The usual story.
Wizard trains as Historian, falls in with wrong crowd, persuaded to join disreputable order who send him to an even more disreputable order.
Flesh branded.
Hunts for evil treasures.
Discovers great secrets.
(all the while teaching by day)
They catch him.
They hurt him.
And hurt him.
And then he dies, task unfinished.
He is awake again, a ghost. But a confused ghost. He can't remember what his task was. He isn't sure of anything, and the world looks much more frightening.
He is pitied, allowed to remain a teacher.
And everyone laughs at Roderick A Binns.