Dark Sun - The Gray

The Gray

In the second edition AD&D version of Dark Sun, the Gray was described as a buffer zone on Athas that acts as a barrier between Athas's Prime Material Plane and its Ethereal and Astral Planes. It is much weaker on the Ethereal side where it is easier to breach. On the Astral side it is almost impenetrable. Spellcasters seeking access to these planes (or the outer and inner planes beyond) must attempt to breach The Gray.

The dead of Athas end up here after they die and are caught in an eddy and gradually fade away to nothing. When someone asks the spirits of the dead dwelling in the Gray where they are they reply "nowhere" and when asked who they are they reply "no one." They can however prolong their existence by dedicating themselves to a cause which is greater than themselves.

The Thri-Kreen of Athas supplement states that the Thri-Kreen instead have a heaven in the Beastlands (Happy Hunting Grounds) and a cold hell in Baator (the nine hells), which are both traditional D&D outer planes.