Sun

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Sun
The Rune of the Sun
(Cosmos)

Titles
The Burning Mother
Type
Star
Adjective
Solar
Diameter
x100
Mass
x300,000
Gravity
x28
Atmosphere
None
Orbit
n/a
Inhabitants
Fire elementals, plasma oozes, Plane of Fire visitors, powerful spellcasters
Satellites

The sun, sometimes called the Burning Mother, is a yellow star at the center of Golarion's solar system.12

Description

Golarion's sun is some hundred times the diameter of Golarion and 300,000 times its mass; its gravity is 28 times that of Golarion. The sun has no atmosphere. It has no solid surface, and generates incredible heat, capable of vaporizing steel even at its coldest point.2 The sun's intense gravity grows even more powerful near its core, the Starheart.3

Gazetteer

The sun shown at the centre of the Cosmic Caravan.

Despite the churning nature of the sun there are some locations of note, though some do move in the convection currents. They include the Burning Archipelago, the Silent Sanctum, the Sleeping Sea, and Starheart.2

Inhabitants

The sun is intensely inhospitable, yet some creatures do manage to survive and thrive in the inferno. Native inhabitants include dolphin-like fire elementals that leap and frolic in the burning gases closer to the surface, while deeper in the star, plazma oozes that range in size from elephants to mountains slowly move under the immense pressure. Non-native species enter the sun through temporary portals to the Plane of Fire and include ifrits,4 powerful spellcasters, and salamanders.2

Travel by non-natives to the sun

Travel to the surface of the sun or within it is possible, but requires complete immunity to heat and flame. Anyone else is instantly vaporized, and can only be brought back to life through powerful magic spells such as wish or resurrection. In addition, travelers from Golarion must contend with the enormous gravity of the sun along with its intense pressure; strangely, creatures native to the Plane of Fire are not bothered by these effects. To circumvent these hazards, travelers can create vessels similar to diving bells made of pure force using wish magic, or transform themselves into creatures who are not harmed by the environment.2

Figurative uses of the Sun

Runic representation

In scholarly works, the sun is sometimes represented by a rune: a circle with a dot at its center.2

In Religion

The Sun features in many important roles in theology.

Domains and portfolios

Many deities grant the power of the sun to their worshipers through the Sun domain. They include Aldinach, Iaozrael, Iomedae, Sarenrae, and Shizuru. In addition, three gods and a demon lord hold the sun as part of their portfolio: Easivra, Nurgal, Sarenrae, and Shizuru.56

Holy symbols

Three goddesses use solar imagery in their holy symbols:

  • Desna: Butterfly with star, sun, and moon symbols on its wings
  • Iomedae: 'The sword of valour': Elegant longsword with a circular sunburst behind the sword's hilt
  • Shizuru: a stylized sun behind a katana

Other theological references

Some other theological references to the sun that are not included above are:

Other solar references

Non-theological references to the sun also exist, including:

Other suns

There are other suns in addition to that which Golarion orbits, including the myriad of stars seen in the night sky. Notable suns include:

References

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

  1. James L. Sutter. “Into the Black” in Children of the Void, 48. Paizo Inc., 2008
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 James L. Sutter. “Chapter 1: The Solar System” in Distant Worlds, 5. Paizo Inc., 2012
  3. Andrew Penn Romine, et al. “The Stars Are Right” in People of the Stars, 5. Paizo Inc., 2014
  4. Paizo referred to ifrits as efreet and naaris as ifrits until the publication of Highhelm. See also Rage of Elements pg. 3 and Pathfinder Core Preview pgs. 2, 13, 18.
  5. Sean K Reynolds, et al. Inner Sea Gods, 316–326. Paizo Inc., 2014
  6. James Jacobs, et al. “Life in the Dragon Empires” in Dragon Empires Gazetteer, 62. Paizo Inc., 2011
  7. James Jacobs. “Lords of the Abyss” in Lords of Chaos, Book of the Damned Volume 2, 22. Paizo Inc., 2010
  8. James Jacobs. “The Realms” in Lords of Chaos, Book of the Damned Volume 2, 40. Paizo Inc., 2010