Just a few years in the past, I wouldn’t have stated this, however I feel I can actually say that I’m now a confirmed Vecna fan. I by no means disliked Vecna. I first examine Vecna within the AD&D Dungeon Grasp’s Information in 1984, and what little was in there was attention-grabbing, although, so far as evil artifacts go, the Wand of Orcus caught my eye rather more than an outdated wizard’s hand an eye fixed. However inside a couple of years, as I more and more grew to become a fan of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and Ravenloft, and as my pal began working his video games in The World of Greyhawk, Vecna felt like background data from . . . that different setting.
That’s to not say I used to be disinterested in Greyhawk. I performed rangers, paladins, and clerics within the setting, and I’m the form of individual that actually needs to know the world that my character lives in. I used to be significantly thinking about Hextor, Heironeous, Farlangh, and particularly my favourite Greyhawk deity, Celestian, the deity that my first AD&D 2e cleric worshipped. However Vecna was form of that well-known lifeless man. My pal and I have been by no means shy about dropping artifacts in our video games, however the artifacts that had the largest impression on our video games have been the Regalia of Would possibly, the great model of which my half-elf paladin wanted to recuperate to combat in opposition to the champion of evil, who recovered the evil regalia.
Feeling the Hand of Vecna
We by no means delved into the journey Vecna Lives! Nonetheless, as a fan of the Domains of Dread, I used to be conscious that Vecna didn’t appear to be as lifeless as he was beforehand when he garnered his personal area because the setting developed. However by the point Die, Vecna, Die was launched, I used to be on my hiatus from D&D. Once I returned a couple of years later, and commenced spending time on the Forgotten Realms fan website Candlekeep, I discovered that in some way the cosmology of the Realms in D&D third version wasn’t essentially the cosmology of the World of Greyhawk any longer, and finally, I discovered that there could have been a obscure clarification of why that was the case in one of many closing AD&D 2e merchandise printed.
I’m not a proud man. Within the early 2000s, I used to be clawing my manner up in my new profession in retail administration, and I didn’t actually have discretionary funds to do analysis. So, when I discovered a replica of Die, Vecna, Die on the native B. Dalton’s, and I spent most of my lunch hour studying by the journey, attempting to determine what this journey needed to do with D&D 3e cosmology. That’s once I discovered that Vecna, vaguely, was answerable for the D&D multiverse now not sharing the identical cosmological construction. It wasn’t spelled out precisely that manner, but it surely was talked about that every one of these variations between how AD&D 2e presents the universe and the way D&D 3e presents the universe may be traced to Vecna damaging the multiverse when he entered Sigil.
This virtually piqued my curiosity in utilizing Vecna as a multiversal menace . . . besides that Vecna now appeared to have a spot as a full deity within the Greyhawk pantheon. I used to be a bit upset, as a result of it appeared like after graduating to meta-threat of all of D&D existence, Vecna retired to his outdated homeland, and arrange store, pleased to be the God of Secrets and techniques for one Prime Materials aircraft. It might be a short while earlier than Vecna began to worm his manner into my mind. I imply, that’s extra Kyuss’ modus operandi, however you get my level.
Bringing it All Collectively (or Tearing it All Aside)
Talking of Kyuss, in Dungeon Journal 124, The Age of Worms Journey Path started. This was a D&D 3e sequence of adventures, in 12 elements, that took characters from 1st to twentieth degree, ending in a confrontation with the demigod Kyuss. How does this relate to Vecna? Solely tangentially. You see, there was a sequence of conversion paperwork launched for the Age of Worms. These paperwork tied the AP nearer to the World of Greyhawk setting or tailored it for the Forgotten Realms or Eberron.
Within the Forgotten Realms conversion notes, it was closely implied that the god Jergal, former god of Strife and Demise, and present Scribe of the Lifeless, was initially a creature often known as a Spellweaver, who the Netherese worshipped as a god. Spellweavers first appeared in Dragon Journal 163 however managed to get into the AD&D 2e Monstrous Compendiums. Spellweavers have been multi-armed magical creatures whose fundamental bit was that they have been mysterious, had this neat chromatic disk that they carried, and will solid multiple spell at a time.
The place the Spellweavers begin to converge on Vecna begins within the Ecology of the Spellweaver in Dragon Journal 338. That’s the place we discover out that Spellweavers keep in mind a time when all planes have been unified as a single actuality. The Spellweavers final aim is to break down all the multiverse again right into a single actuality, which makes them particularly cross with Vecna, who managed to separate actuality into ever extra iterations.
This was nonetheless only a tangential hyperlink till Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, which confirmed that the Black Obelisks that have been exhibiting up in all the D&D 5e adventures have been artifacts created by the Spellweavers, and that Vecna had used the Obelisks to erase the reminiscence of the Spellweavers from actuality. In D&D 4e, the Spellweavers received a slight title change to only Weavers, which is the title that carries over into D&D 5e and the references in Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Like most issues associated to Vecna, that is much less a definitive little bit of lore than it’s a tantalizing piece of potential vitality. It ties collectively the ideas just like the multiverse initially being much less fractured, in addition to cosmic information getting used to condense and rewrite the foundations of the multiverse to remake it. That is additionally what introduced me again to the concept that Vecna actually is extra of a multiverseal D&D menace, versus a Greyhawk deity that simply occurred to get roped into an enormous storyline that constructed on earlier storylines in AD&D 2e.
The Very Concise Listing of Vecna’s Story
There is no such thing as a manner I’m going to scrape collectively each single reference to Vecna in D&D lore all the way in which again to the start. In actual fact, a few of these sources I might solely discover through a abstract of what was in them, fairly than discovering an out there model of the supply itself. For our functions, right here is the listing of Vecna sources I attempted to choose by to get the data I’m pulling collectively:
- Eldritch Wizardry, 1976
- Superior Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Grasp’s Information, 1979
- Vecna Lives!, 1990
- The E-book of Artifacts, 1993
- Domains of Dread, 1997
- Vecna Reborn, 1998
- Die Vecna Die!, 2000
- Dungeons & Dragons third Version Participant’s Handbook, 2000
- The Residing Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
- Dragon Journal 272, 2000
- Vecna: Hand of the Revenant, 2003
- Dragon Journal 348, 2006
- Dungeons & Dragons 4th Version Dungeon Grasp’s Information, 2008
- Open Grave, 2008
- Dragon Journal 395, 2011
- Dragon Journal 402, 2011
- Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, 2019
- Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, 2020
- The Vecna File, 2022
- Vecna: Eve of Smash, 2024
Somee of this analysis began as a method of stringing collectively varied artifacts associated to Vecna, partly as a result of there are some crucial artifacts related to Vecna that don’t present up in Eve of Smash. A fast rundown of those artifacts appears to be like one thing like this:
- The Hand of Vecna
- The Eye of Vecna
- The Sword of Kas
- The E-book of Vile Darkness
- The Silver Masks of Kas
The E-book of Vile Darkness wasn’t initially an artifact, however as a substitute simply began off as a robust magic merchandise that might increase evil characters that learn it. Vecna wasn’t initially related to The E-book of Vile Darkness however was finally linked to the lore. The emergent story is that a lot of what’s within the E-book of Vile Darkness existed earlier than Vecna, however Vecna gathered the data and sure it right into a single quantity, along with his personal notes and corrections. The Silver Masks of Kas is an artifact that has solely been detailed in D&D 4e Dragon Journal articles, and its fundamental energy appears to be simply remodeling Kas right into a vampire.
Vecna’s Stomping Grounds
There are a couple of places which have come up again and again in Vecna’s story. Some recur extra usually than others, and a few are rather more necessary to very particular elements of Vecna’s tales.
Tovag Baragu
A location on Oerth, Tovag Baragu is a spot of energy with a number of stone arches that can be utilized to entry a number of occasions and realities.
Citadel Cavitius
Vecna’s planar fortress initially described as current within the Aircraft of Ash in a area often known as The Empty Winter. Because the Unfavourable Power Aircraft has been phased out of the 5e cosmology, the Aircraft of Ash is now positioned between the Aircraft of Fireplace and the Aircraft of Earth, which isn’t significantly wintery, and isn’t fairly as liable to sap the life out of dwelling beings. For some time, Citadel Cavitius was inhabited by the planar faction often known as the Doomguard.
Zerth’Advert’Lun
The monastery metropolis of the Githzerai within the Aircraft of Limbo. Whereas the Githzerai are usually not usually related to Vecna, there’s a temple to the God of Secrets and techniques throughout the metropolis.
Cavitius
The Area of Dread was fashioned as Vecna’s kingdom throughout the Shadowfell, taking its title from his planar fortress. It was bordered by Tovag, the Area fashioned as Kas’ kingdom.
Tovag
Tovag was the title of the Area of Dread fashioned for the vampire Kas, bordering Cavitius, the Area of Dread that fashioned round Vecna when the demigod was thrown into the Shadowfell.
The Shadowed Room
Presumably the good location related to Vecna, that is the actual secret assortment of Vecna. The Shadowed Room is a location that’s folded between the corners of the planes, that may be accessed from throughout the multiverse, however provided that somebody is aware of the key of the Rune Dance, a sequence of motions that have to be carried out in a mirror to create the symbols that open the way in which. The Shadowed Room can solely be accessed through this ritual, and it holds all of Vecna’s deepest, darkest secrets and techniques, all of his most harmful books, scrolls, and different sources of knowledge.
Vecna’s Factions
There are a couple of particular factions that exist throughout the multiverse that relate to Vecna, which have come up throughout the historical past of Vecna. That is past the overall cult of Vecna that exists to worship the God of Secrets and techniques.
Keepers of the Forbidden Lore
A corporation of Liches initially fashioned by Vecna to gather harmful secret information. Whereas they ostensibly serve Vecna, their major objective is to lock away essentially the most harmful secrets and techniques of the multiverse, which can even put them at odds with different members of Vecna’s cults.
Scions of Kas
These are vampires that have been turned immediately by Kas, whose skills are barely totally different than commonplace vampires. They lack the power to command others, however they’re devoted to subverting the machinations of Vecna’s cult every time they encounter it.
The Whisper of Worry
Whereas all cults of Vecna are secretive, these discovered on the world of Oerth usually tend to have been handed on attributable to custom, whereas another cults have originated on worlds the place the Hand or the Eye have traveled, by rigorously subverting those who have discovered the artifacts.
Vecna’s Studying Room
There are a variety of books, scrolls, and different works which have been related to Vecna, or with Vecna’s followers. Right here’s a couple of of those who got here up in the middle of this analysis.
The E-book of Vile Darkness
That is the large one, and as I discussed above, that is the one which wasn’t initially related to Vecna or thought of an artifact. Now it’s Vecna’s Large E-book of Evil that he’s compiled to be the definitive work on the topic. Whereas the E-book of Vile Darkness is an artifact, present lore has talked about that there are lesser copies that aren’t fairly at artifact degree.
The E-book of Retaining
A ebook with varied strategies associated to summoning and controlling fiends, mostly Yugoloths. The ebook has a number of true names and bargaining strategies, and rumor has it that there are deliberately misguided variations of this ebook in circulation, whereas varied cults of Vecna retain annotated copies detailing the errors within the different copies in circulation.
The Tome of Shared Secrets and techniques
A ebook that’s famous as being a lesser artifact, this ebook shares data on how you can defeat any creature in actuality, however at the price of draining the well being of the individual studying the ebook, who should shed blood on the ebook to be able to learn it. Finally, somebody drained of all life by the ebook has their soul claimed by Vecna.
The Scroll of Mauthereign
A supply cited a number of occasions within the 4e period of Vecna lore, the Scroll of Mauthereign is a useful resource that particulars among the secrets and techniques of Vecna’s faith, written by an historic cultist of the religion.
Odd Necromancy
An early ebook of Necromancy magic written by Vecna, which accommodates among the earliest spells researched by Vecna when he was nonetheless a mortal.
The E-book of Kings
One other lesser artifact related to Vecna’s library, The E-book of Kings can present data on any ruler that the reader envisions, however at the price of doubtlessly damaging their thoughts. The E-book of Kings could reveal a false ruler by offering clean pages when the ruler is envisioned.
Compendium Imortale Magica Malifica
An historic ebook sure in human flesh that particulars the method by which a spellcaster can turn into a lich. As well as, it features a spell that enables a necromancer to make use of music to enthrall current undead not underneath their management.
The Books of the Bretheren
A sequence of books compiled by Vecna, detailing each spell encountered by Vecna and his cultists. These can be utilized to disclose new spells to spellcasters that haven’t but encountered that spell, in addition to permitting wizards to repeat new spells from them.
Vecna and Mates
There are a variety of well-known characters which have been named throughout varied editions of D&D which might be related to Vecna. A few of these characters embrace the next:
Kas the Betrayer
This one is fairly apparent. Kas is Vecna’s former right-hand one that turned on him, beginning the entire ongoing cycle of their story.
Orcus, Prince of the Undead
In some variations of Vecna’s story, Vecna hung out with Orcus, studying among the secrets and techniques of the Demon Prince of the Undead.
Asmodeus, King of the Hells
Vecna has additionally been related to Asmodeus, Lord of the 9, Ruler of the Hells. We’ll get into this a bit bit extra after we speak about The Serpent.
Acererak
The half-fiend necromancer Acererak was an apprentice to Vecna. In some tales, Acererak organized for Vecna to be ambushed in order that Acererak might save him, and thus ingratiate himself with Vecna. There have been references to Acererak being related to a secret cosmic energy in some sources which will have been retconned right into a connection to Vecna. For what it’s price, Gygax by no means related Acererak with Vecna, since Vena wasn’t considered one of his creations. However that’s life in a shared IP.
Faluzure
The twin-aspected dragon god Null manifests because the Reaver and the Guardian of the Misplaced. The Reaver is the being often known as Faluzure, and in D&D 4e, Faluzure is cited as an Exarch of Vecna, i.e. a demigod serving a extra highly effective deity. This might play into a few of Vecna’s third version lore, which cited that Vecna manipulates one other deity whose secrets and techniques he has realized.
Vocar the Disobedient
An informant of doubtful sanity that resides within the metropolis of Sigil, Vocar the Disobedient is a former servant of Vecna that betrayed his grasp when he was overseeing a ritual through the occasions of Vecna Reborn.
Mazzel
Mazzel is a personality that was launched in Vecna: Hand of the Revenant. She was Vena’s mom, an enslaved lady who realized magic from The Serpent to strike again at her oppressors and handed on her information of The Serpent to her son. Her soul was obliterated from existence, which is the price of utilizing the secrets and techniques realized from The Serpent.
Mok’Slyk, The Serpent
The Serpent could or could not exist and will or will not be the guise of one other creature. The Serpent was first launched in Vecna Reborn, because the creature that Vecna believes he has realized the secrets and techniques of the multiverse from, which permit him to interrupt cosmic guidelines. Hand of the Revenant launched the concept that Vecna was launched to The Serpent by his mom. Totally different sources have implied or said that The Serpent was a cosmic being from earlier than the beginning of the present multiverse, a guise utilized by Asmodeus, who’s, himself, extra than simply an historic archdevil, or a hallucination that Vecna now ascribes because the supply of among the secrets and techniques that he has realized.
Arkhan the Merciless
Arkhan the Merciless is a Crimson Dragonborn Oathbreaker Paladin devoted Tiamat, and the character of actor Joe Manganiello. Arkhan the Merciless appeared within the climax of Essential Function, marketing campaign one, whereas Vox Machina was combating Vecna, because the archlich was making an attempt to realize godhood.
Pulling it All Collectively
Now I’m going to attempt to put collectively a historical past of Vecna from all of those sources. It’s price maintaining in thoughts a couple of issues. First, a number of elements of Vecna’s historical past have concerned rewriting actuality and altering time, that means that what’s true “now” could not have been true initially. It’s additionally been advised over the course of a number of D&D editions, a few of which have been roughly involved with sustaining continuity from earlier editions.
Vecna: Hand of the Revenant is now not in print, and whereas it was a licensed product, it wasn’t a D&D sourcebook, or perhaps a novel or different fiction supply immediately printed by Wizards of the Coast. Moreover, a few of Vecna’s more moderen lore will get a bit bit muddied by brushing up in opposition to popular culture, particularly having some “canon” sources influenced by “non-canon” sources, i.e. the occasions of marketing campaign considered one of Essential Function.
Within the Starting
Most sources agree that Vecna was a mortal being that carved out a kingdom on the world of Oerth, and that finally Vecna grew to become a lich. Vecna has a lieutenant, Kas, to whom Vecna has entrusted a magical sword. Kas betrays Vecna, utilizing the sword to destroy the lich, and purportedly, the one factor that is still from the ultimate battle is the Hand and Eye of Vena, and the Sword of Kas.
In early D&D historical past, there was no indication that there was something left of Kas or Vecna, however the rivalry between Kas and Vecna could also be replayed by these possessed by the artifacts. However it didn’t take lengthy for D&D lore to reintroduce Vecna and Kas as energetic characters within the D&D narrative.
There are contradictory tales about Kas, which portrays him as a paladin who was later corrupted, a mercenary, an murderer, or an formidable soldier who was all the time obsessive about energy. Meaning in some tales Kas was in control of a lot of Vecna’s forces, whereas in different tales, Kas is simply Vecna’s bodyguard and murderer, necessary, however not in control of a lot. There are additionally conflicting tales about when Kas turns into a vampire. In some model of the story, Kas was already a vampire when he began working for Vecna, in different variations, Vecna turned Kas right into a vampire, and in nonetheless different tales, Kas grew to become a vampire after is betrayal of Vecna. Equally, Kas could have welcomed turning into a vampire, was betrayed by Vecna, or grew to become a vampire attributable to spending an excessive amount of time within the hostile-to-the-living Citadel Cavitius.
Fifth version sources even battle on a couple of issues. Our fundamental sources are the Vecna File, a digital solely useful resource out there by D&D Past at one time, and Vecna: Eve of Smash. Kas both deliberately lower off Vecna’s hand and lower out his eye, or the Eye and Hand survived the large explosion that ended the battle.
The Sword of Kas, which is an clever sword that Vecna created from the center of a dying star (that’s all the time a badass description), is claimed to have satisfied Kas to betray his grasp. Then again, the Vecna File implies that it could have been the supply of Vecna’s secrets and techniques that whispered to Kas, implying that The Serpent could have been the supply of Kas’ treasonous ideas.
Vecna: Eve of Smash provided the historical past that Vecna and Kas have been associates whereas each have been dwelling, and that they have been drawn to at least one one other attributable to their mutual ambition and lack of morals. I’d argue that from the paintings in that ebook, Vecna and Kas had a romantic curiosity in each other, which truly makes all the ardour of the betrayal and millennia lengthy size of the rivalry make extra sense, together with the wild element of Vecna maintaining a dying knight readily available to fake to be a repentant Kas.
Taking a Step Again
Nothing in fifth version appears to be like again to Vecna’s childhood, however Hand of the Revenant casts Vecna’s origin as being considerably sympathetic. Vecna is born enslaved, and his mom has realized to make use of the ability of The Serpent to provide herself a point of energy over her personal future. Vecna’s mom is killed by the rulers of their homeland, which begins Vecna down his path of vengeance and domination.
As Vecna begins to construct his forces, Acererak, a half-fiend necromancer that was as soon as sure to serve Orcus, transfers his fealty to Vecna. Finally Vecna recruits Kas to steer his armies, and so they conquer Vecna’s homeland. It’s doable if you wish to reconcile this with the fifth version lore, that Vecna simply makes his friendship/relationship with Kas right into a extra official alliance as his temporal energy grew.
It’s doable that The Serpent is an actual entity that Vecna’s mom taught him to contact, but it surely’s additionally doable that the dying of Vecna’s mom had an impact on his sanity, and his mom’s perception within the existence of The Serpent was one thing Vecna latched onto.
It’s clear that sooner or later, Vecna grew to become extra formidable than simply ruling an Oerthly realm. There are conflicting tales about Vecna creating Citadel Cavitius, or if The Serpent advised Vecna the place to seek out an current extraplanar fortress. Some variations of the story say that Kas spent a lot time in Cavitius that he grew to become a vampire, however why he would particularly flip right into a vampire over different types of undead extra intently related to unfavorable vitality isn’t actually explored.
It’s doable to view both Kas’ willingness to remain in a fortress inimical to the dwelling or being keen to be was a vampire by accepting the Masks of Kas, as a part of Vecna and Kas’ shut relationship. Vecna needs Kas with him endlessly, now that he’s a lich. Kas needs to be with Vecna endlessly, now that Vecna is immortal. I feel all of that performs higher than Kas being unwillingly turned.
The Betrayal
An attention-grabbing side of all of that is that Kas’ betrayal isn’t proven to return from Kas, himself. Both the Sword of Kas satisfied him to betray Vecna, or perhaps The Serpent begins to whisper to Kas, and persuade him to strike. That has the impact of casting Kas, irrespective of how reprehensible he could also be, as considerably sympathetic.
Vecna is definitely upset with Kas for not being robust sufficient to withstand temptation, fairly than truly turning on Vecna. However Kas, as soon as the betrayal occurs, is totally keen to proceed thwarting Vecna’s plans and making an attempt to destroy him. Does that imply Kas would have betrayed him, and regardless of the voice was simply pushed that alongside? Or does that imply that Kas is so upset over Vecna’s willingness to desert Kas that Kas is now keen to desert Vecna.
Solely Principally Lifeless
Whereas Vecna and Kas could or could not have continued to exist in some type based mostly on the AD&D 1e data on them, pretty early on in AD&D 2e we be taught that Vecna has maintained a cult on Oerth since his destruction. Haldemar the Merciless has acquired the Hand and Eye of Vecna and engages the Circle of Eight. Vecna manifests from his possessed servant and kills off all the well-known wizards.
With out recounting all the Vecna Lives beat for beat, Vecna nonetheless exists, Kas nonetheless exists, and Vecna is utilizing the portals at Tovag Baragu to tug his servants from the previous into the current. Kas helps the PCs in that journey learn to mess with Vecna, Vecna and Iuz the Evil, the demigod son of Iggwilv and Graz’zt have a knockdown, drag out combat, and the PCs can mess with the runes at Tovag Baragu, turning considered one of Vecna’s temporal portal right into a random passage to a different aircraft of existence, banishing Vecna.
This established that Vecna and Kas nonetheless exist, and Vecna has an current cult. Moreover, it established Vecna as somebody not simply attempting to take over the world however doing bizarre issues with actuality like pulling allies from the previous utilizing temporal portals. For years, the place Vecna went was a thriller, however finally, towards the top of AD&D 2e, we received a rapid-fire set of solutions.
Vecna: Cosmic Rulebreaker
The third(!) iteration of the Ravenloft marketing campaign setting, the Domains of Dread hardcover, added new areas and darklords to the setting. When Vecna was thrown by that changed temporal portal, he landed within the Domains of Dread (which have been solely within the starting stage when the earlier journey was printed). This was an attention-grabbing alternative on the time, as a result of Vecna was portrayed as a demigod, attributable to his cult, in Vecna Lives, and we had not but seen one thing on the extent of a demigod as a prisoner of the Darkish Powers.
Kas was additionally pulled into the Domains of Dread and given his personal neighboring realm to Vecna’s. That is including context after the very fact, however wow does that “all the time close to, by no means touching” theme match with them being former lovers.
Not too lengthy after this new hardcover got here out, the journey Vecna Reborn was printed. Vecna has a plan to be reborn, and perhaps technically subvert the desire of the Darkish Powers and escape. Vecna is planning on actually being reborn to the daughter of considered one of his cult members, the above talked about Vocar the (finally) Disobedient. That is the journey that actually begins to introduce the ideas of Vecna’s secrets and techniques permitting him to cheat the foundations of the cosmos, and likewise introduces his perception in The Serpent and his hidden, hyper-planar Shadowed Room.
This builds on the concept that Vecna was messing with time in Vecna Lives. Vecna messes with time. Vecna is aware of how you can entry elements of the planes that he shouldn’t have the ability to entry (the Shadowed Room). Vecna is a “particular case,” as a demigod trapped in a spot that usually doesn’t lure demigods. Between the Hand and Eye of Vecna being carried to different planes of existence (explicitly talked about within the E-book of Artifacts), this actually casts Vecna as somebody that belongs to the broader idea of D&D, not simply Greyhawk. That is undoubtedly applicable for the broader meta-setting period of TSR, with Spelljammer, Ravenloft, and Planescape unifying a number of marketing campaign settings.
Breaking THE Rule
Gods, not even demigods, can enter Sigil. It’s town on the middle of the multiverse, and the Woman of Ache gained’t stand for it. Having management of the Metropolis of Doorways whereas additionally being possessed of the ability of a god, theoretically, a god might impose their will throughout all the planes that Sigil touches. However fortunately, gods simply can’t enter the Metropolis of Doorways.
However, not so quick.
TSR was no stranger to utilizing main occasions to herald the transition from one algorithm to a different. The Time of Troubles within the Forgotten Realms was meant to elucidate the distinction between the first version guidelines to the AD&D 2e guidelines, and Destiny of Istus was meant to do the identical for the World of Greyhawk. Dragons of Summer season Flame did one thing comparable for Dragonlance, transitioning that setting from the AD&D 2e guidelines to the Saga guidelines.
Wizards of the Coast had bought D&D from TSR, and in 2000, the transition from AD&D 2e to D&D third version was about to occur. Die Vecna Die was an journey that was meant to have the ability to clarify the transition to the brand new ruleset. Not solely have been the foundations altering between AD&D 2e and D&D 3e, however settings like Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms have been now meant to have fully separate cosmologies. The 9 Hells that connects to Greyhawk wasn’t going to be the 9 Hells that connect with the Forgotten Realms, for instance.
Vecna’s plan on this journey goes one thing like this:
- Shed godhood to allow you to slide underneath the Darkish Powers radar
- Return to Greyhawk
- Bait Iuz the Evil right into a combat
- Gather Iuz’s godly essence, however don’t soak up it but
- Enter Sigil with Iuz’s godly essence in a container
- Take in Iuz’s godly essence whereas in Sigil, turning into a god within the Metropolis of Doorways
- Rebuild the multiverse with Vecna as its major god
With the assistance of Kas, the PCs collect another physique elements of Vecna, and bypass his boundaries in Sigil, permitting them to combat him head to head, weakening him sufficient that the Woman of Ache can expel him from town. However even when the PCs win, the journey mentions that the multiverse has been broken and is now splintered in a manner that it was not earlier to Vecna’s entry to Sigil.
As soon as once more, we get Vecna proving to be a menace to the multiverse, not only a singular deity tied to a single setting. The concept Vecna has touched a number of planes of existence continues to return up from this level on.
Filling in Some Particulars
Whereas Vecna is expelled from Sigil, going into D&D 3e, Vecna is a full deity with a extra broadly acknowledged church on Oerth. From the Dragon Journal articles fleshing out Vecna’s faith, we discover out that just a few remoted creatures throughout the aircraft, creatures normally assumed to have misplaced their minds, do not forget that Vecna could have entered Sigil and broken the multiverse. In order that’s not frequent information, but it surely’s nonetheless one thing that “technically” occurred.
That is a kind of occasions that altered time, nonetheless, so whereas it occurred, it additionally implies that any lore glitches and even issues that D&D designers need to ignore from earlier editions, didn’t occur. It’s not completely not like Disaster on Infinite Earths for DC Comics, at the least for about 20 years after that occasion. Folks know one thing occurred, however only a few individuals keep in mind particulars, or the earlier timeline.
Regardless of this large occasion, and these large developments, the way in which D&D settings have been divided into separate cosmologies, it was truly a step again for Vecna as a cosmic menace. He hit the large time, threatened all of actuality, and now simply lives in his childhood residence. That’s about to vary, form of.
The Version Between Editions
Vecna and Kas don’t actually do a lot in third and 4th version lore, however they’ve loads of lore added to them. D&D 4e is the version that redefined the Domains of Dread as particular supernatural prisons that exist throughout the Shadowfell, fairly than current withing a very large and large ranging demiplane. On this context, we discover out that Kas nonetheless has his personal Area of Dread, the area of betrayers, the place he’s trapped. We do be taught that he has a community of vampires that reply to him. Not less than, that’s what we be taught towards the start of 4e.
By the top of D&D 4e, Kas appears to be freed from the Domains of Dread, trying to find Vecna to get his revenge. D&D 4e lore is a bit fuzzier about truly mentioning that Vecna has ever been trapped in his personal Area of Dread.
One other growth of D&D 4e is the creation of the “type of” marketing campaign setting of the Nentir Vale. The setting by no means actually will get its personal title, however loads of default D&D lore begins to outline the setting that isn’t a setting. A type of particulars is that Vecna is a deity on this setting, taking him past his existence solely as a deity on Oerth. The Daybreak Conflict pantheon, because it typically will get referred to as, was a “biggest hits” of D&D deities from a number of settings, and Vecna made the lower.
Whereas these organizations don’t originate within the 4e timeline, that is the version that introduces that vampires descended from Kas, in addition to the traditional order of Vecna’s contemporaries that journey the planes in search of harmful secrets and techniques to cover away from the multiverse.
Relating to the cosmos, we don’t actually have a great clarification for why, however the cosmology is a bit more unified, at the least between the “default” setting and the Forgotten Realms.
The Forgotten Realms merged with one other world that was as soon as a part of the setting, and varied knock on results meant that among the planar construction of the “Nice Tree” collapse, dumping godly domains into the Astral aircraft and reorganizing the Elemental Planes. From right here, it’s not too exhausting to see how the Realms “rejoined” the nice wheel after the Sundering, the occasion that “unmerged” Toril from its sister planet, however there isn’t a lot of an evidence of why it appears that evidently Toril, Oerth, and even Krynn are all a part of the identical planar cosmology once more. A part of it is because Krynn and Oerth by no means make an look in 4e D&D.
Regardless, Kas was within the Domains of Dread, however isn’t anymore. There are vampires that work for Kas. Kas was deliberately was a vampire by Vecna. Vecna has historic cultists that won’t play good along with his different cultists. And all of them journey the planes. Vecna is transferring again into that “cosmic menace” territory.
Did That Simply Occur
There is a vital Vecna “occasion” that isn’t official. All by the primary marketing campaign of the streaming present Essential Function, the cult of the Whispered One exhibits up once in a while, most notably when tied to main sequence villains, the Briarwoods.
In canon D&D materials, there’s a little little bit of a nod towards the concept that Vecna’s multiversal journey “seeded” him on a number of worlds. This was primarily meant as an evidence for who Vecna is if you wish to use the Hand and Eye of Vecna in your Forgotten Realms marketing campaign, however need to preserve the settings of Toril and Oerth separate within the 3e period.
In the actual world, Essential Function used a mix of Pathfinder and Daybreak Conflict pantheon gods for his or her residence sport, which implies Vecna was current within the setting. Technically meaning a model of Vecna was “seeded” in Exandria, following a semi-similar path, turning into a demigod that created his personal cult, after which making an attempt to ascend to godhood.
Kas by no means actually performs a job on this model of Vecna’s story, however Akhan the Merciless, Joe Manganiello’s participant character, visitor stars in Essential Function, and when he exhibits up for the ultimate battle, Arkhan runs off with the Hand of Vecna, which ought to simply be a neat background element, besides that it received written into First rate into Avernus in 2019, together with a reputation drop of the world of Exandria, that means {that a} model of all of that did, form of, occur in WotC 5e lore.
Then and Now
As talked about above, the cosmology of D&D 5e is extra unified than it has been since AD&D 2e. Even when individuals on totally different planes name them various things, a lot of the D&D worlds connect with the identical planes of existence. Just a few planes don’t exist anymore, however the planar construction is one thing that includes a bit of 4e and loads of 2e.
Vecna is talked about as a deity each within the Daybreak Conflict pantheon, reprinted within the 5e DMG, and within the listing if Greyhawk deities within the Participant’s Handbook. The Hand and Eye of Vecna, the Sword of Kas, and the E-book of Vile Darkness are all firmly linked to Vecna’s lore.
A development in D&D 5e is that some threats don’t keep in a single place within the multiverse, and a few issues that we could not have been the identical are literally the identical now. For instance, Tiamat and Bahamut are the identical deities as Takhisis and Paladine from Dragonlance. Acererak units up store in Chult on Toril, and the Elemental Evil cults from Greyhawk have chapters within the Sword Coast north.
All through many D&D adventures within the 5e period, there are references to black obelisks. We gained’t get a solution as to what these may be till 2020, in Rime of the Frostmaiden, the place we be taught that the obelisks have been created by the Weavers, creatures making an attempt to merge all of actuality right into a single aircraft of existence, and that Vecna has subverted these obelisks to erase all information of the Weavers from existence.
So we’re setting the stage that Vecna is messing with individuals’s recollections on a cosmic scale, and that he’s accessing obelisks that have been created as a device of creatures making an attempt to merge actuality right into a single aircraft. Studying that Vecna: Eve of Smash was going to be popping out in 2024, this felt like a construct up for a significant payoff.
What Would possibly Have Been (Spoilers for Vecna: Eve of Smash)
Vecna: Eve of Smash does present Vecna making an attempt to rebuild the multiverse in his personal picture as soon as once more. It doesn’t repay on any of the construct up with the obelisks or incorporate the lore of the weavers. The most important long run payoff that we get is that Kas was set unfastened from the Domains of Dread to carry Vecna again “residence” to the Darkish Powers.
We additionally know that, regardless of not being a member of Toril’s pantheon of gods, Vecna’s cult shouldn’t be solely energetic within the Forgotten Realms (not a shock, given earlier lore on the cult), however there are consultants on Vecna within the Forgotten Realms that assume individuals know sufficient about Vecna that his knowledgeable standing would make him suspect (which is a bit stranger given what we find out about Vecna and gods being worshipped within the Realms).
Tiamat’s inclusion does introduce some questions. If the PCs find yourself encountering her within the journey, she’s truly on board with the PCs to get on the market and cease Vecna, fairly than obliterating them together with her breath weapon or consuming them. However her look is a reminder that the canon proprietor of the Hand of Vecna, her devoted paladin Arkhan, doesn’t present up within the journey.
This may very well be the consequence of Joe Manganiello’s tried manufacturing of a Dragonlance tv sequence, which WotC, or Hasbro, had no real interest in pursuing. That will most likely put a damper on the inclusion of his character within the journey. It could even be why the Eye doesn’t seem, as nicely, to keep away from any reference to both artifact.
The assumed ending of Eve of Smash sees Vecna thrown again into Oerth, in a way much like what occurred on the finish of Die Vecna Die. Till we see what Wizard of the Coast has in thoughts for his or her presentation of Greyhawk within the 2024 Dungeon Grasp’s Information, we gained’t know the way tied to Greyhawk they intend Vecna to be.
Free Ends
There are a couple of locations the place Eve of Smash might have dovetailed with earlier lore on Vecna, to the extent that I truly marvel in the event that they weren’t imagined to be extra explicitly tied to different features of Vecna’s lore. For instance:
- Kas’ Masks–whereas it was by no means famous as having disguise properties, it’s largely undefined, and Kas’s disguise manifesting artifact might have simply been this merchandise
- The E-book of Kings–given {that a} character in Eve of Smash is aware of that Lord Neverember isn’t of the royal line of Neverwinter, this may have been an awesome place to introduce this Cult of Vecna associated merchandise because the supply of that data
- Vocar the Disobedient–since he’s been established as being a resident of Sigil, and has been used as an informant character earlier than, it will have been nice to have among the data wanted in Eve of Smash dropped by Vecna’s untrue servant
- The Serpent–It’s unusual that the Vecna File alludes to the Serpent, however there’s zero Serpent content material in Eve of Smash
- The E-book of Vile Darkness–given the Vecna File’s addition to Vecna’s look, along with his internalized E-book of Vile Darkness holding ribcage, it appears very unusual that this element by no means exhibits up as a component of Eve of Smash
- The Weavers–why tie these creatures on to Vecna and Vecna’s capability to affect recollections on a cosmic scale and not using a payoff? This might truly clarify why so few beings are performing in opposition to Vecna in Eve of Smash
I’ve talked about Eve of Smash and among the strangeness of its omissions, so I don’t need to belabor one thing I’ve posted weblog posts and carried out podcasts on prior to now. I’m right here to have a look at how Vecna can play as a multiversal menace that transcends setting. So, right here’s what we nonetheless have in play for D&D gamers to make use of:
- Kas–even when the PCs defeated him, he’s survived worse, and we don’t know if he was reclaimed by the Darkish Powers, or if he’s nonetheless on the market, attempting to reclaim Vecna
- The Scions of Kas–even when Kas is finished for, we haven’t seen any 5e appearances of Kas’s “kids,” who’re ripe for exhibiting up in multiplanar tales
- The Keepers of Forbidden Lore–How cool would it not be to have a company of liches, liches related to Vecna, truly be working with the PCs to safe some harmful magic?
- Books, Books, Books–I like “named” books, particularly if they could have some gravitas on a planar scale, so title dropping among the tomes related to Vecna is a good way to maintain his shadow on the marketing campaign
- The Shadowed Room–in case you get nothing else from all the Vecna lore herein, I actually hope somebody thinks the Shadowed Room is as cool as I feel it’s. It’s simply begging for use as the one place the PCs can discover some data, placing them on the trail to find out about how you can carry out the Rune Dance to entry the place
That is most likely the longest weblog put up I’ve ever put collectively. Ought to I’ve damaged it up? Most likely. Might I cease myself as soon as I received on a roll? No, not likely. I hope that is worthwhile for anybody that took the time to get so far within the put up. The extra I discovered about Vecna, the extra fascinating he grew to become as an artifact of what D&D is all about. I hope you are feeling the identical manner, and in case you don’t that you just at the least discover one thing attention-grabbing in all of this.
