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“When the goddesses created Hyrule, they blessed Zora’s Fountain.
For ages, fish swam in the sacred water before finally evolving into people known as Zoras.”

Zoras are a race of fish-like folk, who, while they can live above and below water, prefer to be underwater. They are fully scaled, mostly usually with silver scales giving them a blue hue but occasionally with gold or bronze. They are known to be fantastic divers, and some of their best contribute their scales to worthy members of other races, that gift them with the ability to swim deeper than they have before.

A Zora’s fins are located primarily on their forearms, and on their hips, some have fins on their ankles. The majority has long cephalized dolphin tails, although some have been shown (see: Ruto) to have extended heads and third eye. They may have webbed hands and feet and pronounced noses; they do not have ears. They are fresh water fish so to speak, and often live in relatively warm waters.

The Zoras are monarchial, and their monarch may be either male or female, though is most often portrayed as male. The Zora people are intensely loyal to their King or Queen.

Their society is responsible for keeping the waters clean, and for caring for the water spirit Jabu-Jabu. Because of their loyalty to their responsibility to keep the water supply clean, they concealed the entrance to their Domain behind a waterfall and stayed hidden. This way, their fountainhead could not be polluted. However, water inspectors from the Hylian King do visit, and when they do Zoras outfit them with blue tunics of fish gills which allow the landlubbers to breathe underwater. As well, occasionally Zoras can be found hanging around in Lake Hylia, where the Water Temple is located.

The Zoras are known to honor Lord Jabu-Jabu, their guardian and a water spirit. He is fished shaped, and immense in size covered with ornate markings that show how important the spirit is to the Zoras. His attendant feeds him smaller fish and takes good care of him.

As well, they seem to have some similar respect and worship for Nayru the Goddess of Wisdom, perhaps because of her association with water and the color blue.

Zoras begin as eggs, born in clutches. None of the eggs can hatch if the clutch is not kept together. And, despite that Zoras live in relatively warm water, water too warm will stunt the development of eggs. Newly hatched Zoras looks something like tadpoles, with a small body and a fluked tail.

Zoras endowed with magic are known to have the ability to create electrical fields around themselves as a primarily defensive mechanism much like electric eels. It is also possible that a Zora’s scales have some sort of magical property, because being in possession of one allows one to breathe underwater for limited amounts of time, and the blue tunics Hylian water inspectors wore were created by Zoras.

There are multiple theories about what happened after the Great Flood, including evolution into the Rito bird-people, but it is not explicitly stated what exactly happened to them.

“The Zoras who erected it did not intend the multilevel temple for exploration by landlubbers. Because of this, they used water as a means of reaching the different floors and placed a Triforce crest in three spots where a regal lullaby could alter the water level.”

Still fixing up, etc. ^^

References

Wiki Says...
The Desert Colossus
The Desert Colossus - Zora Article
The Desert Colossus - Theories of Zora -> Rito Evolution


Picture References

Adult Male Zora
Adult Female Zora (specifically, Ruto)
Child Female Zora (specifically, Ruto)
Adult Female Zora (Queen Rutela)
Young Male Zora (Prince Ralis)
Adult Zora (Twilight Princess Era)*
Zora Ref Sheet (Twilight Princess Era)**
Red Ice***

*On DevArt, awesome person as also linked side, back, and feet views. <3
**Again found on DevArt
***Totally a random screen shot I found on the internet. When I find a better ref I'll replace this one.

After multiple trial and errors, Ashoka finally has found a promising resource, he just needs to slog through the translations. >>

(In his previous life, Sydney did not go by Sydney, but Howell. So he will be referred to as such through his history.)

The Water Temple was always a sacred place for the Zora. A place for respecting the water spirits. A good place. A holy place. So, when Howell's brother Giles was found dead ("Murdered!" Many cried) within its sanctuary, Howell standing over him bleeding from his left arm, an outrage flooded the community. Both men were upstanding gentlemen; respected. What could have possibly transpired within the walls of such a holy place?

"I didn't kill my brother!" Howell insisted, but none would listen. And again and again he said, "I never! He slew himself!"

"Ah," the community said, "you would have us believe that, wouldn't you?"

Yet he would still cry himself hoarse with denials even still. "I didn’t! I never! Where is Ruia! Let me speak with Ruia!"

Ruia, his wife, would listen, surely. Both Howell and his brother loved her equally. But Ruia loved Howell, not Giles, and in the natural turn of things she married Howell.

His jailers refused to allow him to speak to her, and refused to let her even come to see him. Howell feared for the worst, that Ruia herself believed him guilty of his brother’s death. He would never know. Not once did he see her face again.

The trial that followed was a mockery of their legal system, of justice. The people only saw the red of Giles blood, and the stained sanctuary of the Temple. They sought not justice, but retribution. Howell was found guilty and he was given the sentence of death. Howell bit and kicked and screamed to his innocence, even as he was dragged forcefully away. "I did not kill my brother! I did not! I could never!"

Howell did not die on execution day. His father visited him the morning of the day before, instead, and, in tears, strangled his last son to death. Howell struggled and cried for reason and explanation and justice, and he scratched at his father's hands. His father far overpowered Howell, who was weak from weeks without a solid diet or the light of day. The guards outside his cell said they heard none of the man's cries, saw nothing, denied that Howell's father even visited that day. Why? The Zora people were so blinded by the stained sanctuary of their Temple, lies rolled easily off of their tongues like water off a duck's back. "All for the honor of the Water Temple," they would tell themselves.

But what was the truth of what occurred within the confines of the Temple? It was the truth Howell had insisted on for so long. Giles slew himself indeed, in the pain of losing Ruia to his brother. When Howell came to the Temple in order to make an offering to the water spirits, Giles followed him. Giles confronted him, in tears, shaking. When he demanded to know why he had taken Ruia from him, Howell marked him delusional. The two fought, and in the process Giles tore Howell’s left fin from his arm. In the end, Howell did not slay his brother. "Take this," Giles muttered. He bit his tongue and bled to death. Did he know what was to become of his brother? It is very probable, but no one can quite say.

[Adeline "Phantom" Philips] - "Grandma" -
Hair: Originally orange, previously died pink, currently orange
Eyes: Gray

Although she prefers not to be called Adeline or Mother or Grandmother (she prefers "Phantom", really), 'Shoka refuses to address her by anything but. She's a bit of a stubborn mule, but with the right incentive can be convinced to do quite a lot. Despite how she may outwardly express herself towards her "family" she does care for them a lot and takes good care of them. The apartment buildings that 'Shoka, Lucie, and Raun live in are all technically owned by her.

She looks a good decade younger than Ashoka himself, which brings up a lot of questions as to how she could be Ashoka's mother and consequently Sydney's grandmother, but when ever the subject is brought up by anyone but herself, she blushes, purses her lips and promptly changes the subject. She once made the analogy that she was the bus driver and 'Shoka and the others were just passengers that mistook her place for the bus stop and decided to stay the rest of their lives. It didn't make much sense to anyone but her.


[Hilian] - "Uncle"
Hair: Strawberry blond
Eyes: Brown

He's got a stick up his a**, but he's not particularly bad. He's just sarcastic, and rather rough around the edges. Adeline describes him as a lazy a**, and perhaps sometimes he is, but Hilian really thinks she just over exaggerates a good heck of a lot. He's not really as much of a mess that a "lazy a**" would really be expect, in fact he's usually decently put together, and so usually Adeline's observations are passed off as, just that, over exaggeration.

Since he and Ashoka are close, and he and Adeline tend to get in rather heated arguements, he spends a lot of time over at his place which means he's a rather prominant figure in the household.

[Cameo] - "Cousin"

Hair: Green
Eyes: Green

Cameo is Adeline's little girl, who was practically dropped in her lap, randomly, one day when she recieved a letter from someone she'd never met before. She is a Sin'aeis, bound the the element grape.

She is a very cheery, innocent child who views the world in a simplified way that only little children really can, where reality and logic are twisted in ways that make no sense except to her.

For example, she is apparently under the impression that children come from Magic Erasers.

Her journal can be found here: Journal

[Jaque] - "Cousin"

Hair: Purple
Eyes: Green, oddly cat shaped

Jaque, for being the middle child, is actually mistaken for the elder sibling of the three. He is far more mature than his elder sister Cameo, and Adeline often puts him in charge if she is unable to watch them. Despite this, he is occassionally persuaded by his sister into doing things that are completely, in his opinion, ridiculous. For example, playing Aurora in Sleeping Beauty while his sister plays the prince.

He has a pet dragon, female, by the name of Titania that likes to perch on his shoulder. Or head.

His journal can be found here: Journal

[Asha] - "Cousin"

Hair: Red
Eyes: Gray

Asha's still a little baby, and new to the world, but he's still learning, and seems to be taking after his sister. Great. But for the most part he's quiet, despite the rattling of his chains and the flashing of the gem on his forehead.

His journal can be found here: Journal




[Lucie]

Hair: Red
Eyes: Gray

Lucie lives downstairs in the place furthest from 'Shoka and Sydney. She keeps her place very warm, much to her brother's constant complaint, but for whatever reason she really likes it that way. She is also very, very creepy, to the extent that Adeline has made it a point not to let any of her three impressionable children near her. She's just... slight unstable.

[Raun]

Hair: Strawberry blond
Hair: Blue

Raun shares a place with Lucie, his sister, which makes him and Ashoka brothers, but the two hardly treat each other as such. 'Shoka and him often go grocery shopping together, and the two talk a lot when they can. Raun has the key to Ashoka's place and vice versa, but they always knock on eachother's doors before using their keys.

[Jonathan]

Hair: Blond
Eyes: Blue

Adeline pays him to take care of the building and surroundings (even though he doesn't seem to be doing that good of a job), and essentially she gives him free board. So, he is generally all around all the time, doing whatever he is up t at the time. The other residents have gotten used to him just "showing up" and it has stopped being so goddamn creepy to find him when you turn a corner.

No one has really gotten to know him all that personally all that much apart from Adeline, but it is easily gathered he doesn't like people, or just likes creeping them out. Ashoka sometimes wonders if Lucie and him take lessons from eachother.




[Nevenn]

Hair: Black
Eyes: Black

Cat lady. She and Ashoka vaguely know eachother from way back when, but since Ashoka moved out they haven't talked much. She is dry and sarcastic towards her fellow adults a lot of the time, but the children love her because they give her candy and she's got a tail. Not a lot gets by her, not with children and not with adults.

[Alexandra]

Hair: Red
Eyes: Brown

Sweet. Unlike Nevenn she is extremely gullible when it comes to everything but her boyfriend Hilian. Nothing gets passed her with him. Usually. Perhaps its her trusting nature, or whatever, but she can't bring herself to doubt some people. Even if they are blatantly lieing to people. For this reason, the family has become protective of her, even though she is a perfectly otherwise functioning woman.

[Julii]

Hair: White
Eyes: Brown

He's in his late teens, and if the apparent struggle for independence he is going through is anything to go by, the boy might be joinging Ashoka, Lucie, and Raun in the building, but for now he lives at the main house. He is responsible, mature, but tends to keep his comments to himself, which isolates him from people sometimes very much.


[Neon]

Hair: Pink
Eyes: Blue

A freaking maggot, sometimes. Everyone else in the family wonders why Adeline keeps him around, especially after the incident where he pushed Cameo out of a tree in the park. She doesn't say much on the subject.

The boy likes to manipulate people, trick them, and cause general trouble, and seems to be uncaring of the consequences.

Ghosts of the Past © Kyrianna
Official Art © Kyrianna and Cerena
Sydney's concept © Little_Phantom
Official Zelda Art © Nintendo
Zelda series in general © Nintendo
Banners, sub banners, and character signatures © Roka_Shotar