One day after getting drunk in a bar in Theramore in a bad part of town, he insulted some dwarves. They beat him up for the insults, and rifled through his belongings. They planned to steal a knife that he had received from Annan.
Afraid for his life, he prepared a spell to attack the dwarves knowing it would likely affect the relations between his people and the dwarves. In the chaos after casting the spell, he was able retrieve the knife and escape into the night. He didn't bother to check if the dwarves had survived, and was sure that he had lit the pub on fire.