Kas the Bloody-Handed was the vampire lieutenant of Vecna and the original wielder of the Sword of Kas.
Description[]
Kas was an ambitious man, capable of violence and betrayal if it led him to reward.
Biography[]
The history known to Ioun[]
Ioun told this history to Vox Machina in "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106).[1] A century before the Calamity, the archmage Vecna achieved lichdom, amassed followers and undead forces, and with them disappeared into the Shadowfell, where they conquered the city of Thar Amphala and there built a tower called Entropis that served as his base. From there Vecna exploited the celestial solstice, a merging of ley energies, that gave him the power to open portals at a whim, so that his forces could strike with precision and retreat to Thar Amphala before retaliating forces could muster. Thus he overcame some old enemies and forced them to bend the knee, at which time he slew them and raised them as undead to serve him. One such rival, Kas, was offered vampirism in exchange for fealty as a Vecna's chief lieutenant, and Kas accepted.
Vecna forged for Kas a relic blade with a fraction of Kas's consciousness. In the months of terrorizing Vecna's enemies that followed, he became Kas the Bloody-Handed.
Then, Vecna's foes figured out how to reverse-engineer the celestial solstice. Just as Vecna was attempting to ascend to godhood with the Ritual of Seeding atop Entropis, a holy army[2][3] led by Yos Varda attacked Thar Amphala. Yos Varda climbed Entropis and fought Vecna directly. Vecna defeated Yos Varda but was winded by the effort, and as Varda lay dying, Kas attacked Vecna with that gifted blade in an attempt to usurp the lich. The ensuing battle destroyed them both: all that remained of Vecna were his left eye and left hand, and all that remained of Kas was in that blade.
Relationships[]
Vecna[]
Kas used to be one of Vecna's rivals, and after being defeated by the lich, he accepted to become a vampire at his service. However, he never lost his hunger for power, and tried to kill Vecna to usurp his power, dooming both in one single battle.
Character Information[]
Abilities[]
Notable Items[]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign One
- "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106), mentioned only
Quotations[]
Trivia[]
- While in Critical Role canon the fate of Kas the Bloody-Handed after death was never specified, according to 5th Edition the vampire ended up in the Shadowfell, inside his own Domain of Dread, Tovag. Kas rules this wasteland with an iron fist and commands his forces to prepare and to look for his lost sword; he believes that his conflict with the Whispered One is still raging, and that the lich is just beyond Tovag.[4]
References[]
- ↑ See "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) from 1:17:39 through 1:22:16.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 38. Here it is called the Army of the Just
- ↑ See "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106) at 1:20:23. Here it is called the Beacon of Arms, under the banner of Pelor
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, p. 173.
Art:
- ↑ Depiction of Kas from Vecna: Eve of Ruin. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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