Lazarus

Lazarus is a supremely powerful elven spellcaster with a strong interest in necromancy and removing the negative stigma associated with it. Lazarus headed his own academy beneath the village of Sedossa.

For the last century he has been travelling the Feywild in an attempt to find a way to extend the life of his friend Greg without resorting to corrupting his soul or damaging his memory.

Academy of Lazarus
A secret lair sat beneath the Fountain of Fortune in the village and was inhabited by the students of Lazarus. It was accessible via an obscured keyhole which the key carried by "Crazy Old Greg" opened. Most of the remaining members were the remnants of an expedition of the Mages of Saruun who elected to begin following Lazarus after meeting him, with the exception of Greg who had been a follower of Lazarus long before that. The members/students were recognisable by their blue and yellow robes, and included:


 * Greg - "Crazy Old Greg" as he was known for a long time in Sedossa who was always sweeping next to boulders and trying to get people to follow him to them. He was killed by a goblin inside the lair but reappeared much younger shortly afterwards with memory of life in his older form but thankful for now having many of his faculties back. He was close to Lazarus, described by Redina dismissively as Lazarus' pet. Lazarus has left him several clones to keep him alive until Lazarus returns.
 * Marwyn - presumably a gnome as Greg mistook Wrelen Kindrock for him.
 * Redina - who wrote on the merits of lichdom but was remonstrated by Lazarus, was said to be extremely vain. She became a banshee.
 * Tristaine - who began leaving traps to prevent other from using his resources to the annoyance of Redina.
 * Barrocus - also known as Ulexius, experimented with polymorphism with his pet troll, Mongo, and Redina stated that he tricked her into helping him do this. After Redina was killed he stated that he was the final surviving member of the expedition of the Mages of Saruun, and declared himself the heir of Lazarus.

In recent times the lair appears to have been occupied by a pack of goblins. There was also the severed body of a female halfling whose robes suggested was a member of the Guild Arcane of Calimshan.

It also contained what appeared to be a statue of a cockatrice and a mage which turned out to be living beings which had been frozen in stone. The man, whom was saved by the party of Zemli Dubovoye, Wrelen Kindrock, Rong, and George, was Farad Moshute - a member of the Guild Arcane that had been missing for a century.

Lazarus' letter to Greg
''Unfortunately if you're reading this I have probably yet to come back for you. Please accept my deepest apologies. I couldn't stand what this place had become. I have always argued against the inherent stigma of Necromancy and insisted that used responsibly, it could benefit mankind more than any other school of magic.''

''I regret that I have yet to find a suitable cure for your mind, every time you come back, the sickness takes hold every 30 years... 50 if you're lucky.''

''But I will not take the shortcuts others would have me do and you know I abhor the shallow attempts of immortality through Lichdom, Polymorphing and Vampirism. No... I have yet to find a suitable way to prolong life indefinitely without the corruption of one's soul or repetitive death.''

''The bickering sycophants here pursue my approval day and night. Only you have sought to loyally serve and genuinely learn. I hope that you reading this means you have been able to hone your skills. It may not come easily to you, but there is grace in your persistence.''

''I go now to the Feywild, to see if I can find any answers there, and truth be told, for a bit of a holiday. I shouldn't be gone long, a century or two. Hopefully the gold in your chest will tide you over. If you must, you can use the small emergency fund in my quarters here.''

Keep well, my most faithful companion, and try not to use up too many of the fail-safes.