No big secret as to what burned out lightstones are for. There is a practice
research item that allows finger wigglers to build up their research without
wasting rare research componets. And one of the practice runes requires a
Burned out lightstone. So most likely he was handing the person with the
burned out lightstone the practice research book with all the components in
it (except for the BO lightstone). The person with the lightstone places it
in the container and hits combine(no research skill it needed for this part)
then hands the rune and container back to buyer. :)

Rokenn Swiftsong - Karana server
Master Craftsmen of Societus Argenti

>From: Knight <Knight@...>
>Reply-To: eqbards@onelist.com
>To: eqbards@onelist.com
>Subject: Re: [eqbards] Burned out Lighstones, Quest? was Re: Elf Hide
>Gloves
>Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1999 02:04:28 -0400
>
>Hello Fellow Bards,
>
>Don't you think that the Burned Out Lightstones are NO DROP
>like any other NO DROP Items that are Quest related? Although
>I don't know and I'm not sure, I think there is a Quest for them.
>
>While traveling at full speed in West Common somebody was
>buying the Burned out lightstones... Yes BUYING... He said
>that he knew they were NO DROP but said there was a way to
>transfer them anyway. So why would a guy go thru all that trouble
>for useless items? Anyone have an idea?
>
>To say that all those Lightstones messages started with my Elf Hide
>Gloves question where I used the Wisp as an example ;-)
>
>The Anonymous Bard with the 20th song.