Full transcript
Intro
Natasha, later known as Tasha, Iggwilv and Zybilna, was an archmage, demonologist, and currently an archfey in Dungeons & Dragons. Capricious, wicked, and highly ambitious, she is considered one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, on par with demon lords.
Natasha the Dark
Born in the world of Oerth, she was adopted by the legendary witch Baba Yaga, who raised her and gave her the name Natasha. Raised in the Feywild, Natasha learned the secrets of magic from Baba Yaga and became known as Natasha the Dark. As a young girl, Natasha left the Feywild. Using the name Hura, she arrived at the borderlands of al-Ket, where she conducted terrible experiments. Her presence there was tolerated, until she plundered the Vault of Daoud for Daoud’s Wondrous Lantern.
Outraged, the pious citizens drove her into exile.
Tasha in Greyhawk’s Company of Seven
She next arrived in the City of Greyhawk. Using the name Tasha, she hid her past identity and presented herself as a lesser spellcaster. The city’s eccentric mayor, Zagig Yragerne, noticed her potential and took her as an apprentice, beginning their partnership in magical studies. Tasha became part of Zagig’s band of adventurers named Company of Seven, where she invented the spell, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter.
Together with Zagig, Tasha delved into the study of the Abyss, engaging in summoning and binding demons of the outer plains. In a pinnacle of their achievement, Tasha and Zagig summoned the demon lord Fraz-Urb’luu, binding and imprisoning him beneath Castle Greyhawk. In secret, Tasha learned much about demonology from the imprisoned Fraz-Urb’luu, desiring more magic to subjugate powerful demons with each conversation. In a night of betrayal, Tasha fled Castle Greyhawk with Zagig’s most valuable artifacts, including the crucial demonology tome, the Tome of Zix.
Iggwilv the Witch Queen of Perrenland
Assuming the name of Iggwilv, she sought greater power in the lost caverns of Tsojcanth within the Yatil Mountains. There, she uncovered the tomb of archmage Tsojcanth, the half-demon son of Fraz-Urb’luu, who masqueraded as a mortal. Iggwilv used knowledge gained from the Tome of Zix to bind Tsojcanth, keeping him as a pet and interrogating him to increase her knowledge of demonology. Using the additional knowledge, Iggwilv successfully summoned and bound the demon prince Graz’zt, whom she exploited to expand her knowledge in demonology.
Collating her vast knowledge in demonology, she refined and expanded upon the Tome of Zix to produce the Demonomicon of Iggwilv. Iggwilv and the imprisoned Graz’zt began a love-hate relationship, resulting in the birth of Iuz, future instigator of the Greyhawk Wars. With Graz’zt’s aid, Iggwilv gathered an army and conquered Perrenland at the foot of Yatil Mountains, establishing herself as the feared Witch Queen of Perrenland. A decade of terrible reign ensued.
Her reign of terror was so severe that generations later, mothers would use her name to frighten disobedient children. The salvation of Perrenland came when Graz’zt grew resentful of Iggwilv’s continued exploitation. He began plotting to escape Iggwilv’s control. At the time, a dangerous rift to the Abyss was forming beneath Iggwilv’s lair, a dangerous consequence of her frequent summoning rituals. Graz’zt suggested to Iggwilv that she can stop the spread of the rift by binding a powerful magical entity to it.
Iggwilv decided to bind Tsojcanth to the rift. Unexpectedly, Tsojcanth rebelled during the ritual, leading to a battle that left Iggwilv weakened. Seizing the opportunity, Graz’zt attacked. Iggwilv used all remaining spells and artifacts to banish Graz’zt back to the Abyss, leaving her nearly powerless. Sensing their ruler’s weakness, the native of Perrenland rose and defeated the Witch Queen’s forces, forcing Iggwilv to flee her domain. Presumed dead, Iggwilv had in truth retreated to her hidden mansion in the Gray Waste of Hades, slowly recovering her power over many decades.
During her recovery, Iggwilv returned to Oerth several times to advance her schemes, but was thwarted by the Circle of Eight led by Mordenkainen. Upon recovering most of her power, Iggwilv returned to Oerth shortly before the Greyhawk Wars, where she secretly aided the rise of Iuz. Early in the wars, Iggwilv attempted to summon and bind Graz’zt again, but discovered that Graz’zt had made plans for this eventuality. Graz’zt brought a powerful artifact with him, which he used to break free of her binding circles, turning the tables on his former captor.
Graz’zt captured Iggwilv and took her to his Argent Palace in the Abyss, where he kept her prisoner. The love-hate relationship between Iggwilv and Graz’zt continued, with Iggwilv eventually freed and allowed to wander Graz’zt’s palace as she pleased. Iggwilv became Graz’zt’s advisor. Her extraordinary knowledge in demonology guided Graz’zt’s campaigns of manipulations and conquests. However, the two ultimately had no trust in each other. With machinations of their enemies, their fragile partnership inevitably crumbled.
They fought a running battle throughout the Argent Palace, destroying priceless treasures and favored servants, yet neither fully committed to destroying the other. The battle ended in an uneasy truce, with Graz’zt allowing Iggwilv to leave. Their cycle of exploitation and betrayal would continue to this day. Back on Oerth, Iggwilv resumed her conquests, leading an army of fiends into the world, but her enemies were growing both in number and determination.
In her quest for absolute power, Iggwilv had made too many powerful enemies and had to flee across the plains. Pursued by her enemies, Iggwilv sought refuge in the Feywild to escape those who sought her destruction, following in her mother’s footsteps.
Zybilna, Archfey of Prismeer in Feywild
To remain hidden from her enemies, she created the demiplane Prismeer in the Feywild. She assumed the identity of Zybilna, the benevolent Archfey ruler. As Zybilna, she maintained a facade of kindness, though glimpses of her arrogance and cruelty occasionally showed through her carefully crafted persona. Over time, Iggwilv truly transformed. As a Fey creature with her human appearance, her interests shifted from power to exploring her new existence.
Tasha in Vecna: Eve of Ruin
When Alustriel Silverhand called for aid against Vecna, Zybilna faced a dilemma, as her presence was crucial in Prismeer. As a solution, Zybilna sent a past version of herself, Tasha, the powerful wizard before she became the Witch Queen or Archfey. This younger Tasha, though not yet at the height of her power, stood ready to face Vecna alongside Alustriel, honoring their friendship. As Tasha has written in her book, “Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything” - “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned everything to the ground and started over.”
