Weyard (ancient past)
Weyard in the ancient past was far different from what is at the time of the Golden Sun main plot. This era in Weyard's history is alluded to several times throughout the series; it is described as the time period when Alchemy was commonplace, and it was at the end of this era that it was sealed away. This era is the "lost age of man" that the title Golden Sun: The Lost Age alludes to. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn would later elaborate on certain events and cultures during this time period
Many fans speculate and hope that there will be a video game or other media property set in this era that depicts that cataclysmic process.
Known elements
- Alchemy was used to drive civilization in this era. However, it was used for war and was soon sealed away by a group of Sages to prevent worldwide destruction. All the elements below were permanently affected:
- The landmass of Weyard was much more uniform and in the shape of a crescent moon, with an island landmass to the east of the main landmass. This mass started breaking up and sinking into the oceans with Alchemy's departure.
- Great civilizations, including a far more grand version of Lemuria, as well as the earthbound city of the Anemos, colonized the world as driven by the force of Alchemy's powers. Lemuria traded with many continents on the mainland supercontinent. The Ankohl may have also been a civilization towards the end of this era. Ruins from these civilizations can be found around Weyard in the form of the Elemental Lighthouses, Sol Sanctum, Altmiller Cave the strange tiled room at the bottom of Altin's mines, the Anemos Sanctum, Madra Catacombs, the Islet Cave and the Ankohl Ruins.
- Poseidon is described by the old man at the Sea of Time Islet as the "once true rightful king of the seas" in this era. Poseidon was evidently a more sentient, gentle being in this era.
- The current king of Lemuria, Hydros, is currently the only known character in the modern age to have been alive during the ancient past. It would be quite easy to figure Hydros was a representative and/or figurehead of Lemuria during this time period. The fact he has been alive since the ancient past over the ages has led him to be the only one to directly observe how the world effectively stands still and begins to gradually wane following the seal of Alchemy. This is why in the modern age, Hydros has formed the belief that Alchemy is the lifeblood of the world and that the world will eventually deteriorate to nothing if Alchemy is not brought back. The player may also visit an area called "Ancient Lemuria", where dilapidated, abandoned ruins hearken back to the grandeur of the past and the creeping deterioration of Weyard's civilization.
- The myth of Hoabna and Yegelos recounts a series of events and conflicts between the settlements that were the ancient equivalent to modern-day Contigo and Shaman Village. While these were in conflict, the hero of Shaman, Hoabna, waged many personal conflicts and competitions with the hero of Contigo, Yegelos, and they clashed many times in modern-day Trial Road. The two eventually became great friends, however, along with their respective home settlements, and to signify this Hoabna gave Shaman Village's Shaman's Rod to Yegelos while Yegelos gave Contigo's Hover Jade to Hoabna for mutual safekeeping over the generations.
- In Golden Sun : Dark Dawn, at least four ancient races are revealed. The Jenei were ancestors of modern-day Adepts, and were known for their mastery of Psynergy. A second race, the Exathi, were a non-Adept race of master craftsmen, who gained the respect and friendship of the Jenei. The two races would combine to create many wondrous Alchemy Machines. A third race, the Fori had neither craftsmanship nor Psynergy, with their name apparently being an ancient insult meaning "simple people."
- The fourth race, Beastmen, are said to have existed in ancient times, but disappeared after Alchemy was sealed. The race abruptly reappeared after the Golden Sun event. Beastmen vary from the werewolves of Garoh by the lack of a separate human and beast form;
- A Jenei people called Neox lived atop Craggy Peak (surrounded by the Khiren mountain range), and Zodiac symbolism seemed important to them. This tribe of Jenei was said to rule over what is now the Ei-Jei region.
- Before Alchemy was sealed, the Jenei civilizations would conduct research in an attempt to expand their powers. This led to an attempt to control Light and Darkness that nearly led to destruction. However, a weapon was created with the help of ancient Beastmen to reverse the destruction.
- The modern-day country of Sana is inhabited by non-Adepts. This civilization maybe managed to create its own art, called Chi, in the ancient Weyard.
- It is interesting to notice that both Ankohl and Exathi were skilled smiths. This may be a consequence of cultural trades between these nearby peoples.
History
Golden Sun: The Lost Age provides a general overview of Weyard as it existed in the ancient past; it is the Lost Age of Man that the game's title alludes to. In this age, the ability to use Alchemy and Psynergy was unfettered and accessible to the general populace, and civilization had reached great levels of development. Various clans of Adepts existed across Weyard, and the landmasses of Weyard itself were far more uniform: It generally resembled the shape of a giant crescent moon. The four Lighthouses were lit at this time, providing energy to both the world and the people.
As the story goes, conquest and war eventually became objectives amongst those who desired power, riches, and dominion over all that lived, and global war fueled by the misuse of Alchemy for military purposes yielded potentially catastrophic results for Weyard; the world would have been torn apart if not for the efforts of a group of brave and wise men who took it upon themselves to seal Alchemy away by removing the Elemental Stars from the four Lighthouses, and confining the jewels in the innermost reaches of Mt. Aleph's Sol Sanctum. The world and the people were saved from themselves, but deprived of a massive resource, and Alchemy and the four Lighthouses would remain dormant for ages to come.
With the sealing of Alchemy, Weyard's landmasses gradually began to break up and decrease in size over the ages, though this would not be noticed by the general populace due to how gradual it was. However, over time the populace began to lose much more; Civilization thrives by building upon the knowledge of the past, and the disappearance of both Alchemy and seemingly Psynergy as well caused the various cultures of the world to lose knowledge and become more primitive over the ages. That is why in the current age when the Golden Sun games take place, Weyard is a fairly inactive and sparsely populated world, with scarcely few individuals being aware of the existence of the force of Psynergy, let alone possessing the ability to manipulate it as Adepts. A lot of the great Lighthouses, mountain sanctums, and other structures that stand today from the ancient past cannot be properly investigated by today's commonfolk because they lack the necessary adeptness to Psynergy that the locations were constructed in mind with.
In Dark Dawn, it is revealed that the Jenei ruled over Weyard during this time period. Not content to simply rule, the Jenei attempted to grasp at omnipotence by trying to gain manipulation over Darkness and Light. Their attempts led to the creation of the Alchemy Dynamo and Luna Tower. These two machines caused a Grave Eclipse, which was stopped via unconfirmed means. However, it is confirmed that a weapon, the Apollo Lens, was created to counter Luna Tower. The Apollo Lens gained power from the Alchemy Forge and Alchemy Well, two other Alchemy Machines. The Jenei would create various objects to assist in the fight against a future Grave Eclipse.
In addition, several ancient ruins were revealed. The Konpa Ruins existed as a shrine to the four Elements, and contained the only aid in translating the culture's language, the Glyph Book. The Craggy Peak Ruins and the Teppe Ruins were left behind by the Neox. Meanwhile, the Belinsk Ruins contained the forbidden Alchemy Dynamo, and were specifically designed by the Jenei to prevent its future awakening.
Trivia
- If you were to look at it on the side, the map of Ancient Weyard oddly resembles the Wise One.
- There is another world map from this time in the Alchemy Dynamo, which makes sense since it was built before Alchemy was sealed.
