Mordikai d’Cannith stated that he caused the Day of Mourning. He and several other powerful wizards were using crystals they had uncovered to form the warforged. Mordikai became too arrogant however and decided to try and place his own soul inside a warforged body to make himself near immortal. His attempt overloaded the crystals and caused a chain-reaction that caused a huge magical explosion (the Day of Mourning). Somehow he survived and while near death he managed to complete the ceremony to make himself a lich instead. He carries a heavy burden of guilt for his actions. He is now in a self-imposed exile in his family’s mansion in the Mournlands. Only himself and the pc’s know this story. In exchange for the pc’s escorting Partisan to him, he has allowed them to leave his mansion alive. The only condition is that they keep his secret.