The Sheikah are a scattered civilization of aasimar, originally the mortal companions of the Goddess Hylia when she first entered the world.
While most aasimar are the products of trysts between mortals and celestials, the original Sheikah were numerous enough to establish a stable and perpetual society with their own internal customs, culture, and settlements. Their divine bloodline manifests in the form of time and space manipulation. They can innately create lifelike illusion duplicates of themselves, have a natural affinity for stealth, and otherwise specialize in espionage.
The Sheikah people are split into numerous clans. In ancient times, they were the famed bodyguards and protectors of royal families -- ordered by Hylia to defend civilization. The rise of the Olimandias Hegemony changed this. Olimandias is loyal to the god Diel, not Hylia, and so they eventually forced the Sheikah to retreat to the more remote corners of Verden.
The Sheikah have hidden villages around Verden, each of which is led by a clan elder. However, most people have no idea where these villages are located -- much less how they are managed and governed. Most Sheikah seen in the world operate independently. Or at least appear to. Some behave like wandering ronin and help villages in distress, then disappear as quickly as they arrived.
Because Hylia is the goddess of time, her aasimar companions mastered spacetime-based skills. Sheikah wizards were often Graviturgists or Chronurgists. Warriors were trained to harness shadowed "echoes" to distract and overwhelm enemies. Assassins could use psychic power to summon weapons into their hands. And all Sheikah could make illusionary duplicates of themselves to deceive foes.
They have been trained to operate from the shadows and take a subtle approach to resolving conflicts, very much preferring espionage to warfare.
Origins
The ancestors of the Sheikah Clans arrived in the world at the side of Hylia shortly after her genesis -- and are thus one of the most ancient civilizations in Verden. Much like any other celestial beings, they followed her instructions and upheld her laws. Over time, they married into mortal families and became numerous enough to maintain their own aasimar societies.
Their first city and oldest settlement was Kakariko Village, built into the north face of the Taj-Nar Mountains near Van'Duras.
They were remarkably advanced -- often tasked with assembling and operating Hylia's sacred machines. Sheikah artificers could put together advanced weaponry and armor from machinery blessed with the Sacred Realm's power.
The Sheikah took part in Hylia's war against the Demon King, both serving as stealth operatives and the operators of advanced machinery like Guardians. They were able to survive the great war and prosper in its aftermath with her divine protection. Over 3000 years ago, they also assisted in the banishment of the Hylian "interlopers" and dissident Gerudo who attempted to bring the Demon King back onto the Material Plane -- and this exile resulted in the birth of the Twili.
The Rise of Olimandias
The Sheikah continued to serve as body guards of royal families for centuries, but this changed after the divine conflict between Lazu and Diel. Olimandias became an expansionist power, forcing the Kingdom of Roslen to form an alliance with them and surrender their full sovereignty. Shortly thereafter, the Sheikah Clans -- being loyal to Hylia rather than Diel -- were banned from Hegemony territory.
They began operating secretly, still sworn to continue protecting civilization and the people within it. They retreated to Kakariko Village and opened their city up for more settlement, turning it into an independent domain.
Kakariko thrived for three centuries before war came calling.
The Fall of Kakariko Village
Kakariko Village had occasional skirmishes with the other domains of the day -- The Labyrinth and Hall of Heroes. The faced an intense threat when Lord Jericho of the Hall of Heroes went rogue and decided to conquer the village, disobeying direct orders from fellow leaders Lady Jaina and Lord Flint. This resulted in a surprise alliance between Kakariko and the Labyrinth.
Jericho was soundly defeated and his troops were forced into a rout. Upon returning to Hall territory, the Hall of Heroes civil war began after the leaders devolved into bickering and vitriol.
Nearly a decade later, the Kingdom of Unidiel -- on orders of Olimandias -- invaded the weakened Kakariko Village and razed it almost entirely to the ground, annexing all of the land around it.
Modern Day
The modern Sheikah prefer to stay in hiding, and keep their village locations a closely guarded secret. Were it not for the occasional sighting of a Sheikah echo knight or rogue, the public would surely think they were extinct and confined to ancient legends.
But much goes on in shadow.
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