About the World of Athas

Athas, the world of Dark Sun, was once as pleasant as any other.
But, after many thousands of years, powerful mages found ways to gain power through draining the planet’s vitality.
At their zenith, these wizards caused the sun to transform from a pleasant yellow glow to a raging crimson fireball on the horizon. The seas evaporated and were replaced by huge basins of silt.

Mines played out, rendering metal extremely rare and valuable. Scarcer still were any sources of water.
The creatures of Athas were twisted by the free use of magic.
They constantly adapted to the harsh conditions.

New monsters emerged from the deep desert to plague the remnants of man.
Now the only stable concentrations of humanity are in tightly controlled city-states.
Without exception, these are ruled by vicious sorcerer-kings — the last remnants of the wizards who depleted Athas.

These kings call themselves gods and rule through a religious organization known as the templars.
Their rule is uniformly harsh and capricious, and a large proportion of the populace is enslaved.
Only the strongest can feel any measure of safety because the templars can condemn anyone without a trial.

The few places with any freedom are isolated villages founded by escaped slaves.
Though free, life in the wastelands is precarious.
Water supplies can fail, marauding monsters can devastate a village, and slavers are a constant threat.

Until these tiny villages can look beyond day-to-day survival and ally with one another, they are unlikely to survive more than a few years.