Gorons

The **Gorons** are a playable faction in *Hyrule: Total War*.

## Description

A proud and powerful race, the Gorons are composed of mineral and rock rather than flesh and bone. Native to the Death Mountain range, their deadly and harsh homeland has molded them into a strong people. Gorons prefer things simple and easy, and are content to just live a relaxed and peaceful life. Despite this, Gorons love to fight under honorable pretense. Wrestling and fist fights are all common forms of recreation in their society. Even though they are not warlike, this interest in combat has aided the Gorons well in their past, most notably when the Zora Dominion attempted to invade and annex Death Mountain for its valuable gems and resources. The Gorons drove the Zora out in a bloody skirmish, and let the races of Hyrule know that fighting a war with the Gorons is a costly mistake. In battle the Gorons embody power. Most of their soldiers are very strong in a fist fight, and even stronger if they have a weapon in hand. They are also well armored, and taking down a Goron is difficult unless they are outnumbered. Their bulky size and relaxed nature has left them fewer in number and slow on foot though, so faster armies can easily run circles around an unprepared Goron force. Despite their lethargy, no one will deny the power of a well placed Goron punch to the face.

## History

### Ancient Age

The Gorons originated on Death Mountain along with many other races: the Volvagians, the Lizalfos, the Dodongos, the Helmasaurs and others. For many ages Death Mountain was a constant war zone between these races. During this age, a number of Gorons emigrated from Death Mountain to explore and colonize distant lands. Most of these colonies are never heard of again, except for the Gorons of Rolling Ridge, who settled in the Rolling Ridge in eastern Hyrule, and the Lost Gorons of the eastern Great Sea.

In 5000 BG, Dakkon, King of the Volvagians, became Maphaeus' successor as Sage of Fire. With his new powers, Dakkon killed the Goron king Dalagra, enslaved the Gorons and united Death Mountain under the Volvagian Empire, driving the Lizalfos and the Helmasaurs down south.

For many years, the Gorons keep trying to warn their neighbours, the Kingdom of Hyrule of Dakkon's treachery, but their warnings fall on deaf ears.

### Rise of Ganon

In 0 AG, King Ganon of the Moblins marches an army on Death Mountain on his quest to claim the holy Triforce. Taking over the Fire Temple, Ganon quickly convinces Dakkon to side with him and order his forces to allow the Moblins passage into the Fire Temple. When Darunia and the Gorons under his command reject the order Dakkon attacks and bites Darunia, poisoning him.

Soon after Princess Nylin Zelda I arrives on Death Mountain with her armies and orchestrates an alliance with the Gorons, who accept on the condition that Zelda makes Darunia the next Sage of Fire. Dakkon attempts to defend the Fire Temple but is injured by Darunia in battle. With many of his fellow Volvagians slain and injured, Dakkon flees Death Mountain across Hyrule and into the Gerudo Desert. Darunia dies after the battle, but as promised by Zelda, he becomes Sage of Fire, and the Gorons are freed and left to take control of Death Mountain.

### Gerudo Wars

In 100 AG, when the Zora Dominion threaten to invade Death Mountain, Darunia plans to lure them to the Dodongo's Cavern in order to show the Dodongos of this new threat and force them into an alliance. The Zora fall into the trap, and assaults Dodongo's Cavern, but the Gorons close in and help the Dodongos defeat the Zora, before Darunia proposes an alliance to King Dodongo. King Dodongo accepts, and the two races set up a defensive network along the mountain canyons.

King Farkos of the Zora eventually gives the order to march into Goron territory, and his forces clash with the Gorons and the Dodongos. During the battle King Dodongo is slain, but Darunia is still able to confront and challenge King Farkos to a duel. Despite having to fight on foot against King Farkos and his battlecrab mount, Darunia ultimately dismounts the Zora king and crushes his skull with a warhammer, bringing an end to the Zora invasion of Death Mountain.

Darunia then decides to launch an invasion of the Zora Dominion in order to end their threat once and for all. However, the Gorons only find the smoking ruins of Domain Prime and countless Zora and Twili corpses where the Zora capital has been. Darunia tells King Farkos' daughter Princess Ruto of her father's defeat and death before turning back to Death Mountain.

With Death Mountain's safety assured, Darunia decides it's the time for the Gorons to pay their debt with the Hylians when they were freed from slavery by Princess Zelda I a century earlier. The Gorons follow the Hylians, who are marching west to free the young Princess Oraiya Zelda IV from Vaati, finally catching up with them at Ontheon, capital of the Darknut Legion where Vaati hides. The Hylian general Kazakk wishes the Gorons had come to their aid two years past when Hyrule Castle was attacked by Ganondorf, but Darunia reminds Kazakk to be thankful that the Gorons decided to show up at all.

With the aid of the Gorons the Hylians are able to defeat the Darknut Legion and help the newly-freed Sage of Spirits Yaraxonal to kill Vaati, drawing the Gerudo Wars to a close.

### Second Golden Age

The Gorons enjoy a very brief time of peace until 115 AG, when a blizzard starts ravaging Death Mountain. The blizzard lasts for over ten years and drives the Gorons into a slow decline.

## Language

The Gorons speak a language known as Goronian.

## Territory

### Starting Regions

* Death Mountain Prime
* Death Mountain Peak
* Death Mountain Ridge
* Goronon Spire

### Rebel Regions

* Mouth of the Mountains
* Death Mountain Major
* Death Mountain Minor

## Features

### Strengths, Weaknesses and Abilities

* **Rock Bodies**: The Gorons are composed of rock and mineral rather than flesh. As such they are much more durable in combat compared to other races.
* **Masters of Siege**: The Gorons deploy the best siege weaponry in all of Hyrule.
* **Instinctual Miners**: The Gorons have a long tradition of mining ores and minerals from the Death Mountain Range, and as such their mines yield a higher income in the campaign than those of other empires.
* **Heat Seekers**: The Gorons require warm temperatures to live, as such they suffer massive penalties when fighting in snow.

### Campaign

* Faction Leader: Darunia
* Goals:
	+ Short Campaign: hold 20 regions, including Domain Prime (5 turns)
	+ Long Campaign: hold 30 regions, including Domain Prime (5 turns)

## Units

### Standard

* Guardians
* Berserkers
* Bomb Throwers
* Tribal Monks
* Dodongos
* Miners
* Ruby Guard
* Sumo
* Rams
* Fire Warriors

### Siege Weaponry

* Powder Keg Launcher
* Flame Cannon

### Special

* Flare Dancers
* Dodongo War Wagons

### Command

* Drummer
* Lead Brother
* Patriarch

### Agents

* Envoy
* Cleric
* Retailer

### Heroes

* Darunia
* Dangoro
* King Dodongo
* Biggoron

## Tech Tree

The Gorons also have a linear Techtree, though unlike the Hylians and Gerudo some of their structures and units have prerequisite requirements or multiple buildings needed in order to function. Goron buildings have only minor upgrades, allowing a player to focus on building specific structures rather than improving those they already have.

### Hamlet

* **Rock Farms**: Gorons consume mineral rather than meat or plant and are known for creating rock farms within their territory.
* **Battle Chambers**: Allows Gorons to practice fighting each other, preparing them for combat and allowing you to deploy basic Goron soldiers.
* **Dodongo Den**: Once Dodongos have been domesticated the Dodongo Den can be built, allowing for the reptilian creatures to nest within your settlements. Allows the training of Dodongo units.
* **Mountain Mine**: Gorons are famous for their mining capabilities, and these dedicated structures can greatly increase the wealth of a settlement provided the needed resources are there.
* **Bazaar**: A basic shop that can be set up early on, the Bazaar sells any extra supplies or items produced by its host settlement.

### Village

* **Quarried Rock Farms**: Larger sections of land are cut out in the Goron's search for consumable minerals.
* **Bomb Flower Farm:** Gorons can set aside some land for the growth of Bomb Flowers, allowing them to arm Bomb Throwers with explosive weaponry.
* **Battle Chambers - Molten Pits**: By flooding the Battle Chambers with molten lava, Gorons can be encouraged to go Berserk during their training.
* **Battle Chambers - Tribal Quarters**: Setting aside a quiet and secluded room in the Battle Chambers allows Goron Monks to train in peace and silence.
* **Expanded Mountain Mines**: Further digging into the earth reveals more minerals for the Goron economy, assuming those minerals are there.
* **Arms Dealer**: The Arms Dealer sells Goron armor and weaponry to mercenaries and other independent forces, increasing your rupee coffers. Requires a Bazaar to have been built.

### Town

* **Trenched Rock Farms:** Larger sections of land are cut out in the Goron's search for consumable minerals.
* **Dodongo Arena**: Gorons flock to bet on and watch the reptilian dodongos battle to the death in these dedicated arenas, increasing the happiness of your citizens.

### Large Town

* **Subterranean Rock Farms**: By essentially mining the earth for food, the Gorons can provide plenty of minerals for their people to consume.
* **Explosive Foundry**: Expanding Bomb Flower Farms into a full fledged armory allows the Gorons to produce all manner of explosive siege weaponry. Requires an Armor Crafter to have been built.
* **Goron Armor Crafters**: Armor Crafters can create powerful suits of metal armors for Goron Warriors, allowing for the training of the Goron's heaviest units.
* **Tournament Arena**: Goron Warriors compete in massive battles for fame and glory. Happiness amongst citizens is increased and the rank of all Goron melee units trained in this settlement.

### City

* **Big Armor Crafters**: Better Armor production allows the Gorons to field better Goron units for battle.
* **Refinery:** The Refinery can purify and perfect the metals used in Goron armor. Allows Goron units to be trained at their first upgrade level. Requires a Big Armor Crafter to have been built.
* **Deep Mine:** By digging into the darkest parts of the Earth, the Gorons can potentially uncover the richest veins of minerals for their people.

### Large City

* **Biggoron Armor Crafters:** Using the legendary techniques of Biggoron, the Gorons can field their best and most powerful soldiers.
* **Biggoron Refinery**: Applying Biggoron's techniques to the refining process can create the perfect metals used for Goron armor. Allows Goron units to be trained at their second upgrade level.

## Trivia

* Unlike the great majority of lifeforms on Hyrule, which are attributed to Farore, and Sulkaris acting on her will, the creation of the Gorons is strongly linked to Din and Maphaeus, which may explain their different biological makeup.
* The Gorons' faction symbol is that of the Goron Ruby, the Spiritual Stone of Fire from *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time*.