Founder of the Order of the Purple Robes and former student of the Lord of Knowledge working across many schools of magic rather than specializing in only one.
Once brilliant, he fell into paranoia, imprisoning himself within the upper levels of the Luminous Cloud Citadel. He sealed the upper library and left a message barring other members of the Order of the Purple Robes from entry.
Correspondence between Eszteban and Professor Ishmael references the project of the Great Discoveries, meant to assemble a major archive of spells and arcane findings. The correspondence also references his apprentice, Lavinia.
According to Baelgrak, Eszteban once sought to improve the world through magic, but his priorities shifted abruptly after an unknown discovery.
His paranoia and decline were caused by a dual physical and mental poison administered by Meredin under instructions from Father Rogers. To resist the poison, Eszteban made a pact of his own with Father Rogers. He had also discovered the origin of Ishmael’s Truespeech. He stated that Lavinia had attempted to kill him at some point.
He was killed by Meredin, who threw a dagger into his throat in the upper library of the Luminous Cloud Citadel.
He contracted Obi diu Diva, a genie from the Plane of Fire, to serve as a guardian in the tower’s upper levels under a decade-long binding. The genie was dismissed when the Seekers used Banishment to send him back to his plane.
A portrait of Eszteban in the research room is enchanted and can animate to speak; he used it to order the party to leave the Citadel.