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
monstermanuals,
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
Dragon Kings Backerkit cover by Alannah Rose
Strange Owl Games is proud to announce the release of Timothy Brown’s Dragon Kings in a brand-new edition suitable for 5E play, with conversion rules for 2E included. Brown, the award-winning co-creator of the Dark Sun® universe, has further refined the desperate, savage world of Khitus, his spiritual successor to those exciting tropes and themes.
“Dragon Kings is sword and sandal, blood and sand, dark sorcery and elusive, god-like rulers,” says Brown, who released the original edition in 2014. ‘Capturing the feel of that kind of pulp environment is tricky. I’ve brought together the original team that invented this RPG genre, the team that held the original vision, and as we’ve seen before, you can’t fake that.”
Troy Denning, award-winning designer and a contributor to Dragon Kings, is “thrilled to reunite with fellow Dark Sun co-creator Timothy Brown in the fallen world of Khitus for a one-of-a-kind adventure.”
Brom, the artist who was a key visionary of the original Dark Sun look and is a Dragon Kings artwork contributor, adds, “this is a savage, exciting world, looking forward to this edition!”
This crowdfunding campaign for Dragon Kings includes the Core Book with the entire setting and 5E-compatible rules, 2E conversion, maps, adventures, setting-appropriate dice, game master’s screen, and audiobook.
Dragon Kings Caravan by Bob Crum
Veteran TSR designers Bill Salvicsek and Rich Baker are also part of the Dragon Kings team.
“I got copies of the galleys for the original Dark Sun boxed set when I was a freelancer,” states Bill Slavicset, Dragon Kings contributor and author of Arcane Shadows, Slave Tribes, and Elves of Athas, “and reading about the cool setting and seeing the Brom art was just inspiring. Tim’s Dragon Kings hits all the same notes as the original and I’m eager to dig in and add my own ideas to what he’s created.”
Rich Baker, author of Merchant House of Amketch, says, “that is one of the first worlds I got to work on when I started at TSR. I’m excited to spend some time in a world that shares those savage, splendid inspirations.”
Shane Hensley, creator of Deadlands and Savage Worlds and designer of City by the Silt Sea and Earth, Fire, Water, & Air for Dark Sun adds, “I will always love Athas. Timothy Brown, Troy Denning, and Brom put together a setting that transcended the typical fantasy settings of the time to forge something new, exciting, and unapologetically savage. Dragon Kings takes those ideas to the next level, breaking the chains that held back the world of Athas for so long. Now we have the world of Khitus, the Age of Despots, incredible monsters, relentless gladiators, and terrifying magic!”
Rss 02 Cover by Avangion
Having survived the harsh wastelands, the adventurers have arrived in the silt side village of Samarah. Once there, however, tensions rapidly escalate as new and old enemies emerge. In order to secure their place in this new landscape, the adventurers must prove their mettle by traversing treacherous cliffs, facing feral predators, and navigating the local power dynamics of the region. The ultimate goal remains survival, despite unyielding obstacles, ever-present danger, and the overarching mystery of the Gray Coast.
THIS ADVENTURE IS BEST PLAYED WITH A GROUP OF 3-6 CHARACTERS OF 4TH LEVEL
This adventure is part 2 of the Reavers of the Silt Sea organized play campaign by June Soler.
The Pristine Tower Development Group and Athas.org are proude to announce the release of Voyage of the Chitin Chaser on DM’s Guild. Voyage of the Chitin Chaser is a 5.5e DnD adventure for four 8th-level player characters (PCs) that is set in the Spelljammer system of Doomspace.
Also available here on Athas.org is the Voyage of the Chitin Chaser Conversion Guide, which contains notes and rules to 2nd edition [2e] and the revised 3rd edition [3.5e]. It also contains adaption notes to change the adventure from occurring in Doomspace to instead take place in the Crimson Sphere: the void above the Dark Sun campaign setting.
A new Resource File is available by Ed Bonny: Across the Silt Sea: The Dragon’s Tail. For as long as Ur Draxa has existed, a small chain of islands has lain forgotten just south of the Dragon’s terrible city. Located far east of the Tyr Region in the Silt Sea, the islands house the ruins of an ancient past, ruins which contain dark evils and lost secrets. The Dragon’s Tail extends the known area of Athas to just south beyond the Valley of Dust and Fire, covering the three islands once known as the Misty Isles and also covering the peninsula of a new continent. On this peninsula lies Xarednay, a powerful city of elemental beings that radically seeks to reshape the world of Athas into an elemental paradise. Travellers to this region must not only navigate the Silt Sea but must keep a watchful eye on the Great Ash Storm lest a deadly storm surge come their way. The Dragon’s Tail is intended to add to the high level energy of Dark Sun by adding numerous advanced beings that rival Borys, Dregoth, and the Sorcerer-Kings and Queens of the Tyr Region.
Lla1 Anattan Promo Cover by Methvezem
Greetings fellow Athasians!
After years of consolidating canon and fanon lore, and working with the Athasian Cartographers Guild to expand the world map, the Pristine Tower Development Group is finally ready to launch our Dark Sun Gazetteer series. Each book details a different distant region of Athas, providing both a compelling narrative as well as an overview of the key features of that region for DMs and lore junkies alike, and everything has been carefully researched to fit with 2e and 2e Revised canon.
For the first book in the series, we are exploring the Anattan Coast. Located beyond the Cerulean Storm on the far side of the Silt Sea, this region has been hinted at many times in lore, and has been mapped and developed by several different cartogophers and writers in our community over the decades. We’ve now consolidated all that amazing work and refined the lore into a single cohesive narrative.
Download our free netbook, join us across the Sea of Silt, and begin your expedition to the distant reaches of Athas today!
Written by Michel Joseph Dziadul, and first published on 2026-08-23
The “A Day in the Life of…” series is a collection of short stories focusing on a single day in the lives of Athasians who rarely shape history. Not the heroes who challenge sorcerer-kings or unearth ancient relics, they are the countless others who scrape together ceramic bits through toil and cunning. Told through their eyes, these stories breathe life into Athas, highlighting the constant daily struggle endured by the common folk.
This installment follows a day in the life of the siltfisherman Draxel.
Written by Azog the Defiler and Adam Cieszlak, and first published on 2026-08-16
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.
Having made their way through the subterranean sea deep beneath the Island of the Pariahs, Zong-Tossu and his group emerge onto the surface again, but strange challenges await them in this new land.
Written by Avangion, and first published on 2026-08-09
Tales of the Banshees is a series examining one mul’s pursuit of knowledge and answers as she explores the banshees of Athas and the dwarven culture surrounding them.
Written by Raddu, and first published on 2026-08-06
Dark Sun is officially returning in 2027 as the centerpiece of D&D’s Season of Survival, bringing new sourcebooks, a full Psion class, and the game’s first mature-rated campaign setting. The announcement suggests Wizards of the Coast is embracing Athas’ defining themes and brutal tone while giving longtime fans a substantial new edition to explore.
