Elster

Elster is the cowardly mage the Avatar meets upon entering the Scintillus Academy Final Exam in Ultima Underworld II.

He explained the Final Exam to the Avatar, an exam that all wizards must go through to earn a Bachelor of Magery (aka a B.M.). Elster explained that he has been having second thoughts about taking the exam, but the help button on the staging ground didn't not work. He also explained that he has been waiting for sixty years for help to arrive, but he had been stuck here. The only way out seemed to be to take the Final Exam, but that was something he had not the courage to attempt, as many students had died, including some of the best and brightest, and Elster confessed, he was not one of the better students.

After the Avatar passed the Final Exam, he returned to the staging ground, to find that Elster had disappeared. He presumably had gone to take the exam. His final fate, or whether he passed the exam or not, is uncertain.

Trivia

 * Elster explains to the Avatar, that his people easily live into the thousands. This is, why he has waited for sixty years for help to arrive.