It is the year 1160. A little under 1,200 years ago, humans came to this world, named Alfheim by those first settlers. Very little is known about where humans came from, though the Church says it was Heaven and humans were sent here to protect them from a war amongst the angels; scientist think that humans came from other worlds that somehow were crossed using technology now lost.
Since then, humans have colonized most of the main continent. Between then and now many counties have formed, fought, changed their borders, been absorbed or split off. Most have a mix of democracy and monarchy for governments.
There are two super powers currently: Zhin and Celtica. Each of these countries has many allies, of greater or lesser strength and dedication. There are also many unallied countries, but those are poor and uninteresting.
The world has two major languages: Zhin and English. These both pre-date humans coming to Alfheim. Zhin is spoken in Zhin, and English is spoken in Celtica. Most other countries speak the language of the superpower they are allied to, but this is not a hard rule. It is mark of education to be able to speak both fluently, though almost everyone can order food and get directions in either. Some isolated regions speak dialects of the main languages, but again those places are uninteresting.
Between one in 10,000 and one in 100,000 people are Mages. A Mage is much more powerful than a normal person; some can read a person’s thoughts or make them see things that are not there, others can heal wounds, see things far away or in the past, and even shoot fire or move objects with their minds.
Normal humans tend to fear Mages, in some cases with good reason. In the civilized parts of the world, Mages are accepted but still feared or at least respected a lot. In Zhin a Mage is automatically put into one of the Mage castes depending on their skills. In Celtica a Mage must join either the Mage guild or the Healing Guild. In both cases Mages are expected to dress somewhat outlandishly to reflect their status.
In less civilized parts of the world, Mages range from being killed when they first show power (usually at a very young age such as one or two years), or Mages rule through fear and power. In some places the Church raise all Mages.
Mages are very infertile and often never have children no matter how hard they try, but when they do the child is a Mage roughly 90% of the time, usually with the same powers as their parent. Two Mages have never had a confirmed child.
When a child shows Mage powers they usually go to school at a boarding school for Mages where their powers can be controlled. In civilized parts of the world, parents can stay in their child’s life if they wish and often do. In less civilized parts the parents are either glad to be rid of the child or are too afraid to ever see the child.
Mages can find work anywhere and are rarely hard up for money.
Zhin
Zhin is one of the two superpowers. People from Zhin speak the language Zhin. The culture is oriental in flavor. People are born into a caste and can move to another caste as they mature, but which castes are available to someone from a caste is a very, very large and complicated system. Few people know beyond the options available to them.
Zhin is ruled by an Emperor, but most of the day to day running of the country is done by bureaucrats. Zhin is on the north-eastern corner of the main continent.
Celtica is the other superpower. Its main language is English. Its culture is European in flavor. While a person can rise from poverty to riches, they can also fall from riches to poverty. The central government is a committee made up of representatives from various regions. This results in a government that often accomplishes nothing, which pleases most of the citizens highly. The various regions govern themselves.
Aberdeen
More of a city-state then anything else, Aberdeen is the name of the largest city with around 100,000 people. There are another 100,000 people in the surrounding countryside. This is one of those boring mountain countries, not quite into Northern Nowhere, but the last stop to Northern Nowhere.
Aberdeen is an hourglass shaped country, with oceans on both sides. It connects the main continent to the south with the arctic continent to the north. Forty-three years ago a canal was completed joining the two oceans and allowing much, much shorter travel times by ocean between Zhin and Celtica, neither of which border on Aberdeen.
Ice Land
Northern Nowhere. Nomadic reindeer headers in the arctic. No one knows how many.
In very a mountainous part of Ice Land, explorers have discovered possible artifacts from when humanity came to Alfheim. What and where are still rumors, but there have been sightings of dragons that even Mages can’t explain.
Naturally, Zhin and Celtica are gearing up for war to control these possible artifacts. One part of this preparation is making sure their side will be allowed through the canal at Aberdeen, and trying to prevent the other side from getting access. Also, the timber and minerals in Ice Land are looking very tempting.
This will be using Champions version 4. Players are 250 points maximum with 100 points of disadvantages.
Powers
The powers of a Mage are the result of mutation and are actually psionic. Mage powers are always visible to mental awareness. They may be visible to other senses also.
Power Defense and Ego Defense are rolled into one power, which costs the same as Ego Defense.
All Mages have Mental Awareness (for free) and must buy at least the minimum for Ego Defense. Most Mages have some form of mental powers. Some Mages have healing and some have the ability to move objects or energy. Some Mages can do a little of everything, while others are very powerful in one or two things.
A few Mages can only do a few things and are barely considered Mages at all. These minor Mages are very rare, but do occur. Most Mages are fairly powerful. Players can be any type of Mage or a non-Mage. The only restrictions are that a non-Mage can’t have powers and a Mage must buy the minimum in Ego Defense. You can’t change from being a non-Mage to a Mage or back.
Magic items do not exist, except for Mages who use them to help them focus their minds.
Languages
For free players speak one language at the four point level, and the other at the one point level. Any funky dialects of either language cost one point for full fluency.
Science and All That
The normal rules of physics apply. You will not encounter sailing ships in space and so forth.
The planet you are on is the second of ten planets and has two moons, both pretty small in the sky. A year is 380 days, a day is 24 hours. (Though historians think that an hour may be slightly different than an hour practiced by the original humans.)
Technology
The level of technology is around 1900. Machine guns are too big to carry, but rifles and hand guns are available. Any off the shelf items do not cost points. A player could have a custom sword that does just enough killing damage to be exactly doubled by the character's strength. This would cost a great deal of money, but not points.
Cars are very rare, but a character can own one. They do not cost points because any powers they grant are balanced by the fact they are so unreliable as to practically be incompetent DNPCs.