Revelation War Overview

High Concept:

A world in conflict as new powers emerge and alter the very nature of the land.

Background:

This world was created for a Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition campaign I was going to run. 4th Edition D&D defines classes based on their power source: Martial (physical aptitude), Arcane (magic), Divine (gods), Primal (nature spirits), Psionic (mental abilities), and Shadow (death and negative energy).

I wanted to highlight and extrapolate the separation between  these different power sources. This setting is defined by battles between factions representing each of the power sources with players being forced to choose a side.

History:

200 years ago, the unified Grand Kingdom was formed after a long and bloody racial war between the humans, elves, and dwarves.  This kingdom took control of the entire land and enjoyed centuries of peace and prosperity. Although there were occasional revolts, by and large it was a unprecedented era of calm.

30 years ago, the Grand Kingdom was destroyed during the Revelation.  A blinding explosion of light tore apart the capital city and shook the entire world to its core. In the aftermath, strange events began happening. Elemental creatures emerged from cracks in the ground and the depths of the sea; fey creatures were seen in the old forests; and the recently dead were shambling to their feet in a semblance of life. A shining tower of crystal stood in the heart of the ruined capital city, and a host of angels and demons poured from its depths to perform the will of the Divine.

25 years ago, a group of scholars and nobles from the defunct Grand Kingdom united and became the Lords of Reason. Through research and experimentation, the Lords of Reason discovered how to manipulate the fabric of reality through spell rituals. Armed with this new magic, they began a campaign to undo the Revelation and eliminate the supernatural forces that filled the land. In response, the other factions of the land began to consolidate their own power base. This was beginning of the Revelation War.

10 years ago, some individuals began feeling a strange presence in their minds. They found that, with concentration, they could reshape reality to their will. These people found themselves drawn to the battlegrounds of the Revelation War, and they proved to be powerful if poorly understood allies to whoever they joined.

5 years ago, the factions have entered into a stalemate. Although there are still regular skirmishes, each group is waiting for a shift in the balance of power before making its move.

Factions:

There are several primary factions vying for control of the world.

Lords of Reason:
A group of nobles, warriors, and mages out to undo the Revelation. Their primary objective is to eliminate all magic from the land, including their own, to restore peace and order. Their casters wield arcane power. Wizards and warriors alike stand under the banner of the Lords of Reason. Areas under their control have lower levels of magic than others, making them extremely uncomfortable for those with strong ties to the other factions.

Divine:
The Divine's host of angels and devils seeks to convert the world and usher in a new age of peace. To accomplish this, they seek out powerful individuals to recruit to their cause. Angels, devils, and loyal believers are the agents of the Divine. Areas under the Divine's protection are marked by crystalline towers that can be used to commune with the Divine.

Spirits:
Embodiments of nature and the land, the Spirits and their agents seek to restore the world a more primal state. To accomplish this, the Spirits promote the growth of the wilds and the restoration of the land to its natural state. The army of the Spirits includes monstrous beasts and the hunters that battle them, sentient plants, and guardians of the land. Areas under the Sprits' control tend to be overgrown and wild, filled with larger-than life animals and plants.

Forgotten:
The Forgotten are the Revenants of the land, the risen dead. They seek to tear open the Veil that separates life and death so that no one need experience the pain of death again. Any sort of individual can be found among the Forgotten; the only constant is the shared memory of what lies beyond the Veil. All of the Forgotten owe a debt of allegiance to the Veiled Lady, the one who brought them back into the world of the living. The Veil is thin in the lands the Forgotten control. Wisps of light grey fog  drift through the air in defiance of sun and wind, and visitors occasionally see ghostly apparitions at the edge of their vision.

Storm:
A group of petty elemental lords, they seek to defeat the other elementals and shape the world to their own liking. Although they could easily overwhelm the other factions if they cooperated, their rivalry keeps them locked in continuous infighting. Areas under the Storm's control are harsh lands that match the temperament of the lord who controls the region—the Frost Lord's keep sits on a monumental glacier while the Storm Lord's lands are the heart of a massive tempest.

Rules of Magic:

Ambient magical energy is present in almost all parts of the world, although it did not manifest until the Revelation. This energy powers all of the supernatural abilities found in the world, and allows skilled individuals to manipulate the fundamental forces of reality. Every power type uses this same energy; only the abstraction used to manipulate it changes. Using a power does not create or destroy this ambient energy.

Arcane:
The most fundamental form of magic, arcane powers involve directly manipulating magical energy. Most arcane mages use rituals and physical spell focuses to provide structure and make it easier to control the energy, but some eschew them in favor of a more intuitive approach. Anyone can learn to use arcane spells with enough effort. Arcane casters glow faintly blue when using their powers.

Divine:
Divine powers are granted by agents of the Divine and work by invoking Its will and using it to control the ambient magical energy. Using divine powers often involves prayers, and casting a divine power generally causes a glowing white sigil to briefly appear.  Using a divine power against an agent of the Divine causes a sigil known as an Apostate's Mark to appear on the caster. This mark glows brightly whenever the marked individual uses a power and cannot be concealed; there are no known ways to remove an Apostate's Mark. Agents of the Divine kill apostates on sight.

Primal:
Primal powers call on the Sprits of the land to control the ambient energy. Because of this, primal powers are most effective when influencing natural forces, such as the weather or plant life. Many primal casters have their own physical attributes enhanced by using their powers. The spirits working with a primal caster flicker into view as semi-transparent specters when the caster uses a power.

Shadow:
Shadow powers use magical energy to manipulate the Veil, the boundary between the living world and the land of the dead. Skilled shadow casters can draw portions of their opponent's soul through the Veil or enhance their attacks with the power of death. The energies of the Veil surround the caster with wispy tendrils of grey fog when using a shadow power.

Psionic:
Psionic individuals act as conduits for the magical energy, focusing it through their own bodies to gain control over it. Because of this, psionic powers are affected by the caster's state of mind. Psionics Many psionic individuals carefully control their emotions to prevent unintentional use of their powers. Psionics have a large mental toll on the user. When using a psionic power, the caster's eyes glow bright yellow.

Nodes:
There are locations where the ambient magical energy collects. These places of power are known as Nodes, and they are vital to each faction's goals. Control of a Node allows for large-scale magic, enough to change the nature of an entire region. As such, the Nodes are the primary targets for every group involved in the Revelation War.

Races:

Because this was designed for 4th Edition D&D, it uses the standard races from the core rules. It's standard High Fantasy: humans are the most numerous and varied, elves are pointy-eared forest folk, and dwarves are the hard-working hard-drinking miners. The races and cultures of the world will be examined in depth later (maybe).

Cosmology:

Before the Revelation, the cosmology of the world is standard D&D—polytheistic with each god being the patron of certain ideals. However, religious doctrine holds that they sacrificed themselves to create the world. As such, the gods' essence infuses the world but the gods cannot interfere directly.
After the Revelation, agents of the Divine have co-opted and repurposed the major religions. The awakening of the primal spirits has also re-invigorated shamanistic practices.  

Technology:

Technology levels match the assumptions in core 4th Edition D&D: Late Medieval tech with isolated fantastical magitech.