Vaati (Total War)

''This article refers to the Druthulidi that assumed the name Vaati. You might be looking for the Minish Vaati.'' Vaati is a notable and powerful Druthulidi that survived the purge of the Golden Goddesses. It is named after its most notable victim, Vaati, a Minish sorcerer. Vaati is one of the major villains in Hyrule: Total War.

Characteristics
Unlike most Druthulidi, Vaati prefers to remain a swarm of extremely small insect-like creatures that infect and take control of other creatures, slowly morphing them into a larger form. Individual Vaati are little more than black spheres dominated by a single eye and rows of cilia. When a victim has been fully transfigured they maintain the notable eye but also display powerful tentacles, appendages, and in some cases, wings.

Personality
Vaati usually assimilates and maintains some level of personality from its victims. In turn Vaati's victims often display an increased sense of ego and self importance with a habit of taunting and boasting superiority. Though Vaati is physically genderless, it tends to prefer being referred to as male.

Powers and Abilities
While tiny, Vaati is able to unsuspectingly enter a victim's body and slowly take control of them. Once established Vaati will begin a long process of converting and morphing the body into a larger form to suit its purposes. This process often takes several centuries, but Vaati is able to prolong the life of its victims and halt the process of ageing. Victims are often completely unaware of Vaati's influence and believe all of their actions are their own.

When its victims are fully transfigured, Vaati displays tremendous physical strength because of its size. In some case Vaati is also capable of flight with an array of wings that grows from its body. Vaati can also assimilate abilities from its victims, such as the use of magical powers from a sorcerer.

History


Prehistory
Vaati arrived in Hyrule shortly after the frst Druthulidi began to battle on its surface for domination. Unlike many of its brethren, Vaati preferred subterfuge and would instead infect and take control of lesser beings. When the Goddesses began destroying the warring demons, Vaati divided itself into a much smaller swarm and withdrew into hiding to escape their wrath.

Ancient Age
Vaati arose from the earth in a dramatically weakened state and infected his first victim, a tiny Minish sorcerer from which his name originated. Now in Minish form, Vaati set out to expand his powers so that he may manipulate the word at large. Displaying his abilities to the Darknut deity Zalunbar, Vaati was able to convince him to form and alliance against the Wind Tribe. In return Vaati would promise to make Zalunbar truly immortal with the powers of the Wind Tribe, so long as he served Vaati. Vaati would never make himself known to the Darknut people to give the illusion that Zalunbar was indeed their all powerful ruler. When the Darknut High Priestess Yaraxonal became aware that Zalunbar was cooperating with Vaati she attempted to put a stop to him. Zalunbar and Vaati both overcame her and sealed her away beneath the cathedral of Ontheon. Vaati and Zalunbar then initiated a crusade against the Wind Tribe, nearly destroying their race. On the brink of extinction, the Wind Tribe decided to ascend to the Heavens with their powers and leave Hyrule forever. With the help of King Gustaf and the Ancient Hylians, Vaati and his armies of Darknuts were halted long enough for Siroc and the last of the Wind Tribe to escape. The Darknuts were furious with their loss, but Vaati was unfazed and simply began to seek alternate sources of power, avoiding the Hylians for fear of making an enemy of them.

Rise of Ganon
Vaati continues to maintain Zalunbar's control over the Darknut Legion. Though Darknuts can live many centuries, Vaati keeps Zalunbar from aging and maintains his god like status amongst his people. When King Ganon, ruler of the Moblins approaches the Darknut Legion for aid against the Kingdom of Hyrule, Vaati opposes the proposition for fear of becoming an enemy of the Hylians. When Ganon reveals that the power of the Wind Tribe, the Triforce, is still in Hyrule, Vaati accepts Ganon's proposal of alliance. In truth Vaati would likely turn on Ganon and steal the Triforce for himself.

Shortly before the attack against Hyrule Castle, Vaati encounters Dethl and Demise, two other Druthulidi he thought destroyed. Vaati begins to suspect that he and the other two were being set up by another force, and thus decides to withdraw his support after the fall of Hyrule Castle Town.

The Gerudo Wars
During the Gerudo Wars Vaati forms an alliance with Twinrova and Agahnim and sets out to encourage the conflict between the various races of Hyrule. Vaati promises to aid Twinrova and Agahnim so long as the Darknut Legion was given control of Hyrule Castle after the Kingdom had been destroyed. Twinrova reluctantly agrees and deems one city a fair trade for the aid of the Darknut Legion. When the Gerudo succeed in massacring Hyrule Prime and killing Princess Mahrala Zelda III, they are immediately ordered to withdraw as Darknut forces take control of the city. Vaati attempts to locate the Triforce within the Temple of Time with the help of Agahnim, but both fail.

Soon after their occupation, an army of Sheikah lead by Impa frees the Hylian soldiers kept as prisoners within the city and engages in battle with the Darknut forces. During the battle Agahnim swears himself to Majora and begins to transform into an Avatar of Majora, confirming Vaati's suspicions that Majora is involved. Agahnim is captured and executed by Impa, leaving Vaati at the mercy of the Sheikah and Hylians.

In a last ditch effort to escape, Vaati captures Princess Zelda IV as a hostage and escapes into the Gerudo Desert where he fled to the Cathedral of Ontheon. There Vaati convinces Zalunbar to maintain a defensive stance. Throughout the remainder of the Gerudo Wars Vaati remains in Ontheon with Princess Zelda as his prisoner until a combined Hylian-Goron army under command of General Kazakk and Darunia arrives and invades the capital. Ontheon is ransacked, but the nearly transfigured Vaati's powers are able to hold the invaders at bay.

However, Kazakk and Darunia work with the Gerudo traitor Nabooru and the Darknut Senturon, who was killed by Vaati but resurrected by the Fairies of Tarm, and are able to free the High Priestess Yaraxonal that Vaati had sealed millennia earlier. In her wrath she kills the Minish sorcerer that Vaati had infected. Trapped on all sides inside Ontheon, Vaati assembles into a larger creature and attempts to fight off the invaders but is eventually slain by Yaraxonal.