Acererak

Acererak was a Lich who constructed the Tomb of Annihilation and the infamous Tomb of Horrors.

## Description

As a human, Acererak suffered from albinism, making his skin unusually pale and his irises a shade of pink. As a result of his demonic parentage, small, vestigial horns sprouted from Acererak's head. He usually dressed in dark robes and was never without his *Talisman of the Sphere*. As a lich, Acererak wore a horned headdress and carried the Staff of the Forgotten One, fashioned from the skull of a Wizard he defeated long ago and still inhabited by that wizard's soul.

## Personality

As a lich, Acererak's existence could continue indefinitely, a fact he took full advantage of, often letting time fell his mortal enemies for him and spending years meticulously crafting trap-ridden dungeons and hatching elaborate schemes. Above all else, Acererak craved greater understanding of the multiverse and greater power, even attempting to rise to godhood. After his apotheosis was foiled by a party of adventurers, however, Acererak lost interest in being worshiped, instead inflicting great suffering upon those few followers he did have. To ensure his eternal life, Acererak built treasure-filled tombs-which he took great joy in filling with intricate puzzles and traps-that funneled the souls of the adventurers who died within them to his phylactery. Acererak enjoyed testing and tormenting those brave or foolish enough to enter his tombs, and as a result, he often left clues behind in his tombs, giving treasure hunters a chance of survival and heightening the glory of his eventual victory.

Acererak's greatest weakness was his arrogance. He constantly underestimated the resolve and intelligence of those who would stand against him, which led to his schemes occasionally being foiled by his enemies.

## History

Much of Acererak's History was forgotten, but it was believed that he built the Tomb of Horrors during the Age of Empires, during which time he encountered a party of adventurers from the 15th century who had travelled back in time. After centuries of resting within the tomb, Acererak accepted his transformation into a Demilich, choosing to roam the planes as a disembodied consciousness, inserting *Soul Gems* into his skull's eye sockets, in order to absorb the souls of any who dared to disturb his rest. During this time of contemplation, Acererak discovered many of the secrets of the Negative Plane including the existence of Atropus and, upon being awakened by unfortunate adventurers whose souls were consumed in the tomb, hatched a plan to absorb the power of the Negative plane, effectively becoming a deity of raw Negative Energy and gaining the ability to possess the body of any undead in existence. Although it came perilously close to success, this plot was foiled by adventurers delving into the Tomb of Horrors (and the city of Moil beyond) in the year 489. After this defeat, Acererak once again fell into obscurity, although his memoirs were recovered by one of the heroes who foiled his attempt at apotheosis and eventually fell into the possession of Lysander Titanblood, although they were later stolen by Blackthorne and Torlor Dathrak.

Acererak resurfaced in the city of Amaré in Azlatlan, where he enslaved the people of the city and constructed the Tomb of Annihilation. He returned to this tomb in the 1460s to "burn" trapped souls to lure Atropus to the world of Dragonfall.