Welcome to Legacy of the Goddess!
About
This is a rational-deconstruction take on a
Legend of Zelda inspired multiverse. At this point, it is about 90% original work, so if you do not have much familiarity with the source material, that's okay!
The rational part simply means that there’s been a significant amount of thought put into the rules which govern the universe, and we (
@Vecht and
@Radvic) will do our best to simulate all NPC decisions to make an accurate world with reliable and realistic consequences. Our goal is to ensure that characters behave realistically and according to their motivations, and never just because the plot, players, or QMs demand it. NPCs have agency, care about the world they inhabit, and will take action towards fulfilling their interests even where it conflicts with player intent. Magic behaves lawfully and has strict rules on what it can and cannot do. It is also important to note that no character is immune to consequence, and that anyone can die. Destiny and prophecy are nowhere to be found here.
From this point on, there will be no plot armor -- if the consequences of your actions are positive, we will not limit the rewards. Similarly, if the consequences of your actions are negative, we will not blunt the results. Additionally, we have devised magic and combat systems that use physics and statistical modeling to determine outcomes. Note: just as you do not have explicit access to the mechanics which govern real life, you will not have explicit access to the mechanics which govern events in the story -- you will need to determine what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve based on your own experimentation, progress, and ingenuity.
Note also that loss is both possible and
expected. Depending on the severity and nature of the loss, this may lead to the death of characters in your service, the loss of a world under your care, or may even spell the end of the quest itself.
You play an entity floating through the Void between worlds who was contacted by Hylia and charged with continuing the legacy she inherited from the Golden Three: Nayru, Din, and Farore. Her realm is under assault, and it is now your charge to defend it. As time progresses, you may uncover more of Hylia’s memories, you may learn more about the worlds and their histories, and you may stumble across other entities in your travels...
Quest Mechanics
In the immediate term, you will interact with characters familiar and unfamiliar as the entity who directs and guides a champion. This means characters will have their own agency and agendas. Some may be fanatically devoted to you, some may believe you to be Hylia herself, and others still may regard you with suspicion. You will generally have an easier time conversing with and convincing characters that have willingly taken your mark, though what tactics you take to influence the affairs of mortals is your choice. How much you reveal about your nature, your knowledge, and your agenda is likewise up to you.
Unless magicked away, mortals do control themselves however. You have a certain amount of available Void Power, which can be spent on various Old Magics, though research will be required to unlock the full contingent of the magics available (more info on this later). Void Power naturally stems from the dark energy of the Void between worlds that suffuses your being, and you derive more of it from marked individuals in your service.
Marks may be “active” -- representing a viewpoint character that you can directly interact with, or they may be “passive” -- representing an NPC in your service. You may only have three active marked individuals at a time, but any number of total marks. Active marks will account for substantially more power gain than passive ones. Switching from “active” to “passive” will require a vote, and will also prevent you from interacting with either individual until the change takes place (read: you cannot interact with them and change their mark status in the same update).
More marked individuals means more power over time, but the ritual to mark them is an expensive endeavor. You will need to balance your power carefully: it is a core quest mechanic. Also, keep in mind that you are not the only entity vying for power.
Finally, this quest uses approval voting. (You can vote for any number and combination of options.)
What’s Next?
Hylia’s visions of the future have determined that the last of her power will serve to empower your chosen champion sufficiently to resolve the dangers they face in the near-term, and enable them to reliably save one of the other characters.
Following this chapter, you can vote to empower one of the three characters, and separately to save one of the remaining two. Choose wisely; this choice will determine how the quest plays out.
Empower:
[] Empower Link
[] Empower Impa
[] Empower Zelda
Save:
[] Save Link
[] Save Impa
[] Save Zelda
The empowered Character will accept your mark, and will be the viewpoint character until such a time as you can mark additional characters. They will effectively become your chosen avatar with whom you can interact with the world. This empowerment will consume the last of Hylia’s power, granting them Divine Favor for a time, and raising their limits far beyond any mortal.
Note: This is an incredibly expensive and powerful magic, and is well beyond your current capabilities. You will not be able to use this magic again for some time.
Picking who to save will direct the empowered character’s priorities of whom to rescue via Fi, Emissary of the Goddess Hylia, and your automated communication specialist. Fi will serve as an in-story companion to your chosen champion, and will faithfully relay your desires to them.
(Mechanically, Fi is a non-entity. Narratively, Fi acts as the literal embodiment of QM understanding of player plans within the world. If you have an issue, take it up with Fi.)
In this vote, you can -- if you so choose -- avoid following one of the routes Hylia has laid out by choosing to write-in a vote rather than picking a “[] Save” option. The results of these write-ins are not guaranteed. In all likelihood, you will not do any better than choosing a save option, and this choice will significantly hamper your ability to continue. As stated above, we will not mitigate against consequences, and losing the game on the first vote is wholly on the table.
Unless it isn't absolutely clear:
I am allowing a write-in option, but strongly advising against it. And if you vote to [X] Save Ganondorf, he will immediately assemble the entire triforce and wreak havoc on everything.
We will do our best to answer questions which arise, though the vast majority of questions will be answered in story posts. Starting the quest up is a minor exception to the general rule that IC information that isn't immediately available will never be given out OOC. If you want to know something, put it in a plan or figure it out.
Website!
@Vecht has also built a website which will mirror the story (including 20k words of prologue), found
here. It also includes a knowledge-base wiki, maps, and a points system for players to bet, trade, or compare to each other with. Points in this system are accrued by voting, by being awesome, and by generally making the quest more fun and more enjoyable for us and other players.
Trusted players may request access to the wiki on the website for edit permissions. We’ve seeded it with some info from QM notes, but primarily this is going to be up to players to maintain.
The website may also host additional quest-related tools over time. Current plans include creating a status page.
All that said, It will never be required to interact with the website to participate in the quest. The two prologue chapters will be posted here in the thread in the next few days. I highly recommend reading them, as they will give you a better idea of what the world is like and also will inform your character selection.
Update Schedule?
@Vecht intends to write at least one update per week, but could take longer or shorter based on various factors including update length and pesky mortal affairs.
@Radvic does not at present intend to write updates, but is heavily involved in decision making and planning behind the scenes.
Pray this arrangement continues.
You will usually have at least 72 hours following the close of a chapter to vote. For some votes, this may be split into two sections: What to do, and then How to accomplish that goal. We will provide further guidance at that point. We will also provide more information regarding Void Power and Void Magics available to you soon-ish.
Voting ends on Friday, July 5th, at 12:00pm (PDT).
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