The Burnt World of Athas

The official Dark Sun website

Ah! Hello there. Grak! Be a good boy, and inform the Overcouncil that we have visitors. Quickly now, you can finish your sweetmeats when you get back.

You'll have to forgive him, he's a bit slow. Good help has been impossible to find since Tithian freed all of our slaves. Now then, what is it I can do for you?

What is Dark Sun?

Dark Sun is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Set on the desert world of Athas, Dark Sun is about the struggle for survival.

Nine city-states cling to life in the Tablelands. Until recently, they were ruled by powerful Sorcerer-Kings, both tyrants and protectors. Now, only five remain; the other cities are cast into chaos and violent strife. Soon, the desert may swallow them, as it has so many times before. The wastes are riddled with the ruins of cities long dead.

It is a world where magic drains the very essence of life. Ancient wars have left vast swaths of the planet sterile; even now, druids fight a losing battle to preserve the environment. To practice magic is to tempt death at the hands of the mob, yet the cities themselves are ruled by the most powerful of defilers.

Originally released in 1991 by TSR for the 2nd edition of AD&D, Athas.org has been the steward of the Dark Sun campaign setting since the release of D&D 3rd edition in 2000. In that time, we have released updated core rules, two monster manuals, numerous setting supplements, such as City State of Draj and Wisdom of the Drylanders, and the epic adventure Dregoth Ascending. You can see a list of all of our products here

Announcements

Lost Cities of the Trembling Plains now available for download!

Posted by Adam Cieszlak 4 months ago

Athas.org and the Pristine Tower Development Group are very pleased to announce the long-awaited release of Lost Cities of the Trembling Plains!

Download it today and discover:

  • The geography, history, and cultures of the region known as the Forgotten North.

  • Descriptions for the five strange seasons experienced by residents of the region.

  • Area descriptions and maps for several major settlements, including both settlements of the living and ruins occupied only by the undead.

  • Player’s Guides to key cities and settlements in the region.

https://athas.org/products/lcottp

Rich Baker on DS4

Posted by flip 7 months ago

Rich Baker has been doing a retrospective on his time working on Dungeons and Dragons, in celebration of it’s 50th anniversary. He’s recently posted about the development of Dark Sun 4e, which includes the origins of what would eventually become the core 5e “Background” character pillar.

Articles

The Journal of Zong-Tossu, Entry 12 - The Visions of Cho’ka

Written by Azog the Defiler and Adam Cieszlak, and first published on 2025-04-27

This is the journal of Zong-Tossu, a master ghav-urath (life-shaper) from the Rhul-thaun capital of Thamasku. Zong-Tossu was sent by the har-etuil (judgment-makers) along with a detachment of junior life-shapers and lawkeepers to investigate a mysterious ring of standing stones and the strange creatures said to occasionally appear within. The expeditionary force was accompanied by a thri-kreen emissary known as Cho’ka.

With both Zong-Tossu and Tr’Shadai having experienced visions induced by the elixirs of the so-called “Dervish Octopus,” it only remains for Cho’ka to consume the mixtures and experience visions of the past, future, and of another world…

What if Athasian gnomes had survived the Cleansing Wars?

Written by Tommaso Mazzoni, and first published on 2025-04-20

What If is a series of articles examining how the Dark Sun setting might be different if a single aspect were changed.

This week, we look at how Athas might be different if the gnomes - much like the lizardfolk of the Last Sea - had survived the Cleansing Wars.

What if moongates were more common, but were dangerous to use?

Written by Azog the Defiler, and first published on 2025-03-30

What If is a series of articles examining how the Dark Sun setting might be different if a single aspect were changed.

Moongates are a concept introduced in the 4e Dark Sun Campaign Setting, and supposedly provided a means to travel from Athas to the moons of Ral and Guthay, but the concept was never truly fleshed out. If used in a Dark Sun game, moongates should probably be quite difficult to find, with only a handful of gates to be found on Athas and maybe only one or two each on Ral and Guthay. But, what if they weren’t?