Gormuz

Gormuz was an ancient Ninshaburian city in central Casmaron that was believed to have been holy to the goddess Sarenrae. It was destroyed by the goddess in -3923 AR, and in its place, the infamous Pit of Gormuz can now be found.

History

During the Age of Creation, an alliance of gods defeated Rovagug, imprisoning him within the demiplane known as the Dead Vault far beneath Golarion's surface. The goddess Sarenrae repaired the gash in the earth into which the Rough Beast had been flung, and commanded her followers to avoid the smooth scar that remained. Her faithful living in nearby Ninshabur misinterpreted her instructions, however, and instead flocked to the area, eventually founding the settlement of Gormuz there. Believing Gormuz to be a holy city of Sarenrae, people from all over Casmaron flocked there for millennia, but were slowly corrupted by the imprisoned god Rovagug's dreams. Sarenrae continued sending portents and visions to her faithful in Gormuz during this period, warning them of Rovagug's growing influence among them, but these were ignored or misinterpreted. She finally sent her herald Kohal to the people of Gormuz in -3923 AR with a final offer of redemption, but they had been so corrupted that they destroyed him instead. In great wrath, Sarenrae smote Gormuz with her scimitar, destroying the city completely. This act created an enormous rent in the earth that eventually became known as the Pit of Gormuz, which let loose the Spawn of Rovagug to destroy Ninshabur.

Aftermath

Horrified by the destruction she had caused in Gormuz and guilt-ridden by the Spawn of Rovagug's destruction she had unintentionally unleashed, Sarenrae reached out to a female survivor of Gormuz's destruction. The goddess imbued her with divine powers, asking her to guide her fellow survivors toward goodness and redemption. Even though this woman's name has been lost to history, her example lead to a clerical tradition of Sarenrae's followers known as the blossoming light.