#poggersau

Takes place in an ancient BOTW Hyrule map (because it's the best map). The setting is late bronze age/early iron age equivalent, and multiple kingdoms and cities scatter the landscape. Here are some of the key settings for this AU:

Akkala - Homeland of Hylia’s mother, Lady Zelda. Highlands, rolling hills, dense woodland forests, and a lovely coast. The culture is predominantly celtic leaning, a few villages are found throughout the region, but most notable is Hylia’s childhood home, her mother’s family longhouse. It’s in a remote location, built by her grandmother, with the intention of it being built upon and expanded by her children and grandchildren.

City of Hyrule - Located just on the outskirts of Faron, founded on a great plateau. Built like a roman city, but considerably small as compared to neighbouring kingdoms. However; they hold a position of power in that they sit between Lake Hylia and the Gerudo River, subsequently, they hold most of the trade seen from overseas. Homeland of Hylia’s father, King Aeolian Hyrule.

Faron Grasslands - South of City of Hyrule, main home of the Faron Tribe, a culture of horse riding nomads. Very Scythian in over all aesthetic, a friendly androgynous steppe people with acute archery skills. Overall generally friendly, but have recently been flooded out of their lands by the building of lake Hylia’s dam. Lead by an elderly matron and her son.

The Gods Wood - The forest that engulfs most of the Faron region. Primordial and overgrown, it is an old growth forest. Home to the largest trees, and unseen fairy folk of the land. Home to the Golden Goddess. An ancient temple is located somewhere within these woods, but finding it is a trial in itself.

The story over all focuses on Hylia, a mortal born girl, daughter of Lady Zelda of Akkala, and King/Emperor Aeolian Hyrule.

At this point in history, there is no basis for a golden goddess, and there is no mythology revolving around her. Hylia's father, Aeolian is a power hungry, and greedy man, looking to find a way to expand his empire and claim the whole of the land for himself, under the banner of Hyrule.

In an attempt to gather power, he has his only daughter raised in secret by an old friend, Hylia's god mother, Impa. Instructing her to raise Hylia under the assumption that she is a demi-goddess, and needs to be trained to "recall" her goddess-hood and divine memories.

The king figures he can swing a divine right of kings, by claiming divinity through his secret daughter.

Though raised under the belief that her fate is divine, Hylia has always been skeptical. Often questioning role as a goddess, and reflecting on her wants, needs, and desires as someone who feels entirely mortal.

And on her 18th birthday Hylia joins her father in the City of Hyrule as a patron goddess of the city.

Things really take a turn once she finally arrives in the city. And during a ceremonial and religious procession, has a chance encounter with Heron, an equally skeptic, blacksmith apprentice, who favours a pagan practice of worship over the newly discovered Hylia worship.

Hylia is taken by the gaze of this scrutinous young man, noticing him looking straight through her divinity and directly at her as a mortal girl. After the ceremony, slips out in disguise to meet him.

Heron questions Hylia's legitimacy, after noticing a sun burn on her face. Asking her "I was wondering, how could the Goddess of the sun and the dawn…have a sunburn.”

Quickly the two form a friendship, and plan to escape to the God's Wood, after Hylia overhears some scheming from her father and discovers his plans to use her to expand his kingdom.

Hylia and Heron both hope to find answers in the God's Wood, and seek the aid of the old gods/The Three Golden Goddesses to ultimately put an end to The King Hyrule's greed, and to free Hylia from her captivity.

Most of the AU (if I end up writing this out comic form) consists of Hylia and Heron adventuring in an ancient and primordial wood, meeting new friends, and self discovery.

The AU does have an entire plot line, and an ending. But just in case I wanna do something with this, I'm keeping it to myself for now.

Overall I really wanted to explore a more mythology based Hyrule, and really lean into that Mudora era of TLoZ. I'm also the worlds worst and SS is my least favourite game, mostly on account of that the story and overall ideas were REALLY cool...But I felt a bit let down and disinterested in it overall and didn't love the execution. So this really just is my "fix it" AU.