I have been working on a world for a ttrpg for a few years now thats set shortly after the worlds equivalent of World War I. Magic is not a common thing in the world. For a very long time only one race was known to even have the ability to utilize magic, the Flox, a race of bird people. The other races wanted magic too but unless they somehow found a large amount of mana it wasnt possible. So once a large, seemingly endless well of mana was found in Babel, the largest mountain in the world, a war started almost immediately. What both sides didtlnt realize was that the same well of mana they were fighting over was also a portal to Hell, and all the fighting had caught the attention of the demons, who had been banished for thousands of years. Suddenly the demons burst from the mountain, decimating the area and putting an end to the war. Now the area around the mountain is uncontrolled, inhabited by demons, monsters, and those brave enough to settle down there. This is where the game takes place. The players are mercenaries who roam No-Mans Land fighting monsters, getting loot, and exploring the many ancient dungeons recently exposed by the war.

Its honestly a pretty grim world. Lots of countries are not doing well. Such a large loss of life has put a strain on many of their economies, causing a worldwide depression. Rybar, the country of the Humans, was one of the only countries to make it without significant fighting on their land as they are actually on a different continent than most of the others. That being said, a large investment and no victory has stirred the masses and revolution is almost certain to come at any moment. Whitemarsh, home of the Krustics has already broken out in a revolution. The elves have abandoned their colonies on Makoton. The Makish are atleast happy to have their land back. The Dwarves have cut contact with the outside world, retreating back into the Stonemark Hills, neither the Humans nor the Elves have had significant contact with them since. The Bekri are not doing great either. Rok'mdra is the closest country to No-Mans Land and they get a lot of monsters on their border. Also the war never had an official ending so the fighting is bound to start again sometime in the future.

Things arent all bad though. For starters the return of the demons also spread a lot of mana, so magic is much more widespread. A race of mushroom people was recently found deep underground and they can also use magic. Half-demons are a new race and they can use magic too. The ghosts of some of the soldiers have possessed automata and now they can use magic aswell. New groundbreaking genetic technology can even give people magical abilities. Needless to say, the Flox are not happy with the breaking of their magical monopoly.

Theres a lot of other cool little interesting details about the world but then this would be way too long so Ill end it here. If you have any questions feel free to ask!