Kraden

Kraden, a bearded scholar with spectacles, is the grandfatherly advisor figure to the Adepts. He studies Alchemy at the request of Babi. He is described as "cunning beyond measure" by Saturos. In Golden Sun he is one of Saturos' hostages, but in The Lost Age he is the consisient "guide" to Felix's traveling party.

Background
Kraden originally came from a poor village, the name of which is unknown. When he was four years old, Babi recognised his talent and took him away from his home to Tolbi, where he took him under his wing and Kraden started studying Alchemy.

In Golden Sun
After a lifetime of studying Alchemy and the four elements of Weyard, Kraden becomes a learned enough man to gain recognition from lord Babi, and Babi eventually sends Kraden to live at Vale, where he is to study the four jewels known as the Elemental Stars hidden within Sol Sanctum, as well as to observe the Adepts that live at Vale. Kraden moves to Vale and becomes fast friends with the young Adepts Isaac, Garet, Jenna, and Felix, along with their parents, and he teaches them what he knew about Alchemy and how it applies to Psynergy. When the Mt.Aleph boulder disaster allegedly kills Felix and the parents, Kraden shares the young ones’ grief even though he is not seen in the games prologue itself.

In the present, Saturos and Menardi, planning to infiltrate Sol Sanctum, come to him and try to get information, and Kraden must rely on his cunning to not reveal too much to potential thieves, though in point of fact he does not know all about Mt. Aleph's secrets himself. It is a combination of Saturos' influence, Kraden’s pressure to fulfill Babi’s wishes, and his own curiosity that convinces him to undertake an unauthorized research expedition into Sol Sanctum consisting of himself and Isaac, Garet, and Jenna. They investigate the inside of the sanctum to see if Saturos and Menardi are telling the truth about how much they know about Sol Sanctum, but when Kraden finds that they were thieves planning to rob the sanctum, he chooses to investigate further into the sanctum instead of going back to warn the town because he is so close to the object of his research.

Kraden's group ends up in the elemental star chamber, and he foolishly tasks Isaac to remove the Elemental Stars from their pedestals. Suddenly, Saturos and Menardi arrive and take Kraden and Jenna hostage, and Saturos makes Isaac hand him three of the stars. But Mt.Aleph erupts before he can get the fourth star, so Saturos must flee with the two as their hostages for Isaac to follow so that Saturos could get the fourth star. Kraden and Jenna must now travel with Saturos, Menardi, Felix, and Alex to light the Elemental Lighthouses.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age


Kraden and Jenna quickly come to understand Saturos’ motive for activating the Elemental Lighthouses. Eventually, when Saturos and Menardi are slain at Venus Lighthouse and Felix is made to lead the rest of party, which now includes the Jupiter Adept Sheba, Kraden becomes the group’s advisor from there on, giving Felix advice and insight into the workings of a situation whenever the situation calls for clarification. Of course, since he is an old man who studied books as opposed to swordsmanship, Kraden steps out of the way whenever Felix and his younger friends engage in battle. Kraden proves that his involvement in the quest does stem from his own curiosity in Alchemy more than Babi’s decree when Alex appears a great deal of time later and notifies Kraden of the passing of Babi. Though Kraden is understandably affected, he proclaims that he will continue his participation in the quest in the name of the pursuit of knowledge all the way.

Kraden later has a reason to light the lighthouses, but he only tells Felix what it is at first. In Lemuria, it is revealed that he agrees with the Lemurians' idea that Weyard is in decline.

Fan influence
Kraden is revered for his wisdom. His followers congregate at the Temple of Kraden.

RyuKenshin, author of the Wheat Sword FAQ, created a FAQ telling how to get Kraden as a playable character in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Though it is actually impossible to achieve this, the FAQ is nonetheless reprinted here.