Perhaps you have heard of Hyrule, and perhaps not. Either way, you do not live there, so it would be wise to continue reading.
Hyrule is a small realm located in the very corner of the world. Lush grass, crystal waters, just kings; one might call it a paradise. But it should not come as a surprise that, same as everywhere else, Hyrule has quite a few of its own problems.
It neighbors on three different realms. The first of which is Termina to the west. Hyrule's greatest ally and home to some of the finest soldiers on the planet, Termina recently reopened forgotten crossing paths and began trade and tourism between the realms as it had been in old times. Presiding over Termina is the fair Mayor Kafei, forty-eight years behind him.
South of Hyrule is the quieter Syfort. Home to only two small towns, Syfort lies behind a labyrinth of twisting tunnels that go deep into the earth. Shielded from most of the adventure and danger that sometimes seize its neighbors, the realm only recently cam in regular contact with Hyrule, due to a system created by Link involving letter-carrying birds of prey. In Syfort reside Redaya, Quill, and other elven figures of history that aided Hyrule in the War of the Sorcerer eight years ago.
And to the north lies Corland. Not much is left of Corland, for Vlorack the Black Sorcerer desperately attempted to destroy it with is final breath. Still locked away behind the nearly impenetrable Great Barrier, no one has traveled to Corland since the fall of the sorcerer, and most assume it lies unsafe in ruins.
In Hyrule itself dwell five different races. Atop the treacherous Death Mountain is the underground city of the friendly Goron people. If Gorons value two things above all others they would be a good dance and a large feast of the rocks on which they dine. Ever loyal to the throne, the Gorons will step up and fight for their realm if necessary. The average life span of a Goron is only ten to twenty years, and their current king is Dayon, grandson of Darunia and son of Link, who was named after the Hylian hero.
Follow the cool river running out of Hyrule Castle and you will come to a gigantic waterfall, behind which lies the watery domain of the aquatic Zoras. Under the rule of the beautiful Queen Ruto and her ancient father, the fish-like Zoras protect Hyrule's water supply. Although Zoras possess no natural fighting abilities, they will take up the spear and protect the Royal Family at any cost. Most Zoras live to be about thirty-five and reach adulthood at only ten.
Another one of the races in Hyrule is the mysterious Kokiri. This tribe of elves never ages, so while they appear to be happy young children, they are more wise and experienced than the eldest of mortals. The Kokiri are the most sheltered and seperated of all the races of Hyrule, dwelling deep within their enchanted woods under their protective fairies and their guardian the young Deku Tree. The elves are never involved in affairs of the outside world, and they hardly ever leave their forest home or let outsiders in.
Blazing temperatures and hot sand hang about the vast Desert Colossus, as does the fourth Hyrulean race, the ninja-like Gerudo. Living in their maze of mesa dwellings, these all-female thieves until recently did not allow any men into their territory with the exception of one Gerudo king born into the fortress every hundred years. Currently, however, these traditions have been broken, and males are allowed to wander—and mate—anywhere in their rocky valley, although no one is granted entrance to the Haunted Wasteland, which is literally a graveyard without headstones. The Gerudo follow their new king Raven, eldest son of the Evil Lord Ganondorf, and despite any past quarrels serve the Royal Family as firm allies.
And finally, the traditional king of the Hyrulean leader, the noble Hylians. Mostly man with a hint of elven blood, these usually friendly people populate much of Hyrule. Three major Hylian cities dot the realm: Hyrule Castle and the surrounding market town, the sunny-faced Kakariko Village at the base of Goron Mountain, and the quiet Pakomi Town on the sandy banks of Lake Hylia, only recently completed to house survivors from the realm of Corland. Link, the King of all Hyrule, commands a skilled army of Hylian soldiers, each one well trained with a spear and dirk and ready to give up his life for Hyrule. Hylians are brave and strong while at the same time courteous and fair. They usually live to be between sixty-five and seventy-five, though recently a pleasant Pakomi woman named Corill has become the oldest Hylian to ever be recorded at eighty-two.
Perhaps the reason for the long life is the quiet peace and harmony that has settled about Hyrule. Some say these are the happiest times the realm has ever seen, and King Link and Queen Zelda are doing their best to secure it. They were wed exactly five years ago, and since then have raised a beautiful family that every creature in Hyrule looks upon with love and respect.
Link himself stands about six feet tall. He has a thin beard and sandy-blonde hair that reaches just below his elfin ears, although he refuses to place a crown upon it. Link knows when to laugh and when to unsheathe his Master Sword. His courage and loyalty have made him friends across Hyrule, and they look up to him as a friend as well as a king. He often travels about Hyrule, acting as if he were another normal Hylian. He is well built and at the same fluid and controlled, and is still considered the best fighter in the realm, perhaps all of the known realms.
Zelda is, as a sage once put it, the greatest treasure in Hyrule. She is as pretty as ever, golden-red hair hanging like silk past her shoulders and soft blue eyes like gems. She is just and fair, and possesses greater wisdom than natural for a young Hylian. She loves to laugh and dance, and rarely brings out the dangerous side in her that commands masses of powerful magic. She is the ideal queen and an excellent mother.
Link and Zelda have three children. The oldest, at seven, is a smiling girl named Yuka. She loves riding horses, and often travels with her father across Hyrule Field to the sunny Lon Lon Ranch for lessons from a woman named Malon. She has the sapphire eyes of her parents and long orange hair.
Next in line is another girl, named Rain by her father, at four years old. She has short, golden hair and surprisingly bright emerald eyes. Although she can speak pretty well, not many words ever come out of her mouth. Rain can usually be found with a hardened man named Lankin, who, though he lives in Pakomi on Lake Hylia, often travels up to the castle to be with her.
The last of the children is a tiny two-year-old boy named Vade. He has the light brown hair of his father and friendly, sparkling blue eyes. The young prince will one day be the King of Hyrule, but he acts nothing like it: quiet, humble, and obedient.
Link has found the perfect balance between traveling alone about his realm and staying in his castle to care for his family. He is often found with Lord Dayon on Goron Mountain, fishing at Lake Hylia with his friend Lankin, or training with the Gerudo King Raven in the desert, whose skills with a blade could match even the Hylian king's. He holds every being in Hyrule's complete trust, and would give his life for any given one of them.
So now you have an idea of the perfect peace that has fallen over Hyrule and its neighboring realms, and of the creatures enjoying it. There are other places, unworldly places, involved in the history of Hyrule as well, and that all its inhabitants are familiar with.
Somewhere out there is Heaven, realm of the gods, and of the creator goddesses more focused on Hyrule. The most widely known are Din, the Goddess of Power, Farore, the Goddess of Love, and Nayru, the Goddess of Love and Wisdom. It was these three that ran their blessed fingers over the face of earth to create the realm of Hyrule. They dwell in Heaven with the others of their kind, always watching over their people and silently protecting their earthly realm. Another diety known on earth is Leen, the Goddess of Death, but she is not worshipped nearly as much as the others.
With all good comes evil, and it is so with such unworldly realms. To counter out Heaven is, naturally, Hell, where the slimy, vile dead of Hyrule lurk forever in the darkness. It is here that mortal enemies of the Royal Family dwell in the flames, including known death-bringers such as Queen Antia of the Gerudos, the silent dark Goron Foralin, the Great King of Evil Ganondorf, and the Black Sorcerer Vlorack. Other notorious monsters and spirits wander the land of Hell as well, along with a plethora of less-known evil ones.
The third unearthly realm is known as Sanctuary, the lighter realm of Hyrule's good dead. Happiness without the presence of the goddesses, hundreds of Hyrule's heroes live here in peace, like the great king Sonefor, his son the courageous Zenk, the long line of Goron Lords, the brave Terminian guard Frawan, and the swift Gerudo warrior Fizoli. No evil can come to Sanctuary, and its inhabitants are rewarded for their just lives with eternal happiness.
The Hyrulean scrolls do not explore these realms with much detail, so no one knows very much about them. However, they are certainly somewhere out there, and across the Hyrulean area creatures wonder about them, and look out at the sunny blue sky puzzling. Is there a way to access them? No one knows for sure, and no one wants to risk tapping into the powers required to open up any of these places.
Back to earth. Termina and Hyrule share regular feasts and visits, and raptors are sent daily to keep in touch with Syfort. Only Corland remains untouched in its slumber, a land of darkness and mystery. Large and empty of all life, its singed grass and dirt is covered in rubble. Deserted.
Or so it appears.
Lying harmlessly upon the scarred ground rests a small yellow object. It shines with a dull golden light, unnoticed by the rotted skeletons of the war's casualties that surround it. The earth around it is ugly and barren, but the grass it sits upon is lush and green.
Suddenly, the air fills with a spirit. Invisible and all around, a sense of shadow and cold falls over the object. For a moment, nothing happens. The triangle stays still. Without warning it surges with a bright light, and is quickly stifled by the spirit. Everything is quiet.
The small triangle slowly rises into the air. There is no sign of the shadow.
Far, far away, someone gasps.