Angara

Angara (アンガラ大陸 Angara Continent) is the northern central landmass on Weyard. The majority of the first and third Golden Sun games are set here, and parts of the continent are briefly visited in The Lost Age. As a result, Angara appears to be the most densely populated continent in Weyard, and the majority of party members consider it their home.

For in-depth information on locations, enemies, and plot details that vary from game to game, see the following subpages:


 * Angara/Golden Sun
 * Angara/The Lost Age
 * Angara/Dark Dawn

Geography and Climate
Angara is bordered by oceans on three sides - the west, the east, and the north, although ice packs to the far north effectively link it to the Northern Reaches - and by Gondowan to the south, the two continents separated by the Karagol Sea. It is worth noting, however, that the city of Tolbi is considered part of Angara, despite being on the opposite side of the Karagol Sea.

Angara is littered with mountain ranges that effectively isolate separate regions of the continent, although there are several ways to circumnavigate them. Most of Angara appears to be of temperate climate, although there are exceptions: The far north and mountainous regions appear to be perpetually snowbound, while the southeast is home to a notoriously hot desert.

As a result of certain events near the end of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Weyard's geography has begun to shift and change. Angara in particular, while the basic shape remains intact, looks significantly different between The Lost Age and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

Golden Sun and The Lost Age
The mountainous Goma Range, in addition to encompassing the Lamakan Desert in the southeast, cuts the northernmost and southwestern regions of Angara off from the rest of the continent, although some caves are used to travel between these regions. Nestled in a junction in the western half of the Goma Range is Mt. Aleph, a major landmark, and Vale, the hometown of half of the protagonists from the first two games.

Along the northeast edge of the continent is Kolima Forest. The rest of Angara appears to be prairies and light patches of forests separated by rivers, although falling Psynergy Stones have caused an unnatural forest to appear along the eastern edge of the continent.

Due to the abundance of mountains, most of Angara's coastlines are made up of rocky cliffs. Ironically, those same mountains cut off the few beaches Angara has, creating isolated regions that can only be reached by sea.

Dark Dawn - Chaotic geography
Thirty years pass between the end of The Lost Age and the beginning of Dark Dawn. Combined with the rapid changes Weyard is experiencing, this means that Angara's layout is notably different.

The Goma Range has begun breaking apart, particularly in the area that once separated Kalay and Bilibin, and is now referred to as the Goma Plateau. The eastern portion of the mountain range is still mostly intact, but is now identified as the Khiren Mountains. This mountain range still overlooks the Lamakan Desert (or rather, what is left of the desert), as well as the recently revived, though originally arid, Ei-Jei region that makes up the majority of southern Angara.

One of the more drastic changes to Angara's geography is that the entire Kolima Forest has been relocated farther east, effectively taking the place of the swamp that was originally there. The area formerly occupied by Kolima has since been filled with seawater and is now home to the Morgal region's new capital, Belinsk. On a related note, Angara's coastlines are now much more boat-friendly, although there are still some areas, such as Champa, that can only be reached by ship.

The Karagol Sea is no longer landlocked and connects to the oceans to both the west and the east, effectively cutting Gondowan off from Angara. To make matters worse, a rather curious change to Weyard is that many steep cliffs crossing the entire world have begun sprouting up. One of these cliffs runs right along the boundary between Angara and the Karagol Sea, although the sea apparently decided to take Kalay down with it.

It is worth mentioning that the recent geologic activity has unearthed many ancient ruins, some of which serve as shortcuts between otherwise-isolated regions.

Culture
Angara features a multitude of settlements, ranging from quiet villages to bustling cities, some of which feature rather unique cultures. Most of them acted as city-states during Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. However, during the thirty years leading up to Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, many of the more prominent cities have taken on expansionist goals and have grown into countries of various sizes.

Locations
For a list of towns, dungeons, etc. found throughout Angara, see the appropriate sub-page:


 * Places visited during Golden Sun
 * Places visited during Golden Sun: The Lost Age
 * Places visited during Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Enemies
For a list of all the monsters that can be battled in Angara's portion of the world map, see the appropriate sub-page:


 * Golden Sun bestiary
 * Golden Sun: The Lost Age bestiary
 * Golden Sun: Dark Dawn bestiary

In ages past...
At some time in Weyard's ancient past, a group of Alchemy scholars, having already mastered the four known elements, sought to learn more about fundamentals such as Light and Dark. To do so, they built Eclipse Tower, a massive structure that would absorb ambient light. Whether intentional or unexpected, Eclipse Tower's light-absorbing properties created a sphere of darkness in the surrounding area, which would later be known as the Grave Eclipse. Although small at first, the Grave Eclipse gradually grew to encompass most of Angara. On its own, this darkness would only be a minor inconvenience. However, it lured powerful monsters to the surface, which ravaged the land. In an attempt to stop the Grave Eclipse, Apollo Sanctum was constructed along the Endless Wall. Within the Sanctum sat Apollo Lens, a mighty weapon that, with assistance from the Alchemy Machines of Ei-Jei, could absorb light and release it in a concentrated stream. This ray of light was fired at Eclipse Tower, overloading its systems and forcing it to shut down prematurely.

Despite the events surrounding the Grave Eclipse, or perhaps because of it, mankind continued to abuse the powers they gained through Alchemy. To prevent humanity from destroying itself, a group of wise men sought to seal Alchemy. They did so by sealing each of the four elements in a small gemstone, collectively known as the Elemental Stars. Also, a method to release Alchemy was put into place: Each Elemental Star had a corresponding Elemental Lighthouse (one of which, Mercury Lighthouse, is located in northern Angara). If each Elemental Star was returned to its respective Lighthouse, Alchemy would be restored to Weyard. It is good that such a system was established, because Alchemy served as Weyard's power supply; without Alchemy, Weyard began to slowly erode, although this would not be discovered for many generations. In the interim, the Elemental Stars were stored deep within Sol Sanctum, a temple built into Mt. Aleph, a mountain in the heart of Angara. At the base of Mt. Aleph was Vale, a small village of Adepts with the sole purpose of protecting the Elemental Stars from those who would abuse their powers. Also, an entity known simply as The Wise One took up residence in Sol Sanctum, preparing for the day that mankind grew responsible enough to handle Alchemy correctly.

After countless years, a pair of adventurers known as Babi and Lunpa would embark on a journey. Their adventures eventually took them away from Angara and, due to a massive flood, they found themselves carried far out to the eastern sea, where they washed up on Lemuria. Although the duo was welcomed warmly, Babi eventually fled Lemuria with a healthy stockpile of its life-extending draught. Babi returned to his hometown of Tolbi, located along the southern border of Angara, and, thanks to his newfound longevity, eventually established himself as its ruler. However, fearing death and knowing that his draught would not last forever, Babi hired many scholars to research Alchemy. Among them was Kraden, whose studies eventually took him to Vale. Meanwhile, Babi put a backup plan into motion, coercing many Gondowanians into building a lighthouse with which he hoped to locate Lemuria.

The present day
For a summary of events in Angara set during Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, see that game's appropriate sub-page:


 * Events that happened during Golden Sun
 * Events that happened during Golden Sun: The Lost Age

A new era begins
Although the return of Alchemy (known as the Golden Sun event) was ultimately beneficial to the world, it had the unfortunate side effect of sinking Mt. Aleph into the earth, destroying Vale in the process. Fortunately, the village was evacuated in time and the survivors migrated south. Some created new settlements, while others took up residence in towns like Kalay. Likewise, the Warriors of Vale eventually went their separate ways.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though history was set to repeat itself. The existence of Alchemy, Psynergy, and Adepts soon became common knowledge, and many towns decided to take advantage of this influx of power by expanding their borders, changing from cities to countries. Two of the more notable cases are Bilibin and Sana, two aggressively expansionist countries whose actions over the next few decades would shape a third country: Morgal, a land that served as a refuge for the half-human, half-animal beastmen that began appearing after the Golden Sun event. However, there was another faction, the Tuaparang, working behind the scenes; with their sights set on Apollo Sanctum, Tuaparang soldiers began to manipulate the new nations of Angara into doing their work for them.

The trials of Morgal
The Tuaparang knew that both the Alchemy Forge and Alchemy Well were needed to power the Apollo Lens. However, they also desired to reawaken Eclipse Tower and start a new Grave Eclipse, either because the Lens would only operate during the Eclipse or because it would be easier to manipulate others into prepping the Lens with the Eclipse as motivation. Either way, Eclipse Tower was located in Morgal, in northeast Angara, and the Alchemy Machines were located in Ei-Jei, in southeast Angara. In order to access each, the Tuaparang allied themselves with Sana, a powerful, expansionist country in eastern Angara, situated nicely between both Ei-Jei and Morgal.

Sana used different tactics for different countries. Both of the Alchemy Machines had settlements guarding them, plus they each required a different mask to operate. Rather than simply conquering Ei-Jei, Sanan general Wo was sent to found the colony of Kaocho. Specifically, Kaocho was founded above the Ouroboros, the resting place of one of the two masks that the Tuaparang needed.

For Morgal, however, Sanan Emperor Ko decided to use a more straightforward strategy: Conquest. After an indefinite length of time, Morgal was effectively a Sanan colony. With Morgal under Sanan control, the Tuaparang were free to do as they wished. Unfortunately, Eclipse Tower could not be activated without the Magma Orb, a powerful object held within the belly of the Mountain Roc, a holy symbol of Morgal. Ko believed that Mountain Roc blood would make him immortal, a false rumor likely fed to him by the Tuaparang in order to kill the Mountain Roc and acquire the Magma Orb.

Fortunately, Emperor Ko passed away before the Mountain Roc could be killed. While Wo was meant to be Ko's successor, the scholar Unan claimed the throne while Wo was away in Kaocho. This threw off the Tuaparang's plans, as Emperor Unan was a man of peace, not war. Further complicating things was a revolution to the north: The beastmen of Morgal had grown tired of living under Sanan rule and, with their power at its peak under the light of the full moon, pushed the Sanan occupiers back to their homeland. Although this was a great victory for Morgal, many Sanans lost their lives in the process. Among them was Unan's brother, Kuan, leaving Kuan's children stranded in Morgal.

Peace was not to last in Morgal, however. Although small, Bilibin, just to the west of Morgal, was just as expansionist as Sana. Morgal was still recovering from the war with Sana when Bilibin began mustering its troops. Fearing another war at their doorstep, Morgal's ruler, Volechek, closed the border between Morgal and Bilibin. Also, having a sizable coastline, Morgal was often on the receiving end of the pirates of Champa. One day, however, the beastmen managed to capture the son of Champa's leader, and aimed to make an example of him via execution.

The calm before the storm
Although Tuaparang's original plan had backfired, they were able to play the current situation to their advantage. Kaocho's self-proclaimed king, Wo, believed that he had been cheated out of his rightful place as Sana's emperor. Just as power-hungry as the late Emperor Ko, the Tuaparang were easily able to manipulate Wo, getting him to attack both Passaj and Ayuthay in an attempt to claim control of their Alchemy Machines. Meanwhile, they also preyed on Volechek's fears by telling him that Eclipse Tower was a powerful weapon that could spell disaster to Morgal's enemies, hiding from him that it would also spell disaster to Morgal itself.

Fortunately, the Tuaparang could not acquire the Magma Orb needed to activate Eclipse Tower, since no native of Morgal would be willing to kill the Mountain Roc. Also, they had either overestimated Kaocho's military or underestimated the resourcefulness of its enemies: Passaj had a hight advantage and easily repelled the Kaochan assault; Ayuthay possessed an underground complex that its residents often use to wait out enemy sieges. In both cases, Kaocho failed to expand its borders.

However, the Tuaparang hadn't completely lost. Several years prior, some of the Warriors of Vale had travelled to Morgal to acquire a feather of the Mountain Roc, a vital component for Ivan's Soarwing. Even earlier, an unnamed Mercury Adept (implied to be Arcanus, a Tuaparang ally) had restored Ayuthay's Alchemy Well. All that remained was to recover the Sol Mask from the Ouroboros beneath Kaocho and to find an excuse for battling the Mountain Roc. Both goals would be realized when, one fateful day, the children of the Warriors of Vale embarked on a quest to acquire another Mountain Roc feather...

Thirty years later
For a summary of events in Angara set during Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, see the appropriate sub-page:


 * Events that happened during Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Real world inspiration
Angara's name is likely based off the Angara Shield, though it may also be influenced by the Angara River, a major branch of the Yenisei River System of central Siberia, which gave its name to the shield. The Angara Shield, also known as the ancient continent of Siberia, eventually fused with ancient South China, Baltica, and Laurentia to form the supercontinent Laurasia. Of interest to Golden Sun players, the Angara River is the channel by which water from Lake Baikal, the largest lake in the world, makes its way to the Yenisei and thus to the Sea. Similarly, in Dark Dawn, a river system flows from Lake Bycal in Morgal, separating Morgal from Bilibin and eventually reaching the northernmost portions of the Eastern Sea.

Angara appears to be Weyard's counterpart to Eurasia: Many western towns appear to be European in style (thatch roofs, etc.); Sana and Morgal are modeled off of China and Russia, respectively; Kalay, in the southern-central region, resembles the Near East to a certain degree, with Arabian-style roofs and the soldiers wearing turbans.