Virden

Virden is the apothecary of The Sharper Mage at the Lycaeum in the time of Ultima V. Typical of merchants in the game, he had no dialogue and was only useful as a source of reagents.

In the Lazarus version of the game, Virden was formerly of Buccaneer's Den. He relocated to the Lycaeum some years before the coming of the Shadowlords when he became aware of the large market for reagents on Verity Isle. With his connections at the Den, he was able to organise large shipments of rare reagents that he sold to anyone who could pay for them—and with the number of mages Verity Isle had, the reagents were always in large demand. It is safe to say that, at first, he was only after a profit. As the years passed, though, he became impressed by the Lycaeum mages. He looked more deeply into the subject of Truth, and then the Virtues. It was at this time that the Shadowlords arose and Blackthorn came to power. The need for potent reagents became matters of life and death, as they were needed for self-defence in the wake of the evil spreading across the land. Virden remained at the Lycaeum to supply the mages there, aiding the fight against the Shadowlords in his own way.

Quests

 * In Lazarus, Virden will offer to compensate the Avatar if he/she can get in contact with his friend in Buccaneers' Den and transport a shipment of mandrake, nightshade and black pearl to the Lycaeum.