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From a hidden chamber in his fortress on Cavitius, Vecna observed his study with a downtrodden expression on his mangled face. Ashes were all that remained of the many tomes he had kept over the centuries, his phylactery reduced to scraps and the stone walls charred from whatever had burned his collection. What happened here?
Vecna raised his phantasmal hand to his head. The only spells he had left were the ones he did not use against those- He remembered now, it was those adventurers. Those heroes did this. They destroyed his life's work. Vecna's face twisted into a scowl.
No... those adventurers destroyed everything, yes. But they weren't the ones to land the killing blow. No, that thing did.
-
Vecna looked down to the four heroes below him that struggled with his army of undead. While the group had handled smaller hordes without issue, Vecna pulled out all the stops for them when the entered his keep. There were countless zombies of several races, yes, but that wasn't even the half of it. Vecna's army had included, but was not limited to, several spirits, several skeletons and boneyards, and a couple different types of undead dragons.
Vecna then looked to the paladin in amusement as they stabbed one of the more brutish zombies with their sword before the walking corpse was wreathed in flames. She, from what Vecna could tell from previous interactions with her, was a Shadar-Kai Elf, his rival's (The Raven Queen) treasured servants. Vecna knew he couldn't just kill her, no. Vecna needed her to find the Fortress of Memories, the Raven Queen's personal sanctum. Hundreds of thousands of souls were under that wretch's protection. Enough souls to take over the Material Plane.
"You can't win, *heroes*!" Vecna called out, mocking the adventurers. "No matter how many of my army you cut down, you are still outmatched!"
"That may be true, Vecna! But we will prevail! Our strength may not be in numbers, but that won't stop us from taking you down!" She called out in return, taking out three zombies.
Vecna's rotten smile twisted into a grin. "You seem to have forgotten, paladin, who you are dealing with." He stated as he raised his hand towards two of the paladin's allies, a mage and a minstrel.
Just as Vecna raised his hand, the paladin's allies fell to their knees, gasping for air. The paladin cursed just before the assassin next to her was grabbed by one of the larger undead, a giant of some kind. The paladin could only listen to the tortured cries of her companions as she faught Vecna's forces.
Vecna then looked to the paladin's sword, Kas' sword. "You know, paladin, you remind me of my old lieutenant. It's no wonder why you were the one to wield his blade this day." Vecna praised, much to the paladin's annoyance. "Pledge your allegiance to me, paladin. And I will spare you from the same fate as you comrades." He added, causing the paladin to flinch.
For a moment, Vecna thought the paladin had considered his offer. However, much to his disappointment, the paladin responded by thrusting her sword into the air and sent a shockwave of purple light across the room, causing a majority of the horde to pull back, as if out of fear. The sword then gained a purple and black glow as she summoned the Raven Queen's power to boost her own. "I will never turn my back on my mistress!" The paladin called out, pointing the sword at him.
Vecna smirked. "You seem to have forgotten, paladin. Your 'mistress' has no power over me. She may be a guardian of the dead, but I am a god!" Vecna declared.
A chill then ran up Vecna's spine, much to the lich's confusion. The undead king then looked up as four shadowy figures rolled in like the fog and begun to make their way to Vecna. Both the paladin and Vecna were stunned when the four figures passed through the undead horde. As they did, Vecna watched as his army fell where they stood, lifeless.
Vecna flinched and moved backwards, away from the figures. "W-what is the meaning of this?" He asked to no-one.
Vecna knew what these creatures were, they were the reason he had become a lich in the first place. The paladin had dropped her sword, as if she too knew what they were. "Meaning?" came a chorus of whispered voices from behind Vecna. "You already know the meaning, Vecna of Oerth."
Vecna knew who, or rather what, the thing behind him was and did not turn. "You claim to be a god." The voices continued. "But you know as well as I, that no god can die. You, however?" Vecna then felt a blade sink into his back, causing him pain he had not felt in centuries. "Can."
Vecna then raised his physical hand as he watched it crumble into ash. Death... had claimed him.
-
Vecna chuckled, before he frowned. The thing that took his life most likely did not anticipate any safeguards Vecna had planned and was still looking for him. If he wanted to survive, the arch-lich knew he had to escape. Once more, he needed to find his missing eye and hand, if he wanted any chance of keeping Death at bay.