This idea was originally meant for my educational online store, Level 3, Topics Fire / Elements.
It’s about a world where life only continues as long as one (or several) Holy Fires keep burning. So when they are threatened, for whatever reason, all people scramble to save those fires.
This can be extended to all elements then. There are different tribes/groups/institutions that “manage” or “keep” a specific element. Not only do they need to keep it alive, they need to keep creating enough of it + you must travel by them (or they come to you) to get it.
So, if you need a fire, you might need to wait until the Firekeepers swing by next week. If you need water, there is a single place where hundreds of people work really hard to create it. If you need soil/dirt, same thing. Air, same thing. It’s all “commoditized”, but in a magical and usable way.
Alternative Names = “Endless Fire” or “Keepers of Fire” or “The Fire Carrier”