Roland's backstory

From the journals of Loremaster Roland Brighteye, Archmage of Cauldron...

Today's attack during the council meeting has me disturbed. We thought we had rooted out most of the Chainwright's lackeys, and were down to dealing directly with them. Where these Derro came from, I haven't a clue. And that is what has me so upset. It reminds me why I am so obsessed with knowledge, and why I'm in Cauldron to begin with...

Lack of knowledge is what started my journey. Not my lack of knowledge, but my father's. Being a bookbinder and scribe in one of the largest cities in the kingdom, you would think he knew just about anything worth knowing. He copied and bound tomes for nobles, merchants, the city government, even the Church of Boccob and several semi-famous wizards. He taught me to read and write, and books quickly became my closest friends. My father began teaching me how to bind books when everything changed.

My father's major competitor was a politician and a follower of the Church of Boccob. He had been researching ancient laws for the Church and the city when he found some obscure law and had my mother arrested. Over the next six months, he went on a campaign to harass my family and ended up having my mother executed for violating a law that no one had observed in almost 300 years. After that, he used his knowledge of magic to drive my father insane and had him thrown in an asylum.

By this time I was old enough to be on my own, so I took what little of my family's fortune was left and enrolled in the Academy. I worked my way through the Academy doing minor "magic" tricks (really just mundane slight of hand tricks) for entertainment. I managed to learn the rudiments of magic at the academy before my father's nemesis turned his attention on me. Within the month, I had to leave town and began my search for knowledge in earnest. I had heard of another Academy in Cauldron and began my journey there.

So after all this, I despise those who use knowledge to destroy others, or for evil ends. Knowledge, and through that magic, is the most powerful force I know of. I refuse to rest while there is knowledge left to absorb. And now, my lack of knowledge may be endangering not only myself and my friends, but Cauldron in general. So now, it's time to see what we can learn from our Derro friend so we can face this new challenge with some knowledge of what we're facing....