Their Stories: Ozzz Leaders Tell What Happened In The First Invasion Of Ozzz

 GLINDA,THE GOOD WITCH

Dorothy warned me. She said she was torn between loyalty to her outside country and her new home here in Ozzz but she knew there were greedy men who could ruin our land. She told me what happened to the natives in her world. Yes, they were still around but many died from disease and war and their way of life had largely died. They had intitally had no resitance to some little bugs Dorothy calls 'germs'. These outsiders could wipe out my lovely Munchkins, even just accidentally. (Luckily Dorothy did not have any bad germs but if enough outsider scome, who knows). And they had terrible weapons that could shoot many more bullets than our soldiers.

Dorothy said she wanted to lead Zoraster's Munchkin miliitia and she asked me, the most powerful magician, for a special pistol that fired many bullets without reloading. I brought it into this world but I had to rest for two weeks afterwards. Forunately the invaders did not come in that time.

So now I made the army ready.  My infantry and grenadiers wore their best blue uniforms and marched to intercept the anticipated invasion through the Green Portal. They took position at the edge of some forest. My cavalry were ordered to scout the battlefield and to help Zoraster if he needed it.

Arella, the BAD witch for once was on our side, we hoped. Actually when the invaders arrived she sent her dire beasts and skeletons into combat through the tunnel in the cliff. Evora, abother bad witch and her Winkies also joined in. Along with the Wizard we should repel the invaders but it was a close run thing.

Even the wild, indepenedent intelligent, amphibious creatures joined the battle.

An extraordinary flying machine appeared from the portal and flew over the heads of the blue and dun coloured, uniformed Amerigans. I did a swirling dance on the spot and cast my spell so that the machne was pushed back but then it came again. Fortunately,  Evora sent her harpies which attacked and damaged the smoking, nosy flyer. It managed to kill Evora's giant and then it fell to the ground.

Then wickedness of wickedness, Arella's forces stopped attacking the invaders and just stood like so many ugly statues. It was up to the rest of us as the old hag practiced some dark scheme of her own. Maybe she thought the newcomers would help HER to become Queen? (Alright, alright so waht if I am 300 yers old. My goodness keeps me beautiful ,, except for my blasted teeth - I could never regrow them - thank goodness for dentures).

Eventually she came back into the battle. Was it because the Amerigans continued to shoot at her skelteon warriors? Then we sueezed the intruders back towards the portal with only a few left alive but our caualties had also been great.

ARELLA< THE BAD WITCH

So I'm 'bad'? So what, bettet han little goodie two shoes, that brat Dorothy, or that 'Oh I'm so good, everyone kiss me shoes, Glinda'.  

SO I did the 'right thing' see. I sent in my lovely dire beasts and skeletons and attacked before those other chicken livers and my beauties were gunned down. So then I decided maybe I'll order my army to stop and let the others have a go isntead. Maybe they will all be so weakened, even the invaders, that I can ake over the whole shebang afterwards. Or maybe I could get the newcomers to help me destoy the others? 
But then those damanable invaders kept shooting at my skeleton warriors. ungreatful snakes! So I sent in my dwarfs and a few lightning bolts for good measure, Those otherr witches and wizards would have been stuck without me!

EVORA, THE BAD WITCH

This was a very strange day. For once all the witches and theWizard wer on the one side against a threat to our whole way of life, even the end of magic. Alright, i agree that Glinda is hard to take, She has always been my arch enemy and she is sicky sweet, she nd that little bitch, Dorothy but we had to put our differnces aside.

My skeleton warriors, Winkie Guard and Rifle regiment all attacked the enemy and my cannon fired into them before its crew was shot down, My harpies attacked the smoking flying monster and destoyed it. Sad about Gronk, my pet giant, though as the flying thing killed him.

I helped my men attack the foreigners by castin Blood Lust spells and Unseen Allies to help them but FOUR times my magic failed me and I faced the perils of misfires. GFortunately the results were not too dire although it was funny to see that cannon of mine walk off the battlefield. Once I even got spells swapped for other spells.

You know the other funny thing is it is not Glinda and Dorothy I most curse but that back stabbing arella who stayed out of the battle for an hour. One day I'll turn her into  a newt ot something!

DOROTHY

.Glinda got me this lovely shiny gun. Geewilikers. I led the militia but the Wizard must have wanted to keep me safe as we didn't get close to the battle. I did see the sarecros fight the invaders but I;m gald that Scarevrow was nit around to be shot with them. Those scarecorws sent their attack crows and then they charged, They hesitated once because those bullets were kike angry hornets but then they attacked and did their bit.

THE WIZARD, ZORASTER

I know I came from Ameriga (or I thought it was 'America', things from the far past are fading from my memory. But I do remember that back there they tarred and feathered me a coupe of times. So what if I said it cured eevrything from hair loss to warts and it was just suger, mallases and water with a drop of whisky? People THOUGHT it would help so it usually did, except for warts and hair loss. I don't owe those dopes anything and Glinda sure is a nice gal and all.

Anyway, this is my land now, I made a good effort to arrange control of the Emerald city and Munchkin land and I means to keep it. 

That hot air balloon came in handy as I sent up my best Munchkin sharpshooters with their special guns with brass scopes and those binnoculars I brought with me from: from the other side'. They shot a couple of artillery crew and cavalrymen. But my Munchkin artillery and grenadiers did the best, Those gunners handled their guns like the best. But my grenadiers shot down the best part of three enemy regiments. Of course my magic helped. I bet you thought it was all trickery? Well I learnt some real magic while I have been here, Managed to get it form Gllinda's magic books she tended to leave lying around her castle. So, I used healing spells to bring the shot grenadiers back. I also improved their shooting skills for their first deadly volley.

I made sure Dorothy was with the militia way back and, thankfully she didn't get into battle. Not that she couldn't hold her own and inspire the Munchkins but she is such a sweet little girl I couldn't stand the thought of her getting killed.

Ayway, we pushed them back and hopefully they suffered so many caualties they will not be back and I can continue my little game here in Ozzz.

I OWE IT TO...

I have to say that some of the ideas came from Phillip Jose Farmer's entertaining novel,  A Barn Stormer In Oz', notably Glinda's teeth and the comparison with the native Americans falling to Small Pox. The rest is my own extrapolation from Baum's Wizard of Oz, By the way, for those wondering about my model of her, Dorothy did have a talking hen friend in one of the later Baum novels. Also, as mentioned elsewhere, I was also inspired by the 'Wars of Ozz' book of rules, army lists and wargame figures which expands the idea of Oz regiments of soldiers. Except for the magic rules, however, we used our own rules that are similar to Chainmail and influenced b a number of rules sets such as Warhammer and Featherstone.