Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Chapter 9: The Betrayer Revealed

[image: Once Alustriel and Tasha realize Mordenkainen is a fraud, an epic battle ensues in Sigil]

Once the characters have all of the Rod of Seven Parts, all eyes turn to Alustriel, Tasha, and the impostor Mordenkainen. The plan was for the characters to work with the Wizards Three to pin down Vecna's location and stop the archlich's Ritual of Remaking. However, this chapter reveals that the characters—as well as Alustriel and Tasha—have been deceived.

The fake Mordenkainen reveals himself to be Kas the Betrayer, Vecna's former ally and current archenemy. The characters must chase Kas across the multiverse to Pandesmos, the first layer of the plane of Pandemonium, where the vampire plans to co-opt Vecna's ritual and become the most powerful being in existence.

Running This Chapter

This chapter begins after the characters retrieve the final piece of the Rod of Seven Parts from Avernus. Whether the characters are carrying the previous six rod pieces or those pieces remained in Sigil, the rod knits itself into one artifact when all the pieces are within a few inches of each other.

The rod becomes complete, but no character is likely yet attuned to it, and the Wizards Three in Sigil asked the characters to return to the sanctum once all the rod pieces were found. If the characters hesitate after retrieving the final rod piece, encourage them to quickly return to their allies at the sanctum in Sigil. The characters' return to the sanctum triggers the next part of the story.

This chapter's early scenes include the chaos caused when Kas steals the Rod of Seven Parts and gravely wounds Alustriel and Tasha. The chapter progresses to Pandesmos, where the characters find a war erupting between Kas's and Vecna's demonic forces. The characters must stay on Kas's trail if they hope to find Vecna, potentially neutralize Kas, and end the threat to the multiverse.

Character Advancement

The characters should be 18th level when this chapter begins. The characters gain a level after they navigate Pandesmos Outlook and arrive at Carapace Ridge, where the war between the forces of Kas and Vecna rages.

Power of Secrets

The characters can learn one secret in this chapter that is applicable to the rules in "x" section in this book's introduction:

Malaina's Secret. Alustriel's wife was suspicious of Mordenkainen since he arrived in the sanctum, but she said nothing to Alustriel, Tasha, or the characters. The characters can learn this secret in the "x" section later in this chapter.

Returning from Avernus

When the characters return from Avernus with the final piece of the Rod of Seven Parts, Kas—disguised as Mordenkainen—greets them inside the sanctum. He appears giddy yet terrified, unable to hide his honest emotions.

As soon as the disguised Kas sees the characters step through the doorway with the final rod piece, he exclaims the following:

Kas strongly encourages the characters to rest now and leave the Rod of Seven Parts in the wizards' care. Kas wants to keep the characters away from the rod and the wizards for the next few hours. Ever the villain, Kas plans to take Alustriel and Tasha by surprise, steal the rod, and flee to Pandemonium to free Miska the Wolf-Spider before confronting Vecna. Even if a character is already attuned to the rod, Kas plans to steal it.

Despite what he has said while posing as Mordenkainen, Kas knows Vecna is conducting his Ritual of Remaking on the plane of Pandemonium. After receiving a message in a dream from the Dark Powers, Kas realized that the magic inherent in his Crown of Lies would transport him through Alustriel's portal to roughly the location of Vecna's ritual. Now that the characters have retrieved the Rod of Seven Parts, the characters are mere inconveniences to Kas, but he doesn't want to fight them, as the fight might significantly weaken him, if not worse.

If the Characters Decline

If the characters are suspicious, or if they are being particularly cautious, they might not want to hand over the Rod of Seven Parts or rest in their quarters. Below are options for handling characters who don't take Kas's suggestions.

The Other Wizards

Kas told Alustriel and Tasha that he wishes to tinker with the complete Rod of Seven Parts. He has convinced the others that he can fortify the artifact to prevent it from shattering again when the characters use it to stop Vecna's ritual. If the characters insist on keeping the rod, Alustriel and Tasha approach them and explain this. They ask the characters to relinquish the rod, acknowledging that Mordenkainen might be a bit eccentric, but his magical theories are sound. Alustriel and Tasha extol the virtues of ensuring that the rod won't sunder again.

Missing Malaina

If the characters resist resting in their quarters, Alustriel approaches them privately. She's concerned that her wife, Malaina, left the sanctum several hours ago and hasn't returned. The lengthy absence isn't like Malaina, Alustriel explains, and the wizard is worried for her wife's safety. Malaina is resisting any magical attempts to contact her, Alustriel tells the characters.

When she left, Malaina told Alustriel that she was going to a shop called Velgar's Vittles in Sigil's Market Ward. The Wizards Three were busy, so Alustriel didn't ask for more information. Now, Alustriel expects to imminently be occupied helping Mordenkainen and Tasha locate Vecna. Alustriel can't leave the sanctum, so she asks the characters to find her wife before the group leaves to confront the archlich. Alustriel provides directions to Velgar's Vittles.

In reality, Malaina was suspicious of Mordenkainen, but she didn't want to make accusations without proof. Malaina was seeking a scholar named Velgar Vera (neutral good, orc mage). Velgar is a friend to Mordenkainen and has visited Mordenkainen's home in Avernus. Velgar wasn't in his shop earlier today, so Malaina lingered in the Market Ward, waiting for the orc to return.

Following the Lead

If the characters go to Velgar's Vittles, Velgar reports that Malaina met with him briefly a few hours ago to ask about Mordenkainen. Velgar tells the characters the same thing he told Malaina: the shopkeeper spoke with Mordenkainen last week, and the famous wizard mentioned nothing about Alustriel, Tasha, or Vecna, or anything about recently being in Sigil.

By the time the characters return to the sanctum, it's too late to stop Kas. Proceed to the "x" section.

Fighting Kas

It's unlikely, but one or more characters might be present when Kas reveals his true identity. In this case, use the stat block presented in the "Kas the Betrayer" section in x. Kas focuses on stealing the rod and using the portal to travel to Pandesmos. If the characters defeat Kas, he reveals the location of Vecna's ritual: the Cave of Shattered Reflection in Pandesmos on the plane of Pandemonium. Kas also reveals he planned to use the rod to free Miska the Wolf-Spider and ally with the demon lord to overtake Vecna.

It's up to the characters what happens to Kas next. Alustriel and Tasha are likely injured in the fight and therefore disinclined to join the characters in their pursuit of Vecna. However, Alustriel and Tasha urge the characters to take the Rod of Seven Parts to aid their fight against the lich-god. At your discretion, Alustriel and Tasha might join the characters on the journey to Pandesmos, but they focus on neutralizing Kas's powerful remaining forces instead of joining the fight against Vecna. Alustriel or Tasha might join particularly persuasive characters in their pursuit of Vecna, but this will require significant effort on your part and might make the ensuing chapters significantly easier for the characters.

When the characters are ready, Alustriel can direct them to a portal in Sigil that leads to Pandesmos. It's up to you whether the door opens to Pandesmos Outlook (shown on map 9.1) or directly at the cave entrance. In the former case, Alustriel can provide directions to the cave from the outlook. If this happens, skip parts of the next chapter as appropriate. In the latter case, the characters gain an additional level and skip to chapter 11.

Kas Reveals Himself

[image: Kas deals catastrophic damage to Alustriel's sanctum]

If the characters return to their quarters to rest, Kas spends the next hour going through the motions of pretending to examine the Rod of Seven Parts with Alustriel and Tasha. In reality, Kas is waiting for the characters to fall asleep or become distracted in their quarters. Once he assumes the characters are sleeping or oblivious, he reveals his true form.

Kas takes Alustriel and Tasha by surprise, severely wounding them, then steals the rod and steps through the sanctum's portal to Pandemonium, where the characters face him in the next chapter.

Once Kas escapes the sanctum, Malaina returns to find the immediate aftermath of Kas's betrayal. She rushes to alert the characters.

Reality Dawns

When Kas reveals himself, a cacophony erupts downstairs. Sleeping characters are awakened, and otherwise occupied characters hear the following:

When the characters open their door, they see Malaina in a panic. She shouts for the characters to come downstairs. Read or paraphrase the following:

Alustriel and Tasha are in a state of shock, both because the Mordenkainen they were working with is actually the evil vampire Kas, and because they didn't catch on to his plan. Alustriel and Tasha answer questions confusedly and in short phrases.

After a few minutes, the wizards regain their poise and tell the characters all the information in the beginning of this section. Alustriel and Tasha are willing to submit to magical means of determining the truth. They never deceived the characters, and they never wanted anything more than to stop Vecna's ritual.

Chasing Kas

Before Kas fled the sanctum, he muttered a phrase both Alustriel and Tasha overheard: "Finally, it ends in Pandesmos." The women repeat the phrase to the characters. Further, Alustriel has examined the sanctum's portal and knows Kas fled to the plane of Pandemonium. They surmise, correctly, that Vecna is weaving his ritual in Pandesmos, the first layer of Pandemonium.

Neither Alustriel nor Tasha had previously met Kas, but the stories about his and Vecna's hatred for each other are well known, as is Kas's hunger for power. Alustriel correctly supposes that Kas plans to find Vecna and co-opt the lich-god's ritual to become the most powerful being in existence. This outcome is as bad as Vecna ruling the multiverse, as far as Alustriel and Tasha are concerned, since Kas is just as evil as Vecna.

Because Kas took such pains to manipulate the characters into finding the Rod of Seven Parts, Alustriel realizes the awful truth and shares it with the characters: Kas plans to use the rod to free Miska the Wolf-Spider, a powerful demon lord who was trapped in Pandesmos eons ago using the rod. Kas and Miska would then march against Vecna, co-opting the lich-god's ritual to begin their reign of terror across the multiverse.

The Way Forward

Alustriel and Tasha don't know the exact location of Vecna's ritual. The characters must travel to Pandesmos and confront Kas to learn the location so they can stop the Ritual of Remaking.

During their confrontation with Kas, Alustriel and Tasha were injured. Healing supplies in the sanctum ensure the wizards aren't in real danger. They insist the characters chase after Kas immediately to prevent him from freeing Miska. Alustriel and Tasha promise to help the characters however they can.

Alustriel and Tasha correctly suspect that Vecna will have woven abjurations to protect himself from any who would stop him. Vecna's Links are the magical tie the characters need to stop the lich-god. In fact, thanks to the links tying them to Vecna, the characters are the only ones in existence who can do so. They are the multiverse's only hope.

Before the characters leave the sanctum, Alustriel suggests the characters use the Chime of Exile to return Kas to Tovag, his Domain of Dread. Alustriel notes that the characters need to significantly weaken Kas before the magic item will work on the vampire.

Malaina's Mistrust

Once the characters learn what has happened, they notice that Malaina remains particularly solemn.

Malaina's Secret

If the characters ask Malaina what's wrong, she admits she began suspecting something wasn't right shortly after Mordenkainen arrived in the sanctum. Malaina noticed that Mordenkainen muttered to himself in an unexpectedly cruel tone when he thought no one was around. He was also angrily defensive anytime Malaina casually asked how the mage fared. Malaina assumed Mordenkainen was merely stressed, so she didn't act on her suspicions until it was too late.

Regardless of the characters' reaction to this revelation, learning it counts as a secret for the purposes of the rules in the "x" section in this book's introduction.

Pandesmos Outlook

If the characters decide to chase after Kas, they can step through the portal whenever they choose. They emerge in Pandesmos Outlook, entering through the door shown on map 9.1.

Pandemonium

The rest of this chapter and the following two chapters take place on the plane of Pandemonium.

Pandemonium is an infinite plane of overwhelming chaos, a great mass of rock riddled with tunnels and vast caverns carved by howling winds. It is cold, noisy, and mostly dark.

Wind quickly extinguishes nonmagical open flames, such as torches and campfires. Spoken conversation is possible only by yelling, and then only to a maximum distance of 10 feet.

General Features

The features of Pandesmos Outlook are described in the following sections.

Demons

The chaos and violence brewing in the area attracts demons. Within 10 feet of the bottom of the cliff's lowest shelf are two degloths and two vlazoks (see appendix A for stat blocks for both). The exact placement of the demons is at your discretion. If they notice the characters, the demons attack. A demon that sees a fight break out rushes to join in the combat, hoping to make an easy kill.

Demons reduced to 20 hit points or fewer might divulge key information in exchange for mercy. See the "x" section for how these demons might help the characters locate Kas.

Doorway

The doorway to Sigil remains open through the end of this adventure. The characters can come and go as they wish. On the Pandesmos side, the doorway is invisible in the cliff.

Elevation

The characters emerge on a shelf of a massive cliff. This shelf is 150 feet above ground level. The shelf drops 50 feet to another shelf, which is 100 feet above ground level. The entire cliff is 180 feet tall.

Geysers

In the north section of Pandesmos Outlook are five geysers that periodically spew boiling water tainted with the plane's inherent chaos.

If the characters haven't already rolled initiative, have them roll initiative when a character first moves within 30 feet of a geyser. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), one of the five geysers erupts; you choose which geyser. When a geyser erupts, all creatures within 5 feet of the geyser must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) force damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

Lighting

Strange multicolored lights flit through the caverns of Pandesmos, casting the area in dim light at all hours.

Tracking Kas

Kas fled toward Carapace Ridge, where Miska is imprisoned in the nearby Ruinous Citadel and where Kas has a stronghold in a cliffside redoubt. The vampire plans to marshal his forces before marching on the Cave of Shattered Reflection and confronting Vecna.

The characters need to travel northwest from Pandesmos Outlook to reach Carapace Ridge. There are several ways the characters might learn which direction to head. If the characters have trouble determining where to go, a character who succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check can hear, amid the howling wind, sounds of battle coming from the northwest.

Interrogating Demons

If the characters defeat and interrogate the demons in this area, they learn that a powerful vampire made haste recently toward the northwest. The demons stayed out of the vampire's way when they saw the vampire dispatch several glabrezus.

Investigating the Battlefield

A character who investigates the battlefield and succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Survival) check spots a trail of bootprints that leads to the northwest. This is Kas's path toward Carapace Ridge.

Characters who succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check find the mangled bodies of three glabrezus. The bodies and a blood trail lead northwest. Kas cut these creatures down on his way to Carapace Ridge.

Next Steps

The characters arrive at Carapace Ridge toward the end of a battle between the demonic forces of Kas and those of the demon-god Lolth, who supports Vecna's cause. The characters must decide how best to navigate the battlefield and determine where Vecna is conducting his Ritual of Remaking in the next chapter.