This is still in the developmental stage, but . . .
Before the mammalian races walked the Oerth, other races did. One of the greatest, and most Evil, were a variety of arachnoid races, whose distant descendants are the aranea. Like the aranea, they were shapechangers, and masters of various ancient arcane magics.
In crumbling ruins, the warlord known as Vecna had found rolls of silk inscribed with the obscene secrets of the lost race. After he became a lich, he was able to dedicate an extended period of time to studying them, and eventually discovered the location of their capital. Expending the lives of numerous slaves, he made his way through the ruins, until he discovered what appeared to be a massive spider web. Using the lore he had deceiphered, he mastered the web, and thereafter ruled from the Spidered Throne.
What is the Spidered Throne?
Just an artifact of a long forgotten race.
What does it do?
Probably something gratuitously excessive related to rulership. I'd say it probably enables some sort of scrying and mind control effect.
How powerful is it?
It is an artifact. That said, it is not the source or key of Vecna's power in any way. It was merely one of his tools while he ruled as a lich.
What does it look like?
A large spider web whose central area can reshape to fit a large spider, a spider-humanoid cross, or a humanoid body.
Where is it now?
Unknown. It may be lost in the ruins of Vecna's capital, which may be where it was originally located, it may be destroyed, or it may have been taken, and possibly lost, somewhere else.
Great idea! I've always wondered why Vecna had a Spider-theme throne when nothing else about him implies a spider feitsh. Given its proximity to the Vault, maybe this Spidered Throne could have some relation to Lolth as well?
I'd be more likely to tie it to the original demon lord of arachnidia, Obox-Ob, and leave Lolth as a latecomer who stole the spider portfolio from him. (There is so much potential in the background in Fiendish Codex I.)
Interesting stuff. When it Vecna first associated with the Spider Throne---WGA4 Vecna Lives? I don't recall it from the Eldritch Wizardry or the 1e DMG offhand. _________________ Allan Grohe<br />https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html<br />https://grodog.blogspot.com/
It had to be one of the early references, no later than VL!
Again, it was mostly a random thought, some way to work other elements of background I like into Vecna.
I'd be more likely to tie it to the original demon lord of arachnidia, Obox-Ob, and leave Lolth as a latecomer who stole the spider portfolio from him. (There is so much potential in the background in Fiendish Codex I.)
Sam, you're the second person to recommend that book recently (Tizoc did while I was in CA last). Is it full of demonic good stuff? _________________ Allan Grohe<br />https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html<br />https://grodog.blogspot.com/
IMC the power of Vecna's Spidered Throne involves a siphoning of Istus's power and Tharizdun's prison. I think Lolth's Demonweb similarly uses these Greater Powers.
Basically, I've adapted the Warhammer 40k idea of the Eldar webway -- a transportation system that uses runic psyberteknology to traverse physical space via the Realm of Chaos. You may recall that the description of Istus's home realm in the boxed WoG set evokes a similar idea of celestial travel through time and space.
PS - I was surprised to see no mention of the Spidered Throne in the 1e DMG entries for the Eye and Hand. I think the first mention therefore is in VL!.
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