Vecna

Vecna is the evil goddess of secrets, the undead and necromancy. Ioun is often considered to be Vecna's antithesis because she wishes to share with the world all the knowledge that Vecna would rather keep secret. Also was rumoured to be involved with the God War on the side of Orcus 100 years ago and seeking his revival.

History
Vecna was born as a human, centuries ago as a member of the untouchable caste in the Flan city of Fleeth. She was initially trained by her mother, Mazzel, in the art of magic, before she was executed by the government of Fleeth for practicing witchcraft. Vowing revenge, Vecna eventually gained mastery of the dark arts achieved by no mortal before or since. Some say this achievement was due to direct tutelage by one of the Divines.

Nearly one thousand years after her birth, Vecna, now a lich and ruler of a great and terrible empire, laid siege to the city of Fleeth with an army of arcane spellcasters and undead. Legend has it that Vecna was nearly slain in this battle by clerics. The clerics unleashed a great burst of light, which hit Vecna primarily on her left side. Vecna was rescued and brought to safety by one of her wizard generals, a cambion named Acererak (who would one day himself become a mighty demilich).

Vecna eventually recovered. On the verge of conquering Fleeth, the officials of the city came before her to beg for mercy. They offered up the entire city and her wealth if only Vecna would spare the lives of her citizens. When Vecna was not satisfied, the officials offered their own lives. Vecna gave one of their number, Artau, and his family, over to his lieutenant, Kas, who spent the entire day torturing and murdering them before the other officials. Still unsatisfied, Vecna slaughtered all within the city, and had their heads stacked before the officials, with those of their family members prominent. Vecna then granted her mercy, granting the officials leave to depart, and promising them his protection for the rest of their lives.

At her empire's height, Vecna was betrayed and destroyed by her most trusted lieutenant, a vampire called Kas the Bloody-Handed, using a magical sword that Vecna herself had crafted for him, now known as the Sword of Kas. Only her left hand and her eye survived the battle, perhaps because of the previous events in Fleeth.

Vecna did not stay gone forever and rose as a demigod of magic and secrets in the world of Remora. During the God War her cult helped set events in motion that would have granted her the power of a greater god, but the plan was ultimately foiled. After these events, Vecna ended up imprisoned in a the demiplane, but with the resurrgence of Vecnas' cults, and the cults working in conjuction with those of Orcus, there is whisper and wonder, if perphaps Vecna herself has returned.

Cult of Vecna
Vecna's cult is very secretive, and cells have been uncovered, at various points in history.

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 honour the Lich Lord.

Hierarchy Chart
Vecna

Voice of Vecna

Heart of Vecna

Hand and Eye  of Vecna

[Organ of Vecna]
--Thought of Vecna

--Memories of Vecna

--Teeth, Fingers, Blood of Vecna

--Spawn of Vecna

Hand and Eye of Vecna
''Vecna's left hand and eye of Vecna's original "mortal" lich form, which have never been replaced in her later more powerful incarnations, are now high-valued and very dangerous magical artifacts. To use the powers of the Hand of Vecna or the Eye of Vecna one is required to cut off one's own corresponding body part and affix Vecna's in its place. The Hand of Vecna is considered a classic artifact in Dungeons & Dragons. These artifacts were introduced in the third supplement to the original D&D rules, Eldritch Wizardry. ''

Sword of Kas
Vecna created the Sword of Kas for her greatest servant, which contains a "portion of her consciousness."