Agatio

Agatio is a Mars Adept who along with his partner Karst is a main antagonist in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. The pair nominally follows in the footsteps of the original game's Saturos and Menardi and shares their goal of lighting the four Elemental Lighthouses and restoring Alchemy to the world, but seek vengeance upon Isaac in response to the murder of Saturos and Menardi at his hands at the end of Golden Sun. Of the two, Agatio appears to have the higher authority because he is more powerful.

=Biography= Agatio hails from the northernmost settlement on the world map, the town of Prox. Agatio and the other people of Prox are of a humanlike race that is distinctively characterized by almost reptilian scales and spikes on various areas of their flesh - but more importantly, their natural proficiency to the Mars element. They are thus afforded both a natural toughness and a natural immunity to the constant cold of their environment. Among Prox's warriors, Agatio is the strongest besides Saturos, and among himself and Karst he appears to have the higher authority of the two because his strength and power approaches that of Saturos'.

At the start of the first Golden Sun, he and Karst remain in Prox as Karst's sister Menardi, the warrior Saturos, and their recently discovered companions Alex and Felix depart from Prox to set out on their quest to restore the force of Alchemy to the world, thereby stopping the continued growth of the abyss at the end of the world that threatens to consume Prox in the future. Felix's parents and Kyle, whom Saturos and Menardi rescued from death previously, also remain behind at Prox, and are essentially kept incarcerated there on Saturos' order so that Felix is coerced into willingly assisting Saturos on his quest; only once the four Lighthouses are lit, subsequently restoring Alchemy to the world, will the parents be freed.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age
For the most part, Agatio functions together with Karst as a single character unit in terms of plot.

The Great Eastern Sea
At any point in time in between Menardi's activation of Venus Lighthouse and the later tidal wave, Agatio and Karst depart from Prox and sail down across the Great Western Sea, then cross over into the Great Eastern Sea; whether they depart from Prox on their own volition or by consent of Prox's ruling body is not specified. The tidal wave that originates from the Sea of Time later transpires, which physically shifts the continent of Indra southwest so that it is sandwiched between lower Gondowan and northwestern Osenia, effectively corking the sea route Agatio and Karst just took to reach the Eastern Sea. The pair are now unable to return to the Western Sea, which might be an issue in the future in regards to reaching and activating the remaining two Lighthouses, which are located in the Western Sea.

Presumably, for a while after the start of The Lost Age, Karst and Agatio search the Western Sea for Saturos and Menardi. They eventually moor their ship somewhere on Indra and split up in their search for information about their companions' whereabouts. While Karst goes to Madra in her continued pursuit of her sister's whereabouts, Agatio travels west into lower Gondowan and heads north to the town Naribwe in search of the same information. Agatio asks an old man about Menardi; when the old man answers he never heard of anyone like that, Agatio brutishly shoves him to the ground and storms off. Eventually he returns to the ship, and soon Karst comes back with news that she has encountered Felix and the remainder of Saturos' group in Madra, and they have confirmed for her the awful truth: Menardi and Saturos were killed in battle by a group of warriors led by Isaac after the Venus Lighthouse's beacon was lit.

Agatio and Karst, just before they depart back out to sea, are approached by Alex, the other man that accompanied Saturos and Menardi on their original quest. He convinces them to let him join them on his ship by providing them important information and insight, such as about how the Mars Star is currently in the possession of Isaac's group rather than Felix's. Alex directs them to the seaside town of Champa and wait for Felix's party to arrive there (he predicts Felix's group will come there, which strikes Agatio as remarkable foresight). Once Felix arrives, Alex lets Agatio and Karst give a more thorough introduction of themselves to Felix's party and intimidate them into prioritizing the return to the Great Western Sea and the reaching of Jupiter Lighthouse. Agatio and Karst are told by Alex, however, that he doesn't consider himself specifically on "their side" through all this, for his only concern is the eventual activation of all four Lighthouses. Agatio also takes offense when Alex states that he thinks he and Karst, like Saturos and Menardi, are pretty much akin to simple brutes that can't be expected to be handle the task that Felix is currently set on, which is why he means to leave the task to Felix. After everyone has said their piece, Agatio and Karst leave with Alex to let Felix resume his journey, and from then on Agatio and the other two presumably follow Felix's ship across the ocean at a safe distance, always keeping a close watch on Felix's activities.

Jupiter Lighthouse
After a great period of time, Felix's party has gained the Psynergy ability necessary to remove the rocky obstacles that were created when Indra collided with lower Gondowan, thus allowing their ship passage into the Great Western Sea. Agatio, Karst, and Alex soon follow, and soon land on the continent of Atteka and follow Felix's footsteps into Jupiter Lighthouse. Agatio's group apparently become aware that Isaac's group has entered Jupiter Lighthouse as well. Agatio and Karst discover and study an ancient trap mechanism, and find they can use it to divide Isaac's party up so that they can attack and destroy them while separated. They know that among Isaac's party is a Mercury Adept named Mia, who technically could be the most dangerous opponent to Mars Adepts like them, so as they lay in wait and Isaac's party comes around, they specifically aim for Mia when they time the trap. Mia falls down to a ledge below; Agatio and Karst are pleasantly surprised, though, that the Mars Adept Garet fell in with her.

Karst and Agatio present themselves to Isaac and his remaining companion, the Jupiter Adept Ivan, and proclaim that it is now time for Isaac to pay for his deed of the murder of Menardi. They also describe how the seal placed on Alchemy is responsible for the dire circumstances currently beset upon their hometown of Prox, and by this point they have apparently been consumed by an obsession: They proclaim that once Alchemy is released, Prox will recover its lost power as a nation, and then all the people of Weyard will kneel before it. Obviously this is not something Isaac's side agrees with, but when they ready themselves for a two-on-two "fair fight", Karst clarifies that they brought a third Adept to help them kill Isaac's party, Alex. Just then, Karst notices that Alex has completely abandoned the Mars Adepts and is nowhere to be seen; considering this a betrayal, Agatio says he'll do the same to him after they take care of Isaac's party, and so they attack Isaac and Ivan with the intent to kill.

Agatio, the more powerful of the pair, takes on Isaac himself even though Karst's most personal grudge is against Isaac, so she takes on Ivan individually. Isaac and Ivan fight desperately but ultimately end up thoroughly defeated. Briefly expressing surprise over the power of their opponents, Agatio and Karst are about to kill them when just then, who else should show up but Felix and his party to prevent them from the deed. Felix's side declares their full intention to betray and fight Agatio and Karst for the sake of protecting Isaac. Weakened from the battle, Karst admits they have no choice but to let Felix's side do what they will with Isaac, provided Felix takes the Mars Star from Isaac and then comes up with them to the aerie of Jupiter Lighthouse to light it with the Jupiter Star. Agatio presses Karst by asking whatever happened to the anger she had over Isaac's murder of her sister, and Karst responds that for all the rage that consumes her over this, she is not blinded it enough to be suicidal. Felix agrees and comes up to the tower's top to light the Jupiter Beacon atop Jupiter Lighthouse.

Once Felix lights Jupiter Lighthouse, Agatio and Karst then break it to him that they simply can't trust him anymore, and that now that the Jupiter Beacon is alight, they have no further need for traitors. Since the last lighthouse, Mars Lighthouse, is up north near Prox, the Mars Adepts presume they can light it themselves, so Karst steals the Mars Star from Felix. Agatio and Karst taunt Felix by assuring that Prox would release Felix's parents once all four Lighthouses are lit, but if Felix is dead, they'd probably have to spend the rest of their lives in Prox anyway. Agatio and Karst proceed to attack and attempt to finish off Felix once and for all, but the other members of Felix's party quickly arrive from below to assist him in his battle against the pair, and soon the pair find themselves fighting against four Adepts at once.

At this point in The Lost Age, the battle can go either way: either Felix's party may emerge the victor, or Agatio and Karst may defeat them in battle and leave them unconscious. In the scenario that Agatio and Karst win, Karst comments that everyone they've battled thus far have all been far more powerful than they expected. When Agatio suggests that Isaac's party might be coming and that they should leave, Karst insists that treason deserves death and that Felix's party must be finished. At that moment, Alex reappears, telling them that there is no time for petty grudges. Karst takes the opportunity to recite the same death threat at Alex for his abandonment of them earlier, but Alex illustrates that they have been thoroughly drained from their battles with both Isaac and Felix so they are in no condition to fight him too. And since Isaac and his rejuvenated party are coming up at this very moment, and since the Mars Adepts has the Mars Star they need to complete their more important task, Alex convinces the pair to flee Jupiter Lighthouse with him while they can. They use the now-functional elevator system, just as Isaac's group comes upon Felix's party.

In the scenario that Felix's party outlasts their opponents and renders them helpless on the ground, Agatio tells them to finish the job. Karst immediately presents a hypothesis intended to put emotional pressure on Felix: What if the people of Prox decide to kill Felix's parents if neither Agatio and Karst nor Saturos and Menardi return to Prox, having been killed in action by the very people whose parents are currently being held in Prox? Jenna asserts she doesn't believe the people of Prox would kill them (and she is frankly right). Before Felix can decide what to do with the pair, Alex chooses this moment to reappear, and quickly revives and heals Agatio and Karst enough so that they can stand, albeit barely. Alex reasons that if Felix is not going to finish them off, then the pair'd be better off not being left there at the lighthouse's aerie, so he will be escorting them out away from the lighthouse. Karst is annoyed and expresses disdain over the fact Alex apparently isn't going to help them defeat Felix's group in battle, but Alex quickly points out that Isaac's party is currently coming up so they should flee while they can. So, the Mars Adepts and Alex take the elevator down just as Isaac's group and Felix's group have their encounter.

Mars Lighthouse
Following the episode at Jupiter Lighthouse, Agatio and Karst part ways with Alex; it would stand to reason that they're all too happy to do so based on prior events. The pair, with the Mars Star in hand, sail back up north to their hometown, Prox (somehow bypassing the glaciers and walls of ice that have blockaded the natural sea route to the Northern Reaches). They briefly stay there and relate to the villagers the events of their expedition and, still clearly resentful of Felix, tell them about how Felix "ran away because their quest was too dangerous". Agatio and Karst soon officially depart north to Mars Lighthouse, with the intent to light it and finish Menardi and Saturos' original objective.

As Agatio and Karst explore the frozen structure, all of a sudden they are beset upon by the Wise One, the single-eyed entity and guardian of the seal placed on Alchemy. It looks into the pair's souls and declares they lack the will to go any farther. The Wise One then uses its powers to transform Agatio and Karst into a pair of lumbering, mindless Flame Dragons, and encases them in a slab of ice at the bottommost level of Mars Lighthouse. The two remain in this state of suspended animation for a period of time until Felix and Isaac, who have since merged forces into one full party of Adepts, enter and explore Mars Lighthouse themselves. The Adepts eventually come to the bottommost chamber and free the creatures. The two dragons immediately attack the party on instinct, using many of the same Psynergy abilities Agatio and Karst demonstrated on Jupiter Lighthouse. After an extended battle, the Adepts eventually defeat each beast.

The two Flame Dragons revert back to the forms of Agatio and Karst, thoroughly beaten and near-death, to the Adepts' likely considerable surprise. As the pair relate what little they can remember of "the eye" they came across, they realize that they are starting to feel cold, something the people of Prox should be immune to, meaning they are nearing death. They then notice that Felix and the others are in the room with them, and in a sort of last-minute change of heart they beg him to take the Mars Star and light Mars Beacon himself, in spite of their prior antagonism. Felix and the others take the Mars Star and head up to the Lighthouse's aerie, having no choice but to leave Agatio and Karst behind. The last thing the Mars Adepts are heard saying is that they swear to keep alive at least until they can tell the beacon has been lit; whether they achieve this is up to the player's interpretation.

Agatio and Karst do not figure into the finale of The Lost Age beyond having given Felix back the Mars Star. In the dramatic finale, the Mars Lighthouse eventually is activated through the efforts of Felix and Isaac's group of Adepts. With the establishment of the four Elemental Beacons, Alchemy is restored to the world, and Prox is saved from eventual destruction. The people of Prox congratulate and thank Isaac and Felix for what they have done, even though they feel sad that Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio had all lost their lives. In a piece of Mind-Readable dialogue in Prox accessible only by hacking, it is indicated that the people of Prox were told by Felix's group that Agatio and Karst "were defeated by a monstrous dragon" which Felix and the others then beat and slew. It is likely this was told by Felix's group as a white lie to the Proxian people to avoid creating further resentment between Prox and the people of Weyard, since technically it was Isaac and Felix's group that killed the pair much like how Isaac killed Saturos and Menardi beforehand.

=As a boss=
 * Also see: Gallery of Agatio's GBA sprites.

Agatio makes an appearance as one of two boss enemies fought simultaneously at the end of the Jupiter Lighthouse dungeon, with the other being Karst.

The scripted battle with Agatio and Karst occurs at the top of Jupiter Lighthouse after you decide to cast the Jupiter Star into the lighthouse's open well. Several things make this boss counter unique: You begin the battle with your party only comprised of Felix and Piers. Survive two turns of the battle and then a brief cutscene shows Jenna arriving to join your party in the battle, and then after another two turns another similar cutscene occurs with Sheba arriving to join the battle. From that point on, the boss battle plays out as the only boss battle in either game that can be optionally won or lost; the plot still progresses if you lose, and whether you win or lose only affects the cutscene following the battle and whether you get the EXP and material rewards.

Agatio has 4248 HP, 280PP, 377 Attack, 114 Defense, 178 Agility, and 46 Luck, making him generally "beefier" but slower than Karst. In terms of resistance, he has a Mars Resistance rating of 175, a Jupiter Resistance rating of 127, a Venus Resistance rating of 100, and a Mercury Resistance rating of 72, and in regards to his abilities he uses his available Mars-based attacks with a power rating of 110. His battle commands are as follows:


 * Rolling Flame: Used 53 out of 256 times, this is a Monster Skill where Agatio launches a powerful, vaguely cylindrical burst of fire through the opposing party, dealing a Mars-based attack equal to his normal physical attack with an additional 100 damage points. This hits up to 3 Adepts at a time, making it a rare effect that is both based on attack rating and is area-of-effect.
 * Rising Dragon: Used 47 out of 256 times, this is a Psynergy spell exclusive to Agatio that summons a flame shaped liked a dragon-headed serpent out of the ground underneath the targeted Adept to carry the target off far into the sky; after an explosion in midair, the Adept is sent hurtling back to the ground. This deals a Mars-based attack with a power rating of 250, and costs Agatio 37PP; incidentally, the similarly-themed single-target Dragon Fume Psynergy is the same, but with 20 less power and 2 less PP cost.
 * Meteor Blow: Used 41 out of 256 times, this is a Psynergy spell exclusive to Agatio that is more like a summon sequence; a flaming hunk of rock appears out of the starlit sky and crashes straight down into the battle with a massive, fiery explosion, dealing a Mars-based attack with a power rating of 120 and that hits all Adepts. This is a summon-style sequence which the game treats as though Agatio has his own "Mars Djinn On Standby", meaning that in addition to base damage it also does damage that scales with the maximum HP rating of each affected Adept; thus, Meteor Blow will deal higher damage to a party with higher HP. Like a summon, Meteor Blow also deals damage to Adepts off to the sides of the target with a slightly more lenient damage ratio than many straight Psynergy spell, and it costs Agatio 21PP. Easily one of the most dangerous skills Agatio has.
 * Cage: Used 35 out of 256 times, this is a Monster Skill where a yellow spherical field of energy appears to encircle the targeted Adept briefly. If it connects, it will cause the target to take a small amount of damage and be afflicted with a 1-turn paralysis effect akin to that caused by Petra, but it will likely miss. This ability does not have Petra's strike-first property, however, and if Agatio uses it on someone who has already taken action, it will do nothing.
 * Stun Muscle: Used 29 out of 256 times, this is a Monster Skill where Agatio charges toward and tackles a target while cloaked in a bright orange aura of energy, dealing a Mars-based attack equal to his normal physical attack multiplied by 1.3. It may also inflict the Stun status condition.
 * Eruption: Used 23 out of 256 times, this is a Psynergy spell where two fiery pillars explode through the opposing party, dealing a Mars-based attack with a power rating of 90 and a range of 3 targets. It costs Agatio 14 PP to use.
 * Debilitate: Used 17 out of 256 times, this is a Psynergy spell that attempts to temporarily lower up to 3 adepts' Defense ratings by 12.5% each. It consumes 6 of Agatio's PP.
 * Attack: Used 11 out of 256 times, this is Agatio's standard physical attack.

In general, Agatio piles on more damage than what Karst is capable of, but even so it might be Karst that is considered the more dangerous opponent regardless because of her potential instant-death skill she shares with Menardi from the previous game. It depends on the player which of the two opponents should be focused on first, but always focus on piling on the damage of one opponent over the other because they are most dangerous when fought together simultaneously. Either one can be easily handled and dispatched individually.

If the battle ends up won for your party, then Agatio yields 3000 EXP and 3740, which adds up with Karst's 2813 EXP and 5280 coins to form 5813 EXP and 9020 coins total. Karst is also guaranteed to drop a Dark Matter.

=Trivia=
 * Agatio, along with Karst, while waiting on top of Jupiter Lighthouse for Felix and Piers to light the Jupiter beacon with the Jupiter Star, has hidden lines of Mind Read-able text that normally cannot be seen because Sheba, the only Adept in your party that can use Mind Read, is out of your group at the time. Using a hacking device to allow Felix or Piers in your party to use Mind Read, Agatio is revealed to be thinking "Do even think about resisting us... We have our own ideas about that. Once the beacon is lit, your usefulness will have run out for good." It is probably quite clear that the first part is supposed to read "Don't even think about resisting us", and that that piece of text was not cleaned up because it was decided later that Sheba would not be part of your party so you wouldn't be able to mind-read it anyway.

=Quotes=
 * At Champa:
 * Agatio: "What's going on is Alex is demonstrating his remarkable foresight once again!"


 * Agatio: "I am Agatio. Let's see... That guy's Felix, and the girls are Jenna and Sheba, which makes him... Kraden. They look like an unreliable bunch of ragamuffins."


 * At Jupiter Lighthouse:
 * Ivan: "Prox? Never heard of it."
 * Agatio: "That doesn't surprise me. Our town hangs on the brink of extinction. And the seal placed on Alchemy is responsible!"
 * Isaac: "What are you saying? That doesn't make any sense."
 * Karst: "It matters not! For soon, Prox will recover its lost power..."
 * Agatio: "We shall bring Prox back from the edge, and then all the people of Weyard will kneel before us!"
 * Ivan: "You think we'd let you, after hearing all that nonsense?"


 * Agatio: (After Karst and Agatio realize Alex has abandoned them) "Forget about him! Honestly, I was planning to do the same to him that I'm about to do to them! My only regret is that I won't be able to wipe that sneering smile off his face."
 * Karst: "Well, take out all of your aggressions on these brats... You'll feel better!"


 * Agatio: (To Isaac) "Ha! You're a fool! Never let concern distract you in battle!"


 * Agatio: (To Felix) "Isaac has proven to be a greater foe than we'd imagined. We can't let him live."


 * Karst: "Agatio, if we fight Felix now... we'll be destroyed."
 * Agatio: "Isaac killed your sister! Where is your anger!?"
 * Karst: "I am filled with rage, but not so much as to be blinded by it."
 * Agatio: "What, then? Do we give up? Fine! But this is not the end."
 * Karst: "Do with Isaac as you will."
 * Agatio: "But swear this oath to us: if we leave now, you will light the beacon's fire." (If Felix says yes) "I don't care if you want to help Garet or not! The lighthouse comes first!"


 * Agatio: (To Felix) "You see, you've betrayed us once already..."
 * Karst: "We simply can't trust you anymore..."
 * Agatio: "And now that Jupiter Lighthouse is lit, I'm afraid we have little use for traitors."


 * Agatio: "We've got the Mars Star! We don't need you anymore!"
 * Karst: "You know what that means, of course, don't you?" (If Felix says no) "No? Well, how can I put this? It's time to die!"
 * Piers: "But what will happen to Felix's parents?"
 * Agatio: "We keep our promises! Once all four lighthouses have been lit, we shall release them!"
 * Karst: "We would never do anything as terrible as breaking our word... as you have done so casually."
 * Agatio: "But if you're dead... Who will come to take them home from Prox?"
 * Karst: "I guess they'll just have to spend their remaining years in the frozen wastelands of the north!"
 * Agatio: "Don't worry! They'll be fine! Now prepare for the end!"


 * Sheba: (After Felix's party has defeated Karst and Agatio in the battle on Jupiter Lighthouse) "What should we do with them?"
 * Agatio: "Finish us!"


 * At Mars Lighthouse, following the battle with two Flame Dragons that turn out to have been Karst and Agatio:
 * Karst: "Why am I so cold? We of the Fire Clan are meant to be immune to the cold..."
 * Agatio: "I feel the cold too, Karst... I... I'm afraid we're going to die up here..."


 * Agatio: "Felix? Is that you?" (If Felix says no) "How can you play games with us like this? Regardless, it's amazing that you're here... It means our luck hasn't entirely run out yet... Felix, you must complete our quest... Please... You have to light the beacon..."


 * Agatio: (Thinking) "I'm so tired... A fog is rising before my eyes... No! Can't die until the beacon... is lit..."


 * In Prox:
 * Villager: "It's too bad about Agatio and Karst... They weren't bad people... A little obsessed, yeah, but it's still sad that they're gone."

=In fan circles= Agatio, in spite of being one of the "main" characters, is probably the least popular such character to focus on in fan fiction because of his straightforward nature as a big and brutish man who does not contribute much of anything intellectual or personal to the plot. There is, of course, a shipping genre for Agatio and Karst ("Dragonshipping") much like how there was one for the previous game's pair Saturos and Menardi, and there have of course been notable fan fiction attempts to humanize him both in and out of that shipping genre.

Hagartio