The Trials of Time - Introduction and Episode 1

Hey, all! 

Some of you may know that I enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons, and that I also like the Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time. Playing through the game, I realised it would make a fun D&D campaign! So I started one, with 4 new friends who have never played the game before. It's been going smoothly, and I figured it would be a good idea to write down each session we play as a little story, for you guys to read! Note, it will give SPOILERS for Ocarina of Time! Now, I don't follow the game to the letter, and play loose with the rules, as well!


The world started off in a dark, dangerous chaos. Out of this primordial state, three goddesses works together to create a new world, in which a balance between their beliefs would be held. 
Din, the goddess of power, with her strong, flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. 
Nayru poured out her wisdom on the land, and gave it the spirit of law. 
Farore, with her rich soul, produced all life forms that would furthermore uphold the law.
Together, these goddesses form the symbol of the Triforce, representing power, wisdom and courage. 
Now, the Triforce rests in the Chamber of the Sages, a realm that exists outside of time, space and law. However, its balance is fragile. Should someone with darkness in their should touch the Triforce, it will split into its three parts, find three hosts, and the land will certainly fall to darkness... 

The adventure starts a century after a violent war divided the land of Hyrule into different kingdoms - the Hylians keep general order, yet the Kokiri, Goron and Zora tribes keep laws of their own as well. However, one tribe, the Gerudo, have their own intentions. 

Every century, one man is born to the Gerudo tribe. This group of fierce woman thieves honour this man as their leader, as the King of Thieves. However, this new leader, Ganondorf, was born with a darkness in his heart that was apparent from the moment he came into the world... 

EPISODE 1 - THE TRIFORCE 
The sun was setting on Hyrule castle town, bustling with life as the celebration of the young princess's 9th birthday was proceeding. Hylians of all ages danced around the well-lit fountain towering in the centre of the main square, to music played by young musicians favoured by the princess. The princess herself, Zelda, stood on a path leading to her family's castle, anxious to see a friend of hers return, a young Kokiri boy named Link. 

She turned her attention to a small child that looked a lot like her friend - a small Kokiri with a happy soul and crooked glasses, dancing close to the musicians, and admiring everything he could. It was fairly unusual to see any Kokiri outside of their village, and this intrigued her. 

Soon after, her father joined her at her side. The King of Hyrule was generally beloved by all, kind and wise. He gently placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder, watching the celebrations with her. 

However, the mood soon started changing - the sky became dark all at once. Even the violin player could no longer see the bow in his hand. From the sky, a single golden triangle descended, landing in the fountain and hovering for a moment, before a strong wind swept through the town, like a loud whisper. 

Only the well-trained could see a flash of light as a dark, armoured figure took the king away from his spot. 

The light slowly came back, along with a general sense of fear and panic. One shopowner, and older woman, started screaming, 
"The end of the world is nigh! War will be upon us soon again!"

It was odd that the guards took her away so quickly. 

In only a few minutes, most townsfolk were back in their homes, leaving behind the ghost of a party. Only a few individuals remained. 

The young Kokiri, too curious to move. 

A tall Hylian with a graceful stance and white hair, holding his violin preciously. 

A Gerudo woman who had decided to hide in the shadows. 

And a young girl wearing a set of outdated Sheikah gear. 

The princess sighed as she watched the four remaining townsfolk. Most were quite outlandish, but they all had something in common - none of them had moved, and all looked ready to face whatever it was that had threatened them. 

She walked towards the young man with the violin, recognising him as one who used to be a soldier for her father's army. He was always quite protective of her as a child. 

"You didn't leave..." she observed. 

"There was no reason to, your grace. If one runs at the sight of darkness..."

"Yes, I know the phrase. But enough with the formalities," she said, turning her attention to the others. "I would like you all to follow me, I have something to ask of you. You have five minutes to gather your belongings." 

The princess, although young, was authoritative, and clearly wise. The young Kokiri walked towards the violin player, noticing his unusual comfort in the situation. "My name is Lulu", he said by means of a conversation starter, looking around. "What what that?! It got so dark and then so windy and the shiny triangle fell in the water and now the princess needs our help?!" 

The man chuckled at the childish enthusiasm this Lulu portrayed. "I'm Jem, and yes, I believe things are about to change for us." 

Jem glanced over at the other people who had stayed. The Gerudo woman seemed to be walking in an out of abandoned houses and shops, filling her pockets with findings. The other girl, he thought he recognised as one of the Sheikah who had left years ago, but he was unsure. 

The young Sheikh seemed to be observing one of the chickens that could be found scattered around the town. Soon enough, many more chickens started appearing, seemingly trying to attack the young girl. Trying to fend them off, it was difficult to understand what was happening. 

Lulu tried helping by throwing stones at them, to no avail. Only Jem and the Gerudo managed to stop the attack, grilling two of these chickens in the process. 

"Uh do chickens always do that?" Lulu asked. "I'm new around here and that was scary but you made fire!" he looked up a Jem with wide eyes. He quickly turned his attention to the Sheikah who had challenged the chickens. "Are you ok? What's your name? You need a hug..." he said as he reached out to hug the young girl. She moved away easily. "You can call me Shadow", she said from behind her mask, picking feathers from her hair. "Don't we need to go join the princess now?"

"Oh yeah!" Lulu exclaimed, almost skipping towards the castle. The others followed close behind, not wanting the young Kokiri do do anything that could harm him. 

The princess smiled as the four people who approached her. "Thank you for meeting with me. There is something I would like to show you."

She lead them to the Temple that stood high up on a hill to the East of the village. Soon they were gathered around a pedestal within the temple, which was adorned by a single green gem, floating above a small crevice. Two similar holes were aligned next to it, devoid of their respective gems. 

"If you are here," the princess, Zelda, started, "It is because the Hero has fallen. Link was a friend of mine and... he must have passed." In her palm rested the triangle that had fallen from the sky. "As I suspected, he was the host of the Triforce of Courage... It is now separate, and the threat to Hyrule is more relevant than ever."

"I'm sorry for your loss..." Jem looked to Zelda "but I must ask, what do you mean by threat?"

"I... I have a feeling. My father was speaking to a Gerudo man yesterday, who felt dark. This evening, I had a dream that storm clouds were descending over Hyrule. I have reason to believe that this man is the dark clouds from my dreams. After speaking to this man, my father wasn't himself. I think he wants the Triforce," she said, looking at the triangle in her palm. 

At this, the Gerudo looked up. "So, what would you like us to do?". 

"Well... I would like you to find the two missing stones to open the Door to the Chamber of the Sages. I would like to hide the Triforce there, to protect it from Ganondorf - the man I told you about."

"The green one is pretty!" exclaimed Lulu. "Where do we find these?"

Zelda pointed to the distance. "They are likely near the gods of each of the Kingdoms. Link told me he found the green one in the Deku Tree... The others must be in places of importance as well."

The four companions looked at each other uneasily. Jem looked at the princess.

"If we agree to go on this quest, will it help me find my brother?" he asked, his hope obvious. 

"I don't see why not" Zelda replied. 

"Then I accept this quest. For him". He said, turning to the others "I must take some time for myself now, just a few minutes. Please consider the quest as well, it sounds like this journey needs as many people as possible."

Jem quickly left the temple, leaving the others to consider their options. 

It wasn't long before they all agreed. They would help protect the Triforce.


So that's the introduction to our campaign! We did play through two other sessions that I will be writing up in the next few days, so if you're interested make sure to subscribe to my blog and check back from time to time! 

Stay bookish!