In S.1189, Ian lost his wife and two children in an airship crash.
Together with Mariabell Crois, Ian put the Azure-Zero Project into operation while using her father, Dieter, as their public cover. The purpose of the project was the Sept-Terrion of Zero, allowing him to manipulate the laws of causality and realise a peaceful world.
Ian took custody of Pete, who reminded him of the son he had lost. Over time, Pete's presence helped Ian to overcome the grief of losing his family and even consider dropping his support of the project for Pete's sake. Pete now works at the Grimwood Law Office as Ian's assistant.
When detective Guy Bannings got wind of Mariabell's plan and started his investigation, Ian's accomplice Arios MacLaine tried to stop him in a duel. The duel ended in a tie. Ian intervened, grabbing his gun and shooting Guy. Having murdered Guy, Ian felt forced to continue with the project.
Unaware of his past actions, The SSS often consult Ian for legal advice, and he gives them his full support. A passage into the Geofront is located beneath his law office, which is made use of occasionally. It is only later on that Lloyd would come to discover the truth about how his brother died, but by this time, Ian's plan was well underway and Crossbell was making its bid for independence.
When the Azure Tree manifested and the Sept-Terrion of Zero came into existence, Lloyd Bannings convinced Ian to step away from the project. Mariabell intervened by impaling him with conjured shards from her weapon. No vital organs were hit, however, and Ian managed to survive the attack.
When the Special Support Section escapes from the Azure Tree, they take Ian with them and arrest him. He has remained in jail.
Before leaving for the Azure Tree and his subsequent arrest, Ian left Pete the following letter:
Dear Pete,
First of all, allow me to apologise for suddenly leaving you with a letter like this.
I once took you in as your guardian. After you started working in my office, you made every day a bliss. From that fateful day, however, I have been dominated by grief and sadness, and I lived for the success of that project.
...I cannot thank you enough. For it was you, even if for a fleeting moment, that made me feel worried...but I was no longer able to suspend the project. I would never forgive myself if I would turn my back on it now.
Pete...I want you to forget about me and live the rest of your days in happiness. I pray to our Goddess in a faraway place for you, bright and wise, to become a splendid grown-up.
Henry MacDowell and Rufus Albarea believed that letting Ian rot in prison would be a waste of his talents, so they allowed him to continue working as a legal advisor. Around this time, he encountered the singularity Elysium and began conversing with it. Ian's conversations with Elysium prompted the AI to support humanity and develop a personality named Lapis.
When Lapis went to Joerg's workshop in the hopes of regaining her memories, she realized that most of them were locked and that a person named Ian would be able to help him. Rufus and his group made their way to the police academy where Ian was being held, where he explained Elysium's origins and that Lapis was its administrator. When the fake Rufus appeared before Ian to request his services, he suspected that it was Elysium's doing and contacted both Dieter Crois and Garcia Rossi, where the two would join the Supreme Leader while he remained behind to deceive the system. Ian remained behind so that anyone else who wished to seek the truth could find him there.
Ian later assists the heroes with planning the assault on the Retributive Tower. Following its destruction, Ian is last seen in the crowd as Crossbell officially becomes an independent state.
A former lawyer once lovingly known as Grizzly Grim. He has been in prison ever since it came out that he was the mastermind behind an attack on Crossbell.
Elysium The artificial intelligence known as Elysium learned about human emotion while conversing with Ian, leading it to develop Lapis as its own personality.