Acererak (pronounced: /ɑːˈsɛrɜːræk/ a-SER-ur-æk[9]
listen or: /ɑːˈsɛərɑːk/ ah-SAIR-ak[10]) was a powerful lich or demilich who was known and feared by many in the multiverse.[4] He visited Toril in the late 1480s DR to place an artifact of his creation called the Soulmonger in the Tomb of the Nine Gods, causing the onset of the death curse.[4]
Personality[]
Acererak traveled through the multiverse in search of artifacts, which he liked to lock away in trap-ridden dungeons to watch adventurers suffer and die. He then enjoyed trapping their souls in his phylactery, whose location was unknown.[4]
Although having had the power and opportunities to ascend to godhood, Acererak had no interest in being worshiped, despite having his share of followers whose suffering he enjoyed watching.[4]
History[]
Depiction of Acererak from the Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation
Much of Acererak's past history was forgotten. It was believed that he was originally from Oerth.[4] It is, however, believed that he was a Cambion and the offspring of a human mother named Kecethri and a Balor father named Tarnhem.
As he worked to achieve lichdom Acererak constructed a number of dungeons and tombs in order to draw out, defeat, and claim for his phylactery the souls of adventurers that sought to destroy him.[12] One particular dungeon hidden within a hillside, known as the Tomb of Horrors, would go on to claim the lives of thousands of adventurers. It would also attract the attention of many necromancers, who would go on to construct a settlement around the hillside to worship Acererak.[13]
At some point, Acererak gave a mirror of life trapping to Malcanthet, who promised to fill it with trapped souls and return it to his tomb.[14]
At some point in the 15th century DR, Acererak went to Chult and defeated the Nine Trickster Gods of Omu. He then enslaved the Omuans and forced them to build the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Acererak killed all the Omuans after the tomb was completed, and buried them alongside their gods.[15]
At some unknown time not long before the late 1480s DR, Acererak traveled to the Negative Energy plane and found an atropal there, which he decided to nourish to godhood. For that purpose, he built a powerful artifact called the Soulmonger and placed it in one of the tombs he possessed, the Tomb of the Nine Gods, and used the Sewn Sisters as protectors of both the atropol and the Soulmonger. The tomb served as the atropal's nursery while the artifact nourished it by trapping the souls of the dead and draining the souls of those who had been beneficiaries of resurrection magic. This was known as the death curse.[4] Not much else is known until he built his famous tomb of horrors.
Appendix[]
| This article is incomplete. You can help the Forgotten Realms Wiki by providing more information. |
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Video Games
Board Games
Card Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
Acererak article at the Greyhawk Wiki, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.
List of Greyhawk characters#Acererak article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Further Reading[]
- Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-0786939091.
References[]
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell (1998). A Guide to the Ethereal Plane. Edited by Michele Carter, Keith Francis Strohm. (TSR, Inc.), p. 61. ISBN 0-7869-1205-7.
- ↑ Template:Cite card/Spellfire: Master the Magic/2nd Edition
- ↑ Greg Marks, M.T. Black (October 2020). Thimblerigging (DDAL-DRW06) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Dreams of the Red Wizards (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 6. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bruce R. Cordell (1998-07-13). Return to the Tomb of Horrors. (TSR, Inc.), p. 136. ISBN 978-0786907328.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 209. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ Ari Marmell, Scott Fitzgerald Gray (July 20, 2010). Tomb of Horrors (4th edition). (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-0-7869-5491-9.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Eytan Bernstein, Brian R. James (January 2009). Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 200. ISBN 0786950692.
- ↑ Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 48. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ Bart Carroll (November 11, 2019). Infernal Machine Rebuild. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 13.
- ↑ Ari Marmell, Scott Fitzgerald Gray (July 20, 2010). Tomb of Horrors (4th edition). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7869-5491-9.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (October 2017). Hero (MMP). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 297. ISBN 9780786966158.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ Robert J. Schwalb (December 2011). “Dungeon Master's Book”. In Tanis O'Connor, et al. eds. The Book of Vile Darkness (Wizards of the Coast), p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-5868-9.