Stallord's Backstory?

I think the Gerudo knew the Arbiter's Grounds was there; after all, their Sage would have had to serve there. The architecture also looks Gerudo; heck, their sandscript is all over the walls.

Also keep in mind we were rocketed into the desert. The ruins of the Fortress could have been the reason you couldn't enter Gerudo Desert the way you did in Ocarina of Time; the Fortress Ruins could have been used by the Bulbin as a hide-out (as they managed to get into the desert), and could have been far too dangerous to traverse.

I wonder if the Cave of Ordeals is anywhere near where the Spirit Temple would have been... that would be an interesting evolution of a temple.

Originally Posted by CaLu

What can be a possibility is, that the skeleton beast is in fact the Dodongo King (from OoT) who possibly became a skeleton after a while. Because after you killed him his body solidifies in the magma, so the skeleton could gotten preserved and thus eventually became the boss of Arbiters Ground. The only thing that doesn't make sense in this theory is the change in name. But yeah, it's just only a theory after all.

Okay I find two faults in this. One is that as you said the sudden change in name doesn't make sense if it was a reincarnation or even the Dodongo King himself. They did bring back Morpha from OOT but slightly changed the name so that it became Morpheel && another I think as similar is also Ghoma from OOT and Armogohma as both take on the form of a spider like creature. These are similar names to their previous similar bosses where as Stallord and Dodongo King are not in any way similar

The second fault I find is that if your theory is correct then how could a dead Dodongo King move from the depths of Death Mountain into the sands deep within the Arbiters Grounds in the gerudo desert?? this was just a little confusion that struck me when I was reading your theory although I did like the ideas you came up with they were imaginative ^_^

I read the entire thread and i must say there are some interesting ideas here. I myself am unsure on the origins of Stallord but I think he resembles greatly the skeletal dogs that come out on Hyrule field at night (the ones you get Ilia's statue off) so he could be one of their leaders although one thing i am quite certain about is that he is related in some way to the other skeletal creatureswithin the game such as stalfos etc.

As to why he is in the Arbiters Grounds I think this maybe could be because of what i think a few people have said and that was as a death penalty for those that had not done a serious enough crime to be sent to the twilight realm or it also could have been a guard for the prisoners that got out of hand and therefore had to be killed by the guards. I feel he could also have been killed as the prison was being abandonned and they knew they could not just leave it so they had to kill it. Both these explain why he has weaponry within places such as his skull.

Just ideas here ^_^

Arbiter means judge so i think it was an evil creature that when taken to the grounds and judged by the arbiter to serve forever in the dungeon

hmm what about entertainment? what did the romans do with prisoners? they let them battle gladiators and fierce creatures.
Ganondorf is a powerfull wizard, and is capable of taking over the world, because he's so dangerous (and maybe other wizards like him) he gets send to the underworld via the mirror.
but what about ordenary killers and thieves? why not entertain the people of hyrule and let them battle a massive beast.
as the prison wasn't used anymore and everyone left the beast just died, because he was stuck in a massive pit.

and my theory is that arbiters was the gurado fortress.
Remember the game is call the LEGEND of zelda, you're just playing out a story that has been told, look at it like reading a book,
A man ran across town and entered a house, once inside he discoverd something horrible.....

when you're reading this you picture it in your head (at least i do) and you see a scene of a man running across a town with wide streets and passing a lot of buidlings close together, and entering an abondoned broken down house,

while another person could picture it like a man running down the streets passing big houses far apart from each other, and he runs into a big beautifull villa.

what i'am trying to say is this, TP doesn't have to have the same buildings and stuff as oot or any other zelda game, the point is its in a dessert, its a fort, and has gurado like architecture. say you may visualize it as some boxes stacked on top of eachother (like in oot) or like a beautifull fort (like in tp)

Originally Posted by Average Gamer

I simply think that Stallord was a giant beast that had died ages ago, and its corpse was somewhat uncovered when making the Arbiter's Grounds. I guess it was placed over the gear that opened the way to the Mirror Chamber for security, and that sand eventually started to pour into the room. When Zant brought it back to life and it became a zombie, it automatically gained the title "Stallord" because it was the mightest undead creature (of the skeletal variety) at that time.

This is exactly what I think. He was put there to guard the door to the Mirror Chamber. He eventually died, then when you reached Stallord Zant was there and brought him back to life using a sword - which possessed him.

OR

Seeing as Arbiters Grounds was formerly a prison, he was there to guard people and make sure they didn't run away etc

Originally Posted by Daveigus

nd my theory is that arbiters was the gurado fortress.
...
what i'am trying to say is this, TP doesn't have to have the same buildings and stuff as oot or any other zelda game, the point is its in a dessert, its a fort, and has gurado like architecture. say you may visualize it as some boxes stacked on top of eachother (like in oot) or like a beautifull fort (like in tp)

Arbiter's Grounds is not a fort. It's closer to a temple and a courthouse than the military barracks that make up the Gerudo Fortress. It's also in an extremely different area than the Gerudo Fortress; Gerudo Fortress is situated at the entrance to the Desert Province. The Desert Province can no longer be accessed by the Fortress, which suggests something weird happening there. Arbiter's Grounds is the northernmost Gerudo building in the desert.

Also, having the Arbiter's Grounds and the Gerudo Fortress as separate buildings removes the problem of explaining why things we saw at Arbiter's Grounds we didn't see in the Gerudo Fortress (...like Stallord!). They were used for entirely different purposes. I don't see where they could be the same.

Back to Stallord... the idea that he used to guard the Mirror is a great idea.

I also agree about the theory of Stallord guarding the mirror chamber and this is quite possible I think.

Also the arbiters grounds can't be the gerudo fortress for the same reason Eralk Fang said. They are at completely different places in the gerudo desert although I do see the possibility and where you got the idea from ^_^

This is an interesting thread in the way that there are so many different ideas behind one bosses story. Proves how much is left to the imagination in the game in certain areas as well as hoe differently people interpret things.

Originally Posted by Eralk Fang

I think the Gerudo knew the Arbiter's Grounds was there; after all, their Sage would have had to serve there. The architecture also looks Gerudo; heck, their sandscript is all over the walls.

There is evidence that the Gerudo were once in charge: there is a statue of a woman intertwined with a snake that I have heard mentioned as evidence.

Also keep in mind we were rocketed into the desert. The ruins of the Fortress could have been the reason you couldn't enter Gerudo Desert the way you did in Ocarina of Time; the Fortress Ruins could have been used by the Bulbin as a hide-out (as they managed to get into the desert), and could have been far too dangerous to traverse.

Fascinating possibility: this could be the main base where the Bulbins live! I mean, they possess a culture, and this would mean that they have some native land like other sentient races. They may have simply taken some ruins and called them home.

I wonder if the Cave of Ordeals is anywhere near where the Spirit Temple would have been... that would be an interesting evolution of a temple.

I am not sure of that connection: there is a strong connection between this place and the Savage Labyrinth.

Originally Posted by HurriPen

There is evidence that the Gerudo were once in charge: there is a statue of a woman intertwined with a snake that I have heard mentioned as evidence.

Yes, and the walls are covered with both Gerudo sandscript and Gerudo references; I believe there's an etching of either Koume or Kotake, and there's an etching of Link fighting Ganon.

Originally Posted by HurriPen

Fascinating possibility: this could be the main base where the Bulbins live! I mean, they possess a culture, and this would mean that they have some native land like other sentient races. They may have simply taken some ruins and called them home.

Thank you! I assumed that was how they got into the Desert, as no one else can access the Desert now, but they're in the heart of it. The Fortress Ruins must be so thick with Bulbins no one can get into the Desert.

Originally Posted by HurriPen

I am not sure of that connection: there is a strong connection between this place and the Savage Labyrinth.

We could only make that connection if the Spirit Temple and the Cave of Ordeals were anywhere near each other. As for connecting with the Savage Labyrinth... it's the same concept, but the Savage Labyrinth is found on Outset. I'll look for a map comparison with Twilight Princess, but if memory serves me right, Outset is far from the now underwater Gerudo Desert.

Originally Posted by Eralk Fang

Yes, and the walls are covered with both Gerudo sandscript and Gerudo references; I believe there's an etching of either Koume or Kotake, and there's an etching of Link fighting Ganon.

Whoa, seriously? Could you point out where this etching is?

Originally Posted by Traffic

Whoa, seriously? Could you point out where this etching is?

I can't remember exactly where the Link/Ganon etching is, but I submitted a picture of it to the Desert Colossus' oddities page. It seems to be specifically the Hero of Time, due to his shield (he's the only Link with a Kokiri connection).

Sentient also pointed out the above etching in his Little Details thread, along with the etching of one of the witches; he posted a picture of both of them. Sentient has a Wii, so his images are flipped. The witch etching is most likely of one of the Gerudo witches; she has a large nose (which is a common trait among Gerudo), wild hair (Koume's hair turns to fire during the Twinrova boss battle), a little ball where her ear would be (earrings or perhaps those sidelocks Koume and Kotake have), and she's positioned before a broom. Based on the hair, I'd say it's Koume rather than Kotake. His picture of the Link/Ganon etching shows more of the top of the etching; Ganon has three twisted symbols above his head (Ganon had three ponytails in Ocarina of Time), and Link has three rectangular symbols above his.

Originally Posted by Eralk Fang

I can't remember exactly where the Link/Ganon etching is, but I submitted a picture of it to the Desert Colossus' oddities page. It seems to be specifically the Hero of Time, due to his shield (he's the only Link with a Kokiri connection).

Sentient also pointed out the above etching in his Little Details thread, along with the etching of one of the witches; he posted a picture of both of them. Sentient has a Wii, so his images are flipped. The witch etching is most likely of one of the Gerudo witches; she has a large nose (which is a common trait among Gerudo), wild hair (Koume's hair turns to fire during the Twinrova boss battle), a little ball where her ear would be (earrings or perhaps those sidelocks Koume and Kotake have), and she's positioned before a broom. Based on the hair, I'd say it's Koume rather than Kotake. His picture of the Link/Ganon etching shows more of the top of the etching; Ganon has three twisted symbols above his head (Ganon had three ponytails in Ocarina of Time), and Link has three rectangular symbols above his.

I can't believe I never noticed these carvings. I'm currently going through TP on my second playthrough, so when I come to Arbiters Grounds, I'll be sure to see them with my own eyes. Really, thank you for pointing this out to me.

You're very welcome! I have this thing for fantasy/sci-fi desert cultures, which is why I noticed them. Gerudo and Fremen for the win.

I think he is a giant dragon. He was sent to Abiter's Grounds to pertect the mirror of twilight. He died becouse he is traped in a hole.

Psh. Any back story was created by imaginative fans. The game itself implied nothing. He was there, Zant stuck a sword in him, we fought him, the end.

The only bosses with back stories were Zant and Ganondorf (obviously), Fyrus, Blizzetta, and Argorok (albeit a weak one).

I think he is a giant dragon. He was sent to Abiter's Grounds to pertect the mirror of twilight. He died becouse he is traped in a hole.

No, his bone strucure isn't right to be a dragon. I'm in favor of the theory of Stallord being related to those bone dog things in Hyrule field. (I'll post some of my own thoughts later.)

I don't think any of the bones that make up any of the Stall creatures actually have to be all from the same creature. The heads of the tiny skeletons in Arbiters Grounds look fairly similar to the Stallord's, and soemwhat to the dog creatures. The creatures are probably created by ill magic and whatever bones happen to be near them. Like I said before on here. when you defeat Stalfos in other games, they become a pile of bones until you destroy the bones. If you do not destroy the bones, the pile reforms into the creature. But, it's probably because these bones are in such close proximity to one another and they happen to be bones which can fulfill the right function for the part of the body the become assigned to once the creature is formed.

Originally Posted by sonataofstorms

I don't think any of the bones that make up any of the Stall creatures actually have to be all from the same creature. The heads of the tiny skeletons in Arbiters Grounds look fairly similar to the Stallord's, and soemwhat to the dog creatures. The creatures are probably created by ill magic and whatever bones happen to be near them. Like I said before on here. when you defeat Stalfos in other games, they become a pile of bones until you destroy the bones. If you do not destroy the bones, the pile reforms into the creature. But, it's probably because these bones are in such close proximity to one another and they happen to be bones which can fulfill the right function for the part of the body the become assigned to once the creature is formed.

Well, here we must look to Ikana in Termina, which is full of Stals. The various Stals were alive at one point, and still retain their identities in death; one can assume that they are not made up of various bones. Since this is more of a creation/biology issue than a technological or cultural issue, we can carry that back to Hyrule. I think the pile of bones part comes from just the fact that every other part of the body has decayed away, and it takes a Stal considerable effort to reconstruct themselves. While all the Stals in Ikana can continue to function as a society despite their deaths (the payoff of inclusion and nationalism is worth the effort of reconstruction), most of the Stals in Hyrule were not killed as a whole society. There is no payoff for a Stal to be reconstructed all the time in Hyrule, which is why they reconstruct only when "danger" is nearby.

I think it's more plausible that they are just a form of undead in Zelda, rather than reanimated bones. We find Stalfos in areas where there wouldn't be lots of bones tossed around, like Temples.

EDIT: And, as we see in The Wind Waker, one Stalfos per coffin.

So, is there any in game proof that Stallord even has a back story, or are we exclusively in fanfic land? I haven't read the thread to be sure, but I personally saw no actual evidence of anything of worth. Okay. So he clearly bears a resemblence to Stalfos and Stalchildren. How is this any more interesting than King Dodongo being related to Dodongos?

Originally Posted by Eldin

So, is there any in game proof that Stallord even has a back story, or are we exclusively in fanfic land? I haven't read the thread to be sure, but I personally saw no actual evidence of anything of worth. Okay. So he clearly bears a resemblence to Stalfos and Stalchildren. How is this any more interesting than King Dodongo being related to Dodongos?

The game does not give a direct back-story, so most of this is probably fan-fic, but educated guess fan-fic.

Plus, his resemblance to his kind means that they were a specific species when they were alive. That is a bit more ambiguous in-game than King Dodongo's progeny. I mean, I think the guys that require explosions to die possess Triceratops heads, so finding out that some bones were put together correctly is an interesting datum, to say the least.