"I was the heir of the Order's chief, one of the strongest wizards of my generation. I was also foolish enough

"I was the heir of the Order's chief, one of the strongest wizards of my generation. I was also foolish enough to be the first to take a magic elixir whose secrets Nyrissa had shared with us. It enhanced a wizard's power for a short time — and also killed him, slowly but inevitably. When the truth was revealed, it became clear that me, and the whole country, that the Order didn't have long to live. I gathered everyone I could for a desperate crusade into the First World. You've seen how it ended..."