Five items from Ocarina of Time you could see during journey to a shining temple.
Light Arrow: Link’s arrows are empowered with the goddesses’ light after he frees all seven sacred sages. The arrows allow Link to dispel magical barriers and strike lethal blows against Ganondorf. As an added bonus, monsters slain by light arrows almost always drop a bunch of rupees. Mechanically it is a nice way to provide the player more rupees in the endgame, but I also think that the hero of time being able to abuse the sacred power for personal gain is an interesting unspoken complication to the narrative.
From atop the temple of the triple goddess, a ceaseless light shines out onto the lands of the people. Even during the darkest night, the lands of the people are held in a twilight by the presence of the sacred light. The light shines from the crystal head of a spear that was once wielded by the greatest evil to ever rule over the people. The Hero of Song, the greatest of all the people’s heroes, defeated the great evil by securing three blessings from the three-that-are-one. Only after the hero received all three blessings were they able to defeat the great evil. Modern incarnations of the Hero’s Song tell that the hero slew the evil with their own spear and then triumphantly sang the three blessings into the once accursed weapon. Placing the newly hallowed spear atop the greatest temple on the highest rise so that its light might act as a ward against suffering for the people and their lands. The hero than left the lands of the people to pursue the corrupting force of evil in far off lands and have many great adventures. Recently rediscovered verses written down long ago say the hero defeated the great evil, but was reluctant to partake in the people’s revelry when they learned of the victory. The last act of the hero was to sing a mighty barrier around the spear's resting place that could withstand almost any force. The effort robbed the hero of their voice and led them to a life of solitude hidden away from the people.
Fairy Ocarina: A simply instrument given to a child. The fairy ocarina is Link’s first instrument, received in his childhood. It is replaced by the Ocarina of Time, the magical instrument destined to be carried by the Hero of Time. The magical ocarina that is of paramount important to the fate of all, is literally lobed somewhat near the soon to be Hero of Time. It actually lands in a moat.
In the lands of the people songs can almost always be heard drifting through the air. All children in the lands learn to play some sort of instrument as well as singing and dancing. Music is a core part of the people’s culture and most of their stories and legends speak of heroes that would never be caught without an instrument. Children are also taught the secret song code of the people. The people use this code to communicate quickly over long distances and discreetly in the presence of outsiders. With a recent influx of outsiders, many requests have been made of the people to teach the song code to those not of the people. All such requests have been harshly denied and those making the requests have been expelled from the land of the people.
Ocarina of Time: The magical instrument destined to assist the Hero of Time save all the realms from destruction at the hand of evil. Using various songs, Link can travel through space, call his trusty steed, and control the weather. The raw power of this artifact is hidden beneath its relatively mundane appearance. As an interesting game design note, the creators of the game required to player to learn to play some tunes on the ocarina, but the ocarina itself is able to play a wide variety of notes. The player can actually learn to play music on Link’s ocarina in the game.
The people’s greatest hero vanquished a great threat to their land ensuring the people could live in harmony for ages. The trials and terrors of the hero’s journey left them reclusive and scarred. They lived apart from the people and spent their final years living as a hermit only appearing to trade for what they could not make or harvest themself. It is rumored that the hero left their many treasures, including the Flute of the Spirits, in a temple magically shrouded from discovery. As tales of the hero’s exploits, wealth, and final fate spread, adventurers arrive in the lands of the people to hunt for the treasures. The people warn all that come to avoid such a journey as few who undertake it ever return, and never without suffering a terrible fate.
Hookshot: The basic grappling hook that Link uses in his travels. The hookshot is a blend of utility item and weapon, so I tried to make a useful item that was also dangerous at the same time.
The Ouroboros Industries Mark 1.1 Retractable Harpoon Gun is a perfect tool for adventurers operating in isolated regions. The small canister can be recharged with a pump built into the gun’s stock, the winch accommodates most types of light rope, and replacement harpoons can be fashioned as easily as arrows. The Mark 1.1’s small canister limits the distance the harpoon can be thrown so the spool is only as large as to hold a reasonable amount of rope. Over the years, the Ouroboros Industries’ Mark 1.1 harpoon gun has become a ubiquitous sight in the hands of adventurers and explorers around the world.
Longshot: The longshot has twice the range of the hookshot allowing Link to navigate to areas that were once out of his reach. In the original release of the game, Link must defeat his own dark reflection in the water temple to obtain the longshot. I always love games that allow the player to navigate the environment as freely as possible. Super Metroid and Ocarina of Time are the two games that come to my mind as being the first to really push the boundaries of player movement.
Marrow Arms, recently released their X-series retractable harpoon launcher. The similarities between the Mark 1.1 and the X-series harpoon guns did not go unnoticed. Marrow Arms and Ouroboros Industries were founded at the same time by two embittered siblings after an argument led to a total falling out. The two companies often release eerily similar products that many in the know believe to be evidence of extended corporate espionage efforts. The X-series harpoon gun boasts a considerable increase in maximum range but the increase in power requires independent recharging of the canister and the use of proprietary harpoons.
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Life is getting crazy around the holidays and I definitely slept on this post. This is the first post where the idea of upgrades hopefully comes across clearly. The added details on the second ocarina and the larger canister and spool on the second harpoon gun hopefully read as improved versions of the items.
Please use my work however you like in your personal life, but do not profit off my efforts without my consent.
December may be a joyous month for some, but it can be an extremely difficult month for many people. With that in mind, make sure you are excellent to everyone.
-Ceph
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