Valashmai Sea

The Valashmai Sea separates Tian Xia from Sarusan.

The Valashmai Sea is a body of water in Golarion's southern hemisphere.

Geography

The Valashmai Sea lies off the southern coast of Tian Xia's Valashmai Jungle, connecting the Okaiyo Ocean to the Embaral and Obari oceans. It also separates Tian Xia from Sarusan and borders the Antarkos Ocean.

Ecology

The sea is renowned for its dangerous inhabitants, including a nation of adaros who refer to the sea as the "Womb of Storms" and worship a creature known as the Tempest Wife. Krakens, sedacthys, siyokoys and atuikakuras are also found in the Valashmai Sea, although most aquatic races avoid making permanent settlements within it if they can.

The Valashmai Sea is also home to a large variety of sea monsters. A thalassic behemoth lairs in its heart, having been called to the Material Plane for some unknown purpose. Sailors also claim that a kaiju called Shbloon, the Vortex Maw, inhabits the sea and is the cause of the whirlpools that plague it. If these tales are true, it is possible that Shbloon is not the only kaiju living in these waters.

The seas are also notoriously turbulent, with reports of whirlpools too large to view from end to end or occurring in fields stretching out of sight, frequent low thunderstorms just above the tips of large icebergs, and other forms of extreme weather such as rain hot enough to burn skin and storms with waves taller than a ship's mast.

These traits give the Valashmai Sea a reputation as one of Golarion's most treacherous seas, and sailors who grant passage across it either stay close to the coastline or charge large sums to cross it.

References

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