She smiles at you. "Thou art quite forgetful, <AvatarName>. As I have told thee, I am known as Mordra."

"I was the healer of this town before the fire erupted that shattered the lives of those here. I also dabbled in secret magical arts for a while." She winks at you slyly.

"If I tell thee, thou must be sure to get them right. Otherwise, what happened when I told that blasted mayor will happen again. And, while we here in Skara Brae have no more lives to lose, thou hast quite a valuable one!

"The ingredients necessary for the concoction to dissolve the liche are a potion of invisibility, a dose of a potion of curing, and one vial of the essence of mandrake -- I have one set aside somewhere in mine house. Remember, only -one- vial of the mandrake!"

"The Soul Cage must be empowered with the might of the dead. The way to accomplish this is to go to the back of the Dark Tower, to the Well of Souls. Thou must lower the cage into the well, where the souls trapped there will lose a little of themselves to imbue it with the required power.

"I know this sounds harsh, but it is a necessary evil if thou wouldst see them freed." She looks at you sharply.

"The next step is to wait until midnight, then clap the cage upon the recumbent form of the Liche. This is the period of time in which he drains the spirits of the townsfolk in his Black Service."

After a brief moment, she continues. "Finally, thou must pour a magical formula upon the Liche within the cage. This formula is the same substance that destroyed the town.

"Do be careful when procuring it from the alchemist, Caine."

"Thou must have Caine's assistance in creating the formula, but I can give thee the ingredients."

"The Dark Tower lies on the northwestern point of Skara Brae. There is something odd about its construction, for I find it very hard to penetrate with my magical senses.

Within it," she says, "thou wilt find the Well of Souls."

"The Well of Souls is a powerful artifact, located beneath the Dark Tower, from which the Liche draws his power. The souls of the dead are incarcerated there, doomed to the torment of Horance's all-consuming appetite." An expression of pain shows in her features.

Angrily, Mordra says, "Each night, at the stroke of midnight, the spirits of Skara Brae travel to the Dark Tower and are used to infuse Horance with power to continue his dark existence. None of the others are aware when this happens, but I feel it without being able to stop myself."

"Even though the Liche is gone, we are still drawn to the place of his Black Service. He must have bound us with a geas and tied it to the power of the Well of Souls. Oh, what a crafty villain he was." Grudging respect for a skilled mage is mixed with disgust in Mordra's expression.

"Wouldst thou like to know about the townsfolk of Skara Brae?"

"I might have some new information on my fellow townsfolk that could be of use to thee," she says, adding a smile.

"Very well, <AvatarName>. What wouldst thou care to know about?"

"'Twas the doom of this town, although I place no blame upon the alchemist, Caine. For I was the one who told him the recipe that I am sure will rid us of Horance the Liche."

"'Twas but a simple mixture of a few ingredients. It should have worked." Her eyes narrow.

"I expect that mayor of ours, Forsythe, fouled things up!"

"That man is a bumbling idiot. It is his fault that the island was destroyed. I gave him the exact portions of the reagents to be used in the magical formula, and he paraphrased it to the alchemist, Caine. By the size of the fire, I am sure he misquoted the amount of mandrake root by tenfold. Damn that foolish man!"

Her brow creases and you can see that this is a subject that she likes to avoid.

"Now those who reside here call him `the Tortured One.' That is because he is in eternal pain, caused by searing flames licking at his flesh.

The pain is imagined, but to him, 'tis as real as thou or I... or, at least, as real as thou art!"

Her eyes twinkle mischievously. "If I were to reveal them to thee, they wouldn't be secret any longer, now would they?"

She smiles at first, then turns serious. "I have tied my spirit to powers beyond the realm of this mortal world. Were I to enter the Well of Souls, this entire island and a good bit of the mainland would be destroyed in a magical discharge. Wouldst thou lose the town of Skara Brae for all eternity?"

"Thou knowest full well that I cannot. If thou wouldst see mass destruction, thou shalt have to cause it thyself." She turns away quickly for a woman of her age. END

"Goodbye, young <|>. Take care of thyself, but should ill befall thee, I hope that thou wilt come back here and let me minister to thine ailments." She smiles kindly as you leave. END