A year ago the seal was broken and magic flowed back into the world. Society still holds but the old institutions are cracking under the pressure of a humanity changed forever.

Welcome to Magia Nova

Imagine our world, exactly as you know it. The coffee shops, the traffic, the 9-to-5 grind, the quiet moments at the end of a long day.

Now, imagine that a year ago, it all broke.

One day, magic came roaring back into the world. It wasn't a gentle awakening; it was a chaotic, global event called "the Shift." In a single, terrifying moment, the fundamental rules of reality were rewritten. But here's the catch: all of magic's history, all the knowledge of how to use it or what it even is, was wiped clean. There are no ancient books, no wise old wizards, no prophecies. Humanity was handed a loaded gun in the dark with no instruction manual.

Life was changed in deeply unfair ways. Seemingly at random, people were transformed. Your neighbor might have become a graceful, long-lived elf. Your boss might now be a tusked, physically imposing orc. A small few "Awakened" found they could suddenly wield incredible powers. The vast majority of people, however, remained exactly as they were—ordinary humans left to navigate a world that no longer felt entirely theirs.

This isn't a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The world didn't end. Society is still standing, but it's fractured and on edge. The old problems of money, power, and prejudice are still there, but now they're amplified by a whole new set of fears. Governments are scrambling to register and control the Awakened. Corporations see a new resource to exploit. And on the streets, an old-world cop might find their decades of experience mean nothing when a criminal can create illusions.

Glossary:

The Shift (Alternatively The Bloom, The Calamity or The Unveiling):

The cataclysmic event on May 7th, 2024, that suddenly and violently reintroduced magic to the modern world.

The Chrysalis:

The painful and chaotic 6-to-72-hour period immediately following the Shift, during which all transformations and magical awakenings occurred.

Altered:

A general term for any individual whose physiology was permanently changed by the Shift into a new, non-human species.

Awakened (Alternatively Sparks):

The small percentage of the population who gained innate magical abilities during the Shift.

Statics (Alternatively Blanks, Defaults):

The majority of humanity who were completely unaffected by the Shift, remaining baseline human.

Arctech:

Extremely rare, powerful, and prohibitively expensive technology that successfully integrates true magic, available only to governments and the ultra-rich.

Arcanology:

The field dedicated to studying the principles of magic.

The Great Sealing:

The unknown, prehistoric event where an unknown power removed magic from the world and erased all memory of its existence.

Purist Movement:

A reactionary ideology that believes magic and the Altered are a corruption, often driven by a nostalgia for the pre-Shift world.

Scenario starting points:

I'm decluttering my profile, which means removing the prompt suggestions. Below are summaries of the old starting points - they're still just for inspiration.

Underworld recruitment:

You're altered and/or awakened, living in a rough part of town. A gang tries to recruit you, making thinly veiled threats.

Demi-human abduction:

The city is paranoid; demi-humans have been grabbed off the streets. Is someone following you...?

Unregistered awakened:

You've managed to hide your abilities and moved as far away as possible, living off the grid. Vehicles approach your homestead under the cover of darkness.

Awakened - Special asset:

You are Awakened, a "special asset" for a corp or government sent in to defeat a gang, rival corp asset or a foreign asset/encampment.

Speed dating:

You're Altered/Awakened and have entered a speed dating event for Altered and/or Awakened people.

Unregistered Awakened (II):

You are an unremarkable student/office drone who has managed to keep their Awakened abilities hidden for a year.

Variants I've tried: Pyrokinetic, mind reading/control, invisibility/shadow meld.

Awakened - Education/Training:

You are Awakened traveling to a University to study magic or a government facility for training.

The crush who disappeared:

You are in your third year of college. During your first year you had a "will they, won't they" friendship with someone who disappeared without a word after the Shift. After a year of no contact that person, now Altered/Awakened, show up and knock on your door.

I really liked this one and might make it into a proper bot some day.

Awkward encounter:

You are Altered and encounter someone who reacts inappropriately. A stupidly simple start that leads with a conflict to build on.

A hostile stranger can work, but someone fawning over and objectifying an elf/demi-human can be even better.