River Zora (Total War)



The River Zora, commonly known as Zola, are a playable faction in Hyrule Total War.

Description
Nicknamed Zola by many in Hyrule, the River Zora are believed to be the ancient ancestors of the modern and civilized Zora. The Zora often consider this claim a hostile insult, though there may be truth in the matter. River Zora may not be civilized and may appear monstrous, though their predatory nature betrays their cunning and tactical skill. River Zora are infamous for hit and run attacks against superior forces, usually by springing from bodies of water, dealing a blow, and then quickly retreating into the water only to surface elsewhere. While they do have their own language and are able to communicate, they seem to have no interests outside of pillaging, raping, and destroying the inhabitants of villages they come across.

Age of Myth
The River Zora originated from a world outside Hyrule. In the past, they came to worship the Druthulidi Bellum and became one of its most favoured servant races, second only to the Parella.

The River Zora arrived in Hyrule at the same time as Bellum and the other Druthulidi. They and their allies largely kept a low profile during the Druthulidi conflicts.

In Hyrule, Bellum and the Parella created an offshot of the River Zora that would eventually come to be called the Zora Dominion. They were considered Bellum's favourites until they betrayed their master to worship the Goddesses.

When the Goddesses purged Hyrule, the River Zora were mostly unaffected in the ocean depths.

Ancient Age
Around 5000 BG Bellum summoned the Parella and River Zora through portals from other worlds and instigated a confict between three advanced empires in the Great Sea: the Lokomo, the Oshus Empire, and the Cobble Kingdom. It provided all three sides with military and economic aid, until both the Lokomo and Oshus Empire rejected any further help. The Cobble Kingdom took full advantage of Bellum's aid and dominated most of the land and sea north of Hyrule. Eventually King Oshus unleashed the robotic Phantom Army, in the process driving away Bellum's forces and destroying all three empires. The River Zora headed south to the rivers of continental Hyrule, making their living as bandits and pillagers. One group, later known as the Storm Zora, emigrated further to the Sea of Storms in the far southeast, settled on the seabed and isolated themselves from the rest of the world.

Gerudo Wars
In 100 AG, the Zola Princess Sokuuf receives signals from the Parella Jelyf of her incoming arrival on Hyrule. Sokuuf gathers a River Zora army and plants a mole inside the Zora Dominion to prepare for the arrival.

Jelyf and her Twili exit the Mirror of Twilight and rendezvous with the River Zora on the bank of the Zora River, near Domain Prime. Jelyf explains to Sokuuf her plan: she only wants the Twili to serve as a distraction so the River Zora could plant Sols all over the Zora's Domain and detonate them to defeat the traitors to their dark god. Events later pass exactly according to the plan, and after the Zora kill General Onox the River Zora detonate the Sols, demolishing Domain Prime, and abandon their Twili allies.