Race:Great Fairy

Great Fairy is a playable race on Hyrule Castle. As one of the seven elite races, a player must acquire a Race License specifically for this race to create a Great Fairy character.

Both Tiny Fairies and Great Fairies are particularly rare. This, combined with their famously altruistic nature, marks them as favored by both human-races and monster-races. As a result, both types of fairy are viewed as neutral races.

Canonically, Great Fairies made their debut in the first Legend of Zelda game, and have made a reappearance in most games since.

Character Creation Brief

Ascending from the state of a common, tiny Fairy into a transcendent and highly-magical form, Great Fairies are legendary creatures. They are best known for their amazing healing abilities, and considerable skill with magic. A Great Fairy is usually female, with an appearance similar to that of a Hylian woman. A Great Fairy can usually be identified by having brightly or unusually colored hair and eyes. She often, but not always, has majestic butterfly-like wings coming from her back, though these serve a mostly decorative purpose. Some Hylians often remark on the race's feminine beauty, in the rare instances one of them sees a Great Fairy.

Indeed, Great Fairies are rare as they are elusive, and usually spend little time intermingling with other races outside of Kokiri Forest. They have a general understanding that, although other races have no particular ill will against them, such beings aren't ready to intermingle with what they perceive to be a Great Fairy. As such, a Great Fairy will usually go out of her way to guise herself as a Hylian in public places.

A Great Fairy begins with a PWC of 1/3/1, having a 3 in Wisdom. This starting PWC can be defied by using the Exception racial perk during character creation, but even with it, a Great Fairy can never be created with a Wisdom below 2.

A Great Fairy has an innate racial perk called Fairy Magic, which makes it a bit easier for her to learn certain spells, but gives her a weakness to Shadow damage. In addition to this, a Great Fairy character can have up to three additional racial perks of choice. In addition to the general perks available to every race, a Great Fairy can also choose from:

• Fairy Companion: the Great Fairy gains a companion, of the more common "Tiny Fairy" variety
• Fairy Tears: a powerful spell which can fully heal another being, but renders the Great Fairy into a comatose state for hours
• Fairy Spell: a spell which transforms the Great Fairy back into a Tiny Fairy, for a limited time
• Fairy Split: a defensive technique which can split the Great Fairy into six Stray Fairies upon taking a moderately damaging blow; this counts as two Racial Perks instead of one.
• Four-Armed: an unusual trait held by some Great Fairies, which gives them four arms instead of two; this counts as two Racial Perks instead of one.
• Gift of Light: a trait which makes it easier for the Great Fairy to gain Light-based treasures
• Hover: a spell enabling the Great Fairy to levitate a short distance above ground
• Language of Flora: a useful spell which enables the Great Fairy to communicate with plant life
• Magic Proficiency: a trait which enables the Great Fairy to start with more Wisdom-based treasures

Physiology

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

Tiny Fairies appear from a distance as small floating orbs of light with insect-like wings. A closer view reveals them to be actually be glowing, winged Hylian-shaped creatures of small size--usually no larger than a Hylian's hand. Though their shape is similar to Hylians, Fairies often have exotically, brightly colored hair and eyes, and may have unusually colored skin as well. Most Fairies will forever remain in this form: small, but flying with ease at great speeds, and with magical power comparable to a skilled Hylian. Unlike most races, a Tiny Fairy can only be created--or 'born'--via powerful, secretive magic. It is commonly believed that only the Great Deku Tree and Great Fairies are capable of using such spells. The Tiny Fairy is formed with mastery of the Hylian language, as well as intelligence and maturity comparable to a young adult. It usually will think of its creator like a mother or father who raised it. When a Tiny Fairy is 'born' in this way, it has the effective physiology of a tiny young adult Hylian. The vast majority of fairies will retain this appearance for its entire life, which can last up to 100 years. A rare few Tiny Fairies are destined for something greater, however.

These rare few will either strive vigorously to enhance their innate magical power, gain the boon of a deity, or inherit the power of a deceased Great Fairy to evolve beyond this tiny form. Those who undergo this great ascension will grow greatly in size, and unlock profoundly deeper potential for magical power, becoming a legendary race of beings known as Great Fairies. Most common Fairies never even dream of undergoing this evolution. It requires proving oneself beyond compare to a powerful being, or unlocking magical secrets which not even most Fairies can begin to understand. As such, most Great Fairies are either so benevolent as to be considered saints, or extremely driven and self-righteous.

When a Fairy ascends into being a Great Fairy, her form will always grow, usually to size comparable to a Hylian, but occasionally larger or smaller. Sometimes the Fairy will lose her wings, but if she doesn't, they become mostly appendages, as her form as become too large and heavy to sustain flight with them. Instead, many Great Fairies may fly with more magical means. If a Great Fairy ascends due to unusual circumstances, her appearance can change considerably, usually to a bizarre and beautiful form which resembles no other creatures. Like Tiny Fairies, Great Fairies retain the same appearance throughout their lifespan. Unlike their tinier kin, a Great Fairy can supposedly live for hundreds of years, potentially older than any race that isn't undead.

Because they do not reproduce in a normal biological way, fairies lack any sexual organs, and most of them never experience sexual desire. By Hylian standards, most fairies are feminine, and rarely even masculine enough to even be considered androgynous. Most fairies identify as female, but a rare few consider themselves male instead. There are no physical signs to distinguish one from the other.

Despite its magical origin, a Great Fairy still needs to eat, drink, sleep, and breathe to survive, and for all intents and purposes acts like an organic living being.

Culture & History

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

It is unknown how fairies as a whole truly originated, or who originally conceived the spells which bring them into existence. Some fairies revere a powerful being known as the Fairy Queen, who resides on Mother and Child Isles. Some suspect this matron created the original Fairies, and as such revere her as their race's Patron Deity. Like most beings created through magic, Fairies have little collective society across their entire race, and have a largely unknown history. Tiny Fairies themselves are rare across most of the globe, and Great Fairies are the stuff of legends--perhaps not even a thousand of them existing in all the world.

The most populous gathering of fairies can be found in the depths of Kokiri Forest. Here, the Great Deku Tree has long summoned Tiny Fairies to serve as the guides and companions of his eternally young Template:T children. Rarely, fairies have abandoned their Kokiri charge, or the Kokiri was taken from the fairy prematurely. In these odd occurrences, the fairy is usually set free. Some stay within the forest, and may try to find a new Kokiri companion, while others venture out into the rest of the world. At least a few of these Tiny Fairies have ascended to Great Fairy status, usually through sheer magical talent and practice.

Most other fairies live alone in desolate regions, or in small tightly-knit communities centered around one Great Fairy who created common Fairies to keep her company. They are well-known for inhabiting secretive fountains, often hidden in regions only the most curious of travelers would ever explore.

Despite having little collective society, Great Fairies all seem to share an understanding that the violent world is not a place for them, or perhaps the world itself is not yet ready to intermingle with what they perceive to be a Great Fairy. As such, a Great Fairy will usually go out of her way to hide her wings in towns or other public places, only revealing her true origins and powers to those they trust. Most Tiny Fairies will respect these wishes, even if they lack this fundamental understanding. Fairies commonly believe this secretive nature of theirs is why Ganon and his forces did not attempt to magically create Fairies or Great Fairies within his ranks during his invasion, the same he did with Darknuts and Wizzrobes. Supposedly, the King of Evil simply did not know of their race.

Although a traveling Great Fairy is rare, one who does either spreads good will with her healing powers and wisdom, or seeks only to expand her already impressive skill with magic. She typically has at least one Tiny Fairy in her entourage.

By comparison, Tiny Fairies without a Kokiri almost always spend their time around other races larger than themselves--whether it's Great Fairies, Hylians, or otherwise. Perhaps because of their agile wings, they can rarely be found sitting in one place for long. They tend to feel most useful and satisfied when they can act as a friend, or guide, to someone they trust. Due to these traits, they will almost never be found alone nor stationary.