Acererak

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Revision as of 18:13, 1 September 2016 by Chris (talk | contribs) (Binders receive sac gifts as normal. There are no further Void-aligned artifacts after the Pen, but they are eligible to receive non-aligned artifacts.)
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Acererak is the Binder quest nemesis, in dNetHack, Slash'EM Extended, and SLASHTHEM.

Variants

In dNetHack it is possible to have the quest artifact, the Pen of the Void, even before you encounter Acererak. This is because the Pen is also the Binder's first sacrifice gift. Whether the Pen is in the possession of Acererak or of the player, defeating the quest nemesis restores it to its double-bladed form, making it a double damage weapon and increasing the effects of spirits bound into it. Defeating Acererak also teaches you his seal, so you can bind him as a spirit.

In Slash'EM Extended the Pen cannot be received as a sacrifice gift, so it can only be obtained from Acererak.

In SLASHTHEM Acererak guards the new quest artifact, a version of the Hand Mirror of Cthylla. The Pen is relegated to the Binder's first sacrifice gift.

Origin

Acererak comes from the D&D Greyhawk campaign setting. He is a demilich, the main antagonist of the Tomb of Horrors module. His becoming a binding spirit (or "vestige") after his defeat comes from the 3rd edition Tome of Magic.

Players of SLASH'EM and variants derived from it may be interested to learn that he was an apprentice of Vecna.