Forever Bound [Quest]

Text of the Quest:

A polite spirit named haunts. He asked for my help in stopping the necromantic ritual that binds him to this place. The skulls of three Imperial mages who performed the ritual are scattered around the catacombs. If I want to put Decius to rest, I should look for the skulls.

Tasks

Find Arrias Skull Find Teldius Skull Find Musius Skull

Decius: I do beg your pardon, but would you happen to be amongst the living? Everything is so hazy. Oh, I'm talking to another corpse, aren't I? Damn my ghostly eyes!
Hero: No, I'm alive.
Decius: Oh, thank the stars! I've been trapped in this dank catacomb for countless years. I'm bound here by a powerful necromantic ritual, and I'd rather that weren't the case.
Hero: What kind of ritual?
Decius: Oh, a simple ritual designed to keep this facility staffed with undead for hundreds of years. But Imperial mages decided to meddle, and it cost us our lives. I can end it, but I haven't been able to find their skulls. Residual foci, of course.
Hero: I'll get you the skulls, but how do you know so much about this ritual?
Decius: Weli, it was my ritual. Three Imperial mages hired me to turn condemned prisoners into an undead force—the Empire frowned on necromancy, you see. But when it came time to perform the ritual, they locked me in with the prisoners!
Hero: Why did the Imperial mages betray you?
Decius: Those small-minded fools were too concerned with politics. They thought if they could control the ritual itself, they'd have no need for me. The height of arrogance, to think they could begin to understand the complexity of my preservation ritual!
Hero: What did they want with undead troops?
Decius: The undead don't eat, sleep, or breathe. They make perfect guardians for a place such as this. And I suppose a secret cache isn't very secret if you have to replace the troops every six months.
Hero: Which Imperial mages? What were their names?
Decius: Arria, Teldius, and their small-minded Commander Musius. When their imperfect grasp of the ritual destroyed us, they locked our souls to the mortal realm.
Hero: Why do you need their skulls to stop the ritual?
Decius: Because they thought the principles of necromantic binding were the same as conjuration circles. Instead, the magic flowed through their very minds, turning their skulls into imbued foci. I can end this cascading effect if I possess their skulls.

Decius: It's you again, isn't it? Do you have the skulls? Blast, am I talking to a corpse again?
Hero: No, it's me. I'm still alive.
Decius: Wonderful! If you simply hand me the skulls, I'll be able to reverse the effects of their preservation ritual.
Hero: How do I hand skulls to a ghost?
Decius: Oh, my. I keep forgetting. You're the one who seems ghostly to me, you see. You'll need to do this, then. If you enter the Preservation Room you'll find their spirits locked into an echo of their final moments. Reuniting skull with spirit should do it.
Hero: Where is the Preservation Room?
Decius: Can't you see it? I... oh, right, the walls. There's a lever around here that opens a secret passage. I don't remember where it is or I'd help you find it. I haven't needed to worry about walls in quite some time.
Hero: I'll find the lever.

Decius: Those fools thought they were necromancers. But in their ignorance, they killed and raised everyone inside this facility—not just those condemned to die. If this place wasn't so well hidden, its effects could've spread to Grahtwood itself.
Hero: What will you do now?
Decius: I don't know. With the ritual ended, the undead in this facility should slowly fade with time. As for myself, well... I suppose I could approach the Mages Guild, see if my services could be of use. I'm sure I'll figure something out.
Hero: Complete Quest.