Garoh (ポピーチー村 Popiichii Village) is a small village located in the south-central region of Osenia and west of the Balloo Range. It first appeared in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Well hidden from the naked eye, the village sits within the depths of a mountain, only accessible by climbing up the stairs and moving heavy tree bark that blocks the way.
Garoh is a village of werewolves, a race of humans with the ability to transform into an anthropomorphic wolf by looking at the sight of the full moon. Many years ago in their past, people viewed the werewolves as a cursed race and would burn them alive in a rite known as "purification". Because of this, the werewolves had no choice but to hide in the mountains and mask their curse, or as some people see it, a gift. Whenever travelers come across the mountain and find the werewolf village, the villagers pretend to act as if werewolves don't exist. For Felix and his party, when they arrived in Garoh during a full moon, the villagers had to cloak themselves in order to prevent themselves from looking at the moon. Garoh at night; notice the cloaked villagers.
The werewolves of Garoh are JupiterAdepts. They gain their power from a mountain called Air's Rock. Air's Rock is a sacred mountain that blesses the element of wind, Jupiter. As a tradition, when werewolves come of age and wisdom, they can choose to climb Air's Rock and learn the power of Reveal, an ability only learned by Jupiter Adepts. Master Maha, the chief of the village, learned Reveal himself, but ended up losing his human form in the process. Being the source of the villagers' access to wind Psynergy causes the village to become very dependent on the mountain for Psynergy resources. Without it, werewolves would not be Adepts.
Ether has been staying with Maha until Felix and Co. arrive. After returning to talk with Maha the following morning, he decides to let Ether travel with Felix's party.
Maha is alarmed when the Adepts, outsiders to Garoh, come upon the village on the full moon.
Spoiler warning:The following section(s) contain plot and/or ending details that some people may not wish to learn before reaching this point in the game on their own. If this applies to you, take caution while reading this section (if you choose to read it at all).
When Felix's party first arrives in Garoh, they see a young werewolf rushing into the village. With their curiosity (or at least Kraden's) getting the better of them, they decide to follow the werewolf. When they approach a peculiar stone structure in the village, Master Maha uses Reveal to come out of the structure and dashes back inside upon spotting them. By having Sheba cast Reveal, it is possible to follow him inside the rock, which turns out to be the entrance to a maze-like cavern. While exploring the cave, Felix and Co. find the werewolf child running around. By chasing him to the back of the cave, Felix manages to bring Maha out of hiding.
During their meeting with Maha, Kraden begins to explain to him about Adepts and Psynergy, until Maha decides to continue the conversation in the morning. By returning to Maha's cave later, he and Kraden begin discussing how the people of Garoh became werewolves in the first place. Maha believes the ability to transform into wolves is simply an evolutionary defense, similar to how pillbugs and hedgehogs change shape for protection. Kraden then resumes his explanation of Psynergy, ultimately leading up to the Psynergy Stones in Mt. Aleph. Sheba then suspects that the strong winds from Air's Rock may have carried particles of its Psynergy Stones all the way to Garoh, which explains why they can use Whirlwind and Reveal. Master Maha then gives them the JupiterDjinniEther to aid them on their journey.
Spoilers end here. Those who did not want the plot ruined for them may now continue reading as normal.
If you enter Garoh for the first time Post-reunion, Isaac's party is not scripted in and the cut-scenes play through as normal with only Felix's party shown.