by entertaining at the local taverns and inns.
While entertaining one night at the Fish's Gill, he watched near the door as a dwarf attached a HELP WANTED advertisement to the wall and walked out. The crudely drawn gold coins on the parchment is what got Whoonakoo's attention. On his way out that evening, He took a tab indicating a time and place to meet to help a local transport some goods south. Whenever gold was being given out for seemingly simple tasks, Whoonakoo was the gnome for the job...
The dwarf needing help was Gundren Rockseeker. An unlikely group showed up to escort the man and his goods south to Phandolin. Along the way, they cleared a cave of goblins and its bugbear leader giving Whoonakoo some new insights into fighting using his magical music. They rescued Sylldar Hallwinter from the cave and escorted them back to Phandolin. There, the party sold the goods after hearing that Gundren didn't make it, and the party proceeded to part ways. Even though there was much opportunity for work in Phandolin, Whoonakoo decided to use his newly found spoils to head back to his homeland, Waterdeep.
He decided to stay at the Inn of the Hopping Jester - and inn whose roof Whoonakoo had been very familiar with, but its interior was somewhat a mystery...