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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Grumpy Celt" data-source="post: 2433158" data-attributes="member: 1019">In Game: Several thousand years ago, Vecna arose (probably in the regions west of Grayhawk that are now wastelands) and in his time became the mightiest magic-user in the world. The Serpent (a metaphorical term for the fundamental nature of magic) spoke to Vecna. With his lieutenant, Kas the Vampire, Vecna forged a vast and terrible empire.Eventually, Kas turned on Vecna and the two battled. The outcome of this fight is up for debate, but Vecna lost his hand and eye. Vecna was able to become a diety, the demi-god of secrets – this apotheosis transformed his lost eye and hand into artifacts. However, his malign nature attracted the attention of powers more potent and fell than he and the Lich-God found itself trapped in Ravenloft (the demiplane, not the castle of the same name) for a time.It was able to escape Ravenloft and made a bid for dominance over the entire multiverse with a plot involving Sigil, the City at the Center of All. This attempt was thwarted, and Vecna returned to the world of Grayhawk, where he plots in darkness and gathers secrets.Out of Game: Apparently in the early days Gygax was working out the game, someone ran a character named Vecna. Later, while developing artifacts, the Hand and the Eye were created and the name Vecna was appropriated. At the time, the nominal background was Vecna had been a magic user and lich in some unimaginably distant time in the past.Later, in the 1990s and during the 2E regime, the name Vecna was again appropriated and the character was reworked as an active NPC entity – specifically a demi-god – to serve as an antagonist and motivator for adventures and settings.The character has not been significantly reworked since then, although it did feature heavily in the last major adventure of 2E, Die Vecna Die, which suggested – but did not explicitly say – Vecna’s attempt to take over everything changed the multiverse in a way to usher in 3E.SmugnessI (heh) made a reference (heh heh) to the Head of Vecna in my book, Mechamancy (heh heh heh).</blockquote>

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