Lemuria

Lemuria lies within the Sea of Time, surrounded by a ring of crags and accessible only by navigating a maze of currents at the ring's south end.

Lemuria (レムリア) is an island-city that is a prominent plot point in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It is located within the perpetually fog-shrouded Sea of Time in the center of the Eastern Sea and surrounded by a seemingly impassable maze of stone crags and rushing currents. This isolation has led to its perception from the outside world as a mere myth, but the life-extending influence of the otherwise sealed-off force Alchemy seems to remain at Lemuria in some form, resulting in centuries-long lifespans for its denizens.

Lord Babi had once happened upon the isle and made off with its stockpile of life-preserving draughts, allowing him to maintain rulership of his city, Tolbi, for over a century. The depletion of his stockpile has driven him to try to rediscover Lemuria before his time passes, which leads to Isaac's party in the first Golden Sun accepting a quest to find Lemuria for him. However, in The Lost Age, it is Isaac's rival, Felix, whose party ultimately reaches Lemuria while on a different quest to bring the wayward Lemurian sailor Piers back to his homeland. It is at Lemuria itself that Felix comes to realize that his quest to break the seal on Alchemy, which he initially pursued so as to win the freedom of his captive parents, is of greater import to Weyard itself than he could have imagined.

Lemuria is the final destination of a very large stretch of the second game's play time in which Felix's party must all but scour the Eastern Sea to gain the different Psynergy and components needed to reforge the Trident of Ankohl. This is the only implement that allows the party to inflict damage to the otherwise invincible boss that lurks at the end of the maze of currents the party must take to traverse the Sea of Time, Poseidon. After several plot-critical cutscenes take place here, the party can depart with the Grindstone needed to bore past the large, brown stone in the water at Gondowan Cliffs, thus allowing the party to resume their quest for Jupiter Lighthouse in the Western Sea.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age

For all NPC gossip, see Side Scripts.

Lemuria is positioned as the overarching objective of the lengthy Eastern Sea arc that spans roughly the middle third of the game's play time. Starting with when the party encounters Piers and adds him to the party, much of the player's time in the Eastern Sea is devoted to fulfilling many conditions required to reach Lemuria, and the remaining swath of the game's content set in the Western Sea only opens up once Lemuria is visited.

Reaching Lemuria

The guards at the main city's harbor take some convincing from Piers to allow your party inside.

Lemuria's location within the fog-shrouded Sea of Time in the center of the Eastern Sea gives the impression of being deeply isolated from the outside world because the solution to navigating the maze of currents reached by entering the south end of the Sea of Time is not obvious at first. The song-and-dance sequence at Yallam at northeastern Osenia hints that the volcanoes in the maze must be circled around several times each to temporarily turn off currents blocking the way forward. Knowledgeable players don't even need the hint and technically can pass through the maze as soon as the Eastern Sea can first be explored with Piers' Lemurian Ship about one third through the game's campaign.

What squarely places the visit to Lemuria at around two thirds through the game is the boss monster that is automatically engaged at the north end of the maze, Poseidon, which is uniquely immune to all damage and effects and will assuredly defeat the party if fought too early. The player's time in the Eastern Sea can be summed up as a quest to create the Trident of Ankohl, an infinitely usable piece of specialized equipment that produces an enhanced attack that permanently removes Poseidon's barrier the first time it is used. After defeating Poseidon as a standard boss encounter, several giant brown stones will emerge and prevent the party from taking the two-way exit back west out of the Sea of Time, funneling the ship toward a special overworld map within which Lemuria's overworld icon is enclosed.

The player's campaign across the Eastern Sea to reach Lemuria can be boiled down to these essential steps:

• Make sure that you completed Air's Rock in central Osenia and acquired its Reveal Psynergy for Sheba if you had put it off during your first visit to Osenia.
• Cast Frost to retrieve the Sea God's Tear from the sanctum at Daila at the north end of Indra, then cast Frost to progress deeper into the Shrine of the Sea God just east of Daila and use Reveal and the Tear to reach the Right Prong at the top of the tower.
• Cast Douse on the giant Aqua Stone at the village at the far-eastern Apojii Islands to unlock Aqua Rock, then complete it to acquire its Parch Psynergy for Piers.
• Complete the exterior portion of Gaia Rock near Izumo by first climbing up a ladder hidden to the left of its main entrance, then reveal and retrieve the Dancing Idol from the apex. Use the Idol to progress through the interior dungeon so that you can weaken the Serpent boss with sunlight and then defeat it, which earns the Sand Psynergy for Felix.
• Land at the east edge of the southern continent of Tundaria and complete Tundaria Tower with the help of Parch and Reveal, acquiring the Burst Psynergy and using it to collect the Center Prong before leaving.
• Cast Burst on the rock pinning down the broken mast of the sailing ship in Alhafra at northwestern Osenia; the ship will soon leave the harbor as a result.
• Follow the sailing ship to Champa at the south coast of the northern continent of Angara and defeat the Avimander boss inside the cliff cave network, unlocking Obaba's service where you can give her your collected Prongs for safekeeping.
• Complete Ankohl Ruins just east of Champa with the help of the Sand and Reveal Psynergies to reach the Left Prong.
• Hand Obaba all three Prongs to cause her to create the Trident of Ankohl. Take it into the Sea of Time's south entrance, navigate its currents by circling the volcanoes about three times each, and use the Trident on Poseidon at the end of the maze to make it possible to defeat it as a standard boss encounter.

Inside the city

Lemuria does not offer various amenities common to other settlements, such as shops or a sanctum.

The player continues to directly control the ship while navigating through the cavernous waterways to the harbor at the east end. Once there, the view shifts to Felix on the bow of the ship; for the moment, you can come back on board after disembarking and talk to Kraden at the wheel to start sailing again. (Unexpectedly, this becomes the first point in the game since fighting the Aqua Hydra at East Indra Shore that the Lemurian Ship "dungeon" can be revisited, allowing you to reach a Mist Potion in a submerged chest with the help of Parch.)

Follow the linear grassy trail counter-clockwise and cast Move on the blue statue to move it one tile left; this will automatically trigger a long cutscene with the guards just above, who will eventually allow you to enter Lemuria's main city. Between now and when you eventually complete your plot-related business at Lemuria, you will be prevented from boarding your ship by Kraden repeatedly telling you that "there's still so much to see."

In the center of the city, when you climb up either staircase just past the Spring of Lemuria, cutscenes will force you to approach the palace at the north end, which is established to be expected to remain closed off for a while. You can now explore the city freely, including the House of the Senate building at the northwest end (which will eventually close permanently).

Lemuria's House of the Senate building can only be entered prior to the cutscenes that take place in the main palace.

Once you talk to the man in the house just to the upper left of the Spring of Lemuria and affirm you came here with Piers, a cutscene will trigger that reveals him to be Piers' uncle. Piers will temporarily leave the party to be by himself at the southwest graveyard, and you will be directed by his uncle to meet Lunpa (the man who was the namesake of the village from the first Golden Sun) in his normally closed-off residence to the east. Interacting with the broken door will cause him to tell you to use the nearby rope to enter through the upper floor. (If you had given the Lash Pebble to Piers before he temporarily left, you will not have the Lash Psynergy needed to make use of the coiled rope nearby, so Lunpa will provide a hanging rope for you to climb.) Another long cutscene will take place inside the building, at the end of which Lunpa will force open his door to head to the palace.

You can explore the palace freely and talk with the other NPCs before heading upstairs and telling the guard that you are "Lord Felix." This will trigger a very long and plot-critical cutscene that will eventually end with you regaining control in front of a chest that Lunpa made manifest out of the ground for you; this contains the Grindstone (which uniquely can only be equipped by Felix), whose Grind Psynergy is capable of pulverizing large, brown stones. The NPCs in the palace will update their gossip and Mind Read-able thoughts, and while none of the NPCs in the city itself will undergo a similar update, the House of the Senate will now be closed to the public.

Before leaving, you can cast Reveal around the various butterflies fluttering above certain tiles of the ground and cast Scoop to dig up items from the spots that glitter. A worthless Bone can be dug up from under the butterfly near the dog wandering just south of the palace, and it should be discarded. In contrast, a Star Dust hides under the butterfly left of the palace across the river, one of the game's finite Lucky Medals can be dug up just to the lower right of the Spring of Lemuria, and a Rusty Sword can be dug up just south of Lunpa's house (though this ends up being reforged into the rather weak Corsair's Edge). By casting Growth at the sapling just south of Lunpa's house, you can create a vine ladder leading to a clump of weeds next to a cow; clearing these away with Cyclone exposes one of the game's five Hard Nuts.

Inside the palace of King Hydros in Lemuria, which takes a fair amount of time spent elsewhere in the city to be allowed access into.

You can now return to your ship and tell Kraden that it's time to go. The first time you do this, the ship will automatically sail out of Lemuria via a cutscene and reappear just south of Lemuria's overworld icon. You can freely return to Lemuria and dock at its harbor any time, and you can cast Grind on the large brown stone at the northwest end of the waterways to reach another harbor leading to the small side location Ancient Lemuria. Casting Cyclone at the far southwest weed just out of reach of the party will expose the Mercury Djinni Rime, which will then hide inside the blue statue; you must then cast Tremor on the statue to drive Rime out and collect it. (The Tremor Bit is an optional Utility Psynergy item that can be found in Madra Catacombs at any time.)

When you return to the area where you fought Poseidon, you will have to cast Grind on the leftmost brown stone and follow its linear route back west and reemerge into the overworld out of the Sea of Time's west exit. Grinding both of the round stones in your way will permanently open up the west exit from the Sea of Time as a two-way shortcut between Lemuria and the outside world. That said, once the Teleport Psynergy is collected in the final dungeon, the party can directly warp to Lemuria's overworld icon far more easily.

The Grind Psynergy also allows the party to sail into Gondowan Cliffs via the strait between Gondowan and Indra and remove the similar stone blocking the way into the Western Sea. There, the party can prepare for Jupiter Lighthouse at the southwestern continent of Atteka by first visiting Shaman Village in the heart of the northwestern continent of Hesperia.

Spring of Lemuria

The Spring of Lemuria is where the party can spend its Lucky Medals to randomly win strong pieces of equipment.

Lemuria contains the game's equivalent to the first game's Lucky Medal Fountain at Tolbi, and it works in all the same ways, right down to how you need to tell the NPC in front of it that you wish to test your luck at the Spring of Lemuria to get him to step aside. When you approach the fountain, you will enter a separate screen where the fountain is now to scale, and interacting with the fountain from the bottom center will lower its water level. Like with Tolbi Spring, whenever you toss in a Coin, you will win back extra coins depending on where inside the painted ring target it lands; if it settles in the center circle, you will receive 20 coins as the top prize. The coin can bounce against the turtles and crabs wandering throughout the fountain, which will likely make it land in a different spot. The meager amount of coins you can win with a given toss of one of your own coins makes this a completely inefficient method of gathering wealth.

The Spring of Lemuria is the one place in the game where you can redeem your steadily growing supply of Lucky Medals, each of which will assuredly cause the fountain (via a mechanical dragon-headed statue) to give you a valuable item chosen at random. Dumping all of your currently collected medals will provide your party with a host of strong weapons and armor that are generally superior to anything you would have collected up to this point. Each piece of gear you might not get any use out of equipping can be sold off for a large sum of coins; however, since Lemuria does not have any vendors, you would have to sail all the way back to a fairly distant settlement elsewhere, like Champa or Izumo, to cash in these items. All four of your party members' inventories will likely be completely filled up by the time you leave Lemuria the first time, which might necessitate having to free up space at a different settlement and then sail back to Lemuria through the Sea of Time's western two-way shortcut.

The first time a Lucky Medal lands in the center, purple circle, you will instead receive the summon tablet for Eclipse. That aside, the Spring of Lemuria's prize pool is proportioned similarly to that of Tolbi Spring, even though all of the possible pieces of gear it can randomly reward you with are all-new items exclusive to The Lost Age:

• Whenever you land a medal in the center, purple circle, you will receive either a Hestia Blade, Aegis Shield, or Erebus Armor.
• Landing a medal in the first, yellow ring can randomly award either the prizes from the center circle or a Minerva Helm, Mighty Axe, or Floral Dress, which have relatively higher probabilities.
• Landing a medal in the second, purple ring makes it possible to win a Crown of Glory, Fireman's Pole, or Leda's Bracelet, if not one of the previous six prizes.
• Landing a medal in the third, yellow ring makes it possible to win Crafted Gloves, Wild Coat, or Brilliant Circlet in addition to the previous nine prizes.
• Landing a medal in any blank-colored area (whether or not it is the ring surrounding the outer yellow ring) adds the final three items to the possible prize pool: a Potion, Psy Crystal, or Water of Life. This technically makes the "bad outcome" of "missing" the ring targets ironically offer the widest prize pool, though landing the medal within the outer yellow ring is preferable for at least keeping the prizes restricted to gear pieces.

Whenever a piece of gear is awarded, it becomes less likely to be awarded by the spring for the rest of the game, which means continuing to toss Lucky Medals into the spring makes it more likely that you will acquire an item you have yet to collect at least one copy of. The Spring of Lemuria is worth going back to as you continue to collect Lucky Medals; however, it must be stressed that Golden Sun: The Lost Age only offers a total of 21 individual Lucky Medals because there is no randomly encountered monster that can drop Lucky Medals without limit, unlike in the first game. (It is possible to use the data transfer system to make sure that Isaac's party joins Felix's roster with additional Lucky Medals in their inventories, and an item duplication exploit in the Trial Road dungeon coming up allows Lucky Medals to be duplicated in stacks.)

Incidentally, the Spring of Lemuria additionally allows the party to restore their HP and PP by interacting with it directly while its water level is up, functioning as a makeshift "inn" that is free of charge. Whether you interact with the spring in its scaled-down form in the main city screen or in its own scaled-up screen, interacting with the spring from any spot other than the bottom center will automatically refill the party's health and PP. Even though the male NPC standing to the right of the spring's scaled-down version tells you that "drinking from this spring restores vigor and vitality," it is easy to miss that this is a mechanical function offered by the spring instead of incidental in-game lore.

Collectibles

• Eclipse: A summon tablet that is guaranteed to be handed out as a prize by the Spring of Lemuria the first time you land a Lucky Medal in the center circle. Prizes for landing in the center circle will be dispensed as normal after this is collected.
• Hard Nut: Uncovered by casting Cyclone at the large clump of weeds at the southeast part of the main city screen, near the cow reached by casting Growth on the sapling just south of Lunpa's residence and climbing down the vine ladder that results.
• Lucky Medal: Dug up by casting Scoop at the butterfly just southeast of the Spring of Lemuria.
• Rusty Sword: Dug up by casting Scoop at the butterfly south of Lunpa's residence. Is reforged by the blacksmith at Yallam into the Corsair's Edge.
• Star Dust: Dug up by casting Scoop at the butterfly west of Lemuria Palace.
• Bone: Dug up by casting Scoop at the butterfly near the dog south of Lemuria Palace. This has no in-game use and should be discarded from the inventory.

The following item is available after finishing the cutscenes at Lemuria Palace:

• Grindstone: Contained in the chest that appears on top of the floor screen that displays the world map during the cutscene in Hydros' throne chamber.

The Grindstone can be used on the brown stone at the northwest part of Lemuria's waterway to gain access to Ancient Lemuria, where the Mercury Djinni Rime can be uncovered by casting Cyclone at the far southwest weed and then driven out into the open by casting Tremor on the blue statue it hides itself in.

History

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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.

By the time of Golden Sun, Lemuria is probably the only advanced civilization remaining on Weyard--although one would be hard-pressed to say that it is also thriving. The island still retains its wonderful buildings and powerful Psynergy, and its people age little. They still maintain strong and amazing ships that can be moved by Psynergy alone, without need of oars or sails. A Lemurian might live for many centuries.

However, the glory of Lemuria is long past. Its people are bored, and there has been little growth in the civilization since the Elemental Lighthouses were sealed. Nothing new has been built, and ancient parts of Lemuria have become submerged. Even knowledge of the outside world is lacking.

Lemuria is located in the center of the Sea of Time, a region of the Eastern Sea surrounded by many rocks and whirlpools. It is covered with fog, and is guarded by Poseidon. It is very hard for any ship to navigate. Piers only escaped because of the tidal wave that carried his ship out. Before Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the only person known to have successfully navigated the Sea of Time was a master boatsman from Yallam named Yepp. Although Yepp had passed on before players ever reach Yallam, he left behind instructions for navigating the Sea of Time hidden within a children's song.

Lemuria's people, as well as any visitors, age very little. In Lemuria, time appears to pass much more slowly, although this may simply be an illusion created by the slow rate at which Lemurians age. However, because of their long lives, they have lost vitality. There are few children (only two are seen during The Lost Age), and most people are extremely bored, doing nothing. Had King Hydros not ordered people to eat, the people of Lemuria might have stopped doing that as well.

Lemuria is ruled by King Hydros and a Senate. The King resides in a large palace, while the Senate works in the House of the Senate. The king and his senators, most notably Lord Conservato, do not always agree on issues, and they can spend a long time arguing. There are times when the Senate appears to have more power in Lemuria than the king. Decisions made by the Senate tend to influence popular opinion in Lemuria. The Senate passed a law that forbids Lemurians from leaving, which may have been a result of Babi's actions.

Piers' uncle is found in his residence, which has become disorderly in Piers' absence because his mother had recently passed away.

As of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Senate is against any form of change (King Hydros is perhaps much more progressive). This is most apparent in their insistence on keeping the Elemental Lighthouses unlit. Their concern is understandable, considering how Alchemy was abused in the past and nearly brought about the end of the world. However, their refusal to accept change borders on stubbornness and arrogance, as Lord Conservato refuses to believe that Weyard was (metaphorically) dying. As Lunpa said: "He refuses to acknowledge what he can see with his own eyes!" This arrogance is also reflected in most Lemurians' scornful view of the outside world (as Conservato puts it, decline is only the way of the outside, not of Lemuria) and equation of change with ruin.

Lemuria once produced a magical draught that would allow visitors to extend their lives, even after leaving Lemuria. However, because of the actions of Babi, production of the draught has ceased. Instead, Lemurians keep themselves alive through the water in the fountain in the center of the town, which has the same effect as the draught. Despite their long lives, sickness is unknown to Lemurians, while death is not. The draught and the fountain only extend their lifespan and cannot keep them alive forever.

The Lucky Medal Fountain in Lemuria is found in the center of what appears to be the town square. The water from this fountain is what grants Lemurians their incredibly long lives. It also features a minigame of sorts, where people face away from the fountain and toss in coins or Lucky Medals. They then receive a prize depending on where the coin or Medal landed. During his stay in Lemuria, Babi became fascinated with this game and decided to build one in Tolbi.

By drinking the water in the fountain, Felix and the entire party can restore all their HP and PP. By tossing Lucky Medals into the fountain, players can gain some powerful equipment, such as the Hestia Blade and the Crown of Glory. Perhaps the most valuable prize, however, is the Eclipse Summon, which is received the first time the player lands a Lucky Medal in the center of the spring.

After Alchemy was sealed away, Lemuria entered a slow but steady decline. Over time Lemurians lost contact with the outside world, and, because little changed in Lemuria, the people began to lose interest in just about everything. Although Alchemy no longer existed in Weyard, Lemurians were able to keep themselves alive with the water from their fountain. They also produced a mystical draught that allowed them to maintain their extended lifespan outside of Lemuria, and was also capable of keeping outsiders alive.

A century before Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Babi and Lunpa were traveling Weyard when a flood of some sort brought them to Lemuria. Apparently they were welcome to stay in Lemuria, and Lunpa remains there to this day. During their time in Lemuria, Babi was taught how to use some Psynergy. Lunpa probably also learned how to use Psynergy, although this is purely speculation. Babi was also enchanted by the game in the fountain, which inspired him to build one in Tolbi later on. Eventually, Babi stole some of Lemuria's draught and a Lemurian ship, after which he returned to Tolbi and ruled up to meeting Isaac's party during Golden Sun. Babi's actions resulted in halting the production of the draught, and is possibly the reason why Lemurians are no longer allowed to leave.

Piers' mission

While comparing Lunpa's map of Weyard with his own, King Hydros noticed that the continents had begun breaking apart and the entire world was shrinking. His most trusted scholars came to the conclusion that Weyard was eroding and would eventually be destroyed. Somehow they realized that this was a result of Alchemy being sealed away. Shortly before The Lost Age began, King Hydros asked Piers to leave Lemuria and confirm his fears. Before Piers could actually leave, Poseidon awoke and caused the tidal wave that destroyed Briggs' boat and wedged Indra between Gondowan and Osenia. The tidal wave carried Piers and his boat away from Lemuria and caused him to crash near Madra.

King Hydros uses a display screen on the floor of his throne chamber to show how the world's continents have been changing in recent centuries.

After joining Felix's party, traveling the Great Eastern Sea, and fighting their way past Poseidon, Piers was finally able to return to Lemuria. Unfortunately, they arrived right in the middle of a meeting between King Hydros and the most influential member of the Senate, Lord Conservato. While waiting for a chance to speak with the king, Felix and Co. visited Piers' uncle and learned that Piers' mother has passed away. Upon hearing this, Piers leaves the party for a short time while Felix and the others meet with Lunpa. Lunpa is informed of Babi's passing and Dodonpa's ruling of the village of Lunpa. Kraden then reveals his theory about how the great civilizations of Weyard began fading away once Alchemy was sealed, and that the rest of the world may follow.

After this, Lunpa took Felix's party to meet with King Hydros and Lord Conservato, and Piers was already there. King Hydros presents the maps of Weyard in Lemuria's time and in Lunpa's time, and Piers states that Weyard and it's continents appear to have shrunk even further since then. Kraden then compares Weyard to a living being, with the elements being the nourishment that keeps it alive. When Alchemy was sealed, Weyard went into a hibernation-like state, using less energy to keep itself alive. However, if Alchemy remains sealed, Weyard's "spring" will never come and it will be unable to replenish its energy. Because of this, Weyard is shrinking, wasting away, dying. Lord Conservato becomes outraged at this, regarding the comparison of Weyard to a living being as completely false, and stubbornly insisting that lighting the Lighthouses will only result in mankind abusing Alchemy like in the past. Despite Conservato's warnings, Felix and Co. depart Lemuria, more determined than ever to light the remaining Lighthouses.

Note: the map that King Hydros shows them largely resembles the real supercontinents Gondwana and Laurasia that existed 500 million years ago

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Although it doesn't actually appear in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Lemuria is mentioned occasionally. An NPC in Tonfon mentions that Lemuria has refitted some of their ships, indicating it had more open relations than previously seen. Also, one NPC in Nihan notes that it a highly advanced civilization to the south has sunk, although it is not explicitly stated whether or not this is Lemuria and it is possible that this refers only to the changes of sea levels.

Trivia

• The commonly believed suggestion that letting Piers take the Lash Pebble with him during the brief time he breaks up from the party amounts to a game-breaking bug is disproven in-game when Lunpa tells you to enter the upper-floor balcony door of his residence by casting Lash on the nearby coiled rope. In the scenario that he currently does not have access to Lash, Felix will walk back and emit an ellipsis bubble, and Lunpa will call Felix out as "not very bright" for being taken unprepared by this simplistic obstacle. He essentially creates a new tied-up rope that is portrayed as dangling vertically off the left corner of his balcony. Despite this, the way the rope wobbles is clearly the same animation as any other tied-up rope Felix climbs along at a diagonal angle and comes across as though the rope were pulled taut between posts at both the top and bottom ends.
• It is possible that the party can come out of the battle with Poseidon with Piers being the only member of the party who hasn't been knocked out. If this status quo is maintained up until the point Piers temporarily leaves the party, Felix can still move around and interact with NPCs and objects despite the party being only composed of three unconscious party members in the menu. There are no opportunities to enter a battle before Piers rejoins the party.
• In a possible oversight, Scoop can be cast on the tiles to your immediate left and right at the top balcony of Lunpa's residence, even though these tiles are composed of solid bricks and have statues on top of them.
• The blue female statue that the player Moves out of the way when entering Lemuria, as well as a similar statue that can be shaken up in Ancient Lemuria, are the same sprite as statues seen throughout Mercury Lighthouse in the first game. It is uncertain whether this is merely asset reuse between games or is intended as a subtle hint regarding a historial connection between the two areas.
• In-game, the overworld-like area representing the party approaching Lemuria inside the Sea of Time takes place in a stretch of ocean that lies east of Mars Lighthouse at the north end of the main overworld. Specific programming causes the party's current location to be portrayed as though you were in the center of the Sea of Time when the overworld map is opened. The Sea of Time represented physically in the main overworld map consists of nothing but rocks in the water without any open space in the center.
• Talking to Kraden in front of the wheel of your docked ship is the only way to begin sailing into Lemuria's waterways from either of its ports, and he can only appear by changing screens from the bottom of the bridge to the ship itself. However, Kraden will disappear from the wheel if you enter the Lemurian Ship "dungeon" and exit, and so you will have to disembark the ship and then board the ship again to make him reappear.

Cultural references

Lemuria was a theoretical continent proposed in the 19th century by the zoologist Philip Sclater (the namesake of Kraden's Japanese name, "Sclater") to explain how lemur fossils naturally occured at Madagascar and the Indian subcontinent but seemingly nowhere else in the eastern world. He had proposed that Madagascar and India were once connected to a large continent that supposedly would have spanned the ocean space between them, and he had guessed that Lemuria sank under the ocean. The theory was disproven in the 20th century with the discovery of plate tectonics and continental drift, which revealed that Madagascar had broken off from India's landmass roughly 70 million years ago.

Biologist Ernst Haeckel put forth a fanciful suggestion that Lemuria was also an ancestral home of the human species, which was later picked up by occultist Helena Blavatsky, leading to a popular myth that portrayed Lemuria as a lost Atlantis-like location where mystical beings connected to humanity had once resided. The conflation between Lemuria and Atlantis in popular culture leads to elements of both myths being reflected in Lemuria's design in-game.

The presence of so many different kinds of animals in Lemuria in-game may be a reference to how the proposed Lemuria in the real world was part of a zoological theory pertaining to how similar species could occur on landmasses that seemed far too remote to allow wildlife to travel in between them.

Extended Gallery

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  Composite of the overworld-like map the player enters when heading to Lemuria's overworld icon