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 Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:04 pm
Your guide to each era in the Zelda timeline(s), according to how we have broken them up. Please consider this information carefully when creating your character. If you need any more information on a timeframe and aren't able to find it here, please contact a crew member immediately before proceeding. Here are some resources for you. Wiki -- For more basic, mostly more canonistic information Commonwealth Realm -- For various theories
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:37 am
Skyward Sword Background:The Skyward Sword era covers all time from the creation of Hyrule to just before the Hyrule Unifying War. The enemies from this era are typically weak, but they suddenly grow stronger around the time of Demise's arrival. Skyloft is created during this time, and those wishing to play the goddess Hylia may do so. Somewhere between the creation of the realm and the rise of Demise, there is something of a golden age. This refers to technology as well, making it possible to bring steampunk flavors into your RPs. Historical Overview:At the very beginning there was a shapeless land. The goddesses, as we all know, shaped it into Hyrule and created the sacred realm wherein the triforce resides. At this first stage of the realm's history there was peace; all dwelt with the goddesses in harmony for countless ages. After some time the goddess Hylia appears. She creates the Hylians, and they all live with the creatures of the land and the five original races of Hyrule (Goron, Parella, Kikwi, Mogma, and Ancient Robot). During this time cities begin to form at an increased rate, due to the Hylians' research into the Ancient Robots and their generally administrative relationship with the other races.
After this initial golden age there was a steady decline as the tribes, who the Hylians confined to the Lanayru Province, began to rise up against their masters using the magics they had acquired by mysterious means (it is maintained that these magics are "dark," but this seems to be largely a Hylian account). Scholars theorize this decline coincides with the creation of the Lanayru Mining Facility, but nothing is concrete.
It isn't long after this that the first legends of Demise, the demonic destroyer who threatened all of Hyrule, come to light. At this point the land is covered with beasts created seemingly from nothing more than Demise's own darkness. As the legend goes, Demise is defeated by the Goddess Hylia, who rallies the Five Tribes of the Surface, and The Hero. It is implied that Hylia is gravely wounded in the fight, and rather than die, chooses to reincarnate herself again and again as Zelda; Demise corroborates this point, telling Link in essence that their fight will not end in simply one generation. Scholars debate the significance of Demise knowing this in a classical sort of way; it is used in many philosophy courses. After this, the Hylians ascend on a small chain of islands in the sky, to be known as Skyloft.
And the blood of the gods waned...
Countless years pass on Skyloft, the land below slowly recovering beneath after Demise is sealed. However, the land is still wild. After the events of Skyward Sword, the realm is rebuilt with the Hylians' leadership. It is during this time that the nations begin to form with borders resembling the Ocarina of Time map. The Hylians send some of their numbers to secure the area around the old Temple of Time at this point, as well as build a new one in the area where they landed (around the other Gate of Time).
After this, tensions build until war ravages the land...
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:39 am
Ocarina of Time Background:
This era covers the time from the HUW (Hyrule Unifying War) to the founding of New Castle Town and the death of the Missing Hero in the Adult and Child timelines respectively.
Historical Overview:
With the foundation of Castle Town at the new Temple of Time, the Hylians, now long settled, had a place to call home on the surface once again. It is then that the Hylians had decided it was time to stop merely surviving but instead take their rightful place as absolute rulers of Hyrule. To do this, a massive campaign was launched on two fronts, each corresponding to a Temple of Time.
It wasn't easy though. The Sheikah had taken to a different style of worship than the Hylians, and the drift in their cultures was evident when they were called upon for annexation. The tribe, darkened by life in the desert, did not agree to live as Hylian citizens, and, taking this as a declaration, turned their spears on their former brothers. On the home-front, the Hylians faced resistance from the Goron and other tribes (it is unclear where races such as the Zora and Kokiri, though a slight majority of evidence points to them siding with the Hylians), wishing to keep their boarders (and likely seeing the Hylian rule in the name of the goddess Hylia (not one of the three Golden Goddesses) as an affront to the realm's creators)).
When the dust settled a new ruling body was established in Hyrule. A city was to be erected on top of the destroyed Temple to the west. This is where those who agreed to join the realm lived. It was a nation of Shiekah. From this there was formed the Kakariko state, who found asylum at the foot of Death Mountain. The Sheikah were reluctantly made assassins and guards for the Royal Family, just as they had been in times of old. In the years following the Hylian-ruled Hyrule experienced unprecedented growth, its wealth being compared to the legends of the golden age of the Great Goddess.
That would deflate rather quickly, however, after the Hyrulean Civil War. It was inevitable, and widened the rift between other races and the Hylians. It left the nation drained of resources, despite being able to extinguish the rebellion. This brings us to the events of Ocarina of Time.
Majora's Mask happens at this time as well, somewhere before the ambiguous seven-year-gap in OOT. Majora's Mask introduces Termina to us, and though it is theorised the region is simply an extension, a previously unexplored area, that has yet to be confirmed. What we do know, however, is that the land seems to have a different religious layout. Beyond that, not much is known of the land called Termina at this time.
After the defeat of Ganon (and his inevitable extinguishment thanks to Link's warning), the Hylians would begin rebuilding their nation, which experienced a steady growth of wealth thanks to numerous deals with the Gorons and Zoras. Intrigue follows wealth, however, as speculation on the Hylians' most sacred treasure, the Triforce, culminated in the Interloper War.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:39 am
Twilight Princess/Wind Waker Background:
The game takes place several years--many agree several centuries--after the events of Ocarina of Time, following the reality of the Adult Timeline. In this portion of the era there has been a great flood of sorts, bottlenecking the world down to a series of islands (formerly nameless mountains). Sailing is an enormous part of the culture here, and the religious layout of the world seems to have changed somewhat. Twilight Princess:This portion of the era, taking place one the Child Timeline, sees a much different landscape than that of Wind Waker. This Hyrule is fairly dry, having only a new Lake Hylia and Zora River/Domain as its only significant water sources. It is marked by political intrigue, Hylian opulence,and mystery surrounding the Twili and the land from which they hail. A greater interest in alchemy and science has emerged, and industry seems to have swept over the realm like the onset of Spring. Other than that, the monsters about the land (no doubt brought on mainly by Ganondorf's return) seem more fierce than in the OOT era, suggesting the Gerudo King might be even more powerful this time around. Historical Overview:
In the Adult Timeline, the land of Hyrule experiences some changes which do not occur otherwise (that is the general consensus, but I maintain there must have been a kind of great flood before the events of Twilight Princess as well). After the events of Ocarina of Time, there is little hard info on the state of the Hylian state. However, it is for certain that, for whatever reason, there is a time in which there is no hero. It is during this time that Ganon returns and sinks Hyrule under hundreds of feet of water. It is strongly suggested that there was a Hero--perhaps not a canonical hero, but a courageous soul nonetheless--who attempted and failed to stop Ganon upon his return. Such an event mirrors the events of the "Defeated" timeline, however it is yet to be determined that all of these timelines must converge. It could be just as likely that such an event would have happened no matter what, and that we are simply viewing it from different scenarios. It is also during this time that the Zora change, taking on the new shape of the Rito. It is unclear why they would feel the need to leave the ocean--being that the flood would simply give them more territory and food--but it could be suggested that the race had been cursed by Ganon or the waters themselves could, for one reason or another (PH, metal content, etc.), not sustain the species as they were. So, in this era there are no Zora, only Rito. Twilight Princess:In the Child Timeline, the events of Twilight Princess take place at nearly the same time as those of Wind Waker (I hold it as a personal theory that the Twilight Princess map bears signs of a "Great Flood" which may have happened in the Child Timeline parallel to the one in the Adult Timeline, thus placing it much later). The era begins some time after the OOT Era. Nations have been under Hylian control for some time. As resentment builds the onset of war seems inevitable. Just as it is thought happened before, the Hylians purged the lands of the Shiekah. This time it appears that the Shiekah were the aggressors, trying to secure the Triforce for themselves in order to wrest power away from the Hylians. The effects of the Interloper War, as it had come to be known, are apparent in the events of Twilight Princess. Most notably, the profound absence of the Shiekah: they had been banished from Kakariko and were forced to build a secret town in the Eldin Province. The only Shiekah left at this time was a woman believed to be descended from Impa. At this point, there are no Gerudo and Shiekah characters allowed.
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:39 am
A Link to the Past Background:The games found in this era (listed below) all take place on the Defeated Timeline. The era runs from the defeat of the Hero of Time to the end of the "Gold Era," which is where the events of A Link Between Worlds takes place.
Historical Overview:
A Link to the Past:
Our story here starts with the defeat of the Hero of Time. After this, it is likely the Dark King set his sights on the Kokiri Forest first, given it is the home of the Hero. After this, Hyrule--that is to say Hylian territory--was conquered. It would be some time later when this reign would finally end.
Generations later, the Sacred Realm is entered by Ganondorf, this time known as "King of Thieves." After a time a wicked energy is sensed pouring out of the Sacred Realm by the Hylians. It is then that the Imprisoning War takes place, with Ganon's dark army attempting to invade Hyrule. It is concluded when the Seven Wisemen pool together their power to seal the Sacred Realm with Ganon inside.
That, however, was not the end of it. By the time the people forgot about the incident, the evil wizard Agahnim came to power. After curing famine in the land, he was trusted and relied on by the Hylians. Using this advantage to steal away Princess Zelda, with the ultimate aim of re-opening the Sacred Realm, Agahnim pulls the Hero into the fray for the main events of the game.
After the success of the Hero, the realm sees a steady increase in stability. What was a ruined land after the defeat of the Hero of Time slowly begins to bloom anew as Hyrule enters its Golden Era.0
A Link Between Worlds:
The land here looks to be very different than in A Link to the Past. This game takes place in the tail end of Hyrule's Golden Era, but make no mistake: this says nothing about the level of prosperity had in the realm. The orientation and location of Castle Town suggest that the old site at the Temple of Time had long since been abandoned, pushing the Hylians into what might be called the south Eldin province. Trade seems to be up, and the castle has never looked more grand. The Hylians soldiers, though adorned in the most fantastic armor, are sloppy.
This success comes at the expense of Lorule's Sacred Realm. Without that, Lorule slowly descended into darkness and ruin. At the time of the game, Lorule is in a state similar to the Dark World of ALTTP. Lorule has a Triforce as well, and it is clear that they have a similar reincarnation cycle to Hyrule. Unlike Hyrule, however, and keeping true to the theme of opposites, the Lorule trio seem to work together.
Oracles:
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:41 am
Original Game Background:Hyrule is in shambles. There is more water around Hyrule than flowing through it, and there are only two sizes of currency: 1 and 5. The game itself takes place on the Defeated Timeline; all of its ruin is derived as caused by the Hero of Time's failure, suggesting the world was doomed to regress into ruin every since. The enemies in the game are plentiful, and some are too strong to be defeated by sword alone. This indicates the strength of Ganon's evil energy in the land.
This era spans the time after A Link Between Worlds, covering the Triforce Heroes game, to after the second Legend of Zelda. Historical Overview:
After the Golden Era inevitably ends there begins the decline of Hyrule. It Perhaps it has to do with the advent of Lorule? Who can say--and I mean we do not have sufficient data on the time. It could also be that the Tragedy of Princess Zelda could have started the decline. In this tale, the Princess refuses to tell the Prince of Hyrule where the Triforce is located; and, growing tired of this, the Prince orders his men to put Zelda to sleep. It can be inferred with a degree of certainty that this was the end of the Triforce-using Royal Family, as Zelda's morality would not allow her Prince to obtain for what we assume to be misuse.
What is for certain, however, is that this time 'round Ganon seems to be more powerful than ever. He is able to amass an army which overwhelms Hyrule and takes the Triforce of Power for himself with little difficulty. Ganon is inevitably defeated by the Hero. His followers, however have a plan. The struggle to resurrect the Prince of Darkness forms the main struggle of the second game.
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:42 am
TV Era Background:This era is thought to reside on the Hero Defeated timeline, and may be a precursor to the events of the first game. We see the castle is healthy, but not what one might consider fitting of Hyrule's "Golden Age." We also see a much more, shall we say, typical fantasy setting in the world. For what it's worth,
Ganon is also in his Moblin-esque form again, and plays a more traditional role of a wizard. Historical Overview:It is thought that this is what happens when the Hero arrives early during the prologue of the first game. This changes a few key elements, and would go a long way in changing the layout of Hyrule at the start of the series. Other than that, it is inferred that this is the same Hyrule as is depicted in the first Legend of Zelda: still in decline, but not yet conquered by Ganon.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 1:22 pm
Spirit Tracks Background:Things are much the same for this era's Hyrule as they were in Wind Waker. The mood of transit has changed from sailing to trains, Zelda is callled Tetra, and there seems to be an increased emphasis on spiritualism. Historical Overview:
The era encompasses the time from Phantom Hourglass to the discovery of New Hyrule and onward into the future on the Adult Timeline.
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Cotton Shorts Kid Captain
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