Zelda Universe RPG

Joseph Lightwall is just finishing his shopping when the ever-affable shopkeeper Monroe mentions off-hand that Lord Eldin is looking to get in contact with him. The story hook in place, he heads out immediately for Eldin's office, though his efforts are briefly stymied by illusory door shenanigans. Neither the door nor Eldin are amused by the trickery of Dan Kaze, Joseph's new partner for the mission at hand. It seems that Eldin's cousin, a priest named Lordan, has recently fallen in with the Followers of Wisdom, a creepy sect of cultists who have been aggressively recruiting new members via Glowing Yellow Eyes syndrome. There’s no way to know what Lordan's true angle is, which is why Lightwall and Axel--,er, Dan Kaze need to infiltrate the Followers and gather intel. Eldin warns Lightwall not to trust Dan too much, both because he’s preternaturally powerful with illusion and because he seems to resemble Bloodwind in more ways than one. With that, the mission is finally set to begin.

Lea--, er, Dan, proves to be an amusing ally, entertaining Joseph Lightwall as they head for the church. Lordan greets the pair amicably, and invites them to stay awhile and listen. With nothing better to do, they accept and are promptly preached to about the creation myth and Nayru’s importance in it. After the homily, Lightwall inquires about the Followers of Wisdom, triggering the transition to night. Some quick talking gets Lordan to reveal that he is, in fact, a member of the cult, and has gained some additional powers as a result. He accepts their desires to join at face value, and leads them through a magical doorway to the entrance of a castle, one that he reveals was rebuilt with the help of Bloodwind.  Lordan summons forth a simple training dummy as a test, but since neither of the new recruits can so much as dent the thing, he elects to have them skip the Physical Challenge, and sends them towards an unknown trial in the other direction instead.

Mysterious Robed Figure 618, equipped with non-standard issue glowing green eyes, greets our heroes as their trial begins. Joseph Lightwall and Dan Kaze (got it memorized?) answer some questions, and then promptly get slapped across the face for being caught flatfooted in a potential battle situation. Actually, the MRF 618 uses “Lay on Hands,” exposing the pair to a taste of the power available to the Followers. Dan Kaze immediately goes blind, and Lightwall is given access to a literal rainbow of elemental possibilities. It seems the cult may have discovered a way to circumvent natural affinity gain/ spell use, and 618 sends the two into another room to test that power. Within the room are several ragged fighters in a Mexican standoff, which Lightwall promptly interrupts with a water blast. As he slowly comes to the realization that he is now the Avatar, one group of fighters takes the advantage afforded to them by his meddling and slaughters the other group, before turning on our heroes. They perish quickly and with little effort. 618 returns, informing Lightwall that he’s supposed to be a Follower of Wisdom, not of Power and to try again as the DM makes my Kingdom Hearts joke for me. Joseph retunes his powers as the illusion before them resets, and grants Dan Kaze the power to throw a tree through the wall. After putting a few more points into Wisdom, Lightwall disarms the fighters, and in a stunningly sideways move, creates a table and grapes. The fighters amuse themselves by punching grapes into each other’s mouths, and your sanity meter just dropped two notches after reading that. I give you a hamburger.

618 returns, much more pleased with the new recruits, even returning Dan's sight. However, the lesson is not quite over. It turns out, these Followers really are fanatical in their sense of righteousness. They have no real interest in peace per se, unless it is for their own gain. 618 demonstrates this as he first awes the illusory fighters, then poisons them with wine, and finally decapitates one of them. Whatever else the cult desires, they are not concerned with the well-being of the individual members therein. Joseph, reluctantly, and Dan, enthusiastically, head still further into the Depths of the Light.

In a hallway of chanting monks, Joseph Lightwall and Dan Kaze encounter three magic circles. The first circle grants them the ability to understand the language of the chant. The pair is not comforted by the lyrics in the slightest. The Followers subscribe to a very “Lawful Good”-style of living, and lines about divine judgment make it abundantly clear the fate they foresee for those that don’t fall in line. (Protip: we’re not talking about Nayru’s Love here.) A ghostly robed figure appears, his purpose to swear the new recruits in. Judge Dre--the ghost instructs our heroes about the importance of The Law before inviting them to step into the next circle. Once there, the pair is treated to a new illusion of Hyrule Castle town and a single Poor Man. They realize that they are being tasked to demonstrate a conversion, which they proceed to attempt. Things go swimmingly at first, but with some deft illogic, they manage to convince the man that Nayru is the light. The final circle awaits them.

In it, our heroes are confronted by a sandy gladiatorial arena straight out of a Russell Crowe film. 618 makes his return, as does Lordan. They task Lightwall and Dan to prove their true devotion by killing two chained men who have refused to join the Followers. Dan conjures up an impressive illusory display for the crowd in which the victims are decapitated, but whether they were actually successful in sparing the two men is a secret to everybody. Lightwall and his partner walk forward, and are suddenly surrounded in a darkness that causes Dan to flip out. Their overall gambit seems to be in doubt, but they suddenly reappear in front of the door to the castle, decked out in Follower robes. Lordan invites them to take the Deep Dive, if they’re ready to see why they should believe as he does.

In the home of the Followers at last, Joseph Lightwall and Dan Kaze discover that Ganon's former castle has been converted into a fully functional battle station, replete with army and defenses. Our heroes waste no time in almost completely blowing their cover by heading for the prison first before the school, but a little smooth talking gets them through an awkward situation. In a grittier reproduction of the scene from Mulan where she tries to pass as a manly man, Lightwall somehow finds himself volunteering to chain-whip a prisoner. Dan begins calling him Deathwall, a name that the guards all buy hook, line, and sinker because their combined IQ would make Bandit Bob look like Shakespeare. Some illusion casting later and the guards are eager to please this herculean hero that has entered their unworthy lives. Joseph notices a couple of odd prisoners, and while he tries to covertly assure them he’ll find a way to free them, Maliki overplays a distraction and ends up starting a fight. Lightwall has no choice but to club one of the guards in the head. This does nothing to prevent Maliki from killing the other guard with a massive hammer that the guards entirely failed to take away from him. Dan Kaze pushes blood into the blood so that the unconscious guard can bleed while he bleeds. More illusions later, and somehow our heroes have once again escaped totally botching their stealth mission. Kojima awards both men a C-rank.

Maliki and Herian, the two former prisoners, reveal that there are other important captives behind a steel door. Key fumbling and introductions later, the newly formed party enter the maximum security ward and find Sahasrahla and Moe the Moblin. The keys to the cell don’t work, but that’s nothing a Buster Hammer can’t solve. Sahas—the sage recognizes Dan Kaze immediately and isn’t too pleased to see him. He’s reluctant enough about the illusionist to want to stay in his prison cell, but Lightwall ain’t having none of that. Maliki breaks down the door, though in the end the Sage elects to stay in his cell. The rest head back out and brace themselves for the bluffing streak of a lifetime trying to spring three obviously out of place prisoners from an underground complex. Stay tuned for the second half of the plot of Star Wars: Episode 7.

The game of cat and mouse continues, as Lordan leads our heroes to the training room. Here they find a session about to begin, with guards on one side and prisoners on the other. Among the prisoners are none other than Serra, Alexander, and Irayuka Aetashigo who had previously been forced into cooperation with the Followers at the end of Corruption. Yuka and Charizard are nowhere to be seen. Lordan tasks Joseph Light/Death wall and Dan Kaze with beating submission into the prisoners, since the bedraggled folk are to be newly minted Followers if they survive. Like a classic Bond villain, he promptly takes all the guards with him and leaves the room. Serra and Alexander struggle mightily, but there is no escaping the room. Lightwall puts on an impressive display, playing his role to maximum effect. Irayuka promptly trolls him. Serra and Alexander attempt to fiddle with a broken wall and get zapped, and Dan attempts to become Lightwall. Throughout all of this, a large contingent of Hylian prisoners watches with interest, but like an audience at a David Lynch production, ends up quite confused and reluctant of the plot. Eventually Alexander has a nervous episode and after attempting to do what he does best by attacking the door, which gets him nowhere, he tries attacking Lightwall. Given that he’s outnumbered five to one, this goes about as well as anyone might expect it to.

In the end, they decide to cooperate again, and Lordan is invited back into the room to see the progress being made. He comments briefly on being a little too literal with the term “enlightenment” but accepts what he’s told. Alexander gets antsy again and forgets to play along long enough to feel Lordan's wrath. Joseph Lightwall is instructed to try the same technique on the hapless swordsman, and strangely enough it works. Lightwall learns Subjugate! But Lightwall can’t learn more than four moves! While Joseph tries to figure out which move to swap out, the others are encouraged to try the move on the huddled masses still left in the room. Dan Kaze attempts it, but instead sets off a massive explosion instead. Serra, on the other hand, has no problems learning at all. Lightwall and Lordan exit to discuss something mission related, which leaves Dan Kaze and Co. free reign to instigate shenanigans. The Followers won’t know what hit them.

            Having drawn Joseph Lightwall away from the others, Lordan promises to impart upon our hero a secret mission, though not before bringing him through a dazzlingly massive hall lined with the knowledge of the ages. In a much less aesthetically pleasing side room they meet with a Sith Hologram in the form of Liberac--Lord Entrama. The leader of the Followers is quite mad really, but nevertheless impressed by Lightwall’s courage and fortitude. Unlike Dan Kaze’s cheeky and fun shenanigans, Entrama is more of a fan of the cruel and tragic variety, and has Lordan run full tilt into a closed door, knocking the old man out cold. He then explains that the base’s magic detector has been going haywire, and that he suspects Bloodwind’s knavery to be involved. To this end, he assigns Joseph to go hunting for the infamous mercenary, and teaches our hero a new spell to aid him in this task. Finally, the chatty villain lets slip that while he is the top brass, there’s still one more even above him: Orland. Lightwall is transported back to Dan Kaze who got ditched by the others. Ours heroes converse momentarily with each other and some surfer guards. Lightwall casts a couple of subtle Illusion Breaks on Dan Kaze – suspicious of his partner’s resemblance to Bloodwind – but nothing much comes of it.

            Continuing their trend of nearly blowing their cover, Lightwall and Dan Kaze call Lordan, and ask for permission to enter a forbidden section of the hideout. The old man is immediately suspicious of them, and it takes from extremely quick thinking on the part of heroes to convince him they’re still on the up-and-up. When they arrive at the dungeon, Dan Kaze heads straight through the maze like a rat with a nose for cheese. Joseph is concerned by his partner’s strange behavior, but also by an odd humming that draws them further into the dark heart of the labyrinth. They use some Dance Magic to stomp the ground at the center of the maze, which sends them still further down into the earth. In the deep depths of the dark there is, as Kingdom Hearts taught us, light and a mysterious hooded figure. In this case, they find themselves addressing Orland himself, who is quite baffled by the sudden intrusion of strangers in his most secure sanctum. It also turns out that Dan Kaze -- the guy who looks like Wind and is a master of illusions like Bloodwind -- is, in fact, Bloodwind. Who’d have guessed it?

            The chips finally fall as Bloodwind reveals his purpose in infiltrating the Followers' hideout. While constructing the fortress, they discovered a powerful artifact. The first person to touch it went on a murderous rampage, which lead Orland to lock it away under his personal protection. Bloodwind reveals himself to be involved with higher powers, in this case the Fierce Deity and Majora, though which side he's taken is questionable; he wields artifacts of both. Orland, defeater of General Onox and a former Knight of Light, puts up a strong defense. Amazingly, the two seem evenly matched. They both try to enlist Lightwall’s help in retrieving the artifact, though the Hylian is obviously conflicted. In the end, he agrees to investigate while the two powerful mages d-d-d-d-duel behind him. With magic bolts and beams flying everywhere, it’s only a matter of time before the mirror in the room shatters, revealing a shining suit of armor behind it. Lightwall is the first to touch it and from it feel a tremendous power which he embraces. Suddenly outclassed, Bloodwind attempts to put up a fight anyways but is rocked like a hurricane by the sheer force of light Joseph is able to summon.

            The power of the Fierce Deity is not to be trifled lightly with however. Lightwall quickly finds himself overwhelmed by dark and violent narrative suggestions while the fourth wall steps out for a smoke break. Orland reveals the full extent of his own power by summoning the dark dragon, and outs himself as the killer of Luekke in the process. Even Lightwall’s newfound armor cannot match the fury of a black dragon, and Joseph is forced to beat a hasty retreat. Strangely, an illusion of Dan Kaze appears to guide him forward and lead him to Sahasrahla. Joseph uses the last of the armor’s waning power to blast a hole out of the cavern and escape with the old Sage. Hyrule Castle Town is quite shocked at the explosion of purple flame bursting out of the ground. Later, in Eldin’s office, Joseph Lightwall explains what happened to the best of his ability, and is made an official Knight of Light for his valorous conduct. Sahasrahla takes the armor into his care, Bloodwind reveals himself to be very much alive, and the curtain closes on this crucial turning point in the tale of Hyrule.

            The next day, Joseph Lightwall walks in on Eldin flipping his desk over in anger and frustration. The extent of Orland's betrayal is shocking to him. Sahasrahla, on the other hand, is too old for this and smokes his pipe serenely. Eldin fills our hero in on the plot as it’s been happening above ground, though there’s precious little to say. He hatches a ploy to catch some of the Followers off guard, but more important to him is the fact that Lightwall now knows how to pull off the Glowing Yellow Eyes trick. The Sage reveals that there are high ranking Followers that hide in villages for the sole purpose of controlling people, and Lightwall is assigned the future task of hunting them down Blade Runner style. The armor elicits further conversation about its nature. No one really knows who Fierce Deity is, but they do know now that it and Majora are major players in the events going on around them. They also realize that Bloodwind is, has become, or is possibly possessed by an Interloper. Whatever the case, his motivations for both helping and hindering remain murky at best. Finally, Sahasrahla reveals that he knows a way to infiltrate the world of the Interlopers, mentioning that he has a group in mind for that task. The debrief over, Lightwall heads home for some much needed rest.