What was Takhisis' plan for Berem, why did his death closed the portal instead of opening it?

Question

Why was the portal ultimately closed when Berem died on the foundation stone instead of opening it for Takhisis?

Early on the lore when Jasla dies, there is "a chain forged of love" effect that bars Takhisis from using the gate, but when Berem dies in Spring Dawning and he and Jasla are freed, why does the portal closes and the whole temple crumbles? Shouldn't the portal then become open and unobstructed?

Was it because the emerald was destroyed and it was an inherent part of the portal? In that case, why did Takhisis give it to Berem, did she not know yet it would be necessary?

I wonder what was her plan then, to capture him and first remove the gem to get rid of his gift of immortality, be able to kill him so he would take Jasla away from the foundation stone as their spirits go forth into the next plane, and then have the portal unobstructed so she could cross it? But that was basically what happened if not by the completely accidental destruction of the emerald.

I plan to have a chance of my players to actually fail that part, have Takhisis enter Krynn and continue forth from there, but how could she had succeed then? What went wrong?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Here is something interesting I found. In the original DRAGONS OF TRUTH (ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DRAGONLANCE MODULE DL13), the one that had Berem's mission to return to the temple. There are 6 different endings. Here is #5.

5. Berem and His Sister: This is the end of the story given in the novels. In this version, Berem Everman takes the green gemstone down into the depths of the temple of Takhisis and replaces it into the foundation stone. This reunites his soul with that of his sister and makes the temple once more a holy place. Through this act, the gate through which the Queen of Darkness came is shut forever and her influence much diminished in the world. The Dragonarmies turn on one another and disperse to strongholds scattered across Krynn. To succeed, Berem Everman must be brought to the foundation stone in the depths of the temple and press his bare chest and its gem into the stone. - pg.3

When you look at scenario #6

6. Death of the Gem: Contrary to the the version in the books, placing the gem in the foundation stone does not seal the gate. Rather, it permanently opens the gate. It is for this reason that the Queen of Darkness has been looking for the green gemstone man. To succeed, the PCs must discover the gem’s true purpose and destroy it. To do this, the PCs must bring Berem to the Hidden Treasury and break the gem with the stones there. -pg. 3

So it is possible that Takhisis thought scenario 6 was going to play out, when actually scenario 5 happened. The Gods of Krynn seem to be a lot less omnipotent than in other realms.

I also found this timeline, which has no references (dates suggest 2003, it is possible someone was trying to build a custom Dragonlance campaign), but nevertheless has a chronology around the Foundation Stone.

• 3-140 AC: Takhisis finds the Temple of the Kingpriest of Istar in the Abyss.
• 141 AC: The Foundation Stone of the Temple of Istar is planted outside of Neraka, where it eventually forms the Temple, perverted by evil.
• 142-152 AC: The chromatic dragons of Takhisis awaken.
• 157 AC: Berem finds the stone
• 210 AC: Takhisis can no longer use the Foundation Stone as a gate into the world, as it is incomplete. She becomes aware of Berem.

That last entry suggests that Takhisis didn't use the gate very often, and it wasn't until long after she had amusingly cursed Berem with the stone in his chest that she realized something was wrong. So her pursuit of him wasn't to close the portal, but to try and restore it back to the way it was before his interference.

However, the similar question Was the foundation stone an open portal by design, or did Berem open it?, has an answer with contradictory statements between different novels.