Vaati (Total War)

This article refers to the Minish that was possessed by the Druthulidi who assumed his name. Vaati is a Minish sorcerer possessed by a Druthulidi, who assumes his name.

Characteristics
Millennia of being possessed by a Druthulidi has drastically changed Vaati to the point he no longer resembles a Minish at all. He was enlarged to the size of a Hylian, with deathly pale skin, white hair and unnatural red eyes.

He wears a purple tunic and black cloak with gold trim, as well as armoured boots, shoulder pads and gauntlets. Attached to a long purple hat is the Minish Crown, a holy Picori relic that he stole before moving on to conquer Hyrule.

Powers and Abilities
Vaati is capable of performing select magical feats, such as petrification (something of a signature skill). He stole Yaraxonal's control over the wind when he imprisoned her below Ontheon, and is capable of flight and expelling gusts of air to repel attackers.

History


Ancient Age
Vaati was once a young Minish sorcerer under the tutoring of Ezlo Mazaal. He had always been fascinated with magic and the allure of power, which made him the perfect candidate to become the host of an ancient demon. He was in fact the first person encountered one of the few Druthulidi survivors of the war between them and the powerful Majora countless years ago. He found it just as it was awakening from its slumber, and it immediately and unsuspectingly entered his body.

Slowly, the demon would overtake his mind, making him a much more vain and egotistical person, eventually leading his master's side to pursue what he believed were his own ends. As the Druthulidi's body grew, Vaati's changed too, growing into the size of an adult Hylian to make him look like a much more formidable sorcerer. Finally, it assumed his identity and the two minds merged into one. Vaati was completely unaware of the possession, believing that all of his actions are his own and never questioning where his memories of the Age of Myth even originated from.

Displaying his abilities to the Darknut deity Zalunbar, Vaati was able to convince him to form an alliance against the Wind Tribe of the east. In return, Vaati promised to make Zalunbar truly immortal with the powers of the Wind Tribe, so long as he served him. Vaati would never make himself known to the Darknut people while he acted as the de-facto ruler of the Legion, to give the illusion that Zalunbar was indeed their all-powerful leader. The only one to discover Vaati's true nature as a demon and his absurd control over her people was the Sage Yaraxonal, who was quickly imprisoned and sealed beneath the Cathedral of Ontheon by Vaati, Zalunbar and Senturon, her own husband, before she could do anything. The sorcerer then distributed her Sage powers between himself and Senturon, granting the Black Knight immortality whilst securing the title of Sage of Winds for himself.Zalunbar then sent Senturon and a Darknut army alongside Vaati in 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 Akkalans, Vaati and his armies of Darknuts were halted long enough for Siroc and the last of the Wind Tribe to escape. The sorcerer would inform Gustaf that he'd remember that his people opposed him that day.

As he told Senturon to leave, the Black Knight turned against him, enraged by how his people were used like pawns by Vaati, but the sorcerer easily and brutally murdered him, then left with the rest of the Darknuts. The Legion was furious with their loss, but Vaati was unfazed and simply began to seek alternate sources of power, avoiding the Hylians to not make 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.Of course this would not come to pass, as he quickly discovered the involvment of other two Druthulidi: Demise and Dethl. This made him suspect this whole war had been put in motion by Majora, still seeking to uphold his end of the bargain with the First Sages despite their refusal to uphold theirs. He would tell Zalunbar to leave the moment Hyrule Castle Town falls, as things had gotten too suspicious to keep pushing their luck. He reassured his servant that they would get the Triforce eventually.

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 agree and deem one city a fair trade for the aid of the Darknut Legion. When the Gerudo succeed in massacring Gundrumether and killing Princess Mahrala Zelda III, Vaati orders them to retreat so Onan and his Darknut forces take control of the city, much to the annoyance of the Gerudo King Ganondorf. Vaati attempts to locate the Triforce within the Temple of Time with the help of Agahnim, but both fail.

A few months after the sack of Hyrule Castle Town, the Sage of Shadows Impa is captured by the Darknuts and thrown into a newly-constructed arena, where, according to Darknut customs, she'll be given a Darknut weapon and put against Darknut warriors while Vaati, Agahnim and Onan watch the fight from VIP seats. After Impa defeats all three challengers, Agahnim's daughter, the young Princess Oraiya Zelda IV, appears and begs him to stop the war and tell the Darknuts to leave. When Agahnim says it's impossible, Zelda declares she no longer recognises her father, while the Sheikah and the imprisoned Hylian garrison openly revolt against the Darknuts.

After Agahnim is killed by Impa, Vaati orders Onan and the entire Darknut garrison to retreat west. In a last ditch effort to escape, Vaati captures Princess Oraiya Zelda IV as a hostage before fleeing back to Ontheon. There Vaati convinces Zalunbar to maintain a defensive stance.

Onan then reports to Vaati that he saw Agahnim growing two horns before his death. Vaati is terrified, realising that his suspicions about Majora's involvement were true after all. Majora then manifests before Vaati, laughing madly and repeatedly declaring that the mindless worship of idols, Vaati himself included, will stop in Hyrule, while the horrified Vaati can do nothing but cower. Just as Majora leaves Vaati alone, a combined Hylian-Goron army under the command of General Kazakk and Darunia arrives and invades the capital.

Amidst the chaos of the battle, the Black Knight Senturon, whom Vaati killed three millennia ago but was resurrected by the Fairies of Tarm without his knowledge, brings the Gerudo traitor Nabooru along with Link and Lana, two children working for Hylia, to the underground chamber where Vaati sealed the dissident Yaraxonal so long ago.

Yaraxonal is freed from her seal by the Gerudo traitor Nabooru and her husband Senturon. With the help of Darunia, she kills Vaati's Minish host, forcing the Druthulidi to transfigure into its true, monstrous form.

Trivia

 * Vaati is the second major recurring antagonist in Hyrule Total War, the first being Sulkaris, the third being Majora, the fourth being Veran and the fifth being Mido.
 * He is also the fourth primary antagonist, the first being Sulkaris, the second being Ganon, the third being Midna, the fourth being Vaati and the fifth being Agahnim.