Arbiter's Grounds
from Zeldapedia, the Legend of Zelda wiki
| Arbiter's Grounds | |
|---|---|
 The entrance to the Arbiter's Grounds | |
| Location(s) | Gerudo Desert |
| Game(s) | Twilight Princess (2006) |
| Main Item | Spinner |
| Mini-boss(es) | Death Sword |
| Boss(es) | Stallord |
- "The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known... The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison... Now that prison is condemned, and even the road leading to the desert is impassable. This desert at world's end... It still holds the cursed mirror and the malice of the doomed inmates... "
- — Auru
Arbiter's Grounds is the fourth dungeon in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Contents |
[edit] Story
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The Arbiter's Grounds served as a prison where convicts were either executed or banished to the Twilight Realm, through the use of the Mirror of Twilight. It was the site of Ganondorf's death sentence by the Ancient Sages. Ganondorf escapes execution, but is banished to the Twilight Realm, where he gives Zant his kingship and powers of sorcery.
After receiving the Master Sword, Midna directs Link to Gerudo Desert as to enter the Twilight Realm. Upon reaching the climax of the prison roof, Midna and Link stumble across a massive skeletal beast, possibly referred to as "Stallord" when it was once alive. Zant revives Stallord by plunging a magic blade into its skull. After the battle, Link and Midna enter the Mirror Chamber, only to find the mirror broken. The Ancient Sages appear and explain to them the tale of Ganondorf's execution and that Zant shattered the mirror. After assembling the mirror, Midna and Link enter the Twilight Realm and defeat Zant. During the ending credits, Midna leaves Hyrule and goes back to the Twilight Realm, destroying the Mirror in the process.
While it is not known for certain, the Arbiter's Grounds could have some connection to the Spirit Temple from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as they seem to share architectural similarities (for example, the Gerudo Goddess of the Sand appears both at the top of the Arbiter's Grounds as well as within the Grounds themselves and is also a prominent feature of the Spirit Temple). Furthermore, mirrors were prominent in the Spirit Temple, and the Mirror of Twilight bears resemblance to the large round mirror that Link used to access the Spirit Temple's boss chamber. It should be noted, however, that there was no colloseum-type dome at the top of the Spirit Temple, so it may be pure Hylian addition. The fact that the Arbiter's Grounds housed many paranormal demons and spirits also seems to further support the idea that the Grounds were once the Spirit Temple, the place of worship for the spirits of Hyrule, particularly the Gerudo Goddess of the Sand.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
[edit] Dungeon
The dungeon is located in Gerudo Desert, which is only accessible from the cannon in Lake Hylia before portals are opened. The dungeon is desert themed; it is filled with quicksand and sand whirlpools. Along the way, Link must face undead monsters. There are also many dark areas where the Lantern must be used. This dungeon is notable to frequently need to be in wolf form to advance. To continue the dungeon, Link defeats one of the four Poes to learn the Poe Scent so he can chase down the three others as a wolf (somewhat like the Poe Sisters in the Ocarina of Time). The mini-boss, Death Sword, is also fought in wolf form. After Death Sword is defeated, Link will no longer need to be in wolf form, as the rest of the dungeon is focused on the new item, the Spinner. The boss is a fossil revived by Zant, known as Stallord.
[edit] Items
[edit] Enemies
[edit] Mini-boss
[edit] Boss
[edit] Etymology
Arbiter is another word for judge. While the name of the place seems to refer to one judge, during the execution of Ganondorf, more than one Sage is present. It might be a central area for arbitration, to a point where it was considered a being. Alternatively, the word arbiters may refer to the Ancient Sages who passed judgments within the Grounds.
[edit] Trivia
While in all the dialogue of the game, the dungeon is referred to as the Arbiter's Grounds, on the dungeon map, the name Arbiter's Keep is written in Hylian Alphabet.
