When a young adult goes to sleep on the eve of their eighteenth birthday, they awaken to find themselves in a different world -- one they recognise as the setting of The Legend of Hylore, one of the favourite games of their childhood. They see the mark of Sword, Crown and Harp on their right hand, signifying that they have become the Hero of Legend, destined to save the fantasy world.
But as they head out of the inn, they will come to realise that this is no mere dream. And that things are not as simple as collecting the Goddess' artifacts -- Vendra's Harp of Love, Marza's Sword of Courage, and Mirva's Crown of Wisdom -- and defeating the evil sorceress to save the prince. There are no saves, there is no health bar. This world is very real, very complex, and very dangerous; and this Hero may not be up to the task of solving its problems.
Is the sorceress even a threat, or is it something else that threatens the land? Is the prince really a good guy? Does the Hero even care, or do they only want a way home?
Before we begin, let's review the main races inhabiting the land:
Hylorean Races
(These peoples dwell in relative harmony across the Kingdom of Hylore and its smaller neighbours. many keep to separate communities, but they mix in big cities like the capital, Castella; and the game's starting point, the last free city of Valora.)
- Alfar: Singular Alf. Similar to Homs, but have pointed ears and can use magic. Considered the chosen of the Three Goddesses.
- Delvers: Dwarves, basically, though not as heavyset as normal in Western media.
- Homs: Hylorean humans.
- Kojin: Anthro foxes based on kitsune. The more tails they have, the more powerful their magic.
- Lappi: Gijinka rabbits, who in the original game were exclusively female, scantily-clad, and found in bars, casinos and the like. Males do exist, however.
- Lycons: Large anthro wolves. Cannot use magic, but can assume a feral wolf form at will and draw power from the Moon.
- Nekomi: Stereotypical cat gijinka, overly fond of cat puns and may or may not have verbal tics, nya/meow!
- Tigris: Militant tigertaurs. Most physically powerful, but no magic.
(Note that while Homs, Lycons and Tigris cannot cast spells, they can use magical items.)
Underworld Races
(Generally hostile to Hyloreans and vice versa. They came from a vast subterranean system of tunnels, caves and artificial chambers, hence the name. They can now be found lurking on the surface as well, though.)
- Bigons: 8-10 foot tall ogres with horns, generally found bossing Morks around.
- Dark Kojin: A society of evil fox anthros bent on ruling everyone else.
- Dark Lappi: Gijinka rabbits, but they're leather-clad slavers instead of Playboy bunnies.
- Jakkari: Anthro jackals extremely skilled with the use of bow and arrows. In the original game, you got the Enchanted Bow from them. One of two common "minion" races.
- Morks: Your typical orc-like minions -- big, muscular, grey-skinned, fanged, and red-eyed humanoids. The only monster race unable to use magic.
- Succubi: Renamed "DemonGirls" in the English release, these are end-level monsters that are completely uncensored in this reality!
- Vampires: Hylore's vampires can turn into fire-breathing bat anthros! ...And apparently other creatures not showcased in the game.
Other minor races, monsters and fantastic creatures might be encountered.
The Hero is a Half-Alf, a rare cross of Alf and Hom; which, for practical purposes, means they have slightly pointed ears and can use a fair amount of magic, though not as powerful as a full-blooded Alf. However, unlike the game which only had a few transformations via items for specific purposes (e.g. turning into a mermaid to navigate the sunken city dungeon), transformations shall be found to be far more varied... and long-lasting.
So, what is the Hero's starting gender? And their initial reaction upon awakening in a room in a strange inn, finding that once-inspiring mark on their hand?