My world is based partially on Irish myth, particularly the gods (the Tuatha de Danann). There isn’t any origin story, because as far as I can tell, Irish myth doesn’t have one- just legends of the settlers of Ireland, though I’m focusing mostly on the Tuatha de Danann (there were 4 groups before them). To make a quick summary, the Tuatha de Danann drive off the Fir Bolg, then the Fomorians, before finally being driven to the Otherworld by the Milesians (humans). After that there is some interaction between the two separate worlds, but it slowly fades over time. Eventually we are left with regular humans and the elves, the very, very, very distant ancestors of the Tuatha de Danann, to the point that the only “divinity” left in them is their innate magical power. For humans, they have to visit a special magic spring (which I still have to name >_<) to gain magic powers. I have a separate page detailing magic and the magic elements.
The human world continues pretty much the same as it does in the real world until the 1960’s, where the rift between the human world and the Otherworld is opened. After this, the two worlds start to intermingle, generally peacefully, though there is some tension. I have three main stories planned; one in 1963 (the event that opened the rift was when someone used magic to stop the JFK assassination), 1987, and 2016. There are “gaps” between those three years where I have nothing definitive planned. There are two other stories I have, but one has no definitive date, and the other does (2012) but does not rely on the fantasy.
There are 4 continents in the Otherworld and 7 major nations. There are also many other minor nations. I currently have 3.
The Midlorians (mid elves) are the first major nation, inhabiting most of their home continent. They are fairly standard fantasy elves, though they don’t have as deep of a connection to nature. They live in basically a pre-information age society, though most electricity is replaced with magic. There are some computers that are coming in, but it’s fairly awkward to change raw mana to electricity, and magitech only works when you constantly funnel mana into it (aka, it only works if you’re holding it directly). However, there is limited access to firearms, even after 1963; more on that in a bit. The Midlorians have a constitutional monarchy (monarchy + parliament) but with a twist; dual succession. There are two separate royal lines, neither of which is allowed to intermingle with the other. These royal lines hold power simultaneously, as co-monarchs. When both die, then their first-borns take power. Any “product” of intermingling is viewed as illegitimate.
The darkelash (dark elves- I don’t really have a definitive proper name for them yet) are a minor nation, taking up the southern portion of the Midlorian continent. They are closely related to the midi elves, but are of course a separate nation. Their capital is Sosena, and is located inside of a mountain. They’re sorta like the drow of D&D, but with much less evil and more religion (and much less underground). Their primary deity is Crom Curach, who is the god of darkness (but not evil!). A physical avatar of him (a giant rock surrounded by 12 smaller ones) is located inside of Sosena, making it their most holy of places The dark elves dedicate their entire existence to Crom Curach, believing that it is their duty to serve him. The more extreme among them will sacrifice various pleasantries in order to devote more of themselves to the service of Crom Curach. Money does exist, but is generally regarded as an optional luxury. When dark elves die, their corpse is generally brought to Crom Curach’s avatar, where it joins him to carry out his will as a revenant. To be denied this is considered a great insult to you to the dark elves; to not desire this is considered an insult to all dark elves, and to Crom Curach. The dark elves are, as you might expect, a theocracy.
The Loderians (lo elves) form the second major nation, and the last nation I have made so far. They are a highly mercantile and industrial nation, a plutocracy, though I haven’t worked out many of the details (plutocracy just means “wealth = power”). Loderia consists of a tundra archipelago; in the winter, it generally forms one loose landmass connected by ice. In the warmer seasons, there are many smaller islands, and travel by boat is required. Loderia is effectively the only nation that can make use of guns, as it is the only nation that can readily acquire all of the resources needed to make gunpowder. Guns are generally made out of mithril compounds (I forgot to say this earlier, but iron is dangerous to all elves, due to its anti-magic properties), typically mithril + tungsten. They also generally have magazine fed revolving chambers; this is mostly because I think it’s cool. Lo elves rely less on magic then the other elven races, and are generally less religious as well. Magic is still an influence in Loderian society, however, and there are still a few religious groups.
Human society is mostly the same, besides the elves and magic. There are many different rulers and several differences, but the overall course of humanity is roughly identical. The main difference, of course, is the presence of elves. Elves are about as controversial as you would believe them to be. Most people view them as equals, but there are many that don’t. Unfortunately, I haven’t made any real characters that have the later view. Elven rights remain controversial for many years, though not a lot of progress is made, mostly because not a lot of elves move to Earth. But a surprising (though still small) amount of humans move to the Otherworld, partially due to the novelty, partially due to it being viewed as an easy way for a fresh start.