Vecna is one of the most feared gods in the Dungeons & Dragons Greyhawk campaign setting (and, indeed, the entire multiverse), and his cult is always working in the shadows. As the evil god of secrets, Vecna seeks to rule over existence with his knowledge, destroying the other deities and anyone who opposes him in the process. The cult of Vecna is always working to ensure that their wicked god is victorious, which makes them great villains to use in a D&D campaign.
In D&D, Vecna is the god of secrets in the world of Oerth from the Greyhawk campaign settings. He was once a mortal king, who transformed into an undead lich, in order to accumulate limitless magical power. Vecna would eventually acquire a spark of divinity and ascend to godhood, with his power growing over the centuries. The name of Vecna is known all across the D&D multiverse, as his ambitious plots once put him into conflict with the Lady of Pain, one of the most powerful beings across all reality. It was unthinkable for anyone to oppose the Lady of Pain, yet Vecna did it and lived to tell the tale.
Vecna is closely associated with the Greyhawk setting, but his prominent role in the D&D multiverse and its many planes means he can easily be slotted into one of the other D&D campaign settings with ease. The party isn't likely to fight Vecna himself, but his cultists are fair game, and they make for intriguing villains. The cult of Vecna operates from the shadows, use ancient secrets to destroy their foes, and has access to some of the most powerful magic items in D&D.
The Cult Of Vecna Is The Power Behind The Throne
Vecna is one of the most despised deities on his homeworld, as even the other evil gods of Oerth would love to see him destroyed. This is reflected in his cult, who are similarly hated by others and are unable to act in the open. The cult of the god of secrets is used to hiding its true nature, and this means anyone could be a Vecna worshiper in disguise. The Vecna worshipers often belong to one of D&D's many spellcaster classes, which gives them magical means to hide their appearance, influence the minds of others, and give them plenty of escape options if they're caught.
The of the cult of Vecna work best as the power behind the throne, whose influence must be uncovered by the players over the course of the game. They use their skills at persuasion and their magical knowledge to control kings and queens from the shadows, which means they can be incredibly dangerous foes if they learn that the players have become suspicious of them. Using a cultist of Vecna in this role is great for low-combat adventures, where the goal is to uncover evidence of the perpetrator's misdeeds, which can involve some tense stealth moments, and needing to by powerful magical wards that the cultist has placed on their possessions. This is where D&D's steal-based classes can shine. The end goal is a public accusation, which is going to end badly for one side. If the players cannot prove that their enemy is guilty, then they will face reprisal for smearing the good name of such an upstanding citizen. If the players can prove their enemy is guilty, then they will likely be executed for their crimes, assuming they cannot manage a hasty magical retreat.
The Cult Of Vecna Seeks The Power Of True Names
The concept of the "true name" is something that has come up a few times in D&D over the years, most notably in R.A. Salvator's Legend of Drizzt novels, where it's used to control powerful demons and the souls of deceases spellcasters, as well as in the truenamer, one of D&D's worst-ever classes. A person's true name differs from their given one, or one they choose for themselves: it's the manifestation of their being, and knowledge of the true name can be used as a weapon against them. The true name concept is even more present among planar creatures, and many spellcasters have bound fiends to their cause through the use of such names.
A being's true name is usually unknown to them, but those who know will keep that knowledge a secret. Unfortunately for them, the cult of Vecna specializes in learning secrets. Through their extensive research and magical scrying, the cult of Vecna has uncovered the true name of a powerful being, such as a metallic dragon, and is using the power of the true name to force them to commit evil deeds. D&D's metallic and gem dragons are usually not evil. The party first has to learn why a good creature has turned to evil, leading to a confrontation with the cult of Vecna. The clock is ticking, however, as the cult is aware of the party's existence, and must now defend itself from an attack. How will they do this? By trying to learn the true names of the party .
The Cult Of Vecna Are Connected To The Eye & Hand Of Vecna
The Eye of Vecna and the Hand of Vecna are two of D&D's most powerful magical artifacts. They come with a steep cost, however, as the character needs to remove either their eye or hand and place Vecna's discarded limb on the empty spot, in order to magically graft it to their body. Once the limb is attached, the character will gain access to all kinds of magical powers, but their soul will slowly be lost to Vecna. In D&D, these magic items are hard to find, but not impossible.
The presence of the Eye or Hand of Vecna can spice up a campaign, but there needs to be a framework for their introduction. Vecna's body parts are among the strongest magic items in the multiverse, and they're not just going to be sitting in a treasure chest in a random dungeon. This is where the cult of Vecna can come in. They have a vested interest in finding these items, as they would be treated as holy relics of the highest order. The party then has to stop the cult from acquiring these items and it puts them in the position of finding them. The other way this could work is that the cult is the one creating the hunt for the items, as they know that someone will eventually use them and become a powerful servant of Vecna, leading to the downfall of a Dungeons & Dragons hero.
