Shaman Village

Shaman Village (シャーマン村) is a settlement in the center of Hesperia, surrounded by mountains and reachable only by travelling through the Shaman Village Cave in The Lost Age. The town is connected to the dungeon-style location Trial Road, which acts as a similar style of "competition dungeon" to Golden Sun's Colosso.

Description
When you first enter Shaman Village, the townsfolk are initially extremely hostile, locking most of their buildings to keep the party out. The villagers that can be reached will all refuse to talk to Felix, though you can read their minds. This is due to a long-standing fear of outsiders, brought about by a brutal attack that Shaman Village had once suffered at the hands of foreigners. The only person who will readily talk to you, albeit still in a very hostile manner, is the Chief of the village, Moapa. This hostility is such that even after returning the Shaman's Rod to him, he refuses to accept the party and instead challenges Felix and company to a gruelling battle atop Trial Road. When the player wins, the party receives the Hover Jade, which is necessary to explore Jupiter Lighthouse. It is only then that the townsfolk starts to accept the party, and the town begins to open up, although some villagers still bear significant grudges against the party, labelling them with names such as "lousy Contigo nobodies".

As a town, Shaman Village is set in a rocky canyon within a mountain range. Because of this, the village is not very level, and all of the permanent buildings have more than one story and multiple exits. There are also many tents that resemble the real-world Native American Tipi. A river runs through the centre of the village. Behind the village is the track known as Trial Road, which leads up the mountain to an historical arena. This arena is heavily featured in local legends, as it was the site of the final duel between Yegelos and Hoabna, which concluded the ancient war between their nations (Atteka and Hesperia respectively).

Also worthy of note is that one of the game's Fortune Tellers resides in Shaman Village. Unlike the one in Naribwe, he will only point out the next objective relevant to the plot, making him much less useful than his counterpart. He is found to the right of the main settlement.

Vendors
Shaman Village's inn is the first structured building you see as you enter the town, and costs 20 coins per Adept. It is open even when other buildings are closed off and everyone is silent to you.

Collectibles
When the town is first entered, most of the buildings are closed, allowing you to only collect these items:

Elixir: In a white jar in the lower floor of the inn. Hard Nut: In the chest near the entrance to Trial Road. Spirit Gloves: In the chest visible to the upper left of the main town area, reached by exiting the Inn's lower entrance and using Growth. Weasel's Claw: In right barrel in the lower floor of Moapa's house. Growth.

After completing Trial Road, the town updates, and all the closed buildings are open, allowing access to these further items:

Aroma: In the area around the fortuneteller's hut. Reached by approaching the earth pillar from the bottom (which is reached through the rightmost structure in town) and Moving it left, then crossing the earth pillar from left to right (this is reached through Moapa's house).

Lucky Medal: In the jar just outside the door on the second floor of the rightmost structure. Lucky Pepper: In a jar in the fortuneteller's hut.

Background and story
The people of Shaman's Village have a long-standing dislike of all outsiders (although the village has an open inn). This is, according to the inhabitants of Hesperia Settlement due to a brutal massacre the people of Shaman's Village suffered at the hands of foreigners long ago. The only outsiders they trust are their allies of Atteka, namely the people of Contigo.

The reason for this is that long ago, the two continents of Atteka and Hesperia were engaged in a lengthy war. Eventually, to resolve this great conflict, two heroes were chosen to represent their respective continents. Atteka chose Yegelos while Hesperia sent Hoabna. These two duelled each other atop the mountain that is home to the current-day Trial Road, with Hoabna emerging as the victor. Eventually, the two founded a great lasting peace, and as a sign of mutual friendship, the respective nation's two precious treasures, the Shaman's Rod and Hover Jade, were exchanged. Along with this, a legend was formed, saying that whoever returned the Shaman's Rod to Hesperia would be a new hero. Eventually, as time passed, the foresight of the Jupiter Adepts of Contigo lead to the Shaman's Rod being passed on to the merchant, Hammet, and eventually to Ivan. Hammet was unable to find Shaman's Village, and was thus forced to leave the task of returning the Rod to Isaac's group. They fail in this task, however, as the Rod is taken from them atop Venus Lighthouse, where it falls into the hands of another Jupiter Adept, Sheba. Eventually, after traversing much of Weyard, Felix's party arrive in Shaman's Village with the Rod and fulfil the legend, but only after proving their worth in a duel against Moapa, the current-day Shaman Village chief, atop Trial Road, as Haobna and Yegelos had once done.

Cultural References
The Shaman Village is reminiscent of the Native American tribes of North America before the arrival of the Europeans. The Inn and other buildings are reminiscent of the Pueblo people who dwelt in the modern day southwest United States. The ancestors of the Shamans are said in the Japanese version of the game to be known as the Navajo; they competed with Yegelos of the people of Atteka in ancient times at Shaman's Trial Road.

Trivia
The Retreat Psynergy, usually ineffective in towns, can be used in Shaman Village. It has the usual effect of returning the player to the last entrance used (either the town's main gate or the Trial Road entrances).