Majora (Total War)

Majora (Majura in Ancient Hylian), is a dark godlike being of unknown origin that serves the main villain of Hyrule Conquest.

Etymology
The meaning of Majora's name is unknown. It possibly originates from the Akkalan words muj and ura (Other Truth).

Physical Characteristics
Majora seems to be capable of assuming several forms, including separating itself into thousands of individual entities. It most commonly take the form of an huge, emaciated humanoid with heart shaped face with two unblinking yellow eyes, with massive horns protruding vertically from above its eyes and four smaller horns below from below each eye. Its entire body is surrounded in countless flailing tentacles. Like most of the divine entities of Hyrule, its lacks a biological gender, and can replicate itself by splitting into countless other forms, much like the Druthulidi.

Personality
Majora's behavior suggests it is suicidal and possibly insane and nihilistic. Many times Majora has threatened the inhabitants of Hyrule, where upon its success would result in its own destruction. The most notable example of this death wish behavior is when Majora attempted to pull a celestial body from orbit in order to annihilate the entire planet, including itself.

Such reckless behavior is displayed in its other actions as well. Majora seems to have no moral or ethical dilemma manipulating, using, or abusing any other living being to achieve its goals. Despite its seemingly evil behavior, Majora prides itself with the claim that it values truth above all else and never truly lies. To a degree this is somewhat true: Majora often presents true information to its victims in a way that can be misinterpreted.

Majora's concern with truth may be linked to its destructive behavior and goal. Even though Majora has had thousands of followers and worshipers at various points of history, it is utterly unconcerned with them and merely wishes that "his message" be known by all in Hyrule. Whether those of Hyrule choose to believe in its words or not is up to them.

After the Goddesses banish Majora into Termina, it develops a strong hatred towards them. This hatred leads to it calling others of its kind to plague Hyrule and then later enact its own millennium spanning plan to destroy the Triforce.

Powers and Abilities
Majora possesses almost limitless power, capable of manifesting itself or its spawn at will in Hyrule, though it prefers to act through deception and mortal proxies. It was capable of effortlessly killing or removing the ability to replicate from the Druthulidi, and is described by Demoko as unimaginably more powerful than either he and his fellow First Sages or the Druthulidi. Its Cultists commonly don a Majora's Mask to "become" Majora, allowing it to speak through them as mortal proxies. Additionally, Majora Cultists are able to shapeshift into black serpentlike forms when travelling.

History


Prehistory
According to Oocca propaganda, Majora was the first of the Druthulidi to discover Hyrule during its creation. While the Golden Goddesses were creating the known world, Majora meddled and corrupted their work. The result was the creation of Termina, a warped parallel of Hyrule that could be entered after death. Frustrated that their new work was tampered with, the Goddesses proceeded to force Majora into Termina and banished it from Hyrule, threatening to destroy it if it ever returned. Angered with their hostility, Majora set out to destroy and corrupt any further creations of the Goddesses and made others of its kind aware of Hyrule's existence.

Majora wandered the primordial world, soon to be followed by other Druthulidi from across the cosmos. Eventually these demons began to fight with one another for control of Hyrule, their titanic conflict shaping and ravaging the world. Eventually the Goddesses created the Trilith and with them destroyed many of these beings. Some such as Majora, Demise, and Dethl managed to escape their wrath and hide themselves. As a result of this conflict the Goddesses created the Triforce, a construct that would give life to the world and maintain beings that would fight the Druthulidi and uphold the laws and desires of the Goddesses.

In reality, Majora was the last of the Druthulidi to arrive, long after the creation of the Triforce. Desperate for power against the Druthulidi who have turned against them, the six traitorous First Sages Demoko, Solahrasin, Maphaeus, Malkorbagia, Evaleen and Kovaloo made a deal with Majora: in return for its aid against the Druthulidi, they'll sell the world to Majora. Majora helped the First Sages defeat the other Druthulidi and their sister Sulkaris, who has remained loyal to the Goddesses.

Following the defeat of Sulkaris, as the First Sages retreated to hidden sanctuaries around the world and refused to uphold their end of the bargain, Majora continued to hunt down the rest of the Druthulidi that survived the previous war.

Ancient Age
Unlike other demons that survived, Majora sought to corrupt the beings the Goddesses created and turn them against their makers. Other Druthulidi such as Demise would later adopt this tactic and enslave races such as the Moblins. One of Majora's first targets was the Kingdom of Ikana, amongst whom he sparked a civil war. One of Majora's disciples convinced Igos that he was being betrayed by both Captain Keeta and his daughter Gomess while simultaneously convincing Keeta that Igos was about to enslave the civilian populace and promising Gomess power over the forces of nature for her service. In return for Majora's aid against Keeta and Gomess, Igos would pledge his worship to Majora and abolish any service to the Goddesses. Ikana was eventually absorbed into Termina by Majora.

Rise of Ganon
Majora is notably absent during the Rise of Ganon and the war that erupted between the Moblins and the Kingdom of Hyrule. Majora is one of Vaati's suspects as the mastermind that brought Demise, Dethl, and himself in a plan to take the Triforce in order to have them attempt to destroy each other.

The Realm of Twilight
Majora watches the civil war that enfolds, between Zant and Midna. It is later summoned by the Great Fairy Morsheen, who requests that Majora give them aid in exchange for the souls of Zant's army. Majora cackles at this idea and summons numerous Wrath Entities, as well as animating the avatars of his likeness to destroy Zant. However this proves unsuccessful as Zant's armies overcome both Majora's and Veran's armies.

Gerudo Wars
In 100 AG, the Sheikah wizard Agahnim, after being forced to divorce his wife and separated from his daughter by the Cadre, seeks out Majora for help. Through Agahnim, Majora manipulates Twinrova and Vaati, and through them Ganondorf, the Gerudo and the Darknut Legion into a conflict with the Kingdom of Hyrule.

The Gerudo are initially very successful, taking over Hyrule Castle, killing Princess Zelda against Agahnim's plans and conquering nearly the entirety of the Kingdom of Hyrule, until the Hylian army and the Sheikah with the help of Agahnim's own daughter rise in rebellion against the Darknut garrison. Seeing that his plans have all but gone downhill, Agahnim prays to Majora again and asks for refuge in Termina for his family after his death. Majora agrees to grant Agahnim's request if they would share it, before reminding Agahnim of his mission. Agahnim later grows two horns and transforms into an Avatar of Majora, but is killed by Impa.



Agahnim's horns do not escape the attention of the garrison commander Onan, who reports to Vaati what he saw. Vaati is horrified, realising that his suspicions about Majora's involvement were true after all. Majora then manifests before Vaati, laughing madly and repeatedly declaring the mindless worship of idols, Vaati himself included, will stop in Hyrule, while the horrified Vaati can do nothing but cower, before quickly retreating when it senses Vaati's accomplice Zalunbar coming into the room.

The Return of Sulkaris
In 126 AG, when Demoko prepares his armies for an invasion of Hyrule in response to the murder of Malkorbagia by Sulkaris, Majora appears in the City in the Sky, taunting Demoko that his efforts to hide his lies are going to be naught, and the people of Hyrule will know them all.

Trivia

 * Alongside Midna and Sulkaris, Majora is one of the few voiced characters in Hyrule: Total War, speaking in an unknown language during its dialogue.
 * Majora's Mask is based on a stylized owl head.
 * Majora's favored forms, a serpent and a tree, are a reference to the Abrahamic story of Adam and Eve.

Quotes

 * No more idols! The pedestals shall fall!
 * Your Legend that you so cling to is but a deception.
 * Be sure you are aware of the truth before placing faith in me.
 * Worship without thought or study is a despicable act. Worship because of the elation of senses is a despicable act. At the dawn of Hyrule I convinced the Golden Goddesses of this truth, and they granted me the right to pass this message on to you by any means neccessary. That is why your Gods created the Triforce. That is why they left you alone here. They do not want mindless worship for look at what it has bred in you.
 * Take what you will of my message, for it has been said to all and shall not be uttered by me ever again.
 * The light shows you the world as it sees fit to reflect, not as the world is. So is the value you place upon that in the world. When the light goes out, there is nothing, only darkness and the truth. Only darkness, and only I.