Tower of the Necromancer

Few venture west off the Tradeway where the great Delimbiyr river meets the Lizardmarsh.  Bullywug and lizardmen raiders and even gigantic lizard creatures are known to prowl these borderlands.

This is the location where the dark necromancer built his tower for study.  Constructed with undead labor and elemental magics, the four level tower is built atop a natural stone bluff at the edge of a deep pool that leads into the lizard marsh, littered with cat tails and choked with lilies.

To access the front door one must climb the steps carved in the natural stone bluff to where great wooden doors with elegant nickel handles and a great polished ivory knocker await.  It would be difficult to scrabble around the back of the rock face to the back door without sliding down into the marsh waters.  However, there is a backdoor, on this side of the tower, at the end of a short cave in the rock that leads down into the cellars below the tower.  This door leads out to a small landing containing a circle of stones at the edge of the water.

In the evening the bullywugs, and lizardmen bring corpses to the stone circle and are paid in baubles by the Hooded Attendant that can be found there each night [treat the Hooded Attendant as a wight].

The attendant brings the corpses into the cellars where the apprentices of the necromancer treat these bodies with ancient blasphemous rites that prepare them for undeath.  The door is wizard locked, but the attendant can bypass the magic.  There are cages on chains from the cellar ceiling that drop corpses into huge vats of eldritch chemicals used strip the flesh from the bones to create skeletons.  There are also several dissection tables for zombie preparation.  When the necromancer arrives, he calls forth the magic to animate them again.  There are also a couple of cells housing 4 barely clad snake people, held prisoner, but treated well and fed every day.  These snake people bodies hold the minds of 4 individuals from Daggerford (the snake people are currently wearing their skins and infiltrating the town).  They will try to explain this to the PC's if found.

On the first floor, 35'x35', are the reception halls, kitchens, and dining areas. 

The second floor, 20'x20', quarters the apprentices and the hobgoblin garrison of the tower.  The hobgoblins patrol the surrounding area, and walk around the balcony on the second floor that allows them to survey for miles into the marsh and out to the Tradeway and river traffic.  

The third and fourth levels, both 20'x20', are the home of the necromancer.  Some of the necromancers apprentices are allowed on the third floor and hobgoblins may report to the wizard during emergencies, but the fourth floor is off limits to all but the necromancers demonic family.   When the wizard is out of the tower, expect this area to have magical traps.


Map of the tower - I suck at creating electronic maps, perhaps I will add a hand-drawn map sometime soon.

Garrison:
12 skeletons
6 zombies
8 hobgoblins
2 Wizard Apprentices - the "Sisters"  (3rd Level)
The Hooded Attendant

Don't forget:
(4 prisoners)
Magical Traps - only on the 4th floor, the necromancer mostly uses undead for protection
Treasures

The Sisters:

The sisters are twin women in their late teens.  They are followers of Talona, and sometimes have tea parties throughout the day.  They re-enact a scene where they poisoned their parents at a birthday party to honor the goddess.  Totally insane, loyal to the necromancer, they share twin-telepathy (adjudicate as you will), and typically will say the same things in unison or finish each others sentences.  They typically will try to use charm person followed by paralysis or sleep poisoned food.  If in trouble they will try to use invisibility and flee.  The hobgolbins are terrified of these girls and will do anything they say.


The Hooded Attendant:

Bound to the service of the necromancer through a pact, he waits each night in the circle of stones for bodies.  He will pay for these bodies with trinkets and a few silver or gold pieces (arbitrary amounts).  He is not bound to defend the tower, but may decide to attack the PC's if they mess with him, or try to enter the tower without delivering him a body.  He will moan, "deliver the dead unto me", several times, and if the PC's don't give him a body he may attack.  He will defend himself if attacked.  Treat this creature as a wight.