Real world countries Golarion is based on?


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Anyone ever do a list of which countries serve as the basis for the countries/region on Golarian. So far I can see

Absalom=Great Britain
Taldor=France
Chelix=Spain?
Andoran=United States
Linnorn Kings=Scandinavia
Irrisan=Russian/Prussia/Lion Witch Wardrobe
River Kingdoms=Germany/Holy Roman Empire
Osirion=Egypt
Ustalav=Romania with Victorian style cities.

Am I missing any others?


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Galt is Revolutionary France. They've even got the super-guillotines.


Since it's Golarion - and no nation need to be exactly a copycat of an real nation in our world's history, I would say it's kinda futile to pinpoint anymore than a few resembles. So sure, Osirion is like Egypt, and Irrisen draws alot from Russion and Slavic folklore, but so does Brevoy. And while both Katapesh and Qadira are influenced by middle-ages Araby, they both differ from one another, one drawming more from north-african and near-east folklore, and the other from Persia and maybe even Babylon.

I don't think you could find a legitimate real-world countermeasure to a diabolic empire such as Cheliax, with all do respect to the Spanish Inquisition - and while Absalom reminds me alot of both Constantinople (the city that was famed for never been conquered, even though it was conquered many times) or Jerusalem (both in biblical reference, and as "the jewel of the world", or the holy cradle of monotheistic religions, what could be refer to the whole holy scenery in Jerusalem as the Starstone cathedral) I think it's a little bit of both.

But for each nation we could identify as a resembling real-world reference, there at least 2 more that could never quite qualify for the job. I mean, where do you put Geb and Nex ? what about Alkenstar ? Belzken ? Lastwall and Mendev ? Druma ? Nidal ? Razmiran and Kyonin ? there are just too many out-of-this-world nations to even consider the idea.


Tian Xia is mostly Asia-related.
I believe Mwangi is also Africa.


I would put Andoran as an idealized version of the United States North post-Revolutionary War without the slavery.

Cheliax seems like an more fascist version modern United States with devils as a stand in for Wall Street/Big Oil style corporatism. Of course this is influenced by my own politics and I could be a bit biased.


Alkenstar = gold rush Australia.
Sarusan = Dreamtime Australia


Azlanti = Atlantis
Vudra = India


Absalsom is more an expy of Jerusalem combined with Rome than of Great Britain. There isn't really a good analog of Great Britain in Avistan.

Brevoy is more like Prussia, with the river kingdoms similar in many ways to the various principalities, duchies, electorates and so forth that made up the rest of Germany prior to unification.

Qadira is arabian nights style arabia. Katapesh is a grittier and darker version of arabia.

The Shackles are like the caribbean pirate islands from the 16th to 19th centuries.


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Nirmathas is something like Robin Hood's England.

Molthune seems to resemble C19th militant Prussia.

Cheliax is a Meditterranean-like country, perhaps a cross between Spain and Italy. And like the Spanish Empire it has or had colonies in Garund/Africa and Arcadia/the New World.

Taldor, the old empire in decline, seems to be a mishmash of feudal Europe, Byzantium, and an effete version of the declining British Empire or even the Austrian Empire. The theme of empire in decline seems to be used as a dumping ground for lots of ideas.


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I do like Cheliax as 15th century Spain, with the church of Asmodeus in place of the Catholic church. I think the analogue to the power of the state religion works pretty well, and the presence of inquisitors fits too.

I usually liken Taldor to Italy in the time of the merchant-princes, with echoes of their lost empire (Rome to the ancient Taldan Empire). I've also heard comparisions to Byzantium, which makes sense too.

Absalom I'd compare to Constantinople, as the major center of trade between various cultures. Rome wouldn't be a bad comparison either.

I'd peg Andoran as the Great Britain/United States expy more than most of the rest.


SteelDraco wrote:
I'd peg Andoran as the Great Britain/United States expy more than most of the rest.

Its clearly revolutionary America but with the abolitionist movement as well.

What muddies that image though is the country is several thousand years old as one of the oldest provinces of the Taldan Empire, and also has a Mediterranean flavor with its vineyards and olive groves.
So I think its revolutionary America mixed with Italy.


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Jeven wrote:
SteelDraco wrote:
I'd peg Andoran as the Great Britain/United States expy more than most of the rest.

Its clearly revolutionary America but with the abolitionist movement as well.

What muddies that image though is the country is several thousand years old as one of the oldest provinces of the Taldan Empire, and also has a Mediterranean flavor with its vineyards and olive groves.
So I think its revolutionary America mixed with Italy.

English Civil War = Parliamentary Republic


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Bachuan is based off North Korea
Minkai is based off Japan
Quan is based off rural China and on old Kung Fu films
Lingshen is based off Imperial China during the rule of the Qin dynasty
Hongal is Mongolia.
Zi Ha is based off Tibet
Goka is based off Hong Kong
Dtang Ma is based of Thailand.


Varisia has a bit of a Baltic countries feel. With cities built on previous civilisations ruins, Merchant city states.

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I guess we should stop pretending and just base a campaign on an alternate Earth by using the same countries. I mean, if it looked like an Egyptian, if it walked like an Egyptian, it is an Egyptian..oh I mean Osirian!

Silver Crusade

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Absalom isn't Britain. It's far too warm and sunny.

Andoran isn't Britain either. Post Civil War Britain was characterised by intense religious persecution and a strict puritanical code imposed on the populous. That's one of the main reasons that this period only lasted 11 years.

Andoran is an obvious expy of America. It has an idealistic core and a belief in freedom but also a free market that leads to exploitation of the people and economic and political corruption.

Nirmathas has a little of Britain in it but really there is no good expy for Britain.

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samuraixsithlord wrote:
Taldor=France

Hmmm, I think it is more 1500 Spain, or Portugal, Conquistador type.

Also, some Earth countries are represented in multiple places from different eras it seems, its not just a 1-1 pairing.


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Some of the names are pretty obvious as well. Galt is from Gallic a synonym for French, and Osirion is named after Osiris the Egyptian god of the dead.


I actually think Absalom might be at least partially inspired by Great Britain. They have a parliament with 2 houses, what are essentially the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and what boils to down to a Prime Minister. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but the presence of a House of Commons-in-all-but-name seems rather unique and telling. Jerusalem is definitely there too though.

Also, if we're being accurate to real-world history, Ustalav is arguably as much Hungary as Romania, since Translyvania was part of Hungary until the Treaty of Trianon after World War I. Like Ustalav, Hungary also has a legendary founder and ancient king in the person of St. Steven.

Andoran as a U.S. expy is apt and I, like other posters, agree with Cheliax as at least somewhat reminiscent of 15th century Spain.

Varisia does has a Baltic feel, although it could be almost anywhere in Central Europe.

I see Taldor as Byzantium and the River Kingdoms are the Holy Roman Empire, which was none of the three and was really just a bunching warring German duchies and petty kingdoms.

Galt and Osirion are obvious.

Let's keep in mind though that it's highly doubtful any of these are meant to be spot on. They're inspiration, not direct representations.

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I think the PadiSHAH Empire of Kelesh (what Qadira is part of) is a little bit of the ancient Persian empire.


Considering the lasting conflict with Taldor and the arabian nights inspiration, the Padishah seems to look more like the Ottoman Empire.


Considering how freakin' huge the Padishah empire is, it's also probably a mistake to slap a generic "arabian" motif on the whole thing, as it likely contains many distinct cultures within it.


Yeah, I think the Padishah Empire covers everything from Turkic Xingiang in China, to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, to Rajastan in India, Pakistan, Persia/Iran, and the Arabian peninsular. So its a huge area with a variety of peoples but still similar architecture and interconnected cultures.


Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan wrote:
samuraixsithlord wrote:
Taldor=France

Hmmm, I think it is more 1500 Spain, or Portugal, Conquistador type.

Also, some Earth countries are represented in multiple places from different eras it seems, its not just a 1-1 pairing.

Agreed, I've always GM'd my Taldor NPCs as vaguely Spanish or Portuguese, with the described culture/visuals of Taldor-based scenarios/mods reflecting a bit of those two nationalities.


I thought Taldor was more Byzantium . . . an empire that once spanned the continent that is in decay, barely holding off the advances from Qadira.

Which would make Cheliax closer to the Western Roman Empire.

Andoran is Revolutionary-era Boston, which had the combination of independence and abolitionist forces.


KahnyaGnorc wrote:
I thought Taldor was more Byzantium . . . an empire that once spanned the continent that is in decay, barely holding off the advances from Qadira.

The names of the key personalities are Byzantine Greek, so that culture is definitely part of Taldor.

Although few people know much about the Byzantine Empire (its not usually taught in schools and seldom appears in film, books or tv) so its a difficult point of reference to use to try and picture the country.


Darkmoon Vale seems to be influenced by the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Liberty's Edge

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Okay, these are mostly more-or-less official (I believe anyway):

Absalom: Byzantium (the city) plus Lankhmar, and every other biggest city in the world from fantasy novels, movies, etc.

Andoran: Immediately post-Revolutionary War era U.S. Idealized, obviously.

Belkzen: Uh...orcs. no real-world equivalent.

Brevoy: Game of Thrones. Again, no direct equivalent.

Cheliax: Italy, in terms of flavor. Hints of Imperial Rome.

Druma: No real-world equivalent.

Five Kings Mountains: Dwarflands. No real-world equivalent.

Galt: Revolutionary France. Look at the guillotines.

Geb: Undead land. No real-world equivalent.

Irrisen: Russia + The White Witch. Iobaria is also very Russian.

Isger: No real-world equivalent.

Jalmeray: Arabian Nights + bits of India.

Katapesh: Middle East/Arab areas in general.

Kyonin: Elf lands. No real-world equivalent.

Lastwall: No real-world equivalent.

Land of the Linnorm Kings: All areas that had vikings.

Realm of the Mammoth Lords: Prehistoric stuff. No specific real-world equivalent.

Mana Wastes: No real-world equivalent.

Mendev: Demons! No real-world equivalent.

Mothune: No real-world equivalent. Maybe hints of Soviet Russia or Germany back when it was Prussia.

Mwangi Expanse: Sub-Saharan Afica. Specifically, the uncivilized areas. There's civilized ones further south.

Nex: Really high-magic. No real-world equivalent.

Nidal: Terrible place. No real-world equivalent.

Nirmathas: No real-world equivalent.

Numeria: Science fantasy. No real-world equivalent.

Osirion: Egypt. Because yeah.

Qadira: More middle-east, plus Persian Empire.

Rahadoum: No real-world equivalent.

Razmiran: No real-world equivalent.

The River Kingdoms: No real-world equivalent.

Sargava: British or French colonialism in Africa.

The Shackles: The Caribbean. More or less.

Sodden Lands: No real-world equivalent.

Steaming Sea: No real-world equivalent.

Taldor: Vague mix of Spain, the British empire, the Byzantine Empire and some other stuff.

Thuvia: Vaguely middle-eastern. No real-world equivalent.

Ustalav: Eastern European ala Romania. Plus gothic horror.

Varisia: No real-world equivalent.

Now, on to continents:

Casmaron: Middle Eastern. The whole area around the Mediterranean really. Plus Iobaria, which is, as mentioned, Russian. And Vudra, which is basically India.

Avistan: Europe.

Arcadia: The Americas.

Garund: Africa.

Tian Xia: Asia. There was a whole thread drawing specific equivalents a while back.

Azlant: Atlantis. So, not really anything real.

Sarusan: Probably Australia, but signs are less than perfectly clear.


Deadmanwalking wrote:


Brevoy: Game of Thrones. Again, no direct equivalent.

Which means it's based on Medieval England ala The War of the Roses.

Deadmanwalking wrote:


Cheliax: Italy, in terms of flavor. Hints of Imperial Rome.

Cheliax is obviously Imperial Spain. The primary worship of Asmodeus and the church backed government is based off the Catholic church and the Spanish Inquisition. The priests of Asmodeus look really similar to Catholic priests, and the uniforms of the Cheliax navy look just like the garb used by the Spanish Navy. Even the landmass of Cheliax looks like Spain. It even has it's own Strait of Gibraltar.

Liberty's Edge

samuraixsithlord wrote:
Which means it's based on Medieval England ala The War of the Roses.

Only at one or two removes. But yeah, there's some of that.

samuraixsithlord wrote:
Cheliax is obviously Imperial Spain. The primary worship of Asmodeus and the church backed government is based off the Catholic church and the Spanish Inquisition. The priests of Asmodeus look really similar to Catholic priests, and the uniforms of the Cheliax navy look just like the garb used by the Spanish Navy. Even the landmass of Cheliax looks like Spain. It even has it's own Strait of Gibraltar.

Well, Italy is also Catholic, what with the whole Rome thing...

And it's more Italy than Spain according to, y'know, the people who wrote it, so I'm going with that. Still there probably is a little bit of Spain in there.


Westcrown is certainly more Italian than Spanish. Look at the names of the various types of cops, or just the idea of four different type of guards that can't go into one another's territories - very Italian city-state (or even Roman). One of them is the canal cops iirc, something that seems rather Venetian to me.

Many of the npc names seem rather Italian in general as well. Add prominent opera, obscenely decadent nobility, and an increasingly powerful merchant class, and it continues to fell much more like Italy than Spain.

As for hellknights as inquisition, Spain may have welcomed them, but they were still controlled by and sent from Rome. The inquisition didn't figure as prominently in the popular view of Italian history because there wasn't much for them to do in Italy - the population was much more solidly loyal to the church.


I think Cheliax is both Italy and Spain.

Politically its more like the Spanish Empire with its vast empire and religious zealotry than Italy which was a collection of minor city states and principalities.
Cheliax also has its equivalent of the Straits of Gibralta, with a ruined bridge facing Garund (North Africa) in place of the Rock. The country even controls a small chunk of Garund, much like Spain's enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morrocco.


I find that they've been doing a bit more mix and match to fit themes over taking the country's culture directly. So where Galt's theme is an idealistic revolution that turned into constant civil war, it makes sense to use an historical reference to the French Revolution as a reference/starting point. This is also why we can't pinpoint an exact historical Absalom or Cheliax.


The problem with Absalom are the real world is that the cities that are closest to it are not city-states, but parts of larger kingdoms, nations, and/or empires: Rome, Paris, London, NYC . . . with the possible exception of, say, Medieval Venice, or another Italian city-state.

I would compare it to Waterdeep in the Realms: A powerful city-state that is the center for commerce and trade for the region of the world.

Silver Crusade

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Deadmanwalking wrote:
Belkzen: Uh...orcs. no real-world equivalent.

Head into any British city centre after 11pm on a Saturday night. You'll see quite a few Orcs at that point, trust me...

Silver Crusade

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I see Lastwall as similar in many respects to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_the_Teutonic_Order

Lastwall's flag even has the same colors as the Teutonic Order.


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The Mana Wastes are the american old west as seen through the Stephen King Dark Tower novels, with a steampunk flavor.

Silver Crusade

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Someone on TV tropes figured it out, here's the list for easy refrence

Absalom is Jerusalem.
Almhult is Iceland.
Amanandar is Hong Kong.
Andoran is the early United States.
The Arcadians are Native Americans, and so are the Shoantinote . Bachuan is, of all places in a fantasy setting, a fusion of communist China and North Korea.
Brevoy and Iobaria are medieval Russia.
Cheliax is a wanna be UN-holy roman empire
Dtang Ma is Thailand.
The Erutaki are Inuit.
The Forest of Spirits is ancient Japan, by way of Princess Mononoke. Galt is revolutionary France.
Hongal is Mongolia.
Hwanggot is Korea.
Iblydos is ancient Greece.
Irrisen is the fairy tale version of Russia (complete with Baba Yaga!). Kaladay is the medieval European conception of China.
Katapesh is Arabia.
Kelesh is Persia.
The Lands of the Linnorm Kings are Scandinavia.
Lung Wa and its many Successor States are China.
Minata is Indonesia and the Philippines.
Minkai is Japan and so is Shokuro, with the difference being that Minkai is a bit more fantastic and Shokuro a bit more feudal.
The Mwangi Expanse is Darkest Africa.
Ninshabur is Babylon.
Osirion is Egypt.
Qadira is also Arabia (with some Persian influences).
Sarusan is Australia.
The Shackles are the Caribbean.
Taldor is the Byzantine Empire.
Ustalav is fantasy Transylvania.
Valenhall is Vinland.
The Varisians are the Romani (Gypsies).
The Varki are Sàmi (Lapland natives).
Vudra is India.
The Wall of Heaven is Nepal.
Xa Hoi is Vietnam.
Zi Ha is Tibet.


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Oh boy, another one of these. Like many have said, you aren't going to find a ton of exact parallels (though some do exist), and several nations and regions are meant to embody specific fantasy tropes or even genres more than are are supposed to reflect a specific nation. Most of the time, you're going to find a place has taken two or three different nations, a specific theme or flavor, and swirled them together a bit, with a couple of those influences REALLY shining through. Personally, I've found that there is more disagreement on the inspirations of southern Avistan (Read: Western Europe), so these ones are a bit harder to peg down, but here's my personal take on things.

Taldor: This place seems to cause more confusion than most, and I think it has a lot of weak influences working together. At it's core, I think it's a mishmash of the later Byzantine Empire and medieval France, meant to create the closest thing we've got to a classic stock fantasy settings. There seem to be a few small Spanish influences as well, but they slip more and more between the cracks as the setting develops. Major theme of social stratification and empire decay.

Cheliax: Also a little tough to pin down, but Italy gets cited a lot, and I am inclined to agree, with obvious echos of the Spanish Inquisition. Thing is, it's an Italy from several ages. A lot of the time, it seems like it might be pre-Renaissance Italy, but in the presentation of its culture (minus the evil), it tastes a bit to me of the late Roman Republic, what with corrupt patricians and an oppressed slave class. It's big theme, is, obviously, that of a functioning evil empire.

Andoran: Some say America, some say France, but I think it's a lot of both. Huge focus on freedom and democracy, which is pretty big in the early modern elements of both nations. When I run it, I try to blend the earliest days of America with the less radical elements of the French Revolution, and everyone dresses like it's Napoleonic France. I also like to play up their bankers.

Galt: No mistaking it here. This is a France that's been stuck in their Reign of Terror period for the last 40 years.

Absalom: This is your basic "We've got it all" City of Adventure. You can look all you like, but the closest support you will find for an inspiration from a specific country or culture is going to be a couple sentences, following by a couple more sentences backing up the claim of a DIFFERENT culture. High fantasy, high magic city state that is exotic in a familiar way.

Qadira: The middle east, "1001 Nights" style. No specific nation, but "Persia" is a good starting point. You want anything from middle eastern fantasy, from Aladdin's Lamp to cutthroat horse races, this is where it goes.

Osirion: It's Egypt. Probably the easiest one in the book.

Ustalav: It's Germanic and it's GOTHIC, with a huge emphasis on the latter. Maybe not Germany, specifically, but it definitely draws most of its cultural inspiration from the area around that reason.

Irrisen: Russia get's cited a lot, but to me it's pretty much a mashup of all Slavic cultures, except in which their fairy tales have sprang to life. Culturally, the people are majorly Slavic. Beyond that, it's a very high-fantasy place and has a few Narnia elements in that you have fantastic creatures populating the big cities and it's business as usual.

Land of the Linorm Kings: Nordic peoples. Just so much nordic peoples.


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Absalom: The city of Constantinople mixed with Jerusalem

Andoran: Post-revolution America as idealized by Northerners.

Belkzen: Various wildlands.

Brevoy: Game of Thrones mixed with Muscovy.

Cheliax: Italy, Spain, hints of Roman Empire.

Druma: Ayn Rand land

Five Kings Mountains: No equivalent comes to mind...

Galt: France during the Reign of Terror.

Geb: Ruled by undead with Egyptian undertones.

Irrisen: Magical Russia

Isger: Any number of vassal states, but none in particular.

Jalmeray: Little India with (heavy) hints of Arabian Nights

Katapesh: Middle East under pro-business rulers.

Kyonin: No equivalent in real life, but a monarchy!

Lastwall: Outremer (AKA Crusader states).

Land of the Linnorm Kings: Viking land!

Realm of the Mammoth Lords: Caveman land.

Mana Wastes: Old-West steampunky land.

Mendev: Crusader state.

Mothune: Prussia, easily.

Mwangi Expanse: Sub-Saharan Africa. It even has a large swath known as Sargava that's a colony!

Nex: Egypt undertones like Geb, but no real equivalent.

Nidal: Nightmare land.

Nirmathas: Robin Hood Land.

Numeria: Conan the Barbarian meets magic-tech.

Osirion: Egypt. If you don't realize this, go back to school.

Qadira: Ottoman Empire, particularly thanks to it's constant wars with Taldor mimicking the Ottomans attacks on Byzantium.

Rahadoum: Atheist desert nation. No clue what it represents...

Razmiran: Anti-pope magic-land. No equivalent state comes to mind. Maybe Waco?

The River Kingdoms: Balkan states+Holy Roman Empire.

Sargava: Any number of African colonies.

The Shackles: Idealized pirate-controlled Caribbean.

Sodden Lands: Central America if under constant rain.

Steaming Sea: No clue.

Taldor: Byzantine Empire meets Britain.

Thuvia: Libya? Basically no clue...

Ustalav: Romania (Transylvania).

Varisia: No equivalent to be found, but various ideas mashed together in a large area. Korvosa could be seen as an Italian city state, Magnimar as pseudo-Dutch. Riddleport is pirates/smugglers with some magic tossed in. The other areas? No clue except that the Varisians appear heavily drawn on real life Roma peoples.

And in Tian Xia we have:

Amanadar: No exact parallel, but Hong Kong is sort of close. Not really though...

Bachuan: Communist China

Chu Ye: North Korea

Dtang Ma: Magical Thailand. Sort of... Not really, but close enough...

Forest of Spirits: Studio Ghibli land

Goka: Hong Kong mixed with Shanghai.

Hongal: A smaller Mongolia

Hwanggot: Peaceful China/Korea?

Jinin: If Japan had more forest and the people were Elves

Kaoling: 'Republican' China during the civil war

Kwanlai: No direct parallel, but heavy mix of Japan, Korea and especially China. Like most Tian Xia states.

Lingshen: Ancient China under the First Emperor

Minata: Indonesia. Sorta...

Minkai: Japan. Easiest equivalent actually!

Nagajor: Cambodia/Malaysia/Burma before colonization.

Po Li: Imperial China sans emperor.

Quain: Wuxia China.

Shaguang: Northwestern China

Shenmen: Any Chinese state that becomes cruel during any number of their 'warring periods'.

Shokuro: A daimyo in China. Not much more than that?

Tianjing: China with heavy influence from various folk religion from China!

Valashmai Jungle: SE Asia/Indonesia

Wall of Heaven: Kinda Tibet/Afghanistan area with Lovecraftian overtones.

Wanshou: No equivalent I know of. Maybe a folk story from China has influence on it?

Xa Hoi: Thailand/Vietnam. I'm no expert on this region, but I'm leaning more Thailand...

Xidao: No clue...

Zi Ha: Tibet/Nepal/Bhutan.


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I'd say about half of Golarion is Greyhawk based which is another heavy kitchen sink earth culture land world.

Absalom is Greyhawk city, with a thief mayor whose name is suspiciously like Gygax and past deific leadership (Zagyg/Aroden). Greyahawk in turn was Lankhmar, which was fantasy New York. So take New York and run it through fantasy Google translator three times.

Cheliax is the Great Kingdom of Greyhawk. Take a former good empire, turn it to fiend worship and have several splinter countries.

Red Mantis = Scarlet brotherhood assassins.

Linnorm Kings = Snow/Frost/Ice barbarians = vikings.

Qadira = Baklunish = arabs.

Varisians = Rhenee minus river focus = Gypsies.

Shadow Lodge

Andoran: Idealized Revolutionary France.

Brevoy: War of the roses England

Cheliax: Declining roman empire.

Druma: Possible reference to reinassance Venice, Florence, Genoa or Hansa given the wealth powerhouse theme. it's a stretch though.

Galt: Revolutionary France. But not idealized as Andoran

Geb: Undead Egypt

Irrisen: Russia

Jalmeray: possibly Sri Lanka

Katapesh: big middle eastern trading hub. Possibly Samarkand

Lastwall: Last defense against a common threat living near the Slavic Ustalav. It doesn't have the story but it has part of the role of Byzantium.

Land of the Linnorm Kings: Scandinavia

Realm of the Mammoth Lords: Ice age prehistory

Mana Wastes: I guess Hiroshima/nagasaki. at least as a concept.

Mendev: Realm of Jerusalem/Latin Empire

Mwangi Expanse: Central Afica.

Osirion: Egypt.

Qadira: Persia/middle-east

Razmiran: As crazy as it sounds, the fact that is a former river kingdom and that razmir holds both the secular and temporal power makes me say papal states.

The River Kingdoms: Reinassance Italian states.

Sargava: african colonial states.

The Shackles: Caribbean.

Taldor: Medieval France.

Ustalav: Romania

Varisia: Hungary

Grand Lodge

What about the similarities between Golarion and Greyhawk?


Coincidental. Caused by some parts of Greyhawk having similar inspirations as Golarion.

Liberty's Edge

ZanThrax wrote:
Coincidental. Caused by some parts of Greyhawk having similar inspirations as Golarion.

Also by the creators of the world really liking Greyhawk.


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Well who doesn't like Greyhawk?


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Seth Parsons wrote:


Andoran: Post-revolution America as idealized by Northerners.

Post-1930s US Northerners, too - it has a tax & spend government that maintains a welfare state, as far as I can tell the revenue for this comes from taxing the business interests. The first historical welfare state was late 19th century Germany, in America the welfare state only dates from the 1960s on.


Just the way it's written up I always figured Isger was meant to emulate Poland or Ukraine, based solely on it's relationship with larger powers and lack of self-identity.

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