The Land of Oz
In the annals of human history, there exists a dark and haunting chapter, etched with the indelible ink of conquest and exploitation. It is a tale that unfolds within the realm of Oz, a once-vibrant land that fell victim to the insatiable appetite of humanity's voracious ambition. Through the portal, a gateway to otherworldly wonders, they emerged with triumphant fervor, their armies marching with iron-clad determination and hearts devoid of mercy. It was a relentless march of domination, where no quarter was given, and the conquered were forced to submit to the cruel whims of their captors.
From the ashes of desolation and despair, New Gaslight emerged as humanity's final bastion in the wake of the cataclysmic Martian-Earth War. A city born amidst the ruins, it grew like a defiant flame, flickering against the backdrop of a ravaged world. Yet, its rise to prominence was not without its cost. It was built on the broken backs of the Ozmandians, a once-proud race reduced to mere chattel, their spirits crushed beneath the weight of relentless exploitation.
The Emerald City, once a resplendent jewel gleaming with opulence, bore witness to the rapacious greed of the conquerors. Its grandeur, meticulously crafted by the skilled hands of the Ozmandians, became the spoils of conquest, pillaged and looted by those who reveled in their newfound power. The treasures that once adorned its halls, symbols of beauty and prosperity, now adorned the gilded chambers of the city's elite, amplifying their insatiable appetite for opulence and excess. As if trapped within a perpetual twilight, the remnants of Oz bear witness to the slow decay of all that was cherished. The dissonant howls of the wind harmonize with the creaking of abandoned structures, their skeletal frames rattling with an eerie melody. Their cultures had been nearly erased, their books had been burned. Their land, once teeming with life and possibility, now frozen in a state of perpetual mourning, its beauty marred by the scars of exploitation and ruination.
But when the portal to Oz was severed by Tinman's suicide mission, the delicate balance of power within New Gaslight trembled and shifted. Resources, already scarce in a world scarred by war, became even more precious, fueling an unrelenting struggle for survival. The city, once buoyed by the spoils of conquest, now found itself teetering on the precipice of collapse. Its foundations, built upon the ruins of a devastated world, were marred by the seething undercurrents of desperation and despair.
In the face of dwindling prospects and the absence of a land ripe for exploitation, the system of growth and expansion turned inward, devouring its own citizens with increasing brutality. The elites, clinging desperately to their waning power, enacted draconian measures to maintain control over the shattered remnants of society. The Ozmandians, granted a hollow semblance of citizenship, remained trapped within the clutches of perpetual subjugation and torment, a constant reminder of the depths to which humanity could sink in its insatiable hunger for dominance.The government, with its hollow promises and fragile gestures of appeasement, sought to mend the wounds it had inflicted upon the Ozmandians. Granting them citizenship, outlawing their enslavement—these shallow gestures served as mere palliatives to the festering wounds left by the ravages of colonization. It was a sinister dance, a macabre masquerade, as the government sought to absolve itself of guilt while maintaining the status quo, its power firmly entrenched in the hands of the elites who reveled in their opulence and unchecked authority.
The shattering of the portal instantly reshuffled the deck of cards that the elite drew from. Percy Scarlett, a scion of a fallen labor trading dynasty, used the shattered remnants of his family's empire as the foundation for the brutal Scarlett Cartel, his rise to power marked by bloodshed and the clinking of gold coins stained with the tears of the oppressed. Dedlock, the Coal Queen, driven by desperation and the insatiable hunger for power, resumed her family's generations old seach for the elusive philospoher's. It is a quest born from a legacy of greed, a desperate attempt to transform coal into gold, to rise above the ashes of her family's fortune and reign supreme amidst the ruins. Other yet had their empires crumble, their fates cut like the connection between the two worlds. Even still, the a new game was dealt, the dance between power and brutality continued on.
Within the labyrinthine streets of New Gaslight, a symphony of suffering echoes through the air, mingling with the stifled cries of the oppressed. It is a city that exists in the throes of decay and degradation, its once-glorious façade now crumbling under the weight of its own hubris. The opulent mansions and towering edifices, mere vestiges of a bygone era, cast long shadows upon the desolate streets, serving as haunting reminders of the price paid for power and the erosion of humanity's moral compass.
So it is in this desolate landscape, where the embers of hope flicker amidst the encroaching darkness, that the denizens of New Gaslight forge their path. They navigate the treacherous alleys and crumbling alleyways with hearts heavy with the weight of their collective history. Their souls, burdened by the legacy of exploitation and conquest, wrestle with the moral quandaries that define their existence.
In this world on the brink, where humanity's greed knows no bounds and the specter of a ruined realm looms large, the denizens of New Gaslight are faced with a choice. Will they succumb to the pervasive darkness that engulfs their city, resigning themselves to a fate of perpetual suffering? Or will they rise, defiant and unyielding, to forge a new path towards redemption and liberation? The answers lie within the depths of their souls, where the seeds of revolution and hope still cling tenaciously, awaiting their moment to blossom amidst the suffocating gloom.