It's the combination of "Smash and Squish" more or less
I found a new master of something, keeping quests in the active quest log long after the quest has been cancelled.
Such as the Shears (sears) Rowbuck (roebuck) quest to kill two undead mages. Never found them and never did the quest, but it's still in my quest list of things to do... along with the Eastern blight research assistant quest, and the end of the Kion militia quest (because I am lazy)