Hydros

Hydros (ハイドロ Hydro) is the King of Lemuria. He is an ally of Piers and a friend of Lunpa. Hydros knows about how Gaia Falls is eroding the world of Weyard, and he advocates lighting the Elemental Lighthouses to counter that, despite pressure from the Lemurian senate. He gives Felix the Grindstone which the party uses to enter the Great Western Sea. He is referred to as "good King Hydros" by the Lemurians, and seems to be well-liked by his people, with the exception of the members of the senate. As the oldest of the already-long-lived residents of Lemuria, Piers implies Hydros to be the longest-lived individual in the world, describing him as having "lived longer than anyone. He is most wise."

Story
Shortly after Felix's party arrives in Lemuria, they are welcomed into the palace to have an audience with King Hydros. Hydros is eager to hear their reports of the outside world, which he requires in order to confirm or refute his theories on the effects of sealing Alchemy. Namely, he theorised that Weyard was dying, as the lack of Alchemy to fuel the land's life would lead to its gradual decay. He was so concerned about the truth behind this theory that prior to the events of he organised for Piers to leave Lemuria and explore the world beyond the Sea of Time, as Lemuria's own knowledge was significantly out of date, seeing as no-one had left or entered Lemuria in over on a century (which was when Lunpa and Babi chanced upon the civilisation).

However, he met strong opposition in the Lemurian Senate, a powerful governing body that firmly held the belief that Alchemy was a dangerous power and the outside world was none of their concern. The argument between the two governing bodies raged and ultimately, no action was taken. The deadlock was broken whan a freak wave caused by Poseidon's return, coinciding with the lighting of the Venus Lighthouse, caught Piers and his ship and washed them out to sea, leading to his eventual detention (and subsequent release) by the folk of Madra. After some time, Piers, now travelling with Felix's party returns to Lemuria, with enough information to confirm the king's theories. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, Conservato, leader of the Senate, is flabbergasted and outraged to learn that two lighthouses have already been lit, and far from supporting the party, threatens to banish the party from Lemuria. Indeed, even though King Hydros openly supports the group, going so far as to give them the Grindstone to help them accomplish their task, the Adepts, specifically Piers, are exiled from Lemuria forever (although in-game you may return as often as desired, as the banishment is perpetually held up in bureaucratic processes, preventing it from ever actually taking place). Thus, once Felix's party leaves Lemuria, King Hydros plays no further role in Golden Sun's plot.

Quotes

 * In Lemuria's palace:
 * Hydros: Ever since Alchemy was sealed away, the world has been cut off from its nourishment. It has gone into a state akin to hibernation.
 * Kraden: By using less energy, Weyard prolongs its life...
 * Hydros: Yet when hibernating, the being has only stopped its own clock... not the flow of time around it.
 * Kraden: When a bear sleeps through the winter, it needs only wait for spring to come...When it awakens, it can nourish its weakened body again...
 * Piers: But if spring never comes, the bear will eventually die...
 * Lunpa: Weyard is wasting away. Its continents shrinking, because its spring has never come.


 * Conservato: My lord, you cannot possibly intend for these people to light the remaining beacons!?
 * Hydros: I do indeed, Conservato, and I also fear the possibility that Alchemy will destroy the world. But I cannot stand by, knowing as I do that the world will wither and die if we do not act!

Trivia

 * During the meeting in King Hydros' throne chamber where maps of different eras of the world are being compared, Hydros describes Lunpa's own world map as what the thief was using when he arrived at Lemuria "150 years ago." This would create an obvious plot hole because his son, Donpa, is met by Isaac's party during the first game. Donpa was obviously born before the great flood first deposited Lunpa and Babi at Lemuria, so Donpa could not have been 150 years old by the events of the first game. Since the first game has Babi describe the flood as having happened "a hundred years ago," the 150 years stated by Hydros in the throne room scene is either a writing error or meant to be an example of what one piece of Lemurian gossip explains about Lemurians losing track of time over the years.