Majora (Total War)

"No more idols, the pedestals shall fall!"

- Majora's mantra.

Majora (Akkalan: Madiora, lit. "mask of truth") is a dark godlike being of unknown origin that serves the main villain of Hyrule Total War.

Etymology
Majora is a corruption of Madiora, an Akkalan name derived from the words Madi (mask) and Ora (truth).

History


Age of Myth
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 being to be beckoned to Hyrule, long after the creation of the Triforce. Desperate for power against the Druthulidi who had turned against them, the six traitorous First Sages Demoko, Solahrasin, Maphaeus, Malkorbagia, Evaleen and Kovaloo made a deal with Majora, a being above all the other demons: in return for its aid against the Druthulidi, Majora would gain control over the world. So the entity helped the First Sages defeat the Druthulidi and their sister Sulkaris, who had 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. Despite this, 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. He showed himself in the royal court under the guise of a masked stranger, convincing 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 that he needed to join forces with the Garo, whom he tempted with the allure of a new nation of their own, 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. After three days of bloody civil war, Igos cursed the Gods who had abandoned him and Majora was able to absorbe the kingdom and all its people into Termina, to relive their battle forever.

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. Despite never getting confirmation of his involvment in the Rise of Ganon, the chances Vaati was right are pretty high.

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 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 very successful initially, 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

 * Majora is the third major recurring antagonist in Hyrule Total War, the first being Sulkaris, the second being Vaati, the fourth being Veran and the fifth being Mido.
 * Being a cosmic being, he is also the oldest.
 * On a cosmological scale, he is the main antagonist of the entire story.
 * 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.