Empire of Vecna

Greyhawk Realm
Occluded Empire of Vecna
Motto/Nickname
Region	Sheldomar Valley, Old Ferrond
Ruler	Vecna
Government	Unknown, possibly an autocracy
Established	Unknown, possibly centuries before -358 CY
Capital	Ykrath
Major Towns	Ykrath, Tycheron
Provinces	Unknown
Resources	Unknown
Coinage	Unknown
Population	Unknown
Races	Human (Flan), undead
Languages	Flan
Alignments	NE* (presumably)
Religions	Vecna (presumably)
Allies	None known
Enemies	Mara, Fleeth, others

The Occluded Empire of Vecna is a now-defunct empire of the Flanaess once ruled by Vecna. It is often referred to as the Empire of Vecna, or rarely, the Ykrathian Empire.

Geography and climate

Vecna's empire ranged from the Sheldomar Valley to the northwest shores of the Nyr Dyv, although his immediate reach was only the land near his stronghold [Dragon #342, page 20), the Rotted Tower (also called the Black Tower) in the Rushmoors. There, Vecna built his capital city of Ykrath, a stone fortress city described in Vecna Reborn as "miles and miles of towers, castles, and cathedrals all dedicated to him." [page 50]

Government

Legislative Branch

Although Vecna was the supreme ruler, his empire also featured a Council presided over by Kas. See Vecna Lives, page seven.

Heraldry

The exact heraldry used by Vecna's Empire is unknown, but there are a number of possibilities:

• Vecna's armies are depicted in Vecna: Hand of the Revenat bearing shields with a skull motif (pp. 7, 23, 26, 30, 31, 33, 41). Also depicted are a number of standards which seem to be illuminated skulls (2-3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 30).

• Die Vecna Die! mentions "a red snake wrapped around a golden starburst" upon a blue banner as being "one of the most ancient symbols used by Vecna" (p. 112). This symbol is also said to represent the Serpent and is currently used only "on the highest of holy days" (DVD, 94).

• Die Vecna Die! also mentions that the coins of Vecna's realm bore images such as "skulls, spiders, snakes, and magical devices" (p. 48).

Economy

Currency

Thanks to examples found in Citadel Cavitius, coins minted in the Empire of Vecna are known to have been manufactured from copper, silver, electrum, gold, and platinum (DVD, 94, 112, 118), though it is unlikely that such coins would have fit the same standard established by the Great Kingdom centuries later (LGG, 19). Regardless, the coinage of Vecna's Empire is said to be highly valued by collectors and sages. The names of each denomination are unknown, but the coins bear images of magical devices, spiders, skulls, and snakes (DVD, 48).

Bibliography

• Cook, David. Book of Artifacts. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
• -----. Dungeon Master's Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
• -----. Vecna Lives!. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1990.

• Cook, Monte. Book of Vile Darkness. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.
• -----. Vecna Reborn. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.

• Cordell, Bruce, and Steve Miller. Die Vecna Die!. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.

• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.

• Mearls, Mike. "The Three Faces of Evil." Dungeon #125. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.

• Mona, Erik. "Ancient History: Vecna's Realm." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, unpublished. Available online:[1]

• Moore, Roger E. Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.

• Reynolds, Sean K., and Samuel D. Weiss. "Core Beliefs: Vecna." Dragon #348. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.

• Thorsson, Modi, and Kevin McCann. Vecna: Hand of the Revenant. Lakewood, CO: Iron Hammer Graphics, 2002.