Khoras is a richly detailed, fictional world for traditional paper and pen role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. This web site fully details every facet of Khoras, from the mightiest kingdom to the smallest blade of grass. It is intended as an informational archive to be referenced and updated as the world of Khoras grows. You are invited to explore and enjoy this fictional realm.
The World of Khoras is not an online video game, a gaming system or a set of rules. It is a fictional "setting" only. With regards to role playing, Khoras does not promote or adhere to the rules of any published game system. It is "system independent". Descriptions and references are kept detailed and clear, but are not limited by the rules and terms of any one role playing system. Anyone who wishes to play their own games in Khoras will be very pleased by its versatility and will have no problem adapting it to their game system of choice.
There is no cost involved with Khoras. This is simply one game master's home brewed campaign setting put up on the internet for the world to see. Explore Khoras and enjoy!
There are those who would categorize Khoras as "vanilla fantasy". In other words, it's a mix of Tolkien-inspired pseudo-European folktales filled with castles, knights in shining armor, fire breathing dragons, elves, orcs, dwarves, wizards and so forth. If vanilla fantasy is not your thing, that's fine. Move on. I happen to LOVE vanilla fantasy. I love "traditional" Tolkien-inspired fantasy worlds. I grew up on this stuff both as a gamer and reader. I make no apologies for it.
Why am I building this? I remember my very first exposure to gaming and in the very first game, I asked some basic questions about the characters (What's the name of the this region? What determines how much starting money we get? Can I purchase a such-n-such?). It became clear to me that the game master had no clue how to answer such questions and, worse, no interest in the details of the world around us. I found this was common with other game masters and I was frustrated with the lack of detail in their worlds. As games progressed, there were contradictions and inconsistencies in their game. Another thing that bothered me was that there was often too much magic in the world and an emphasis on HUGE battles and ridiculously overpowered characters and world shaking stakes all the time. Both players and characters would skip over or outright ignore details like money, food, taverns, travel and other mundane details. I wanted those mundane details! I wanted to know exactly how many copper pieces I had left, what flavor the stew was, how many days of travel it would take to reach the next dungeon, what the name of the tavern was and a thousand other things.
When I started gaming, I began with Greyhawke, but the urge to create my own world was undeniable. So I started building it in college as I prepared for my second major campaign. Khoras is the culmination of all of my early gaming experiences, frustrations and ideas. It was inspired by the movies I loved - Conan, Ladyhawke, The Dark Crystal, Dragonslayer and countless others. To put it simply, I am building the kind of world that I would want to game in.
| Civilization | This section describes the nations, cities, villages, duchies, political boundaries, languages, currencies, technology, legends, societies, ships, people and merchandise of Khoras. If it was created by people, you'll find it in this section. |
| Cultured Races | The many races that inhabit Khoras, over twenty, are detailed in this section. Information on physical stature, intellect, religious beliefs, racial subdivisions, laws, customs, traditions and art are all extensively detailed. |
| The Physical World | This section includes the geography of Khoras, the mountain ranges, rivers, forests, deserts, swamps and unique regions. This section also describes the heavens above and the forces of the Universe, including mutations, magic effects and so forth. |
| Fauna and Flora | Khoras is home to a vast array of living creatures. A small sampling of Khorasian plants and animals is given here. |
| Magic | This section discusses magic in the world. The terminology, the different types of magic, those who wield it and the fabulous spells and items magic can produce. |
| Religion | This section includes detailed notes of the deities and religions of Khoras, including holy symbols, ceremonies, rituals, ranks and so forth. |
| History | The history of Khoras is long and varied, punctuated by cataclysm and war. It is divided up into twelve Ages. Each Age is described. A full timeline is also given. |
| Glossary | The glossary contains specialized terms from all over the web site. |
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This button leads to a detailed world map. This page also includes older versions of the various Khoras maps. |
News
This page includes announcments on updates and changes to the site.
Spotlight
Each month, I focus creative work on one specific area of the world or a range of related topics.
Forum
A gathering place for those who find adventure in the land of Khoras. A
place to post messages, compare notes, and trade stories with other Khoras gamers.
Tales
The tales of Khoras. This includes works of short fiction, novellas, poetry and even film - all based in the World of Khoras.
DM Tools
A one-stop resource for Game Masters seeking to maximize their potential for
effective gaming in the World of Khoras. This section includes short adventure ideas and well as fully-detailed campaigns.
Crew
Meet the creator of Khoras and those who help bring the world of Khoras to life.
Contact
Email the webmaster and creator of Khoras.
Links
Links to other worlds, reviews of Khoras and so forth.
Guestbook
See what others have said about Khoras over the years.
Fan Work
Many Khoras fans are creating art and fiction based on Khoras. Come browse the
gallery.
Trivia
Miscellaneous information about Khoras.
Donate
If you'd like to help keep Khoras online and growing, you can contribute here.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the World of Khoras and the web site.
Khoras is being built upon five guiding principles that help shape its development from the grandest theme to the smallest detail:
1. Khoras is a detailed world. Every possible facet of this world has been (or will be) considered and discussed.
2. Khoras is a consistent world. All of the details of Khoras must be internally consistent. Cause-and-effect relationships must be taken into consideration and accounted for.
3. Khoras is a gaming world. It is designed to provide players with endless opportunities for adventure and discovery.
4. Khoras is a realistic world. As much as possible, it follows the laws and characteristics of the natural universe (physics, geology, biology, genetics, evolution, etc).
5. Khoras is an earth-like world. Khoras is based roughly on 13th century Earth, with an emphasis on medieval Europe. Technological development varies somewhat by region.
Khoras is very much a "work in progress". The entire web site is continually being expanded with new sections and more in-depth detail. I try to upload new material at least once per month. Khoras will continue to grow, both in scope and level of detail. So check back often.
Written by |
David M. Roomes |
| Web Site Designed and Built by | David M. Roomes |
Creative Collaborator |
Mark Price |
| Illustrations Contributed by | Mark Price Eduardo Beerli Juan Ramirez Kristian Juul Rasmussen |
Computer Generated Images by |
David M. Roomes |
Khoras World Map Created by |
David M. Roomes |
And very special thanks to the following people for various other contributions to Khoras over the years: Neal Murphy, Daniel Borosh, Terry Freistuhler, Brent Fishbaugh, Greg Jensen, Ludovic Mathieu, Cruzan Wallis (site), Florian Hofmann, Adam Hostetler, Alex Seldes
The World of Khoras is dedicated to the memory of my parents, John and Laverne Roomes.
| Elizabeth Dupke | Greg Jensen | Brent Fishbaugh |
| Mark Price | Bob Smith | Ryan Kolter |
| David Oeters | Craig Chakford | Mike Barrett |
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Albert Einstein
"Only in men's imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art, as of life".
Joseph Conrad
"How delightful are the pleasures of the imagination! In those delectable moments, the whole world is ours; not a single creature resists us, we devastate the world, we repopulate it with new objects which, in turn, we immolate. The means to every crime is ours, and we employ them all, we multiply the horror a hundredfold."
Marquis de Sade
This website was last updated August 9, 2023. Copyright 1990-2023 David M. Roomes.