Dramatis Personae (so far...)

(click on the portraits to see the zO Gallery)

"Dot is our heroine. No, she's not Dorothy Gale. No hurricanes swept her into the world of zO. She's a young lady with an extreme hangover and really has no clue why she's suddenly awoken to find herself here. All she really remembers is that her mother used to read the Wizard of Oz to her as a child, and this has formed a certain point of reference. She also has with her me. She calls me Toto. Iʼm actually a yellow brick. Ah, I hear you say, a yellow brick. Those Oz books were all about the yellow bricks. Well they were, but the yellow bricks lost their vibrancy over the decades and turned grey. Well, except me. Iʼm pretty sure Iʼm the last yellow brick in zO. And yes, I can talk.

Change is in the wind, and I expect great things from Miss Dot.

Great things."

"Everyone likes a small drink don't they? After a long working day, there's nothing like a small drop of the strong stuff to relax you. What applies in your world applies in ours. When our ruler (and I use the term very loosely) announced the introduction of special watering holes all throughout the kingdom, with wonderful beverages on hand for low, low prices, the sheer novelty of it all was enough to entice even the most indecisive munchkin along. At first, it was sheer delight. Huge crowds, joyful laughter, great fun to be had by all. Everyone was talking about the Emerald wine.

'Made by the city, from the city'

Emerald dust sourced from the city itself was the main ingredient. Certainly it was the only ingredient talked about. Who cared what else went in it? They were drinking the best, and it tasted divine. Far be it from me to question just why folk thought emerald stone might in any way be suitable for use in a drink, but then again no one asks a brick about much anyway. The crowds never stopped coming. Wherever the wine was sold, there were munchkins ready and willing to drink. And if the sounds of laughter started to decline somewhat over the ensuing years, no-one seemed to complain. No one moaned when the prices started going up, and folk had to sell more and more to get it. And after a while, no one seemed to wonder just why they were starting to queue in lines to be given the drink, nor why they saw their companions slowly wander away with a curious glow in their eyes. No one seemed to spot a small bandage just above their ear, which seemed to be leaking green liquid. After one final while, there was no emerald wine. There were no cosy watering holes, nor places to go to drink and make merry. There was no pretext or deception, just administration of a small injection just above the ear.

I sometimes wonder if the munchkins have any awareness of what they have become, and then I see them hitting, and cutting, pulling and tearing. No complaining though. Never any complaining.

Welcome to zO, a land of the addicted and afflicted."

"I should tell you a little about Scarecrows. Iʼm sure you have your own preconceptions, either of the one in your world or a certain one you may have read about from my world. Well, neither of these will serve you well. Yes, that certain Scarecrow of the former Oz is still around and the events of his life were somewhat similar to those you may have read about; despite the central party of said story not being a young girl by the name of Dorothy but rather that certain young lad with the interest in poultry aforementioned. Well, like many of the things you may assume from your familiarity with our history, thatʼs old news and things have moved on. Iʼll not talk much of that straw-brained idiot as it is yet another tale for another day, but I will say heʼs out there with the Witches and is under the delusion that he is the ruler of zO. Heʼs not, he really isnʼt. As said, heʼs just an idiot. However, there are other Scarecrows to consider. They work for ʻhis highnessʼ. They are his eyes, ears and hands throughout our world. Nasty pieces of work they are too, bringing their terror to all who would resist the Kingdom of The One."