Sarusan

The continent of Sarusan, with the Valashmai Sea separating it from Tian Xia to its north.

The least-understood of Golarion's continents (and also its smallest), Sarusan is located in a trackless sea south of Tian Xia's Valashmai peninsula. Far from the trade winds, all available information on Sarusan comes from ancient accounts because few modern expeditions have successfully returned after journeying there, and those few who claim to have reached Sarusan lose all memories of their experiences. According to these stories, Sarusan is completely alien from the modern world. It is said to be a diverse land, containing dense jungles, expansive plains, and harsh deserts.

Geography

Sarusan is separated from southern Tian Xia by the Valashmai Sea, Golarion's most dangerous body of water and the only route by sea or ocean that bypasses Tian Xia. Ships circumnavigating the continent must stay close to shore to avoid the sea's many dangers, which include persistent, violent storms and monsters. Those seeking passage to Sarusan must hire experienced pilots from Valashmai, and the few who have survived the journey report the sea's waters having a deep azure heart and constantly churning waters.

History

Sarusan and Tian Xia once formed a gigantic supercontinent connected by a great land bridge, a claim often contested by scholars despite evidence of its existence. The land bridge was one of two vectors by which humans first migrated to Tian Xia during the Age of Dragons, the other being over the eastern sea with the continent of Azlant.

Legends claim that long before the first Tian nations rose, the empire of Taumata was said to stretch from southern Tian Xia to Sarusan itself, but due to their hubris, the deities destroyed Taumata's people and the land they lived on. The archipelago of Minata is said to be the remnants of this land bridge.

In truth, the land bridge was submerged during the fallout of Earthfall, which caused sea levels to rise. The Minata archipelago also lost half of its landmass during the event.

Inhabitants

Some believe that the Tian-Sing, the dark-skinned humans of the reed boat culture of Minata, are descended from humans who once called Sarusan home, though all such information comes secondhand from an earlier age.

Some scholars claim that the month of Gozran was first named such by peoples native to Sarusan; the month is also alternatively known as Rusanne. However, the continent was not represented at the Absalom Reconciliation of 1500 AR, in which trade guilds established standard calendars for each of Golarion's continents, and any calendar system used by its inhabitants remains unknown.

Uncannily smooth obelisks on Sarusan hint at the ancient serpentfolk empire having a foothold on the continent as well.

Fauna

Enormous mammals inhabit the continent, some of which have gone extinct elsewhere in Golarion and some of which are utterly unknown. Sarusan's fauna includes many marsupials (mammals who carry their young in pouches) such as the thylacine.

Supernatural dangers

Contributing to Sarusan's dread reputation, those who venture near the continent mysteriously forget the details of the place shortly after departing.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.