Iggwilv
Iggwilv | |
---|---|
Perrenland |
Iggwilv is a fictional wizard from the
Iggwilv is characterized as a selfish, evil-aligned magic user with much power and a penchant for sexual manipulation. She is the creator of the fictional demonomicons, which later served as inspiration for a real life sourcebook of the same name. As with many Greyhawk characters, sources often contradict on exact details regarding Iggwilv.
Publication history
Creation and conception
Gygax has cited the Finnish epic Kalevala as inspiration for Iggwilv.[1] The name of Louhi, a character in the Kalevala, is given by Gary Gygax as an alias of Iggwilv.[2] Iggwilv debuted in Gygax's The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982), "an adventure where players explored caverns once occupied by the powerful arch-mage".[3] This adventure also introduced the Demonomicon of Iggwilv which was described as "a treatise on the powerful evil creatures of the lower planes".[4]
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.[5][3]
1st and 2nd edition
The spell, Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter, was then included in a list of magic-user spells in Dragon #67.[6] In 1984, Dragon #82's article on magical research added the spell book "Lore of Subtle Communication by Tasha" which had the possibility of containing a clue to one of the following spells: ventriloquism, message, comprehend languages, legend lore, and Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter.[7] "Gygax provided no further context for who Tasha was, but an adventure published in Dragon #83 (about two years after Tasha's Hideous Laughter first appeared in the pages of that magazine) mentioned a 'Natasha the Dark' in an adventure exploring Baba Yaga's hut".[3] It is unclear whether Gygax initially intended the two names to refer to the same character.[citation needed]
Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter was then included as one of the spells featured in the 2nd Edition AD&D Player's Handbook (1989).
Shannon Appelcline, author of Designers & Dragons, highlighted that "in Dragon #225 (January 1996), Robert S. Mullin talked about Iggwilv's other book, the Nethertome, and laughably changed the name of her
3rd and 3.5 edition
In
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk (2007) "revealed that Iggwilv once joined the Company of Seven, a group of famous adventurers, under the guise of Tasha. Tasha's true motivations were unclear, but the adventure spells out the connection between the two characters".[3] Dragon #359 (September 2007), the final print issue, highlighted that "Tasha and Iggwilv were one and the same, and were also related to Baba Yaga's adopted daughter Natasha".[3]
4th edition
Iggwilv's presence in the new "points of light" default setting was confirmed in 4th edition's
Dungeon #196, in a 2011 remake of the Dancing Hut adventure, "further established that Natasha the Dark would eventually become Iggwilv".[3] Dragon #414, in a 2012 article on the history of the "Iggwilv-Graz'zt Affair", stated "she has been known by many names over the years: Natasha, Hura, then Tasha, and finally Iggwilv".[9]
5th edition
In the Forgotten Realms adventure Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, it is noted that Tasha's hideous laughter is commonly used throughout Waterdeep as a security measure against burglars, usually coupled with a glyph of warding cast on rooftops.[10]
Iggwilv is the narrator of the supplemental sourcebook Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (2020),[11][12] however, the book "focuses on the wizard before her Iggwilv transformation, with some input from her time as the Witch Queen".[13] "In a call with media [...], lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford pushed back on the idea that Tasha could be described by a single type of alignment, stating that her alignment was whatever suited her current plans best. That's a definite change from her previous depiction as a 'chaotic evil' sort of character, and reflects a further development of her character beyond that of the oftentimes stereotypical scheming seductress that Iggwilv was portrayed as in past adventures".[3] In another interview, Crawford said that "Tasha is a person who is unfazed by beings of many sorts—in addition to having consorted with darker beings, she also has consorted with, you know, beings of the upper planes. Basically, Tasha, in her brilliant curiosity, is untroubled by the various moral variations in the planes of existence. If there is knowledge to be learned and to [sic] power to possibly be gained, Tasha is unafraid to face it. [...] Tasha is whatever alignment suits her for the day, so I guess in that sense she is true neutral".[14]
This book also added three new spells to the game that are attributed to Tasha: Tasha's Caustic Brew, Tasha's Mind Whip and Tasha's Otherworldly Guise.[15]
In The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Iggwilv's history is presented with her being the adopted daughter of Baba Yaga, becoming Tasha the Wizard, rising to be demon-consorting Iggwilv the Witch Queen, before finally taking on the persona of Zybilna, an archfey ruling over the fey realm of Prismeer. As Zybilna, Iggwilv is a much more benevolent ruler who resides with the Palace of Heart's Desire, her darkest emotions magically removed. A glimpse of Iggwilv's future shows her having evolved into a white-haired hag.
Publication
Iggwilv has been mentioned in a variety of sourcebook and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons game. Some of her more significant appearances include:
- The module Castle Greyhawk (TSR, 1988)
- The module Iuz the Evil (TSR, 1993)
- Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Wizards, 2000)
- A series entitled "The Demonomicon of Iggwilv" from Dragon (2005–2007)
- Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (Wizards, 2006)
- "Enemies of my Enemy." Dungeon #149 (Paizo, 2007)
- Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk. (Wizards, 2007)
- "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D." from Dragon #359 (Paizo, 2007)
- "Iggwilv's Legacy: The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" from Dungeon #151. (Wizards, 2007)
- "Treasures of Greyhawk: Magic of the Company of Seven." from Dragon #359. (Paizo, 2007)
- Demonomicon (Wizards, 2010)
- "History Check: The Iggwilv-Graz'zt Affair" from Dragon #414. (Wizards, 2012)
- Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (Wizards, 2020)
- The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (Wizards, 2021)
In-universe character biography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2020) |
Description
Iggwilv is said to have two forms, one of which is that of an old crone (said to be her true form), and the other, a human female of dark beauty. In the latter form, Iggwilv has long black hair and pale skin. It is said none who have seen her in her true form still live.[16]
She has many alternate names. On
In the adventure Lost Caverns Of Tsojcanth, it was said that the long-dead archmage Iggwilv left her heavily guarded treasures in the caverns.[18]
Related characters
A number of relationships exist between Iggwilv and the major characters of Greyhawk:
- Iggwilv is the adopted daughter of Baba Yaga.[1]
- She imprisoned and seduced the Iuz.[1]
- She is also the mother of the destroyed vampiress Drelzna.[19]
- She is notorious for dealing with
- She was at one time the apprentice of
- Iggwilv is a fierce enemy of the Circle of Eight.
History
According to published background, Iggwilv is said to have once been named Natasha,
Iggwilv next appeared in
Iggwilv traveled to the
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
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 Drelzna. The second regarded her plans to bring a large number of
She last clashed with agents of the Circle of Eight in 585 CY when Warnes Starcoat employed a band of adventurers to recover
Reception
Iggwilv was named one of the greatest villains in D&D history in the final issue of Dragon.[32][26] Iggwilv was #7 on Game Rant's "10 Must-Have NPCs In Dungeons & Dragons Lore To Make Your Campaigns Awesome" list, in which the article states that Iggwilv "becomes the person to call for anyone with the slightest interest in demonology. Her Demonomicon of Iggwilv (also a column in the Dragon magazine) highlighted her research into the many demons and terrifying magic that can be tapped from the Nine Hells. Iggwilv stands alongside Mordenkainen as one of the most powerful spellcasters not just in Forgotten Realms but the entire multiverse".[33]
Corey Plante, for Inverse, highlighted that the Greyhawk character "is a mage who was raised by Baba Yaga, a chaotic and frightening witch with sentient teeth. A long-time frenemy of fellow wizard Mordenkainen, Tasha grew up into a powerful archmage who ruled an entire nation as its Witch Queen before transforming herself into a demi-god called Iggwilv. [...] Different aspects of her personal history have been featured in past iterations with the occasional contradiction, [...]. Tasha, a chaotic evil character who is one of the most powerful archmages in the multiverse, is the source of many legends and tall tales".[12]
James Grebey, for
On the narration of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (2020), Charlie Hall, for Polygon, wrote, "the voice of Tasha feels a bit out of place, as though a time traveler has returned to the Forgotten Realms with some spicy tweets to share. Ultimately, the marginalia didn't detract from the other good bits inside".[34]
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.[35]
See also
- World of Greyhawk
- List of Greyhawk characters
- Gary Gygax
- Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Company of Seven
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Turney, Alexandria (2020-11-03). "Dungeons & Dragons Lore: Who Is Tasha?". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
- ^ "D&D, Pathfinder, and RPGs at Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG News". www.enworld.org. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hoffer, Christian (2020-08-24). "Dungeons & Dragons: Who is Tasha?". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ a b c d Appelcline, Shannon. "Demonomicon (4e) | Product History". DriveThruRPG. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Gygax, Gary (November 1982). "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: New magic-user spells". Dragon (67). TSR, Inc.: 4–9.
- ^ Heard, Bruce (February 1984). "Spells between the covers: Details for delving into magical research". Dragon (82). TSR, Inc.: 55–68.
- ^ a b Mearls, Mike, Brian R. James, and Steve Townshend. Demonimicon. (Wizards of the Coast, 2010)
- ^ a b c d Rossomangno, John (August 2012). "History Check: The Iggwilv-Graz'zt Affair". Dragon (414). Wizards of the Coast: 1–5.
- ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ^ a b Grebey, James (2020-08-24). "D&D's next expansion, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, adds new subclasses and racial customization". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ a b Plante, Corey (24 August 2020). "'Tasha's Cauldron of Everything' is the most important new D&D book of 2020". Inverse. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ Chapman, Matt (August 26, 2020). "In the Works: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Dragon+ (33). Wizards of the Coast.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (2020-08-24). "With D&D's Next Rulebook, Character Creation Will Never Be the Same". io9. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- ^ Puc, Samantha (2020-11-17). "Dungeons & Dragons: These POWERFUL New Spells in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything Are Super Witchy". CBR. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ Dragon and Dungeon staffs. "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D." Dragon #359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007
- ^ Gygax, Gary. Sea of Death. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
- ^ Bambra, Jim (August 1983). "Open Box". White Dwarf (review) (44). Games Workshop: 13.
- ^ ISBN 0-935696-72-5.
- ^ Jacobs, James (March 2005). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Pazuzu". Dragon. Paizo Publishing: 329.
- ^ Jacobs, James (July 2005). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Fraz-Urb'luu". Dragon (333). Paizo Publishing.
- ^ Jacobs, James (November 2005). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Zuggtmoy". Dragon. Paizo Publishing: 337.
- ^ Jacobs, James (March 2006). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Baphomet". Dragon (341). Paizo Publishing.
- ^ Jacobs, James (July 2006). "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Kostchtchie". Dragon (345). Paizo Publishing.
- ^ ISBN 0-88038-238-4. 9153XXX1501.
- ^ a b c Connolly, Denny (2020-08-25). "Dungeons and Dragons: Who Is Tasha?". Game Rant. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
- ^ a b c D&D Editors (September 2007). "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D: Who is Tasha?". Dragon. 32 (359). Pazio: 30.
{{cite journal}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ Gygax, Gary. Unearthed Arcana (TSR, 1985).
- ISBN 978-0-7869-4358-6.
- ^ Gary Holian and Owen K.C. Stephens (October 2005). “Spellcraft: The Demonomicon of Iggwilv”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #336 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), pp. 76–84.
- ^ Wolfgang Baur (August 2007). “Enemies of My Enemy”. In James Jacobs ed. Dungeon #149 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), pp. 44–52.
- ^ Bulmahn, Jason; Jacobs, James; Mike McArtor; Mona, Erik; Schneider, F. Wesley; Todd Stewart; Jeremy Walker (September 2007). "1d20 Villains: D&D's Most Wanted; Preferably Dead". Dragon. 32 (359). Pazio: 54–69.
- ^ Taguiam, Rhenn (2020-08-15). "10 Must-Have NPCs In Dungeons & Dragons Lore To Make Your Campaigns Awesome". Game Rant. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ^ Hall, Charlie (2020-11-16). "Tasha's Cauldron makes D&D a better game, but whiffs on race changes". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Jon Creffield. The Slayer’s Guide to Dragons. Swindon, England: Mongoose Publishing, 2002.
Further reading
- Paizo Publishing, 2007).
- Breault, Mike, ed. Castle Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
- Bulmahn, Jason, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona. Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
- Dragon and Dungeon staffs. "Unsolved Mysteries of D&D." Dragon #359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Greer, Stephen S. "Fiend's Embrace." Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Gygax, Gary. Artifact of Evil (TSR, 1986).
- Gygax, Gary. Come Endless Darkness (New Infinities, 1988).
- Gygax, Gary. Dance of Demons (New Infinities, 1988).
- Gygax, Gary. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: New Magic-User Spells." Dragon #67. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1982.
- Gygax, Gary. Isle of the Ape (TSR, 1985).
- Gygax, Gary. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth(TSR, 1982).
- Gygax, Gary. The Slayer's Guide to Dragons (Mongoose Publishing, 2002).
- Gygax, Gary. Sea of Death (New Infinities, 1987).
- Gygax, Gary. Unearthed Arcana. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
- Heard, Bruce. "Spells Between the Covers." Dragon #82. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.
- Holian, Gary, and Rick Miller. "Treasures of Greyhawk: Magic of the Company of Seven." Dragon#359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Holian, Gary, , 2000).
- Holian, Gary and Owen K.C. Stephens. "The Demonomicon of Iggwilv." Dragon #336 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Jacobs, James. "Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Apocrypha." Dragon #359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Baphomet." Dragon #341 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
- Jacobs, James. "Baphomet." Dragon#341. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
- Jacobs, James. "Dagon." Dragon#349. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
- Jacobs, James. "Demogorgon." Dragon#357. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Fraz-Urb’luu." Dragon #333 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Jacobs, James. "
- Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Kostchtchie." Dragon #345 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
- Jacobs, James. "Malcanthet." Dragon#353. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Pazuzu." Dragon #329 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Jacobs, James. "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv: Zuggtmoy." Dragon #337 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Jacobs, James, Erik Mona, and Ed Stark. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (Wizards of the Coast, 2006).
- Moore, Roger E. Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins(TSR, 1998).
- TSR, 1984).
- Moore, Roger E. Return of the Eight (TSR, 1998).
- Mullin, Robert S. Campaign Classics: Three Greyhawk Grimoires. Dragon #225 (TSR, 1996).
- Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes(TSR, 1992).
- Sargent, Carl. Iuz the Evil (TSR, 1993).
- Stark, Ed, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.
- Stephens, Owen K.C., and Gary Holian. "Spellcraft: The Demonomicon of Iggwilv." Dragon #336. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
- Wilson, Steve. "Grey Chrondex 4.1" (2000). Available online: [3]
External links
- Graz'zt—The Dark Prince (2015 Dungeons & Dragons article)
- Lore You Should Know - Tasha (2020 Dragon Talk podcast segment) via YouTube