According to the 83 Guide, Iuz might be the by-blow of Orcus. I'm not sure where it is first referenced (Iuz the Evil I'm guessing) but Graz'zt as his father fits the Iggwilv storyline better. However one cannot understate the fact he inherited virtually none of Graz'zt's features as befits a cambion. No ebon ski, no 6 digits (AFAIK) and no handsomeness (Although later stories I read indicate Iuz was handsome until Iggwilv's fall sundered Iuz into old/ demon forms.
Rasgon's short story of Iuz's birth tried to reconcile the myths, but tongue in cheek concerning Orcus.
Orcus on the other hand has the bloated demon look and Iuz's mannikin visage is bordering on undead looking. Also the withering power of Iuz's spit is a necromantic effect if I'm correct.
So the long and short of it is Iggwilv had an undocumented trist with the Prince of Undead at sometime close to her encounters with Graz'zt. A possible scenario is Iggwilv was attempting to summon demon princes and tried Orucs at some point prior to Graz'zt. She lost and in order to be let go she was coerced by Orcus into instead capturing his mortal enemy Graz'zt thus keeping Graz disposed from the Abyss. This is of course not before he had his way with her. Grazzt and Iggwilv of course hit it off as we all know. And if we go with Rasgon's version of Iuz's birth through Graz'zt's flesh then it was simply Iggwilv ritually implanting the fetus-Iuz into his body to burst instead of her (She surely might've died birthing such a cambion). Grazzt is thereafter Iuz's father for all historians know, though technically he is a surrogate father and not the genetic one.
Or Iggwilv was messing around with summoning demon lords, so Orcus put on his Graz'zt-mask and paid her a visit, dropped some pillow-talk, and let out a few secrets.... Iuz was conceived that night.
Afterwards, when Graz'zt was summoned (via those little secrets), the "reunion" went well at first... at least until Iuz' identity was discovered.
And Orcus, the "Prince of Lies" gets all the benefits - a scion on Oerth, Graz'zt away from home for a decade or so, and a booty call from Iggwilv.
According to the 83 Guide, Iuz might be the by-blow of Orcus. I'm not sure where it is first referenced (Iuz the Evil I'm guessing) but Graz'zt as his father fits the Iggwilv storyline better.
The '83 Guide does not even confirm that Iuz is a cambion - it also suggests he might be a human grown demonic over the centuries. ToEE basically repeats this. ToEE is the first ref I know for Iuz's mother,
and it says he is searching for her, that she is believed to be lost in the Abyss.
(tho there may be something in LCoT - not sure on publication order with ToEE)
As far as the first ref to Iuz's father, AFAIK that is in the Room of Love in WG8. Significantly before ItE.
Edit: I meant WG7 _________________ My campaigns are multilayered tapestries upon which I texture themes and subject matter which, quite frankly, would simply be too strong for your hobbyist gamer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mp7Ikko8SI
Last edited by Kirt on Fri Apr 26, 2019 8:00 pm; edited 1 time in total
As to the Lost Caverns link regarding Iggwilv being "lost", when I dm'd that adventure, there was an evil group of npc's made up of agents of the Boneheart also hunting the location down. The pc's never ran into them directly, but the evil guys followed their trail to the Lost Caverns. The pc's mounts in the outer cave were slaughtered in short order(poor horsies), but the evil party did not go after the pc's- they found what they were after not too far into the caverns.
What the evil agents were looking for was a hidden cavern. The pech had located it and were in the process of carving stairs up to it(this is actually in the module by the way). Inside this cavern, which originally was only reachable through the use of multiple passwall spells by those who knew its location, was THE sanctum of Iggwilv. The area had been broken into and ransacked. What hadn't been taken had been destroyed(mostly).
The most interesting thing that the pc's found within the cavern was a broken capsule that looked like a large glass tube set into a metal base, with a metal top festooned with odd crystals and metal tubes connecting to similar apparatus which held the mostly desiccated remains of all sorts of creatures. The pc mages were able to tell that whatever was contained in the main capsule, which was broken open and spilling odd fluid on the floor, had been feeding off of the lifeforce of the creatures contained in the other capsules. Maybe Iggwilv was inside, maybe something else. I have let it remain a mystery up to this point.
To me, it always seemed that something was missing in the whole Iggwilv-Graz'zt story to make just a cambion into a demi-god. My take on the Old One's parentage went back a little further, to Iggy herself. I made Iggwilv the offspring of a hag (an annis, specifically) and Erythnul, and this divine heritage enabled the cambion Iuz to ascend to demi-god status. What of Drelzna (sp?) and Iggwilv herself? Drelzna had been asleep for so long and Iggwilv on another plane, and they just lacked a certain, *oomph*, to push them over into divinity. Time may yet tell... _________________ Greyhawk is dead; long live Greyahwk! It is not heresy; I will not recant!
The first real description of Iuz appears in Dragon 67 (November 1982), and it formed the basis for the description in the 1983 boxed set, emphasis me:
Quote:
Whether Iuz is a human who has become demon-like through the centuries, or whether he is a semi-demon (as some suggest, a by-blow of Orcus), no mortal knows. He is, however, the first known godling of Chaotic Evil; his wickedness and treachery are infamous throughout
the Flanaess. (See the WORLD OF GREYHAWK™ Gazetteer, under the political heading Iuz.)
This cruel being can appear as either a massive (7’ tall), fat man with demoniac features, reddish skin, pointed ears, and long, steely fingers, or as an old and wrinkled mannikin of scarcely 5’ height. Either or both might be Iuz’ true form.
Iuz rules a portion of Oerth, a horrid territory which bears its master’s name, from the cursed city of Molag. Few creatures beyond the boundaries of this domain will speak his name, let alone adore
him.
In his demoniac form, Iuz prefers to wield a great, magical +3 two-handed
sword, although he can use other weapons. In any guise, Iuz can use his exceptionally long and sinewy digits to claw and strike and strangle. If he strikes thus twice, a strangling grasp is indicated, and the victim will die in 2-5 rounds unless freed. In his mannikin-like form, Iuz has the ability to generate a disgusting spittle which he can expectorate once per round. This substance ages the victim struck by 1-6 years (no saving throw) and withers the area struck, numbing a member and making it useless for 2-5 rounds. His wrinkled visage has a negative charisma of -4. This causes awe (revulsion) of -55% and affects creatures with up to 6 hit dice.
Iuz is rumored to have a soul object secreted on the Abyssal Plane dominated by the demoness Zuggtnoy, with whom he is known to consort. He is thus free to roam outside his domain without fear of permanent harm. He is also said to wear an old, short cape. This covering conveys an additional 20% magic resistance and serves as +4 protection as well. In addition to his various abilities listed here, Iuz also has all powers typical of a demigod.
There is great enmity between Iuz and St. Cuthbert (q.v.). This is carried on by the servants of Iuz and St. Cuthbert’s followers as well.
Clerics of Iuz dress in rusty black (their master’s favorite color) or white
streaked with rust-red blood stains. At third level they gain the ability to change self once per day. Their ceremonies include the burning of foul-smelling substances, the beating of great drums and the clangor of bronze bells, and blood sacrifice whenever possible. Places of service to Iuz must be old, filthy, and dark. Altar services are typically of bone
and include many skulls.
It's interesting to me that the idea of a semi-demon appears this far back (though, again, it's not that far, given that S4 was also published in 1982, and alu demons are listed as demi-demons; no mention of cambions until MM2 in 1983, though). It's also very interesting that he's the first godling (demigod) of CE: to me, that pushes his age into the thousands of year old at minimum. Therefore if Iggwilv is, in fact, his mother, she must be older.... _________________ Allan Grohe (grodog@gmail.com)
http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html
Actually, it says he's the first known godling of CE. In other words the first known to the sage writing about him at the time, &/or the first known to Gygax before he figured out what he wanted to do with Iuz.
According to the 83 Guide, Iuz might be the by-blow of Orcus. .
My take on this debate is Gygax intentionally left Iuz's heritage a question mark. I believe Iuz always was a result of a Graz'zt/Iggwilv union, then Gygax later included Orcus' name for misinterpretation. He left a lot of big gaps in GH lore so gamers would create their own versions of GH and not the one he created. Also, by alluding that perhaps Iuz was an offspring of Orcus, it gives GH mythology its natural translation errors over time , much like real life mythologies.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Canonfire! is a production of the Thursday Group in assocation with GREYtalk and Canonfire! Enterprises
