Race:Goron

Goron is a playable race on Hyrule Castle. As one of the fourteen common races, any player can choose to make a Goron character.

Canonically, Gorons initially appear in Ocarina of Time. They return with a major role in Majora's Mask, and make a significant reappearance in nearly every Zelda game since.

Character Creation Brief

The all-male Goron race once lived in the caverns and hills of Death Mountain, but Ganon's invasion has killed off many, and forced others to take refuge with the Hylians of Castle Town and Darunia. Despite this hardship, and destruction of their way of life, Gorons retain an everlasting pride and honor. Generally, a typical Goron has strength and speed exceeding that of nearly any other race, but tend to lack finesse of movement and have difficulty with tasks requiring speed or dexterity.

Gorons appear as wide, heavily-build people with hazel skin as hard as rock, and jagged stones protruding from their spine and scalp. This hard flesh makes them particularly durable, to the point many don't wear armor even in lethal combat. They have formidable strength in the upper body, but short and comparatively scrawny legs. Most Gorons run at a slow speed, and instead travel faster by rolling, a means of travel better suited for speed or long distances.

Infamously, Gorons prefer to persist on a diet of stones, their powerful jaws and stomachs able to cope with such extremes. Precious gems and jewels appear to be the most desirable, while common rocks found on the ground might as well be the equivalent of rotting food.

A Goron begins with a PWC of 2/1/1 or 1/1/2, having a 2 in either Power or Courage. This starting PWC can be defied by using the Exception racial perk during character creation.

A Goron has an innate racial perk called Stone Skin, which helps him resist damage and general endurance, but renders him heavy and slow. In addition to this, a Goron character can have up to three additional racial perks of choice. In addition to the general perks available to every race, a Goron can also choose from:

• Bomb Bag: a powerful supply of explosive weaponry
• Down to Earth: a trait which makes it easier for the Goron to acquire Earth-based treasures
• Goron Punch: a technique which doubles the power of a Goron's punches, and surrounds them with a fiery aura
• Goron Roll: a useful technique which lets the Goron roll at high speed, and form spikes along his back as he rolls
• Power Lift: a technique which, when used, triples the weight the Goron can lift, carry over their head, push, or pull
• Smith: a trait which increases the Goron's crafting prowess
• Warrior's Training: a useful trait which enables the Goron to begin with more Power-based treasures

Recommended Origins

If you've never made a character before and intend to make a Goron, it is highly encouraged that you base your character on one of the following two origins. If you've made a character before, these example origins may provide inspiration for your character.

Refugee of the Goron Slums

For three years, the Goron of Death Mountain held the line as Ganon's monsters made an unending push to conquer their homes, but once Ganon himself stormed their gates, they had no chance. Retreating to the north, a majority of the Goron found themselves living in the city of Hyrule Castle Town. The King of Hyrule had ordered the merchant district to become their new home, in a state of urgency the merchants vacated their shops and the Gorons moved in, their existence in Hyrule Castle Town has not been relatively good, as this area has turned into a slum. Although you may live in poverty, you, as the rest of the Goron, remain strong; you are proud of your heritage and vow to one day take back your home of Goron City. The few Goron who instead fled to the smaller town Nabooru live in comparable poverty.

A Refugee of the Goron Slums begins with a PWC of 2/1/1. Its racial perks include Stone Skin, Goron Punch, Warrior's Training, and Power Lift.

Thief of the Lost Woods

As a descendant to the Goron miners that helped found Darunia, your family has lived here all of your life. Here you have taken on a different style of living than your brothers of Death Mountain, becoming a little more cunning then they. As a thief, your life has been spent preying on the poor passerby that crosses your path. Darunia is your home, you have lived there all your life, however, once you became a thief, you also began to spend time in the Lost Woods, staying for periods of time in the Fortress of Thieves. Although you may live as a bandit, this does not mean you are a particularly bad person. You may just do this for the thrill, or to provide for your family. Or, perhaps, you really are just malicious and greedy...

A Thief of the Lost Woods begins with a PWC of 1/1/2. Its racial perks include Stone Skin, Goron Roll, Down to Earth, and Bomb Bag.

Colonist of Rolling Ridge

Some few Goron clans were not content to sit in the slums of Castle Town and set out to find new territory. Rolling Ridge seemed a good location--it is a mountain range, and sparsely inhabited as the terrain is inhospitable to both Yetis and Hylians, albeit for different reasons. These efforts are still young, so it is a hard life, but it is better than the slums. You likely grew up elsewhere, and personally made the decision to join the colonial effort. You could be a smith, or a miner, or even both--your settlement is young, and must do most things for itself. Your efforts are likely the best hope for your race to claim a new homeland of its own, however, and that has to start somewhere.

A Colonist of Rolling Ridge begins with a PWC of 2/1/1. Its racial perks include Stone Skin, Goron Roll, Power Lift, and Smith.

Physiology

While not vital information, the following includes further detail on the race's appearance and biology.

Gorons are one of the more peculiar known races. Their bodies are literally made from stone, and they have only a single gender, which is usually referred to as male. They technically exhibit both male and female aspects as a result, and each Goron produces all the components required for reproduction. Mature Gorons are able to produce peculiar lumps of stone, which are commonly referred to as ‘rock buds’ as they are closer to seeds than eggs. These buds contain all the material necessary to produce another Goron, but remain inert until activated by a specific compound. This compound is only produced by a form of pseudo-sexual interaction with another Goron, which may then be applied to a bud. The activated bud is then planted into fertile soil, where it incorporates the surrounding soil over the course of the next full year. Gorons often keep pots full of soil for this purpose, and sometimes carry the pots around during the gestation period. If the mineral content of this soil is imbalanced, it can lead to physical deformations later in life such as hunched backs or oddly sized limbs.

The Goron infant that emerges from the soil is much more fully-developed than most newborns. A Goron infant immediately starts learning to speak, and is capable of chewing and digesting food. Goron infants are roughly equivalent to Hylian toddlers. If given sufficient instruction, a newborn Goron will learn language and motor skills within one year. A child typically has at least one adult it refers to as its parent, though this is not always its biological parent. A Goron reaches nearly full size after only seven years, but does not finish full physical and mental development into adulthood until nearly 20 years.

Adult Gorons stand anywhere from six to seven feet in height, and typically weigh several hundred pounds. While they stand about as tall as most sapient races, they are much wider and more heavily-set, almost like living boulders--an apt description given that all Gorons can literally roll up into a ball and roll like boulders as a means of transportation. Their skin is as hard as the stone it resembles, and its tone is usually some variation of brown. Some Gorons have facial hair, while others grow rocks on their scalps- often thought to be caused by variations in their birth soil. Because they lack obvious genitalia, Gorons seldom wear any clothing, and most do not even wear shoes.

All Gorons consume rocks and gems rather than meat and plants, and they are the only race beside Subrosians known to do this. Specifically, gems and rarer stones are among the only meal-worthy rocks--eating literal dirt off the ground is nearly as revolting to Gorons as it is to Hylians. Notably, both Gorons and Subrosians have similar taste in food as well, though Gorons typically prefer room temperature rocks, whereas Subrosian prefers molten stone.

Culture & History

While not vital information, the following includes further detail on the race's origins, development, and society.

Goron history stretches back for centuries, but most of it is only vaguely recorded with symbols that predate the now-common Hylian language. Many modern Gorons believe they were born in Death Mountain itself, as a chosen people crafted from the earth by Din herself, distinct from the numerous creatures instead created by Farore. Gorons were known to inhabit the mountain over 150 years ago when Hylians first arrived in Northern Hyrule and founded Castle Town. Within a few years, Hylian and Goron relations were particularly strong, despite the races' inherent differences. Gorons provided excellent expertise on smithing, mining, and other knowledge of Hyrule--while Hylians shared their secrets of magic, bombs, and other intellectual pursuits. Years later, this alliance has remained strong. Gorons consider Hylians their oldest and closest allies, and the feeling is mutual.

The primary structure of Goron society is the clan, and every Goron is a member of one. The customs of each clan vary, but can be accurately compared to Hylian collegiate fraternities. Indeed, Goron identification as an all-male race emerged due to this parallel; while they are functionally genderless, early Gorons saw clear similarities between their culture and the Hylian definition of masculinity, and began identifying as male shortly thereafter. Due to their possession of only a single gender, Gorons do not typically form romantic relationships, and come together only to reproduce. Perhaps the clearest example of this is the Goron custom of clan entry rituals. When a Goron becomes an adult, he must pass a test of some sort before being considered a clan brother. The requirements vary from clan to clan; some require a martial feat, for others one must endure the application of painful tattoos, and in some clans one must forge a weapon or piece of armor on his own. Until he has passed his clan’s test, a Goron may not be called brother by adult members of the clan nor use the clan name. Though rare, it is not unheard of for a Goron to fail his entry test and apply for entry into another clan.

A Goron’s occupation is often determined by his clan, and most clans are known for producing a certain type of professional, such as warriors or blacksmiths. This, in turn, is usually determined by what Goron gave his name to the clan. A new clan is initially formed when a Goron achieves some incredible feat in his field, although this feat must differ significantly from the primary focus of his clan. A Goron from a prominent smithing clan might become a well-known general, for example, and thereby form a new clan for military pursuits. If a Goron’s achievements match the focus of his clan and are particularly glorious, the clan may instead choose to adopt his name as the new clan name; clans typically keep a record of their past names so that such honors are never forgotten.

Goron clans are always led by one or more elders, and while younger Gorons may submit their opinions, it is the elders that hold the decision making power. The exact powers of a Goron elder are nebulous and typically defined by tradition. Large populations of Gorons consisting of multiple clans will usually form an elder council, the leader of which is elected from and by the council itself.

The invasion of Ganon hit Gorons harder than any other race, as he blatantly stole their defensible homeland of Death Mountain, slaughtered their people, and shamed the warrior-race once thought to be invincible. There perhaps isn't a single Goron alive who utterly detests Ganon and everything related to him. Thanks to his invasion, Gorons have scattered from their once consolidated homeland. Many clans were eliminated entirely, and others are so dispersed that they no longer have any cohesive form. A significant chunk of the surviving population has settled in Castle Town, while a small number of clans have joined their brothers in Darunia. An even smaller number have decided to colonize Rolling Ridge in the north, but no settlement worth naming has emerged there yet.