D&D 5E Iggwilv/Tasha To Join Volo, Xanathar, and Mordenkainen? [UPDATED!]

Is WotC teasing a new announcement? There have been a few D&D books named after famous personalities from the game's extensive lore - Vole's Guide to Monsters, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. It looks possible that the next such personality might be Tasha of Tasha's Hideous Laughter fame -- which was an adventuring alias of the Greyhawk villain Iggwilv.

UPDATE -- A page has appeared on Amazon entitled Dungeons & Dragons November Title (Announced August 24). It's a hardcover, $49.95, November 17th release date.

On their Discord channel, WotC posted a short audio clip; it features some female-sounding voices laughing, and it is titled "Feather and Tart". It also has a metadata info which says August 24th, 2020, which is Monday. But in addition to that, a WoTC staff member on Reddit's avatar was changed to an image of Iggwilv.

Iggwilv was an evil magic-user, a villain created by Gary Gygax. When adventuring with the Company of Seven, she used the alias Tasha. The lore has it that the witch Baba Yaga adopted her as a child and named her Natasha, and she soon became Natasha the Dark (Baba Yaga also adopted Elena the Fair).

Iggwilv has two forms, one old and one young. You can read more about the character on Wikipedia.


What does seem clear is that WotC is teasing an impending announcement! I assume that the announcement they are teasing will be the announcement of an upcoming announcement, or I'll be disappointed.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

I somehow knew the answer would be disgusting

With aberrations, "disgusting" is a relative term. Consider how illithids and slaadi (are said to) reproduce...

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

And here I am, hoping that the next "Everything" book will be called "Etienne d'Ambreville's Grimoire of Everything"

 

[Coroc]

And here I am, hoping that the next "Everything" book will be called "Etienne d'Ambreville's Grimoire of Everything"

Who?

Edit: I googled it, it is obviously Mystaras Elminster

 

[amethal]

From distant memory of the aforementioned I, Tyrant sourcebook, they do not have butts and instead continually drool poop out of their mouths.

Thank you, 2e ecologies sourcebooks, for telling me IN GREAT DETAIL things I really didn't want to think about...

Some of us now have you to "thank" for it

 

[Coroc]

Some of us now have you to "thank" for it

Imagine todays generation who have to take a photo of every fast food they consume and put it on whatsup or instagram to share it with their friends.
Now there's a joke, why they do not take photos as well, when the stuff leaves their bodies again.

Transfer that to beholders .... Hm you could not tell which photo is showing what
,

 

[Remathilis]

According to I, Tyrant (a beholder-themed sourcebook from the AD&D 2nd edition days), beholders have both male and female reproductive organs located beneath their tongues. They are also capable of self-replication, which does away with the need for finding a suitable mate. This "dream themselves into existence" business is add-on (more likely "replacement") lore from later editions.

Johnathan

To be honest, dreaming up a new beholder is much more alien and mysterious then French-kissing one into existence...

 

[Azzy]

Pronounced:
Igg - will - vvv ?

Never heard of her. Only heard of Tasha's Hideous Laughter.
Of course, I hadn't heard of Xanathar either.

Here is a nicely researched article that distills all the known TSR/WotC-printed lore about Iggwilv.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

In Dragon+ 33 Tasha's Cauldron of Everything they specifically say Tasha took on the mantle of Iggwilv.

In time, Tasha becomes a queen and is dubbed the ‘Witch Queen’, before eventually becoming a demigod-like figure. In that transformation she adopts the name Iggwilv, which is associated with the Demonomicon that bears her name. There are all sorts of stories from D&D history that centre on her.

Guess that settles what's canon for 5e.