Great Sea



The Great Sea is the setting of The Wind Waker The Wind Waker. Many aeons before TWW begins, the land of Hyrule is flooded by the Gods as a last resort to stop Ganon's forces when a hero never showed up. Its people flee to the mountain-tops and try to restore peaceful life. Those mountain-tops became the many islands of The Great Sea. There are large expanses of empty ocean between each island, but not much else. Underneath the ocean, however, part of Hyrule is still intact.

Human Geography
As Hyrule is imprisoned beneath the ocean, there is no activity on the sea bed.

Above the ocean however, local commerce has improved considerably. Most of the food is gathered from fishing and small farms. There is also a large trade boom with the Gorons, who seemed to have moved off elsewhere.

There is only one major town on the Great Sea, on Windfall Island. However, a large pirate base did exist in the extreme north-west, up until recently. A large tower is erected someway throughout the game in the center of the ocean, but barring that, there is not much else, except the small settlement on Outset Island. There may have once been a similar settlement on Greatfish Island, but if so it was destroyed before Link ever visited.

Races and governments
The governments of this time are not very powerful nor large, usually limited to nothing larger than local governments consisting of a village mayor or elder. Part of the reason is that there are very few people in the post-flood world, but there are still many diverse races living in and around the Great Sea.

Koroks
The Koroks live on a small island with The Great Deku Tree, who may have been the Deku Sprout in Ocarina of Time. Under the orders of the Great Deku Tree, the Koroks move throughout the archipelago, planting forests in the hope that it will allow the expansion of the mountaintops to create larger islands. The Koroks are descended from the Kokiri. The Great Deku Tree claims their appearance changed to adapt to living on the Great Sea.

Humans and Hylians
Normal humans are now much more common, differentiated from true Hylians by the fact that they do not have pointy elf-like ears. They work and live in small merchant vessels around the ocean, but are mainly based in Windfall Island, where they enjoy trade with the other races around the Great Sea.

Gorons
The Gorons now live in some unspecified place on or near the Great Sea area and trade with the Hyruleans left after the flood.

Hyrule Royal Family
The Hyrule Royal Family still exists, but has no influence whatsoever on day-to-day affairs, as Princess Zelda is unaware of who she is, and the ancient King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule generally stays at the bottom of the ocean, though he can possess a boat known as the King of Red Lions to conduct business above the waves. It is unknown whether this is a form of telekinesis or if the King is able to transfer his essence to and from the boat itself. Regardless of how he inhabits the King of Red Lions, Daphnes is chained to Hyrule. The King of Hyrule and Princess Zelda do, however, still hold the parts of the Triforce.

Rito
A strange race of avians, apparently descended from the Zora, the Rito, have developed a strong culture on Dragon Roost Island. They mainly serve as the postmen of the Great Sea, but are fairly populous. They have a strong relationship with the Humans. They are merely beaked humanoid beings until they are given scales by the Wind Spirit Valoo. Once a Rito receives a scale from Valoo, he or she grows wings.

Pirates
Several pirate groups have sprung up around the Great Sea. They did have a large base in the north-west of the Great Sea before this was taken from them by Ganon. They plunder the ocean in search of treasure, of which there is certainly an abundance. One group of pirates is led by a young girl named Tetra. She has some knowledge of the ancient past of Hyrule and is searching a way to recover these ancient and valuable relics.

Fishmen
Strange creatures which live in the ocean and draw maps. They like Beedle's All-Purpose Bait.

Ganondorf
Ganondorf seems to have somehow broken free from the seal which the sages placed on him in Ocarina of Time. He still has control of the Triforce of Power, and is actively seeking the other two pieces, with a large army of moblins and other minions. He has taken over the Forsaken Fortress, and is scouring the Great Sea for Princess Zelda.

Islands

 * Outset Island
 * Dragon Roost Island
 * Windfall Island
 * Greatfish Isle
 * Forest Haven
 * the Forsaken Fortress
 * Mother & Child Island
 * Greatfish Island