Summary
Those who knowDungeons & Dragonsmay have heard the name ‘Vecna’ here and there. He’s simply one of the most powerful villains ever created for the game, being around since his name was first mentioned in 1976 for the two legendary items named after him, the Hand and Eye of Vecna.
While those items lacked details, they carry another name with them: Kas. In fact, almost everything that involves Vecna also mentions Kas, as these two characters are closely tied to one another. Kas himself evolved significantly over the years, from someone who also started as a mention in a legendary item to a mighty, vampiric warrior. Who is the Bloody-Handed?
Like many D&D characters who have been around for decades, Kas' history has suffered many changes and retcons throughout the years. We’ll do our best to write everything that is still relevant or point out these changes when needed, but bear in mind that you may find some details here explained differently depending on which source you’re reading.
Kas The Bloody-Handed
Vecna’s Lieutenant
Kas is from the world of Oerth, and while his birthplace is usually not specified, his true home is usually associated with a place called Tovag. Kas was (and still is) an extremely evil person who was willing to defeat his enemies and conquer other people with extreme brutality.
He also had a very close and honest relationship with Vecnadespite both of them being evil. They admired each other’s methods, and during Vecna’s imperial rule in Oerth, Kas was his most trustworthy lieutenant, helping Vecna conquer more and more. This is when he became known asKas the Bloody-Handed.It was also during their time of conquest that Vecna created a powerful sword to gift his friend, a sword that became known as theSword of Kas.
Vecna’s Eve of Ruin implies that the two characters knew each other before Vecna became a lich, but it doesn’t give us details. It also doesn’t specify what type of relationship both characters had. As a Dungeon Master, it falls to you to decide that. You can make them childhood friends, blood or found family, lovers, or even a former couple. Our recommendation would be to analyze the party’s backstories or players and see which relationship would resonate more with your group.
The Sword Of Kas
Where Problems Began
As mentioned, this sword was a gift for Kas, created by Vecna. The sword was created to hold powerful, evil forces in it (as a DM, you could even claim it was forged using the Dark Powers), and its effects are very powerful and customizable for the DM, since you choose some of its mechanics.
However, the part that is relevant for us is the fact thatthe sword is sentient.The sword is as evil as Vecna himself, and unlike Kas, it saw no reason to remain faithful to Vecna when it could instead rule the empire itself.Kas began to be manipulated and corrupted by the sword,who believed Kas would be easier to control than Vecna, and because of the blade, Kas began to desire Vecna’s throne - falling into the sword’s plans.
Officially speaking, the sword fully changed Kas' views on the situation, andhe’s still in control of his actions. That said, the blade is a perfect excuse to homebrew a nicer version of Kas, who is instead corrupted by the sword and completely controlled by it - having a sentient weapon as a big villain is a fun concept.
Kas The Betrayer
Fight For The Throne
One day, Kas went to Vecna’s tower (unspecified location, but we would recommend Citadel Cavitius for its connections to the lich), and they both fought each other ina confrontation that destroyed the tower and allegedly killed them both.
It was during this fight thatKas ripped off Vecna’s eye and hand,later turning these into two legendary items and connecting them to the Sword of Kas. In fact, the Hand and the Eye of Vecna are the only items capable of destroying the Sword and vice versa.
As for the fighters,Vecna actually died, but that’s not a big deal for a lich. Kas' situation has a few variations, where he was also destroyed but ‘saved’ by the Dark Powers or was simply teleported away by Vecna. Either way,Kas ends up in the Domains of Dreadafter the fight - the same place Ravenloft is. His land of Tovag was taken with him, and he became the Overlord of those lands.
Cavitius also became a Domain of Dread, and Vecna and Kas continued their fighting in their Domains. Still, recent books such as Eve of Ruin are vague about these moments, making it unsure on whether they’re still canon.
Kas The Destroyer
His Vampiric Origins
The moment Kas becomes a vampire has changed a few times during the character’s history, but it tends to beduring the confrontation with Vecna(Eve of Ruin places the transformation in its aftermath), or the transformation happened while he was furthercorrupted by the Dark Powersas the Overlord of Tovag.
Regardless of the precise moment you wish to use, both work extremely well. The Dark Powers are capable of turning people into vampires - Strahd is proof of that - and having a Sword made from such powers turn him into a monster is appropriate.
If you want to connect multiple campaigns together,you can use the same logic from Curse of Strahd’s Vampyr curse on Kas, which involves him killing someone who loves him and being killed by someone who hates him (which, ironically, Vecna can be both). It also involves drinking the person’s blood, which is not an option with a lich, but it’s still a nice reference, and the curse would also make Kas not trust anyone.
From this point onward, we’ll have spoilers for Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
The Return Of Kas
Reshape The Multiverse
At this point,the vampire Overlord of Tovag is ruling his land. He also doesn’t have his sword, which was lost during his fight with Vecna, and is somewhere in the multiverse (though you may change that). That’s when the Dark Powers whisper him Vecna’s plans to take over the entire multiverse.
Kas' plan is to obtain the Rod of Seven Parts and free Miska,a powerful Demon Lord who can help him destroy Vecna. To obtain these parts,Kas uses the Crown of Lies to transform into the wizard Mordenkainen,and he tasks a group of adventurers to find them.
The story can go many ways here. He can search for his sword while the party gathers the rod; he can betray Miska later on for ultimate power; he can have the sword since the beginning, and this can all be its plan rather than his; and since Kas will be interacting with the adventurers through the whole campaign, you can even turn him into the final boss rather than Vecna, doing a fun plot twist and catch them by surprise. Still, how Kas' story ends is up to you and your players.
