(This one has been in the hopper since 2012. It was intended as a companion to another couple of blog posts from that time. I really don't know why I didn't publish it at that time. Maybe I was looking for some sort of concluding thought that never came. Even without that, I think this holds up just fine.)
I think this will be the last of the Witch blogs, at least for now. I do have some things related to the IRC chat that I want to expand upon.
Of all the Witch blogs I've done, I think this might be the one that Tim was really waiting for. I've talked about witches as player-characters and as story motivators, but now I'm going to talk about witches as antagonists and villains.
First let me reiterate: Ding, Dong! The Witch is Dead! It's a cliche of Oz fiction by now, so I will not be talking about bringing back the Wicked Witch of the West in any way, shape or form. One thing I particularly liked about The Jaded City of Oz (the sample adventure in the AiO rulebook) is that the Winkie Country scene deals with the legacy of the Wicked Witch of the West without requiring her to be present.
There are other Witches to use in your adventures.
Mombi, the Wicked Witch of the North. Even after she was removed from power in the Gillikin Country by the Good Witch of the North, she still kept the captive Princess Ozma in the body of the boy Tippetarius. Once Ozma was freed and set upon the throne of Oz, Glinda removed Mombi's ability to work magic. This doesn't remove her completely from villainy, however. She may not be able to cast spells, or create magical items, but she can still use magical things that already exist in Oz.
(Mombi does return in the Famous Forty. The Lost King of Oz is her search for Princess Ozma's father, who she had hidden away so the Wizard could rule Oz. Since Ozma orders her melted (I always thought of the Wicked Witch of the West as a special case when it came to water, but Ruth Plumly Thompson apparently thought differently) at the end of that story, you might want to set your Mombi stories in between those two appearances.)
Blinkie, the (presumed) Wicked Witch of the South. Although she is not acknowledged with the full title of Wicked Witch of the South in her appearance in Oz canon, she is referred to as a Wicked Witch. Oz history tells us that Glinda had to unseat a Wicked Witch of the South in order to rule the Quadling Country, so many Oz fans presume Blinkie to be this Witch.
Again, the story ends with Blinkie having her powers removed by Glinda. Though this time, she's also been greatly reduced in size. But she was the leader of a coven, so some of her sister witches might turn up in your stories. They might even be trying to restore Blinkie to her old size and power.
Mrs. Yoop. Technically, she's a Yookoohoo, but she could make for an interesting villainess. Trapped in the form of a Green Monkey since her last appearance in the stories, she may be down, but it's still too early to count her out. I detailed a couple of possible ways she could get back to her old form in the AiO rulebook, but even as a monkey, there are lots of ways for her to get into mischief.
Interestingly enough, Red Reera, the other Yookoohoo to grace the original novels, would probably make a very effective antagonist. She's not evil, but she is powerful and irritable, which is almost the same thing. There must be something about becoming a Yookoohoo that makes a person misanthropic. For the moment, it seems that all she wants is to be left alone. I almost feel bad for anyone who might be foolish enough try to conquer her little cottage. Almost.
I think this will be the last of the Witch blogs, at least for now. I do have some things related to the IRC chat that I want to expand upon.
Of all the Witch blogs I've done, I think this might be the one that Tim was really waiting for. I've talked about witches as player-characters and as story motivators, but now I'm going to talk about witches as antagonists and villains.
First let me reiterate: Ding, Dong! The Witch is Dead! It's a cliche of Oz fiction by now, so I will not be talking about bringing back the Wicked Witch of the West in any way, shape or form. One thing I particularly liked about The Jaded City of Oz (the sample adventure in the AiO rulebook) is that the Winkie Country scene deals with the legacy of the Wicked Witch of the West without requiring her to be present.
There are other Witches to use in your adventures.
Mombi, the Wicked Witch of the North. Even after she was removed from power in the Gillikin Country by the Good Witch of the North, she still kept the captive Princess Ozma in the body of the boy Tippetarius. Once Ozma was freed and set upon the throne of Oz, Glinda removed Mombi's ability to work magic. This doesn't remove her completely from villainy, however. She may not be able to cast spells, or create magical items, but she can still use magical things that already exist in Oz.
(Mombi does return in the Famous Forty. The Lost King of Oz is her search for Princess Ozma's father, who she had hidden away so the Wizard could rule Oz. Since Ozma orders her melted (I always thought of the Wicked Witch of the West as a special case when it came to water, but Ruth Plumly Thompson apparently thought differently) at the end of that story, you might want to set your Mombi stories in between those two appearances.)
Blinkie, the (presumed) Wicked Witch of the South. Although she is not acknowledged with the full title of Wicked Witch of the South in her appearance in Oz canon, she is referred to as a Wicked Witch. Oz history tells us that Glinda had to unseat a Wicked Witch of the South in order to rule the Quadling Country, so many Oz fans presume Blinkie to be this Witch.
Again, the story ends with Blinkie having her powers removed by Glinda. Though this time, she's also been greatly reduced in size. But she was the leader of a coven, so some of her sister witches might turn up in your stories. They might even be trying to restore Blinkie to her old size and power.
Mrs. Yoop. Technically, she's a Yookoohoo, but she could make for an interesting villainess. Trapped in the form of a Green Monkey since her last appearance in the stories, she may be down, but it's still too early to count her out. I detailed a couple of possible ways she could get back to her old form in the AiO rulebook, but even as a monkey, there are lots of ways for her to get into mischief.
Interestingly enough, Red Reera, the other Yookoohoo to grace the original novels, would probably make a very effective antagonist. She's not evil, but she is powerful and irritable, which is almost the same thing. There must be something about becoming a Yookoohoo that makes a person misanthropic. For the moment, it seems that all she wants is to be left alone. I almost feel bad for anyone who might be foolish enough try to conquer her little cottage. Almost.
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1 comment:
Oh man.I am sorry I missed this one when you posted it!
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