It all began fifteen years ago; Southern Hyrule, which had once been a peaceful, civilized land, had come under siege. Ganon, the Evil King of Darkness, had returned; and even though Ganon was held as a thing of legend, only being spoken of in bed time stories to young Hylian children, the King had now made his horrific emergence from the shadows of nothingness. As suddenly as he had appeared, Ganon unleashed his wretched armies upon Southern Hyrule, plaguing the once tranquil land with his dark presence.

Ruthlessly his armies set the towns ablaze, destroying homes and forcing many into hiding. In a matter of months, Southern Hyrule became nothing more than a lifeless wasteland crawling with Ganon's filthy uncivilized monsters. The few survivors that fled the war-stricken villages found refuge in many caves scattered across Southern Hyrule. Struggling to set up a livable environment, the survivors were able to conceal themselves from the eyes of Ganon and his armies.

Ganon, though, was not satisfied with his dominion over Southern Hyrule, and soon set his gaze upon the mighty land of Northern Hyrule. This, however, proved a challenge for the Dark King; to the East, a vast ocean blocked his armies from reaching the northern shores, and to the west, a giant mountain range. Since Ganon had no boats to transport his armies to conquest, his only option was to advance upon Death Mountain.

Death Mountain and the surrounding mountains separated Northern and Southern Hyrule, and two years after his first siege of Southern Hyrule, Ganon once again rallied his armies began an assault upon the Gorons of Death Mountain. Goron City showed its power by defending its gates for nearly three years, defeating every pitiful army that Ganon had sent after them. It was clearly evident that Ganon had underestimated the power of the Goron. This displeased Ganon greatly, and eventually, in a final bloody push, he himself waged war upon the great Goron City.

The Evil King of Darkness, with his horrifying strength, entered into Goron City. With his giant hammerk Ganon destroyed the mighty stone gates of the once majestic city, and proceeded into the innards of Death Mountain. The mere sight of the King struck horror in the hearts of the Goron, causing many to flee his presence. His stench filled Goron City like a rotting carcass, and as he crushed the resisting Goron forces, seized the Goron Throne. The surviving Goron were forced out of their beloved home; a massive exodus inching into Northern Hyrule. Hyrule Castle-Town became their new home, as their city had become a desolate ruin, with Ganon as its new master. He had won; controlling Death Mountain, Ganon began to make it his keep.

Within a few days after Ganon's triumph at Death Mountain, the Hero of Legend, Link the Hylian made his appearance. Clad in green and carrying the Master Sword, Link took his courage and made his way to Death Mountain to confront the King of Evil. Upon his arrival, he was met by the great dragon Volvagia at the Gates of Goron City; Ganon had instated Volvagia as the official Gatekeeper of his fortress in the mountains. It is known that Link was triumphant against Volvagia, however, as soon as he entered into Death Mountain, there is no record of what happened inside Goron City. It is assumed that the great battle took place between Link and Ganon, however a lot of time has passed between then and now. Link has seemingly disappeared, and Evil yet remains; with this being said, Ganon has not advanced into Northern Hyrule. Perhaps he is content with his dominion of Death Mountain and Southern Hyrule, though one can only hope this is true.

Southern Hyrule has not always been populated by Hylians, in fact for hundreds of years it was an empty desolate land. This changed when around one hundred and fifty years ago, brave Hylians from Hyrule Castle-Town ventured through Death Mountain to the uncivilized regions of the South. They first settled Kasuto, using it as a base to further explore Southern Hyrule; soon they branched out to settle Saria, Ruto, and Rauru. As their population began to expand, the Hylians of Southern Hyrule began to build a city to act as a Hyrule Castle-Town of Southern Hyrule. After fifty of years of construction it was completed; they named it Kakariko Village.

Though Kakariko Village became very large, it never reached the level that Hyrule Castle-Town had attained, and although they set it up as a second Hyrule Castle-Town, it still fell under the rule of the King of Hyrule. As he traditionally had done for every other town of Hyrule, the King of Hyrule set up a mayor to govern Kakariko Village, and it has been run this way ever since.

For nearly ninety years, Kakariko sat peacefully in the middle of the Southern Fields; however this comfortable disposition would not last forever. Fifteen years ago the mythic King of Evil, Ganon, unleashed a surprise attack upon Kakariko Village. During the first wave of attacks, thousands of moblin and stalfos flowed into the city like lava, spreading terror like a great plague. During this tumultuous event, many Hylians of Kakariko Village fell to their knees, praying to the Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, pleading for their protection and deliverance. Women and children were heard screaming as their homes were ravaged by Ganon's minions. Great Hylian men fell in a valiant effort to fend off the encroaching monsters. As the battle waged, the magical might of Kakariko Village began to push the monsters out, giving hope to the city, however this hope was in vain.

Two days into the battle, Ganon dealt the crushing blow. As the moblin and stalfos were retreating, a second wave consisting of legions of brutish darknut made short work of Kakariko's soldiers. The short hope that was mustered by their defensive efforts was destroyed quickly by the unstoppable force Ganon unleashed upon them. With all hope lost, the Mayor of Kakariko Village ordered the surviving Hylians to retreat to the Western Caves which resided to the south. Kakariko's doom had come; it had now fallen into the control of Ganon.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Hylians originating from Hyrule Castle-Town ventured through Death Mountain to the then desolate Southern Hyrule. As brave explorers, the Hylians began to settle Southern Hyrule, first starting with Kasuto.

Soon after arriving in a barren Southern Hyrule, and needing a viable place to live, work began on the village of Kasuto. Having few resources to use in the construction of Kasuto, the Hylians resorted to recruiting the help of the neighboring Goron of Goron City; with the help of the Goron, the Hylians constructed Kasuto out of the stone of Death Mountain. The stone buildings created by the Goron gave Kasuto a sense of majesty that could never be diminished, making Kasuto one Hyrule's many wonders.

For many years, Kasuto sat peacefully in the foreground of the majestic Death Mountain. Home to both Hylian and Goron, the people of Kasuto made strong ties between the two races, making it a very unique town. However, like the other villages of Southern Hyrule, their way of life would be disrupted in a major way.

Shortly after the construction of Kasuto, the Hylians of Southern Hyrule began to set their focus on the exploration of this massive uncharted land. Many groups split apart, some going east to the Tantari Dessert, which will be discussed in a later tale, others branching out to other parts of the Southern Fields. Eventually, the explorers of Southern Hyrule discovered a location they felt would be fitting for a new town. Being close Kokiri Forest, and sitting atop a very deep well, Saria was soon founded.

Fifteen years ago, as is told in other tales, Ganon launched an invasion upon Southern Hyrule. Very soon after the victory over Kakariko Village, Ganon's armies next struck Saria, utterly destroying it. Reduced to ashes, Saria was no more. Having been warned by messengers from Kakariko Village a few days prior to the attack, nearly half of Saria's citizens were able to escape before the attack; the others were not so lucky.

As for Kasuto, it was the last village to be attacked. Having conquered the rest of Southern Hyrule, Ganon then set his gaze upon Death Mountain. Kasuto, being at the foot of Death Mountain, would serve as a perfect base of operations for his assault on Goron City. Having been warned of Ganon's destruction of the cities before, the people of Kasuto were ready to leave on a moment’s notice. As soon as Ganon's forces were seen, the Goron of Kasuto retreated to Goron City, warning their elders of the inevitable doom that faced them.

Even though the Hylians of Kasuto retreated before the attack, Ganon's armies met them on the Southern Fields, destroying a majority of their population. In an effort to save their lives, the Hylians used every bit of magic and power they could muster, however it wasn’t enough, as very few Hylians from Kasuto ever made it to the Western Caves.

The Western Caves were accidentally discovered by two hylian explorers roughly one hundred years ago. As was common in those days, these hylians bravely ventured out to the uncharted parts of Southern Hyrule, and during this expedition, arrived at a group of jagged mountains. Upon very close inspection of these lone mountains, the hylian explorers happened upon a well concealed entrance to a vast underground network of tunnels and caverns. How these tunnels were created remains a mystery, some have speculated that an ancient race carved them from the stone, however we will never know.

With their new discoveries in hand, the hylian explorers returned to Kakariko Village to bare news of these vast caverns. Immediately after their report, more teams of hylians were sent to further investigate these caverns; the returns of these investigations brought back incredible results. It turns out that these caverns stretched for miles under the surface of the Southern Fields; tunnels opened up into enormous open spaces where thousands of hylians could fit. At the deepest point of the Western Caves they found a vast pool of clear fresh water, enough where a large population could exist indefinitely. It was then determined that in the event that some horrific event befell Kakariko Village and the other villages of the Southern Fields, that they would retreat to the Western Caves.

Seeing as they had designated the Western Caves as their future refuge, work forces were sent to carve light shafts in inconspicuous places to make the caverns a more livable place. This effort took months, but their decedents would be grateful they did.

Presently, the Western Caves are home to thousands of refugee hylians, who retreated there immediately after Ganon ruthlessly took over their homes. For fifteen years they have lived here, struggling to survive in these very harsh conditions. Even though they had an endless supply of water, the hylians of the Western Caves have struggled to feed their large numbers. During their exodus, they were able to bring enough food for a few months’ worth of grain, however this supply dried up very quickly.

This perplexing problem tested their ingenuity, forcing them to become creative to get their food. They began planting gardens in the dirt where the sunlight from the shafts would shine through, they regularly sent hylians out of the caves to hunt and gather stealthily, and began to rely on the sparse fish populating of the well in the caverns. Against all odds, they have survived for fifteen years, becoming skilled at surviving off the land and avoiding the piercing eyes of Ganon's servants.

Following the completion of Kasuto, many Hylians were sent to the Tantari Dessert to explore the possibility of additional settlements. At first the exploration was fruitless; the harsh desert conditions they found would not be a friendly environment to live in long term. However, after weeks of scouring the desert, they discovered a very lush oasis. This they knew would serve as a well of life for a village set adjacent to it, and thus they began work on Ruto. Using wood from the palms of the oasis, and sandstone of the desert, they constructed a beautiful village in the midst of the elegant dunes.

As Ruto's construction was underway, further scouting of the Tantari Dessert to the south yielded the discovery of yet another oasis, this one located in the middle of very solid terrain. Unlike the silky dunes of Ruto, Rauru was settled on rock hard flats that stretched for miles. Very soon Ruto and Rauro were completed, becoming known as the Tantari Twins.

Soon after Kakariko Village was overrun by the armies of evil, several hordes of moblin and stalfos were sent by Ganon to decimate the Hylians of Tantari Desert. Ruto was struck first. Thousands of monsters flowed into Ruto like a wild flame ready to consume anything in its path. In a panicked rush, the residents of Ruto ran for their lives; many were killed, yet many more made their way to Rauru.

Those who escaped Ruto warned Rauru of the impending doom that inevitably awaited their village in the coming days. Having had word from Kakariko as well, the Mayor of Rauru ordered his people to exodus to the Eastern Caves, home of the notorious Gerudo Thieves; and so it was that the survivors of Ruto and Rauru made their way to seek the aid of a long time enemy. However, this was not the end to their trouble. Upon arriving at Rauru, Ganon's armies found it empty and devoid of life; thirsting for blood they pursued after the Hylians on their way to the Eastern Caves.

Flying like a wind of darkness, the armies of Ganon caught up with the refugees as they reached the Gerudo hideout in the caves. For months the Moblin attempted to make siege of the caves, however the strengths of the Gerudo along with the Hylians use of magic held off their attackers.

In the years that followed, the Gerudo Fortress endured wave after wave of assaults. During this time, the Hylians residing there became a strong people, using less magic and more brute force, they are able to hold their own against any foe.

For the past fifteen years, Rauru has been heavily guarded by the forces of evil, making a counter attack by the hylians improbable. Ruto, however, was foolishly left empty by Ganon's forces, as they could not conceive of the hylians making it past their eyes in Rauru.

One year ago, the hylians of the Eastern Caves executed a plan that led a great many people to Ruto. This plan consisted of sending a sizable number of hylians and gerudo to the south of Rauru. This created a large distraction for the eyes of Rauru, causing them to miss the group of Hylians that escaped to Ruto. This was a very risky operation, as was resembled in the loss of hylian lives that day. Since that day they have been a divided people, half of them left in the caves, the other half re-constructing Ruto.

At the present day, Ruto remains under the control of the Hylians. The re-construction efforts have been successful, and a full restoration of Ruto is very near completion. While the occasional moblin enters their camp, Ruto has gone relatively un-noticed by Ganon's forces, and the people of Ruto can only hope that remains the case in the days to come.

Around the same time that Ruto and Rauru had been established by the Hylians, the Gerudo had set up camp in a small mountain range near the Eastern Sea. Ironic as it were, they had traveled north out of their homelands to explore the world beyond, and much like their previous location, had run into a massive desert. Being a race made nearly entirely of women, the Gerudo had gone out seeking viable male counterparts to allow them to continue their breed, which had been threatening to become very thin.

This small mountain range that the Gerudo had discovered soon became a great fortress. They had found, upon their arrival, that there were many caves and tunnels stretching into the deep of the earth, going for miles with no apparent end. Similar to the Western Caves, the Gerudo discovered a deep well of clear drinkable water near the deepest reaches of the caves. It quickly became apparent to the Gerudo, that the supply of un-ending water, along with their neighboring Hylians, would prove to be excellent conditions to construct a permanent home. They began work immediately, turning these simple cavernous mountains into a grand fortress. They carved elegant balconies, and powerful gates out of the solid stone of the mountains. After fifty years of arduous work, the Fortress of Thieves was completed.

Amongst the Hylians of Rauru of Ruto, the Eastern Caves and their notorious residents had an infamous reputation to be a dark culture of immoral thieves, who either seduced or kidnapped hylian men for their own pleasure. To state it shortly, the people of Tantari Desert did their best to avoid both these caves, and the Gerudo within them. However, to the great displeasure of these Hylians, they soon would be forced to coexist with them. As Ganon's armies invaded Ruto and Rauru, the displaced Hylians had nowhere else to run; in a desperate flight for their lives, they fled toward the Eastern Caves, praying to the Goddesses that the Gerudo would take them in.

On the horizon the Gerudo saw the encroaching crowd of hylian men, women and children approaching them, followed closely by the dark armies of Ganon. Alarms were sounded, as many Gerudo women gathered their swords and prepared for battle; they knew what was coming, yet they were not exactly prepared to handle it. The Gerudo needed the hylian men, however they did not want the entirety of two hylian villages amongst them, especially for long term. However, through logical deduction, they decided their existence also relied on the survival of the hylian people, and reluctantly, yet without any other options, they opened their stone gates to usher in thousands of refugees.

Now, even though their great fortress was protected by stone walls and gates, moblin armies provided a relentless attack, forcing the Hylian men and Gerudo women to fight to protect their existence. For years since the assault of Ganon, attacks have been sent upon the Hylians and Gerudo of the Eastern Caves, causing them to become a very stalwart people, strong in the ways of war.

One year ago, much to the Gerudo's partial relief, a great many Hylians made their exit on route to re-take their city of Ruto. This required a good many Hylians and Gerudo to launch a pretend assault to the south of the watchful eyes of the vast armies that occupied Rauru. This they accomplished with very minimal casualties, freeing up space in the Eastern Caves to allow a little more breathing room for the reluctant hosts.

Southern Fields is a large stretch of land that covers most of Southern Hyrule. Before Ganon's Invasion, the Southern Fields were full of travelers, crossing these vast fields to and from Kakariko and other locations; however, you will seldom see travelers on its surface today.

Today, the Southern Fields are crawling with Ganon's monsters; Moblin, Stalfos, Octorocks, and Poes all plague this land. These monsters all wait for their opportunity to strike unsuspecting travelers. Please be wary if you decide to venture out into the Southern Fields, for if you are not ready, you very may well end up dead.

Southern Fields is mostly grasslands; while predominantly flat, large hills are scattered across its surface. These fields are home to many different types of wildlife, from deer to wild horses, eagles to owls, Southern Fields is teeming with life. Those living in the Western Caves have lived for years off of the vegetation and wildlife that are native to the Southern Fields.

Sitting on the opposing side of the river, Tantari Desert differs greatly from the Southern Fields. As its name describes, Tantari Desert is a very large desert, mostly devoid of plant-life.

The northern half of Tantari Desert is nothing but a vast sea of sand dunes, rolling as far as the eye can see. Take care not to tarry long in these dunes, for you may get caught in a deadly sandstorm. Many people have gone missing during these sand storms, presumed to either have gotten buried alive by sand or to have gotten lost and died from dehydration. Another danger to travel in the dunes are the leevers and moldorms that burrow in these sands, many passersby have become prey to these dangerous beasts.

The southern areas of the Tantari Desert are made up of large salt flats, reaching out to each horizon. These flats, interrupted by a few mountains, can cause a traveler to feel like he’s going nowhere, causing them to become disoriented and often lost. Travelers also need to be on guard because of the occasional Moblin camp, evil servants of Ganon who love to make game out of the occasional passerby.

Even though Tantari Desert is very barren, one will occasionally come across a lush oasis. Though very rare, these green, water filled spots, act as saviors for many thirsty travelers. Two of the largest oasis's are home to both Ruto and Rauru, who’s foundations were set amongst the lush palms of these beautiful areas.

Set in the south-western corner of Southern Hyrule lies a massive forest named Kokiri. Named after the Kokiri race, who for thousands of years have made this forest their home, Kokiri Forest has been an item of speculation for hundreds of years. This forest first came to the knowledge of the hylians and the other races of hyrule when the hylian explorers of the south reached its thick outskirts around one hundred and forty years ago. Upon arriving there, the explorers attempted a venture into the thick woods, seeking to discover what was hidden by the large trees, however, this venture was much harder than they had anticipated. Soon after entering Kokiri Forest, the Hylian Explorers found themselves hopelessly lost within a labyrinth, as a mysterious power protected what which was within.

This great power was that of the Great Deku Tree, father of Kokiri Forest and all of its inhabitants. For as long as this forest has existed, the Great Deku Tree has been its acting guardian, keeping visitors who mean harm to his children from doing so. Always he watches newcomers to the forest, studying their every move and keeping them lost until he knows they do not mean harm; this he did with the hylian explorers. Two days he kept them lost, ensuring Kokiri Village's saftey, and once he knew their only intent was the gaining of knowledge, he led them to the Village. The existence of this Village in the forest and it's young, ageless inhabitants, astounded the hylians; they had never even imagined anything of this nature could exist. Even more astounding was the Great Deku Tree, who had requested their audience shortly after entering Kokiri Village. The Great Deku Tree ensued to give them knowledge concerning the Kokiri, also of the Korok, his other children who discretely wander about Hyrule planting the seeds of the Great Deku Tree, and finally of the Deku, protectors of the forest. However, this knowledge was to be kept a safeguarded secret, only given to those trustworthy of its power, only few today have knowledge of Kokiri Forest's true nature.

During the invasion of Southern Hyrule, Kokiri Forest went rather untouched. Even though many moblin forces entered this wooded realm, the power of the Great Deku Tree, and the guerrilla tactics of the Deku kept the forces of evil out. As moblin would enter they would become lost, just as the explorers had, completely disoriented by the magic of the Father of Kokiri Forest. In their lost state, they became separated from each other, splitting their armada's into very small groups, which were then picked off by the Deku whom, through a network of tunnels, would sprout out of the ground and barrage them with deku nuts. It soon became apparent to Ganon that this was a fruitless effort, and to send any new troops would be pointless; he would deal with the Great Deku Tree later, for then he had much more important things on his mind.

Deep in the thickets of Kokiri Forest lies Kokiri Village, home of the little Kokiri race and location of the Great Deku Tree. For untold amounts of time, this village and its inhabitants have lived peacefully, never seeing war. The buildings of Kokiri Village are made of trees, which have been hollowed out for the purpose of providing homes for the Kokiri, as well as the Korok and Deku that live here as well.

The Kokiri, a race made of child like people whom never seem to age and whom live forever, have lived next to the Great Deku Tree for all their lives, knowing him as a father. Also making the forest their home are the Deku, a small sprout like race who migrated here thousands of years ago from the Lost Woods of Northern Hyrule; they have taken it upon themselves to protect the Village and the surrounding forest from evil. Finally we have the Korok, who resemble somewhat of a mixture of the Kokiri and Deku. Only a very small number of Korok are found in Kokiri Forest, while most of their race go about, spreading seeds of their father, the Great Deku Tree to other parts of Hyrule. These three races make up the inhabitants of Kokiri Forest.