Veran

Veran
Artwork of Veran from The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001)

Veran, the self-proclaimed Sorceress of Shadows, is the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. She has the ability to possess others, and has done so to at least three characters: Impa, Nayru, and Queen Ambi. Her goal is to fill Labrynna with sorrow.

Veran is a voluptuous, teal-skinned human female who wears a flowing dress and a revealing purple armor-like top. Her shoulder pads bear the Gerudo Crest, which is also seen on Onox's chestplate. Whenever a character is under Veran's control, their skin color is changed to teal like Veran's. When not in possession of a host, but not in her physical form, Veran appears as a large, flaming black essence with glowing eyes.

History

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Veran met Link while controlling Impa's body, and she tricked Link into pushing a Triforce-marked boulder blocking the path to Nayru because Veran was deterred by the rock's symbol. Veran reveals herself and lets go of Impa to possess Nayru. Veran takes advantage of Nayru's powers to travel back in time and alter history. Veran deceived Queen Ambi and became her most trusted advisor. Veran then convinces Ambi to have the people of Labrynna work nonstop on the Black Tower in order to guide her lost love, Cap'n, home from the sea, eventually manipulating her into using it instead as a symbol of her queenly might.

Link eventually manages to enter Ambi's Palace and face off against Veran, but she raises a point that if Link attacked her, only Nayru would bear the damage; doing so anyway damages Link. During the battle, Veran can teleport and shoot red energy balls in a spiraling arc around the room from a giant energy ball over her head. When hit with a Mystery Seed, Nayru falls over, causing Veran's spirit form to leave her body. With the Switch Hook, Link can separate Veran from Nayru's body and leave her vulnerable to attack. The more she is damaged, the more she teleports before attacking.

When Nayru was freed, Veran managed to take control of Queen Ambi and fled to the Black Tower. Once it is completed, Veran climbs atop it and calls upon the powers of the Dark Realm, giving her control over time again. Once Link has collected all eight Essences of Time, he can go to the Maku Tree to obtain the Huge Maku Seed, allowing Link to access the Black Tower.

The final battle takes place on the top floor of the Black Tower. At first, the boss fight is fought similarly to the first one against Veran in Ambi's Palace, but Veran has the added ability to summon small spiders that attack Link. When Link manages to free Ambi from Veran's control using the Switch Hook, Veran transforms into a fairy-like being. She flies around the room spitting fireballs, either using the spiral-pattern type from before or three consecutive blue energy balls shot straight at him. Additionally, she creates four Dark Links, who act like stronger Arm-Mimics to accompany her. Towards the end of the battle, she begins firing giant and homing but slow blue energy balls that can turn Link into a helpless baby for a short period if they hit him. When Link defeats Veran's fairy form, the Black Tower begins to collapse.

Just when Link manages to exit the Black Tower, Veran uses a Wallmaster to capture Link and has him face off against her a final time. In this part of the battle, Veran has three different forms she switches between after being damaged enough: a giant turtle resembling a Hardhat Beetle, a hornet, and a spider, all bearing her face. Her turtle form is her primary form during this phase, as it is the one she starts as and she always returns to it after using either of the other forms. In it, she hides her face while hopping after Link, temporarily changing the floor round where she lands into a pit of acid. Every few hops, she shows her face, allowing her to be damaged. In her hornet form, she has no defensive ability whatsoever and as such can be damaged freely. She normally flies in a looping ∞-shaped pattern around the room, but occasionally does a horizontal sweep across while shooting out a flurry of stingers or summons several trios of small bees to attack Link. In her spider form, she moves around the room diagonally, occasionally speeding up, and attacks by spitting a string of web out to catch Link. If she succeeds, she slams him into the ground to damage him. Additionally, she can spit a string to the ceiling, pull herself up, and fall at Link a few moments later. To damage her in this state, Link needs to use a bomb to stun her, exposing her face on her underside for a brief moment and rendering her vulnerable. After a long battle, Link manages to defeat Veran, but not before she lit the Flame of Sorrow, one of the three flames that Twinrova need to revive Ganon.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ベラン Beran