Gillikin Country
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Gillikin Country The Gillikin Country occupies the northern quarter of the land of Oz. The Gillikin people prefer the color purple. There is a Good Witch who lives in this country. She does not rule over this land as her counterpart to the south, Glinda, does. It’s possible that she wanders her country, dispensing aid to those in need. But as she’s only one person, it is impossible for her to respond to every trouble that arises. It is in the Gillikin Country that the witch Mombi lived and hid Princess Ozma as the boy Tip. Although Glinda caused Mombi to forget her magic after she had undone Ozma’s transformation, Mombi is still alive and is likely up to no good. Flathead Mountain Dorothy knew at once why these mountain people were called Flatheads. Their heads were really flat on top, as if they had been cut off just above the eyes and ears. Also the heads were bald, with no hair on top at all, and the ears were big and stuck straight out, and the noses were small and stubby, while the mouths of the Flatheads were well shaped and not unusual. Their eyes were perhaps their best feature, being large and bright and a deep violet in color. The costumes of the Flatheads were all made of metals dug from their mountain. Small gold, silver, tin and iron discs, about the size of pennies, and very thin, were cleverly wired together and made to form knee trousers and jackets for the men and skirts and waists for the women. The colored metals were skillfully mixed to form stripes and checks of various sorts, so that the costumes were quite gorgeous and reminded Dorothy of pictures she had seen of Knights of old clothed armor. Aside from their flat heads, these people were not really bad looking. The men were armed with bows and arrows and had small axes of steel stuck in their metal belts. They wore no hats nor ornaments. -- Glinda of Oz Flathead Mountain has a flat headland at its peak, where the Flathead people live. Since the Flatheads have to extra space in their heads to put their brains, each Flathead has a can of brains to keep with them. These were given to the Flatheads by the fairies who transformed Oz in to a fairyland and took pity on the poor, brainless Flatheads. The only way to reach the top of the mountain is through a tunnel carved into the mountain itself. An invisible wall blocks the way to this tunnel, but clever characters can find their way around this wall to go beyond it. Once past this wall, there are many stairs to climb. A flight of ten stairs goes up, then 5 stairs go down. Often, the stairs twist and turn in odd directions. At the top of every flight of ten stairs, a bell rings at the top, alerting the Flatheads to the presence of intruders. As this route is rather long and difficult, the Flatheads have plenty of time to respond to any incursions. They were formerly ruled by a Supreme Dictator, or Su-Dic for short. The Su-Dic was one of the most intelligent of the Flatheads, as he had stolen the canned brains of three other Flatheads. His wife had two additional cans of brains, and both were potent users of magic. Although the Su-Dic was supposedly elected, he made a law that he counted all the votes, ensuring his continued rule over his people. This all changed when the Flatheads declared war on the Skeezers, who lived in the lake near the base of their mountain. Princess Ozma and Dorothy went to try to stop the war and wound up involving many of their friends from the Emerald City and Glinda of the South. Flathead Mountain is now ruled by three Adepts at Magic, who had previously been transformed into fishes and lost in Skeezer Lake. All of the Flatheads also had their cans of brains opened and put into their heads, just like everyone else. Of course, their heads are no longer flat, so they are now called Mountaineers. Flathead Mountain Characters All the Mountaineers are now just like normal people, and can be built from just about any template. If the Narrator wishes to set your adventures before the events of “Glinda of Oz”, a Flathead would have the trait “Canned Brains.” This trait is worth -1 point because your can of brains can be stolen or misplaced, rendering you unable to think. Adventure Hooks A can of brains has recently turned up. With all the Flatheads having brains in their heads now, who could this can of brains belong to? Gugu Forest In the central western part of the Gillikin Country is a great tangle of trees called Gugu Forest. It is the biggest forest in all Oz and stretches miles and miles in every direction--north, south, east and west. Adjoining it on the east side is a range of rugged mountains covered with underbrush and small twisted trees. You can find this place by looking at the Map of the Land of Oz. Gugu Forest is the home of most of the wild beasts that inhabit Oz. These are seldom disturbed in their leafy haunts because there is no reason why Oz people should go there, except on rare occasions, and most parts of the forest have never been seen by any eyes but the eyes of the beasts who make their home there. The biggest beasts inhabit the great forest, while the smaller ones live mostly in the mountain underbrush at the east. Now, you must know that there are laws in the forests, as well as in every other place, and these laws are made by the beasts themselves, and are necessary to keep them from fighting and tearing one another to pieces. In Gugu Forest there is a King--an enormous yellow leopard called "Gugu"--after whom the forest is named. And this King has three other beasts to advise him in keeping the laws and maintaining order-- Bru the Bear, Loo the Unicorn and Rango the Gray Ape--who are known as the King's Counselors. All these are fierce and ferocious beasts, and hold their high offices because they are more intelligent and more feared then their fellows. -- The Magic of Oz Gugu Forest Characters Most characters emerging from the Forest of Gugu will be Large Animals, typically predators, so the purchase of the Deadly Weapon trait is highly appropriate. After the events of The Magic of Oz, it’s likely that Gugu would send emissaries to the Emerald City to prevent such problems from happening again. Such an emissary would likely have Gugu himself or one of his Counselors on their Friends List. Adventure Hooks In order to foster relations between the animals and the people of Oz, Gugu and his Counselors are visiting the Emerald City. Is it possible to turn these wary visitors into firm friends? Loonville The creatures they beheld were round and ball-like; round in body, round in legs and arms, round in hands and feet and round of head. The only exception to the roundness was a slight hollow on the top of each head, making it saucer-shaped instead of dome-shaped. They wore no clothes on their puffy bodies, nor had they any hair. Their skins were all of a light gray color, and their eyes were mere purple spots. Their noses were as puffy as the rest of them. --The Tin Woodman of Oz The Loons of Loonville are made of inflated rubber. They all share the last name of “Loon,” and typically bear a first name that creates an amusing word when combined with the last, such as their King, Bal Loon. The path leading to their village bears a sign reading “All Strangers are Warned not to Follow this Path to Loonville.” Since the Loons are essentially inflated rubber balloons, they are very careful not to burst themselves. There are many dangers to such fragile creatures within their village, making anything from beyond their village a frightening prospect. Any strangers who do not heed the sign are captured and brought to King Bal Loon, who will typically condemn the strangers to be perforated. As this tactic is not as effective on people who are not Loons, one must wonder how long it will take them to find this out. Loonville Characters A Loon must take a Weakness to the Common circumstance of being punctured or overinflated, which Incapacitates them, worth a total of -1 point. For this reason, there are rather few Loons willing to venture far beyond the air pumps in their village. Adventure Hooks The vine tying King Bal Loon to his throne has come loose! Can you snatch the King out of the sky and return him to his people? Magic Island Suddenly the blue-green leaves of the trees changed to a purple hue, and Trot noticed this and said: "I wonder what made the colors change like that?" "It's because we have left the Munchkin Country and entered the Gillikin Country," explained the Glass Cat. "Also it's a sign our journey is nearly ended." The river made a sudden turn, and after the travelers had passed around the bend, they saw that the stream had now become as broad as a small lake, and in the center of the Lake they beheld a little island, not more than fifty feet in extent, either way.