Acererak is an ancient and immensely powerful archlich who serves as the ultimate architect and antagonist of the Tomb of the Nine Gods adventure. He wanders the multiverse in search of artifacts and souls, and has no interest in godhood despite possessing the power to pursue it—instead, he prefers to create evil gods and unleash them on mortals.
Role in the Adventure
Acererak is the mastermind behind the death curse afflicting Toril. He created the Soulmonger, a necromantic device that traps the souls of the dead across the planet, preventing resurrection magic and slowly killing anyone previously raised from the dead. The Soulmonger feeds captured souls to an atropal—an undead godling that Acererak discovered adrift at the edge of the Negative Plane. His ultimate goal is to nurture the atropal into a fully realized death god that will consume all life on Toril.
History with Omu
Over a century ago, Acererak came to Omu and was impressed by the bloody trials devised by the Omuans in honor of their nine trickster gods. This inspired him to create his own dungeon beneath the city. He:
- Slew all nine trickster gods of Omu
- Enslaved the Omuans and forced them to carve out the Tomb of the Nine Gods
- Murdered the Omuans when construction was complete and sealed them inside with their defeated gods
- Trapped the spirits of the nine trickster gods within the tomb itself
The tomb serves multiple purposes: housing the Soulmonger and atropal, harvesting souls to feed his phylactery, and testing deadly traps on adventurers foolish enough to enter.
Alliances and Servants
Yuan-ti of Omu: Acererak made a pact with Ras Nsi and the yuan-ti. In exchange for guarding the Tomb of the Nine Gods, Acererak promised to help them unlock a gate beneath the Peaks of Flame to release Dendar the Night Serpent. Acererak is playing them for fools—he doesn’t tell them he’s the source of the death curse slowly killing Ras Nsi.
The Sewn Sisters: Three night hags (Widow Groat, Peggy Deadbells, and Baggy Nanna) form a coven that helped Acererak construct the Soulmonger using their expertise in stitching soul bags. They serve as nursemaids to the atropal and guard the device.
Withers: Acererak’s undead custodian, originally an Omuan engineer named Gorra who was transformed into a wight. Withers oversees tomb maintenance with a crew of dwarf wights and uses a scrying pool to command Omu’s gargoyles.
Kobolds: Acererak recruited a tribe of kobolds led by the sorcerer Kakarol to maintain the nine shrine traps. He promised to transform Kakarol into a dragon—a lie to ensure their service.
Gargoyles: Devil-faced stone gargoyles stationed around Omu’s clifftops attack intruders and take orders from Withers.
The Tomb of the Nine Gods
Acererak designed the tomb as an elaborate deathtrap filled with:
- Cryptic warnings carved on obelisks and bronze plaques throughout the dungeon
- Deadly traps, magical wards, and monstrous guardians
- A “mirror tomb” in a parallel demiplane used for testing traps
- Modifications to magic—teleportation spells fail or redirect to area 57, divination gives false readings, and communication spells are blocked
- A collection of phylacteries belonging to other liches who seek to emulate him
The tomb has claimed every adventurer who has entered it. Their terror-scarred souls are trapped in Acererak’s phylactery, hidden somewhere in the multiverse where gods and magic cannot divine its location.
Game Mechanics
Warnings and Clues: Acererak placed cryptic messages throughout the tomb (areas 1, 7B, 7C, 7D) that provide clues to overcoming specific challenges. These warnings mock intruders while paradoxically helping them progress deeper into the dungeon.
Magical Defenses: The tomb’s magic is unaffected by Acererak’s spell restrictions. His amulet of the black skull and personal spellcasting bypass the limitations imposed on other magic users.
Cursed Items: Acererak scattered cursed treasures like the golden skull of Yaka (area 40) and a cursed necklace of fireballs (area 53) to punish greedy adventurers.
Fabled Treasures: Four legendary art objects—the Black Opal Crown, Eye of Zaltec, Navel of the Moon, and Skull Chalice of Ch’gakare—serve as lures to draw adventurers into the tomb.
Final Confrontation
If the characters kill the atropal, Acererak himself appears to take revenge. He arrives on the south balcony of area 77 wielding the Staff of the Forgotten One and accompanied by a sphere of annihilation controlled by his talisman.
The spirits of the nine trickster gods—whom Acererak murdered and imprisoned—cry out for vengeance and empower any characters they inhabit with bonus temporary hit points and extra psychic damage against the archlich.
If reduced below 100 hp: Acererak casts teleport and flees, vowing revenge: “We’ll meet again, fools! And on that day, you will die!”
If killed: His body turns to dust, leaving behind his staff and talisman. However, his body reforms near his hidden phylactery in 1d10 days. Rather than seeking immediate revenge, Acererak prefers to let time kill the adventurers naturally, then make life miserable for their descendants.
Personality
Acererak is arrogant, cruel, and patient. He refers to mortals as “puny” and takes pleasure in their suffering. He creates elaborate deathtraps not just for practical purposes but to mock and torment his victims. His warnings are simultaneously helpful and condescending—he enjoys watching adventurers struggle with puzzles even when given clues.
Despite his immense power, Acererak is not reckless. He abandons fights when injured and plays the long game, knowing that time is his greatest weapon. He collects disciples across the multiverse but shows them little regard, keeping their phylacteries as trophies and leverage.