Iago's childhood is not really known to any but him, however he grew up on the streets of Eharon's major port city. His mother was generally out trying to make a copper here and there by fishmongering, peddling, sewing, whatever she might be paid for. His father was no where to be found, though according to Iago's mother his father was some realtively high ranking officer in the military and was killed fighting somewhere (Iago's poor mother did have a regretably limited imagination).
Thus Iago was left to his own devices as a child, and learned a great many socially unacceptable skills. by the time he had reached his full height and had filled out at the age of 19 Iago was known as a skilled and clever theif who could break into any where and steal anything unless it was warded by the one power. He continued theiving and built up a group of accomplices and contacts who fed him information and helped him acquire and sell goods. This went on for several years before he found need to eliminate a too-honest officer of the city watch. Once word of this deed spread through the underworld of the city upper echelon criminals and certain nobles began coming to Iago to have rivals taken care of. Assassination kept Iago and his group quite wealthy for years (though they never stopped theiving and Iago never shared his fee when he did a job personally), until they unknowingly took a contract from a Darkfriend. Once the hit was done, the cell of Darkfriends who hired Iago attempted to kill him and his entire cricle of theives. While they succeeded in killing or routing all of Iago's associates, he managed to cut his way out of trouble. Having discovered, by interrogating a surviving Darkfriend, what had happened Iago decided that it was high time to run away. He chose Tar Valon as his destination to try and avoid more Darkfriends. While he is certainly far too jaded to believe that the Shining Walls contain no speck of that particular brand of evil, Iago does believe that there ought to be far fewer people pledged to the Dark One in the fortress of the Aes Sedai. Since Iago has no contacts in Tar Valon he is considering at least taking a break from theiving and assassination (if not retire entirely) and taking a shot at becoming one of the legendary Gaidin. If he succeeds the irony may very well cause him to keel over laughing when he is bonded.
Iago tends to dress in loose black clothing, soft black boots, and black gloves. He has dark brown hair and is clean shaven, a fairly good looking man by most accounts, if in a rough sort of way (he has avoided facial scars thus far, though he does have a large slash scar on the left side of his chest and a stabbing scar in his left calf). He fights in the Florentine style (short sword or dagger and longsword), and is extremely proficient at it. He has a considerable knowledge of poisons and considers himself to be an expert lockpick and cat burgler.