Signup
Welcome to... Canonfire! World of GreyhawK
Features
Postcards from the Flanaess
Adventures
in Greyhawk
Cities of
Oerth
Deadly
Denizens
Jason Zavoda Presents
The Gord Novels
Greyhawk Wiki
#greytalk
JOIN THE CHAT
ON DISCORD
    Canonfire :: View topic - Divine Offspring
    Canonfire Forum Index -> World of Greyhawk Discussion
    Divine Offspring
    Author Message
    Journeyman Greytalker

    Joined: Feb 01, 2005
    Posts: 196
    From: Columbus, Ohio

    Send private message
    Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:11 pm  
    Divine Offspring

    An interesting question came up in my game. One of my players asked, "Do any of the demigods residing on Oerth have children? In particular what about the Old One, Iuz?"

    Having looked, I can't find any reference to Iuz' Offspring. Can anyone help?

    Please and thank you! Happy
    GreySage

    Joined: Aug 03, 2001
    Posts: 3310
    From: Michigan

    Send private message
    Mon Jan 20, 2020 8:34 pm  

    I don't think there's anything in canon that suggests Iuz has offspring. He has many half-siblings, aunts, and uncles in his extended family, and many concubines and consorts, but as far as I know no children have been mentioned. That doesn't mean you can't give him children, of course. Maybe Captain Xendros, the tiefling merchant who appears in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, is Iuz's daughter; there's no indication that this is true, but it could be true if you wanted. Her ancestry isn't otherwise explained, and she looks a bit like Iuz. Maybe a player character could even be one of the Old One's offspring.

    Artifact of Evil by Gary Gygax said this (page 90): "It was time to visit his seraglio. Iuz had many concubines—human, semi-human, and demon-spawn as well. Who could say which he enjoyed most—beautiful, or horrifyingly malformed and ugly? Mammalian or reptilian? Iuz was a cambion, after all, the bastard son of a demon mated with a woman. In him, the worst of demon and human had combined to form the Ancient One, The Old, Iuz, Lord of Evil. He was full of hatred and malign purpose, and several hours spent desporting himself in the seraglio only served to increase his tension. Perverse and sadistic pleasures had served no purpose in this regard."

    Iuz the Evil by Carl Sargent said, "Of the least tanar'ri, alu-demons and succubi are among Iuz's consorts and he uses them to snare or entrap his enemies. Such creatures perform this role for Iuz in the Bandit Kingdoms, Tenh, and other far-flung areas. They use their powers of disguise and persuasion to slay enemies of Iuz by stealth or magic. Iuz treats these fiends more indulgently, but they know who is their master."

    Zuggtmoy has also been called Iuz's lover (for example, Artifact of Evil, page 329, and Dragon #337, page 47), but although various fungal creatures have been described figuratively as Zuggtmoy's children (for example, the scarlet children from Dungeon #85), there's no evidence that Zuggtmoy can reproduce like a member of the animal kingdom would. She's a demon, though, so anything goes really. One lesser demon lord, Yibyiru, the Rancid Lady of Bitter Bile, is said to possibly be Zuggtmoy's daughter or mother, but there's no indication her father is Iuz, or even that she has a father. Zuggtmoy may reproduce solely via spores, like a fungus, for all we know. But it's not impossible that Yibyiru is Iuz's daughter. She might as easily be the daughter of Haagenti, the demon lord of alchemy.

    Kord definitely has many half-divine children, though, as mentioned in Dragon #87. Kayden, from WG7, is the only one to be named.

    Some of the monsters from C1 The Hidden Shrine of Tamochan might be the children of demigods, such as the Child of Zotzilaha and the sacred offspring of Chitza-Atlan.
    GreySage

    Joined: Aug 03, 2001
    Posts: 3310
    From: Michigan

    Send private message
    Fri Jan 24, 2020 8:31 pm  

    rasgon wrote:
    One lesser demon lord, Yibyiru, the Rancid Lady of Bitter Bile, is said to possibly be Zuggtmoy's daughter or mother, but there's no indication her father is Iuz, or even that she has a father. Zuggtmoy may reproduce solely via spores, like a fungus, for all we know. But it's not impossible that Yibyiru is Iuz's daughter. She might as easily be the daughter of Haagenti, the demon lord of alchemy.


    I've become enamored of the idea that Yibyiru is Iuz's daughter, born in the years before her father's imprisonment. Key is Dragon #337 calling Yibyiru the daughter or senile mother of Zuggtmoy. The line implies, at least, that she looks extremely ancient—as Iuz the Old does half the time, and as Iggwilv does in her true form. The title "Lady of Bitter Bile" brings to mind Iuz's spittle attack, but if "bitter" isn't just an unnecessary adjective (since bile is rarely sweet), but reflects her emotional state as well, wouldn't her bitterness be explained by the fact that despite being three-quarters demon, she somehow inherited her father's mortality, forcing her into a physical and mental decline after a century of life even if she's unable to actually die?

    According to Dragon #337, Yibyiru's speciality is said to be poison so deadly it can harm even other demons. Having her be the offspring of Haagenti, the alchemist demon, (who is said to be an ally of Zuggtmoy's) might explain that, but she could have been apprenticed to Haagenti whether or not she's connected to him by blood.

    I think if Zuggtmoy has an actual parent (assuming she didn't simply coalesce fully-formed from the malevolence of the Abyss, or that she wasn't literal fungus that slowly became sentient after absorbing the essence of the demonic corpses it grew on) it was likely something more primal, like Cyth-V'sug from Pathfinder.

    Quote:
    Maybe Captain Xendros, the tiefling merchant who appears in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, is Iuz's daughter; there's no indication that this is true, but it could be true if you wanted. Her ancestry isn't otherwise explained, and she looks a bit like Iuz. Maybe a player character could even be one of the Old One's offspring.


    I'm not sure how this could possibly work if Captain Xendros is an adult in 576, but she might be a descendant of Iuz, I suppose. Unless she, too, is somehow a century old...

    I think it would work better to have Captain Xendros be the daughter of an alu-demon and one of the older Boneheart members, like Ormuz or Patch or Kermin or Null, or the daughter of the cambion Kerzinen of Rookroost (Iuz the Evil, page 98).
    Adept Greytalker

    Joined: Apr 11, 2009
    Posts: 379
    From: Verbobonc

    Send private message
    Sat Jan 25, 2020 4:47 am  

    I always though that Iuz would treat any offspring like Saturn did...

    After all, Iuz is constantly plotting against his sire, Grazzt, why would he create another plotter to threaten himself...
    Apprentice Greytalker

    Joined: Oct 09, 2014
    Posts: 96


    Send private message
    Sat Jan 25, 2020 5:35 am  

    That brings up an interesting question. Would he know? I mean, numerous sources point to Iuz being "generous" with his procreational materials. Is there some reason to believe he would know instantly? It's not unreasonable to assume those in his harem are prisoners, but would he notice if one went missing?

    Of course, if she were a favorite, that would make her departure more noticeable. Also chances of others ratting the mother to be out.

    Another detail would be age. Any direct descendants of Iuz would either be in their 60s or 70s (before imprisonment), or 5 or 6 (after imprisonment) So maybe there's a child out there who must be protected until she is old enough to rid Oerth of her father's existence.
    GreySage

    Joined: Aug 03, 2001
    Posts: 3310
    From: Michigan

    Send private message
    Sat Jan 25, 2020 6:27 am  

    tarelton wrote:
    I always though that Iuz would treat any offspring like Saturn did...

    After all, Iuz is constantly plotting against his sire, Grazzt, why would he create another plotter to threaten himself...


    I thought the same, but that strategy didn't even work reliably for Saturn. In the end, as with all things Greyhawk, it comes down to whether it's something you want in your game.

    It also depends on when your game is set. A child born in 570 could easily be a player character in 591.
    Grandmaster Greytalker

    Joined: Jul 09, 2003
    Posts: 1358
    From: Tennessee, between Ft. Campbell & APSU

    Send private message
    Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:56 pm  

    rasgon wrote:
    ...
    Quote:
    Maybe Captain Xendros, the tiefling merchant who appears in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, is Iuz's daughter; there's no indication that this is true, but it could be true if you wanted. Her ancestry isn't otherwise explained, and she looks a bit like Iuz. Maybe a player character could even be one of the Old One's offspring.


    I'm not sure how this could possibly work if Captain Xendros is an adult in 576, but she might be a descendant of Iuz, I suppose. Unless she, too, is somehow a century old...


    -Tieflings seem to mature a little more slowly than humans, but age as quickly after that:

    http://legacy.aonprd.com/advancedRaceGuide/ageHeightWeight.html

    If a half-demon is they offspring of a demon and a mortal, and a tiefling is the offspring of a half-demon and a mortal, then Xendros could be Iuz's granddaughter or, depending on how heredity works, or if tere was a tiefling plus tiefling mating in her background, maybe even a great granddaughter or great-great granddaughter.
    Display posts from previous:   
       Canonfire Forum Index -> World of Greyhawk Discussion All times are GMT - 8 Hours
    Page 1 of 1

    Jump to:  

    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

    Contact the Webmaster.  Long Live Spidasa!


    Greyhawk Gothic Font by Darlene Pekul is used under the Creative Commons License.

    PHP-Nuke Copyright © 2005 by Francisco Burzi. This is free software, and you may redistribute it under the GPL. PHP-Nuke comes with absolutely no warranty, for details, see the license.
    Page Generation: 0.32 Seconds