'A DRAGON WITHOUT ITS RIDER IS A TRAGEDY. A RIDER WITHOUT THEIR DRAGON IS DEAD.'
- FOURTH WING BY REBECCA YARROS

Not much is known about Zoro other than that he grew up along the border of Poromial though he never specifics the name of his village, only stating that 'you wouldn't have heard of it. Descended from a powerful military family that has long since been lost to time he wandered the Esben Mountains until a small Dojo took him in, training him in the art of the sword for several years. During this time, while he grew close with the Dojo's daughter and saw her as a rival, he still fended for himself. Refusing the offer of room and board from his sensei, claiming that living in the mountains was part of his training. It was this stubborn refusal to accept aid of any kind that lead to his survival. 

While he does not talk about it he knows for a fact that there is something else other then Griffins in the mountain range. It happened on a dare. His friend Kuina and him training to one day become Dragon Riders and trying to outcompete each other had gone into the mountains, unknowingly passing through the wards as they climbed cliffs and camped in the terrain. They saw something that day, something that chased them back to the wards and claimed Kuina's life before they could reach safety. He never told anyone what really happened that day other than her father, however, upon bonding with Enma he learns the truth of what they encountered. 

It was after that encounter that he developed the Three-Sword Style. Training rigorously until he was finally old enough to join Basgiath War College. Crossing the parapet as if it were as easy as a stroll through the forest with nothing on his person other than his three swords, he was assigned to the same quadrant as Violet Sorrengail and Rhiannon Matthias.