Kolima Village

Kolima Village
Kolima Village in the overworld of Golden Sun
Landmass	Angara
Game(s)	Golden Sun Dark Dawn
Inn Pricing	8 coins per adept (GS) 16 coins per adept (DD)
Services	Item Vendor Weapon Vendor Armor Vendor Sanctuary

Kolima Village (コリマ村 Kolyma Village) is a village that is visited on separate occasions throughout the Golden Sun series. It starts out as a village of lumberjacks located in northeastern Angara, far to the east of the prominent town of Bilibin, whose mayor, Lord McCoy, had contracted the workers to commence logging operations in the nearby Kolima Forest. In Golden Sun, the village may be visited along the party's way toward the mandatory Kolima Forest dungeon to convince the boss enemy at the end, the tree spirit Tret, to end a curse he had inflicted upon all of the village's residents in retaliation, which has transformed them into helpless trees.

Kolima Village is one of scarce few locations in the first two games that make a return appearance in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, taking place 30 years later. It is now located directly in front of Kolima Forest, and a separate settlement named Saha Town has situated itself in front of it. During the arc of the game that takes place in Angara's northeast swath, the Morgal region, the party must pass through Saha Town to enter Kolima Village and resolve another curse troubling the residents in order to journey further into Kolima Forest itself.

In Golden Sun

For all NPC gossip, see Side Scripts.

The player is intended to learn early on at Bilibin, far to the west of Kolima Village on the world map, that the village beyond the ostensibly closed Bilibin Barricade has been struck with a curse and is an urgent concern for Bilibin's people. The Kolima Forest "arc" early in the game is easier than the more plot-relevant arc taking place at Imil and Mercury Lighthouse northwest of Bilibin and is expected to be completed first, though the two arcs can be done "out of order" instead. As a result, the fourth party member recruited "later" at Mercury Lighthouse, Mia, may or may not already be part of the party when they first step into Kolima Village, where an automatic cutscene reveals that every villager has been transformed into a human-sized tree that can only mentally speak out thoughts accessible with the Mind Read Psynergy.

If Kolima Forest just northwest of the village is entered first, a slightly cut-down version of the same introductory cutscene takes place over there instead, and the main version will not play if the village is subsequently entered. Regardless, the fact every villager and shopkeeper is a motionless tree renders Kolima a village that does not have any functioning shops, Inn services, or Sanctum services at present, which will remain the case until both aforementioned arcs are completed.

The entire population of Kolima Village has been transformed into human-sized trees by the time Isaac arrives.

The main reason to even bother going to Kolima Village when the party is in the neighborhood is to collect the Venus Djinni visible within the enclosed southeast fence. Entering the concealed back entrance of that treehouse will bring you into Kolima Tunnel, an underground trail that lets you climb up through the hole inside the fence, and you will add Granite to your Djinn collection. In addition, one of the game's four Apples can be collected from the upper-left jar among the six jars in the village's northeast area, and a Lucky Medal can be found in a jar in the inn tree's top floor.

When both arcs of this part of the game are completed by using the Hermes' Water from Mercury Lighthouse at the end of Kolima Forest, the village updates by having all of its trees replaced with generic villager NPCs. This reenables the inn and sanctum services and opens the weapon, armor, and item shops for business. Compared to the shops that would have opened up at Imil shortly before this, Kolima's shops introduce the Broad Axe, Armlet, and Bronze Helm pieces. The player is then expected to continue the main plot of the game by traveling east through Kolima Bridge.

It can be noted that Golden Sun can technically be completed without the party ever once entering Kolima Village, since opening the way east through Kolima Bridge is strictly dependent on entering and finishing Kolima Forest nearby. Of course, doing this is not recommended in the least because the party would end up leaving one of the game's seven Venus Djinn uncollected.

Vendors

Kolima's Inn is located in the upper-left treehouse and costs 8 coins per party member; since Mia will have joined Isaac, Garet, and Ivan's party once the inn has reopened for business, this will always amount to 32 coins.

Weapon Shop
Name	Class	Cost	Effect
Broad Axe	Axe	1400	Attack +50
Broad Sword	Long Sword	1000	Attack +40
Heavy Mace	Mace	500	Attack +26
Hunter's Sword	Light Blade	520	Attack +28

Armor Shop
Name	Class	Cost	Effect
Adept's Clothes	Clothing	850	Defense +18, PP + 8
Armlet	Bracelet	900	Defense +17
Bronze Shield	Shield	500	Defense +14
Leather Armor	Armor	240	Defense +12
Leather Gloves	Gloves	220	Defense +10
Bronze Helm	Helm	600	Defense +14
Wooden Cap	Hat	400	Defense +10

Item Shop
Name	Class	Cost	Effect
Antidote	Consumable Item	20	Cures Poison and Venom from one Adept
Elixir	Consumable Item	30	Cures Sleep, Stun, and Delusion from one Adept
Herb	Consumable Item	10	Restores 50 HP to one Adept
Sacred Feather	Consumable Item	70	Temporarily lowers monster encounter rate

Collectables

• 7 Coins: Found in the barrel at the top floor of the equipment shop.
  
• Apple: Found in the upper left jar among the six jars at the upper right of village.
  
• Herb: Found in the jar just to the left of the treehouse with the fenced-in Venus Djinni.
  
• Lucky Medal: Found in the jar at the top floor of the inn.
  
• Granite: A Venus Djinni visibly fenced at the southeast part of town. To reach the underground passage that connects to that exit, walk into the back end of the treehouse.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

This title's version of Kolima Village can be entered as soon as the party steps out into the Morgal Region of the Angaran continent from Teppe Ruins roughly halfway through the game. The official method of entering it is to enter Saha Town in the northeast part of the region, head to the tall crates at the northeast part of that town's screen, and cast Move to shift the discolored crate right so that you can climb down the well behind it into Saha Cistern. Once down there, head northeast and use Grip to reach and climb up through the well at the southeast part of Kolima Village itself. The village can be freely entered and exited using this route throughout the party's time in the Morgal region.

Kolima Village miraculously survives bizarre events brought about by the Golden Sun event that result in its relocation, but the northwest tree — the Dream Tree — becomes cursed prior to Matthew's arrival.

Typically, the player's progression through Morgal plays out by first visiting Belinsk, then looking for Kraden at Border Town west of that but finding pirates instead, then visiting the pirate leader Briggs at Port Rago southeast of Saha Town. He will give you both a plot incentive to travel to the end of Kolima Forest and the key item that will make doing so possible, Hermes' Water. It is, however, technically possible to do everything leading up to the moment using Hermes' Water is necessary even before visiting any other location in Morgal, up to and including completing an entire dungeon and fighting its boss. You can even pick up the Hard Nut at the first screen of the "shut-off" Kolima Forest past Kolima Village's open north exit early.

When Kolima Village is entered, you have some form of access to all four of the "main trees" of the village, which are each given their own names. Each tree allows you entry onto a complex maze of branches situated above the ground level. The lower-right tree, called the Djinn Tree, contains an item store that is currently closed — but if you enter its hidden back door, you can emerge next to the shopkeeper behind his counter and collect an Apple from the chest next to him. Climb up through the Djinn Tree and inspect the bookcase on the second floor for Sun Saga 5.

Stepping out of the second-floor exit of the southeast Djinn Tree onto its section of the branch maze serves much the same purpose as using the southwest Sapling Tree to step onto the branches because their branch networks are closely connected to each other, allowing free travel between the two trees' respective second floors. Starting from south of the Djinn Tree, you can navigate and hop your way through the branches to wrap around the northeast Roof Tree in a counter-clockwise fashion until you get to what can be called a "branch crossroads" just west of the Roof Tree's trunk. Head northwest from there and jump onto the currently purple branches of the northwest tree, the Dream Tree, to collect the northwest chest's Safety Boots. Return to the branch crossroads, but do not slide down the one-way slide yet; hop southwest of that to reach the Venus Djinni just left of the Djinn Tree's trunk, Garland. Sliding down this one-way branch slide "locks you into" the relatively enclosed segment of the branches that the northeast Roof Tree gives restricted access to. Hop down to get the chest right of the Djinn Tree's trunk for 777 coins, then use the Roof Tree as a "one-way exit back down" to the ground level.

Only the basement floor of the northwest Dream Tree can be entered at present, and the only way to make use of that chamber is to speak with the green-dressed woman at the second floor of the southeast Djinn Tree and agree to her proposal. A cutscene will automatically force you into the Phantasmal Bog dungeon whose "entrance" is represented as appearing in that basement chamber, and you can complete the dungeon and defeat the Sludge boss at the end of it for the Crush Tusk Utility Psynergy item. If you leave the dungeon early by stepping into the starting golden light to "wake up from this dream," you will reappear in the basement chamber, and talking to the woman inside will let you return to the Bog.

Garland is acquirable in the maze of hoppable tree branches at the "second floor" of Kolima Village, whether after the Dream Tree is restored (pictured) or before.

Once you have been brought back to Kolima Village after defeating Sludge, the main trunk of the still-purple Dream Tree can now be entered, and the Inn service inside it can be used. Checking the dresser in the third floor of the Dream Tree gives you the Ninja Garb, and stepping outside its second floor brings you to the northwest "elevated branches" of the branch maze; hop south to get the chest left of the trunk of the southwest Sapling Tree, which contains the Virtuous Armlet. The one-way branch slide right of the Dream Tree brings you back to the level of the "branch crossroads" left of the Roof Tree. Separately, you can return to Saha Cistern and use your newly acquired Crush Psynergy to collect the Jupiter Djinni Wisp inside it (after having done some important setup in Saha Town's upper-left well first).

The above opportunities for grabbing collectables aside, the game essentially locks you off from progressing through the "Kolima arc" further if you have not brought the Hermes' Water from Port Rago, so play through the earlier portions of the Morgal arc until you do. Use the Hermes' Water on the purple tree-like face inside the basement chamber of the Dream Tree to lift the curse and turn the tree itself brown. The town updates with the gate between Kolima Village and Saha Town permanently open, which allows for quicker travel between the two settlements. Dream Leaves can now be purchased at the item shop in the Djinn Tree, which can either be used at the Dream Tree's innkeeper to return to Phantasmal Bog or be used at the innkeeper at Border Town to collect the easy-to-miss Haures summon tablet. Most importantly, Kolima Forest up north can now be progressed through past the first two screens.

If Kolima Village is entered even before Belinsk is first entered at the start of the Morgal arc, the blue beastman leader of the musical troupe, Vande, will not be walking around the village's north exit; he will appear here once he and several other musicians are shown leaving Belinsk for "musical inspiration." Once the Mountain Roc boss has been defeated atop Talon Peak northeast of Kolima Forest, you will be required to return to Kolima Village from either direction to talk to Vande, who will agree to return to Belinsk to help play the plot-critical Arangoa Prelude.

Vendors

Kolima's Inn is located in the main trunk portion of the "Dream Tree" treehouse in the upper left corner of the village and costs 16 coins per party member. However, it can only be entered after Sludge is defeated in the Phantasmal Bog dungeon. Prior to this, the entrance will be blocked by root-like structures.

Kolima's item shop is located on the bottom floor of the southeast Djinn Tree. Unlike other item shops, it only sells Dream Leaves, which are necessary to get the Haures Summon at Border Town and can also be used to reenter the Phantasmal Bog.

Item Shop
Name	Class	Cost	Effect
Dream Leaf	Consumable Item	600	Used in certain inns to enter the dreamworld

Collectables

• Garland: Located on a branch at the top level of the Djinn Tree.
  
• Sun Saga 5: Found by examining the bookcase inside the Djinn Tree.
  
• Safety Boots: Found in a chest in the branches of one of the trees.
  
• Apple: Found in a treasure chest that is accessible by means of a back door to the Item Shop.
  
• Bramble Seed: Found in the room before the apple, in a pot to the left of the door leading to the apple.
  
• Coins: 21 coins found in a wooden box in the northeast-most corner.
  
• Herb: Found in a pot next to the Herb store.
  
• Coins: 777 coins found in a chest on one of the branches of the Herb Store tree.
  
• Coins: 33 coins found in a pot in bottom story of the northeast most tree.
  
• Bramble Seed: Found in a barrel near the North exit path.
  
• Oil Drop: Found in a pot at the bottom story of the southwest most tree.
  
• Weasel's Claw: Found in a pot south west of the village.
  
• Sacred Feather: Found in a barrel outside on the left side of the Inn tree.
  

Available after completing Phantasmal Bog

• Ninja Garb: Found in a dresser at Kolima's Inn.
  
• Virtuous Armlet: Found in a chest in the branches of one of the trees.
  
• Sleep Bomb: Found in a pot on the first story of the Inn tree.

History

In Golden Sun

Spoiler warning: The following section(s) contain plot details that some people may not wish to learn before reaching this point in the game on their own.

Due to demand from the town of Bilibin, the lumberjacks of Kolima had been extensively logging the nearby Kolima Forest. Their quest for lumber even took them to the sacred "holy tree", Tret, who resides deep within the forest (although, due to the logging, the forest is now comprised largely of stumps and felled logs). This coincides with the eruption of Mt. Aleph, which rains Psynergy Stones across Angara. Many of these stones fall into Tret's branches, granting him the power to curse people, turning them into trees. It also turns his rage into an uncontrollable monster, which promptly curses the people of Kolima, turning them all into trees so that they will die along with the now mortally-wounded forest.

The residents of Kolima live in hollowed out trees.

When Isaac's party first enters Kolima, Tret uses his powerful magic to try and turn the heroes into trees like the others. But their Psynergy protects them from this evil spell. Isaac and company vow to put an end to the curse caused by Tret. After navigating the forest, the young heroes battle Tret, quelling his anger. Having been brought back to his senses, Tret attempts to reverse his curse, but has been too drained of power from his descent into evil.

It is only after Isaac and the others travel to Imil and meet Mia who helps them through the Mercury Lighthouse that they are able to find a means to save Tret and Kolima's residents. After the party faces off against Saturos, they find that his actions of lighting the Mercury beacon has caused the fountain at the Lighthouse's base to begin to flow with water once again. Quickly, they fill the Empty Bottle (found in Imil) with this liquid, the Hermes' Water, a water with the ability to cure any illness. They head back to Tret and and use the Hermes' Water on him, restoring his strength and allowing him to lift the curse he himself had earlier inflicted, thus saving the citizens of Kolima.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Spoiler warning: The following section(s) contain plot details that some people may not wish to learn before reaching this point in the game on their own.

Due to the Golden Sun event, Kolima Village, as well as Kolima Forest, was moved farther east, and is now located in the newly-formed country of Morgal. The area where the village is now located was once marshland, but is now fertile ground. The town is immediately adjacent to Saha Town, with access between the two towns being primarily controlled by a wooden gate, though the towns are also connected by the Saha Cistern. Kolima Village is now a destination for travelers wanting to buy Dream Leaves, special leaves that give people pleasant dreams.

The portal to the Phantasmal Bog opens to those who use Dream Leaves and sleep at the base of the Dream Tree in Kolima Village.

Unfortunately, the village falls under another curse, this time caused by the monster Sludge, who once lived in the marsh that the forest replaced. Tret and Laurel were able to keep Sludge under control most of the time, but during the course of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Sludge attacks while the Waelda spirits are caught off guard. Sludge cursed the Dream Tree, the source of the Dream Leaves; any new Dream Leaves would give people nightmares instead of good dreams. On top of that, Sludge's curse prevented people from navigating Kolima Forest and shut off access to the town's inn, which happened to be located within the Dream Tree. Fearing that the curse would spread, the people of Saha closed the gate to Kolima Village.

While Matthew's party travels the Morgal region, Briggs asks the group to meet with Tret on his behalf, also giving them some Hermes' Water to aid them on their quest. When the young Adepts first arrive in Saha Town, however, they learn of the curse Kolima is suffering from. Although the gate is tightly shut, the Adepts are able to sneak into Kolima using the Saha Cistern. After they arrive in Kolima, Matthew's group meets a mother (Jill, the former Bilibin resident and "Gang of Three" member who Isaac saved at Bilibin Barricade thirty years earlier) who talks them into investigating the tree's problems. She gives the Adepts dream leaves, and has them fall asleep in the Dream Tree.

In their dreams, the group explores the Phantasmal Bog located under Kolima, eventually fighting and defeating Sludge. Soon after, the Adepts wake up, finding that the curse has been lifted and the Crush Tusk, which Sludge had been using to block their progress, has been left behind. Kolima's inn reopens, but the villagers note that the Dream Tree is still weakened from the illness. Thus, Matthew's group uses the Hermes Water that Briggs had given them earlier to heal the tree. At this point, Saha Town will reopen the gate, allowing travelers to come in and buy dream leaves at Kolima's shop. Also, the Venus Djinni Pewter meets Matthew's group on the behalf of Laurel and asks them to come to Kolima Forest to speak with her.

After defeating the Mountain Roc, Matthew's party will pass through Kolima Village again and meet Vande, a musician who had wanted to hear the Mountain Roc's cry. After Matthew speaks to him, Vande returns to Belinsk in order to play Arangoa Prelude.

Spoilers end here.Those who did not want the plot ruined for them may now continue reading as normal.

Trivia

• The placement of the four main treehouses relative to each other in Dark Dawn match very closely with how they are placed in the first game. The northwest tree is the town's official inn in both games' versions of Kolima Village, and the lower-right tree has a back door hidden from the player's camera in both versions. The presence of a Venus Djinni on the upper branches of the lower-right tree in Dark Dawn also parallels how the lower-right tree in Golden Sun contains a collectable Venus Djinni.

Cultural references

• The village, river, and forest is named after the Kolyma region and river in northeastern Russia's Chugotka, Sakha, and Magdalan territories. Historically, there were lumber camps among the various labor camps established in Kolyma during Joseph Stalin's rule.
• The nearby Bilibin finds its inspiration in the Chugotkan town of Bilibino that sits along the Kolyma River.
• Likewise, nearby Saha Town is named after the Sakha Republic that the Kolyma River flows partially in.
• There is a second Kolyma River in Ukraine, flowing into the Black Sea. While unlikely the inspiration for Kolima in Golden Sun (due to the presence of Bilibin, per above), the idea of Kolima Forest moving from west to the far east may be a reference both to the two separate forests and the forceful relocation of peoples to the region by the USSR.
• The peninsula that Saha Town, Kolima Village, Kolima Forest, Kolima Junction, and Talon Peak sits on seems to be a reference to Chugotka Peninsula, with the seas to the north and west of this peninsula representing the Arctic Ocean (hence the ice!) and to the east and south representing the Sea of Okhotsk that lies between Chugotka, Sakhalin, and Japan. Not so coincidentally, the Otka Sea's Japanese name is the Ohotsk Sea.