I am inserting a slightly upgraded Torrents of Dread from Dungeon 114 into STAP. I think the zombie master will intrigue my players, and they might look up his mentor. Can I find more information on him anywhere?
It says in the original Zombie Master is a lich "living" in the Fangs of Zotzilaha. You visit a Shrine of Zotzilaha in Tides of Dread. Is there any relation?
And finally, is there any published scenario that would fit the bill of being the lich's lair?
I would use some old black dragon lair, and instead of water, lava.. add a ring of fire immunity, and lichy can get in and out swimming, while everyone else is a bit more limited.
As for levels, suggesting sorcerer-cleric +true necromancer.
..or perhaps even a witch5/witch priestess 3 (domain -death)/urpriest 2/true necromancer ? (green ronin -witch's handbook)
Uppriest is right out. This guy is Lawful Evil and thinks about the human villages as his turf. Sorcerer/Cleric/Mystic Theurge is my thinking at the moment. I don't haver the undead splatbook.
In the Torrents of Dread scenario, he is an eight level sorcerer. But that's just one of the minor zombie masters, this one in the village of Mora. All the minor ones have a mentor, a Lich of unknown powers (as far as I know).