Rowlan was born in a typical Burbah clan, though he would not be described as a typical Burbah. His mother, Eolwon, was young when she met Rowlan's father. He had been a wanderer that traveled with the clan for a season while constantly asking questions and making scribblings into a book. Most people found him to be very perculiar, but Eolwon was intrigued by him. She spent more and more time with the man, enough so that he began trying to pull away, saying that he was likely to leave at any time and shouldn’t get to involved. When the winter came around the man was grossly unprepared for their journeys, and was forced to seek residence within the Burbah’s own dwellings, and Eolwon was more than happy to share hers. By spring it was obvious that she was pregnant.
After Rowlan’s father was adopted by the clan, he went to war the following season with the new warriors that had come of age. The wanderer returned several times to help teach Rowlan about many things, but mostly about writing. One year the wanderer didn’t return, and Eolwon and Rowlan knew that they were on their own.
Since then Rowlan has spent much time reading his father’s journals and learning about many things. Many people in his village treat him as a bit of an outsider because of how much resemblance he has to his father. He is very hard working, trying to prove that he is both his father’s son as well as a true son of the Burbah.