Background

Archibald was the product of a torrid and scandalous affair. If he had been part of a humanoid society. A group of adventurers had stopped by the college to bargain for spells and trinkets. A Familiar seduced my mother in a warm afternoon sunbeam and left her with a litter of kittens to deal with on her own.
Archibald was part of that litter. He spent his first weeks in a magical workshop where the teachers could keep an eye on them and keep them away from curious students wanting to pet them.
When he was old enough to leave his mother he joined the classes. It wasn't until he was caught helping a struggling student that the teachers realized he had been following along. Having no other duties or responsibilities he had been taking each class more than once.
The more mechanical and explosive classes spooked the tiny kitten so he focused on the purely mystical. At least then he knew when something was supposed to explode.
 
When time came to leave it was easy to gather up his supplies.
A bowl make from a goblet that had its base destroyed. The inside is stained from toxic concoctions.
The remains of cold weather robes destroyed by a baby Remorazh. Archibald had nothing to do with the encounter. He simply spent several afternoons snuggly reading out loud to Mrs. Grentworth while she sewed the remains into something he could wear to protect against the cold. Archibald wasn't a fan of gnomish romances but it was still a fair trade.