Weyard (after Golden Sun Event)
- This article is about Weyard as it appears in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. For Weyard in Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. see Weyard.
Weyard is once again explorable in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, but the thirty years since the Golden Sun event have resulted in a great deal of change. Especially in the continent of Angara, the main explorable area of the game, much of the landmass has changed, and new countries have emerged, both due to the effects of the influence on Alchemy on the world. Unlike the world populated with towns and villages thirty years prior, where the strongest of leaders were local lords, towns have bulged into city-states, ruled by kings, competing with one another for power in this new chaotic, and more Alchemy-rich world. Threatening the world, however, is what appears to be a side effect of the continued presence of Alchemy, the appearances of anomalous black-hole-like phenomena across the world named Psynergy Vortexes.
Geography
After the Golden Sun event, much of Weyard underwent extreme changes. The most immediate effect of the re-ignition of the four lighthouses was the annihilation of Vale and the near-complete destruction of Mt. Aleph. While parts of the now-active volcano remain, the surrounding area can only be explored via flight. During the following years, the world saw both catastrophes and miraculous happenings.
Angara itself, which was formerly easily navigated became cut off by the appearance of major mountain ranges. The area where the former Vale was was upheaved, becoming the Goma Plateau, while the Goma Mountains rose and nearly completely cut off the area from the rest of Angara. Meanwhile, the Khiren Mountains rose and split much of northern and southern Angara. At some point, the Kolima Forest region was miraculously moved far to the east. Angara was eventually divided into large countries, including Morgal, Sana, and Bilibin. Meanwhile the southeastern portion of Angara is now referred to as Ei-Jei, and includes the cities of Harapa, Passaj, Ayuthay, and Kaocho. While Passaj and Ayuthay have existed for many years, Harapa was a city of ruins that was resettled, while Kaocho is a former colony of Sana. Some of this area was previously desert, but was revitalized in the years following the Golden Sun event.
The Great Eastern Sea was also extensively changed. Gaia Falls which was consuming the edges of Angara, began receding as Alchemy returned to the world. As a result of Angara becoming severed from Gondowan, the Karagol Sea became open to the ocean. The sea itself has been split into multiple levels by huge waterfalls, effectively dividing the Great Eastern Sea into a northern half and a southern half. Furthermore, the Great Eastern Sea now includes several smaller seas: the Otka Sea and the Sanan Sea. At some point, a tidal wave originating from the Great Eastern Sea struck the island of Nihan, destroying the city of Izumo. Luckily, the citizens were able to relocate and found the city of Yamata. Several other islands appeared; some housed ancient artifacts, while others were never before seen settlements.
In the rest of the world, the Atteka Continent apparently recombined with Gondowan since the Golden Sun event, becoming the Atteka region of Western Gondowan. This is more similar to how the continents were aligned during Weyard's ancient past, and may be evidence of a shift towards the old continent alignment due to the return of Alchemy. Indra has been pushed far from its old location, and is now no longer east of Gondowan. Perhaps the only area that is almost relatively unchanged by the Golden Sun event is Champa, though it can only be visited during the Grave Eclipse, where it is being dismantled to fuel a large bonfire to keep monsters at bay. Other areas mentioned but not visited include Kalay, Tolbi, Imil, Lemuria and Osenia. Places simply not mentioned in Dark Dawn but would theoretically could be returning from the first game include Xian and Altin.
History
Several important events occurred in the thirty years prior to the start of Dark Dawn. Adepts as a race became known worldwide as a result of the actions of the Warriors of Vale. Meanwhile, rapid expansion resulted in small towns becoming major countries, led by kings or emperors. With the rise of these countries, war and political struggles became common, with major players including the countries of Sana, Bilibin, and Morgal. Bilibin developed from the town of the same name, and is still led by the McCoy family, who has transformed the country into a military power. Morgal, located in northeast Angara, was founded by the Beastmen, a hybrid man-beast race that emerged after the Golden Sun event. Sana, located south of Morgal, was ruled by Emperor Ko, who transformed the country into a vast empire by conquering Morgal and other areas. After Ko died, the country was plunged into a civil war, leading to the eventual coronation of Unan and the banishment of King Wo. King Wo went on to establish Kaocho in the Ei-Jei region, and invaded the nearby settlements of Ayuthay and Passaj, though both endeavors were entirely unsuccessful. During the civil war, Morgal gained their independence in a violent revolution, establishing Belinsk as their capital. They fear Bilibin due to an attempted invasion, and as such, have closed Border Town, severing all contact between the two countries.
In the Ei Jei region, the ruined city of Harapa was found, and mostly rebuilt by settlers. The city/country of Ayuthay, long located in a harsh desert, would be revitalized following the activation of their Alchemy Machine by an unknown Mercury Adept. The Alchemy Well produced water via Alchemy and led to Ayuthay becoming an Oasis. Champa, famous as a pirate settlement, grew in a large but poor country. While the Golden Sun event led to their formerly rocky land becoming fertile, no one in Champa knew how to farm, resulting in the country's continued reliance on piracy. Briggs was made chieftain of Champa as a result of his prior actions in saving the Champan citizens. Thirty years after the Golden Sun event, Eoleo, son of Briggs, is captured by Morgal as is Hou Ju, daughter to the previous Sanan lord who was killed in the Beastmen's uprising.
Finally, the people of the warlike, but mysterious, nation, Tuaparang, have become more active, and their agents are seen conversing with the royals of both Kaocho and Belinsk.
People
The most noteworthy new species in Dark Dawn is that of the Beastmen. They include both people turned into beasts, and beasts turned into people who live in Morgal. Some have the ability to use Psynergy. At the end of Dark Dawn, many of these people are showered with light from the Apollo Lens, turning them blonde and giving them the ability to use "light" powers, as opposed to the usual elemental-based powers wielded by Adepts. Another newly introduced tribe is the "Umbra Tribe", also called "Dark Adepts". By the end of the game, the player is left with scarce few details as to the specifics of this tribe.
Trivia
- In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, players can travel only across Angara (excluding the Imil, Bilibin, Kalay, Tolbi, and Loho regions of the continent) and the Eastern Sea; despite this, normally inaccessible world map locations from previous games are still programed in. [1] These locations include much of Gondowan, parts of Hesperia and Atteka, the Imil section of Angara, and the waters near Prox. However, the only physical areas that are shown on the map are Venus Lighthouse and Mercury Lighthouse. Due to discrepancies between in-game lore and the physical map of these un-visitable areas (such as Atteka apparently recombining with Gondowan, despite it not appearing so on the map), it is likely that the visible state of the rest of Weyard should not be taken canon, much as the state of the continents in the first game did not reflect their actual size, shape, or position.
