Race:Gerudo

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

Because of the role Gerudo played in the Interloper War, they were praised by monster races and disdained by human races. During Ganon's War, they retained most monster race respect, yet also vastly improved their reputation among human races. Consequently, Gerudo are a neutral race, which is able to maintain respect some among both human-races and monster-races--or at least enough to not be attacked on sight.

Canonically, Gerudo debut in Ocarina of Time, which features the race's largest role in the series. They return in Majora's Mask, and since have had smaller roles throughout the rest of the canon Zelda series.

Character Creation Brief

Amazons of the desert, these women are built similarly to the Southern Hylians; they are tall in stature, and physically well built. After spending generations in the arid regions of Haunted Wasteland and Tantari Desert, the Gerudo are very tan. Strangest of all, however, is that the Gerudo are a completely female race. Until quite recently, it was necessary for them to kidnap Hylian or Zuna men to continue the longevity of their clan.

Long ago, Gerudo had an entire kingdom far to the west of Hyrule. A century ago, the infamous Gerudo, Ganondorf, one of extremely few males in the race, led an all-out assault against the then-detested Hyrule Kingdom. Although the war initially worked in the favor of Gerudo, tides turned harshly. The Gerudo homeland was all but destroyed, and the race almost completely wiped out. Their desecrated homeland became appropriately known as the Haunted Wasteland. Over the past century, what few Gerudo survived have been mostly isolated to the Western Caves of Hyrule, one of the most desolate reaches of the continent, and have had difficulty propagating ever since. Since the outbreak of Ganon’s War, they suddenly became incredibly valued--by both sides of the conflict--due to their natural talents as warriors, physical strength, and survival instincts.

Spending the majority of their time training and fighting, the Gerudo are innately practiced at all forms of war. Whether it be tactics or hand-to-hand combat, the Gerudo make fearsome opponents. This is compounded by their height and natural muscle. Modern Gerudo have very little appreciation for anything unrelated to battle and survival.

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

Upon character creation, a Gerudo player-character can have up to three racial perks of choice. In addition to the general perks available to every race, a Gerudo can also choose from:

• Desert Strike: an offensive technique useful for subduing an opponent without killing it
• Flying Broom or Flying Carpet: a powerful magic item useful for airborne travel; this occupies two perk "slots"
• Gerudo Dragon: a powerful uppercut technique which summons flames around the Gerudo's weapons
• Hero's Legacy: a trait which makes it easier for the Gerudo to acquire WeaponBase treasures
• Intrinsic Enchantment: a powerful spell enabling the user to enchant her weapons with a designated element, such as Fire or Ice
• Wall Kick: a useful technique which enables a Gerudo to repeatedly leap off walls with ease
• Warrior's Training: a useful trait which enables the Gerudo to begin with more Power-based treasures

Recommended Origins

If you've never made a character before and intend to make a Gerudo, 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.

Denizen of the Western Caves

You've lived a traditional Gerudo in the Eastern Caves, once known as Gerudo Fortress. For as long as you can remember, you've trained in martial combat and tactics, mastering a variety of weaponry as well as any other of your kind. Though your race rules the caves, you've likely had to make do with the Hylian refugees who fled from Ganon's invasion. While some are capable warriors, they've mostly worked as cooks, food-gatherers, and other service-oriented professions a proud Gerudo like yourself probably would rather avoid doing anyway. While in all likelihood you've protected your home from countless attacks from Ganon over the years, you may, like others have before you, leave your homeland to explore the world, or to attempt to take the fight to Ganon himself...

A denizen of the Western Caves begins with a PWC of 2/1/1, with 4 additional points distributed as you see fit. Its racial perks include Desert Strike , Hero’s Legacy, and Warrior’s Training.

Sorceress Swordfighter

While most of your kin rely solely on brawn, you are one of the few who have studied and mastered a kind of magical prowess intrinsic to your race. To further your magical studies, you have likely taken up residence in Castle Town, among the more magically inclined Hylian and Sea Zora races. With one hand on a flying broom and the other on a magically-enchanted scimitar, few foes can stand up to your might on the battlefield, nor your cunning on the streets of your city home.

A sorceress swordfighter begins with a PWC of 2/1/1, with 4 additional points distributed as you see fit. Its racial perks include Intrinsic Enchantment and Flying Broom.

Pirate of the Eastern Sea

Perhaps you grew up in the Gerudo Fortress, or know of it now only by rumor. Now, however, you make your home in Forsaken Fortress, surrounded by pirates and scoundrels no more ruthless than you. While Hyruleans play war, you have an easy time with your crew picking off the merchant ships which dare venture through your sea. You likely have at least a few other companions to help you take down ships, and may associate with Stalfos or Moblins as often as you do with Gerudo.

A pirate of the Great Sea begins with a PWC of 2/1/1, with 4 additional points distributed as you see fit. Its racial perks include Gerudo Dragon , Wall Kick, and Warrior’s Training.

Physiology

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

In many ways, Gerudo biology and appearance is remarkably similar to that of Hylians. However, the most significant difference is that the vast, vast majority of Gerudo are female. A male child is so rare it is said to occur only once a century, and its birth is usually a momentous occasion.

Being an all-female race which produces sexually, Gerudo are a biological oddity, due in large part to the mutations which took place long ago in the Gerudo Kingdom. Because of this oddity, however, the Gerudo race is practically never prosper greatly in its own right. A female Gerudo is capable of reproducing with one of several other races, most commonly Hylian and Zuna males. Rarer but possible male mates include Twili and Sheikah, potentially among others. In all cases the resulting offspring shares very few if any traits from the father, instead predominately taking after the Gerudo mother, and considered a full Gerudo herself.

A Gerudo child will mature into a woman at a rate comparable to a Hylian child, developing into adulthood similarly. The oldest Gerudo usual living to be no more than 100 years old, though there are known to be a rare handful of instances of Gerudo magically extending their lifespans well beyond this.

An adult Gerudo's body structure is mostly similar to a Hylian woman's, with several notable differences. First, she is remarkably taller, averaging between 5' 6" (165 cm) and 7'0” (215 cm). Second, her muscular structure is considerably more defined and capable, as the typical Gerudo is even stronger than a well-toned Hylian male. Third, whereas most Hylians are pale, Gerudo are universally a darker tan, which gradually grows into slightly green shade as they age. Finally, Gerudo always have bright red hair, slightly sharper noses, and usually have golden-colored eyes. Certain Hylians admit that Gerudo are drastically more attractive than members of their own race, while others find the idea of such powerful women unpleasant.

Culture

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

Modern Gerudo culture is shaped largely by the race’s origins as survivors of the brutal Interloper War and Gerudo War, desert-dwellers of the Gerudo Kingdom, and the atrocities their kingdom committed under Ganondorf’s rule. This ultimately led to their invasion of Hyrule, which led to the decimation of their entire kingdom, and the destruction of almost their entire race. Although this occurred over 70 years ago, the stigma against Gerudo caused by it still persists. More recently, about 20 years ago, Gerudo redeemed themselves by not only fighting valiantly with Hyruleans against Ganon during his invasion, but taking refugees into their Western Caves and helping to recapture and rebuild Ruto.

Between all these events, the world’s view of Gerudo as a whole is very mixed. Wherever a Gerudo goes, whether it be among Hylians or Moblins; Subrosians or Hinox, she can expect discrimination and acceptance almost in equal measures. As a general rule, those who favor strength and bravery are more likely to respect Gerudo.

Despite their appearance and relation to Hylians, the all-female race of Gerudo has incredible strength, stamina, willpower, and discipline. Their history is more stained with battles—wars for both survival and for supremacy—than any other race. Seemingly as a result, almost every single young Gerudo is considered a warrior, an athlete, and a survivor. This Spartan mindset permeates virtually all reaches of the Gerudo culture, especially in the Western Caves.

In the years after the Imprisoning War, Gerudo spread across much of the known world without a place to truly call home. As such, a small handful of them can be found in almost any city across Hyrule, and even on isles as distant as Forsaken Fortress and Knuckle Rock.

The Western Caves are perhaps the closest thing that still exists to a Gerudo city. In the wake of Ganon’s War, it has taken in countless Hylian refugees, so much so that the cramped tunnels may now be more Hylian than Gerudo. Nevertheless, the Gerudo mindset still permeates these underground halls. The structure is built for survival, and withstood full-frontal assaults during Ganon’s War—assaults which fell nearly every other city of the region, even including the foreboding Death Mountain.

Although they have largely sided with the Hylians against Ganon, there are other Gerudo whom live more nefarious lives. The strained resources of the Western Caves have encouraged many of them to look to life of crime to survive, or using rape to try to continue their race. Even today, Gerudo notoriously make up a large portion of the infamous Forsaken Fortress, and bands of Gerudo thieves are common throughout Tantari Desert.

As Gerudo are practically incapable of growing their population on their own, in modern times they rely on marriages to Hylian men to help keep their race going. Even so, the difficulties of reproduction are causing Gerudo to becoming increasingly rare in the world.

Extended History

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

Rise of the Gerudo Kingdom

The following events occurred well over 100 years ago, though the exact dates are unknown.

It is widely believed that the roots of the Gerudo race lay in a region then referred to as the Old Kingdom, thousands of years ago. Here, a race of people descended from Ancient Hylians lived before written records began. The earliest known large-scale war, the Interloper War, caused a series of events to cause the Old Kingdom to break apart and deteriorate. From this deterioration, the people who would become the Hylian race left the old continent to establish a new kingdom in Hyrule. The people who remained, devoid of a central government, engaged in chaotic civil wars lasting for decades, with many factions struggling to emerge as a governing force among them. These battles collectively became known as the Gerudo War, or the Gerudo Revolution. Eventually, the faction that emerged victorious established the Gerudo Kingdom in place of the Old Kingdom, and forced their law across the continent. The continent, an arid wasteland of what it once was, then became known as the Gerudo Desert. The Gerudo race is named after this kingdom and this desert, as their race was effectively the upper class of the kingdom.

In the newly established Gerudo Kingdom, infamous mass executions were performed on ‘traitors’ who had opposed Gerudo during the war. The population of Gerudo Desert was already dwindling due to famine and war, and only decreased in this new violent culture. So many men had died in battle that what remained of the ‘pure’ Gerudo race was almost entirely female with little chance of re-population. Only the toughest women brought their children to the next generation.

Even with mass executions of potential enemies, all factors were working against the proliferation of Gerudo. The Gerudo Desert gave little room for agricultural success, remnants of magical warfare still caused deterioration long after the Interloper and Gerudo Wars, and the gene pool for reproduction was becoming increasingly limited. With the newly-established Gerudo Kingdom at risk of dying out, the most powerful mages the land had to offer were brought together. These mages—mostly Wizzrobes—did all they could to support the ruling class. Magical experiments were performed from longevity to fertility, in a desperate effort to save the race. Most of these yielded undesired results. Over centuries, these experiments—among other factors—caused the race to rapidly evolve into a form very distinct from Hylians, an entirely female species.

During this period, Gerudo men were so rare—yet so necessary for the race’s proliferation—that in the rare instance one was born, it was a truly momentous occasion. The rumor that a male Gerudo is born yet once a century still persists even today. In the Gerudo Kingdom, it was fated that any male born among them was to live as a king, if not an outright king. Some even believed that certain Gerudo males were incarnations or reincarnations of their race’s patron deity.

To help re-populate their mostly-female kingdom, the Gerudo infamously enslaved a race known as Zuna, to use for breeding purposes. Gerudo had developed incredibly dominant genes, so much so that whenever a Zuna male and Gerudo female bred, the offspring took almost completely after the mother, taking on few if any traits from the Zuna father. Thus, it became known that whether the father was Zuna, Hylian, or something else entirely, whoever bred with a Gerudo mother would breed a Gerudo child. The distinction between a “pure-blood” Gerudo and “half-breed” Gerudo were virtually indecipherable. Despite this, pure-blood Gerudo were somewhat regarded as the superior people of the Gerudo Kingdom.

The exact origins of the Zuna race were never recorded. Some believe Zuna were taken from a nearby landmass, others insist they were magically created like fairies, and more still have reason to believed they were somehow altered or bred from the Lizalfos native to Gerudo Desert. Meanwhile, because of their slave status and “lowly green skin,” Zuna were seen as being practically inhuman. Until recently, practically no Zuna history was documented in its own right.

Thanks to the act of enslaving an entire race, and the mainstream practice of rape, the population of the Gerudo Kingdom was growing for the first time since the Gerudo War. As word of these practices spread to the newly-settled continents of Hyrule and Labrynna, however, the Gerudo race as a whole gained a reputation as cutthroat savages.

In time, all of the Gerudo Desert and its inhabitants came under the absolute control of the Gerudo Kingdom. The Lizalfos race, who inhabited the land separately in their own right, became enslaved alongside the Zuna.

The Imprisoning War & Fall of the Kingdom

The events surrounding the Imprisoning War begun approximately 100 years ago.

With the increased proliferation of the Gerudo Kingdom, its ruling class intended to expand their influence beyond the boundaries of the Gerudo Desert. With their race now particularly well adapted to thriving in arid climates, they chose to expand their empire into the Tantari Desert of the Hyrulean continent. Although Hyrule had been claimed and settled by their ancestral counterparts, the Hylians, Gerudo nonetheless brazenly settled the Gerudo Fortress in the southwestern region of the desert, not far from the coast.

Infamously, around this time, any Hylians—particularly trading caravans—who wandered too deep into the southern reaches of Tantari Desert frequently went missing. Over time, Gerudo Fortress phased out their Zuna “breeding stock” in favor of the kidnapped Hylians, who the Gerudo found to be more favorable mates. In time, a handful of enslaved Hylians and Zuna escaped the clutches of the Fortress, and reached the nearby Hylian settlement of Kakariko Village. It was through these escaped refugees that horrific tales spread of the Gerudo race’s acts of slavery, kidnapping, and cruelty. The Hylians could hardly stand for this. It seemed an armed conflict between the Gerudo Kingdom and the Kingdom of Hyrule would be inevitable.

Even without the influence of the Gerudo Kingdom, numerous factors were increasing tensions in Hyrule at the time. The separation of Gorons and Hylians across the landscape and sea stretched thin the resources of the Hyrulean Royal Family. The chaos resulting from the rising of undead in Ikana Valley only made things worse. Finally, it came to light that not only did Sheikah exist in Hyrule, but rumors spread they were guarding secrets and spying upon innocent citizens of Hyrule. Everyone, including the Gerudo, believed the Hyrulean Royal Family had secretly been abusing the sacred power of the legendary Triforce to empower the success of the empire to the extent it had seen in the past few centuries. Conflict could no longer be contained. The Great War, which later became known as the Imprisoning War, had begun.

Within the Hyrulean Kingdom, almost every city was rebelling against the Royal Family, fending for themselves as much as possible. These left Hyrule fragmented, unable to fight as one against the Gerudo forces that were now brazenly invading the continent. Even the nearby Kakariko Village was too suspicious of the Sheikah within its walls to form a full assault against Gerudo Fortress.

Meanwhile, the Fortress was exactly that—an impenetrable fortress, a military base which existed to survive and thrive in armed conflict. The Gerudo Kingdom was pumping as much of its military and power as it could into Hyrule mainland, making port in Gerudo Fortress to send legions of Gerudo warriors and mages, Zuna slaves, and conscripted Lizalfos fighters. They even managed to rally much of the disenfranchised Moblin and Lynel races under their banner, and recruited as many Hyrulean outcasts and criminals into their cause as they could. Even many Poes and Stalfos joined their ranks.

By the time Hyrulean forces had organized fully and the war begun in earnest, it became clear the conflict was between three sides: Northern Hyrule, Southern Hyrule, and the Gerudo Kingdom. Each side had their own motivations, but the Gerudo Kingdom sought only conquest of Hyrule.

Over the course of months, the Gerudo Kingdom managed to conquer the important Hyrulean cities of Saria, Rauru, and Nabooru, among many other smaller settlements. They were not only threatening the Southern Hyrule capitol of Kakariko Village, but were also making naval progress to conquer the distant Lynna City of the Labrynna continent. Both Northern and Southern Hyrule were rapidly growing weaker. In what was perhaps Hyrule’s darkest hour, the then-King of Gerudo Kingdom, Ganondorf, took the eponymous castle of Castle Tower, forcing the Royal Family to flee to safety.

The capture of this castle sent out a clear message to both sides of Hyrule, and indeed the entire world. The atrocities the Gerudo had already inflicted were the stuff of nightmares, and terror was struck into all at the thought of them actually successfully conquering Hyrule—and the rest of the world. Consequently, Northern and Southern Hyrule formed a temporary alliance to utterly crush Gerudo forces by all means. Desperation had set in. All countries of the world, including many that had yet remained neutral, banded together in a surprisingly organized force that launched conscripted soldiers and all possible military potential into two fronts—one to utterly obliterated the relatively unprotected Gerudo Kingdom, while the other sought to crush Ganondorf’s stakes in Castle Town. Even the secretive but incredibly powerful Wind Tribe used their potent magic to rip through Gerudo Kingdom, summoning cyclones through their cities.

This combined desperation of all the world against the Gerudo Kingdom severely turned the tide of the war. In the wake of storms and all the military might of both Labrynna and Holodrum as well, the ill-defended homeland of Gerudo Kingdom fell in utter defeated. The battle raged until the Gerudo of the continent were completely wiped out. Infamously and brutally, the joint force allowed no Gerudo of the Gerudo Desert to survive. Everything their kingdom had built was ripped apart by hailstorms and tornadoes, or razed to the ground. The only surviving Gerudo were those still in Hyrule proper.

It seemed like Hyrule would emerge victorious in this conflict. That was, until Ganondorf finally found in Castle Town what he truly sought in this war: entrance to the Sacred Realm, and direct access to the legendary Triforce itself. While inside the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf’s power grew immensely, becoming a practical god in his own right. Eventually, Hyrulean forces were able to recapture the castle, and closed in on the entrance to the Sacred Realm hidden deep within--only to discover Ganondorf had completely twisted the realm into some kind of {{p|Dark World]]. Almost immediately, he emerged back into Hyrule in a huge, monstrous form--calling itself “Ganon”—wielding such immense power that, supposedly, he crushed half the army sent against him single-handed. It took all the might of the surviving Sheikah and the Royal Sages to break a portion of the Triforce from his grasp, hurl him back into the Dark World he had created, and seal the portal so that it could never be opened again.

With Ganondorf defeated and Gerudo Kingdom, destroyed, the war was utterly lost. Gerudo Fortress itself was razed, and the only surviving Gerudo fled to a nearby stronghold in the Western Caves. What Gerudo survived were forced to agree to highly unfavorable terms, and fall under the law of one of the newly-established Hyrulean provinces: specifically, Eldin Province. The practice of slavery was completely outlawed, forcing them to forfeit all imprisoned Zuna, as well as most Lizalfos and Hylians. A few former slaves nonetheless remained with their Gerudo captors. Surprisingly, these willing second-class citizens identified more with their former slavers than with Hyruleans.

In the absence of the Gerudo Kingdom, and in the aftermath of tornadoes and razing fires, the abandoned continent of Gerudo Desert became a practically uninhabitable wasteland. The only intelligent beings known to still reside there are a handful of Lizalfos, Poes, Stalfos, the secretive Mountain Picori, and a few poor fools who remained after the invasion and destruction of the Gerudo Kingdom. The entire landmass is now simply known as the Haunted Wasteland, and is not a place to be visited by any well-off person.

As part of the peace treaty, the surviving Gerudo were forced to construct a village to house Moblin tribes. Though it was mostly to embarrass the Gerudo than to provide aid to the disenfranchised Moblins, this act is historically treated as the opposite in Hylian society. Only a small amount of Moblins would choose to inhabit the so-called “Monster Village” of the newly established Blin Province, alongside a few members of other races, including a few Gerudo.

In the wake of the Imprisoning War, Gerudo were rarely accepted in any major settlements aside from the desolate Western Caves. The few allowed into Monster Village were considered lucky. Once again faced with a struggle for the survival of their race, the Gerudo resort to covertly plundering merchants brave enough to trek through the Tantari Desert. In time, more and more Gerudo abandoned the caves to join groups of thieves and pirates, the most prominent of which still dwell in Forsaken Fortress.

Ganon’s War

Approximately 20 years ago, Ganon abruptly and mysteriously reappeared in southern Hyrule, somehow returning from the Dark World. With him, he brought a massive and skilled army of Darknuts, Hinox, Wizzrobes, and feral monsters, many of which had never been seen in the Light World prior. The army not only captured, but immediately razed the Eldin Province settlement of Rauru. His military might rapidly spread throughout the province, quickly reaching the caves at its western edge.

To everyone’s surprise, the surviving Gerudo of the Western Caves universally fought against the forces of Ganon. Not only this, but when Kakariko Village and Rauru were sacked, many of its inhabitants fled to find hospitable refuge in the Western Caves of the Gerudo. These unexpected and redeeming acts on part of nearly the entire race vastly improved the world's view of Gerudo very quickly. Discrimination against them was still relatively common, but nowhere near that against Moblins or other races who openly supported Ganon.

Despite efforts of the Western Caves and greater Hyrule, Ganon’s scourge quickly spread throughout almost throughout the entire southern half of Hyrule, even overtaking what was then thought to be the impenetrable Death Mountain, where they establish an apparent headquarters. Shortly after doing so, however, Ganon disappears from the battlefront, and his invasion abruptly halts. In the years following, no organized attempts are made to further the invasion, but his forces still occupy and roam much of Eldin Province.

Due to the successful defense Gerudo forces present in the Western Caves, a significant portion of these Gerudo migrate east, towards the Hylian-occupied Eastern Caves. It is from these Gerudo that these Hylians better understand and master their ways of survival and battle, able to make the caves nearly as impenetrable as the Western Caves themselves.

A little over 5 years ago, Gerudo of the Eastern Caves played a key role in recapturing Ruto from Ganon’s forces, and rapidly reinforce the town into a fortress reminiscent of the infamously impenetrable Gerudo Fortress—this time built not against Hyrule, but against Ganon instead. Despite being outnumbered by attacking forces, the fortified town has since stood as a stalwart insult to Ganon and his followers in the following years. It has since inspired future efforts to retake other southern towns that were captured.

Many Gerudo still courageously lead war efforts against Ganon in Eldin Province. Their improved reputation has made it easier find consenting Hylian boyfriends. Although discrimination against them is still commonplace, Gerudo as a whole are becoming a part of mainstream Hyrulean society—in their own hardened, surviving way. Of course, there are still criminals and brigands among them, particularly in Forsaken Fortress and throughout the Great Sea.