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fandomhigh2021-11-11 04:04 am
in_sidon_we_trust) wrote in fandomhigh2021-11-11 04:04 am
Entry tags:
A Traveler's Guide to Hyrule; Thursday, First Period [11/11].
"Good morning, intrepid travelers!" If there seemed to be a little extra oomph in Sidon's greeting that morning, it was for a very good reason that would become evident in short order. But this was a lesson he had been very excited about, and that was the reason why he'd saved this race of Hyrule lesson for last! "So far, we've met many interesting and unique races from all around Hyrule, but this week, we finish out our exploration of the various peoples that populate the land with one that is very near and dear to my heart, as one might expect, and that is my very own people, the magificient! The spectacular! The absolutely wonderful Zora!"
Excuse him a moment while he positively swelled with pride; if either of the students felt like cheering or applauding this reveal, it would not at all be remiss!
"Let us begin!"
"Nestled in the Lanayru Mountains around the Zora Spring, the Zora people are one of Hyrule's oldest and most long-lived races, living for hundreds of years! Our history is a long and wonderful one, and we've had our home at Zora's Domain almost since time immemorial, but we've always been great storytellers and keepers of records and we have passed down our history through the generations, and our lengthly lifespans afford us the ability to have experience more history than even the most eldest of Hylians! We created our home from the very rock in which it is built, our ancient architects having a keen eyes not only for graceful beauty, but also in sculpting away the unique stone found in the mountains we call home. Zora's Domain is a legitimate piece of art, all carved fromt he same rock, and, should you ever visit, you will doubtless be blown away by its beauty and its testiment to fine craftsmanship! Influence of the Zora architects can be found all throughout the mountains, as well, especially in the great reservoir dams built to protect the lowlands of Hyrule against massive rains and flooding thousands of years ago!
"As you might guess by their strapping prince standing before you now, the Zora are an aquatic and amphibious race, living on both land and sea, and we quite prefer a nice delicate balance between the two, which is why I recommend anyone visiting the domain to either enjoy wading around barefoot or have yourself some nice, sturdy rainboots! Our unique features, such as our gills and fins, allows us to be excellent swimmers, and many of us can withstand being underwater for incredible spans of time. Swimming and fishing are highly important skills for a Zora to have. We have even developed techniques to swim up waterfall, and going against the current is no trouble at all! Our diet subsists mostly of such catches! And while we are most excellent with the water, this comes with a bit of a price, because our amphibious selves are highly susceptable to lightning! One sure bolt, and most of us would be utterly done for!
"Now, I assure you," Sidon held out a hand with a chuckle, "most Zora are actually not nearly as big as I! That is just my royal blood! I may one day grow to be as big as a house, if I am lucky, just like my father, the magnificent King Dorephan! But most Zora tend to cap out at around seven feet, give or take, as there is a great deal of variety in our species as well, just as you'll find variety with the plumage and beak shape and wingspan of the Rito. These differences, of course, are mostly cosmetic. We also lay eggs when we spawn our young, and, due to our long lifespands, spend about fifty years as a hatchling before we start developing into our adult selves. I was considered an equivilent to a teenager when I attended this school thirty years ago in my time at the fresh-faced age of seventy-five, and now that I am just past one hundred, I am considered quite a young upstart adult! We are a very communal people, especially when it comes to raising our young, and even in rest, as we tend to sleep in shallow ponds, and have one such communal pond in Zora's Domain.
"Generally speaking, the Zora do not travel far from their home bodies of water, although there are some, yours truly included!, that do rather enjoy venturing out and seeing the world, but, for the most part, we admittedly tend to stay close to home and kin. But we value honor, we value pride, and we value strength and courage and bravery, all traits that can be seen in our greatest heroes, our powerful leaders, and especially in our Champion, the Princess Mipha." His smile softened considerably here. "She was given the task to pilot the Divine Beast Vah Ruta many, many years ago, when I was just a wee hatchling myself, making a great sacrifice for her kingdom in the face of the Great Calamity, a sacrifice for which she is still honored and revered for today, and will be until the very end of time..."
Taking a moment for himself, for reverence to Mipha, Sidon ducked his head and went quiet for a bit before he continued, some of his energy tampered down into soemthing much softer.
"I could, of course, go on about my people. We have many wonderful stories that I love to share, and, of course, should you have any questions about them, I should hope I have an answer! What kind of future leader of my people would I be if I could not? So, instead of just filling your head endlessly with jabber about the Zora, allow me to turn the discussion to you guys! What would you like to know about the Zora? Do you have a similiar amphibious race where you are from? Would you enjoy living around so much water, or do you prefer to stay nice and dry? Obviously," he chuckled again, "this is something near and dear to me, so I am more than happy to discuss whatever you would like about the magnificent Zora!"
Excuse him a moment while he positively swelled with pride; if either of the students felt like cheering or applauding this reveal, it would not at all be remiss!
"Let us begin!"
"Nestled in the Lanayru Mountains around the Zora Spring, the Zora people are one of Hyrule's oldest and most long-lived races, living for hundreds of years! Our history is a long and wonderful one, and we've had our home at Zora's Domain almost since time immemorial, but we've always been great storytellers and keepers of records and we have passed down our history through the generations, and our lengthly lifespans afford us the ability to have experience more history than even the most eldest of Hylians! We created our home from the very rock in which it is built, our ancient architects having a keen eyes not only for graceful beauty, but also in sculpting away the unique stone found in the mountains we call home. Zora's Domain is a legitimate piece of art, all carved fromt he same rock, and, should you ever visit, you will doubtless be blown away by its beauty and its testiment to fine craftsmanship! Influence of the Zora architects can be found all throughout the mountains, as well, especially in the great reservoir dams built to protect the lowlands of Hyrule against massive rains and flooding thousands of years ago!
"As you might guess by their strapping prince standing before you now, the Zora are an aquatic and amphibious race, living on both land and sea, and we quite prefer a nice delicate balance between the two, which is why I recommend anyone visiting the domain to either enjoy wading around barefoot or have yourself some nice, sturdy rainboots! Our unique features, such as our gills and fins, allows us to be excellent swimmers, and many of us can withstand being underwater for incredible spans of time. Swimming and fishing are highly important skills for a Zora to have. We have even developed techniques to swim up waterfall, and going against the current is no trouble at all! Our diet subsists mostly of such catches! And while we are most excellent with the water, this comes with a bit of a price, because our amphibious selves are highly susceptable to lightning! One sure bolt, and most of us would be utterly done for!
"Now, I assure you," Sidon held out a hand with a chuckle, "most Zora are actually not nearly as big as I! That is just my royal blood! I may one day grow to be as big as a house, if I am lucky, just like my father, the magnificent King Dorephan! But most Zora tend to cap out at around seven feet, give or take, as there is a great deal of variety in our species as well, just as you'll find variety with the plumage and beak shape and wingspan of the Rito. These differences, of course, are mostly cosmetic. We also lay eggs when we spawn our young, and, due to our long lifespands, spend about fifty years as a hatchling before we start developing into our adult selves. I was considered an equivilent to a teenager when I attended this school thirty years ago in my time at the fresh-faced age of seventy-five, and now that I am just past one hundred, I am considered quite a young upstart adult! We are a very communal people, especially when it comes to raising our young, and even in rest, as we tend to sleep in shallow ponds, and have one such communal pond in Zora's Domain.
"Generally speaking, the Zora do not travel far from their home bodies of water, although there are some, yours truly included!, that do rather enjoy venturing out and seeing the world, but, for the most part, we admittedly tend to stay close to home and kin. But we value honor, we value pride, and we value strength and courage and bravery, all traits that can be seen in our greatest heroes, our powerful leaders, and especially in our Champion, the Princess Mipha." His smile softened considerably here. "She was given the task to pilot the Divine Beast Vah Ruta many, many years ago, when I was just a wee hatchling myself, making a great sacrifice for her kingdom in the face of the Great Calamity, a sacrifice for which she is still honored and revered for today, and will be until the very end of time..."
Taking a moment for himself, for reverence to Mipha, Sidon ducked his head and went quiet for a bit before he continued, some of his energy tampered down into soemthing much softer.
"I could, of course, go on about my people. We have many wonderful stories that I love to share, and, of course, should you have any questions about them, I should hope I have an answer! What kind of future leader of my people would I be if I could not? So, instead of just filling your head endlessly with jabber about the Zora, allow me to turn the discussion to you guys! What would you like to know about the Zora? Do you have a similiar amphibious race where you are from? Would you enjoy living around so much water, or do you prefer to stay nice and dry? Obviously," he chuckled again, "this is something near and dear to me, so I am more than happy to discuss whatever you would like about the magnificent Zora!"
Sign In - Hyrule, 11/11.
Re: Sign In - Hyrule, 11/11.
Re: Sign In - Hyrule, 11/11.
Listen to the Lecture - Hyrule, 11/11.
Discussion: Zora - Hyrule, 11/11.
Re: Discussion: Zora - Hyrule, 11/11.
Re: Discussion: Zora - Hyrule, 11/11.
"You see," he continued, diving right into it, of course, "long, long ago, back in the time when Hyrule herself was quite the hatchling, there was a Zora king who had no real love for war. Peaceful and kind, this king cared only to live in a world where people loved and cared for each other without hate or strife, but such a belief was quite naive, though one cannot help but admire such a heart! After all, what he lacked in the art of war, he made up for exponentially with his deep love for his people and his Domain, but, most of all, for his beloved Queen.
"Word had reached the King, however, that a monsterous horde had been gathering in the Zodobon Highlands, a massive army with their viscious eyes and deadly blade set on Zora's Domain itself! And though it grieved the king greatly, he knew what he had to do, and he prepared his soldiers to march into battle against these dastardly denizens of the dark!
"Knowing how ill-suited her dear king was to such pursuits, the Queen, sick with worry, took one of her own scales, plucked it from her body, and wove it into a special armor, desperate that the power of her love should be enough to protect him through the battles ahead.
"And as they pursued their enemies on the battlefield, it would seem that love truly was on their side! The Zora soldiers were making quick work of their monstrous enemies, and it almost seemed as though they would be back, safe and victorious, with their loved ones even before the fall of night! However, the Lizalfos general of this dark army was cunning and clever, and, seeing an opening fostered by the hubris of the Zora army, seized his mighty opportunity and turned the tide against the Zora, forcing them into a corner, and making them fear that all was lost, surely the monsters had their number now! The Lizalfo general loomed over the fallen king, his sword lifted and ready to come crashing down on him, when suddenly!"
Sidon paused for dramatic effect, his yellow eyes bright with the eager retelling of his most favorite Zora tale, that he had told many times before and would always love to tell again and again and again.
"The dark clouds that hung low in the sky above," his arms swept up, brushing against the ceiling of the classroom as he pantomined the event he was about to describe, "parted, and from them burst forth a great, bright beam of sunlight, a miracle perhaps from the goddess Hylia herself!, shining down on the King of the Zora...and onto the scale that his Queen had sewn into his armor. The light glinted perfectly off this deeply personal favor and blinded the Lizalfo general! Now the King truly had his chance, and, even though he himself was no great blademaster, lifted his sword to drive into the heart of the Lizalfo, just as the Lizalfo had intended to do to him! The tide had turned again, once more in the Zora's favor, and now imbued with the love of their Queen, they made short work of the rest of the horde and did, in fact, return home before nightfall with their triumph secured!
"This became known through our history as the Miracle of the White Scale, as the scale the Queen had plucked for her King's armor was a very special scale only possessed by female Zora, and it has since been a long tradition for Zora princesses to weave their white scales into a set of armor crafted for their future husbands."
He gave a fainter smile than the energy of the story as a whole might have anticipated, as he thought, somewhat sadly, of such a set of armor that had been made nearly one hundred years ago by his own sister...armor that may never be worn by its intended recipient at all...
"That," he concluded, "is not only my favorite Zora legend, but I feel it is also a very good one to show who we are as a people. The love that both the King and Queen felt for each other and our people, the King willing to sacrifice himself bravely despite having no love or talent for war, the Queen willing to give a literal part of herself in the hopes of protecting her King and her people...the thrilling battle, the incredible miracle, and the tradition it inspired for generations....perfect! Truly, a grand Zora tale if ever there was one!"
Talk to Sidon - Hyrule, 11/11.
OOC - Hyrule, 11/11.