Born into a dark cult to be raised as a sacrifice, a vessel for the soul of a dark god, he was saved by a wondering paladin, Lord Quogold Carter the Holy One, who was fatally injured in the attempt. On the paladins' deathbed, to honor his sacrifice, Esdras swore to combat evil, both within himself and in the world. The remaining cultists believe he died along with this rescuer. He found his way into a remote tower where an old warlock, Gwydchmidt Chavelline, had his laboratory and library. Chavelline took him in and taught him as much as he could, before an experiment went wrong and killed him, destroying the tower. Once more, Esdras found himself the sole survivor and has since has aligned himself with a Dark power he doesn't understand in order to combat the evil and continue his studies.

Esdras carried a staff adorned with the skull of his fallen mentor, and would often hear his mentors voice speaking to him. At length. Sometimes making highly inappropriate suggestions. Believing this to be the spirit of Chavelline, he took it for granted, until he learned that none of this was true. In fact all of Esdras' memories have been manipulated, seemingly for years, and Chavelline was not dead, although his whereabout are unknown. Esdras cannot be sure that anything he remembers of his past is true at all. Since learning the skull on his staff did not belong to Chavelline, he has since destroyed it and replaced it with the skull of a mind flayer.

He serves as first mate on the Deadly Dowager.