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[Satsuriku]

Ninety years have passed since the death of Ganon, and the Hero of Time returned to his own timeline. Since that time, Hyrule has had a very difficult time stabilizing itself again. While the races initially rallied together to fix their problems, internal politics left from a number of shattered cultures caused fractures in relations that were only barely overcome. Subsequently relations remained strained, and the road to progress was tiring.

The human population had survived mostly intact in Kakariko, but most of the Hylian population was destroyed along with Hyrule Castle Town. The existence of the Kokiri was brought properly into the light, and many of the Zora did not survive the deep freeze their species endured during Ganondorf’s reign. The only race to truly make it out of the War of Time unscathed was the Gerudo, and even that was only thanks to the mercy of the Hero of Time.

While the Sages were able to stabilize much of the environmental damage that had been incurred, the death toll was something no amount of magic could fix. After their work, a number of the sages returned from the Sacred Realm to help their societies recover and rebuild. Darunia, Princess Ruto, and Princess Zelda are the known sages to return. It is thought that Impa also returned, but no concrete evidence has been shown to substantiate this. The others, as far as is known, still reside within the Sacred Realm though successors have been nominated as time has passed.

Stories and legends about the events surrounding the Hero of Time quickly began to spread through Hyrule. One legend told of the Hero ending up in an alternate version of Hyrule know as “Termina” where everything was a mirror copy of Hyrule.

Some twenty years after the War of Time though, a group of Terminians found their way through mountains and established a trade route. Much excitement surrounded the arrival of these people so similar to the legend. Studies were undertook, and eventually an answer was found.

It was believed that the Termina the Hero of Time went to was actually constructed from memories. The Hero of Time’s memories, those of a Skull Kid, and that of a powerful artifact in the form of a mask combined to form this alternate world so similar to Termina. The Skull Kid must have been in Termina at some point. When he came into contact with the mask, the mask tried to create its’ own world, but could not since the Skull Kid’s memories were skewed. So the mask could not do anything until it came into contact with the Hero of Time. Using the memories from both, it recreated a reality and brought the Hero of Time into it.

Thus, Historians managed to come up with a good explanation for why a group of people so like those from the stories existed. Still, many folk believed that the tale was nothing but a story.

Whatever the case, the wealth and prosperity of Termina aided greatly in the survival of the various Hyrulian societies. While this did allow for a number of Terminian merchants to become exceptionally wealthy, it also established Lon Lon Town as a major trade hub, and allowed Hyrule Castle town and the castle itself to have their construction finished.

Over the next ten years, stability would come to Hyrule and Termina as various peoples migrated from one country to the other, along with their goods and skills. Slowly, most of the gerudo made their way from Hyurle to Termina, finding the ocean life much more to their liking. Though the fortress was thought to have become a ghost town, eventually rumors began to grow hinting at some gerudo return to the place, with eeries lights escaping the windows of the place at night. These rumors were never substantiated by any official source, as even after investigation no evidence of life was found within its halls.

Many of the Goron migrated from Termina, taking great advantage of the fires Death Mountain to power their forges. Things changed very little with the zora, though they were the ones who established an expedient river route between the nations. Clock Town grew greatly in size, as production needs for the recovering Hyrule increased, and its merchants became more wealthy. After stabilization occurred, the denizens of Hyrule were better able to take stock of what had happened to the entirety of their realm.

The Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods had been sealed, with undergrowth tearing down the gateways from other regions, and the entrance to Kokiri Forest being sealed with a solid wall of trees. While some direct entrances to the Lost Woods can be found, none who have yet entered the place have returned. Rumors of those who set up camp near its borders tell of eerie music and sounds emanating from the forest.

Death Mountain is now a bustling manufacturing center, producing nearly all of the metalwork for Hyrule and Termina, with ore being shipped in from Snowpeak. Both Goron citadels also produce large quantities of explosives annually, but very little reaches the open market. Most of the production has either been turned towards food for the Gorons, ore removal, or the demolition of rubble in Hyrule Castle Town.

The Zora Domain has expanded, with Jabu Jabu apparently cutting a deeper hideaway into the cave system they once enjoyed, and then disappearing via the tunnels to a distant ocean. The route from The Zora Domain to Lake Hylia remains open, but the Water Temple and the island above it are fiercely guarded by the Zora. The lake itself now sports a small village, the only one in Hyrule to have constituents from all the races in one place. Still a small farming community, it does not export much for the benefit of all of Hyrule.

Lon Lon Ranch has closed, and the lands were donated to the Royal Family to build a new city. The Lon Lon Family integrated with the Romani, and have made one large holding in Termina. Now Lon Lon Town serves as the primary trade center for Hyrule, and is the distribution hub for all goods from Termina into the nation. Likewise, all trade goods to Termina are now consolidated there. The town itself is run by a merchant council, consisting of hylians, humans, and goron.

Kakariko is still inhabited by a small group of people, mostly elderly or those who help the goron on Death Mountain. Most of the houses and businesses are now vacant. Many in Hyrule consider the entire place to be haunted, though none of the residents seem to share or understand this opinion. The graveyard and Shadow Temple Entrance are well maintained, and while the doors of the temple have not opened in nearly a century no Poes appear to haunt the graveyard any longer.

Hyrule Castle is still under construction, with the largest of its turrets still requiring some work. The town surrounding it was demolished after the war to purge the redead, and subsequently has a much more modern feel than anywhere else in Hyrule or Termina. The town is the political center of both Termina and Hyrule, with Hyrule’s royalty often meeting with Terminian diplomats and traders to discuss policy.

Just as things have changed in Hyrule, much has changed in Termina as well. The Zora Hall is now sparsely populated, and serves more of a tourist destination than anything else. Snowpeak has become much more of an industrial center, and the only place to remain much the same is the Southern Swamp. Ikana Canyon is now gated off from the rest of Termina, and only those with special dispensation from Clock Town’s Merchant council can enter the area at all