A World of Gods, Memory, and Mortal Will
“What we record, we remember. And what we remember, we keep alive.”
— Aleryn Duskwhisper, Exarch of Illario and Keeper of the Aelorian Archives
Khassid is a world shaped by the interplay of divine power and mortal choice. Across its continents and seas lie kingdoms, ancient forests, hidden strongholds, and forgotten ruins—each carrying echoes of a history that continues to shape the present age.
Faith, memory, and consequence stand at the heart of this world. The gods of Khassid are not distant abstractions but living presences whose power is influenced by belief, devotion, and the stories mortals tell about them. Civilizations rise and fall, cultures evolve, and the divine itself may shift as generations reinterpret the truths of the world.
The knowledge of Khassid—its peoples, histories, gods, lands, and mysteries—is preserved within the Aelorian Archives, an ever-growing repository of scholarship and record maintained by historians, clergy, and lorekeepers across the world. Within these archives stand seven great halls, each dedicated to the preservation and study of a different aspect of existence.
Through these halls, seekers of knowledge may explore the living story of Khassid.
The Cataclysm
Just over four centuries ago, the gods in their hubris turned their power upon one another. Rivalries long held in check erupted into open divine conflict, and in their struggle the gods struck not merely at each other, but at the very foundations of creation.
In the chaos of that war, one of their own—The Wild, embodiment of life and the living world—was grievously wounded. As divine power clashed against divine power, life itself was torn apart and the fabric of the world began to unravel.
In a moment of terrible fury and pain, The Wild screamed—and the world answered.
Mountains split, seas roiled, and the balance that sustained creation collapsed in an instant. In that single catastrophic moment, nearly half of Khassid’s population—mortal and animal alike—perished.
Realizing the devastation their conflict had wrought, Aeru, supreme arbiter of balance and master of creation, intervened. One who had sown the discord was Unmade, erased from the order of creation itself and from mortal memory. Another nearly met the same fate, spared only by the intercession of The Wild, who even in grievous harm chose preservation over annihilation.
From the ashes of that disaster came a reckoning among the gods.
The surviving deities swore a binding covenant that would forever change the relationship between divine power and the mortal world. Known as The Divine Accords, this pact ended the divine war and imposed strict limits upon the direct actions of the gods within creation. Each pantheon was tasked not with domination, but with the long labor of restoring the world that had nearly been destroyed.
More than four centuries later, Khassid still bears the scars of that catastrophe. Civilizations have rebuilt, faiths have changed, and the world continues forward—shaped forever by the moment when the gods nearly unmade their own creation.
The Peoples of Khassid
Across the lands of Khassid live many peoples, each shaped by their histories, cultures, and relationships with the divine.
The Barazûn are a people of endurance and craft whose origins lie beyond Khassid itself. Long ago they were refugees from a dying world beyond the firmament. When their realm collapsed into entropy, Aeru granted them sanctuary upon Khassid. Though their former gods were lost in that catastrophe, the Barazûn carried their faith and traditions with them. Over generations they carved new mountain strongholds and deep halls, forging a culture defined by resilience, craftsmanship, and the quiet determination to build legacy from survival.
The Felden are a small-statured people whose quiet villages and hearth-bound traditions conceal a culture of deep discipline and shared memory. To outsiders they appear gentle and unassuming—caretakers of orchards, keepers of stories, and stewards of close-knit communities where hospitality is offered freely. Yet this calm exterior reflects deliberate restraint rather than simplicity. Felden culture prizes patience, observation, and the careful weighing of consequence before action. Their settlements may seem peaceful to the casual traveler, but they are communities shaped by unity, preparation, and the quiet certainty that every member will stand when the village calls—and that those who mistake their calm for weakness rarely make the mistake twice.
Humans are the most numerous and widely dispersed people of Khassid. Their kingdoms, city-states, and communities span nearly every region of the world. Human cultures vary enormously, shaped by geography, faith, and history, and no single tradition defines them. This adaptability has allowed humanity to thrive across the world’s many environments and political landscapes.
The Karnathi are a people shaped by pressure, endurance, and the understanding that all structures—whether political, spiritual, or physical—contain the seeds of fracture within them. Their culture values clarity, discipline, and the careful study of how systems fail and how they may be rebuilt stronger than before. To the Karnathi, survival is not merely persistence—it is insight.
The Syl’Aeris are an ancient people whose existence bridges two states of reality. Born within Aelindor, a realm of living harmony that resonates alongside the physical world of Khassid, the Syl’Aeris possess a dual nature unlike that of any other mortal people. Their spirits remain attuned to both realms, allowing them to move between Khassid and the luminous resonance of Aelindor through sacred thresholds known as the Ithil. Because of this connection, the Syl’Aeris perceive creation as a living harmony—where the turning of seasons, the growth of forests, and the passage of time are expressions of a deeper cosmic rhythm. Though they walk within Khassid and participate in its history, they remain forever shaped by their origin in Aelindor, living children of two intertwined worlds.
The Varnokh are a unified people composed of those whom other worlds might separately call orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears. In Khassid they are understood as a single species bound by shared ancestry and cultural identity. Far from the crude caricatures sometimes found in other tales, the Varnokh are a sophisticated civilization whose scholars, artisans, warriors, and leaders act upon the world with the same complexity and ambition as any other people.
Alongside these great peoples live others whose stories also shape the world: the rare descendants of dragonkind known as Dragonborn, and the enigmatic Tieflings, whose lineage first appeared in Khassid after the fall of Ilmaris and whose origins remain bound to arcane catastrophe and planar breach.
Together these cultures form the living tapestry of Khassid—a world where no single people defines history, and every civilization leaves its mark upon the age that follows.
The Nine Halls of Knowledge
Within the Aelorian Archives, the knowledge of Khassid is preserved across nine great halls, each devoted to a different field of study.
The Hall of Divinities – Within this hall are preserved the records of Khassid’s divine powers—the gods and pantheons who shape the world, the faiths through which mortals honor them, and the sacred doctrines, accords, and metaphysical truths that govern the relationship between divinity and creation.
The Hall of Peoples – Within this hall are gathered the chronicles of the many peoples who inhabit Khassid, preserving their cultures, traditions, and societies.
The Hall of Realms – Within this hall are recorded the lands and nations of Khassid, from thriving kingdoms to distant and mysterious frontiers.
The Hall of Chronology – Within this hall is preserved the timeline of the world, chronicling the events that have shaped Khassid across the ages.
The Hall of Arcane Convergence – Within this hall are examined the supernatural forces of Khassid, including magic, strange phenomena, and the creatures recorded within the Codex Naturalis Khassidia.
The Hall of the Living World – Within this hall are chronicled the living wonders of the world—its beasts, plants, and unseen ecologies—revealing the creatures that roam the wilds and the natural forces that sustain life across the realms.
The Hall of Vocations – Within this hall are described the callings followed by heroes and adventurers, including the disciplines, paths, and divine domains through which individuals shape their destinies.
The Hall of Legends – Within this hall are recorded the lives of those whose deeds have shaped the course of history—kings and conquerors, prophets and tyrants, heroes and villains alike—whose ambitions, triumphs, and failures left indelible marks upon the world.
The Hall of Lore – Within this hall are preserved the myths, traditions, legends, and deeper knowledge gathered by scholars throughout the ages.
Together these halls form a living record of the world and the countless stories unfolding within it.
A World of Adventure
Khassid stands at a crossroads between past and future. Ancient ruins lie buried beneath forests and deserts, relics of lost civilizations wait to be rediscovered, and the ambitions of kingdoms, guilds, and faiths continue to reshape the political and spiritual landscape of the world.
Adventurers in Khassid may explore forgotten cities, navigate the intrigues of powerful factions, uncover secrets hidden since the Cataclysm, or confront dangers that threaten the fragile balance between gods and mortals.
In this world, even the smallest decision may echo through history.
Tales of Khassid and Dungeons & Dragons
Tales of Khassid is a fantasy campaign setting designed for use with Dungeons & Dragons® Fifth Edition. The setting expands upon the core framework of the game through original lore, pantheons, cultures, and character options that bring the world of Khassid to life at the table.
This work uses material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (SRD 5.2.1) released by Wizards of the Coast and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This product is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.