Hylia

The Hylian Empire was arguably one of the largest and most advanced in the ancient Web, spanning nearly all of ancient Light at its peak, and was even responsible for giving the Dimension its moniker. It was a land rich in magic and mystery, comprised of many disparate races and cultures, that intrigues scholars--and treasure-seeking adventurers--even in the present day.

In Kupopolis Legends, the Hylian Empire is in the height of its Golden Age, and has enjoyed decades of peaceful rule by the Valentine dynasty.

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Land

The Hylian Empire controlled all but a small portion of the World of Light. It spanned the entirety of the Hyrulian continent, modern-day Vidonia, all of the small islands surrounding it, as well as the entire western half of the Ticonderan continent, including modern day Delvia. The only land not part of the Empire were the wastelands controlled by the Melenam and Karandese barbarians. The core territories of the Empire were the kingdoms of Hyrule, Faxanadu, Calatia, Labrina, and Holdoros, all located on the Hyrulian continent, as well as the city-state of Termina.

It is worth noting that the Hylians never embarked on aggressive wars of expansion the way other ancient empires did. They believed they were chosen by the Gods to rule the world, but distinctly chose not to back this claim up by force. They merely offered protection and enlightenment to weaker, less developed nations, and if it was rejected, let it be.

Population

Many diverse races lived within the Empire, and the Hylians believed all races to be created equal by Farore. It's just that the Hylians, of course, were a little more equal than others. The nobility consisted almost entirely of Hylians, as befitting their belief that they were the chosen people of the Gods, though other races could and did enjoy power in various areas. Sentient beings of all races and ethnic groups were considered citizens of the Empire and enjoyed the attendant rights and privileges, so long as they accepted the authority of the imperial throne and the Triforce (non ethnic Hylian citizens of the Empire were called Imperial Citizens, to distinguish them from their ethnic Hylian neighbors).

Hylians

Ethnic Hylians constituted the majority in the Empire, as they founded it, and ruled it from its inception (it's right there in the name). They are indigenous to the kingdom of Hyrule, and the King of Hyrule has always been the Divine Emperor of Hylia. Ethnic Hylians resembled Elves, but came in every skin tone that humans did. They were beautiful to a one, leading to wicked jokes among humans that ugly Hylians were simply drowned at birth before anyone could see them. Ethnic Hylians were tremendously gifted mages and sorcerers, near immortal, and had great psychic ability. They felt the Gods blessed them with their great gifts, that they could carry out their will and rule the land in their names. This often led to a form of arrogance among them, and a paternalistic attitude toward the "lesser" races who did not share their abilities.

Sheikah

Racial cousins of the ethnic Hylians, the only physical difference between them and the Sheikah is that the latter are uniformly pale and possess silvery platinum hair and red eyes. Like their cousins, they also hail from the kingdom of Hyrule; their ancestral home is the city of Shei-Kazaar at the foot of Death Mountain. In Imperial society, the Sheikah were renowned storytellers and loremasters, with a strong oral tradition. They were fiercely loyal to the throne, and were agents of the Imperial crown, acting as its eyes and ears all over the world, as well as being personal bodyguards to the Imperial family. Their greatest antipathy was for the Gerudo, whom they saw as evil traitors that could not be trusted.

Gerudo

A race of war-like nomads that dwelled in the desert valleys of the Empire, particularly the Desert of Mystery in Hyrule proper. Women outnumbered men in the Gerudo tribes by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1 in antiquity, and Gerudo men were very rarely seen outside their desert homes. Physically, they were of average height and build, though they were extremely strong and agile. They favored dark, red-tinged skin and hair colors in fiery shades of red; the most common eye colors were grey, green and gold. Gerudo were known for having avian, aquiline features, and large, hooked noses. They were superb mounted warriors, especially renowned for their archery talent, and Gerudo horses were prized all over the Empire as the very best in breeding and temperment. They were also somewhat infamous horse thieves, and this led to a perception of the Gerudo being a thieving race in general, with the epithet "sand gypsy" used as a common slur among the prejudiced. Despite women outnumbering men in Gerudo tribes, and women being their only soldiers, all the tribes were ruled by men, and the tribes were always ruled by a king.

Gorons

Gentle giants who made their home in Death Mountain, Gorons were ginormous, bipedal yellow creatures believed to have been shaped from stone deep under the earth. Their society placed a great emphasis on honor and feats of strength, despite the fact that they generally disliked war and avoided it whenever possible. The Gorons were best known for their unusual diet, consisting entirely of rocks, and for their love of steam baths and rolling about. They were also tremendously skilled smiths and masons, and many made very good livings as builders and artisans.

Zora

The Zora were an aquatic race who dwelled deep beneath the lakes and bodies of water all over the Empire. Though vaguely humanoid-looking, they were marked by their silvery-blue scales, gills, and long dorsal fins on their heads. Their ancestral kingdom lay in a beautiful underwater crystalline cavern known as Zora'shaal ("Zora's Fountain"). The Zora were ruled by a long standing monarchy and its royal family were staunch and loyal allies of the Hylian royals; the Hylian Imperial Navy counted many Zora among its ranks as scouts and aquatic infantry. Not all Zora remained loyal to the royal family after its submission to Hylian rule. The Hiisho-tal, or River Clan, strenuously objected to imperial rule and after losing a brutal civil war against the Zoran crown, were cast out of Zora'shaal. Exiles and outcasts from Zora society generally took to the river ways of the Empire, waylaying fisherman and travelers as river bandits.

Humans

A distinct minority in ancient times, all of the human citizens of the Hylian Empire originally hailed from the kingdoms of Faxanadu, Calatia, Labrina, Holdoros, and Ticondera. They were largely rural and agrarian folk who tended the fields and herds which stocked the Empire's tables. Others made their living through trading or crafts. The other races generally viewed them as backwards and only good for manual labor due to their distinct lack of skill with any sort of magical art. The only real way for a human to move up in society was to join the military, which many of them did. Humans were mostly worshippers of Chaldan, whose priesthood was almost entirely human.

Dwarves

Dwelling in various mountain regions across the Empires, Dwarves originally came from the Death Mountain range. Short, stocky folk, they were celebrated miners and smiths known for the superior quality of their crafts. Dwarves were also known to be highly shrewd traders and bankers, as they virtually controlled the Empire's rupee supply; the crystals that rupees were cut out of could generally only be found deep underground in places too dangerous for most other races to tread.

The Fair Folk

A catch-all term for the various fae races that dwelled largely in Hylia's majestic forests. Among them were child-like woodland sprites named Kokiri, faeries, mischievous shrub creatures known as Deku Scrubs, and many others. The Fair Folk were believed to be ruled by five Great Faerie Queens who comprised the Twilight Court, which according to legend convened once a year on the Summer Solstice in the Lost Woods. An old Hylian folktale warned against disturbing this raucous meeting, lest one be carried off into the land of faerie to dwell there forever.

Government

The Hylian Empire was governed by Divine Right, which many modern scholars erroneously believe to be a form of theocracy. Although the Emperor and the imperial family as a whole all held ceremonial roles in the priesthood of the Three, and had duties related to those roles, power did not necessarily flow from the temple. Only a small handful of Hylian rulers ever took holy orders. Imperial authority was believed to flow from the Goddesses themselves, who charged Nohansen the God King and all his descendants to rule justly and use the Triforce to bring peace and prosperity to their people. In a marked departure from other despotic empires of the day, the Hylians did not strip the kingdoms which came under their rule of their native leaders. Though ultimately they had to submit to Imperial authority, the kings and queens of the various Imperial peoples were permitted an unbelievable amount of autonomy to conduct their own affairs. Indeed, the Divine Emperor came to rely upon the counsel of the various kings, queens, and tribal chieftains who submitted to his leadership. Imperial Governors were dispatched to various territories to see to the crown's interests.

As in almost every aspect of ancient Hylian society, the Imperial Government was built on the concepts represented by the Triforce. Power was represented by the Crown Imperial, as personified by the Divine Emperor; Courage was represented by the Sword Imperial, as personified by the military; and Wisdom was represented by the Tome Imperial, as personified by the Council of Sages. While the Emperor was always the ultimate authority, the very essence of the Triforce's meaning--that Power unchecked by Wisdom or Courage is destructive--led to what amounted to a system of checks and balances. The ruler who felt the Triforce gave him or her the right to rule with an iron fist would surely end up sundering it, thus lessening their own power. It was a delicate balance to be held, which is why the guidance of the sages was considered so important. If the Council felt the Emperor was abusing the Triforce, there were steps they could take to neutralize him; however, the Sages could not abuse their own power without dealing with the military, and vice-versa.

The Council of Sages was comprised of seven extraordinarily wise magi from every corner of the Empire, named for the classical Hylian elements: Fire, Water, The Wood, Light, Shadow, Spirit, and Time. They were believed to be chosen by the Goddesses, to a one possessed great magical power, and were usually (but not always) female. While many were priests of Nayru, this was not a prerequisite for sagehood. Those with the potential for Sagehood were marked from birth; if an existing Sage died, his/her successor would receive the power and feel an irresistible pull to Hyrule Castle to begin service. A series of trials, known as Ordeals would follow, as a way to weed out imposters, but the Triforce itself was the final arbiter of who could or could not become a Sage. Interestingly, the office seemed to be hereditary, and even if a Sage's child did not get chosen, they still possessed some measure of a true Sage's power.

In the time of Kupopolis Legends:

Divine Emperor Harkinian Lucius Valentine V rules the Empire. Council of Sages:

• Sage of Fire: Palahas (Gerudo - f)
• Sage of Water: Queen Rutela of the Zora
• Sage of the Wood: Larion (Hylian - m)
• Sage of Light: Tomal (Human - m)
• Sage of Shadow: Inarra (Sheikah - f)
• Sage of Spirit: Alhandra (Sheikah - f)
• Sage of Time: Selarín (Hylian - f)

Religion

Ancient Hylia was a profoundly religious society, and was known far and wide for its thousands of magnificent temples and shrines. By far the most dominant faith was that of the Great Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, known as the Three, which was the state religion. While all the Goddesses were often worshipped in tandem, each Goddess also enjoyed a strong cult of her own. Even the smallest hamlet had at least one shrine, and average people often invoked the Goddesses when performing even the most mundane of tasks. Their worship permeated every aspect of Hylian society; most of the major festivals and holidays in the Empire had religious origins and were celebrated even by the few people who did not worship them. One of the largest, still celebrated even in modern Hyland, was the Festival of Winds, in which large and elaborate kites were constructed and flown to carry prayers of the faithful to Farore. Din's feasts were always raucous affairs involving great bonfires and the consumption of spicy foods and alcohol, while Nayru's were more sedate, involving contemplation.

As a result, Hylian priests were extremely powerful fixtures in Imperial society, with the temples exerting a great deal of influence. The three largest temples of Din, Nayru and Farore (The Ruby Forge, the Emerald Spring, and the Sapphire Aegis respectively) were collectively known as the Sacred Triad, and for a noble house to have a member serve as a priest in one was considered a great honor for the family.

Other religions were much less well known, and were largely only centered in the hinterlands of the Empire, but nonetheless enjoyed freedom of worship. Cults devoted to the various members of the Ticonderan pantheon were not unknown. And while the Gerudo were all fierce devotees of Din, they also practiced their own tribal forms of shamanism around the spirits of the desert. Ancestor worship was fairly common among them, and among many other peoples of the Empire.

Military

Hylian soldiers were some of the best trained in the ancient world, despite the Hylian aversion to expansion by force; the threats it handled were largely external and inhuman in nature, such as the trolls of the Faxan mountains, though Ticonderan barbarians and various separatist movements were a constant thorn in the Empire's side. The military consisted of many knightly orders, both ground and naval, all of which answered to the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Arms (who was usually, but not always, the Emperor). Each kingdom was required to contribute soldiers to these imperial orders proportionate to their population.

• The Hylian Imperial Army: Comprised of the Imperial Ranger Corps, the Shieldmaidens of Farore, and (much) later on, the Knights of Hyrule.

• The Hylian Imperial Navy: Comprised of the Sea Ranger Corps, and the all-Zora Knights of the Eternal Waters.

The most famous of all ancient Hylian knightly orders, however, began as a paramilitary organization with no formal affiliation to the imperial crown: The Knights of Hyrule. Later it would be co-opted by the Imperial Army, and eventually come to encompass the whole of Hyrule's ground forces.