Garund
Garund (pronounced gah-ROOND)1 is a Golarion continent located south of Avistan across the Inner Sea, and west of Casmaron separated by the Obari Ocean.
At one time, central Garund was the heart of civilisation in the hemisphere. It was a major territory of the cyclopes, who once ruled all of Golarion. Their Empire perished before (or possibly because of) the fall of the Starstone, which created the Inner Sea. Later, the citadels of the Shory flew through the sky, until their kingdom also failed.2
Today, there are also some highly developed nations including Osirion, Katapesh, and Holomog. Despite the civilizations along the outer edges of the landmass, it remains a dangerous and wild place. Whether one is exploring the unmapped jungles of the Mwangi Expanse, traversing the magic-blasted Mana Wastes between Nex and Geb, or braving the permanent hurricane called the Eye of Abendego on the continent's western coast, there are many ways to die throughout Garund.3
Together with Avistan, the northernmost third of Garund constitutes the Inner Sea region.
An inhabitant of Garund is known as a Garundi.
Nations
The NorthThe East |
The West and Interior |
The South |
Inhabitants

As with most of Golarion, humans are the primary inhabitants of Garund. As a broad generalisation, the native humans of the north and east tend to be Garundi or Keleshite, whereas those of the west and interior are Mwangi. There are, of course, exceptions—for example, the Mauxi people are considered to be Mwangi, but they live in Thuvia in the north.456 Some isolated ethnic groups call Garund home, including the Caldaru and Lergeni.7 The nation of Vidrian remains home to many of Chelaxian descent, now known as Sargavans, while its native population refers to themselves as Vidrics.8
Elves are prolific in Garund as well. The Mualijae9 were sundered from their northern kindred following Earthfall, when their ancestors took refuge in the Mwangi Expanse rather than flee to Sovyrian;10 Mwangi elf tribes include the western Ekujae, the northwestern Kallijae, and the northern Alijae.7 The elves of the northern deserts have a culture distinct from the wild elves.10
Dwarves colonized Garund after emerging from the Darklands in Avistan. The nomadic desert dwarves inhabit the eastern deserts abutting the Shattered Range in eastern Garund. Osirion is home to two dwarven cultures—the Ouat monks who integrated into human society and the xenophobic Pahmet or sand dwarves in the empire's southern mountains.11 In the continent's interior are the more traditional Mbe'ke dwarves of the Terwa Uplands and the Taralu, or jungle dwarves, of the eastern Mwangi Expanse.7
Multiple halfling cultures are indigenous to Garund. Most Mwangi halflings dwell in the shadows of human societies much like halflings elsewhere, while the reclusive Song'o halflings watch over the Laughing Jungle,12 and the halflings of the Kaava Lands have a reputation as territorial demon-worshippers.137
Gnomes live in scattered groups throughout the continent. The communities with the largest gnome populations are Finderplain, Tiven's Reed, and Yavipho in Katapesh; and Quantium in Nex.14 Many gnomes inhabited the lost lands of Yamasa and Lirgen and now live as nomads in the Mwangi Expanse and Sodden Lands.7
Orcs are rare in Garund owing to the continent's lack of many connections to the Darklands;15 the Matanji orcs centered around Nine Walls are one prominent population of them.16 Goblins are very common in the Shackles and Mediogalti Island, with a minority in the Mwangi Expanse and Mana Wastes.17
Geography
Geographical features have been listed in order of location, starting with the most north easterly and working clockwise.
Bays and seasLakesJunglesPlains |
Rivers
|
Mountains
Other features |
Lost kingdoms
The following lands were once nations of Garund, but no longer exist.
The North
The West
Southern Garund
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Update needed |
Only the northernmost third of Garund is considered to be part of the Inner Sea region. There has been little exploration of southern Garund by inhabitants of the north, as it does not lie on any trade route to Vudra or Tian Xia. The exploration that does take place is usually sponsored by the Pathfinder Society or the Aspis Consortium.
The early volumes of the Pathfinder Chronicles mention several of the strange lands of the south. In particular, Volume 4 describes Durvin Gest's circumnavigation of the continent and his interaction with the matriarchy of Holomog.
The jungles of the Mwangi Expanse dominate the interior of southern Garund just as they do in the north. Civilizations are known in the coastal regions, but even then there are tales of hostile cities built among the trees, massive termite-like mounds, and great swamps from which emit terrifying noises and mysterious lights.18
The wealthy elites of southern Garund take advantage of their proximity to the Antarkos Ocean, towing icebergs north to enjoy ice year-round.19
Inhabitants of southern Garund
The most populous ancestries of southern Garund include humans, elves, empyreans,20 catfolk, and tripkees.2122
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- â âAppendicesâ in Campaign Setting, 246. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- â âWelcome to the Pathfinder Societyâ in Seekers of Secrets, 5–7. Paizo Inc., 2009 .
- â âGazetteer of Nationsâ in Gazetteer, 22. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- â âChapter 1: Charactersâ in Campaign Setting, 22. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- â âChapter 1: Charactersâ in Campaign Setting, 24. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- â âChapter 1: Charactersâ in Campaign Setting, 28–29. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- â 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 âLife in Mwangiâ in Heart of the Jungle, 13–14. Paizo Inc., 2010 .
- â âPeople of the Mwangiâ in The Mwangi Expanse, 27–28. Paizo Inc., 2021 .
- â The term "wild elves", which in Pathfinder First Edition works, is no longer used to refer to the Mualijae.
- â 10.0 10.1 âElves of Golarionâ in Elves of Golarion, 13. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- â âThe Five Kings Mountainsâ in Dwarves of Golarion, 18–19. Paizo Inc., 2009 .
- â âPeople of the Mwangiâ in The Mwangi Expanse, 82. Paizo Inc., 2021 .
- â âGeographyâ in The Mwangi Expanse, 160. Paizo Inc., 2021 .
- â âGnome Settlementsâ in Gnomes of Golarion, 17–21. Paizo Inc., 2010 .
- â âOrcs of Golarionâ in Orcs of Golarion, 16. Paizo Inc., 2010 .
- â âPeople of the Mwangiâ in The Mwangi Expanse, 98. Paizo Inc., 2021 .
- â âGoblins of Golarionâ in Goblins of Golarion, 17. Paizo Inc., 2011 .
- â âBeyond the Inner Seaâ in The Inner Sea World Guide, 207. Paizo Inc., 2011 .
- â âNPC Galleryâ in Raiders of the Fever Sea, 56. Paizo Inc., 2012 .
- â Paizo referred to empyrean planar scions as aasimars until the publication of Player Core. These empyreans are unrelated to the type of angel with the same name.
- â Paizo referred to tripkees as gripplis until the publication of Tian Xia World Guide.
- â âIntroductionâ in Inner Sea Races, 6. Paizo Inc., 2015 .