Kakariko (Total War)

Kakariko is a Hylian town, located east of Hyrule Prime, near the border with the Gorons in a region known as Kakariko Gorge. It is the location of the Shadow Temple, an ancient Sheikah prison complex built under the town's graveyard.

History
Kakariko was originally built by the Ancient Hylians. Over the centuries it had been abandoned and rebuilt several times, often serving as a trade town and an export centre for minerals and stone mined from the Death Mountain Range. It also long served as a base of operations for the Sheikah after one of its reconstructions, though it is unknown if they still maintain a strong presence in the city.

Gameplay
Kakariko is very defensible city despite its humble appearance. There are only three ways into the city: fortified gates at the south, west, and north. Armies attacking from the west and south are limited to those two entrances, while armies attacking from Death Mountain to the north and east are limited to the northern gate. The southern entrance through the graveyard is the path of least resistance, though it's also the longest way to Kakariko's plaza. The western gate entrance moves through the heart of the city on its way to the plaza, allowing defenders plenty of places to ambush their attackers en route. The northern entrance is the closest to the plaza, though it's much easier to defend with cavalry and siege weapons that can fire on enemies descending from the mountain pass.

Freeform Campaign
Kakariko begins as a Large Town-level settlement, and is the location of the Shadow Temple (which cannot be seen in the battle map since it's underground) and the Sheikah Headquarters, their Seat of Power. Kakariko starts with trails and a wooden wall.

Kakariko plays an important role for the Sheikah in the Freeform Campaign- As long as Kakariko and Hyrule Prime are controlled by the Kingdom of Hyrule, the Sheikah cannot be defeated in Shadow Stance and new units (Spies, Monks, Truthbearers and Blood Wizards) will periodically spawn for them near Kakariko. When the Sheikah switch to Death Stance, Kakariko falls under their control. In addition, as long as the Sheikah control Kakariko and the Shadow Temple, they can produce Skull Knights and Devoured.

Creator's Notes
''Kakariko has seen many incarnations through the series, from a lively village in ALttP to a humble and creepy town in OoT, to a dusty mining port in Twilight Princess. I opted to try and combine various incarnations. In terms of layout the city sticks as close to the OoT incarnation as possible. Iconic buildings such as the Wind Mill, the Well, that watch tower, and the Graveyard are located roughly where they were in OoT. From ALttP I took residential influence for housing and made the village feel a little more occupied. From Twilight Princess I took the environment and economic role of the city into account. Overall I wanted Kakariko to feel like a really spooky town that acted as a middle man between the Hylian and Goron mining operations and the rest of Hyrule.''