Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
Deep within the Yatil Mountains, concealed by jagged peaks and treacherous terrain, lie the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (SAWJ-kahn), once the lair of the infamous Iggwilv the Witch Queen.
Though Iggwilv herself has long vanished, her presence lingers, and her stronghold is anything but abandoned. Demons, dragons, and other horrors still stalk the perilous depths, and the Witch Queen's powerful wards remain intact, guarding what some claim to be a hoard of unrivaled magical wealth—a treasure so legendary that countless adventurers have perished seeking it.
Rumors persist that within these depths, Iggwilv penned the earliest pages of her infamous tome, the Demonomicon of Iggwilv—a nightmarish compendium of Abyssal lore and forbidden rituals. Abyssal rifts, residual echoes of her dark experiments, still bleed demonic energy into the tunnels, where bound fiends, spectral guardians, and wayward interlopers now reside. Many who enter never return, lost to the caverns' traps or worse—claimed by the terrors lurking within.
Iggwilv rose to power through sheer magical prowess, cunning, and the enslavement of countless fiends. Her reign was marked by ruthless ambition, but in her pursuit of dominion, she earned the enmity of powerful foes. Chief among them was the demon lord Graz’zt, whom she imprisoned and bent to her will for a time. Yet, ambition proved to be her undoing. A climactic confrontation with Graz’zt shattered her dominion, forcing her into exile and scattering her empire. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, once the heart of her power, were abandoned—lost to time but never truly forgotten.
Legends whisper that somewhere deep within the southern Yatil Mountains, hidden between the nations of Ket and Perrenland, with Bissel to the south, the caverns still house Iggwilv’s lost secrets and treasures. Fragments of these riches have surfaced over the years, igniting a desperate race among rival factions eager to claim what remains—or at the very least, to deny their enemies the same prize. The wealth and power concealed within the Lost Caverns may yet shift the balance of nations—if anyone is cunning enough to find them and bold enough to survive their perils.
Iggwilv, the Witch Queen
Once a mere mortal, Iggwilv carved out an empire through mastery of dark magic and relentless ambition. Known by many names across the planes—the Witch Queen of Perrenland, the Mother of Witches, Louhi, and Ychbilch—her true past is clouded in myth.
Origins & Rise to Power
Born as Natasha, she was raised by the enigmatic crone Baba Yaga, who taught her ancient and terrible sorceries. Under her adoptive mother’s tutelage, Natasha grew into a formidable spellcaster, earning the title “Natasha the Dark”, perhaps in contrast to her supposed “sister,” Elena the Fair.
Iggwilv's first known appearance in recorded history was in Ket, some 300 years ago, under the alias Hura. After looting the Vault of Daoud, she fled to the Free City of Greyhawk, where she adopted yet another identity—Tasha. There, she became an apprentice to the mad archmage Zagig Yragerne, a partnership that yielded her the infamous spell Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and exposed her to deeper magical secrets. She was also a member of the Company of Seven, Zagig’s band of adventurers, but her time with them ended when she betrayed her master, stole his greatest magical tomes—including the Tome of Zyx, which she expanded and renamed The Demonomicon—and disappeared.
Fleeing to the Yatil Mountains, Iggwilv took up residence in a place known as Iggwilv’s Horn, the last resting place of the ancient mage Tsojcanth. There, she enslaved the spirit of the long-dead wizard and used his knowledge to bolster her own power.
By 460 CY, she had reached the height of her power, summoning and imprisoning the mighty demon lord Graz’zt. The two engaged in a twisted dance of power, seduction, and betrayal, eventually producing a child—Iuz, the fiendish cambion who would later become a god of wicked dominion. With Graz’zt as her consort and thrall, Iggwilv launched an invasion of Perrenland in 480 CY, ruling it with an iron grip for over a decade.
Her reign ended in 491 CY, when Graz’zt turned against her. Weakened by a catastrophic battle against her former slave Tsojcanth, Iggwilv was caught off guard by Graz’zt’s treachery. Though she managed to banish his earthly form, the battle shattered her beauty, power, and empire. Left broken and vulnerable, she was overthrown by the Perrenlanders, who cast off her rule.
For years, Iggwilv was thought to be dead. Yet whispers persist that she still walks the planes, plotting in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to reclaim what was lost.
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: Structure & Mysteries
Buried deep in the southern Yatil Mountains, the Lost Caverns are divided into two sections:
- The Lesser Caverns: The outermost tunnels, riddled with deadly traps, wandering horrors, and the remnants of Iggwilv’s past experiments. Some claim that these caverns were once Tsojcanth’s domain, long before Iggwilv reshaped them to suit her own dark designs.
- The Greater Caverns: A labyrinthine network of vast chambers, some so immense they resemble underground cities. Here, Iggwilv stored her most powerful relics, conducted forbidden rituals, and communed with demonic patrons. Even now, the very walls hum with lingering eldritch power, and some say that echoes of Iggwilv’s voice can still be heard whispering in the darkness.
Few who seek the Lost Caverns ever return, and those who do emerge forever changed—either driven mad by what they encountered or desperate to forget. Those with the courage to venture into the abyssal depths may yet find Iggwilv’s hoard—or meet a fate worse than death.
Location: Yatil Mountains
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