Azalin Reviews: Darklords Vecna and Kas
Darklord: Vecna Domain: Cavitius Domain Formation: 750 BC Power Level:💀💀💀💀💀 Sources: Vecna Lives! (2e), Vecna Reborn (2e), Die Vecna, Die! (2e), Book of Artifacts (2e), Domains of Dread (2e), Dragon Magazine #402 (4e), Vecna Dossier (5e)
Vecna is known by many names. The Master of the Spider Throne. The Lord of the Rotted Tower. The Maimed God/Lord. The One Named Only in Whispers. The Whispered One. The Dying King. The Undying King. While imprisoned in the Mists of Ravenloft, he was known as the Chained God. Aren’t we all?
The ‘history’ surrounding the lives of those that ascended to godhood are obscured by time, embellishments, and outright lies of their followers. Vecna’s is no different. Likely only Vecna, who holds onto secrets like a miser holds onto copper pieces, knows the full truth in these matters.
Vecna was born on my home world of Oerth. Many powerful wizards hail from Oerth: Mordenkainen, Iggwilv, Acerarak, and myself to name a few, but Vecna was said to be the ‘greatest of all wizards’. Though, his life is said to pre-date the ascendancy of the Suloise Empire, so there weren’t likely many wizards to compare him to at the time.
His origins on Oerth aren’t well known, though new information indicates he was born into the peasantry and studied magic in secret when he was forced into servitude after his mother was exiled for performing ‘dark magics’ e.g., the best kind of Necromancy. Despite this recent glimpse into his life, some believe he is from another plane of existence and others say his Rotted Tower simply sprung out of the deeps of the Lake of Nyr Dyv. More likely he was born and rose to power in more traditional and less fantastical means.
Vecna was a master of the arcane and he conquered entire regions of Oerth by creating armies of the undead, constructs, and mortals subjugated to his will. As city after city fell to Vecna’s might, it was not enough for him for only Vecna’s ego could surpass his arcane prowess. Newer scholars believe Vecna rose up against his Master’s and with the whispered voices of an unknown entity (the Serpent, perhaps?) penned all of his evil into the Book of Vile Darkness. Given some of the ‘feats’ in this book of his, I can confirm that it is aptly named.
How did Vecna become a god? Well, the one truth that remains consistent among the many tales surrounding this lich is he had a lust for power and domination that, regardless of how much he took, he could never satisfy. The Zarovan Vistani tell a tale in which Vecna became obsessed with overcoming death after his dear mother passed. An extreme reaction to the death of a parent, but it seems to be a requirement of lichdom to have parental issues...
In his quest for eternal life, Vecna is said to have bred entire villages purely for the purposes of experimenting on them and that he reshaped the landscape of Oerth with his magics - many claim that it was Vecna who created the Bright Desert. Given he was not even a lich when he apparently accomplished these feats, it is more likely that he caused a bit of a drought once with some ill-conceived weather magic.
Vecna used Necromancy to extend his life as he continued to search for a way to extend it indefinitely. There are some that say Vecna was cursed into lichdom by powers greater than his own to punish his pride and arrogance. Though, if that was the case they should have targeted Mordenkainen by now. There is also the mysterious entity known as the Serpent that speaks directly into Vecna’s mind, revealing to him the secrets of multiverse and perhaps provided him with the knowledge to transform into a lich. This Serpent could exist or it could be a creation of Vecna’s own decaying mind. Perhaps a leftover imaginary friend from when he was a child and no one wished to converse with him? I personally believe he sought lichdom himself and most stories tell how he conducted dark, mysterious rituals to transform himself. I’m sure I am more than familiar with the sort of ritual he performed.
Another name that Vecna should consider donning is The Betrayed Lord of He Who Misplaces his Trust. Many know of Kas’s betrayal, but there was another before him: a wizard Apprentice of his known as Acerarak. With desires to obtain his master’s secrets, Acerarak orchestrated Vecna’s near annihilation at the hands of the priests of Pelor. When the lich was at the brink of destruction, Acerarak made a convenient appearance and saved him.
Acerarak soon stole his Master’s secrets and quickly departed before his treachery was discovered. Seeing what Acerarak became, I think it is easy enough to figure out what sort of secrets he stole from Vecna. You’d be correct in blaming Vecna for any damage the Tomb of Horrors/Annihilation has done to you. Humiliated, Vecna became more obsessed with his secrets, swearing to never make the same mistake again.
Then there was Kas the Bloody-Handed or the Destroyer or ultimately, the Betrayer. Kas rose quickly in the ranks of Vecna’s armies, his merciless violence matching Vecna’s own and eventually he became Vecna’s top lieutenant and adviser. If the lich ever had a friend, it was Kas. The two would spend countless hours scheming together to expand Vecna’s empire. So fond of Kas was Vecna, that he extend his life through necromancy. Something I have granted my most loyal of servants. For what better gift is there than the gift of serving me longer...or even forever?
There are two tales regarding how Kas became a vampire. In one, after he could no longer extend his life, Vecna gifted him with a silver, fanged masked. Upon donning the mask, Kas accepted the gift of immortality as a vampire. In the tales told by Vecna’s loyal followers, Kas became a vampire after the pair were claimed by the Mists. I think it more likely the former tale to be the truth as it shows Vecna misplacing his trust a second time, which would be rather embarrassing for a deity of secrets.
As his empire grew, Vecna relied heavily on Kas. He became the lich’s hand of justice and spokesman. Kas’s word was considered as good as Vecna’s. Still, the lich’s past haunted him and the Paranoid Lord could not fathom anyone having true loyalty to him without ulterior motives.
Vecna crafted a sword for Kas. Bards would have you believe the sword was made from the heart of a frozen star and forged in the flames of a stolen sun. Utter nonsense, of course, but it was a very powerful weapon. The lich infused part of his essence into the blade in order to overhear Kas’s plans and, on occasion, read his very thoughts. Perhaps such mind reading spells were beyond Vecna’s abilities? As that seems like a far simpler method.
Kas gave the sword the very original name of The Sword of Kas. The sword, annoyed by its moniker and having taken on far too much of it’s creator’s personality, desired domination and the hording of secrets. Instead of allowing Vecna access to Kas’s conversations and mind, the sword fooled the lich with false thoughts of loyalty while it influenced Kas to betray him. Yes, the God of Secrets and Magic was fooled by a sword he created.
While Vecna was performing complex rituals to ascend to godhood, the sword convinced Kas to attack and destroy the lich. The two were, by all accounts, evenly matched and in the end the only things left of the pair were Vecna’s left hand and eye and the Sword of Kas. All of these artifacts are said to still exist on Oerth and at times, elsewhere. The Sword is one of the few things that may be able to kill the deity of secrets. The eye and hand of Vecna are incredibly powerful, but to use them is to invite the Whispered One into your very soul. Their use in the past has only resulted in disaster for the welders and more often than not fail them at a crucial moment. Fitting for the lich who was cut down by the sword of his own making (unmaking?) by his ‘loyal’ lieutenant while trying to become a god.
Vecna’s essence roamed in between worlds for decades or centuries depending on the source. Foolish mortals continued to worship the fallen lich allowing Vecna to grow in power and become a demigod. That was not enough for his ego, however, and Vecna wished to reshape Oerth in his own image. Working through an Avatar, Vecna began his campaign of domination anew.
Through his Avatar, Vecna had a strong tie to the Prime Material Plane. If he had been satisfied with mere demigodhood, he would never have had this weakness nor a way for the Dark Powers to claim him. But since Vecna’s ego always demands more, the Mists claimed him and his fortress, the Citadel Cavitius.
In Ravenloft, Vecna seethed and obsessed with escaping, but he was also distracted by the presence of Kas the Betrayer, now the lord of Tovag and just on the other side of the volcanic range known as the Burning Peaks that seperated Vecna's Domain of Cavitus from Kas's. They sent armies against one another, but as Vlad Drakov has yet to figure out, they could do very little damage to one another.
Cavitius encompassed a life draining desert and a single city, the Cavitius Citadel, where the living survived on fear and desperation. For Vecna knew every event, every thought that occurred within the Citadel’s walls. He was said to “fear none of the living” yet his laws essentially amounted to not worshiping Vecna = death. The lich even outlawed the use of magic just in case one of his subjects decided to rise against him. Sounds like he feared mortals quite a bit, actually.
Trapped in the Mists, Vecna was still a demigod. Some of his more potent abilities include being able to cast any wizard or cleric spell, teleport instantly anywhere in his Domain, and reach his followers outside of Ravenloft. Only the most powerful magical weapons can hope to harm Vecna and even if someone manages to destroy him, he eventually rises again.
Vecna did escape Ravenloft, though because of his pride and desire for vengeance against Kas, he failed in his first attempt. The Serpent taught Vecna the Three Words of Creation, which would transcend him into godhood and thereby break free of his prison. He could have done this without bothering with Kas, but instead he attempted to use the Three Words to be reborn in Togav where he could destroy Kas then escape. This plan ultimately failed as a group of adventurer’s stopped him.
As one should, Vecna did not give up hope and made another attempt to escape, this time ignoring Kas. He knew that in order to become a true god he would need to complete a ritual in which he consumed the essence of another demigod. Seeing as there were no other such beings in Cavitius, Vecna created two tablets, shadowed in mystery and lies, that promised the secrets of transcendence. These tablets drew Iuz, the Corpse King, to Vecna. Iuz invaded Cavitius through a portal from Oerth, but instead of finding his own ascension there, he was consumed by Vecna.
Vecna ascended to true godhood and escaped the Mists. He made his way to the City of Doors (Sigil) and as is his nature, attempted to reshape the entire multiverse in his image. Vecna obviously failed as we are not currently living in a world made up entirely of skulls and imaginary snake friends. Though it is only a matter of time before Vecna tries again...
Darklord: Kas Domain: Tovag Domain Formation: 750 BC Power Level:💀💀💀💀 ⚫ Sources: Domains of Dread (2e), Vecna Lives! (2e), Vecna Reborn (2e), Dragon Magazine #402 (2e), Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft (5e)
Kas’s history is tied strongly to Vecna’s for the vampire is little without the lich that created him. Kas was known as the Destroyer and the Bloody-Handed and to Vecna, the Betrayer. In my write up on Vecna, I already addressed how Kas, Vecna’s top lieutenant, betrayed his former Master. Instead of repeating that tale, here focus on Kas as a Darklord.
Kas earned the title “Bloody-Handed” after he assisted Vecna in capturing the city of the lich’s birthplace. There Kas publicly tortured and eventually slaughtered an entire family he randomly selected as a demonstration of his and Vecna’s mercy. Hence, “Bloody-Handed”.
Many thought Kas was destroyed in his legendary battle with Vecna, only leaving behind the Sword of Kas. Other tales indicate he was thrown into a dimensional gate and imprisoned in Vecna’s Citadel Cavitius within a Quassielemental Plane of Ash. It is there they say he was transformed into a vampire. As mentioned previously, other tales NOT told by Vecna’s followers indicate that Kas was transformed into a vampire by Vecna when the lich gifted him with a silver, fanged mask.
Kas became the Darklord of Tovag ultimately to serve as a distraction for Vecna. Holding a demigod, after all, was no easy task even for our ever persistent Tormentors. Unknowingly, Kas played his role to perfection. Kas’s main hope is to reclaim The Sword of Kas for with it be believes he could finally end the lich and conquer Cavitius, though he has much of a chance of doing so as Drakov has in conquering Darkon.
Tovag is a realm of sickly trees and scrub pines that barely survive. Kas’s fortress lies in northern Tovag and the Domain’s only city, Tor Gorak, lies to the south. Kas dwells in Castle Xiphos at the center of the city when not at his fortress. The people of Tovag age at an accelerated rate, coming to maturity at 9 years old. These ‘adult’ children are often trained and enlisted in Kas’s army.
Kas ruled his realm as a military state and his state police known as the “Daggers”, enforced his laws with brutal efficiency. Their only purpose is to make war against Vecna. For even Kas’s Domain is meaningless without Vecna’s presence.
Kas is a skilled warrior and likely the most powerful vampire in the demiplanes for he is free of many of their weaknesses. Holy water, holy symbols, garlic, running water and mirrors have no effect on him. Nor is he confined by having to crawl into a coffin every time the sun rises. If you want to use a stake on him, only one made from a tree that grew in the native soil of Oerth will work on him. Sunlight, however, still remains a deadly threat.
Without Vecna and Cavitius, the Dark Powers have very little need of Kas and Tovag. There are conflicting stories on what became of the vampire after Vecna escaped. Some say he became nothing more than a vestige, a soul existing outside time and space. Others that he became the Darklord of another Domain. And in Van Richten’s new guide, Kas is still the Darklord of Tovag and continues to campaign against the lich who is no longer there. Sending his armies into the Mists, little does he realize that they instantly die then I raise them as zombies and send them to Falkovnia.
