The Champion's Emerald

"You're rather spritely, little bird. Allow me to clip your wings."

~ Acererak the Eternal, to Zic the Untouchable

The Champion's Emerald, also known as the Chultan Emerald, is a legendary gemstone, believed to contain the undying soul of an ancient aarakocra warrior named Zic the Untouchable. Originally mined in the distant lands of Chult, the emerald was brought to the attention of the scholarly world by its inclusion in 'The Tomb of Horrors', a historical account written by the great elven diviner, Subaru the All-Knowing, in 2402 JR.
According to the diviner's account, the emerald once belonged to a demilich named Acererak the Eternal, an infamous necromancer and multiversal traveller, who is believed to have been born some time during the First Age. As part of his transformation into an demilich, in an attempt to achieve true immortality, Acererak replaced his eyes and teeth with valuable gemstones stolen from exotic lands, using the Chultan emerald to replace his left eye.
The more common name of the gemstone, the 'Champion's Emerald' was coined in 3001 JR by a elven sage named Regho, a researcher of mystical gemstones from the Neverwinter Sages' Guild. It is a reference to the Chultan warrior (a word that is often translated from the Chultan tongue as 'champion') who wore the emerald around his neck until Acererak banished him to the Abyss in 1225 JR and stole the emerald for his own, where it sat in his collection until he began his foul journey into lichdom.
The emerald remained in Acererak's possession until 2005 JR, when Subaru and his companions ventured into the fabled 'Tomb of Horrors', revealing Acererak's resting place and engaging the demilich in a battle to the death. Although Acererak was ultimately defeated in the tomb, the battle was not without its tolls - Subaru's faithful ally, a famed aarakocra warrior named Zic the Untouchable, was defeated by the demilich, and his body was never recovered after the battle.
In the centuries following Acererak's death, however, many historians have focused on Subaru's description of how "the great bird's soul appeared to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into that hoary Chultan emerald". Some have speculated, therefore, that Zic did not actually perish in the battle, but rather that his soul become imprisoned in the gem, and may still be trapped within in. Some have gone as far as to say that, if the emerald is found and recovered, the aarakocra's soul could be set free, releasing his physical body back into the world. 
This is impossible to know for certain, however, as it is not known what happened to the gemstone following Acererak's death; Suburu's account merely states that Acererak's stolen treasures were divided amongst his companions, although it is not detailed exactly how they were divided. The most commonly held theory is that the emerald was taken from the tomb by Lilith the Bastard, a tabaxi nomad with a passion for rare gems who aided in Acererak's defeat. However, few records of Lilith exist past Acererak's death, so the location of the gemstone remains a mystery.

Item type

Jewelry / Valuable

Weight

1 oz

Dimensions

2" x 2"