Susong

Founder: Qiang Tse (1937)

Population (2015 census): 27

Susong is a small village located on Meridona's northwest coast founded by the Chinese Qiang Tse, who was the leader of a cult known as the Horologians worshipping the Chinese polymath Su Song. By the 1970's, Susong had grown to over 2,000 inhabitants and featured a number of intricately designed buildings. Following the Horologian attack on the capitol in 1974, Meridonan security forces raided the village, bringing an end to the cult's rising popularity and nearly vacating the entire village. Today, only 27 inhabitants remain in the village, most too elderly or poor to relocate. A bar and small grocery store are the only remaining businesses since 1978, when a gas explosion destroyed the village's lone gas station.

The village is home to one of the island's more unique sights, the Susong Shore Dwellings and the Forgotten Grotto. Carved into the face of the cliffs of the shoreline, are a series of hallways and rooms created by Qiang Tse and his followers in the 1950's. During construction of the dwellings, Tse discovered a large Grotto, which during the daylight hours becomes illuminated with an aqua glow. The Grotto is reachable only by traveling through the dwellings or swimming in, which requires advanced scuba equipment and experience.

Susong Shore Dwellings

The Forgotten Grotto