#ivorytalks

The story of ten thousand years ago is certainly an interesting one! According to legend, the kingdom of Hyrule used to be an overgrown field, with the great ruin of an old fortress in the center. Hylians weren't native to these lands, though there was proof that someone had lived here long ago, perhaps even before the Gorons had settled down. The races of these lands were the desert-dwelling Gerudo, the friendly Gorons of Death Mountain, the distant and war-prone Zora, the massive centaur race known as the Zonai, the lofty, artsy Rito, and the reclusive Sheikah.

The various races lived in relative peace, and the Gerudo chief Calix was a wise and kind ruler of his people, blessed by the goddess Dinraal with the power to never fall in battle. One day, Rito scouts discovered a group of travellers on the north side of Deplian Canyon. After some back and forth, and several weeks of labor, a bridge was constructed, and the newcomers could enter the land that would soon become Hyrule.

The travellers called themselves Hylians, and had long pointed ears like the Gerudo. They, too, believed the tales of the three golden goddesses, though the Hylians referred to them by different names. They also believed in a fourth goddess, a daughter of the three, with the name Hylia. The Gerudo were intrigued by this, as were the Sheikah. The Hylians settled down in a large expanse of plains, sandwiched neatly between the cities of all the other races. They claimed the old fortress ruins as their home base, beginning work on restoring it to a more habitable state.

As work on Hyla Fortress began, the Hylians spread out and formed bonds with the other races, becoming fast friends with the Gerudo. Calix saw to it that the newcomers were offered the same protection, food, and shelter as his own people. He formed a kinship with the Hylian leader, who went by the name of Zed. They were young to be in command, yet their people listened to them with nothing but respect. Calix respected them as well, as they seemed honest and wise beyond their years. The two became strong allies.

A few years after Hyla Town was established, Zed's childhood friend, Link, stumbled into an ancient forest while out foraging. The fog was thick and suffocating, but he managed to stumble his way into a clearing, where the fog didn't cling to every surface. At the center of this clearing was an old, weathered pedestal, with a sword in the center. No one knows why Link pulled the sword free. Perhaps he heard a voice from the trees, or from the heavens, or from the sword itself. Perhaps he was just curious. But when he drew the blade out of its stone prison, he unknowingly restarted an ancient cycle of destruction and rebirth.

That day, the symbol of the ancient golden pyramid appeared on the hands of Calix, Zed, and Tapps. The budding land of Hyrule now had a time limit, as did the life of the Gerudo leader. With the aid of the Sheikah and their advanced technology, great battleships were crafted in the form of animals. Spiderlike machines by the name of Guardians were constructed, alongside massive towers for easy travel between the lands. Link, chosen by the symbol of Farosh, underwent rigorous training with his new blade, which held a guardian spirit inside it. She called herself Fi, and proved to be beneficial in sharing the history of the legend he had unknowingly awoken.

With Fi's warning, Calix chose to seal themself deep within the abandoned tunnels underneath Hyla Fortress, which had been newly dubbed as Hyrule Castle. Working alongside the Sheikah, they were put into a magical coma, so that the ancient demon Demise couldn't claim their body as a mortal vessel.

With everything in place, Hyrule was ready for the inevitable return of Ganon.

----

As a short recap, the main characters in this story are:

Link; He/him, trans, autistic, biromantic asexual. Age 28. He is Zed's childhood friend, and aquired the nickname Tapps due to his constant tapping, bouncing, and dancing stims. He's short and muscular, and once won a wrestling match against a Faron Zonai warrior. He's a redhead, has a full beard, and despite his gruff-looking appearance, he just wants to settle down and tend his apple orchard. (He also has a crush on Calix!)

Zed; They/them, genderfluid. Age 25. Whatever their gender is at any given time, they're only interested in dating women. Zed is the leader of the Hylians. They don't share this knowledge often, but they can speak directly to the goddess Hylia, which is what gained them the respect of their elders and allowed them to lead their people unopposed. Zed is a bit of a bookworm and history nerd, and Calix and Tapps sometimes jokingly call them Naydra, after the goddess of wisdom.