The Legend of Zelda: The Amalgamated Era, a fan-setting on Hiatus

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Introduction​

We write the year of 516 after the merge. The world of the three Godesses is divided. The three hyrules, once united against the dark, had split along their chosen patron godesses, now much cooler in relation. With the New Hylian Revolution, the Onox Legion’s recent invasion and shattering of Old Hyrule and the Gerudo Khatunate, as well as the rising force of the Holy Dekuan Empire, the future is uncertain.

The History​

Long ago, there was a dire catastrophe that could not be dealt with by the reincarnation of the hero of the age. While he could slow it, it was clear that defeating wouldn’t be possible alone.
The wise of the Hylians were assembled to search for a solution, while the hero held it at bay.
Eventually, they found it, in the sages of Labrynna and their leader, the Oracle of Ages.

With the help, they discovered the split timelines, one which had a long history and had a Hyrule in decline, though with the unique fact that the princesses of light came in pairs of two, the people were tough and well-versed in the arts of magic.
Another of the timelines was one where the original land of Hyrule had sunk beneath the waves and the people having wandered to a new land, establishing a thriving kingdom there. The connection to the goddess had been lessened, but instead, they had quickly developed into an advanced technology to compensate, using trains and other marvels.
And, finally, there was a world that was still rather young, but with active adventurers beside the hero, a land of the courageous and with a stable rule.

After communication was established, the heroes of the other timelines weren’t just able to slow the catastrophe, or even just defeat it. They crushed the catastrophe utterly, solving this incident with an unheard off efficiency.
The various Hyrules convened afterwards and decided on keeping relations open, as well as supporting each other with their cycles of light and dark.

This proved to be very effective at keeping the dark down, with successive rises being dealt with easier and easier. Cooperation between the three Hyrules also increased, until the sages proposed a plan of extraordinary proportions. Instead of sending Links over temporarily, what if instead… They merged their worlds back into one again? After much discussion and deliberation, this plan was set into motion, eventually resulting into the three worlds re-merging again.

This plan worked magnificently, the evil wasn’t just rebuked more easily, the cycle had been effectively paused in the age of light, first, most cases of dark lords were culled before getting any close to causing any damage, the monsters also began either retreating away from the areas where the Hylians dwelt or demonsterizing and living in relative peace to the other species. It was a golden era that lasted for a long time, unlike the cycle of destruction by the dark and reconquest by the light the lands knew before.

The Golden Age​

The Old Hyrule stabilized and flourished in arts and culture. While it remained quite decentralized, the royal family mostly being ceremonial in nature, it was highly regarded as a Hylian Empire.
New Hyrule continued its development, both in technology and other sciences, new ways of thinking emerged and prosperity was on the rise.
The Young Hyrule remained stable in its form, with the courage of the population being famous.

The golden age lasted for several centuries, but, eventually, cracks emerged due to complacency.

The era of decline​

Among the divisions that started to mount, in each of the Hyrules, a different one of the three goddesses began to be favoured. The old Hylians preferred Nayru, as they identified with her wisdom. The New Hylians meanwhile connected Din’s aspect of strength to their Powerful technology. The young Hylians chose Farore, as they valued courage.

Cooperation went down between the three Hyrules, ceasing mostly when New Hyrule overthrew their monarchy.
The people of New Hyrule, having had abandoned the cycle of old and being able to defeat monsters with their technology alone, began to ask a question: “Is it really necessary to keep the royal family around when we can defend against any darkness ourselves?”
Their answer to that question was leaning towards negative, which is why they rose up, banished their royal family to a southern island and established the tetrarchy, a republican form of government.

Old Hyrule’s decentralization worsened with time and their conflict with the Gerudo Khatunate was a constant back and forth, much to the suffering of the states in-between, until a particularly disastrous campaign seemingly signalled the end of their time in the sun. That, however, wasn’t a question that needed to be asked for long, as in 498 AC(After Combination) an invasion from the dark world, led by Bandit King Onox, devastated the centre of the southern continent, annihilating the already devastated old Hylian client state of Calatia and shattering both the Old Hylian Empire and the Khatunate, the old hylian vassals and Gerudan tribes declaring their independence afterwards.

The Young Hyrule seemed to be spared such trouble on the surface, but inside there began to form shadows, nothing public, but something far more unknown.

Current state of the world​

We now write the year of 516 AC and the world is in an uncertain state. The Onox Legion, after a failed second invasion of the many states of Old Hyrule, has somewhat settled in an uneasy and uncomfortable peace and is now forced to ask itself what it’s future is going to be.

The recent Rise of the Holy Dekuan Empire in the northern forests have also given some concerns, but less so, given that it is far away from any civilization. Still, it’s very unpredictable what is going to happen there.

New Hyrule has rather comfortably settled in with its dominance over the west, though the conflict with the Pirates of the Sea Zora Conglomerate remains, as well as the uneasy relationship with the dominion of the Stormfather. They are allied with the dineic Order of the Draxtedian Isles and the Free Land of Holodrum.

Old Hyrule is still in a shattered state, with some having huge ambitions, while nominally still being allied in a defensive pact against the Onox Legion. Some notable Nations being the Storm Coast, the Salian Empire, the remnant of Old Hyrule, the Hyriakon empire, as it is now more referred to by the endonym of the old Hylians, the duchy of Lesser Hyrule and the Onox Legions subject of the Despotate of Teldinselma. It is a rather chaotic thunderdome, with some even using the Legion as mercenaries in their own dispute and some monsters even settling there, a knight order of Darknuts forming in the east and selling its services to the highest bidder being one notable example.

The world is at a new turning point, where fates diverge and everyone needs to decide on their own path, before others decide for them.

Maps:

Spoiler: Political

Spoiler: Cultural

Spoiler: Religious

Questions welcome

 

[Mangamoz]

If the heroes of courage from multiple timelines could band together to fight the forces of darkness.

Then, would the same not be possible for the forces of darkness?

Would the several alt timeline versions of Demise's avatar, Ganon, become some sort of fused version?

A reborn Demise perhaps?

 

[Mangamoz]

If there was to be a twist, my bet is on Null being the one responsible for the loss of faith in the Tri-Goddesss.

It would be the one most capable of manipulating the minds of people across several timelines, all to corrupt the faith of the goddesses, since Null is supposedly, ultimately, the true ultimate threat of the Zelda multiverse.(As of writing this)

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

If the heroes of courage from multiple timelines could band together to fight the forces of darkness.

Then, would the same not be possible for the forces of darkness?

Would the several alt timeline versions of Demise's avatar, Ganon, become some sort of fused version?

A reborn Demise perhaps?

I mean, technically, but I would both invoke the D&D fact that fictional villains are very incapable of working together. A ganon/-dorf would maybe manipulate another villain, but that already happened and was dealt with.
There's also the difference that in this, there is a better understanding of the cycle, similar to BOTW, but the balance is so that the good forces were too powerful for any evil to be able to rise.
I don't see why they would fuse. Adult Timeline Ganondorf is sealed below the ocean, Defeat Timeline resurrects himself and child timeline reincarnated again, noone else also fuses, so unless someone does some sort of ritual, it's not likely to happen.

If there was to be a twist, my bet is on Null being the one responsible for the loss of faith in the Tri-Goddesss.

It would be the one most capable of manipulating the minds of people across several timelines, all to corrupt the faith of the goddesses, since Null is supposedly, ultimately, the true ultimate threat of the Zelda multiverse.(As of writing this)

Null didn't exist when I created this setting around 2021 and I am not sure if he will ever be included, given that I already have someone fulfilling the role of the eldritch representant. Heck, I was already not intending to have ALBW or TFH in it, though I did add Hytopian later. BOTW was also not intended to be added, since at the time, it was only "way off into the future" before TOTK made it an entirely different continuity.

The divide was a natural shift over time, less "We worship this goddess only now" and more the hyrules aligning with one of the aspects more than the others and also seeing that the other hyrules did similar things, which then increased the divide

 

[Mangamoz]

Man this would make a killer Hyrule Conquest campaign, too bad that UndyingNephalim seems to have dropped development on it.

I wish I could go back to playing it, but the mod is super outdated in comparison to the recent 0 A.D versions, it's barely playable.😔

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Man this would make a killer Hyrule Conquest campaign, too bad that UndyingNephalim seems to have dropped development on it.

I wish I could go back to playing it, but the mod is super outdated in comparison to the recent 0 A.D versions, it's barely playable.😔

I did envision the entire setting more as an EU4 mod like Anbennar back then.
Found the lore of that mod somewhat interesting, but I think there are tonal differences

 

[Mangamoz]

I did envision the entire setting more as an EU4 mod like Anbennar back then.
Found the lore of that mod somewhat interesting, but I think there are tonal differences

Oh that could work, and I just checked now, and apparently there IS a Zelda mod for Europa Universalis that I didn't know about:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=467694869&searchtext=

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Oh that could work, and I just checked now, and apparently there IS a Zelda mod for Europa Universalis that I didn't know about:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=467694869&searchtext=

Doesn't seem like worth knowing. It's pretty much a custom nation and also abandoned.
Well, I mostly design it as such.
Btw, my design process for the internals of the onox legion is like it's a more classic 2d zelda, with maybe a drop of metroidvania and more optional side dungeons.

 

[Mangamoz]

Doesn't seem like worth knowing. It's pretty much a custom nation and also abandoned.
Well, I mostly design it as such.
Btw, my design process for the internals of the onox legion is like it's a more classic 2d zelda, with maybe a drop of metroidvania and more optional side dungeons.

There HAS to be some sort of "make your own custom Zelda game" program out there somewhere, like an RPG maker type of thing.

This plot is so interesting and perfect for making a gritty version of a Zelda game, one where the threat is more your own supposed allies, than the evil monsters.

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

There HAS to be some sort of "make your own custom Zelda game" program out there somewhere, like an RPG maker type of thing.

This plot is so interesting and perfect for making a gritty version of a Zelda game, one where the threat is more your own supposed allies, than the evil monsters.

Solaris Solarus Engine is for that
I would say the grittyness is depending on area and place
The onox legion is more on the wacky side, to note, with it having a subplot of some parts of it civilizing of what's a reference to byzantine bureaucracy and the destruction loving classic pure evil villain also being forced to do work as a regent

And then there is the holy dekuan empire, who I just have decided will have their religion being renamed to the Dekulu Mythos, as their imagined playthrough will be a complete meme run.

 

[Mangamoz]

Solaris Engine is for that
I would say the grittyness is depending on area and place
The onox legion is more on the wacky side, to note, with it having a subplot of some parts of it civilizing of what's a reference to byzantine bureaucracy and the destruction loving classic pure evil villain also being forced to do work as a regent

And then there is the holy dekuan empire, who I just have decided will have their religion being renamed to the Dekulu Mythos, as their imagined playthrough will be a complete meme run.

Is that where all those Zelda fan games I play come from? Oh I didn't know that.

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Is that where all those Zelda fan games I play come from? Oh I didn't know that.

Maybe, there are probs other ones, it's just one I know.
Anyways, this thread now has the most posts in the entire subforum

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

There HAS to be some sort of "make your own custom Zelda game" program out there somewhere, like an RPG maker type of thing.

This plot is so interesting and perfect for making a gritty version of a Zelda game, one where the threat is more your own supposed allies, than the evil monsters.

I also created an ending compass for the onox Legion, or at least tried to, never got around to elaborate on it.
Also, after looking at it, there are certainly placements I'd change

Particularly swapping "TLOZ: Strange Journey Redux" & "The Abyss of Politics" and "A land of Men and Monsters" & "Good Uncle Onox"

I would consider the left half apart from "General Onox's Wild Ride" but with "the legion disbands" to fall into the gritty area.

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Spoiler: The Onox Legion internal divisions

The onox Legion, named after it's infamous leader, the bandit king Onox, is the undisputed strongest power on the southern continent.
It's a motley horde of various monsters, currently undergoing great changers after the disaster/wonder of Talulah.

History​

The Legion began it's invasion from the dark world region of Argusah, spewing through a portal located in what is now called Drownedplains and going on a destructive rampage, crushing both the previous hegemons decisively, after they were already reeling from their previous war.
The lands inbetween, a variety of smaller states that were usually the ones suffering of the previous wars were overrun and ravaged brutally, a slaughter permanently recorded onto the world by a slight cooling compared to before.
The old hylian empire fell when it's capital was raided and sundered, leaving only ruins behind. This made the vassals, already feeling dissatisfaction, declare independence in masses. The Khatunate meanwhile fell, as their ruling clan was slaughtered, leaving behind a child to be Khatuna, which was not allowed according to the laws of the gerudo, leaving the clans to disperse.

The legion after their decisive victory centered in the middle of the continent, rebuilding their forces and relishing their spoils.
7 years passed, where the remnants rebuilt their forces, forged alliances and prepared for the eventual clash, which, eventually, came to be.

The Legion launched a second invasion, succesfully against the Khatunate remnants, the Lynel Ravaru who led the invasion claiming his steppe and forcing large tribute payments from the gerudo remnants, the hyriakoni faired a bit better, but that didn't mean they faired well.
However, the grand duke of the stormcoast had hired the mercenary group called the three tusks, which were sent to the battle of Talulah, the invading forces led by the dark wizard Aginamh.

This had the unexpected effect of ending the legions streak of successes, as a young member of that mercenary group turned out to be the reincarnation of the legendary hero, who in a pivotal moment slew the dark wizard and turned the tide of the battle.
The legion's now leaderless forces were routed more and more, driving them back, liberating polity after polity, until Ravaru's army came back from the eastern front and engaged in a standoff at Canarok.
Both armies prepared for what promised to be a brutal battle, before the onox Legion's second in Command surprisingly appeared, Vire, archduke of the keese, and declared a ceasefire as in the background, he had been making connections with several of the coalitions important members.

The negotiations were strange, to say the least, the legion did only get minor territorial gains, having to vacate most of the occupied realms, but instead had Onox being given the regency over the despotate of Teldinselma, whose former despot had been slain in the combat and was now led by the prince of it, who wasn't of age yet. They also lost some of their territory, like the Gocran Isles in the south.

Onox, having been seemingly busy with something in the dark world was not pleased at the outcome, but was convinced by Vire to accept it and not launch another invasion just yet.

The southern lands settled down into a somewhat uncomfortable peace during the next 8 years.
The legion reorganized into the many dungeon states, each lead by a dungeon boss, some even adopting old Hylian ways of Administration. Also, the Blinstitute developed a train technology based on the new hylian trains, constructing a line between Fort Orzax and the capital of Teldinselma, Tidelenus.
Another big event was the coup of the house of ashes, where a member of the ash tribe, who had submitted to the legion during the first war and survived as a result, beat up the assigned dungeon boss and declared herself the new boss in charge. While the ash tribe had been barely tolerated before, Onox let it happen, as he liked the guts of the new dungeon boss, Riphon the Ashlass, who gained a nonnegligible influence as a result.

Current Situation​

In 516 AC, the legion is very much stronger than it ever was, having recovered from the invasion. Same, however, can be said of it's neighbours, who similarly have recovered, stabilized and adapted, like hiring parts of the legion as mercenaries, even allowing a group of darknuts to form an order in their territory.
While a third war seems far away, border raids are a regular occurence and the legion has an internal split between dungeon states that embraced civilisation and those that remained feral.

 

[Mangamoz]

Spoiler: The Onox Legion internal divisions

The onox Legion, named after it's infamous leader, the bandit king Onox, is the undisputed strongest power on the southern continent.
It's a motley horde of various monsters, currently undergoing great changers after the disaster/wonder of Talulah.

History​

The Legion began it's invasion from the dark world region of Argusah, spewing through a portal located in what is now called Drownedplains and going on a destructive rampage, crushing both the previous hegemons decisively, after they were already reeling from their previous war.
The lands inbetween, a variety of smaller states that were usually the ones suffering of the previous wars were overrun and ravaged brutally, a slaughter permanently recorded onto the world by a slight cooling compared to before.
The old hylian empire fell when it's capital was raided and sundered, leaving only ruins behind. This made the vassals, already feeling dissatisfaction, declare independence in masses. The Khatunate meanwhile fell, as their ruling clan was slaughtered, leaving behind a child to be Khatuna, which was not allowed according to the laws of the gerudo, leaving the clans to disperse.

The legion after their decisive victory centered in the middle of the continent, rebuilding their forces and relishing their spoils.
7 years passed, where the remnants rebuilt their forces, forged alliances and prepared for the eventual clash, which, eventually, came to be.

The Legion launched a second invasion, succesfully against the Khatunate remnants, the Lynel Ravaru who led the invasion claiming his steppe and forcing large tribute payments from the gerudo remnants, the hyriakoni faired a bit better, but that didn't mean they faired well.
However, the grand duke of the stormcoast had hired the mercenary group called the three tusks, which were sent to the battle of Talulah, the invading forces led by the dark wizard Aginamh.

This had the unexpected effect of ending the legions streak of successes, as a young member of that mercenary group turned out to be the reincarnation of the legendary hero, who in a pivotal moment slew the dark wizard and turned the tide of the battle.
The legion's now leaderless forces were routed more and more, driving them back, liberating polity after polity, until Ravaru's army came back from the eastern front and engaged in a standoff at Canarok.
Both armies prepared for what promised to be a brutal battle, before the onox Legion's second in Command surprisingly appeared, Vire, archduke of the keese, and declared a ceasefire as in the background, he had been making connections with several of the coalitions important members.

The negotiations were strange, to say the least, the legion did only get minor territorial gains, having to vacate most of the occupied realms, but instead had Onox being given the regency over the despotate of Teldinselma, whose former despot had been slain in the combat and was now led by the prince of it, who wasn't of age yet. They also lost some of their territory, like the Gocran Isles in the south.

Onox, having been seemingly busy with something in the dark world was not pleased at the outcome, but was convinced by Vire to accept it and not launch another invasion just yet.

The southern lands settled down into a somewhat uncomfortable peace during the next 8 years.
The legion reorganized into the many dungeon states, each lead by a dungeon boss, some even adopting old Hylian ways of Administration. Also, the Blinstitute developed a train technology based on the new hylian trains, constructing a line between Fort Orzax and the capital of Teldinselma, Tidelenus.
Another big event was the coup of the house of ashes, where a member of the ash tribe, who had submitted to the legion during the first war and survived as a result, beat up the assigned dungeon boss and declared herself the new boss in charge. While the ash tribe had been barely tolerated before, Onox let it happen, as he liked the guts of the new dungeon boss, Riphon the Ashlass, who gained a nonnegligible influence as a result.

Current Situation​

In 516 AC, the legion is very much stronger than it ever was, having recovered from the invasion. Same, however, can be said of it's neighbours, who similarly have recovered, stabilized and adapted, like hiring parts of the legion as mercenaries, even allowing a group of darknuts to form an order in their territory.
While a third war seems far away, border raids are a regular occurence and the legion has an internal split between dungeon states that embraced civilisation and those that remained feral.

This tickles my Morrowind fan side so much, since I am currently playing it.

 

[Manko-sensei]

How many Links have died so far? Do they use owls as chatty messengers instead of noisy pigeons? Are the undead a menace there? Is every Hyrule princess called Zelda and cross-dresses as an adult to trick green orphan bois?

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

How many Links have died so far?

Multiple, the more detailed history is something I intended to develop along the other nations, but the hiatus happened during Onox Legion development, so it's undefined currently. It is in the range of two-2*hylian generations that happened in the meantime.

Do they use owls as chatty messengers instead of noisy pigeons?

What they use mostly depends on the location. The most I wrote towards that part of lore was in my first draft of the backstory of the onox legion, where Vire used Keese as messenger flyers.

Are the undead a menace there?

Depends on where, but the currently main location of undeadery is the graveyard region of the onox legion, which is surprisingly safe and hospitable, after they moved towards civilisation with their undead bureaucrats of their necropolis. They do ask you to pay taxes though, that includes after death, as the mandate is that you become Undead eventually

Is every Hyrule princess called Zelda and cross-dresses as an adult to trick green orphan bois?

Zelda is a rather common name among the hylian royal families and hylian poputions. But I would imagine that not every is called such.
The current Princess of Young Hyrule has the name, same as the twin princesses of old Hyrule, though they get a second name to discern them. Their mother, who participated in the peace conference, didn't carry the name of Zelda.
I haven't written on the past Zelda's yet, but I don't think it's a common occurence, maybe an aristocratic or patrician zelda might do that, but I don't plan to do it in the backstory.

 

[a_singular_strike]

If the multiple timelines exist simultaneously, what about their respective parallel worlds?
Of course some worlds like the Twilight Realm wouldn't have a logical reason to appear, but what about Termina and Lorule for example?
And on that topic, Termina seems to be a world that rejected the goddesses of the Triforce (the Stone Tower Temple shows this if I remember it correctly), so where would they stand in this conflict? Is Majora's Mask active or not, because while at the end of the game it was defeated and 'cleansed', the Mask seems to have regained or at least still posses some powers in BotW. What about the Fierce Deity (Mask)?

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

If the multiple timelines exist simultaneously, what about their respective parallel worlds?
Of course some worlds like the Twilight Realm wouldn't have a logical reason to appear, but what about Termina and Lorule for example?
And on that topic, Termina seems to be a world that rejected the goddesses of the Triforce (the Stone Tower Temple shows this if I remember it correctly), so where would they stand in this conflict? Is Majora's Mask active or not, because while at the end of the game it was defeated and 'cleansed', the Mask seems to have regained or at least still posses some powers in BotW. What about the Fierce Deity (Mask)?

I haven't really gotten around to the part of the parallel worlds, tbh.
Termina would get some inclusion, but at the moment, I don't have any plan for it apart of some references down the line. Lorule meawhile I'm not sure I want to include at all, given that I disliked ALBW and during the development it was regarded as a bit too recent, similar to Triforce heroes, though I did add it later as an old Hylian Ethnicity.
I don't expect it to have a huge role, though.

Holodrum and Labrynna technically also count as parallel worlds, but given that travel from and to them was very achievable by normal NPC's, I found this part of canon stupid and elected to ignore it, they are just direct countries. Just these two. There was no third game, after all. The Oracle of Secrets didn't have her own different country assigned, she's just a tree hobo. Move on.

Subrosia meanwhile will be part of the underworld, which is something I put off until way later, I will have some appearing in the overworld though.

For the Twili, I do plan to assign them to the Dark world, which is also something I'm gonna put off until later, lol.

 

[panzerkampfwagyu]

Oh, right, World of the Ocean King also exists. Uuuh... Think I decided to keep it in the "Doesn't directly appear, but is acknowledged" area. Had one such incident in the Isla Ventai Lore. Dunno though. Who knows, maybe they were merged into the setting too and are just way out of the map or something