LAST WORD ON IUZ & CO.
Iquander
I think it pertinant to the current discussion. I've started a new thread
because this may engender quite a bit of discussion.
The Ultimate, Definitive Listing of Iuz's Fellow Prisoners
by Erik Mona
Iqua...@aol.com
Along with, "how did Iuz help with the Temple of Elemental
Evil when he was imprisoned?" and "when did the short war
happen?" this question should be bronzed and inducted to the
Greyhawk Hall of Fame.
The exact same topic has come up recently on Usenet, and it
has been discussed here no fewer than three times already. In
short, "officially," the only other prisoner with Iuz in Castle
Greyhawk was Wastri. This information comes from
"Bathtime for the Hopping Prophet," an adventure card from
the City of Greyhawk boxed set.
Given the fact that there were nine prisoners, and that nearly
everything Gygax has ever written has included, in some way
the number nine, it's safe to say that there is a pattern here.
The basis of this pattern, of course, are the nine celestial
alignments. These alignments played a huge role in Gygax's
game, and unless I'm mistaken, there's evidence to prove that
everyday people perceived alignment as "fact." Anyone else
remember "alignment languages"?
So, it would seem to make sense that Zagig Yragrene, in
order to steal a portion of the Obelisk's power, needed to
capture nine demigods; one of each alignment. This raises a
very real concern. Not counting Mayahaine (because she
wasn't on Oerth yet) or Gaknulak (because his ties to Oerth
are tenuous, and he rarely visits), Oerth has but two other
demigods. If we assume Rudd and Zuoken were brought
along for the ride, we're still five demigods short.
Or are we? I combed through all of the Greyhawk material I
could, searching for "forgotten gods." I found quite a few,
such as Dalt, Om and Landron, but none of these seemed to
be of the "demi" extraction. A few others, however, did.
Against the Cult of the Reptile God introduced us to Merikka,
the goddess of agriculture (most likely of Oeridian heritage).
Likewise, the Forgotten Shrine of Tamoachan introduced us
to almost a dozen divine beings once worshipped by the now
dormant Olman empire. Of these, Tlatzoteotl and Chitza-
Atlan make excellent candidates. Xilonen, the Hairy Mother
Goddess of Corn is a slightly less successful match, though I
have chosen to retain her as one of Zagig's captives. Finally,
one of the pregenerated characters from that module
worshipped Stern Alia, patron of Pontylver and most
assuredly an Oeridian demigoddess. In fact, I've incorporated
her into Oeridian myth as a sort of Virgin-Mary figure, a
once-mortal imbued with the seed that begat Hextor and
Heironeous (just _who's_ seed it was, I have yet to determine.
. .).
So, broken down by alignment, let's take a look at the
contenders (it should be noted that I've played fast and loose
with some of these alignments, as they were not given in the
original material).
AL Name Sphere WaL* Sex
LG: Merikka Agriculture Any Good F
LN: Stern Alia Law, Truth LN F
LE: Wastri Amphibians,
Bigotry LN, LE M [1]
NG: Xilonen Corn Any F [2]
TN: Zuoken Phys. and
Mental Mastery N, LN M [3]
NE: Chitza-Atlan Underworld
(Mictlan) Any M
CG: Tlazoteotl Mother of the
Earth Any F [4]
CN: Rudd Chance, Skill CN, CG, N F
CE: Iuz Deceit, Pain Any Evil, CN M
Notes:
* Worshippers Alignment
[1] This assumes Wastri's LE "tendencies" were enough to
satisfy the conditions of the casting.
[2] Psyclops mentioned some good reservations about this
being's placement on the list last time around, and I don't
have much in the way of support for it at the moment. Off
hand, I'd say that the Xilonen of Tamoachan was merely an
avatar of the thing cut off from the god itself either with the
decline in worshippers or the capture of the true deity by
Zagig Yragerne. At any rate, another "official" placement in
this slot would be much appreciated.
[3] Another concern last time around is why Zagig, a neutral
fellow, would capture a neutral god. My guess is that the
formula warranted it, and Zagig wanted divinity so badly that
matters of personal ethos were of little concern at the time. In
my campaign, Zuoken is still down there. When his
followers discover the location of their patron, it is likely
some real religious fervor will break out between followers of
the servant of the Uncaring One and the servant of the Lady
of Perfection.
[4] Tlazoteotl, the Mother Goddess of the Earth, was
probably at one time a lesser goddess. With the fall of the
Olman Empire, however, worship of this being waned, and
she became of demigod status. She did not take the failure of
her people well, and the great ameoboid workbeasts she once
bequeathed to the people of Tamoachan de-evolved into
hideous creatures called "gibbering mouthers" by Sea Princes
explorers.
FINAL NOTE: In the process of composing this, I changed
Merikka's alignment from CG to LG, to reflect the much
more lawful aspect of agriculture. Those players wishing to
keep their information in line with canon will note that
Tlazoteotl has no "official" alignment, and that she can easily
be moved to the LG spot, allowing Merikka to take up her
original CG. The version presented above, in my opinion, is
far more satisfying.
FINAL FINAL NOTE: I've already explained why Olidammara
and Fraz Urb'luu are not suitable candidates in another post.
Please refer there for questions regarding their "imprisonments,"
and the differences that make them ineligable as members of
the current group.
Erik Mona
Iqua...@aol.com