The Iredells were a minor noble line from Koben, established back when the preferred method of gaining land was through war. Though initially finding prosperity among humans, they would eventually watch their power wane when the family's patriarch lost his position on the emperor's high council. That was nearly three-hundred years prior to Roland's birth. Over the course of only a generation, the family had fallen into near-obscurity. Only the very old could remember a time when the Iredells had held prestige. Roland was the first-born son to his parents, to a father who was widely considered irresponsible, and one of the key reasons that the family had succumbed to disrepute. But while they held only a shadow of their former influence and wealth, they were still members of the privileged elite. Roland grew up in luxury, attending an expensive academy as a child. He began to consort with a rather unsavory lot while in university, although, to the relief of his relatives, seemed to abandon them after he left.

Once he came of age (and inherited a bit of money from a relative's death) he started to buy up disused property in the capital city. He built up the land with cramped, sprawling apartment complexes, letting poor human tenants flock in. Pockets of decay began to form in Koben, where cheap housing became a booming commodity. Roland funneled his money into further business ventures, buying up factories, shipping companies- nearly whatever he could get his hands on.

Rumors of shady business dealings circled around him from nearly the second anyone knew his name. He seemed to have unnaturally good luck getting other companies to sell out or merge, and reported no trouble at all with any of the rampant crime that pervaded so many of the impoverished areas that he owned. It became abundantly clear that he held sway with a few key criminal elements, although a number of authorities in the government were more than happy to allow this- or at least tolerate him.

His rise to prominence gained him a good number of friends in high society. If he couldn't get someone to yield to him with social sway, money would usually do the trick. But when even a greased palm couldn't get him what he wanted the people who stood in his way had a nasty habit of disappearing. It was an open secret that he was pursuing one of the ten seats on the high council, and for some time, it looked like he was going to succeed. One of the councilmen was old, nearly senile, and being pressured to leave. But there was a great deal of trepidation when dealing with Roland. Although he was the obvious candidate, his ruthless methods seemed to garner just as much distrust as they did admiration.

When the time to appoint a new council member came, the acting members knew that Roland couldn't simply be ignored. Instead, they graciously offered up the governorship of Linhythe, a position that was conspicuously subordinate to them. Surprisingly, Roland didn't resist getting shipped out to the impoverished city. In a few short years, his reason became clear. Rather than struggle to reform, as had been expected to him, he let the corruption fester- or perhaps actively encouraged it. In such a hostile and chaotic environment he could consolidate his power with ease. He sponsored the criminal organizations that were sympathetic to his role, quietly wiping out the others. It didn't go quite as smoothly as he made it seem, with the notable deaths of a few important statesmen going unanswered, but the results were impressive nonetheless. The new governor had decided to harness the rot of his city, rather than try to eradicate it. His reputation would suffer a hit, however, as he was gleefully recast in Koben as an incompetent buffoon who had failed to stem the tide of corruption. He still has an eye on a council seat, although he knows that he will have to curry favor once more with his newfound influence.