Oz — wicked

Novels

“	Inside the circle is Oz. Make an X and roughly speaking, you have a pie in four sections. The top is Gillikin. Full of cities and universities and theatres, civilized life, they say. And industry. East, is Munchkinland, where we are now. Farmland, the bread basket of Oz, except in the mountainous south - these strokes, in the district of Wend Hardings are the hills you're climbing. Directly south of the center of Oz is Quadling Country. Badlands, I'm told - marshy, useless, infested with bugs and feverish airs. Then west, what they call Winkie Country. Don't know much about that except it's dry and unpopulated.	”
	— Frexspar The Godly's description of Oz to Turtle Heart^[src]

The Land of Oz, simply known as Oz, is a sovereign state containing four provinces under the rule of one sovereign, most recently being Princess Ozma Tippetarius, and previously Shell, the Emperor Apostle and the Wizard.

The country is the primary setting for The Wicked Years novel series, in which Oz is full of real-world difficulties such as economic turmoil, political conflict, deceit, and violence.

Overview

Oz is a land troubled by political unrest and economic hardship. One political issue is oppression of the Animals (to distinguish speaking Animals from non-speaking animals, the use of initial capital letters is used). There are many religious traditions in Oz, including Lurlinism, a pagan religion which regards the Fairy Queen Lurline as Oz’s creator, and although faith in Lurline is described as out of fashion, Oz celebrates a winter holiday dedicated to her, known as Lurlinemas; Unionism, the dominant religion in Oz which worships the Unnamed God; and the pleasure faiths which had swept Oz during the time that the witches were at Shiz University. An example of the pleasure faiths is tic-toc, where creatures were enchanted to tell secrets or the future and run by clockwork, and sorcery.

Oz's geography is also tinged with politics. A large political prison, Southstairs, exists in caverns below the Emerald City. Gillikin, home of Shiz University, has more industrial development than other parts of Oz. Munchkinland is Oz's breadbasket and at one point declares its independence from the rule of the Emerald City. Quadling Country is largely marshland, inhabited by the ruddy skinned, artistic and sexually free albeit discriminated Quadlings. The Vinkus is largely open grassland, populated by semi-nomadic tribes with dark skin.

Geography

Oz consists of four provinces, one in each of the cardinal directions. In addition to having four provinces, Oz's capital, the Emerald City, is located in the center. Additionally, Oz is surrounded by many other countries such as Ev, Fliaan, and Quox, separated by desert which isolates the country to the north, east, and south, and by the Nonestic Ocean to the west.

Gillikin: Located in the north of Oz, this region is inhabited by the Gillikinese. This region also contains The City of Shiz, where Shiz University is located. Gillikin is the most developed province of Oz and holds the most affluent populace and economic power, second only to the Emerald City.
Munchkinland: Located to the east, this region is inhabited by the Munchklanders, who are not always short. The Thropp family hails from Munchkinland and they hold the title of Eminent Thropp which gives them dominion over a majority of the province. The economy of Munchkinland is mostly agrarian and is known as the "breadbasket" of Oz.
Quadling Country: Located in southern Oz, this region is inhabited by the Quadlings. This province is filled with swamps and very hostile territory to those who are not native Quadlings. Many deposits of rubies lie underwater in Quadling county which has made the region victim to exploitation by prospectors from other parts of Oz.
The Vinkus: Also known as the "Winkie Country", this region is the located to the west of Oz and is home to the nomadic and tribal Winkies. The Arjiki tribe of which Fiyero is prince and later chieftain is a prominent tribe of the region. The geography of the Vinkus consists predominantly of large plains and harsh mountainous regions.
The Emerald City: The political center and imperial capital of Oz. It is home to the most rich and affluent denizens of Oz and is almost completely green in color.
Other Regions in Oz:
- The Glikkus: A region to the northeast of Oz inhabited by the Glikkuns, who mine the earth for emeralds to be shipped off to the Emerald City.
  - Glikkuns are stout, stubby troll-like individuals native to the mountains of the Glikkus. Due to spending a good part of their lives underground, Glikkuns are very bleached out; albinoid. All Glikkuns have blond, mossy hair, squinted eyes, and hunches. Most carry short, stout dirks in sharkskin sheaths. Their chief is Sakkali Oafish.
- Ugabu: Disputed lands to the northwest of the Vinkus inhabited by the Ugabusezi.

Government

Oz is a hereditary principality traditionally ruled by an "Ozma", the hereditary name passed down between mother and daughter. The reign of an Ozma is a Lurlinist tradition, as each Ozma is believed to be the Fairy Queen Lurline reincarnated. Each Ozma is given a unique companion title so the citizens of Oz can distinguish between each Ruling Ozma Princess and her predecessors:

Ozma Initiata; the first Ozma, said to be the daughter of Lurline.
Ozma the Mendacious; a dedicated maunt.
Ozma the Warrior; conquered the Glikkus, commandeered the emeralds for the Emerald City.
Ozma Glikkusia; she annexed the Glikkus from the dwarves.
Ozma Contortia
Ozma the Librarian; read genealogies.
Ozma the Scarcely Beloved; overtaxed the farmers to begin the construction of the Yellow Brick Road.
Ozma the Bilious; known for her large size, died in an unfortunate accident involving rat poison.
Ozma Tippetarius; currently goes by “Tippa”.

A series of Ozma's ruled Oz for centuries until the period of time when Pastorius, the Ozma Regent, ruled in the stead of his baby daughter, Ozma Tippetarius (When an Ozma is too young to rule, Oz is ruled by the Ozma Regent, who is usually the Ozma's father). However, Pastorius' reign was cut short when the Wizard invaded and overthrew the monarchy in a coup d'etat and had him executed and had his daughter hidden away from public eye.

The Wizard ruled Oz under a tyrannical imperial dictatorship, which lasted for more than 30 years until his abdication following the deaths of Elphaba and Nessarose Thropp at the hands of Dorothy Gale. After the Wizard left, Oz was ruled by two Throne Ministers, the first being Lady Glinda, and after her, the Scarecrow. However, after an "unfortunate accident involving a beaker of lighter fluid", the Scarecrow was replaced as Throne Minister by Shell Thropp.

Later on, Shell crowned himself "Emperor Apostle of Oz"; having done this through a force of piety and a sacred election. He later declared himself to be the Unnamed God in the flesh, however, he used dragons to terrorize the public into submission to his divine authority.

Eventually, the missing Ozma Tippetarius was discovered, and Shell willingly abdicated his rule to her, and the reign of the Ozma returned to Oz. Brrr, the Cowardly Lion would step up as her regent until she becomes old enough to rule on her own. However, the cronies who supported Shell, the barons and the princes of the factories who benefited from his rule would later become appalled to have an Animal at the head of government, finding it insulting, and even a certain Lord Avaric bon Tenmeadows especially began to float the notion that the newly crowned Ozma was an imposter.