Cormot
The Deathless Lord
From Fighter's Challenge II
This old man is the Deathless Lord, terror of the Dreadwoods monsters. He is covered with cobwebs and other sorts of dirt, with chemical stains on his robe and hands. His ratty beard is dark gray with lighter streaks. The hair left on his head is nearly white.
He introduces himself as Cormot , a Necromantic alchemist, who has spent the last century seeking after the vilest sorts of knowledge. He took over this complex when the paladins were dead, hoping to wrest secrets from their bodies, but their innate holiness frustrated that effort. He could not make them speak.
Since then, his magical researches have changed him greatly. When he tried to become a lich, he found he lacked the necessary strength of will to undertake the final step and kill himself. The process had already started, though, leaving him with some undead attributes. He informs them, with some smug pride, that his touch drains the strength from living victims (taking d4 points per touch; victim falls unconscious at zero Strength). He can also raise up a dead body as a Zombie or Skeleton simply by touching it. He controls all the undead thus raised. One unfortunate result, which is his great secret, is that his spell casting abilities are gone.