Hangman's Tree

The Hangman’s Tree is a singular creature created of magic. It is believed that there are no others.
The tree was a local hanging tree outside a small town. A novice wizard was attempting to create a Golem servant from the remains of the criminals left on the tree. In his experiment he used the spells AWAKEN, RESURRECT, and ANIMATE DEAD. Somehow, this combination of spells was accidentally directed in to the tree, combining the essences of the dead men and brining awareness to the heart of the wood.
The mage ran off in terror seeing the tree changed and tearing free from its roots.
Given the knowledge of evil from the spirits of the dead within it, the tree is angry and mean. It seeks out the one that cast the spells or another mage who can cast the correct combination to release the darkness and become a tree once more.