"Monsters are a complicated, touchy subject. I understand your view, and scripture does not make clear declarations about their status, but many people fear and detest them for their violent and brutal nature. Are you a Sheikah?"

"I'm not familiar with the term, as I said I come from a very long way away, I am not familiar with local customs."

"I suppose not then. Welcome to Hyrule. You're about a hundred years too late to really enjoy it, I'm afraid."

"Well, that's a shame, but part of the reason my people explore is to help others reach new heights. Perhaps the good times of long ago can be superseded by even better times in the future."

"So you might be like a Sheikah after all. I don't know about big things like that, friend. I'm just here to see the mountains. Calm down Vah Medoh and maybe people will listen." He gestures to the giant construction flying high above.

"That's an interesting sounding challenge. Is there some path I might pursue towards accomplishing that end?"

"The Rito would know, perhaps. You have to go around the great caldera to get there unless you can fly like them, though, and there's more monsters much of the time."

"Interesting, I may well pursue that path. In the meantime, is there anything I ought to do or anyone I ought to speak to in your village?"

"Oh, it's not my village. It's the Rito's. They sell excellent warming clothes if you have the rupees for it."

"I'm not greatly in need of cold weather gear, nor do I have the local currency. Is there anything else you'd recommend I do in their village?"

"Take in the views, visit the old shrine, maybe try a glider course, or practice archery. Or you could find the Rito interesting enough, if there aren't any wherever you're from."

"Well, most of what I'm here for is meeting new people. I hope you have a pleasant day, thank you for the conversation." He gets up and continues his journey towards the village.

"Wait, before you go! I'm sure I know the answer but I still wish to ask... Would you like to hear about the teachings of the Yiga Clan?"

He pauses for a moment then turns around and crouches back down. "Sure."

Smile. "So the old legend that... Huh, I suppose this will need to be more of a history lesson. One hundred and thirty years ago, Hyrule was a peaceful and prosperous land by most measures. Travelers could move safely across the land. Monsters were kept away from roads and so on by armed patrols. Trade thrived. The various peoples of Hyrule lived their lives peacefully, for the most part."

"Then the king's hubris showed. The royal family ordered massive excavation projects of relics from times long past - things we could pretend to control, but which were waiting to destroy Hyrule from within. These are the Divine Beasts, like Vah Medoh you see above us, and the unfeeling metal Guardians who you will surely encounter sooner or later. At first they seemed peaceful and useful, but they turned on the citizens of Hyrule. Vah Medoh shoots down anyone who tries to fly above a certain height. The Guardians swarming around the old castle make it all but impossible to travel across central Hyrule. We Yiga believe the great spirit Ganon attempted to rise up to destroy these menaces, to return Hyrule to its peaceful state, but he was stymied by the distant and uncaring goddess Hylia, trapped inside the old castle. We do not dispute that Hylia created the world, but Ganon is her most hated rival, everything he tries to do for us is declared evil, misunderstood, blocked by the gods or destroyed by the so-called 'Hero of Legend'."

"Our ultimate goal is to free Ganon from his divine prison so he can scrub all evidence of Sheikah technology from this world and return it to peace. It sounds a daunting task but I'm sure Master Kohga has a plan."

Zahn's face turns to a frown. "So it is your contention that technology is somehow inherently bad? Could you explain why you have that perspective?"

He frowns in return. "Oh, it's not the technology itself. It's how it was used for everything, recklessly, and granted free reign, and this led to a big disaster. I'm sure if they spent a century or two dissecting inactive Guardians, instead of waking them all up, things would have turned out better. Our philosophy is really more about how it's impossible that Ganon is 'evil' as others will tell you."

"Oh, yes using technology you don't understand can be a very bad idea. One in eight people died during a major technological revolution on the world I come from. Of course, that world has no gods that we know of so it was technology that saved us, even as technology endangered us in the first place."

"Hm. Well, I'm going to head up the trail. Good luck on your travels. You'll want to go around to the west of the caldera lake. It's tough terrain, and no road, but it's faster. Also, more monsters come out at night. Many more. If you wish to learn more about the Yiga clan later, I'm sure one of us will find you." He stands up and picks up his pack and starts putting snow into the fire, putting it out.

"Thank you for the conversation. I wish you well on your travels." Zahn sets out as the man recommended, running along the ridge, only slowing down when the terrain becomes particularly treacherous.

As he walks around he can see that the Rito, while still humanoid, have a number of avian features. A few of them are flying around, using the large wooden platforms built around the village to take off and land.

There's a crossroads and a stable near the start of the bridges that lead into the village, and a number of people are milling around, doing work, sitting by a cookfire. Children playing. One Rito playing music of some kind.

Zahn walks towards the crossroads. He says "Hello" when he gets close enough to the cookfire if nobody addresses him before he reaches it.

There's a big, strong-looking woman with a hiking backpack and an elderly man, both with those characteristic pointed ears that the humans here seem to all have. The first one says "Yo! You look like you're here to climb the mountain."

"Not particularly, I'm here to visit the village and learn about the people of this and other nearby places. I'm also curious to hear more about the enormous flying machine in the sky."

"You're going to get a lot of hikers and tourists, at least in terms of non-Rito around here."

"Vah Medoh," the old man sighs. "What a mess 'e is. Used to be a defender of Hyrule before Ganon made 'em evil, they say."