Basically, Edelgarde was a student at the Altador magic institute. As a child, she was taken in by the Institute due to showing a natural tendency towards magic after a certain… incident involving a stolen magical artifact. Although she learned and refined her skills very quickly, she also became disillusioned with the practice of magic after realizing all the bureaucracy and regulations around it. Many banned texts, deemed by the Institute to be “too dangerous to both the user and the public,” were locked away deep in the Altadorian archives, and curiosity unfortunately got the best of her. She HAD to know what was in those books. Edelgarde broke into the archives, an act that she didn’t realize would release the seals on some of the more… potent tomes if done improperly. In the approximate five minutes it took from her entering the restricted section to her arrest, about five tomes broke free of their seals and escaped the archives. Naturally, she was put in prison, her license was revoked, and her magic abilities sealed. Her stint in prison didn’t last very long though, as she reportedly escaped with the help of a certain gnorbu. The pair have been on the run from the Institute ever since, trying to find the missing books and fix Ed’s mistake.