Wait... I thought they were just kind of lying around (you know, victims of the disaster). We actually had to dig them up to find them?

(the coffins are vertical, so I gather not buried.  Sorry for my slow posting- on work travel this week)

Lorlin relays what she sees with true seeing to the group.   She says “I think this area seems reasonably defensible.  I have no objection to the skeleton guards,   But we should be able to rest quite securely in this magical shelter”.  In the building they’ve selected, She ritual casts tiny hut to provide a home base for the group, matching the color to the ruins to make it slightly less visible.  

She says “feel free to rest in here or use it as a retreat if we are attacked.   I would like to visit the area of glowing magic when we are ready.  Quite curious.   “She uses stone shape to make any modifications to the home base requested, and ritual casts unseen servant for an assistant to help with cleaning rubble. 

(DM's original post was changed and I didn't get around to editing/deleting my post about digging up skeletons)

Akkron sighs... back home, any undead minions he and his apprentices made were volunteers who wanted "serve their community after death. But at the moment, the situation may be extremely dire.

"Very well," the lich says. "Dabbert, we can explore the tower after I'm done raising a few guards... and Lorlin, I trust you wouldn't mind putting them back to rest and perhaps giving them some funeral rites when they've served their purpose."

Akkron matches up four skulls to the bodies to the best of his ability, then casts Animate Dead at 5th level to raise the four skeletons to a semblance of life.

D20 roll as requested by the DM: 10

Akkron: you raise up four Skelton Guards.. Three follow your command obediently, one grabs the nearest piece of scrap wood and shuffles around your base, occasionally walloping itself in genuflection. 

Lorlin: Between you and your unseen servant you craft a decent fortress within the fortress of stone to disguise your tiny hut. Within the debris you find 10 iron spikes, 5 pieces of decorative iron fencing, a half dozen of those spiked wheels the fire elementals were using a half-filled bottle of holy water, and enough rocks for a steady catapult barrage if you had a catapult. 

Akkron sighs at the idiot skeleton smacking itself in the head... well, at least that problem will most likely sort itself out soon.

"I need a vacation," he grumbles, then assigns the remaining three skeletons to hide in the rubble and try to murder anything that looks beholder-y. "Well, Dabbert, are you ready to check out the tower?"

(Do there happen to be any bows/arrows or short swords available for the functional skeletons?)

Not around here.

Dabbert watches the whole charade with the raising of the new guards with something like amazement. 

"I uh...hope they can do more than just rattle around."  He says.  He stands with his feet apart and adjusts his armor a bit before nodding to Akkron.  "Yeah, I think I'm ready." 

Sure. Time is meaningless here but you can feel your magic being restored. 

(Well, if we've finished a Short Rest, I guess that Akkron's spell to summon Marin's ghost fades out, since it lasts up to an hour, depending on concentration).

Akkron lets out a sad sigh as the little ghost waves a final goodbye, and then fades away, her essence returning to the gilded skull that Akkron carries for the purpose of casting the spell.

"Goodbye for now, little one," he says in a whisper to the gold-plated skull. "I-I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you."

He then turns his attention to Dabbert and the tower.

"They'll be a lot more useful if we can find some weapons for them," Akkron says in answer to Dabbert's question. "But even as they are... they can make a valuable distraction if the need arises."

He uses the Arcane Recovery class feature to get back his two 5th-level spell slots and then he's ready to explore the tower.

Cool. Sounds like Dab and Akkron are heading to the tower. Will you be taking your skeleton friends?
Lorlin and Slip where you’re headed and the adventure will pick up in around 14hrs. (My time, not in-game) 

...I think Akkron will take a skeleton and leave the remaining two (and the one bashing itself over the head) to defend the base. Maybe someone has some rocks or something they can throw if anything comes to cause trouble.

Before they step off, Dabbert helps search for weapons they can arm the skeletons with...

"Can I ask a question?"  Dabbert says as they move along the street toward the tower.  He keeps his halberd handy and his eyes up, moving as quietly as possible, scanning for anything that's useful information or a perceived threat as they go.  "What's uh...who's the uh...ghost?  Is ghost the right word?  The girl you've been speaking to?"  

He keeps moving, going as directly as possible to the tower...

Akkron's face remains unchanging, as to be expected from a fleshless skull... but some of that dark mist almost seems to slide down the old bone at the corner of his eye socket.

"She's more of a memory given form than a true ghost," Akkron says. "But 'ghost' is probably the best word that we have to describe her."

He pauses for a moment, as if unsure of himself, then the lich sighs and continues.

"I wasn't always like... this. I was a man, just like you... with flesh and blood... and family..."

He pauses a second time, then inhales (or something to that effect) deeply.

"Marin was... is... my daughter. Dabbert... I don't know if you have any children, but if you do, cherish every moment you have with them. Let them know how much you love them whenever you have the chance. And never take it for granted that there will be another chance to tell them how much you care..."

(Also, changed my mind, all three skeletons are staying behind until we have suitable weapons for them)

Slip will head to the tower as well

"Oh, um, hello, Slip," Akkron says as he notices the Tabaxi is also making his way towards the tower. "Um... how much of that did you hear?"

"It's all good" he says smiling

Lorlin looks at the lich with pity on the story of his daughter.  Once she’s determined they can set up a secure base, she stays with the group exploring, although not wanting to impact their stealthy exploring, she hangs back, ready for any ambushes. 
.  “I also have experienced an unnaturally long life. Everyone I knew, my family, friends, are gone.  Well- in the outer planes, I suppose.  Too busy with my work, my studies, time slipped so quickly. I have… well had, distant descendants still alive..  but never introduced myself to them.  What would I even say?   Who knows now.- perhaps even the outer planes are impacted by this strange calamity.”    

It is clear at this point that Akkron has been holding things in for a long time, and hearing Lorlin's words seem to be what he needs to let some feelings out.

"I... I'm sorry about that. But... I would give a lot for the chance to see my descendants live happy lives, even if only from afar... my family line died when... when she was murdered by dark elves... and I was too weak to save her from their evil."

At that moment, though his face remains as cold and impassive as ever, the tone of his voice and the way his grip tightens around his staff instantly tells the other half of the story that he does not speak aloud... of a desperate, broken man who gave up everything for a chance at vengeance.