Tovag

A ring of ancient stones stands silent upon a cracked salt flat under a blood-colored sky. Lightning flickers without thunder. Shadows fall in wrong directions. This is Tovag, the Domain of Dread that imprisons Kas the Bloody-Handed, former lieutenant of the lich Vecna, now an eternal betrayer, cursed to relive war and vengeance without end.

Once the right hand of Vecna, Kas rose in power, ambition, and pride—until he turned on his master, plunging the artifact blade now known as the Sword of Kas into the lich’s withered heart. Whether he succeeded in slaying Vecna or merely triggering a mutual cataclysm is unclear, but in the aftermath, the Dark Powers claimed Kas, binding him to Tovag.

Now, Kas is a vampire warlord cloaked in armor blackened with dried blood. He is a brilliant tactician, a charismatic tyrant, and a creature of unrelenting fury. He still believes Vecna survives, and his every campaign is launched under the belief that the next portal, the next enemy, the next betrayal, might lead him back to his old master to finish the job.

But the Stone Ring lies to him. Each gate it opens is a mirage, each victory a hollow echo, each general he trusts fated to betray him—just as he betrayed Vecna.

Tovag is a domain defined by broken oaths:

• Companions turn on each other in the night.
• Armies fragment into infighting factions.
• Trust is a weapon sharper than steel—and always fatal.

The very air of the realm is heavy with paranoia and suspicion, and those who remain here too long begin to see betrayal in every glance. Lovers murder each other. Friends whisper falsehoods. Even one's own memories become suspect.

Notable Features

• The Ring of Stone: At the domain’s heart, the Tovag Baragu ring pulses with planar energy. At irregular intervals, it opens portals—but none lead to safety or truth. Each is a trap, a stage for Kas's vengeance to play out again and again.
• The Ash Marches: A gray desert littered with skeletal war machines and rusted armor, where Kas’s armies drill and march for wars that have already happened. Time loops, but never heals.
• Red Spire Keep: Kas’s stronghold, built upon a butte of blackened stone. It is both fortress and prison, adorned with mirrors that never reflect truth. The Sword of Kas is kept here, but it sometimes whispers to others, promising power—and betrayal.

Though Vecna has no throne here, his influence is ever-present. Whispered rumors of his survival drift through the ranks of Kas’s followers. The domain itself seems to taunt Kas with reminders of his failure—disembodied eyes that watch from cliff faces, phantom hands reaching through thin air, and warlocks who swear pacts to a One Who Watches From Afar.

Some say Vecna watches Tovag, waiting for the perfect moment to reclaim his traitor.

Domain Traits

• Portals of Illusion: The Stone Ring opens gates, but they lead to war-torn reflections, half-real illusions, or moments from Kas’s own haunted past.
• Eternal Campaign: The domain is always at war. Even the weather behaves like a battlefield—gusts of ash mimic volleys of arrows, lightning splits like lances, and red rain stains the fields.
• Betrayal’s Grip: NPCs (and sometimes PCs) may fall under the sway of the domain’s curse, experiencing paranoia, betrayal, or even acting against their allies under compulsion or hallucination.