This has been an interesting discussion. My
preference is to keep things simple and on a low power scale, while
adhering to the spirit of the source material. Thus, here are some
thoughts:
1. Iggwilv is at least 500-700 years old, and one of the most powerful human witches ever. During her first couple of centuries, she would have fun building a stronghold in the Yatil Mountains, summoning up demons for company, and subjugating Perrenland. At some point, she enters into a relationship with the demon prince Graz'zt, and one thing leads to another with him, resulting in the birth of her son, Iuz.
2. Until 254 CY, Furyondy was part of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, as were (to a lesser extent) the territories now known as the Land of Iuz, and the Horned Society. These latter places are best thought of as a frontier territory, sparsely settled by humans, and under-developed, ruled by various northern barons in small, petty fiefdoms. They don't so much achieve independence from the Great Kingdom, but rather that government decides they are not worth the hassle and expense of keeping them.
3. With the independence of Furyondy as a base, then Iuz's age can be calculated as around 300-400 years old. Thus, he would have been born while the Great Kingdom still ruled that area, but would have reached adulthood when that power waned. Due to his demonic heritage, he may have taken longer to "level up" than a human, and the most plausible explanation for how he spent his youth is that he would have been brought up in a petty barony set in the Howling Hills.
4. Iggwilv, not being the best of mothers, could have dumped a young Iuz off in the Howling Hills, perhaps with some baron she was having an affair with (that hussy), and just to get that whiny brat out of her way while she was doing more important work. That naturally leads to some resentment of his mother by Iuz, who may also be ticked that he is not being groomed to eventually rule Perrenland, instead of some dump north of the Whyestil Lake.
5. Eventually, Iggwilv (being the domineering person that she is) has the mother-of-all breakups with Graz'zt, leading to her own downfall, and the liberation of Perrenland. But before that, she would have her second child, the vampire Drelnza (with a different father, of course; perhaps a renegade Furyondian nobleman?). And Iggwilv being who she is, she may have favored her second child a lot, leading to more resentment from Iuz.
6. This could make Drelnza around 100-200 years old, depending on how you want to fit the history of Perrenland and the background of module S4 into your campaign. As for Iuz, he could have learned from both of his parents about the constructive pursuit of power, and its limits. So in addition to building political power in the territory that now bears his name, he sets about pursuing power from a religious angle as well.
7. So, around 500 CY, Iuz could have achieved his twin goals, ruling a territory that was at its largest extent with the Horned Society as its southern half, and setting himself up as the Demi-God of Oppression, Deceit, and Pain (and all that at the "young" age of 250-300 years old). But he would only have a few decades to enjoy that power before he was captured and imprisoned by Zagyg under Castle Greyhawk, stuck there for a number of decades until being freed in the course of events during that original campaign.
8. In the meantime, the southern half of Iuz's land would have fallen away to become the Horned Society. I don't like the later developments of this region, and much prefer to keep it as it was originally presented, as a Lawful Evil realm ruled by thirteen hierarchs, and the inhabitants as devil worshipers. That makes the campaign world more interesting, to have variety like that.
9. Iuz, although several times older than the human lifespan, is still very young as divine beings go, and also only a rather weak demi-god on the scale of things, not having a large or long-established following. For example, he might not be able to grant spells higher than 5th level to his clerics, and he would be less powerful than the other deities in Greyhawk. And for the most part, his followers would be concentrated in his own land, and some nearby areas in the north. But while he always craves more power as a Chaotic Evil type, he still has achieved a whole lot in his few centuries of existence.
This has been a long explanation, of course, but I think it does add something useful to the background of Iuz. As for how he became a demi-god in the first place, I'm starting to favor the following explanation. Iuz could have been sponsored for divinity by the greater god Nerull, as they would have mostly compatible goals, ideologies, and alignments. Conquering that territory in the Flanaess would be the achievement that raised Iuz to demi-godhood; likewise, when Zagyg was able to capture and imprison those nine other demi-gods, he was able to achieve demi-godhood from his sponsor Boccob. Naturally, Zagyg would get a big laugh out of how things have all worked out for Iuz and his crazy relatives.
1. Iggwilv is at least 500-700 years old, and one of the most powerful human witches ever. During her first couple of centuries, she would have fun building a stronghold in the Yatil Mountains, summoning up demons for company, and subjugating Perrenland. At some point, she enters into a relationship with the demon prince Graz'zt, and one thing leads to another with him, resulting in the birth of her son, Iuz.
2. Until 254 CY, Furyondy was part of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, as were (to a lesser extent) the territories now known as the Land of Iuz, and the Horned Society. These latter places are best thought of as a frontier territory, sparsely settled by humans, and under-developed, ruled by various northern barons in small, petty fiefdoms. They don't so much achieve independence from the Great Kingdom, but rather that government decides they are not worth the hassle and expense of keeping them.
3. With the independence of Furyondy as a base, then Iuz's age can be calculated as around 300-400 years old. Thus, he would have been born while the Great Kingdom still ruled that area, but would have reached adulthood when that power waned. Due to his demonic heritage, he may have taken longer to "level up" than a human, and the most plausible explanation for how he spent his youth is that he would have been brought up in a petty barony set in the Howling Hills.
4. Iggwilv, not being the best of mothers, could have dumped a young Iuz off in the Howling Hills, perhaps with some baron she was having an affair with (that hussy), and just to get that whiny brat out of her way while she was doing more important work. That naturally leads to some resentment of his mother by Iuz, who may also be ticked that he is not being groomed to eventually rule Perrenland, instead of some dump north of the Whyestil Lake.
5. Eventually, Iggwilv (being the domineering person that she is) has the mother-of-all breakups with Graz'zt, leading to her own downfall, and the liberation of Perrenland. But before that, she would have her second child, the vampire Drelnza (with a different father, of course; perhaps a renegade Furyondian nobleman?). And Iggwilv being who she is, she may have favored her second child a lot, leading to more resentment from Iuz.
6. This could make Drelnza around 100-200 years old, depending on how you want to fit the history of Perrenland and the background of module S4 into your campaign. As for Iuz, he could have learned from both of his parents about the constructive pursuit of power, and its limits. So in addition to building political power in the territory that now bears his name, he sets about pursuing power from a religious angle as well.
7. So, around 500 CY, Iuz could have achieved his twin goals, ruling a territory that was at its largest extent with the Horned Society as its southern half, and setting himself up as the Demi-God of Oppression, Deceit, and Pain (and all that at the "young" age of 250-300 years old). But he would only have a few decades to enjoy that power before he was captured and imprisoned by Zagyg under Castle Greyhawk, stuck there for a number of decades until being freed in the course of events during that original campaign.
8. In the meantime, the southern half of Iuz's land would have fallen away to become the Horned Society. I don't like the later developments of this region, and much prefer to keep it as it was originally presented, as a Lawful Evil realm ruled by thirteen hierarchs, and the inhabitants as devil worshipers. That makes the campaign world more interesting, to have variety like that.
9. Iuz, although several times older than the human lifespan, is still very young as divine beings go, and also only a rather weak demi-god on the scale of things, not having a large or long-established following. For example, he might not be able to grant spells higher than 5th level to his clerics, and he would be less powerful than the other deities in Greyhawk. And for the most part, his followers would be concentrated in his own land, and some nearby areas in the north. But while he always craves more power as a Chaotic Evil type, he still has achieved a whole lot in his few centuries of existence.
This has been a long explanation, of course, but I think it does add something useful to the background of Iuz. As for how he became a demi-god in the first place, I'm starting to favor the following explanation. Iuz could have been sponsored for divinity by the greater god Nerull, as they would have mostly compatible goals, ideologies, and alignments. Conquering that territory in the Flanaess would be the achievement that raised Iuz to demi-godhood; likewise, when Zagyg was able to capture and imprison those nine other demi-gods, he was able to achieve demi-godhood from his sponsor Boccob. Naturally, Zagyg would get a big laugh out of how things have all worked out for Iuz and his crazy relatives.
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