Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Group Project of Destiny- No longer active

[Orboknown]

Should the forest floor be more...Mossy?

 

[etecoon]

Maybe, I was thinking this is probably too much of a low moisture environment(trees died off, are sun bleached and covered with sand), but then I think fungus also tends to thrive in moist environments...

Interesting tidbit I just learned

The fungi probably colonized the land during the Cambrian (542–488.3 Ma), long before land plants.[98]

We're recreating the beginning of the world here

 

[Orboknown]

Well it is post-apocolypse. One world basically destroyed, another re-grows in its wake.

 

[etecoon]

A few more ideas about Maro Woods, what if the forest floor itself was covered in a fungal layer akin to zerg creep? I'm also thinking these are undead creatures, or maybe some symbiotic undead/fungus, so they probably only come out at night and just burrow in as normal mushrooms during the day

thoughts?

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

Maro Woods

-Oh, this gives me a few ideas. Imagine the entirety of Maro woods on the back of a giant fungus creature.
-Some fungi have roots, so a fungal layer with roots reaching into the underground can populate that part some what.
-The fungi world can change by day and by night. As in it becomes more fungi-like at night without the sun.

 

[Orboknown]

Random thought.
What if one of the dungeons is one of those sections of ancient machinery?

 

[Spire]

Old Hyrule Tunnels, Maro Woods

Old Hyrule Tunnels (tentative name)
I really dig the green 'rupee' light. I think this ghastly aesthetic will work for certain sections. It'll be diverse though. I can imagine certain lengths of the tunnels being dotted with these green lights, barely illuminating these underground rails.

Maro Woods
I dig the second pic you drew and I'm really glad you uncovered that info on the Cambrian period, as it justifies the fungal reclamation. That Maro Cap looks kind of terrifying; I wouldn't want to get near him at all. Ha, and yet there will be plenty of them. I'm keen on the day/night activity of the Maro. Whether or not they are undead (we'll have to iron out their designs before deciding what exactly they are) they should activate at night, as the Stalchildren haunt Hyrule Field in OoT.

Now don't expect our day/night cycles to be like OoT. However we choose to display the passing of time, it should be elongated at the very least. If our days constantly cycled no matter where you were in Hyrule, I think that'd be very effective. Imagine exploring the underground for a long period of time: during the day, the sunlight peaks through cracks in the ceiling but at night, the bioluminescent vegetation awakens—pods open and flowers unfurl to light the darkness. When the sun rises in the morning, these plants close/dim, allowing the ambient lighting to resume.

Back to the Maro Woods. I'd imagine some level of creep covering the forest floor, but not an overwhelming amount. I've had in mind the ground to be cracked mud, so you were close with that first drawing. The trees must be more twisted, as if they all died in agony. The forest region has always had a sort of spirit to it, so to see that spirit writhed in pain before its death would be most effective. The mushrooms you've drawn are similar to those found in Skyward Sword's Faron Woods. I'm not quite sure the aesthetic we're going for yet as we've barely begun artwork. I'm sure we'll find our niche eventually; what's very important is that we set ourselves apart from all Zelda games of the past. A level and type of characterization and abstraction that has yet to be seen. Of course, bouts of realism are not to be shunned. Skyward Sword did an excellent job fusing realism with abstractionism under the preface of impressionism and hell, I'd love to work in a similar manner—but perhaps more abstract. Abstract in a Yo****aka Amano way, though not in his style; how his aesthetic differs from yet soulfully defines the Final Fantasy series.

Oh and before I forget, remember the Lost Woods Theme from Spirit Tracks? It has this cello playing throughout. This is the direction I'd like the Maro Woods to take. Spooky, real spooky. If we can do so, spookier than the Bottom of the Well, the Shadow and Forest Temples.

 

[etecoon]

Old Hyrule Tunnels (tentative name)
I really dig the green 'rupee' light. I think this ghastly aesthetic will work for certain sections. It'll be diverse though. I can imagine certain lengths of the tunnels being dotted with these green lights, barely illuminating these underground rails.

I like the idea of it having a lot of diversity, it can also have sections where the roof is cracked and sunlight comes through as Orobo said, I also thought that maybe it could change color depending on what province you're in/headed towards but as I said, the green was what I was going for originally

I'm keen on the day/night activity of the Maro. Whether or not they are undead (we'll have to iron out their designs before deciding what exactly they are) they should activate at night, as the Stalchildren haunt Hyrule Field in OoT.

mmm, I'd considered that there were a few possibilities for them here. They could be a symbiotic lifeform with both an undead and a fungus element, it could be an undead simply wearing fungus, it could be fungus controlling a literally dead body, it could be fungus mind control...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuopJYLBvrI

Now don't expect our day/night cycles to be like OoT. However we choose to display the passing of time, it should be elongated at the very least. If our days constantly cycled no matter where you were in Hyrule, I think that'd be very effective. Imagine exploring the underground for a long period of time: during the day, the sunlight peaks through cracks in the ceiling but at night, the bioluminescent vegetation awakens—pods open and flowers unfurl to light the darkness. When the sun rises in the morning, these plants close/dim, allowing the ambient lighting to resume.

I like this

Back to the Maro Woods. I'd imagine some level of creep covering the forest floor, but not an overwhelming amount. I've had in mind the ground to be cracked mud, so you were close with that first drawing.

Hadn't thought of the cracked mud but the floor creep being more separated had crossed my mind as another idea, also not really sure about the color I used for that

The mushrooms you've drawn are similar to those found in Skyward Sword's Faron Woods. I'm not quite sure the aesthetic we're going for yet as we've barely begun artwork.

Yeah, maybe a bit too whimsical if you're going for something spookier

Oh and before I forget, remember the Lost Woods Theme from Spirit Tracks? It has this cello playing throughout. This is the direction I'd like the Maro Woods to take. Spooky, real spooky. If we can do so, spookier than the Bottom of the Well, the Shadow and Forest Temples.

This added bit of direction helps, I'll see what I can do with it tomorrow. Though going back to your comment about the woods having a spirit, I'd like it to have a certain melancholy to it as well. I think what makes places like the forest temple, or really the entirety of Super Metroid special is that they hit you from more than one angle. The forest temple also has this kind of ethereal atmosphere and Super Metroid has a pervasive feeling of loneliness, in addition to being spooky. Or even using another Zelda example most of MM similarly works on several levels for me, it's kind of a freaky game but there's more there beneath the surface.

 

[etecoon]

More experiments, tried a few different things with the trees and floor fungus

 

[Jam Stunna]

Spire and etecoon are hard at work and getting some good things going. Thanks for your dedication guys.

I think its time we started thinking about story ideas. There has already been some discussion and some backstory dropped to flesh out Spire's world, but I think now would be a good time to start talking about what will actually be happening in our game: what drives Link from underground, what the threat is, etc. Basically, the plot.

Everyone is welcome to contribute plot ideas, but obviously it needs to work with what Spire and Etecoon have already provided. I won't be posting much, other than to comment on other's ideas. My role here is that of a director; I think it's a good idea to have someone who tries to give the project direction in a general sense instead of trying to shape it creatively. You guys have done an excellent job of that already, so I just want to keep the ball rolling. I do want to help write characters and the script later, but we're still pretty far from those steps.

 

[etecoon]

The loose framework we had thought of before was that Eldin Caldera, which wiped out civilized life from the surface with the exception of the Goron's, is facing an even bigger explosion for some reason, and somehow this is being driven by someone and thus something that Link can interfere with. One idea was for this person to be the Goron patriarch, as the Gorons may be the only ones with anything to gain from such an event. I guess the other alternative would be some kind of misanthropist who simply wants to wipe out all life, someone who wants to end the world rather than take it over

 

[Orboknown]

More experiments, tried a few different things with the trees and floor fungus

This i like.

About the Plot-from what i recognized death mountain collapsed, so is it the volcanic forces below the caldera that are ready to explode?

 

[etecoon]

Probably the last Maro Woods pic for a while x_x Need to flesh out some of the other locations! A lot happier with the trees now, also trying out having the creep grow from them as if they are bleeding

 

[Orboknown]

Love it. Thedark scenery perfectly fits post apocolyptic times.

 

[Spire]

Hmm. That is too dark, stereotypically even. The bleeding ground is unnecessary. Brosuke was explaining to me recently that he once stuck his hand inches deep in a fungal build within his microwave. It was white, frothy almost, and just alien. Knowing it was a colony of fungus was unsettling enough. The Maro Woods do not need to connote a sense of evil, but rather alien spookiness. Anyways, here are two WIP sketches of Link and Ganondorf, even though we haven't decided on the latter's inclusion.
(Sorry, took these pics with my phone so they're not that great.)

I had in mind to balance green, red, and blue in Link's design. Those are three prominent colors in the series, often appearing in his various tunics. I'd like his default outfit to be equally comprised of the three so if we give him any alternate outfits, they'll be vastly different, not contingent on being red and blue based. By consolidating the green/red/blue into one tunic, it opens up the possibilities for others.

And yes, this is my "spirit Ganon" design. I'm still lobbying for his inclusion because hell, I want him in. With this being a desert setting, I had in mind to make him reminiscent of a genie. Remember the idea where Link ventures into the Temple of Time's tomb (Tomb of Time, ha) and encounters Ganon's spirit as it rises from its sarcophagus? What if because of the carnage from the rail wreck where he and the Queen died, his body needed to be cremated whereas hers was intact enough to be entombed in a sarcophagus. I imagine his lamp is sitting on a pedestal next to her sarcophagus (by lamp, I mean this kind of lamp). Now bear with me. What if you actually take this lamp and as previously suggested (I believe this was Xeylode's idea) Ganon travels with you. He would be but a rub of the lamp away from talking, an easy connection. Of course we would need one hell of an impetus, but it could be interesting. In fact, whatever magical name we give the lamp could be the subtitle of our story (i.e. Ocarina of Time) as it drives the bulk of it. By carrying Ganondorf around, we would be given quite the sidekick, one who doesn't necessarily help, but drives the story nonetheless. The Sheikah perhaps send you on a quest to retrieve "an ancient lamp" from the ruins of the Temple of Time for they know what it contains and need Ganon (or his prior knowledge) for some reason. What if Ganon's knowledge is necessary to prevent whatever is at stake? After all, given this scenario he was King of Hyrule at the time of his death, so he had access to all the world's secrets.

Thoughts?

 

[etecoon]

Yeah, like I said I was happier with the trees but that's about it from that picture, I don't like the color choices all in all either, I was caught between two different conceptions and it is senselessly incongruent. Still trying to find a balance between being strange and alien but not bright and cheery ala faron woods too, I think I like my previous sketches for this better though those aren't at all what I want the end result to be either. At least I saved the ground as a separate file this time so I don't have to redraw all those cracks again x_x

The idea of carrying Ganondorf around against his will is humorous, I like it

I like the Link and Ganon designs but I think Link looks a little flashy, I envision Sheikah being very stealthy in their methods, not sure if this can really be reconciled with the idea of him having an equal share of each color though so it may be one or the other and it is a good idea too

Still wondering about west Hyrule too, is Snowpeak in? What's going on with the desert and Lake Hylia?

 

[Spire]

I'm not sure. Would you like to see Snowpeak? I'm totally fine with excluding it.

Maybe Gerudo Desert (swamp?) and Lake Hylia will find a purpose soon, but as of now I feel we're focusing on other aspects: namely the underground and Maro Woods. We should continue developing these parts first.

 

[etecoon]

I'd like to see an ice area, doesn't necessarily have to be snowpeak, I'd also proposed the gerudo desert freezes over and lake hylia becomes a swamp as an alternative since that fills in the hylia gap

 

[Spire]

I too would like to see an ice area, though I'm content with it being underground. The Hyrule Underground is our creative realm. The overworld albeit changed, is still Hyrule. It is not that flexible. The underground can literally constitute anything we want, so feel free to imagine all sorts of subterranean environments, frozen, molten, forested, aquatic, or what have you. Just about anything.

Lake Hylia should definitely become a swamp. It'll be home to the Geozards. It rains often over Lake Hylia (Hylia Bog?), keeping it wet and flourished but because Zora's River no longer exists, cannot fill to the capacity it once held as an actual lake.

Also, if Link is going to carry around the Ganon Lamp, we need a damn good reason. Also, we should have at stake Ganon's return only if Link dies. If Link dies, Ganon inhabits his body. This will never happen during the course of the game because it's an event that occurs only if you lose the game. However, the Great Fairies of this world are aware of said clause, and so you are told by one of them at one point that carrying around a bottled fairy will not only keep you alive, but hinder Ganon's revival (this conversation should happen after obtaining the lamp and visiting a Great Fairy, where Ganon spirals out of the lamp and talks to her). This 'clause' must be established with Link actually taking the lamp from the Temple of Time. Ganon must be needed for this story to progress, as the Sheikah instruct. They send Link to the Temple of Time to retrieve a "certain item" (the player has in mind the Master Sword), but instead he finds this lamp atop a pedestal (as the Master Sword rests in a pedestal). Our breaking the Master Sword scenario should take place much later in the story if at all. I wouldn't mind axing that idea entirely, leaving the ruins in tact and the Gorons to live amongst them as they were.

I'm keen on this Ganon idea because it gives us the means of writing a story from the perspective of both Link and Ganon who reluctantly venture the same quest.

The Sheikah should have a hall of terror. A hall of huge cages built into the walls where behind the bars, hidden in shadow are horrid monsters. Remember THIS? That was kind of a spooky bonus. You walk down this hall, look into the cages, and you see but the faintest forms moving around; glowing eyes, snarls, howls, screeches, all from monsters so horrid they no longer roam the world freely. The Sheikah have rounded up the most dangerous of monsters and imprisoned them indefinitely.

But then somewhere else in the caverns, you come upon a large hole in a wall, a hole seemingly dug by a giant beast. As you approach the hole, you hear a horrid shriek similar to one of the monsters in the caged hall. You can enter if you want, but at your own risk. Upon first discovering this rather hidden hole, Ganon spirals out of the lantern urging you to go in—an example of his shenanigans.

Also, somewhere else in the Hyrule Underground should be a huge circular hole in the ground that just seems to go down forever. It should be designed to look deadly, but jumping in the hole actually leads to a dungeon, a dungeon you cannot turn back from. A dungeon that does not require a specific item to accomplish. I want dungeons to be totally ambiguous. Every new area you discover should yield a titled panning shot as most Zelda games do, but whether or not the place is an actual dungeon is determined by you. You may come across a place like "Submerged Temple", but it might not be a true dungeon. Could just be a submerged temple. I want this world to be super connected, so much that there's no true distinction between field and dungeon. Basically, there's overworld and underworld, and that's it. Within each are numerous locations to explore, some of which yield enemies, bosses, special items, characters, puzzles, secrets, or what have you. It's all super interrelated.

 

[etecoon]

I too would like to see an ice area, though I'm content with it being underground. The Hyrule Underground is our creative realm. The overworld albeit changed, is still Hyrule. It is not that flexible. The underground can literally constitute anything we want, so feel free to imagine all sorts of subterranean environments, frozen, molten, forested, aquatic, or what have you. Just about anything.

Interestingly, I think Maro Woods is our most "out there" idea so far, even though I haven't nailed the aesthetic for it yet I can still see it being one of the weirder areas. Going to have to get really creative with the underground to top that

Lake Hylia should definitely become a swamp. It'll be home to the Geozards. It rains often over Lake Hylia (Hylia Bog?), keeping it wet and flourished but because Zora's River no longer exists, cannot fill to the capacity it once held as an actual lake.

Ok, so does Gerudo desert remain a desert? This probably makes more sense if anything, not only not involving drastic weather changes but it also keeps one aspect of old Hyrule intact, which is logical because Gerudo desert would be the farthest removed from the blast radius. This would mean the Gerudo probably still live above ground though(if they still exist?)

Also, if Link is going to carry around the Ganon Lamp, we need a damn good reason. Also, we should have at stake Ganon's return only if Link dies. If Link dies, Ganon inhabits his body. This will never happen during the course of the game because it's an event that occurs only if you lose the game. However, the Great Fairies of this world are aware of said clause, and so you are told by one of them at one point that carrying around a bottled fairy will not only keep you alive, but hinder Ganon's revival (this conversation should happen after obtaining the lamp and visiting a Great Fairy, where Ganon spirals out of the lamp and talks to her). This 'clause' must be established with Link actually taking the lamp from the Temple of Time. Ganon must be needed for this story to progress, as the Sheikah instruct.

What if instead of Ganon being necessary for the story, he is just incidentally bound to an item that you need for unrelated reasons? I love the idea of carrying Ganon around with you but I'm not entirely sold on the idea of it being a lamp, something about him literally being a genie doesn't sit with me...what if it were something else? Maybe an instrument, maybe even the MS, it's often been the key to sealing him and SS did establish that it can even absorb someone to seal them. He may even twist the MS into being a cursed object, explaining why it fell into disuse and maybe why no one could stop whatever happened with death mountain. I think Ganon's spirit is actually stronger than Demise's so maybe it can't seal him cleanly like it could Demise(when TP Link kills Ganondorf, Ganondorf specifically is later reincarnated, not another incarnation of Demise's hatred).

The Sheikah should have a hall of terror.... You walk down this hall, look into the cages, and you see but the faintest forms moving around; glowing eyes, snarls, howls, screeches, all from monsters so horrid they no longer roam the world freely. The Sheikah have rounded up the most dangerous of monsters and imprisoned them indefinitely.

Sounds senselessly cruel and kinda shady to me

Exactly something the Sheikah would do

But then somewhere else in the caverns, you come upon a large hole in a wall, a hole seemingly dug by a giant beast. As you approach the hole, you hear a horrid shriek similar to one of the monsters in the caged hall. You can enter if you want, but at your own risk. Upon first discovering this rather hidden hole, Ganon spirals out of the lantern urging you to go in—an example of his shenanigans.

You know how in FF games the final boss is usually pretty easy compared to some random optional boss? I could see this being something like that, Ganon just urging you to go fight something way stronger than anything you actually need to fight

Also, somewhere else in the Hyrule Underground should be a huge circular hole in the ground that just seems to go down forever. It should be designed to look deadly, but jumping in the hole actually leads to a dungeon, a dungeon you cannot turn back from. A dungeon that does not require a specific item to accomplish. I want dungeons to be totally ambiguous. Every new area you discover should yield a titled panning shot as most Zelda games do, but whether or not the place is an actual dungeon is determined by you. You may come across a place like "Submerged Temple", but it might not be a true dungeon. Could just be a submerged temple. I want this world to be super connected, so much that there's no true distinction between field and dungeon. Basically, there's overworld and underworld, and that's it. Within each are numerous locations to explore, some of which yield enemies, bosses, special items, characters, puzzles, secrets, or what have you. It's all super interrelated.

I like this, the concept reminds me more of Metroid for the interconnectedness but also of older Zelda games. They did have segregated dungeon parts, but there was more to the overworlds at one point that I think was mostly lost in the 3D games, you could actually find meaningful items and detours and stuff just on the overworld. I think with the underground especially making a world that weaves tightly together is a good idea

More thoughts on the art since I was rushed last night

Link: I really like this design, I just don't think it meshes with my idea of Sheikah. As well as using a flamboyant color scheme it's very bulgy and loose in places. This is ok though, because Link only has to start the game being a Sheikah, what if this were more like his end uniform than the beginning? My idea would be for him to start the game with more minimalist, green dominated clothing and to gradually add items of red and blue. It makes sense because the colors represent Farore/Din/Nayru, or their three virtues respectively, and this symbolizes him gaining power and wisdom over time rather than being the complete package at the beginning.

Ganon: I love the close up of his face, he looks like such a bitter old man. I can imagine his disdain, this man who was once king, so close to fulfilling his dreams, now being carted around in a lamp by some punk in baggy pants

One of the keys to this premise was a sprawling complex of Hyrulian temples, I'm curious what kind of architectural style these would use? I might want to try this next, something to get away from Maro Woods and hopefully come back to that with a better perspective because I haven't even gotten close on that after four attempts

 

[Spire]

I'm off to a party right now, but I'll drop a few notes.

• Link has white hair.
• Ganon is not literally a Genie for he cannot grant wishes etc. (however the Triforce can grant a wish, so conceptually they are split from eachother); Ganon just resembles a Genie for the sake of resembling one. I was thinking the lamp could be unique in design, unlike the typical golden Genie lamps we've seen before.
• This was just the first sketch of Link I made, so he's bound to change. However, I am very keen on his arabic-circus pants, as well as the green/red/blue/green/red/blue scheme (specifically: hat/cloak/underside of cloak + gauntlets/tunic/pants/boots). Maybe this is a "complete" design. Maybe he starts off looking more traditionally Link and becomes this by the end. I'll continue designing him until I find what's right. I started another sketch of him with the same design and it's more convincing so I'll upload that later.
• I like Ganon being incidentally bound to the item, but I equally like the Sheikah needing him for some reason. Let's work through the possibilities and see which makes more sense. I'll mockup the lamp later as well.

Alright gotta split, I'll properly respond later. Peace!

 

[etecoon]

• Ganon is not literally a Genie for he cannot grant wishes etc. (however the Triforce can grant a wish, so conceptually they are split from eachother); Ganon just resembles a Genie for the sake of resembling one. I was thinking the lamp could be unique in design, unlike the typical golden Genie lamps we've seen before

This might make me more partial to the idea depending on the design of the lamp, i think that was part of my bias against it

• This was just the first sketch of Link I made, so he's bound to change. However, I am very keen on his arabic-circus pants, as well as the green/red/blue/green/red/blue scheme (specifically: hat/cloak/underside of cloak + gauntlets/tunic/pants/boots). Maybe this is a "complete" design. Maybe he starts off looking more traditionally Link and becomes this by the end. I'll continue designing him until I find what's right. I started another sketch of him with the same design and it's more convincing so I'll upload that later.

mmm, as I said I like the design just to me it looks closer to an end game Link than beginning, both for the color scheme representing virtues that he typically doesn't start out possessing, and for the clothes having diverse influence that don't seem consistent with what, admittedly very very little we know about Sheikah culture

• I like Ganon being incidentally bound to the item, but I equally like the Sheikah needing him for some reason. Let's work through the possibilities and see which makes more sense. I'll mockup the lamp later as well.

I could also see it working either way, or maybe even both(find Ganon incidentally, Sheikah decide they can use him when before maybe they didn't know his whereabouts or that he still existed in any form?)

 

[Orboknown]

Random thought here.
What if In the past the master sword imbibed a greater evil than it could handle, tainting the blade. When link attempts to pull out the blade in the past, it broke, setting off our apocolypse.(Through the release of all the absorbed evil)
Now to our Link. He is sent by the sheikah to retrieve the broken fragments of the sword so it can be fixed and hyrule return to prosperity.
On the way he needs a weapon, so he goes in search of one and finds Demise's sword(or something) and as long as link uses that weapon or is in possession of it Ganondorfs spirit accompanies him.

And it was my idea to carry around Ganon's spirit Spire. lol

 

[Spire]

Hyrule Overview [WIP]

△▽△▽△ THE OVERWORLD △▽△▽△​

HYRULE DESERT —All that remains of the fabled Hyrule is sprawling desert, a land once illustrated by rolling green hills and summer winds. Upon the destruction of Death Mountain, extreme volcanism smeared the skies in ash. Life was choked and strewn, fleeing outwards and downwards for salvation. Ash and sand rained until the land was brown and dead. When the sun emerged, not a plant dotted the wastes to breathe the new light. But at the center of this desert gleamed white the ruins of the people before. Sprawling far into the desert were pristine bouts of architecture, compiling on one another in both vertical and horizontal unity. Countless buildings, arches, rails, and walkways of metal and stone overlap, aspiring and conspiring with eachother; a relentless conversation of form. What transpired here?

• Goron City —Inhabiting the ruins of the people of yore are the Goron people. Having survived Death Mountain's might, the Gorons relocated to the central region of the land, the home of their once-neighbors the Hylia. Fit for the harsh terrain, these rock-eating people meshed well with the transformed environment. Able to roll around as a ball, Gorons reuse the railways for transportation; accelerating their acclimation to and inhabitation of Hyrule City.
• Temple of Time —An ancient temple left by the Hylia. Its purpose long lost, it now serves the Gorons as meditative grounds. Sunlight cracks through the windows of the foyer, bringing a soft peace to those within it. A sealed door is found at the back of the hall, unable to be opened by even the strongest of Gorons.

ELDIN CALDERA —This massive depression is all that remains of the great and terrible Death Mountain. The surrounding land was engulfed in the collapse of the volcano, and in its wake a ring of rock was formed, encapsulating the formation of a new plain. Composing much of the caldera are steaming steppes, fractured flats dotted with gaseous vents and hot springs. In select areas, thicker brush can be found amidst marsh-like conditions, brush tall and convoluted enough to be considered the beginnings of forestation.

• Goron Temple —Many Gorons perished in the destruction of Death Mountain. After the land settled, the Gorons who found refuge in Hyrule Desert began pilgrimaging to their once-home to honor the dead, often enough that a temple was erected as a destination. Within this temple are stone carvings of every Goron that perished, imbued within the walls, count hundreds.

FISSURE FALLS —When Death Mountain exploded, fissures shook and ruptured the land, transforming much of the environment into a sea of crags and chasms. The font that once formed Zora's Domain and fed Zora's River has collapsed into the earth. Water breaks through the remaining rock walls, but falls into the abyss. This spiraling chasm descends into the darkness where the water must find new home.

• Zora's Descent —Spiraling around the fissure are jutting rocks and carved stairs, a broken series of steps connecting the overworld and underworld. As one descends, until a veil of mist clouds sight of the topmost facades of the inward chasm, Fissure Falls has a tremendous vertical reach. Unlike the other regions of Hyrule, this locale occupies an expanse one can only traverse by mastering the means of ascension.

LABYRI CANYONS —This was once known as Zora's River, a massive series of rivers that cut canyons and tunnels through Hyrule proper. Having completely dried up, what remains is a colossal snaking of gorges spanning the overworld with connected underworld tunnels, once sluices incapable of exploration because of strong water currents. The tunnels lose many adventurers in their maze-like weave, to endless wandering and predation alike, it is very dangerous to explore. Because of its multitude of shade, many creatures have found home in the Labyri Canyons.

• Coming soon...

LAKE HYLIA

• Coming soon...

MARO WOODS —An entire forest found no sunlight for too long a time before it shrieked and twisted into a deathly, skeletal landscape. When the sun broke through the ashen skies, the Deku Woods had completely died. And then the Maro rose. Able to root themselves deep in the dead, these fungal beings thrived on the ancient Deku, trees, scrubs, and babas alike. All the while, the blistering heat ensued. The sands carried by the hot winds pelted the tall, twisted trees, tearing away bark and petrifying exposed wood. The sun's heat bleached the trees as it would any bone left in a desert. A once flourishing wood had become a sea of skeletons capped by mushroom, with a thick air of spores and dust. This was the Maro Kingdom now.

• Coming soon...

▽△▽△▽ THE UNDERWORLD ▽△▽△▽​

HYRULE UNDERGROUND —Hyrule City comprised much more than only that seen above ground. The city was practically a spacial refinement of everything earthen in its vicinity. The Hylia dug deep, their city stretched far in every direction. A multitude of tunnels were cut into the earth, intersecting with the underground tributary sluices formed by Zora's River. An expansive sewer system was necessary. With tall, vaulted ceilings, many-layered sewers were constructed deep beneath the city. Beyond the reaches of the city lie vast desert caverns, holding small lakes banked by dunes created from ever-trickling sand. Bioluminescent vegetative life thrives down here, in and around the water holds, climbing the grand walls toward the sunlight.

• Goron Quarry —After inhabiting the ruins above ground, the Gorons began to excavate, unearthing nigh endless reaches of city further and further below the surface; a seeming mirror of the climbing construction. The efforts that fueled the towering creations of the Hylia were inversely implemented as well, revealing grand architectural trenches. The Gorons continued to excavate, preserving as much the ruin as possible.
• Royal Tomb —Connected to and located beneath the Temple of Time, the Royal Tomb encases whole dynasties of Kings, Queens, and nobles from Hyrule's royal past. In the Last King's Chamber lies a lone sarcophagus and a glowing lantern. In the casket lies the last Queen of Hyrule and in the lantern the ashes of the last King.
• The Village Zelda —The last village of the Hylia. Those who fled Hyrule City into the underground may have found refuge with the Sheikah, an assumed extinct tribe apparently (and literally) acting in the shadows. They harbored survivors in their sanctuary, one that would develop into a sustained village constantly threatened by subterranean fiends. Inhabitants of this village are trained in the Sheikah arts, traditions once practiced by a long lost tribe, now the structure of a mixed culture.
  
  DEATH MOUNTAIN DEPTHS
  • Dodongo Caverns
  
  ZORA'S DOMAIN
  • Zora's Fountain

 

[Orboknown]

Damn good write up there Spire. Very organized and good background info.

 

[Spire]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop off this project now. School starts in the morn and I won't have time for this. I could struggle to make time, but I'd ultimately collapse into priority disbelief and lose sight of everything. That can't happen.

I had a lot of fun brainstorming with you guys and I'm damn glad I typed up all I did. By exhausting myself of my own understanding of our world's formation, I realized that I cannot continue this project. I did all I could with the time, resources, and attention I had. I would love to have fully realized this with bountiful amounts of artwork, but with the type of schedule I'll be handling this semester, there is no feasible way I could do so.

Adios amigos

 

[etecoon]

Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. If I had any programming skills I would consider continuing this myself but as simply an art showcase it would be pointless considering that my art isn't, you know, good. Besides that it would lose all pretense of collaboration, if I'm doing all the art and the music I'm also not likely to compromise on any other details. The project was still helpful to me in a few ways at least, was fun everybody

 

[Orboknown]

:/
Yea,it was awesome.
Thanks for giving me a shot Jam.maybe this can he picked up at a later date.

 

[Jam Stunna]

Are you guys up for suspending the project as opposed to letting it atrophy over the semester? I think it would be better to say, "We're stopping on this date and restarting on this date," instead of letting it dwindle over the coming months.

 

[Spire]

Yeah totally. We've put a lot of work into this and I'd hate to see it go to waste. It's something I'd like to pick up again some day, but I now have no time to do so.

 

[etecoon]

I would be all for picking this up at a later date.

 

[Orboknown]

Agreed on restart at a later date.

 

[Jam Stunna]

Okay, so let's aim for May 21st as a restart date. Everyone should be done with finals and home by then. Keep the ideas churning in the meantime!

 

[#HBC | ZoZo]

I dig it :3

 

[kupo15]

If this ever gets off the ground with programming...someone send me a pm.

 

[Spire]

Dropping by to post something I found: Ngorongoro Caldera

Yeah, a massive caldera extremely similar to the one I imagined would remain after Death Mountain's collapse—and it even has "goron" in its name. Its wildlife consists of black rhinos and zebras. When we begin this project again, I say we pay homage to this location and design a creature that shares characteristics with these animals.

 

[etecoon]

Interesting, I had a few ideas on what it'd be like but I didn't have a definite vision of it, I like what you have in mind

And now I know there needs to be more Zebra in this !

 

[Orboknown]

Agree to both.
I like the caldera being some sort of evolutionary cesspool thing suggested in the wiki article.

 

[Gaogao]

I wanted to join this, but it may be too late.

 

[Spire]

We're resuming on May 21st. I'd imagine we'll have some sort of inductee process around that time for newcomers.