Tian Xia

Tian Xia (pronounced TEE-yawn-shaw) is the continent geographically furthest from Avistan, lying across the ocean that borders the eastern shore of exotic Casmaron. The easiest way to get to Tian Xia from Avistan is by crossing the icy Crown of the World. As a result of its distance from the Inner Sea, not much is known of this mysterious continent. It has acted as a cradle of civilization for nearly seven thousand years and in that time has boasted three continent-spanning empires, the most recent of which, Lung Wa, ruled up until a century ago. Now mainland Tian Xia has many different sovereign nations, many of which have experienced a cultural renaissance since the fall of the last great empire.

The mainland of Tian Xia covers about as much of Golarion's surface as Avistan does. Unlike Avistan, however, Tian Xia is surrounded by many islands which means it actuality covers nearly twice the area of Avistan. The Qiang Tan (or Wall of Heaven) Mountains cut off the hilly steppes of the northern region of Tian Xia from the rest of the continent. This region is home of the semi nomadic Tian-La people. South of these mountains the lowlands region is flatter and more fertile. It was this region that was home to the Lung Wa empire and has since been divided into sixteen successor states. Many of the islands of the continent are part of the empire of Minkai, a land slipping toward civil war thanks to the holding of the emperor by the Higashiyama clan.