Pothos

Pothos runs the apothecary of Moonshade on the Serpent Isle.

The Avatar first met Pothos in Ultima VII Part Two when he arrived at an already tense banquet being held by Filbercio and reported to the Mage Lord that he'd been unable to find a sufficient cache of blood moss. This elicited threats from the already cross adept.

When approached later at his shop, Pothos told the Avatar that, being a relatively insignificant mage, he was content to trade in reagents and magical objects. He worried that Filbercio would throw him into the Mountains of Freedom for his failure regarding the blood moss. He also chatted about Batlin's visit to the island, relating stories of his "daemon" companion Palos and his attempts to collect Serpent Teeth. If presented with a sample of it, he would also relate the dangers of the forbidden reagent stoneheart, and would offer to buy it as an individual licensed to possess it.

Pothos knew a suspicious amount about Erstam, the "Mad Mage", including details of the madman's experiments on the Isles of the Mad Mage. The town's local gossip, Bucia, mentioned to the Avatar that Pothos bore a striking resemblance to Erstam, and when confronted with this observation, Pothos confessed to being his son. When pressed for a way to meet with Estram, Pothos offered to tell the Avatar the secret of reaching him in exchange for a quantity of blood moss.

Once this was furnished, Pothos revealed that a great turtle could be summoned by a bell on the northern shore of Moonshade by chanting the mantra "I Re-tem Bentas Juxark I. Praetimde Mir-Wis Re-Por I", and that the creature would transport travelers to Estram's isle on its back. He also gave the Avatar a password, "Iskatradeeth," such that Estram would trust the hero enough to talk with him or her.

Later, when Shamino the Anarch conquered Moonshade, Pothos was killed in the resultant chaos.

Trivia

 * "I Re-tem Bentas Juxark I. Praetimde Mir-Wis Re-Por I" translates roughly to "I will have virtue to protect me. Ancient lore of the water transport me." in Gargish. Pothos mentions that it's meaning may be discerned if one knows the "language of magic," which has interesting ramifications, especially when one observes the many cognates in the Gargish language to the words of magical power.
 * According to the original design documents for Serpent Isle, Pothos was originally intended to die in a scene during the reign of Shamino the Anarch, in which Melino accuses him of giving inexact change, and he is then convicted and spectacularly slaughtered by the possessed Shamino and Julia the ranger.