Vecna

The Arch-Lich, Master of the Spider Throne, the Whispered One, NE God of Destructive and Evil Secrets

Symbol: Left hand clutching an eyeball
Home Plane: Material Plane
Alignment: Neutral evil
Portfolio: Secrets, intrigue
Worshipers: Wizards, sorcerers, conspirators
Cleric Alignments: CE, LE, NE
Domains: Evil, Knowledge, Magic
Favored Weapon: Dagger

Vecna (VEK-nah) was a terrifying and evil Flan lich-king who gained a foothold on godhood thousands of years ago. Betrayed by his lieutenant Kas, the Whispered One disappeared from Oerth, leaving behind his legend and his two great artifacts, the Eye and Hand of Vecna. He recently became a lesser god after freeing himself from an extraplanar prison and now plots the destruction of all other gods so that he may take Oerth for himself. He has a great hatred for Iuz and is hated and feared by other deities. His symbol is a left hand clutching a human eye.

Appearance, Manifestations

Vecna is usually depicted as a powerful lich missing his left hand and eye. Sometimes he is depicted with withered, mummified flesh; other times he is depicted as a being of bare bone, with not a trace of skin remaining.

Relationships & History

Vecna has few allies, and countless enemies. His greatest, and perhaps only true ally is the mysterious entity known as the Serpent. The famed cambion lich Acererak once served Vecna, but the current status of their relationship is unknown.
Among Vecna's staunchest foes are Kas, Iuz, and the Circle of Eight. The Lady of Pain once opposed him indirectly, through a party of adventurers.
Vecna is opposed by the Old Faith and the Silent Ones.
Among Vecna's most notable servants are Gusten the Blood-Fiend, Sir Loran, and the death knight calling himself Kas the Bloody-Handed.
Vecna learned the ritual of lichdom from Orcus, Demon Prince of the Undead.

Dogma

No matter how powerful a being is, there exists a secret that can destroy him. In every heart is a seed of darkness hidden from all others; find that evil seed, and your enemies are undone. Strength and power come if you know and control what others dare not show. Never reveal all that you know, or your enemies will take your seed, too.

Worshipers, Clergy & Temples

Vecna's cult is very secretive, and cells have been uncovered, at various points in history, in Diamond Lake, Greyhawk, Saltmarsh, and Verbobonc. Temples to Vecna have also been reported in the Pomarj town of Highport and Erelhei-Cinlu, the debased city at the heart of the Vault of the Drow.
Clerics of Vecna often don't realize which god they're serving when they're first initiated. Many are carefully groomed and often believe they are joining an obscure sect of some knowledge god, and are only told the truth when they show their willingness to do anything in pursuit of knowledge and power. The truth is not revealed to them until they show their willingness to do anything in the pursuit of knowledge and power.
Vecna's clerics amass knowledge and secrets by any means necessary. They are spies, blackmailers and corrupters, using the knowledge they gain to hold power over others. They work to corrupt and destablize nations by turning the rulers or his advisors. The clerics of Vecna seek The Hand and Eye of Vecna, as well as the evil power they grant.

Clergy and Temples

Vecna’s clerics subvert governments, seduce good folk to evil, and plot the eventual control of the world. Naturally, these plans mean that their lives are forfeit if they are discovered, and they are very secretive to prevent this. They can be found in any part of the world, spreading evil or looking for documents or items that date back to their master’s ancient empire. Of particular interest are their master’s relics (his hand and eye), which have once again been lost. Black and red are their favored colors.
Vecna’s priesthood is made up of isolated cells of cultists who seek dark, arcane secrets to further their evil schemes. Temples to Vecna serve as bases and safe houses for his clerics. They are always well-hidden and warded against unauthorized entry. They usually also include vast archives of information, secrets that Vecna’s clerics have uncovered over the centuries.

Vestments

As a secret cult, members do not wear anything that denotes their service in public. Even in private ceremonies, clerics tend to wear inconspicuous black hooded robes. Higher level priests may done black robes with a purple fringe, often with a purple symbol noting their title.

Hierarchy

Each position in Vecna's cult is named for a certain body part. At the top is Vecna himself, followed by the Voice of Vecna, which can only be filled by Vecna's manifestation. Next is the Heart of Vecna, the high priest of the cult. The last known Heart of Vecna was Diraq Malcinex of Ket, who was slain by adventurers in 581 CY.
Immediately below the Heart of Vecna are two bizarre monsters known as the Hand and the Eye. The Eye of Vecna creature appears as a slender humanoid with an eyeball for a head, whereas the Hand of Vecna appears as a stocky humanoid with a huge left hand where its head should be.
Individual congregations are known as Organs. Each Organ is led by a Thought of Vecna. Lesser priests are known as Memories of Vecna.
Lay members of the cult consist of the Teeth, Fingers, Blood, and Spawn of Vecna. The Teeth of Vecna are made up of wizards, and specialize in arcane spellcasting and crafting magical items for the cult. The Fingers of Vecna consist mainly of thieves, who engage in various forms of subterfuge. The Blood of Vecna are mainly warriors charged with protection and enforcement of the cult and its goals. The Spawn of Vecna are the lowest in the cult hierarchy, and consist of the common people who honor the Lich Lord.

Scriptures

Being a secretive cult, there are few real collections of Vecnan teachings. At some point in his history, Vecna penned a tome known as Ordinary Necromancy, as well as another work named Vecna's Ineffable Variorum. He is also rumored to have made significant additions to the Book of Vile Darkness. The Nethertome of Trask is ascribed to him, though this provenance is considered highly dubious.
Another literary relic of Vecna is the Tome of the Stilled Tongue, a spellbook that contains instructions for mental exercises that increase the potency of the practitioner's spellcasting. Five copies are known to exist, each with the severed tongue of a treacherous Vecna cultist nailed to the cover.
Copies of the Tome of the Stilled Tongue are highly prized by the cult for Vecna's role in that work's development.
Although not actually penned by him, The Book of Keeping (a book of yugoloth summoning) is heavily linked with the cult of Vecna, as the cultists have the only known copies that are free of the intentional errors introduced into the book by the fiends that wrote the volume as a trap for would-be summoners.

Orders and Other Vecnan Organizations

Other Vecnan organizations are known to exist outside of the mainstream cult, and some may have similar or identical names. Relations between these groups and the mainstream cult may vary. Known examples are the Eyes of Vecna (a cult of undeath consisting mainly of rogues), the Fingers of Vecna (Vecna's personal guard), and the Ebon Triad (a heretical cult seeking to merge Vecna, Hextor, and Erythnul into a single entity).

Holidays

Vecna's holiday is Fullfalling 19. Called the Night of Whispers, followers must share one new piece of information with their cult leader or a priest of Vecna. A cultist may spend the entire year digging up a secret worth sharing with the priest. If they cannot share a damning piece of information on another person, they must share something about themselves that the priest can then use against them. Many cult members tend to target fellow cultists in an effort to gain rank.

Divine Classification

Flan Ascendant Lesser God