Iggwilv

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Greyhawk Character
Iggwilv
Iggwilv on the cover of Dungeon #149. Art by James Ryman.
Names and titles
Alt. Spelling:Igwlf
Nickname:Mother of Iuz, Tasha of the Company of Seven, Author of the Demonomicon
Title(s):Witch Queen of Perrenland
General info
Home:Gray Waste of Hades; Formerly Ket and Perrenland
Alignment:Chaotic evil
Gender:Female
Species:Human
Class:Wizard 26/Archmage 4
Dates
Age:Unknown - 150+

Iggwilv is a powerful human wizard in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, famous for her Demonomicons. Iggwilv is known by various alternate names and titles, including the Witch Queen of Perrenland and the Mother of Witches. She is known as Louhi on one alternate Prime Material world, and as Ychbilch on another. Those close to her sometimes address her as "Wilva." [1]

Description

Iggwilv has a range of guises, from hideous to lovely. As a hideous old crone (said to be her true form), she is described as "a parody of every child's nightmare of a wicked witch." In her lovely form, she may appear (as she does in Artifact of Evil) as a voluptuous bombshell with flowing golden tresses, or (in Return of the Eight and subsequent publications) with long black hair, golden skin, and black eyes without irises or whites. It is said none who have seen her in her true form still live.[2]

Iggwilv is characterized as a selfish, evil-aligned magic user with much power and a penchant for sexual manipulation. For a period of time, she travelled with the Company of Seven under the alias Tasha.[3][4] As with many Greyhawk characters, sources often contradict on exact details regarding Iggwilv.

Relationships

Iggwilv is the adopted daughter of Baba Yaga. She imprisoned and seduced the demon lord Graz'zt, who sired her a son, Iuz. She is also the mother of the now-destroyed vampiress Drelnza.[5] Mary Greymalkin claims to be part of a legendary lineage as granddaughter of the vampire Drelnza.[6]

On the parallel Earth where she used the name Louhi, she bore another child known as the Son of Pohjola. She was at one time the apprentice of Zagig Yragerne, and a member of the Company of Seven.

She was at one time the apprentice of Zagig Yragerne,[7] and a member of the Company of Seven (as Tasha).

Iggwilv is a fierce enemy of the Circle of Eight.

Occasional allies include her son, Iuz, and the demoness Zuggtmoy. Besides her awesome magical might, Iggwilv is also notorious for consorting with (as well as controlling and manipulating) fiends, notably demons from the Abyss and various yugoloths.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

History

According to published background, Iggwilv is said to have once been named Natasha,[13] and it is under this name that she was "adopted" as a child by the witch Baba Yaga. Under Baba Yaga's tutelage, Natasha grew into a talented spellcaster, and soon became known as "Natasha the Dark," perhaps in contrast to another adopted daughter of Baba Yaga, Iggwilv's "sister," Elena the Fair.

Iggwilv accepts Fiend's Embrace from Graz'zt. Art by Wayne Reynolds.

Iggwilv next appeared in Ket some 300 years ago, in the 3rd century CY, where she was known as Hura. After being driven from Lopolla for plundering the Vault of Daoud (where it is assumed she acquired Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn), Hura made her way to the Free City of Greyhawk. Now using the name Tasha, Iggwilv encountered the wizard Zagig Yragerne, who quickly (and scandalously) took her on as an apprentice. Sometime during this period (early 4th century CY), Tasha also served as a member of the Company of Seven, Zagig's adventuring band, and developed the spell Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter. Zagig and Tasha's relationship culminated in the imprisonment the demon lord Fraz-Urb'luu. When Zagig was unaware, Tasha spoke to the imprisoned demon lord, and learned many secrets. Shortly thereafter, Iggwilv absconded with many of Zagig's magical tomes, including the Tome of Zyx, which she would later make additions to and rename The Demonomicon.[5]

Iggwilv traveled to the Yatil Mountains, in the unclaimed wilderness near the Velverdyva River, to a twisted mountain now called Iggwilv's Horn, said to be the last resting place of the ancient mage Tsojcanth. There, using the lore and power she had stolen from Fraz-Urb'luu and Zagig, she bound Tsojcanth to her service, using him as her slave for generations.

Iggwilv next appears in the historical records of Perrenland in 460 CY. Using what she had learned (and stolen) from Zagig, Iggwilv summoned and imprisoned the demon lord Graz'zt. She managed to seduce the demon lord into helping her with her plans of conquest and went on to bear him a son, Iuz. In 480 CY, she assembled an army and attacked Perrenland from her base in the Yatils known as the Lost Caverns. It is thought that at some point during or prior to this period of conquest, Graz'zt gifted Iggwilv with a magical cloak of pit fiend hide known as Fiend's Embrace. Iggwilv's conquest of Perrenland was complete by 481 CY, and she held a firm grip on that nation until 491 CY, when Graz'zt escaped her control. Graz'zt had suggested, maliciously, that Iggwilv bind Tsojcanth to use as a living seal against the alarmingly spreading rift to the Abyss beneath Iggwilv's Horn. Iggwilv was caught off guard when Tsojcanth fought back for the first time in years. Weakened by the battle, she was doubly unable to resist Graz'zt's subsequent attack of his own. Iggwilv herself was forced to battle Graz'zt, just barely managing to slay his earthly form, banishing him to the Abyss. As a consequence of this battle, Iggwilv's beautiful form was wracked by magic and split into two hideous manifestations. Iggwilv was left shattered and powerless, enabling the native Perrenlanders to defeat her forces and regain their nation. After the loss of Perrenland, little was heard from Iggwilv for decades, and for a short while, she was presumed dead.

In the 570's, Iggwilv had two prominent clashes with the Circle of Eight, who had sent adventurers to thwart her plans. The first took place in the fabled Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and ended with the destruction of her daughter, the vampiress Drelnza. The second regarded her plans to bring a large number of fiends to Oerth, which was thwarted by a band of adventurers (Warnes Starcoat, Agath of Thrunch, Franz Torkeep, Rowena of the Silverbrow, Reynard Yargrove, and Rakehell Chert) who recovered the Crook of Rao from a magical demiplane known as the Isle of the Ape.[7]

She last clashed with agents of the Circle of Eight in 585 CY when Warnes Starcoat employed a band of adventurers to recover Tenser's clone from Luna. Iggwilv currently resides in a manor in the Gray Waste of Hades. Her current plans, if any, are unknown (as of 597 CY).[13]

Spells

  • Iggwilv's Lightning Cage - Dragon magazine #225
  • Iggwilv's Timeless Sleep - Dragon magazine #225
  • Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter - PHB

Writings

Iggwilv is known to have authored the following works:

  • The Demonomicon
  • Lore of Subtle Communication (as Tasha) - Dragon Magazine #82
  • The Nethertome - Dragon magazine #225

Iggwilv in other sources

"The Revenge of Ghorkai," a d20 adventure by Gary Gygax in The Slayer's Guide to Dragons (Mongoose Publishing, 2002), mentions a demigoddess called "The Mother of Witches." Given that Gygax created Iggwilv, and the adventure map strongly resembles the Yatil Mountains, many assume that this demigoddess is meant to be Iggwilv.[14]

Publication history

Creation and conception

Gygax has cited the Finnish epic wiki:Kalevala as inspiration for Iggwilv. The name of wiki:Louhi, a character in the Kalevala, is given by Gary Gygax as an alias of Iggwilv.[15]

The name "Tasha" and the association with laughter were created when a young girl sent Gary Gygax a letter (in crayon) asking him to create a spell involving laughter.[16] It is unclear whether Gygax initially intended the two names to refer to the same character.

She was named one of the greatest villains in D&D history in the final issue of Dragon.[17]

Publication

Iggwilv has been mentioned in a variety of sourcebook and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons game. Some of her more significant appearances include:

4th edition

Iggwilv's presence in the new "points of light" default setting was confirmed in 4th edition's Manual of the Planes. Iggwilv is briefly described as Graz'zt's sometimes ally and former lover. The 2010 supplement Demonomicon is based on Iggwilv's fictional work and presents "excerpts" from the text. Iggwilv's character history in 4th edition is similar to that in the World of Greyhawk. She is presented as an extremely powerful manipulator of Abyssal politics.[18]

After Iggwilv was illustrated by Wayne Reynolds in Stephen S. Greer's Fiend's Embrace in Dungeon #121 (2005), depictions of Iggwilv have been in her dark-haired, black-eyed form in an iconic black dress.

References

Citations
  1. ↑ Gygax, Gary. Sea of Death. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
  2. ↑ Dragon and Dungeon staffs. "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D." Dragon #359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007
  3. ↑ Gygax, Gary. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: New Magic-User Spells." Dragon #67 (TSR, 1982).
  4. ↑ Gygax, Gary. Unearthed Arcana (TSR, 1985).
  5. ↑ a b Gygax, Gary (1982) The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, S4, Lua error in Module:City at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).⧼colon⧽ TSR, inc., p. 64 ISBN: 0-935696-72-5.
  6. ↑ Crawford, Jeremy, Bart Carrol. Lost Laboratory of Kwalish. Renton, WA. WotC. 2018
  7. ↑ a b Gygax, Gary (1985) Isle of the Ape, WG6, Lua error in Module:City at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).⧼colon⧽ TSR, inc. ISBN: 0-88038-238-4. 9153XXX1501
  8. ↑ Jacobs, James (March 2005). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Pazuzu". Dragon: 329. Paizo Publishing.
  9. ↑ Jacobs, James (July 2005). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Fraz-Urb'luu". Dragon (333). Paizo Publishing.
  10. ↑ Jacobs, James (November 2005). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Zuggtmoy". Dragon: 337. Paizo Publishing.
  11. ↑ Jacobs, James (March 2006). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Baphomet". Dragon (341). Paizo Publishing.
  12. ↑ Jacobs, James (July 2006). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Kostchtchie". Dragon (345). Paizo Publishing.
  13. ↑ a b D&D Editors (September 2007). "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D: Who is Tasha?". Dragon 32 (359): 30. Pazio.
  14. ↑ Gygax, Gary, and Jon Creffield. The Slayer’s Guide to Dragons. Swindon, England: Mongoose Publishing, 2002.
  15. ↑ D&D, Pathfinder, and RPGs at Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG News. www.enworld.org.
  16. ↑ Q: "Did you make up named spells like Melf's acid arrow, Otiluke's resilient sphere and Mordenkainen's disjunction yourself, or did these come from player research?" Gygax: "All of those spells I made up, usually to honor a PC in my campaign, or for the person who suggested the basis. Tasha [Tasha's hideous laughter] was a little girl who sent me letters in crayon, Nystul [Nystul's magic aura] was an actual stage magician I met through Len Lakofka. Melf [Melf's acid arrow] was a PC of son Luke, and Otiluke [Otiluke's resilient sphere] was a combination of a couple of his other PCs." Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part III, Page 6). EN World , 2003-05-02. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
  17. ↑ Bulmahn, Jason (September 2007). "1d20 Villains: D&D's Most Wanted; Preferably Dead". Dragon 32 (359): 54–69. Pazio.
  18. ↑ Mearls, Mike, Brian R. James, and Steve Townshend. Demonimicon. (Wizards of the Coast, 2010)
Bibliography


Zavoda Index Entry

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index page has a list of sources, abbreviations, and a link to the full index. 

Demonomicon of Iggwilv [BK]
        DRG#299 - 101
	S4B1 - 30
	S4B2 - 21,26,29

Iggwilvs Nethertome [BK]
	DRG#225 - 51,52

Iggwilv {Igwlf}{Louhi}{Wilva}{Ychbilch}[NPC]
	AOE - 91,92,94,96,194,232,328-332,343
	CED - 37,46,47,52,55,56,294,295,296,297,302
        DOD - 12,13,14,45,46,75,136,140,170,171,172,173,174,175,176
                178,192,196,197,198,199,200,201,202,206,207,209,210,214
                218,221
	DRG#225 - 49,51,53
	DRG#241 - 75
        DRG#294 - 27
        DRG#299 - 101,103
	FTAA - 29
        LGG - 67,86,156,173
	LGJ#0 - 6,7
        LGJ#4 - 29
	LOG - 5
	PGTG - 18,24,27
	RTO8 - 2,10,20,21,37,48,52-56,59
	S4B1 - 2,3,7,18,19,26,27,29,30
	S4B2 - 21,26,32
	SOD - 15-31,75-80,82,83,87-90,93,135,136,139
	T1-4 - 99
	TAB - 59-61
	TD - 7
	WG6 - 6,8,43,44
	WGR5 - 3,16
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