Running Dead Gods & involving the Book of Vile Darkness

[Oryan77]

About 3 years ago I ran a side quest as a solo game for one session with a player. I ran part of an old 2e module and the player found a Book of Vile Darkness in a trapped room in a tomb & he took it. This unexpected event created a new objective in the campaign...destroy the book before it falls into the wrong hands.

I liked this scenario so I started researching more about the BovD. Somewhere, I read about there being many copies of the BovD which were only minor artifacts, and that no one knows anything about the original BovD. I determined that the copy they found is the original version, but before they found out, it was stolen from them by the parties long time nemisis.

The group fell apart right after that and last year we got the group going again with new players. They just now got to the point where they retrieved the BovD and will probably try finding NPC's that can give them advice on what to do with it.

But now, I can't figure out where I'm going with this scenario. First of all, I can't remember where I read about the history of the BovD that mentioned them being copies of an original. If I make this a Major artifact, I'm trying to figure out what it does differently. The only thing I've come up with is that the book somehow has the ability to raise dead evil gods. I'm about to begin running the Planescape adventure Dead Gods. I'm trying to tie in this book with the resurrection of Orcus.

My question is:

1. What sources have info about the BovD? I wish I remembered where I read about the books being copies of an original BovD.

2. Do you have any ideas on what this book does since it's a major artifact rather than a minor artifact?

3. How can I tie the book in with the Dead Gods adventure? What could NPC's suggest the PC's do with this book? PC's won't know anything about Orcus & his wand until closer towards the end of Dead Gods. Would it be a good idea to have the PC's learn that the Wand of Orcus needs to be used to destroy the book? If so, how would this work to make for an interesting task?

I would like to let the PC's begin their own quest to destroy the book, but still get them going on the Dead Gods adventure at the same time. I just can't figure out how to run the beginning of Dead Gods so the PC's think they are on a quest to destroy the book.

 

[Ripzerai]

The history of the Book of Vile Darkness is in the rulebook of the same name (by Monte Cook), page 14.

The original Book of Vile Darkness was a scroll penned by a wizard of the Vasharan race millennia ago. It was only a few thousand words long.

This kernel was added to and improved upon by a succession of later writers - a cleric of Nerull tripled its length, and many other evil priests added thoughts of their own. Some added knowledge given to them by summoned fiends.

These scrolls were first (as far as is known) collected into a book by none other than Vecna, who added some of his own secrets to the collection. This is perhaps the "original" version of the book that your PCs found, as the earlier versions are less potent and don't look like books.

Cultists of Erythnul went on to create several lesser, flawed copies of this work - typically, they carry a curse that drags their users to the Lower Planes. Eventually the book - as bound by Vecna in human flesh and demon bones - found its way to the library of Baalzebul, who added still more pages to its already horrific contents. There are said to be six true copies of the Book of Vile Darkness today, at least one of which made after Baalzebul's alteration. There are at least eighteen flawed or faked copies, and Vecna's original is still out there somewhere.

Another variation appeared in Greyhawk Adventures, page 95. Over 400 years ago, an explorer named Atirr Aedorich ventured into the strange, eldritch landscape known as the Sinking Isle, where a society of surpassing wickedness sank into the ocean long ago, though the island occasionally rises, its Cyclopean ruins seemingly empty. Atirr discovered in the ruins a book sealed against the waters by a lead casket. The book passed into the hands of the imperial House of Rax, which later fell into decadence and ruin; where it is now is unclear. This book is actually both a Libram of Ineffable Damnation and a Book of Vile Darkness simultaneously. Who might have created such a tome is unknown, but the accursed civilization in question is possibly connected to the origin of the sahuagin race. I might be inclined to tie in the Elder Elves and their disastrous attempt at sundering the boundary to the Far Realm, as well as the Elder Evils of the aboleths.

 

[Doghead Thirteen]

It's a book. Rip the pages out one at a time and use them as kindling.

(This is also a good way to seriously annoy bad guys!)

 

[Ripzerai]

In Dead Gods, a book that contains the secrets of bringing dead gods to life would be desired greatly by Quah-Namog, and would likely be integral to his attempt at resurrecting Orcus. The last chapter of the story, where Quah-Namog assembles all of his equipment on his master's corpse in the Astral Plane, will not be able to take place until Quah-Namog manages to steal the book, if he ever does (and he may well not manage it - the adventure as written tries to railroad the last chapter through, but the PCs might manage to outfox him).

As a greater artifact, it might contain references to the True Words buried beneath the sands of Pelion, which might come in useful during that portion of the adventure. Perhaps it even contains the secret for resisting and surviving the Last Word itself. There also might be secrets of the origins and politics of Baator that no mortals know.

Unfortunately, it's a tome of utter of evil, and any and all who read it will be corrupted into darkness themselves.

For other powers it might have, it might contain secrets of binding entire legions of fiends to its owner's will, as well as powers over darkness and shadow. The artifact itself may be sentient, and it might be tied to the Hand and Eye of Vecna in some way - perhaps there are secrets that might be uncovered by those who turn the pages with the Hand and view them with the Eye that aren't available to anyone else.

 

[Oryan77]

I looked in the BoVD and didn't see the history in there. I thought that's where I found it but I just didn't see it when I looked earlier today. Thanks!

I like the idea of the book containing the secret for resisting and surviving the Last Word. I have a background scenario going where Hecate hired the PC's nemesis to bring her the book. I didn't have any real reason why she wanted it yet, but your idea would be perfect. She has heard of someone killing off gods, and she found out the BovD can help her defend herself if she is under attack. Now I have a real reason why the NPC stole the book to begin with.

I also thought about tying Quah-Namog's Astral Plane scenario into how the PC's can destroy the book. I just can't figure out an interesting way to do this. Since I'm running Dead Gods, this means the PC's will not only have to destroy one artifact (Wand of Orcus...& later just the rod section of it), but they also need to destroy the BovD. I'd like to figure out how to kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

[Ripzerai]

Ways to destroy one or more evil artifacts:

- Bathe it in the Positive Energy Plane for a hundred years (you'll have to get a lumi or something to guard it in the meantime)

- Soak it in Bahamut's blood (killing Bahamut is only half the fun)

- Expose the item(s) to the Last Word

- Convince Talisid, the leonal prince, to eat it.

- merge the Wand of Orcus with Morwel's Sword of Light; merge the Book of Vile Darkness with the "original" Book of Exalted Deeds, from the library of the tome archon Erathaol. The rilmani have an artifact that merges artifacts of antithetical alignments (it probably involves mirrors inherited from the kamarel).

- Unwrite the Book of Vile Darkness using Vecna's own pen, destroy the Wand of Orcus using the circlet from the negative energy plane earlier in the adventure, then dump both artifacts in the River Styx.

- Cast them into a parallel universe where bad is good and up is down

- Send them to the Harmonium reeducation camps to be "reformed" (okay, now I'm getting silly, and I'll stop)

 

[Oryan77]

Is there possibly a well-liked published adventure from any edition that is about PC's destroying an artifact? I may just run it after Dead Gods. And no, I'm not asking for a LotR's book

 

[Kafkonia]

For other powers it might have, it might contain secrets of binding entire legions of fiends to its owner's will, as well as powers over darkness and shadow. The artifact itself may be sentient, and it might be tied to the Hand and Eye of Vecna in some way - perhaps there are secrets that might be uncovered by those who turn the pages with the Hand and view them with the Eye that aren't available to anyone else.

It could even be bound in Vecna's own skin.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Forget the eye and hand, you should really fear the Skin Graft of Vecna!