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InDungeons & Dragons, there exists different modules, adventures that you can pick up, read, and run. One of those is a book titled Tomb of Annihilation. But the Tomb of Annihilation, as you can imagine, is a location that the players seek out and attempt to traverse without losing their lives.
But what is the Tomb Of Annihilation? And how did it come to be? Here is the history of the place that takes center stage in this ruthless pre-made campaign of the same name. So grab your adventuring gear as we spelunk through the lore of this dark lair housing a twisted heritage.
What Is The Tomb Of Annihilation?
The Tomb of Annihilation, described in the D&D Fifth Edition book of the same name, is a place thatfew people even know exists.
It’s in the city of Omuand is a lethal location. So few adventurers know about it becauseeveryone who has entered has never been seen or heard from again— spooky stuff to say the least.
It has a second name that hints at why this place is seen as such a hostile location. That name isthe Tomb of the Nine Gods. But this still does nothing to describe what it is like inside or how this dreadful place came to be.
Who Created The Tomb Of Annihilation?
Acererak, an archlich, slew thenine trickster gods of Omu, thus the name the Tomb of the Nine Gods. These Gods are:
Acererak enslaved the people of Omu,forcing them to build this tomb. And as thanks,he tested the death trap he had them create within the tomb on them.
If that wasn’t enough, some of the slaves were thenturned into undead guardians and flesh golemswhose purpose after death wasto protect the tomb in Acererak’s absence.
In addition to theseDIY monsters that stalk the hallsand protect the tomb, Acererak alsobrought back beasts and creatureshe encountered during his travels,filling different chambers with themso that they may serve as additional protection for the tomb.
What Is The Tomb Like And What Purpose Does It Serve?
It is mentioned that the tomb hasdiffering styles of architecture. This is due to Acererak traveling through the planes and the cosmos. Whenever he returned to the tomb, he wouldadd to its traps, vaults, and monsterswho guard the structure.
The module breaks down various features of the tomb, bringing it to life in the minds of players.12-foot high ceilingsin most of the tomb,six different levelsfilled with chambers and deadly trials. But why?
Not only was it tohouse the remains of the nine godshe slayed, but the tomb was designedto trap and kill anyone foolish enough to enter it. The souls of those killed within its earthen walls were thenfed to his phylactery.
In D&D, a lich keeps their soul in a phylactery, an item that is then hidden and protected. As long as the phylactery remains,the lich can continue coming back to life, keeping them from being killed.
That was until Acererak discovered an atropal which he fed necrotic energy to untilit became a diety of death. However, this foul god needed to continue to feed on souls. Acererak thought to himself, you know what? Why notstrike a deal with the Sewn Sisters?
Thiscoven of three hagsagreed to help Acererak, and together, they created something known asthe Soulmongerthat allowed his new pet atropal tofeed on the dying souls of the world.
As you may have guessed,the Tomb Of Annihilation was the perfect place to house this new deity.
So, in essence, this horrid tomb not only housesthe corpses of nine gods, but it is also meant tokill everyone who enters, and is nowthe home sweet home to a death god.
If you’re a DM looking to run a deadly campaign that is meant to greatly challenge your players, you may eitherrun the Tomb of Annihilation module, orbring this location to your campaign.
This information, as well as more details about the traps and encounters that are housed within the tomb, can be found starting onpage 125 of the Tomb of Annihilation module.
