Plot of the World of Zelda

BRG - Before Rise of Ganondorf
ARG - After Rise of Ganondorf

~The Creation of the World - 2000 Years Before the Rise of Ganondorf

In the beginning, there was nothing but chaos.  The world did not exist, only darkness, chaos and blackness.  Three Goddesses, Din, Farore and Nayru descended from a distant nebula and began to create the world.  Din cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the Earth and gave spirit of law onto the world.   Farore produced all life forms who would uphold the law.  With their work completed the Goddesses ascended to the heavens.  But they left behind the Triforce, a golden, sacred and holy artifact, whose ancient and mystic powers.  They also left behind the goddess, Hylia.  And so, the Goddesses left this world forever, never to be seen again, and all beings lived peacefully for a millennia.

~The Goddess Hylia - 1000 Years Before the Rise of Ganondorf~

Hylia, the new goddess of this world, was left behind to govern all beings and to protect them and the Triforce.  For many years, this worked, and all races lived together in harmony.  But, the greed of all living beings began to corrupt the peace of the world, and this corruption was given form.  A human, devoted on gaining the Triforce for his own, in order to bring more power to himself, and remake the world in his own evil designs, revolted against the goddess, Hylia with legions of darkness.

The races of the world lived in fear and terror of this evil being, known only as Demise.  Demise ravaged the land, hoping to draw out Hylia and gain control of the Triforce.  Hylia knew this could not continue, so she gathered all Humans and Hylians (Hylians were originally the disciples of Hylia and gained a sliver of her power), who were too weak, young or old to fight, and those who were too afraid onto a rocky outcropping and sent them off into the sky forever.  Then, the remaining Humans, Hylians and all the other races of the world banded together to defeat Demise and sealed him away forever in the deepest reaches of the Earth.  The angry and defeated Demise lay broken and defeated, and from the lowest depths of the world, decried that an incarnation of his hatred would forever haunt the descendants of those who stood against him, including all the races of the future Hyrule, and Hylia herself.

As a final act as a goddess, Hylia knew that people would once more fight for the Triforce, and that Demise would soon return for it.  So, in her capacity and power, Hylia gathered the seven strongest spell-casters in all of the land, and with their help, sealed the Triforce away in the Sacred Realm and alternate world to ours, so that none may get to the Triforce ever again.  After this, Hylia had used all of her power, and renounced her title as a goddess to become a Hylian, though she was made ruler of all the land by all races, a land they called Hyrule.  The seven spell-casters who had helped her became the very first incarnation of the Seven Sages.

~The Triforce War, The Seven Sages - 10 Years Before the Rise of Ganondorf~

The land of Hyrule fell into ruin, as several explorers found their way into the Sacred Realm in search of the Triforce.  These people tried to use dark artifacts to force their way into the Palace of the Triforce.  This discovery led to the beginning of the Triforce War also known as the Sealing War.  Races and peoples fought each other for entrance to the Golden Land, the Sacred Realm , in order to gain control of the Triforce  and get their wish.  This civil war threatened to tear Hyrule asunder as families were torn apart, brother fighting brother, sister fighting sister.

In the end, the new generation of the Seven Sages were called upon by the Royal Family to end the fighting.  They sealed away all entrances into the Sacred Realm and with it, the Triforce ending the conflict forever, and keeping the Triforce out the reach of all who would misuse it.  Hyrule, though scared and left broken by the war, started to rebuild, and work towards a new era of peace.

~The Rise of Ganondorf, Prince of Darkness~

10 years after the events of the Sealing War, a wizard of the Gerudo Tribe, Ganondorf, travelled to Hyrule Castle in order to meet with the King.  What most didn't know was that Ganondorf had a secondary motive: looking for a way into the Temple of Time, the last known gateway to the Sacred Realm in order to get the Triforce.  Ganondorf threatened the many tribes who held on to the three Sacred Stones, but they did not give in.

Instead, a young boy, Link, and his fairy, Navi, travelled across Hyrule at the behest of Princess Zelda in order to find the Sacred Stones and enter the Door of Time to get the Master Sword and stop Ganondorf.  Alas, Zelda was mistaken, as Ganondorf struck before Link could finish his quest. Zelda and her nursemaid, the Sheikha, Impa, escaped the castle after the King was slain and Hyrule Castle overrun by monsters.

Leaving the Ocarina of Time for Link, Link hoped he would find a way into the Door of Time.  And so Link did, but once more trouble befell him.  Not realizing that he was not old enough to wield the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword (A blade forged by Hylia and the original Seven Sages to destroy Demise, later hidden and passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule and eventually enshrined in the Temple of Time), Link was frozen in time for 7 years, allowing Ganondorf access to the Sacred Realm.  With this Ganondorf stole the Triforce and with his wish brought darkness upon the world, but also shattering the Triforce into three pieces.  Wisdom going to Zelda, Courage going to Link and Power staying with Ganondorf, as his impure heart would not allow him to wield all three without killing the holders of the other two pieces.

Once Link awoke from his frozen state, he was contacted by Rauru of the Seven Sages and was told to go out to each of the temples of the Seven Sages and gather the Medallions in order to awaken the other Seven Sages.  Link did so, traveling all across Hyrule, he met with old friends and awakened six of the Seven Sages.  The final Sage was Zelda herself, the Sage of Time.

But just as Link and Zelda reunited, with Zelda revealing herself to be Sheik, a companion and helper of Link throughout his travels, Ganondorf appeared capturing Princess Zelda and brought her back with him to his citadel known as Ganon's Tower, protected by the walled fortress, Ganon's Castle.

Link followed Ganondorf there in order to save Zelda.  He and Ganondorf did great battle, and after much fighting and the collapse of the entire tower, Ganondorf transformed himself into the horrible beast, Ganon.  The hero and the monster battled it out, with the princess helping the Hero of Time.  In the end, Ganondorf was finally finished.  Zelda and the rest of the Seven Sages sealed Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm and but could not take the Triforce from him, leaving it in three pieces.  

Wisdom stayed with Zelda, Courage stayed with Link and Power stayed with Ganondorf, and so it would be until the ends of time.  Pleased by Link's service to her and the world, Zelda sent him back in time 7 years in order to allow Link the childhood he never had.  And so, the world was saved and Ganondorf sealed away for good.

~The Return of Ganon - 100 Years After the Rise of Ganondorf~

A century after Ganon was sealed away by Princess Zelda and the Seven Sages.  A wizard from the deserts, Aghanim came to Hyrule Castle and became Advisor to the King.  But this did not last long, as Aghanim soon removed the King, and under the guise of the Royal Family's justice, Aghanim kidnapped young women from around Hyrule, imprisoning them in the Sacred Realm.

Aghanim's true plans were soon revealed, as Princess Zelda, a descendant of the original, learned that Aghanim was planning to revive Ganondor as he was sealed, in the form of the demonic beast Ganon.  Zelda also learned that these maidens were all descendants of the Seven Sages who sealed the gateway to the Sacred Realm during the Sealing War and whose later descendants had previously sealed Ganon away forever.

Zelda also learned that she was the next target, and was the last maiden needed to break the seal, and called upon the help of Link the descendant of the original Hero of Time.  Link tried to free Zelda but failed, and she was sealed away in the Sacred Realm like the other maidens, thus seemingly reviving Ganon and turning the Sacred Realm into the Dark World due to Ganon's evil heart.

However, Ganon does not burst forth from the unsealed portal to the now Dark World and instead Link and Aghanim are dragged into it.  Link, aided by his Courage, travelled throughout the Dark World and travelled through dungeons and temples in order to rescue the maidens, the new Seven Sages.  Finally, after the first six were rescued, Link travelled to the Dark World Mountain and went to the top of Ganon's Tower.  Link and Aghanim battled atop the tower, and in the end, Aghanim was defeated.

Soon it was revealed that Aghanim was Ganon, or at least a familiar of his; a sliver of Ganon's power that clung to this world while being sealed that Ganon used to revive himself.  Ganon transformed himself into a bat and flew to the Pyramid of Power, where Link would soon follow him for their final showdown.  In the end, Link is killed and defeated and Ganon for good, and gathered the Triforce pieces from the dead Prince of Darkness, Princess Zelda and himself.

Putting the Triforce back together again, Link wished that all would return back to normal, and the world once more go back to its peaceful state.  Zelda and the rest of the Seven Sages sealed off the Dark World until the time would come when heroes would need to enter it again and stop any darkness, though they prayed that time would not come.  The Triforce broke apart again after use, and returned two of its three pieces to its prior owners, except for the Triforce of Power, which was sealed away in the Dark World permanently, and so Hyrule was once more at peace.

~The War of the Goddesses - 400 Years After the Rise of Ganon~

The world that was once at peace is beginning to stir again.  Dangers and monsters seem to come from the shadows, attacking innocent people and making them fear for their lives.  The Goddesses have chosen their new heroes in order to champion them, and soon the fighting will commence, but the identities of these champions of the Goddesses have not been revealed to the world yet.  While the Seven Sages wait for the new heroes (and villains) to show themselves, they do their best to maintain peace in the world, and keep the darkness at bay.