Hyrule, a land created by the three goddesses at the beginning of time and inhabited by the five tribes. When the goddesses ascended to the heavens, they left a great treasure, a treasure that was protected by the sages. It was said that this treasure kept the tribes united since it was proof that their goddesses were protecting them. No one had ever taken it from its resting place in the Sacred Realm, so the people couldn't even begin to imagine a world without it.

So when Ganondorf, the gerudo king, stole the sacred treasure, no one knew what to do. He spread his evil across the land and named himself supreme ruler. The people were subjugated, but they kept thinking about how to dethrone their malevolent ruler. But one question kept them from doing anything.

How do you defeat shadow itself?

They got their answer in the form of a boy. The Ancient Hero. He fought with Ganon and sealed him where he could do no more harm.

But the seals didn't hold. Ganon broke free a few years after the hero disappeared and tried to shatter the land. In the last hour before he destroyed the world, the princess of Hyrule cast a spell on him, keeping him away from the heart of the land. That spell made Ganon go to the edge of the world, but not before he'd reshaped the cultures of the tribes and land itself. The maps created after the destruction were unrecognizable. The deku scrubs split off from the kokiri, as did the Sashilas zora did from the Hylian zora. A tribe called the rito was unearthed, and they took up the role of border guards, keeping Ganon at bay as long as possible.

Many years passed, and still Ganon touched the world, if only through his pawns. But spells weaken with age, and it was only a matter of time before Ganon could leave his home in the Barren Wastes. So the people asked the goddesses for help. And they got their answer. A riddle, one that prophets studied for years, but never understood, that told of a way to revive the Ancient Hero. If only they could decipher its meaning…