THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT
Gods have guided humanity since the dawn of time. As such, the world we live in reflects this dynamic. Every God has their dedicated followers, those who regularly visit their shrines to worship them, and carry their power. Though only a fraction of this power, it can have world-changing consequences. The power to influence the world, its people, and the very fabric of reality is not one to be used recklessly. But those who wield it may not always do so with the best of intentions. Sometimes, these disasters can have extensive impacts on people, other times, it's the gods themselves.
Each god is tied to their respective dominion, and any aberration to that domain will reflect upon the god themself. Destruction of the environment drains the powers of the earthen gods. Suppression of peoples can impact the psychological gods. The primordial and ethereal domains are far more difficult to influence, but as they become more researched, and less mysterious, human intervention will surely follow.
The gods cling to their power as moths clamber for light; they will not so easily allow humans to diminish their control. As it became clear that humanity was not so easily controlled, the gods bestowed a heavenly gift upon them: the blessed
All humans can harness the power of the gods, but this takes many years of practice, and even the most proficient can only conjure meager magic. To the gods, this is laughable, but to humanity, this has always been a valuable tool. But the blessed are game changers. They possess the raw power of the gods, albeit, within a mortal vessel. This limits their power, but what they can accomplish in even a short amount of time far exceeds that of even the most skilled sorcerers.
The blessed act as vessels between the heavenly and mortal realms. Humans hand chosen by the gods themselves to to act as their ambassador on earth. They have that god's power, and as such, have the ability to change the world. This can have far-reaching consequences, and so to unite the blessed, Sanctuary was formed. On a remote island, all 4 domains are represented, and the blessed are invited to use it as their base of operations, from which to serve their god and the world. Some ignore the invitation, but those who join have access to every resource imaginable, and are able to meet the other blessed.
For the length of their life, the blessed has full autonomy, whether their patron god wishes them to fulfill certain duties, this cannot be enforced. When a blessed passes on to the afterlife, the god selects another blessed. Under rare circumstances, a god can strip a blessed of their status and pass this power to another. For the most part, death is the accepted route by which a blessed loses their power. As a result, it is known that some groups seek out the blessed to kill them in hopes they may be chosen by the god as the next blessed. This varies between gods, some would never consider such a mortal as their next vessel, others willingly play the game and are known to pass on that power should their blessed be killed by a person. For the most part, though, it is very difficult to kill blessed unless you yourself are blessed, and so the passing on of that power through the act of killing a blessed is very rare, and not endorsed by Sanctuary.
IDeologies
Our story takes place in a world adjacent to our own, beginning in the year 2050. Technology has advanced greatly, but continues to be aided by magic. It is normal for most jobs to have some magical involvement. Whether it's retail workers using psychological magic to appease angry customers, politicians promising the implementation of magical programs to make jobs easier, or a chef using fire magic to perfect their cooking. Magic is everywhere, but the UN has condemned the discrimination of magic users, or non-magic users based on their beliefs, practices etc.
There are a few major groups of ideologies, as recognised by Sanctuary. There are numerous ideologies all over the world, but generally they fall into 1 of 3 categories:
​The disciples: those who rigidly follow their god, and are generally the strongest magic users. They have a tendency to gate keep their knowledge, and are known to be elitist. There is an element of classism, as usually those who are more wealthy have greater access to magical education. They were not fond of technology, but have adapted with time as it became an inescapable reality.
The anarchists: those who believe magic is inherently evil and disrupts the natural world. There are different sects of this ideology, ranging from those who simply refuse to associate with magic (e.g. won't interact with magic users, will not work for companies that use magic, etc.) to those who actively protest magic, some going so far as to attack magic users and even the blessed. The Empire is labelled as 'anarchist,' but they reject this term, as it implies a lack of order.
The neutral: those who don't feel strongly in either direction. They have accepted that magic is part of the world, but do not worship or follow any gods. They may use magic, or may not
Most countries have made it illegal to reject or accept a person based on magic use, but this is poorly enforced, and varies by region. Some regions are notorious for banning magic use. The most notable, being the Empire.
The Empire
What was once known as the United States of America has become what is now called the United Empire. The country embraced the change from magic to technology much earlier than most countries, and ultimately became anti magic. The government's public denouncement of magic had widespread repercussions on a global scale, leading to riots within many states. These riots were quelled by the country's military.
In the late 2010s, a particularly ruthless president rose to power, and quickly made history-changing decisions, resulting in the rise of the United Empire. That president remained Emperor for almost 2 decades before being succeeded by his son, the current Emperor. Over the last few decades, the Empire has only grown in power, despite their complete ban of magic.
All regions controlled by the Empire have retained their cultural practices, though they have lost most of their individuality, but a strict magic ban is implemented. No magic use is allowed within the Empire, including travellers -- the consequences of magical use include imprisonment, with particularly dangerous 'criminals' receiving the death penalty. As a result, technological advances in the Empire far exceed that of other societies. All of Northern America, some of Southern America, and a handful of European countries are controlled by the Empire, and its spread doesn't appear to be stopping. Due to cultural differences, the rest of the world has struggled to unite to defend against it's spread, and some countries have welcomed the control, only to avoid bloodshed. Some fear the third world war is coming.
The UN fears magic is dying. Should the Empire's control continue to spread, by the end of the century, magic practice will be universally banned. Sanctuary is in agreement with this fear, as the Empire has made it clear the blessed have no place in their new world. Sanctuary has yet to take any action against the Empire, but it is only a matter of time before the blessed are backed into a corner with no way out but to give in or fight.
The United Empire's primary belief is that of a one True God. This idea has existed for as long as the Gods, but has never been as popular as it is now. Technology may be partly to blame, as it diminishes the need for a relationship between the gods and humans. It is believed that there is a single God, with the 'gods' being His servants, capable of performing 'miracles' that are mistaken for magic. To worship multiple gods is blasphemy, and those who do so will be punished by the True God in the end.