Evading Mordack in his castle

In King's Quest 5, in the final area of Mordack's castle, Mordack himself often shows up seemingly at random to deliver an instant Game Over in the form of Sith Lord-style death grip. Despite the apparent unpredictability of it all, however, I've heard rumors that there are actually tells and signs that can be seen that can allow one to predict and evade him consistently. Is this true? What specifically are all the signs?

I don't know about predicting Mordack's appearance, but there are some things that will bring his attention to you, as well as the guardian's:

• lingering in one room too long, besides his library
• playing the organ in the downstairs hallway
• allowing the cat Manannan to run away after seeing you

I don't think he ever appears in the dungeon or the kitchen - they're both below him.

I just replayed the game a while back. Seemed so much simpler than when I first played it!